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Khóa học Luyện thi THPT quốc gia PEN C –N3 Môn Tiếng Anh cô Hương Fiona

VOCABULARY – CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

( TÀI LIỆU BÀI GIẢNG)
Giáo viên : Nguyễn Thanh Hương
Các bài tập trong tài liệu này được biên soạn kèm theo bài giảng “Culture and language” thuộc Khóa học Luyện thi THPT quốc
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trong tài liệu này.

EXERCISE 1. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
THE HISTORY OF WRITING
The development of writing (1) ________ a huge difference to the world and might see it as the beginning
of the media. Pieces of pottery with marks on that are probably numbers have been discovered in China
that date from around 4000 BC. Hieroglyphics and other forms of "picture writing" developed in the (2)
________ around Mesopotamia (mordem-day Iraq), where the ancent Sumerian civilization was based,
from around 3300 BC onwards. However, the first (3) ________ alphabet was used by the Phoenicians
around 1050BC. Their alphabet had 22 letters and it is estimated that it lasted for 1000 years. The first two
signs were called "aleph" and "beth", which in Greek became "alpha" and "beta"* which gave us the
modem word "alphabet" The modem European alphabet is based on the Greek and (4) to other
European countries under the
Romans. A number of changes took place as time passed. The Romans added the letter G, and the letter J
and V were unknown to people in Shakespear's time.
If we (5) ________ the history of punctuation, we also find some interesting facts. The Romans
used to write quaesto at the end of a sentence in order to show that it was a Question, they started to write
Qo in place of the whole word, and then put the Q above the 0. In the end, that became the question mark
"?"
Question 1: A. did B. had C. made D. took
Question 2: A. distance B. area C. length D. earth
Question 3: A. true B. accurate C. exact D. precise
Question 4: A. spread B. appeared C. was D. occuưed
Question 5: A. look into B. bring on C. make off D. hold up

EXERCISE 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, c or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
Basic to any understanding of Canada in the 20 years after the Second World War is the country’s
impressive population growth. For every three Canadians in 1945, there were over five in 1966. In
September 1966 Canada’s population passed the 20 million mark. Most of this surging growth came from

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natural increase. The depression of the 1930s and the war had held back marriages, and the catching-up
process began after 1945. The baby boom continued through the decade of the 1950s, producing a
population increase of nearly fifteen percent in the five years from 1951 to 1956 This rate of increase had
been exceeded only once before in Canada’s history, in the decade before 1911 when the prairies were
being settled. Undoubtedly, the good economic conditions of the
1950s supported a growth in the population, but the expansion also derived from a trend toward earlier
marriages and an increase in the average size of families. In 1957 the Canadian birth rate stood at 28 per
thousand, one of the highest in the worlk
After the peak year of 1957, the birth rate in Canada began to decline. It continued falling until in
1966 it stood at the lowest level in 25 years. Partly this decline reflected the low level of births during the
depression and the war, but it was also caused by changes in Canadian society. Young people were staying
at school longer more women were working; young married couples were buying automobiles or houses
before starting families; rising living standards were cutting down the size of families It appeared that
Canada was once more falling in step with the trend toward smaller families that had occurred all through
the Western world since the time of the Industrial Revolution.
Although the growth in Canada’s population had slowed down by 1966 (the increase in the first
half of the 1960s was only nine percent) another large population wave was coming over the horizon. It
would be composed of the children who were born during the period of the high birth rate prior to 1957.

Question 1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Educational changes in Canadian society B. Canada during the Second World War
C. Population trends in postwar Canada D. Standards of living in Canada
Question 2: The word “five” in bold refers to
A. Canadians B. years C. decades D. marriages
Question 3: The word “surging” in bold is closest in meaning to
A. new B. extra C. accelerating D. surprising
Question 4: The author suggests that in Canada during the 1950's
A. the urban population decreased rapidly B. fewer people married
C. economic conditions were poor D. the birth rate was very high
Question 5: The author mention all of the following as causes of declines in population growth after 1957
EXCEPT
A. people being better educated B. people getting married earlier
C. better standards of living D. couples buying houses
Question 6: It can be inferred from the passage that before the Industrial Revolution
A. families were larger B. population statistics were unreliable
C. the population grew steadily D. economic conditions were bad
Question 7: The word “it” in bold refers to

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A. horizon B. population wave C. nine percent D. first half

EXERCISE 3.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 31 to 35.
Early writing and Alphabets
When people first began to write, they did not use an alphabet. Instead, they drew small pictures to
(1) _______ the objects they were writing about. This was very slow because there was a different picture
for any word.
The Ancient Egyptians had a system of picture writing that was described hieroglyphics. The
meaning of this writing was forgotten for a very long time but in 1799 some scientists (2) _______ a stone
near Alexandria, in Egypt. The stone had been there for (3) _______ a thousand years. It had both Greek
and hieroglyphics on it and researchers were finally able to understand what the hieroglyphics meant.
An alphabet is quite different from picture writing. It (4) _______ of letters or symbols that
represent a sound and each sound is just part of one word. The Phoenicians, who lived about 3,000 years
ago, developed the modern alphabets. It was later improved by the Roman’s and this alphabet is now used
(5) _______ throughout the world.
Question 1: A. notice B. show C. appear D. mark
Question 2: A. discovered B. realized C. delivered D. invented
Question 3: A. quite B. more C. over D. already
Question 4: A. consistsof B. includes C. contains D. involves
Question 5: A. broadly B. widely C. deeply D. hugely

EXERCISE 4.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions below.
Because writing has become so important in our culture, we sometimes think of it as more real
than speech. A little thought, however, will show w hy speech is primary and writing secondary to
language. Human beings have been writing (as far as we can tell from surviving evidence) for at least 5000
years; but they have been talking for much longer, doubtless ever since there have been human beings.

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When writing did develop, it was derived from and represented speech, although
imperfectly. Even today there are spoken languages that have no written form. Furthermore, we all learn to
talk well before we learn to write; any human child who is not severely handicapped physically
or mentally will learn to talk: a normal human being cannot be prevented from doing so. On the other
hand, it takes a special effort to learn to write. In the past many intelligent and useful members of
society did not acquire the skill, and even today many who speak languages with writing systems
never learn to read or write, while some who learn the rudiments of those skills do so only
imperfectly.
To affirm the primacy of speech over writing is not, however, to disparage the latter. One
advantage writing has over speech is that it is more permanent and makes possible the records that any
civilization must have. Thus, if speaking makes us human, writing makes us civilized.
Question 1:We sometimes think of writing as more real than speech because ______.
A. writing is secondary to language
B. human beings have been writing for at least 5000 years
C. it has become very important in our culture
D. people have been writing since there have been human beings
Question 2:The author of the passage argues that ______.
A. speech is more basic to language than writing
B. writing has become too important in today’s society
C. everyone who learns to speak must learn to write
D. all languages should have a written form
Question 3: According to the passage, writing ______.
A. is represented perfectly by speech B. represents speech, but not perfectly
C. developed from imperfect speech D. is imperfect, but less so than speech
Question 4:Normal human beings ______.
A. learn to talk after learning to write B. learn t o write before learning to talk
C. learn to write and to talk at the same time D. learn to talk before learning to write
Question 5:Learning to write is ______.
A. easy B. too difficult C. not easy D. very easy
Question 6:In order to show that learning to write requires effort, the author gives the example of
______.

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A. people who learn the rudiments of speech B. severely handicapped children

C. intelligent people who couldn’t write D. people who speak many languages
Question 7:In the author’s judgment, ______.
A. writing has more advantages than speech
B. writing is more real than speech
C. speech conveys ideas less accurately than writing does
D. speech is essential but writing has important benefits
Question 8. The word “advantage” in the last paragraph most closely means ______.
A. “rudiments” B. “skill” C. “domination” D. “benefit”

EXERCISE 5
Read the following pasage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet ti indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions
Over the past 600 years, English has grown from a language of few speakers to become the
dominant language of international communication. English as we know it today emerged around 1350,
after having incorporated many elements of French that were introduced following the Norman invasion
off 1066. Until the 1600s, English was, for the most part, spoken only in England and had not expanded
even as far as Wales, Scotland, or Ireland. However, during the course of the next two century, English
began to spread around the globe as a result of exploration, trade (including slave trade), colonization, and
missionary work. Thus, small enclaves of English, speakers became established and grew in various parts
of the world. As these communities proliferated, English gradually became the primary language of
international business, banking, and diplomacy.
Currently, about 80 percent of the information stored on computer systems worldwide is in
English. Two thirds of the world's science writing is in English, and English is the main language of
technology, advertising, media, international airport, and air traffic controllers. Today there are more than
700 million English users in the world, and over half of these are non-native speakers, constituting the
largest number of non-native users than any other language in the world.
Question 1:What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The number of non-native users of English.
B. The French influence on the English language.
C. The expansion of English as an international language.
D. The use of English for science and technology.
Question 2:: In the first paragraph, the word "emerged" is closest in meaning to
A. appeared B. hailed C. frequented D. engaged

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Question 3:: In the first paragraph, the word "elements" is closest in meaning to
A. declaration B. features C. curiosities D. customs
Question 4:: Approximately when did English begin to be used beyond England?____________ .
A. In 1066 B. around 1350 C. before 1600 D. after 1600
Question 5:: According to the passage, all of the following contributed to the spread of English around the
world except ____________ .
A. the slave trade B. the Norman invasion
C. missionaries D. colonization
Question 6: In the second paragraph, the word "stored" is closest in meaning to____________ .
A. bought B. saved C. spent D. valued
Question 7:According to the passage, approximately how many non-native users of English are there in
the world today ? ____________ .
A. a quarter million B. half a million
C. 350 million D. 700 million

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