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English Through Reading

Intermediate 1: The best recruiting agents
In 1849 a servant girl wrote home to her brother from Vào năm 1849, một cô hầu gái đã viết thư về nhà cho
Post Adelaide, South Australia: “I have accepted a anh trai của mình từ Post Adelaide, miền Nam nước Úc:
situation (job – in the passage, as a servant) at £20 per “Em đã nhận một công việc với mức lương £20 mỗi
annum (for each year), so you can tell the servants in năm, vì vậy mà anh có thể nói với những người hầu
your neighborhood not to stay in England for such trong làng của anh đừng ở lại Anh với mức lương từ chỉ
wages (money paid for work, especially unskilled work – £4 đến £8 một năm, mà hãy đến đây.” Những lá thư
plural) as from £4 to £8 a year, but come here.” Letters kiểu như thế này được truyền tay từ nhà bếp này đến
such as these, which were circulated (move from place nhà bếp khác và từ gác mái này đến gác mái khác ở các
to place, or person to person in a particular group; pass ngôi nhà tại Anh là những đại diện tuyển dụng tốt nhất
round) form kitchen to kitchen and from attic to attic cho các nước thuộc địa, những nơi rất cần những người
(room at the top of a house in space immediately below phụ nữ trẻ phục vụ những người khai hoang đang cố
the roof) in English homes, were the best recruiting (the gắng kiến tạo cuộc sống mới tại đất nước mà họ đã
finding of new works) agents for colonies, which were chọn. Những cô hầu gái khác đọc về cơ hội thành công
then so desperately (very greatly, seriously) in need of nhiều hơn ở nước ngoài trên báo và tạp chí, nơi đăng
(be in need of something - to need help) young women tải các quảng cáo cung cấp thông tin chi tiết hoàn toàn
to serve the pioneers (one of the first people to go to a miễn phí hay những chuyến đi được tài trợ.
new country to work or settle) who were trying to
create a new life for themselves in their chosen
countries. Other girls read about the much better
prospects (chance of success, especially in work - plural)
overseas (abroad; in a foreign country across the sea) in
newspaper and magazines, which also published
advertisements giving details of free (without payment;
costing nothing) or assisted (provided with or given
help with raising money for something) passages
(journey by ship from one place to another).

English Through Reading
Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer according to
the passage
1. Those women who went to the colonies as
servants…
A. were all recruited through agents back in England
B. missed their families greatly
C. played the most important role in attracting
others
D. found themselves being moved from kitchen to
kitchen
E. had the pioneering spirit necessary for starting new
lives
2. Getting to the colonies from England for the
servants…
A. could cost as little as £4
B. was essential if they want to escape life in English
attics
C. was only possible if an agent had recruited them
D. did not pose any financial problem
E. required a writing invitation from someone already
there
3. It is stated in the passage that…
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A. no men could get jobs as servants in Australia
B. servants were in great demand for the pioneers
establishing new lives
C. English homes were short of servants as so many
went overseas
D. the pioneers who went to the colonies were all
men
E. emigration from England to Australia started in
1849
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences by selecting
words
1. A person with good qualifications is bound to have
brighter prospects than someone without.
2. The local shops are giving away sets kitchen knives
free with every purchase over £50.
3. The new circulated so quickly round the office that
by the end of the day, everyone had heard it.
4. Many of the pioneers had no information as to
what difficulties they would face once they arrived in
their new land.
5. She desperately wanted a bicycle, and begged her
parents day and night for one.
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English Through Reading
Intermediate 2: To bring back lost memories
Our unconscious mind contains many millions of past
experiences that, so far as out conscious mind knows,
are lost forever (for all time). By means of several
devices (method for doing something, or for getting an
intended result), we now know how to bring back lost
memories. One method is “free association”, used by
psychiatrists. If a patient lets his conscious mind
wander (allow your thoughts to go from subject to
subject; stop concentrating) at will (whenever, however,
and as much as you want to), it can give him clues
(something which suggests the answer to, or gives
information about a problem) to forgotten things
which, if skillfully pursued (try to find out more through
questioning) by the doctor, will bring up whole
networks (large number of things that are connected to
each other) of lost ideas and forgotten terrors
(something which causes very great fear). There are
certain drugs which also help in this process;
hypnotism, too, can be of tremendous (very great; very
important) value in exploring a patient’s unconscious.

English Through Reading
Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer according to
the passage
1. According to the passage, it is possible…
A. to use drugs to cure patients of their past terrors
B. to bring our lost memories to the surface through
several methods
C. that psychological problems develop through the
inability to forget certain things
D. that hypnotism can cause a patient to forget past
terrors
E. for most people to choose to forget about their
past experiences
2. In the method of “free association”…
A. unpleasant memories are pushed into the
unconscious mind
B. the use of hypnotism is essential
C. certain drugs are more effective than hypnotism
D. all one’s millions of past experiences are easily
recalled
E. the patient’s co-operation is needed
3. We can conclude from the passage that…
A. most psychological disorders are caused by the
inability to forget certain things
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B. only a skillful doctor can open up one’s
unconscious mind
C. our unconscious mind only contains the things we
don’t want to remember
D. many of one’s past experiences are stored in one’s
unconscious mind
E. a patient can’t be made aware of his forgotten
experiences without drugs or hypnotism
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences by selecting
words
1. I’ve decided not to pursue the matter just now, but
don’t think I’ve forgotten about it.
2. All of you have put tremendous effort into the
campaign, so it’s thanks to you that everything is
going so well.
3. The chairman has given us no clue as to what he’s
going to say at the meeting, so we’ll just have to wait
and see.
4. The language teacher has a number of devices
which she can employ in order to get her students to
speak.
5. The lecture was so boring that on several occasions
I realized that my attention had started to wander.
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English Through Reading
Intermediate 3: Palm trees
Of the world’s 2,500-plus (more than) species of palm
trees, the Palmyra palm is most important to man, next
to the coconut palm, because it yields (produce
naturally) food and provides over one hundred
different useful end-products (final result after
treatment or processing). To obtain (get) the majority
(more than half of the total; most) of its benefits
(something good or useful), the Palmyra needs to be
climbed twice daily to extract (get something from or
out of something else) the nutritious (having high value
as food, e.g. containing vitamins, etc.) juice from its
flower-bunches. It is this juice, converted (change – in
form, etc.) by several different methods, that is the
basis for a wide variety of other products. Collecting
this juice, however, is arduous (tiring; involving a lot of
energy and effort) – and often dangerous – work, for
the trees can top (be taller, higher or more than) 30
meters in height.
Exercise 1: Choose the correct answer according to the passage
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences by selecting words