HUE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

PRACTICE TEST 1
(Code: B1T1)

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PAPER 1 Listening (40 minutes)
Part 1
Questions 1-8
Listen to short conversations, announcements or instructions. There is one question
for each conversation, announcement or instruction. For each question, circle the
correct letter A, B, C or D.

1 What does the boy decide to buy?

A A birthday cake
B Some expensive earrings
C Some good chocolates
D Some flowers and chocolates

2 How did the man travel last year?

A By coach
B By plane
C By train
D By ship

3 What time will the group return to their bus?

A Ten past twelve
B Half past one
C Two o’clock
D Three o’clock

4 What do the boys decide to do?

A Listen to music
B Watch a film on TV
C Play computer games
D Go shopping

5 Why can’t the girl go to school?

A Her back hurts.
B She has a headache.
C She has a toothache.
D She breaks her arm.

6 Where is the boy going to work?

A In an architecture company.
B In his uncle’s café.
C In a ticket office
D In a bank

7 What are they having for lunch?

A A sandwich
B Some carrots
C Bread
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 D Some soup
8 How much is the jumper that the woman got?
A 15 pounds
B 50 pounds
C 20 pounds
D 30 pounds
Part 2
Questions 9-20
Listen to 3 conversations. There are 12 questions. For each question, circle the correct
letter A, B, C or D.

Questions 9 to 12:

9 Why is February the shortest month?

A Augustus Caesar couldn’t count very well.
B Augustus Caesar was following his adoptive father’s orders.
C Augustus Caesar wanted to shorten winter.
D Augustus Caesar took a day from February to add to the month named after him.

10 How many months did the original Roman calendar have?

A Nine
B Ten
C Eleven
D Twelve

11 Why was Quintilis renamed for Julius Caesar?

A To honor the month of his birth
B To honor the month that he became ruler of Rome
C To please Augustus Caesar
D To enable him to add two months to the calendar

Questions 12 to 15:

12 What can we infer about phobias from this conversation?

A They are very common and everyone has a phobia.
B They create social and physical problems.
C Phobias are funny and are great for parties.
D Phobias are not a very severe problem.

13 Why would a person with a phobia change his job?

A To get better health care
B To be closer to his home
C To avoid the source of his fear
D To find a more understanding boss

14 Why is it difficult to treat phobias?

A Most people are more worried about the mental symptoms.
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 B Most doctors don’t ask patients about their fears.
C There are no good treatments for phobias.
D There is too much information about treatments for phobias for people to know
what to do.

15 Of the phobias mentioned, which are easiest to guess the meanings of?
A Gynophobia
B Nyctophobia
C Sciophobia
D Electrophobia

Questions 16 to 20:

16 What is the topic of the conversation?

A Advantages of quantum computers and how they work
B Similarities between quantum computers and today’s computers
C Possible uses of quantum computers
D Advantages and disadvantages of quantum computers

17 What is the significance of 1s and 0s in computer programming?

A They are a way of tracking what the computer is doing.
B They indicate “on” and “off” states.
C They are faster to count than other numbers.
D They have no real purpose.

18 A nanowire is
A So small it cannot be measured.
B The width of one million hydrogen atoms
C Made of one million small wires.
D The width of ten hydrogen atoms.

19 According to the conversation, it is not currently possible to create?

A Codes and security systems for quantum computers
B Keyboards that work with quantum computers
C Switches that are small enough
D Wires that are small enough for quantum computers

20 Will quantum computers be able to perform the same function as current computers?
A No, because they will perform completely different functions.
B No, because they use different processes, so they cannot “think” in the same way.
C Yes, because they will both work on binary systems.
D Yes, because both types of computers will be exactly the same.

Part 3
Questions 21-35
Listen to 3 talks or lectures. There are five questions for each talk or lecture. For each
question, circle the correct letter A, B, C or D.
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Questions 21 to 25:

21 Where was the seven-day week first adopted?

A Greece
B Rome
C Germanic countries
D Mesopotamia

22 What does the speaker think about the name “Sunday”?

A It is a little surprising.
B It provides interesting information about ancient religion.
C It is the result of a mistake.
D It should be changed.

23 Which day names are Germanic (Norse) in origin?

A Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
B Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
C Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday
D All seven days
24 We can infer that the preferred day for weddings among early Germanic peoples was
probably
A Sunday
B Wednesday
C Friday
D Saturday
25 Who was the Norse “All Father”?
A Tyr
B Woden
C Saturn
D Thor

Questions 26 to 30:

26 Which of the following is not mentioned as one of the most common phobias?
A Heights
B Water
C Tunnels
D Snakes
27 Which of the following is true of phobias?
A They involve intense fear of a dangerous situation
B More women than men have them
C They usually appear in adulthood
D All of the above
28 How many Americans have phobias?
A One million
B Five million
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 C Six million
D Ten million
29 What is an example of behavior treatment for a patient with a phobia about water?
A Talking with a therapist about his bad experiences with water
B Learning to avoid going near water
C Repeated trips to a swimming pool
D None of the above
30 Why does counter-conditioning work?
A Because a person cannot feel relaxed and afraid at the same time
B Because fear is a learned response that can be changed
C Both A and B
D Neither A nor B

Questions 31 to 35:

31 What is the lecture mainly about?

A The future of quantum computing
B Obstacles to building quantum computers
C Some recent advances in quantum computing
D An introduction to quantum computing

32 According to the lecture, quantum and classical computers are similar in?
A The basic logic of their calculations
B The fact that they both employ qubit
C Their level of efficiency
D Their speed of computation

33 What is a qubit?
A The fundamental unit of information a quantum computer
B A quaternary unit of information
C Both A and B
D Neither A nor B

34 What is “superposition”?
A A form of data sorting
B A huge increase in the rate of computation
C A blend of information states
D A series of quantum gates

35 According to the lecture, why can the power of quantum computing be difficult to
understand?
A Because quantum physics works in ways not easily observable
B Because classical physics remains the dominant method of interpretation
C Because classical and quantum computers are vastly different from one another
D All of the above

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PAPER 2 Reading (60 minutes)
Part 1
Questions 1-10
Read the text and questions below.
For each question, circle the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Have you ever thought about the names of the months? Why are “January” and
“February” not called “Primo” or “Secondo”? Is it because the original names were
created in ancient times? Or is it because the originators preferred odd words?
Take February, for example. Say it aloud a few times and you start to wonder. Most
people don’t know who developed these names. However, a little research reveals that
the names of the months came mostly from a combination of the names of Roman gods
and goddesses, important festivals, and the original numbers of the months.
Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar to make it more exact. Caesar
developed a new calendar of 364 ¼ days, the time it takes the earth to orbit the sun from
one spring season to the next. The Pope’s astronomers refined the calendar regarding
leap years; they determined that there should be no leap year in years ending in 00 -
unless they were divisible by 400; the years 1700, 1800, 1900, and 2100 would not be
considered leap years, while the years 1600 and 2000 would be. This new Gregorian
calendar was so accurate that today, scientists need only add leap seconds every few
years to the clock in order to keep the calendar matching the Earth’s cycles.

1 What is the topic of the passage?

A How the months were named
B How accurate the modern day calendar is
C How the leap year system was developed
D How the modern calendar was named and developed

2 Why is Caesar important in calendar making?

A He has a month named for him
B He extended summer
C He altered the number of days in a year
D He changed the length of a year

3 Why is the number 364 ¼ important?

A It is the length of a planetary year
B It was a number randomly chosen by Caesar for his calendar
C It is the length of time from the beginning of spring to the end of winter
D It is the most accurate number for calendar

4 Which of the following will be a leap year?

A 2200
B 2300
C 2400
D 2500

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5 It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that the author thinks the names of the months are
_____________.
A difficult to pronounce
B odd
C inappropriate
D none of the above

6 The word refined in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________.

A improved
B invented
C observed
D studied

7 In what order is the information in the passage presented?

A Name of months, Caesar’s calendar, the Gregorian Calendar
B Roman Gods, important festivals, original numbers of months
C Caesar’s calendar, the Gregorian calendar, the modern calendar
D None of the above

8 Which of the following is true of the Gregorian calendar?

A It needs major improvements
B It copied the Roman calendar’s formula of leap years
C It was so well designed, it needs little adjusting today
D None of the above

9 The word they in paragraph 3 refers to ____________.

A days
B astronomers
C calendars
D years

10 The word accurate in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A interesting
B simple
C informative
D correct

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 Part 2
Questions 11-20
Read the text and questions below.
For each question, circle the correct letter A, B, C or D.

People with an overpowering fear of something may not be able to consciously control
the direction of their gaze when faced with a picture that provokes that fear. Those with a
fear of spiders, or arachnophobia, may not be able to avoid looking toward a spider in the
grass, while those without the fear can. To reach this finding, 26 college students - half
of whom had arachnophobia - were outfitted with a device that tracks eye movements.
The participants were then shown a four-by-four grid of flowers on a computer screen,
where a picture of a grey-brown spider and a grey-brown mushroom each occupied one
space on the grid.
In one trial, the students were asked to press the spacebar when they spotted a
mushroom, but to ignore any spiders. In a second, the students were asked to press the
key when they saw the spider, but to avoid looking at mushrooms. When instructed to
ignore the spider and spot the mushroom, the students with arachnophobia could not
avoid looking at the spider - causing them to notice the mushroom three-tenths of a
second more slowly than the control group. Additionally, when the students were asked
to search for the spider, the arachnophobic students found the spider and pressed the
space bar about three-tenths of a second more quickly than the non-phobic students.
These findings show that the attention processes of people with a powerful fear of
spiders may be beyond their conscious control. This suggests that treatments that focus
on conscious thought processes may not work for such phobias. Instead, therapists could
focus on treatments such as systematic desensitization.

11 It can be inferred that the word phobia in the passage is closest in meaning to
__________.
A A new type of spider
B A fear of something
C A scientific experiment
D The name of a flower

12 What is the main idea of the passage?

A People who are afraid of spiders don’t look at them
B People with phobias can’t help looking at things they are afraid of
C People with arachnophobia always look at spiders first
D Phobias affect eyesight

13 Why was the device to track eye movement needed?

A To make sure the students were looking at the computer screen
B To move the spider’s location around
C To verify where the students were looking
D To make the students look only in one place

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14 What was the function of the spacebar?
A To give the students something to do
B To give the students place to rest their thumbs
C To allow the students to put spaces between words
D To determine the amount of time needed to find an item in the picture

15 Why were some of the students slow to press the space bar when instructed to look at
the mushroom?
A They continued to look at the spider
B They couldn’t find the spacebar
C They were looking for the on/off switch
D They had trouble following instructions

16 What do the results of the experiment tell us about people with phobias?
A They should always avoid the object of their fear
B They don’t have to try to change their thoughts
C They can’t consciously choose how to react to the feared object
D All of the above

17 It can be inferred that provokes in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.

A eases
B treats
C reminds
D causes

18 It can be inferred that spotted in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.

A ignored
B feared
C saw
D instructed

19 The word their in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

A findings
B processes
C spiders
D none of the above

20 What is the purpose of the passage?

A To prove that phobias are a myth
B To help people with phobias
C To relate research findings about phobias affecting eye control
D To relate research findings about phobias controlling eyesight

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 Part 3
Questions 21-30
Read the text and questions below.
For each question, circle the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Quantum computers, which utilize the properties of subatomic particles for computation,
have the potential for novel uses such as laser beams, silicon chips, or optical network.
(1) Researchers are currently exploring the possibility of controlling all electrons in a
quantum computer by using a single magnetic field. (2)
(3) The 1s and 0s used in ordinary computer programming correspond to the two
magnetic orientations of electrons; they spin up and spin down. (4) One-qubit gates
change the spins of individual electrons, varying them between 1s and 0s, while two-
qubit gates cause two spins to become linked or entangled.
Current research relies on the interactions of pairs of electrons to create both types of
gates. Tiny electrodes positioned near quantum dots, which are bits of semiconductor
material that trap single electrons, can attract neighboring electrons for energy exchange.
If the electrons interact long enough, they trade spin orientations. The current research
challenge lies in the discovery of a method to change the spin of only one electron rather
than both.

21 What is the topic of the passage?

A Research into controlling electrons in a quantum computer
B The use of computers for lasers, silicon chips, and optical networks
C One-qubit gates changing the spin of electrons
D Energy exchange between electrodes in a quantum computer

22 According to the passage, which of the following best describes a quantum computer?
A A cell phone and computer combination
B A laptop computer
C A computer made up of subatomic particles
D A computer made up of individual atoms

23 Which is the best place for the following sentence?

“At its most basic, quantum computing utilizes structures referred to as one-qubit and
two-qubit gates”
A (1)
B (2)
C (3)
D (4)

24 What causes the electrons to change spins?

A One-qubit gates
B Two-qubit gates
C Semiconductor material
D Electrodes
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25 The word orientation in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to __________.
A speeds
B types
C directions
D changes

26 Quantum dots are ___________.

A made of semiconductor material
B tiny electrodes
C interactions between electrons
D created by a magnetic field

27 The word them in paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A gates
B spins
C electrons
D orientations

28 Current research is looking for a way to _________.

A change the spins of two electrons at once
B change the spin of one electron at a time
C trap single electrons
D cause electron spins to become linked

29 According to the passage, the main challenge of research in quantum computing is

_______________.
A to get electrons to spin
B to change the spin of electrons
C to get electrons to trade spin orientations
D to find a way to change the spin of only one electron

30 What is the best sentence summarizing one important idea of the passage?
A Interactions of electrons are controlled by tiny electrodes, which are bits of
semiconductor material.
B Quantum computing relies on one- and two-qubit gates to control the electrons’
spin orientations, which correspond to the 1s and 0s of ordinary computing.
C Quantum computers are currently used in laser beams, silicon chips, and optical
networks.
D One-qubit gates affect the spin of one electron, while two-qubit gates affect pairs
of electrons.

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 Part 4
Questions 31-40
Read the text and questions below.
For each question, circle the correct letter A, B, C or D.

Automobiles have been around for a long time. We have grown up with them as an
integral part of our lives. We use them every day, and never really consider a time when
automobiles did not exist. However, the automobiles as we know it today, was not
invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects an
evolution that took place worldwide. It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the
modern automobile.
Automobiles have been powered by steam, electricity and internal combustion engines.
The first steam automobile was built in 1769 by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot at the Paris
Arsenal. The first electric car was built sometimes between 1832 and 1839 by Robert
Anderson of Scotland. However, the internal combustion engine, powered by gasoline,
became the standard over time.
By the early 1900s gasoline cars began to outsell all other types of automobiles. The
market was growing for economical automobiles and the need for industrial production
was pressing. The first car manufacturers in the world who built entire motor vehicles
for sale-not just engine inventors who experimented with car design to test their engines-
were French: Panhard & Levassor (1889) and Peugeot (1891).
Henry Ford is credited with creating the first economical car designed for the common
man. His success is directly related to his creation of an assembly line. The assembly line
reduced production costs for cars by reducing assembly time. Ford’s famous Model T
was assembled in just ninety-three minutes.

31 What is the main topic of the passage?

A Automobiles evolved worldwide over a long period of time
B Industrial production was driven by market forces
C Henry Ford created the first assembly line
D Automobiles are an integral part of our lives

32 What can we infer about the automobile from this passage?

A It is a complicated machine
B Man has been trying to improve it for a long time
C Future automobiles will be faster and better
D All of the above

33 What were the first automobile makers more interested in?

A Designing engines
B Designing automobiles
C Designing both the engines and automobile
D Making money

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34 Why is Henry Ford important to the automobile industry?
A He made more cars than anyone else
B He made the most popular cars
C He created the assembly line production process
D He was a better businessman than other car manufacturers

35 What can we infer about the internal combustion engine?

A It is better than the steam engine
B It is better than the electric engine
C It is easier to build than other engine
D Cheap gasoline made it a more popular engine

36 Why did it take over 100,000 patents to create the modern automobile?
A The designers made many mistakes
B There are many parts and inventions that make up an automobile
C Henry Ford designed many different engines
D None of the above

37 It can be inferred that integral in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

A modern
B expensive
C enjoyable
D necessary

38 According to the passage, Henry Ford was successful because _______.

A he produced the best quality cars
B he had a very good design team
C he made cars quickly and cheaply
D other car manufacturers weren’t famous

39 It can be inferred that pressing in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.

A unnecessary
B decreasing
C urgent
D difficult

40 The word their in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A manufacturers
B vehicles
C inventors
D markets

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PAPER 3 Writing (60 minutes)

Part 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

You received an email from your English friend, Jane. She asked you for some information about
one of your friends. Read part of her email below.

I’ve just got an email from your friend, An. She said she’s going to take a course in London
this summer. She asked if she could stay with my family until she could find an apartment.
Can you tell me a bit about her (things like her personality, hobbies and interests, and her
current work or study if possible)? I want to see if she will fit in with my family.

Write an email responding to Jane.

You should write at least 120 words. You do not need to include your name or addresses. Your
response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar.

Part 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Read the following text from a book about tourism.

Write an essay to an educated reader to discuss the effects of tourism on local communities. Include
reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer.
You should write at least 250 words. Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment,
Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar.

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PAPER 4 Speaking

Part 1: Social Interaction (3 minutes)

Let’s talk about your free time activities.

- What do you often do in your free time?

- Do you watch TV? If no, why not? If yes, which TV channel do you like best? Why?
- Do you read books? If no, why not? If yes, what kind of books do you like best? Why?

Let’s talk about your neighborhood.

- Can you tell me something about your neighborhood?

- What do you like most about it?
- Do you plan to live there for a long time? Why/why not?

Part 2: Solution Discussion (4 minutes)

Situation: A group of people is planning a trip from Da Nang to Ha Noi. Three means of transport
are suggested: by train, by plane, and by coach. Which means of transport do you think is the best
choice?

Part 3: Topic development (5 minutes)

Topic: Reading habit should be encouraged among teenagers.

- What is the difference between the kinds of books read by your parents’ generation and
those read by your generation?
- Do you think that governments should support free books for all people?
- In what way can parents help children develop their interest in reading?

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