TOPIC 2

Contents
SPEAKING PART 1 .................................................................................................................................... 2
Getting lost.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Concentration...................................................................................................................................... 3
Pets and animals.................................................................................................................................. 4
SPEAKING PART 2 and PART 3 .................................................................................................................. 5
1. Describe an exciting book that you enjoy reading ........................................................................ 5
2. Describe a puzzle (jigsaw, crossword, etc) you have played .......................................................... 8
WRITING TASK 1: Graph with a trend ..................................................................................................... 10
Đề thi thật ngày 21/1/2021................................................................................................................ 10
Đề thi thật ngày 6/2/2021 ................................................................................................................. 11

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SPEAKING PART 1
TASK: You should spend time to fill in the blanks the missing words which are given to you at the end
of each question.
Getting lost
• Have you ever lost your way?
Hardly ever. I find it quite easy to locate where I am because I think I have ___________________. Also,
_________________ apps on my phone are very useful whenever I am not so sure about the direction.
- a good sense of direction: khả năng định hướng tốt
- navigation (noun): định vị

• How can you find your way when you are lost?
As I’ve mentioned, I will use my phone to find the way when I am lost. Google maps or even some
________________ like Uber or Grab can help me in such cases. Apart from that, if I have trouble with
identifying my location, I will try calling my relatives or friends for help.
- ride-hailing apps: app đặt xe

• Can you read a map when you get lost?

Yes, because I think that map reading is an essential skill, so I have tried to learn how to read a map many
years ago. We all need to know how to _____________points or measure distances by using a map. Many
would think that automatic instruction on online maps like Google maps is enough but then in cases that
using technology is out of the question, we also need to ________________ to the paper version. People
should prepare themselves in both situations.
- measure distances: đo khoảng cách
- resort (v): dùng đến
- locate (verb): định vị

• Have you ever helped someone who got lost?

Speaking of my own experience, I find that the elderly seems to get lost more often than younger people
probably because when people are getting older, it is hard for them to form a ____________ or image of
their own __________________. In the past, there were several times when I was on my way home, some

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older people asked for my help. I would _____________ them the right way and sometimes, I took them
to my home if their _______________ was too far and they needed to contact their relatives.
- a mental map: bản đồ trong tiềm thức
- guide (verb): hướng dẫn
- destination (noun): điểm đến
- surroundings (n): không gian xung quanh

Concentration
• Is it difficult for you to focus on something?
Most likely yes. I find my _______________ is so poor that I can only stay focused on just one task at a
time for 15 to 20 minutes unlike many who can multitask. Maybe it is because I have my phone with me
all the time so that I can easily peek at my Facebook or Instagram. I have to admit that the
_________________ is _________________ to me. However, sometimes when I feel energized, nothing
can _____________me from my work.
- concentration/attention span: khoảng tập trung/khoảng chú ý
- temptation of social media: sự cám dỗ của mạng xã hội
- irresistible: không thể cưỡng lại
- distract (verb): làm ai xao nhãng

• What do you do to help you concentrate?

The most important factor that would definitely affect my concentration is motivation. I cannot
_____________ on things that I am not interested in. Another thing that I usually do to help myself
concentrate is having a good sleep every night. It is a habit of mine to drink some milk or listen to music
before bedtime. Some say that turning off your phone or other devices could be very helpful, I have tried
it and it turned out to be very effective, too.
- Stay focused: tập trung cao độ

• What might distract you when you are trying to stay focused?
Actually, I am not that kind of person who can stay concentrated all the time. Constant loud noises like
____________ would distract me from the lectures or what I am doing at the time. I am also quite
_____________ smartphones so I always feel like there is something urging me to check my phone from
time to time. This sometimes affects my productivity a lot.

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 - urge (v): thúc giục
- car horn: còi xe
- addict to sth: nghiện cái gì đó
- productivity (n): năng suất công việc

• When do you need to be focused?

Even though it is hard for me to be attentive at times, there are many situations requiring me to give full
attention like driving or working. If you get distracted, this will cause serious consequences. Also, I think
that cooking requires a high level of concentration. Many seem to ___________ this daily activity, but
personally, working with knives and gas stoves could be very dangerous.
- overlook (v): to fail to notice or consider something or someone

Pets and animals

• What's your favorite animal? Why?
Well/Actually, I’m an animal lover. I love many of them, from ______________ to wild one. At home, my
sister has a ________________ British Long haired cat. Raising pets seems to be __________________
right now in Vietnam, especially in big cities. People now are under _____________ pressure, so they find
spending time with their beloved pets truly ___________________.
- domesticated animal: động vật đã được thuần hóa
- pure breed (n): giống thuần chủng
- the in-thing (n): xu hướng
- immense (adj): vô số
- therapeutic (adj): chữa lành

• What's the most popular animal in your country?

Dogs are by far the most common. Many people keep guard dogs to protect their houses and
____________because they are smart and loyal. Meanwhile, cats might be preferred by busy people
because they are considered _____________________, (I mean), they need little care from their owners.
Some people go as far as collecting _____________________ animals as a hobby.
- property (n): tài sản
- self-reliant (adj): tự lập
- exotic (adj): lạ

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 • Have you ever had a pet before?
Yes, once but we had to give it away because my dad is _____________________ to animal fur. In fact,
being exposed to a dog or cat can make him ______________ or get itchy skin. Another reason is that
(you know), pets are quite expensive to feed and care for. So, all in all, I always feel
_____________________ to keep another pet in the future.
- allergic to sth (adj): dị ứng với cái gì
- sneeze (verb): hắt hơi
- reluctant (adj): ngần ngại

SPEAKING PART 2 and PART 3

1. Describe an exciting book that you enjoy reading
You should say
• When you read it
• What kind of book it is
• What it is about
And explain why it is exciting
When I was younger, I had a chance to be engrossed in a novel, which, perhaps, in my opinion, is one of
the most outstanding children’s books of all time. The book entitled “Black Beauty” was beautifully
written by Anna Sewell, an English author. I received the paper pack as a present from my parents.
Generally speaking, I found the narrative captivating and surprisingly comprehensible that even when I
grew up, I still enjoyed re-reading it.
The memoir is narrated in the first person by the titular horse named Black Beauty, beginning with his
carefree days as a foal on an English farm with his family to his struggling life pulling cabs in London, and
his happy ending in the countryside. He dealt with many challenges throughout his life and recounted
many tales of cruelty and kindness.
For me, the process of reading this book was so exciting because I kept stumbling upon complicated
situations that Black Beauty was involved, and I was anxious to figure out how he got away with them. It
was compulsive reading, and I finished the book within a week.
With its fascinating storyline, I think this novel resonates more than just animal welfare teaching; it
reminded other readers and me of sympathy, compassion, and understanding of all living creatures.

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be engrossed in Đắm chìm vào

outstanding (adj) Xuất sắc nổi bật

beautifully written (adj) Được viết rất hay

paper pack (adj,n) Bản bìa mềm

narrative (n) Mạch tường thuật, kể chuyện

captivating (adj) Làm say đắm quyến rũ

surprisingly comprehensible (adj) Dễ hiểu đến khó tín, một cách đáng ngạc nhiên

memoir (n) Kí sự, hồi kí

carefree day (n) Ngày tháng vô lo vô nghĩ

Foal (n) Ngựa con, lừa con

struggling life Cuộc sống khó khăn, vật lộn

deal with many challenges Đối phó với nhiều thử thách

tale of cruelty and kindness Câu chuyện về sự độc ác vào nhân từ

stumble upon Vấp phải, bắt gặp

compulsive reading Đọc liền mạch không nghỉ

fascinating storyline Mạch truyện hấp dẫn

resonate (v) Vang, âm vang

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 sympathy (n) Sự thông cảm

Compassion (n) Lòng trắc ẩn

Part 3
• Do you prefer books or movies?
Well, to be honest, I would have to say that it really depends. I prefer books while traveling, or relaxing
on vacation, and before sleep. Although sometimes I would rather watch a movie with my friends in a
special event that I want to enjoy myself and entertain.
• Do you think it is very important to read the book before watching the movie version of it?
In my opinion, it is crucial to read the book before watching its ________________, otherwise, the
pleasure will be spoiled. The movie is often a shorter interpretation of the original book, while it still keeps
the main storyline and its ______________. The readers are free to draw their own imagination of what
happened in the book, whereas in the movie, the producers, the actors have done that for the viewers.
• Do boys and girls like the same kinds of books?
I suppose the preferences for books ____________ widely among individuals, and so it does between
genders. Girls are more likely to read ________________ for enjoyment and magazines depicting lifestyles
and fashion. Meanwhile, boys more commonly read comic books and newspapers.
• What kinds of books do Vietnamese people like reading?
Many ____________ Vietnamese _______________ have their own preferred _________________. From
my observation during various bookstore visits, some of the best-sellers to Vietnamese readers include
romantic novels, fantasy books, comic books, and academic books.

adaptation on screen (n) bản chuyển thể lên phim, màn ảnh

protagonist (n) Vai chính

vary (v) Thay đổi

Fiction (n) Văn hư cấu

avid reader (n) Tín đồ đọc sách

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 genre (n) Thể loại (phim ảnh, sách, nhạc)

2. Describe a puzzle (jigsaw, crossword, etc) you have played

You should say:
· What it is like
· How easy or difficult it is
· How long it takes you to solve it
And explain how you feel about it
Sample answer:
About 2 recent years, Facebook has been running advertisements for various businesses on the
users’ news feed. I was watching a movie review on Facebook Watch and then an ad for
Gardenscape appeared out of nowhere. At first, it was irritating because I was in the middle of
the review, but the short commercial grabbed my attention. Before I knew it, I had already
downloaded the game. Gardenscape is a matching puzzle game, you have to swap at least 3
adjacent elements to earn stars and coins. After that, you can use stars to redecorate your
gardens. I can recognize some of the flowers like ivy, lotus or chickweed. Some of the boosters
are the common gardening tools like the rake, the shovel, and the gloves.
To talk about the levels of the game, there are actually 3 levels. The medium is labeled brown,
the hard one is red and the super hard levels are all purple. I usually get stuck at the super hard
games and go ballistic though, but after overcoming it, it’s satisfying to jump for joy. If the level
is easy to pass, it only takes about 2 minutes; otherwise, it would last for days for me to finish
the game.
I like the game although it doesn’t really improve my intelligence or anything like that. It’d rather
bring me amusement when looking at the adorable graphics of the flowers and the background.
It did not win Facebook’s Game of the year for nothing after all.
- Out of nowhere: xuất hiện đột ngột
- In the middle of sth: đang làm dở gì đó
- Adjacent (adj): gần
- Ivy (n): cây thường xuân
- Chickweed (n): hoa xuyến chi
- Go ballistic: giận dữ
- Jump for joy: cực vui sướng
- Rake (n): cào làm đất
- Shovel (n): cái xẻng
Part 3:
• Why do parents let their children play puzzles?
My parents used to throw me a cube, so I know a little bit about the reason. They want the
children to learn about ________________ when solving a problem, and if the kids can’t handle
it well, they should always keep a calm attitude and move on.

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 - Persistence (n): sự bền bỉ
• What kinds of puzzles improve people’s intelligence?
I could name a few games, but chess will be my selection. While you play the game, you have to
brainstorm different _____________________ in your head. The more you play it, the faster your
processing and planning skills become.
- Tactic (n): chiến thuật
• Why are detective stories attractive to people?
The genre usually ____________________ curiosity and imagination of the readers after all. The
best part when reading the story is that the readers get to solve the case on their own and find
the _______________. The shiftier the villain is, the more __________________ the storyline is
- Provoke (n): khơi gợi
- Culprit (n): thủ phạm
- Engaging (adj): lôi cuốn
Which do you think is better? A detective movie or its original novel?
The original story of course, because the characters’ psychological development is
_________________written on the page; however, when the viewers watch a detective movie,
they would have to guess it through the actors’ facial expressions. If the actors could not
successfully convey the characters’ logic, the movie would be less ________________
- Discernibly (adv): rõ ràng
- Compelling (adj): thuyết phục
-

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WRITING TASK 1: Graph with a trend
Đề thi thật ngày 21/1/2021
Task 1: The graphs below show the cinema attendance in Australia and the average
cinema visits by different age groups from 1996 to 2000. Summarize the information
by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

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Đề thi thật ngày 6/2/2021
Task 1: The bar chart shows the percentage of small , medium, large companies which
used social media for business purposes between 2012 to 2016.

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Đề thi thật ngày 8/5/2021
The bar chart shows the number of people who visited different museums in London. Summarise the
information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant

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