CLASSIFICATION

READING COMPREHENSION
You are going to read an article containing reviews of recently-published books. For questions 1-
10, choose from the Books (A-F). The reviews may be chosen more than once.

BOOK CORNER
A round-up of the latest fiction and non-fiction from Beth Young.

A
Reading a new novelist is a bit like asking a stranger out on a date. You never quite know if this is the
start of a beautiful relationship. You check the blurbs, the publicity photograph, and flick through the
book to look for the two essentials: entertainment and substance. Beginner's Greek by James Collins is
certainly big on the latter, weighing in at 400-plus pages. And the quotes on the back cover have the
effect of a bunch of friends saying to you, 'Go on, you'll get on brilliantly'. Early indications are that
this blind date could lead to a deeper relationship. Beginner's Greek is described by The New York
Times as a "great big sunny lemon chiffon pie of a novel" about romantic love amongst the American
middle classes. It is indeed delicious.

B
In Manil Suri's second outing The Age of Shiva we have a broad-sweeping, epic novel with an
unforgettable heroine so wilful yet flawed that it calls to mind that other famous leading lady, Scarlett
O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. The story begins at a firework party in Delhi where Meera falls
disastrously in love. We follow her journey to Bombay, marriage and obsessive motherhood, with
occasional flashbacks to a childhood that was marred by political turmoil. Mathematics professor, Suri,
captures the fluidity of the role of women with a beautiful kind of precision.

C
Devotees of playwright David Mamet, whose screen work includes Wag The Dog and the award-
winning Glengarry Glen Ross may be less than enamoured of Ira Nadel's new biography, David
Mamet: A Life in the Theatre. It may seem churlish to question the minutia of incidents that abound in
this comprehensive tome, but whilst Nadel is clearly striving for accuracy one feels there ought to have
been more sifting, more mining for the gold amongst the biographical trivia. In addition, Nadel's tone
is somewhat dry and academic and seems at odds with the brilliance of David Mamet's own writing.
That said, the book offers a sound introduction to the life and career of the man hailed as one of
America's most outstanding writers.

D
Can any Mother help me? is the true story of a desperately lonely mother who, in 1935, appealed to
other women through the letters page of a women's magazine. Writing under a pseudonym, the woman
known as Ubique (meaning 'everywhere') little realised that she would be the trigger for the launch of a
new and private magazine that would last for the next fifty years. The Cooperative Correspondence
Club was formed to offer comfort and support to wives, often well-educated women, who craved
stimulation beyond the drudgery of family life. Jenna Bailey has done a superb job of organising and
editing this compendium, adding her own insightful commentary.

E
Subtitled, The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Jessie Child's debut historical
biography, Henry VIII's Last Victim, was the worthy winner of last year's Elizabeth Longford Prize.
Henry Howard's victim status is owing to the fact that he was the final person to be executed by King
Henry VIII, a mere nine days before the king himself expired. Although killed ostensibly for treason,
the Earl of Surrey's only real crime it seems was leading an unsuccessful army campaign in France.
Only 29, he was also a distinguished poet with a fine literary voice, a persona which refutes his
reputation as the spoilt son of the Duke of Norfolk.

F
This is the 25th outing for T. Keneally but he's lost none of his writing powers. The Widow and Her
Hero takes real life events during the Second World War as its inspiration and builds a tale of love and
intrigue. Grace looks back on her life to recall her courtship with the hero of the title, the handsome
Captain Leo Waterhouse. Leo is tragically killed whilst on a secret mission but it is many years before
Grace discovers the facts about his death. Keneally made fans galore when Schindler's Ark was
published and later made into the award-winning Steven Spielberg film, Schindler's List. The Widow
and Her Hero will bring him even more fans.

Questions 1-10

In which review are the following mentioned?

1. A story in which someone is unaware of the impact of their action. D
2. A description of the opening scene. B
3. An author who exemplifies source material with their own analysis. D
4. A humorous comparison with a real-life situation. A
5. A character who finds out the truth about a situation. F
6. A hint that the author's future writing career will be positive. A
7. A book that would be appreciated by people without much previous knowledge of the C
subject.
8. A book which has already won critical acclaim. E
9. A book which includes too much factual detail. C
10. A mention of the profession of the author. B

Read the article below containing five managers’ advice about asking for a pay rise. For
questions 1-10, choose the correct manager. The managers may be chosen more than once.
HOW TO GET A PAY RISE
Do you feel you’re worth more than your company is paying you? We asked a group of managers
for some advice on how to go about asking for a pay rise.

Manager A
Try asking yourself a series of questions in order to establish whether you deserve a pay rise. If you
were in charge, would you award a pay rise to someone like you? What financial benefits have you
brought to the company? How have you helped with the smooth running of your department? Have
you introduced any new ideas or working practices? Use your answers to provide the facts that will
allow your boss to justify your increase to senior management. You should be able to outline what you
hope to achieve in the next 18 months and how you could improve your work. Exercise some caution,
however. Think about the effects on your work-life balance before you pledge to double your
workload, or your family may never forgive you!

Manager B
Whatever you do, don’t go to your boss with sob stories about debts or the fact that you need a new
car. Pleading for more money on emotional grounds will invariably lead to a negative response.
Confrontation isn’t advisable, either. Trying to ‘blackmail’ your boss by claiming that a rival company
has offered you a better deal, then saying you’ll walk out unless the company matches it, is a sure way
to get shown the door. On the other hand, you can’t expect your boss to offer a pay rise as a matter of
course. If you keep a low profile in the company, your achievements are unlikely to be recognised.
You need to convince your boss that your services are worth more than you’re currently being paid.
Even better, show how your future services will make the company more money than it spends on the
financial package you’re requesting.
Manager C
An ex-colleague of mine once hired a consultant from a very expensive firm to do a job comparable to
his own, and then ‘noticed’ that this person earned considerably more than him. He subsequently
arranged a meeting with his boss in order to bring the discrepancy to her attention and request
adequate compensation. I don’t know that I’d recommend this approach to everyone, but it’s definitely
worth finding out what people in comparable roles within your firm or in rival firms earn, and using
this in your negotiations. You may not get what you want immediately – your boss may have to review
the budgets, or seek the opinions of others. You can, however, agree how you intend to take things
forward and set a time for a pay review in the future.

Manager D
From talking to my colleagues, the consensus seems to be that it’s best to address the issue head on
and have a frank face-to-face chat with your immediate superior. Make sure you give some idea in
advance about what you want to talk about, though. Simply turning up outside your boss’s office after
a particularly bad day is likely to lead to a quick brush-off. Preparation is key. Have a clear idea of
what you want and how you’re going to get it. Obviously, the idea is to prove how indispensable you
are, but keep it succinct. Make sure you can present your successes clearly and simply, and stick to the
most recent. Your boss is a busy person; don’t bore them with an endless list of your triumphs. Proof is
also important; wherever possible, provide testimonials from happy clients or senior managers in the
company.

Manager E
Most firms deal with pay rises and promotions in a standard way. If annual pay reviews are the norm
where you work, you will have to have a good reason for wanting your salary looked at as a special
case. If you decide it’s worth trying, timing is crucial. Turning up just before a board meeting or just
after your company has issued a profit warning is unlikely to be a good idea. If possible, your meeting
should coincide with the completion of a specific project, especially if you were heavily involved. And
remember that pay is only one part of the job package. Your boss may refuse a pay rise but offer you
an improved pension deal, an enhanced bonus package or share options.

Which manager gives the following advice about getting a pay rise?
1. Take the company’s current financial situation into account before making your CE
request.
2. Demonstrate how increasing your pay will be cost-effective for the company. B
3. Be brief when outlining your achievements to your boss. D
4. Be prepared to consider an alternative to an increase in salary. AE
5. Use evidence from others to support claims about your performance. D
6. Ensure your boss is able to argue your case to higher authorities. C
7. Be patient and show a willingness to wait if necessary. C
8. Bear in mind the company culture regarding salary increases. AE
9. Allow your boss the opportunity to consider your request prior to your initial ED
meeting.
10. Avoid trying to draw on sympathy when appealing to your boss. B

You are going to read four different opinions from leading scientists about the future of fuel. For
questions 1-10, choose from the writers A-D. The writers may be chosen more than once.

A. Howard Bloom, Author

Even though most people are convinced that peak oil has already passed, to me, peak oil is just a
hypothesis. There is a theory that carbon molecules can be found in interstellar gas clouds, comets and
in space ice, and if this is the case, our planet could ooze oil forever. And even if we stay earthbound,
those who say we have raped the planet of all its resources are wrong. There's a huge stock of raw
materials we haven't yet learned to use. There are bacteria two miles beneath our feet which can turn
solid granite into food. If bacteria can do it, surely, we creatures with brains can do it better. As far as
the near future of energy is concerned, I believe the most promising alternative fuels are biofuels, such
as ethanol. It's an alcohol made from waste products such as the bark of trees, woodchips, and other
'waste materials'. And that's not the only waste that can create energy. My friend in the biomass
industry is perfecting an energy-generation plant which can run on human waste. We produce that in
vast quantities, and it's already gathered in centralized locations.

B. Michael Lardelli, Lecturer in Genetics at The University of Adelaide

Nothing exists on this planet without energy. It enables flowers and people to grow and we need it to
mine minerals, extract oil or cut wood and then to process these into finished goods. So, the most
fundamental definition of money is as a mechanism to allow the exchange and allocation of different
forms of energy. Recently, people have been using more energy than ever before. Until 2005 it was
possible to expand our energy use to meet this demand. However, since 2005 oil supply has been in
decline, and at the same time, and as a direct result of this, the world's economy has been unable to
expand, leading to global recession. With the world's energy and the profitability of energy production
in decline at the same time, the net energy available to support activities other than energy
procurement will decrease. We could increase energy production by diverting a large proportion of our
remaining oil energy into building nuclear power stations and investing in renewable forms of energy.
However, this is very unlikely to happen in democratic nations, because it would require huge,
voluntary reductions in living standards. Consequently, the world economy will continue to contract as
oil production declines. With energy in decline, it will be impossible for everyone in the world to
become wealthier. One person's increased wealth can only come at the expense of another person's
worsened poverty.

C. Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell

People are understandably worried about a future of growing energy shortages, rising prices and
international conflict for supplies. These fears are not without foundation. With continued economic
growth, the world's energy needs could increase by 50% in the next 25 years. However, I do not
believe that the world is running out of energy. Fossil fuels will be able to meet growing demand for a
long time in the future. Taking unconventional resources into account, we are not even close to peak
oil. The priority for oil companies is to improve efficiency, by increasing the amount of oil recovered
from reservoirs. At present, just over a third is recovered. We can also improve the technology to
control reservoir processes and improve oil flow. However, these projects are costly, complex and
technically demanding, and they depend on experienced people, so it is essential to encourage young
people to take up a technical career in the energy industry. Meanwhile, alternative forms of energy
need to be made economically viable. International energy companies have the capability, the
experience and the commercial drive to work towards solving the energy problem so they will play a
key role. But it is not as simple as merely making scientific advances and developing new tools; the
challenge is to deliver the technology to people worldwide. Companies will need to share knowledge
and use their ideas effectively.

D. Craig Severance, blogger

What will it take to end our oil addiction? It's time we moved on to something else. Not only are world
oil supplies running out, but what oil is still left is proving very dirty to obtain. The Deepwater
Horizon oil spill occurred precisely because the easy-to-obtain oil is already tapped. If we don't kick
oil now, we will see more disasters as oil companies move to the Arctic offshore and clear more
forests. The cheap petroleum is gone; from now on, we will pay steadily more and more for our oil —
not just in dollars, but in the biological systems that sustain life on this planet. The only solution is to
get on with what we will have to do anyway - end our dependence on it! There are many instances in
which oil need not be used at all. Heat and electricity can be produced in a multitude of other ways,
such as solar power or natural gas. The biggest challenge is the oil that is used in transportation. That
doesn't mean the transportation of goods worldwide, it's the day-to-day moving around of people. It
means we have to change what we drive. The good news is that it's possible. There are a wide range of
fuel efficient cars on offer, and the number of all-electric plug-in cars is set to increase. For long
distance travel and freight, the solution to this is to look to rail. An electrified railway would not be
reliant upon oil, but could be powered by solar, geothermal, hydro, and wind sources. There is a long
way to go, but actions we take now to kick our oil addiction can help us adapt to a world of shrinking
oil supplies.

Which writer:
1. believes oil will be available for many more years C
2. believes that from now on, less oil is available B
3. believes there are ways to obtain energy that we have not yet discovered A
4. sees a great potential in natural fuels A
5. believes the fuel crisis will cause the poor to become poorer B
6. sees energy and the economy as intrinsically linked B
7. believes we should reduce our dependance on oil immediately D
8. believes that people need to be attracted to working in the energy industry C
9. believes that it is unlikely that governments will invest a lot of money into alternative B
energy
10. believes that future oil recovery will lead to more environmental disasters D

Blurb (n) : lời nói đầu của NXB

Turmoil (n) = chaos
Enamoured (a) (+of, with) : mê
churlish (a) : cục cằn, bẩn tính
abound (v) : có rất nhiều
strive (v) : cố gắng, nỗ lực, đấu tranh
trivia (n) : truyện nhỏ nhặt
pseudonym (n) : biệt hiệu, bút danh
drudgery (n) : công việt cực nhọc
compendium (n) : bản tóm tắt
ostensibly (adv) : trên danh nghĩa là
treason (n) : tội làm phản
persona (n) : nhân bản
refute (v) : bác bẻ
intrigue (v) : dùng mánh khóe, âm mưu
courtship (n) : sự tìm hiểu
sob (v) : khóc thổn thức
consultant (n) : chuyên gia thâm vấn
discrepancy (n) : sự khác biệt, không nhất quán
consensus (n) : sự nhất trí
succinct (a) : ngắn gọn
pension (n) : lương hưu, tiền trợ cấp
interstellar (a) : giữa các vì sao
ooze (v) : rỉ ra
earthbound (a) : gắn liền với mặt đất
procurement (n) : sự kiếm, sự cấp
a multitude/ an array of : vô số …..
freight (n) : hàng hóa chuyên chở
intrinsically (adv) : về bản chất
hail (n) : mưa đá
biography (n) : tiểu sử
testimonials (n) : giấy chứng nhận