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Câu Hỏi Trắc Nghiệm Chuyên Đề Kỹ Năng Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh - Vĩnh Bá PDF
Câu Hỏi Trắc Nghiệm Chuyên Đề Kỹ Năng Đọc Hiểu Tiếng Anh - Vĩnh Bá PDF
INFO
V ĨN H B Á
(Giáo viên Chuyến A nh - Trường Quốc học Huế)
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
L Ờ I N Ó I ðẰU
Phẩn “ðọc và Hiểu Văn” là phần không thể thiếu trong mọi ñề thi Tiếng Anh các cấp.
Dù chì chiếm một tỉ iặ ñiểm không lớn, nhưng phần này khiến cho thí sinh mất nhiều
thời gian suy nghĩ và dề làm cho thí sinh e sợ nếu gặp phải một bãi vãn khó hiểu. Mức
ñộ khó cùa 'bài văn thể hiện ờ các chỗ: ñề tài bàn ñến có thể không nằm trong kinh
nghiệm sống cùa lứa tuổi học sinh, từ vựng và cấu trúc nàm ngoài vốn hiểu biết, và
cách thức ñặt câu hỏi !ắt léo, ñánh bẫy.
Tập sách này là tập hợp những bài văn thuộc các ñề tài nằm trong phạm vi kiến thức
phổ thông. Cách hành vãn của từng bài có thể ñơn giàn mà-cũng có thế phức tạp, nhưng
không ñến ñộ quá rối rắm.
: Câu hò ì trắc nghiệm dưới mỗi bài ñọc thường gồm các loại sau:
li Câu hòi về ý chính: yêu cầu người ñọc phải tóm tắt ñược chủ ñề cơ bản hoặc mục
ñích cùa tác giã, với các dạng mờ ñẩu như sau:
+ What is the main topic of this passage?
+ The best title for the passage is...
+ The main topic for this passage is...
+ What does the author mainly discuss?
+ The main idea of this passage is...
ðể chọn ñược câu trả lời ñúng, học sinh nên:
(1) Lưu ý ñến câu chù ñiểm (thiròng nằm ờ ñẩu mỗi ñoạn văn).
(2) Lưu ý giọng vãn cùa tác già.
(3) ðọc !ưởt qua toàn bài, ñặc biệt là câu chù ñiểm, ñể tim những từ ngữ mấu chốt (key
vocabulary) có thể biểu thị thái ñộ cùa tác giả ñối với ñề tài.
(4) ðọc kỹ bài ñể chọn câu trả !ời. Lưu ý rằng chỉ câu chủ ñiểmkhông thôichưa ñủ
thông tin ñể xác ñịnh ý chính của bài. Ý chính chĩ cỏ thểñược khái quát hóa sau
khi ñọc kỹ toàn bài và theo dõi thái ñộ cùa tác già.
2. Câu hỏi về sự kiện. Loại câu hỏi này yêu cầu học sinhphải trà lời bằng cácthông
tin cụ thể về bài văn.
Câu hòi về sự kiện có dạng là một câu bỏ lừng và bên dưới là 4 chọn lựa, trongñó chỉ
có một chọn lựa hoàn thành câu bò lừng ñúng ý bài vãn.
Phần mở ñầu của loại câu hòi này thường có dạng sau:
+ According to the article,....
+ The passage states that...
+ The author indicates that...
ðe chọn ñúng câu trả lời cho loại câu hòi này, học sinh cần:
(1) Xác ñịnh từ/cụm từ mấu chốt trong câu hòi.
(2) Lướt qua bài văn ñể tìm từ/cụm từ mấu chổt này, hoặc các từ liên quan ñên từ mâu
chốt này.
(3) Sau khi xác ñịnh ñược vị tri của từ/cụm từ mâu chôt trongbài văn,.ñọc kĩ phân bài
văn có chứa cụm từ này ñề chọn câu trà lời.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
3
Câu hỏi về sự kiện hầu như luôn ỉuôn ñược hòi theo thứ tự xuất hiện của các sự kiện
trong bài văn. Do ñó, cẵu hỏi sự kiện ñẩu tiên sẽ nằm gần ñầu bài vãn hơn là câu hòi sự
kiện cuối cùng. Hiểu ñược ñiêu này sẽ giúp học sinh làm bài nhanh han vì nêu ñang
tìm câu trả lời cho câu hòi số 1, học sinh chỉ cần tìm thông tin ở ñàu bài văn. Trái lại,
nếu ñang trả lời câu 5 chẳng hạn, học sinh sẽ nhìn vào phần cuối bài ñọc.
3. Các câu hỏi sự kiện phù ñịnh: ñưa ra 3 phát biều ñúng và một phát biểu sai. Học
sinh phải loại trừ ñược 3 phát biểu ñúng, phát biểu sai còn lại chính là câu phải
chọn ñể trả lời.
Các câu hòi sự kiện phù ñịnh thường có dạng như sau:
+ According to the passage, ali of the following are true EXCEPT...
+ The author mentions aii of the following EXCEPT...
ðê trà !ời các câu hỏi sự kiện phủ ñịnh, học sinh phải:
(1) ðọc kĩ các chọn lựa ñể xác ñịnh vị trí của thông tin trong bài văn.
(2) ðọc lướt qua bài văn ñể loại trừ 3 chọn lựa có thông tin khớp với thông tin trong
bài văn.
(3) Chọn lựa còn sót lại chính [à câu trã lòi ñúng.
4. Câu hỏi suy luận: Thông tin ñể trả lòi loại câu hòi này ñôi khi không ñược phát
biểu rõ ràng trong bài văn. Học sinh phải suy luận cãn cứ trên nhừng thông tin
khác, hoặc phải “ñọc giừa hai hàng chữ” (read between the lines) mới thấy ý ẩn
tàng của tác giả.
Những câu hòi loại này thường ñược iập văn như sau:
+ While not directly stated, we can infer from the passage that...
+ According to the passage, the author implies that...
+ It can be inferred from paragraph 6 that ...
+ Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
5. Câu hỏi về ngữ nghĩa: Loại câu hòi nảy trác nghiệm vốn từ vựng của học sinh. '
Học sinh phải chọn trong 4 từ cho sẵn một từ ñồng nghĩa với từ dùng trong bài văn.
Các câu hòi ngừ nghĩa thường có dạng như sau;
+ The word “subsequent” in line 19 is closest in meaning to ...
+ The word “varied” in line 2 couid best be replaced'by ...
+ The word “their” in line 20 refers to ...
+ In line 5, the phrase “giant patriarchs” could best be replaced by which of the fol-
lowing?
Hy vọng sau khi kiên trì rèn luyện với các bài tập trong sách này, học sinh sẽ nắm ñược
kĩ năng làm bài và ñạt ñược ñiểm tối ña cho phẩn câu hòi ñọc hiểu văn.
Tập sách này cũng cỏ thể là nguồn tư liệu có ích cho các ñồng nghiệp trong việc soạn
bài kiểm tra.
Ngưòi sưu tập và tuyển chọn
Vĩnh Bá
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1 THE FAMOUS CUP
It’s only 36 centim eters tall, b u t to fans th ro ugho ut th e world, it
represen ts th e highest achievem ent in football. Every four years, team s
from all over the globe compete to take hom e the FIFA World Cup Tro-
- phy, yet nobody ever does.
Do you know why? Nobody ever tak es it hom e because the 18-carat
gold trophy is •kept, u n d e r ĩố c k ' an<r:fcev by FIFA (Federation In tern a-
tionale de Football Association). The cham pions of each World Cup
to u rn am e n t receive only a replica. This is to protect the valuable prize
from thieves, who have stolen the World Cup trophy twice in its 75-year
history.
The little trophy h a s certainly had a troubled existence. The original
trophy w as m ade by a French sculptor, Abel LaFleur, and w as called
the “Ju le s Rjmet Clip.” in honor of th e founder of the World C up tou r-^
n a m e n t. Sometime durin g the first three World Cup events (1930, ’34
and ’38), the nam e changed to simply the ‘W orld C up.” Then during
World W ar II, not m uch w as seen or heard of the trophy. It w as being
kept hidden in a shoe box u n d er the bed of Dr. Ottorino B arassi, the
Italian vice-president o f‘FIFA, to prevent it from falling into the h an d s
of the Nazi army.
Although th e trophy m ade :it -safely through the w ar, it d id n’t fare so
well du ring the tu rb u le n t 1960s. In 1966, the Cup w as stolen during a
public showing of th e trophy prior to the World Cup tou rn am ent in
England. Luckily, it w as found a sh ort time later none the worse for
w ear in a tra s h container, by a little dog nam ed Pickles.
fe^F our years later, Brazil earned perm an ent possession of the original
trophy by w inning its third World C up title. Unfortunately, the trophy
was stolen a second time, in 19837 and w as never recovered. The B ra-
zilian Football A ssociation had to have a duplicate trophy made.
After the first trophy becam e th e possession of Brazil’s football asso -
ciation, a new World C up Trophy for FIFA w as designed by a n Italian
artist, Silvio Gaz&zniga, in 1974. This trophy ca n n o t be won outright,
b u t rem ain s in the possession of FIFA, an d rest assu red they are keep-
ing a close eye on it. Today, World Cup w inners are aw arded a replica
of the trophy th a t is gold-plated, rath er th a n solid gold like the real
one.
Gazazniga’s World C up trophy weighs alm ost five kilogram s. Its base
contain s two layers olTa’sem i-precious stone called m alachite, and h a s
room for 17 sm all plaques bearing the n am es of the w inning team s -
enough space to h onor all the World Cup cham pions u p to the year
] 2038. After th at, a new trophy will have to be made. x”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5
(^d )ị H o w m uch m oney is the trophy w orth?
3. The first trophy w as nam ed th e “J u le s Rimet C up” b ecause Rimet
GLOSSARY
- trophy chiểc cúp (làm giải thưởng) - none the worse for wear/CÒn nguyên
- 18-carat gold vàng 18 ca-ra vẹn, chƯa suy suyển gì
- to be kept under l.ock and key ñược - trash container thùng rác
cất giữ cẩn thận - to earn permanent possession ọ f,
- FIFA [Federation Internationale de ;’sth ñược quyền sở hữu cái gì trọn ñời
Football Association] Liên ñoàn - title ñanh hiệu
Quốc tế Các Hiệp hội Bóng ñá - to recover thu hồi, lấy iại
- replica bản sao - duplicate bản sao
- troubled (adj) nhiều rắc rối - outright (adv) ngay tức thỉ
- sculptor nhà ñiêu khắc - rest assured xin hãy yên tâm rằng
- founder người sáng lập - to keep a dose eye on sth canh giữ
- vice-president phó chù tịch cẩn thận
- Nazi ðức ..Quốc Xã - solid gold vàng ròng, vàng khôi
- to make it safely through the war - base cái ñế
an toàn qua ñửợc cuộc chiến tranh - layer lớp mòng
- to fare well tiến triển tot ñẹp, ăn nên - semi-precious stone ñá bán quí
làm ra - malachite [tên một loại ñá]
- turbulent (adj) nhiều biến ñộng - plaque tấm tóm loại
- prior to (prep) (xảy ra) trước - to honor vinh danh, tôn vinh
6 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
•í&ÌQạ 'vẴ ^.TTi
2 GOAL: ENDING CHILD LABOR , r
Carefully guiding a needle th a t’s longer th a n h is tiny fingers, a
young boy in P ak istan stitches together the leather pieces of a soccer
ball. He sits crouched in the corner of a hot, airless shed for 12 h ours.
For h is long day's work, he will eajTi 60 cents. \
The boy is one of more th a n 200 million children/w ho work a t hard,
som etim es dan gerous jobs all over the world. Child labor exists in two-
th ird s of the w orld’s nations. From Indonesia to G uatem ala, poor chil-
for firecrackers in C hina and knot the th re ad s'fo r carp ets in India, all
for pennies a ñay. Sometim es they are sold a s slave s.
In a speech to the Child Labor Coalition when he w as U.S. Secretary
of Labor, Robert Reich expressed gratitude for the organization’s work
(6\ to end a b n sp- nfLnhi 1H labor. “Yon tu rned u p .th e h eat, an d you got re-
sults. He also congratulated Craig Kielburger, th en 13, of C anada, who
traveled the world for a year fighting for k id s’ rights. Craig believes kids
can m ake a difference. He offers this advice, “Write letters to com panies
and governm ent officials. P ut pressure on leaders to m ake ch anges and
to stop th e m isu se of children .” £ -N.
One solution to the child-lab.or jp r oblem in -poor qm intrips is edu ca-
tion. “The futu re of these countries,” Secretary Reich declared, “de-
pend s on a work force th a t is educated. We are prepared to help build
schools.”
E ducation h a s helped to m ake the world a brighter place for one
youth, Aghan of India. W hen he w as nine, Aghan w as kidnapped from
his hom e an d sold to a carpet m aker. A ghan’s boss w as very cruel. “I
a wa s always crying for my m other,” he recalls. Aghan’s dream w as to
leam to write so th a t he could send letters to His parents. Fortunately,
a group th a t opposes child labor rescued Aghan from the factory. He
w as se n t tQ_gjs h e lte r in New Delhi where he worked h ard to learn to
write.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
10. Ijdl New Delhi, Aghan
A.W orked for a group th a t is opposed to child labor.
(Bp received an education,
c . lived w ith his family.
D. m ade carpets.
GLOSSARY
- child labor tình trạng lao ñộng trẻ em - Secretary of Labor Bộ Trưởng Lao
- to stitch khâu bằng kim ðộng Mỹ
- leather da thuộc - gratitude lòng biết ơn
- crouched (adj) lom khom, cúi gập - abuse sự lạm dụng
người - to congratulate chúc mừng
- airless (adj) thiếu không khí, ngột ngạt - to fight for kids' rights ñấu tranh cho
- shed nhà kho quyền của trẻ-em
- to put pressure on sfrgay sức ép ñối
với aí
- firecrackers pháo - to misuse sử dụng sai mục ñích
- to knot the threads, thắt gút các sợi - work force lực lượng lao ñộng
. chi - to kidnap bắt cóc
- carpet tấm thảm - cruel (adj) ñộc ác
- slave nô lệ - toopposèsth chống [ại cái gì
- Child Labor Coalition Liên Minh Chống - to rescue giai cứu
Lao ðộng Trẻ Em - shelter chỗ ờ, chỗ trú thân
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
9
I s i t error-free?
very reliable- an d th a t they -didn't find m any' errors: 3t..;.was 'very good
new s for th e founder a s well a s for all the u sers. ’
Why is it becom ing so popuiar?
th a t it’s fun to be able to add w hat you know tó th e inform ation on the
net. IT specialists believe it h a s a very bright future an d m ost claim it's
the m ost brilliant invention ever.
1. W ikipedia ______
A. w as created by a team of com puter scientists,
B. began
began aass aa bbuusin
siness
ess idea,
idea.
c. becam e popular a s soon a s it Ístarted.
( t x \ starte d a s one m a n ’s passion.
W;
Articles ■ Wr;ikipedia
in . a r e _____
A. m ostly ab o u t science.
(iTi m ostly in English.
c . tran slated into 200 languages.
D. very interesting.
3. W ikipedia rem ains accu rate a s m u ch a s possible b e c a u s e _____
A. all people who w rite for it are experts.
B. it h a s a special type of software program m e.
c ci) there are people who m onitor it for m istakes.
Lh not everybody can change the inform ation.
4. The best advantage of Wikipedia is t h a t _____
fA ^you d o n’t have to pay for it.
B. everyone ca n u se it.
c . it is created by ordinary people.
f ư ỳ is quick an d reliable.
5. The tex t probably com es from - .
A. a leaflet ầ ổ '<\ GỀ a speech
c . a scientific article ( D ) a m agazine article
GLOSSARY ^
- encyclopaedia từ ñiển bách khoa - error-free (adj) không có sai sót
- to edit biên tập, chỉnh sửa - to confirm khẳng ñịnh
- to found thành lập - to stress nhấn mạnh
- a fancy idea một ý tưởng ấp ủ sự say - IT = Information Technology công
mê nghệ thông tin
- min = million - passion niềm ñam mê
- webpage trang web - to monitor theo dõi ñể xử ỉí
10 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4
In today’s competitive world, w hat responsible p a re n t would not
w an t to give their children the b est possible sta rt in life? For th is re a-
son, m any p aren ts w ant their children, often a s young as ten m onths
old, to become fam iliar with com puters. They seem to th in k th a t if th eir
children grow up with com puters, they will be b etter equipped to face
the challenges of th e future. -/7 -^
No one h a s proved th a t com puters m ake children m ore creative or
m ore intelligent. The tru th may even be the opposite. E ducational psy-
chologists claim th a t too m uch exposure to com puters, especially for
the very young, may negatively affect norm al brain development. Chil-
dren gain valuable experience of the world from their interaction with
physical objects. Ten-m onth-old babies may benefit more from bu m p -
ing th eir h ead s or p u tting various objects in their m o uths th a n they
will from staring at eye-catching cartoons. A four-year-old child can
improve hand-eye coordination and u n d ersta n d cause an d effect better
by experim enting w ith a crayon th a n by moving a curso r aro u n d a
com puter screen. So, as educational psychologists suggest, instead of
governm ent funding going to more an d m ore com puter classes, it m ight
be better to devote resources to m usic and a rt program s.
It is lu d ic ro u s to think th a t children will fall behind if they are not
exposed to com puters "from a n early age. Time is too precious to spend
with a “m ouse”. Now is the time when they should be out- there learning
to ride a bike. There will be time later on for them to start banging
away a t keyboards.
1 . Why do p aren ts w ant their children to learn how to use a com puter
from an early age?
® )B e c a u s e they are afraid their children will become competitive.
B ecause they w ant th eir children to be well prepared for their
future.
c. B ecause th is is w hat all the other p aren ts seem to do.
D. B ecause they believe their children will have difficulty learning
to use one if they don’t s ta rt early.
2. Children who spend a lot of time on their c o m p u te rs _____
do no t necessarily m ake more progress th a n those who d o n ’t,
tend to like m usic an d a rt more th a n those who d o n ’t.
c. will suffer from b rain dam age.
D. ten d to have m ore accidents th a n those who d on ’t.
3. The a u th o r implies th a t children leạm better ______
A. after they have developed hand-eye coordination.
B. w hen they u se a com puter.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
11
c. a s they get older.
^?)when they hold an d feel things aro u n d them .
ef
ỈÍ41 W hat would be an appropriate title for th is passage?
5
A m assage is relaxing, an d m akes you feel great, b u t did you know
th a t it’s also good for you? T h at’s w h at doctors are now saying. M as-
sage relieves pain an d anxiety, eases depression a n d speeds u p recov-
ery from m edical problems.
R esearch h a s show n th a t people of all ages benefit from touch. Pre-
m atu re infants who a re held develop J iaster Than th ose left alone, an d
healthy babies who get a lot of physical con tact ciy less an d sleep b et-
ter. R esearchers are n ot su re why th is occurs b u t they have also found
out th a t touch can slow h e a rt rate, lower blood p ressu re an d increase
levels of seraton in, the, brain chem ical th a t is linked to well-beingpjtt
also decreases levels of th e stress horm one cortisol, a n d th is in tu rn
increase s your, r esistance to- il|ọ e^ s^
M assage also 'speeds, u p/ healing. Bone-m arrow tra n sp la n t p atien ts
who were given m assages h ad better neurological function th a n those
who w eren’t. Furtherm ore, m assage reduced pain by 37% in p atien ts
with chronic m uscle aches.
12 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
C ệ) _
Gavipg->somjeaQS a m assagẹ m ay be_as_good as^get£mg-_one- A study
conducted by the university of Miami found th a t m others suffering
from depression felt better after m assaging th eir infants.. In th a t sam e
study, elderly volunteers who m assaged infants reported feeling less
anxious and depressed.
It even w orks w hen you do it yourself; 43% of headache sufferers re-
ported. getting relief after m assaging their tem ples and neck and sm ok-
ers who were tau gh t self-m assage while trying to quit felt less anxiety
and sm oked less.
f
grow faster if they are held.
develop faster th a n healthy babies if they get a lot of physical
contact.
D. d o n ’t survive if they are not held.
3. The au th o r suggests th a t touch ______
A. increases levels of the stress horm one cortisol.
B. m akes your h eart beat faster.
( ^ ) increases' the feeling of well-being.
D. helps you deal with your feelings.
4. P atients who get m a ssa g e s _____
A. d o n ’t experience m uscle pain.
B avoid having surgery. ^ J
(j3y m ake a quicker recovery.
D. are not better off th a n those who do not.
5. According to the a rtic le _____
Ạ. m assage h as no effect on smokers.
B. m assage relieves headaches by 43%.
c. sm okers who gave others m assages felt less anxious and
sm oked less.
(p j m assaging yourself is as effective a s being m assaged.
6 . W hat did the study conducted in Miami show ? 1
A. Elderly volunteers who got m assages felt less anxious.
B. M others were depressed after m assaging th eir babies,
c. Babies who got m assages felt better.
QSj Giving a m assage is as beneficial as getting one.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
13
?: •
they do n’t m ạssage th eir
6
If we took a look a t how people in Europe com m unicated ju s t one .
h un d red years ago, we would be very surprised to find o u t th a t English
was hardly used outside the U nited Kingdom. The language m ost
comm only used between people of different nationalities, an d p articu -
larly the aristocracy, w as French. In fact, French w as th e lan gu ag e o f
diplom acy , cu lture and education. However, th a t is not the case
now adays. E nglish h a s replaced French a s the international language
of com m unication. Today there are more people who sp eak E nglish a s a
second language th a n people who speak it a s a first language.
There are m any reason s why English h as become the language of in-
ternational com m unication. B ritain’s colonization of m any p a rts of the
world had som ething to do with it, but it is m ainly due to A m erica’s rise
to the position of m ajor world power. This helped spread popular
American cultu re throughout the world bringing th e language w ith it.
B ut is it good th at English h a s spread to all p a rts of the world so
quickly? Language specialists seem to be divided over this'i&^ue. There
are those who claim th a t it is im portant to have a language th a t th e
people in our increasingly globalized world have in comm on. According
to others, English is associated w ith a p articular culture an d therefore
prom otes th a t cu ltu re a t the expense of others. L inguists have sug-
gested “E sp eran to”, an artificially put-together language, a s a solution
to international com m unication problem s b u t w ithout success. So,
English will continue being the world language u ntil some o th er la n -
guage, m aybe C hinese, w hich is the m ost widely-spoken native lan -
guage in the world, takes over a s the w orld’s internation al language in -
stead of English.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
14
1. According to the passage, a century ag o _____
A. educated people th rou ghout Europe spoke English.
B. foreign travelers to England spoke only French.
< ề French w as m uch m ore popular th an English.
D. only the French aristocracy could speak English. -
2. W hat is chiefly responsible for the growth in popularity of English?
A. B ritain’s becoming an international power.
B. The F rench losing m any colonies.
Am erica’s becoming powerful.
D. The developm ent of American culture.
3. W hat is m eant by “the language of diplomacy” (lines 5-6)?
A. The language used by ordinary people.
B. The language used by the English an d the French.
The language used by the aristocracy.
The language used by governments.
4. W hat is tru e according to the passage?
A. The experts d on ’t like Esperanto.
E speranto is difficult to learn.
E speranto is not a n a tu ra l language
D. E sp eran to is becom ing more and more popular.
5. Th£ experts' opinion on the spread of English is
(a / split B. positive c . negative (B)i undecided
6 . The a u th o r believes t h a t _____
A. English is easier to learn th a n Chinese.
English will probably be replaced a s an in tern ational language.
C hinese is going to be the next language of internatio nal com -
m unication.
D. C hinese is growing in popularity am ong non-native speakers.
7. These d a y s _____
French is the language of diplomacy,
m ore non-natives speak English th a n natives.
c . m ore people speak French th a n English.
D. French is a dying language.
8 . W hat would be a good title for this passage?
y O English: Past, Present and F uture
( b ) English a s an International Language
c . English language m eans English culture
D. English: a difficult language to learn
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
15
GLOSSARY : > 4
- áristocrạcýígíạjfcại3 qitytgc.:
' ' :jộẹ;ñjạ- -a ;
thiệtìtiòi chòngủởi .khăc.
7 ' : :
The term “dyslexia” is used to describe a n u m b er of problem s asso -
ciated w ith reading, w riting or spelling. S hort-term m em ory, m ath em at-
ics, concentration, personal organization a n d sequencing m ay also be
affected. We do not know exactly w hat cau ses dyslexia, b u t we-ño know
th a t it tend s to ru n in th e family. We also know th a t m ore boys suffer
from dyslexia th a n girls an d th a t dyslexia is m ore com m on in u rb a n
areas th a n in rural.
One of the m ost com m on sign's of dyslexia is "reversals”. People w ith
this kind of problem often confuse letters like “b ” an d “d ” w hen reading
and writing or they som etim es read an d write w ords like “tip ” an d
“w on” a s “pit” and “now”. O ther com m on ch aracteristics are lack of
punctuation, m isspelling, m ixed-up sentence s tru c tu re an d poor
gram m atical construction. —
People are born with dyslexia, b ut it is only when they begin -to learn
to write th a t it becom es a noticeable problem . For children w ith dys-
lexia, going to school can be a trau m atic experience. Poor achievem ent
can m ake them feel frustrated an d insecure. They are re lu ctan t to go to
school an d som etim es even skip school altogether. Cheating, stealing
an d experim enting with d rugs can also occur w hen children regard
them selves as failures.
It is a com m on m isconception th a t dyslexic people are of inferior in -
telligence. Yet Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, T hom as Edison an d
H ans C hristian A ndersen were apparently all dyslexic. There is no total
cure for dyslexia; however, the effects of dyslexia can be lessened w ith
the guidance of skilled specialists an d a lot of determ ination.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
16
c. look forward to going to school.
D. do well a t school.
3. The passage states th a t one common characteristic of dyslexics is
th a t they ______
A. have difficulty expressing their feelings.
B. are n ot able to read three-letter words,
c . have difficulty learning the letter “b”.
read w ords backw ards.
4. The p urpose of th is passage is to inform readers t h a t _____
A. Albert E instein w as dyslexic.
B. it is difficult for dyslexics to get professional help.
X c ) dyslexics are as intelligent a s other people.
D. dyslexics are inferior to other people.
5. Who is more likely to be dyslexic?
A. girls
* B. children who live in the country
c . children who are not bright
children whose p a ren ts are dyslexic
6 . How can th e effects of dyslexia be m ade less severe?
by learning to live w ith them
by learning a special skill
w ith professional help and hard work
by learning how to deal w ith failure
7. According to th e passage, w hich of the following is tru e?
A. Dyslexia refers to a specific learning disability.
B. Dyslexic people become famous.
Dyslexia affects only reading an d writing skills
ế The ca u ses of dyslexia h av en ’t been fully explained.
GLOSSARY
- dyslexia chứng ñọc và viết khó - dys- - mixed-up (adj) lộn xộn, rối loạn
lexic (adj) - traumatic (adj) gây chấn thương
- short-term memory trí nhớ ngắn hạn/ - frustrated (adj) chán nàn, thất vọng
trí nhớ sơ cấp - insecure (adj) bất an, không yên tâm
- sequencing khà năng [iên kết các sự - to skip school bỏ học
kiện ................... - misconception quan niệm sai jam
- to run ỉri thẹtapiHyxó tính di truyền - inferior (adj) thấp kém
- reversal sự ñảo ngược - to lessen làm giảm bớt, làm nhẹ ñi
- misspelling sự ñánh vần sai
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
17
8
'• '■vBacỊcỊn'. Ị853, ị á t ' th e age of':24-V Levi ■S ^ ị i s s ‘ồi^neặ;.ía;.:w est co ast ,
. branch- of his. b ro th er’s dry goods b u sin e ss m; New York; . Oyer th e next
tw enty,y ẹ ^ s ^ ỉle b uilt his .business into a lucrative operation, y:
One of Levi’s custom ers w as a tailor by the nam e of Ja c o b Davis.
Originally from Latvia, Jaco b lived in Reno, Nevada, an d regularly p u r-
chased bolts of cloth from Levi S tra u ss & Co. Among Ja c o b ’s custom ers
w as a m an who kept ripping the pockets on the p a n ts th a t Jac o b m ade
for him. Ja c o b tried to find a way to strengthen h is cu sto m er’s p a n ts
w hen, one day, it finally occurred to him . He decided to p u t m etal rivets
on the pocket corners an d a t the b ase of the b u tto n fly. It worked and
the p a n ts becam e an in sta n t success.
Jacob knew he h ad discovered som ething new an d w orried th a t
som eone m ight steal his idea. T h at’s why he decided to apply for a p a t-
ent, b u t he did n ’t have the $68 th a t w as required for the paperw ork.
So, he tu rn ed to Levi S trau ss. He wrote him a letter suggesting th a t
they hold th e p aten t together. Being the b u sin essm an th a t he was,
S trau ss agreed im m ediately seeing the potential for th is new product.
So, on May 20, 1873, th e two m en received p a te n t n u m b er 139,121
from the u s P atent an d T radem ark Office an d w ent into b u sin ess to-
gether. T hat w as the day blue je a n s were bom . Who would have
th ought back th en th a t denim , th read an d a little m etal w ould becom e
the m ost popular clothing pro du ct in th e world an d it’s all th a n k s to
two m en - Levi S trau ss an d Jaco b Davis.
18 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. W hat is tru e about Jac o b Davis?
He w as Levi’s friend.
He w as Levi’s custom er in Latvia.
U l)H e w as Levi’s b u sin ess partner,
D. He w as Levi’s tailor.
5. Why did Ja c p b .p u t m etal rivets on the p an ts he m ade?
Ai because h is custo m ers asked for it
\ 0 ) because he w anted to prevent som ething from happening
c . because it w as fashionable
D. because he w anted to do som ething different
6 . Why did Levi accept J a c o b ’s offer?
{ a ) because he knew it would pay off
B. because his bu sin ess w as in trouble
c . because he w as looking to expand his b u sin ess
D. b ecause Jac o b was a good custom er
^ 7. IgL 1873, Levi an d J a c o b _____ .
( a J founded their first com pany.
■ B. applied for a paten t num ber.
•'& ) m ade th eir first blue jeans.
D. got their first custom ers.
GLOSSARY
- lucrative (adj) sinh lời, nhiều ĩợỉ nhuận - patent bằng sáng chế
- bolt of cloth cuộn vài, súc vải - paperwork giấy tờ hành chính
- to rip làm rách - Patent and Trademark Office sở cấp
- pants cái quần bằng phát mình và công nhận thương
- rivet con ñinh tán hiệu .
- base phần phía dưới, phần ñáy - denim [tên loại vài ñể may quần jeans]
- button fly cửa quần - thread sợi chỉ
- to pay off (rõt cuộc) mang lại IỢỈ ích
20 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1. Mr M organ-Grenville w as worried ab ou t _ _ _
ầ
the dam age h is gardening was doing to title countryside,
th e countryside being harm ed,
people protecting the environm ent.
D. w hat h e ’did for a living in the countryside.
2. One of the m ain aim s of CAT i s _____ '
A. to use better technology to h arm the environm ent.
B. to u se less technology in the envừonm ent.
to stop using technology th a t does not h arm th e environm ent,
ế to u se technology th a t causes less dam age to the environm ent.
GLOSSARY
- the Centre for Alternative Technol- - theme chủ ñề
ogy Trung Tâm sử Dụng công Nghệ - waste products các chất thải, phế
Thay Thế phẩm
- initially (adv) lúc ban ñầu - sewage system hệ thống xử Jí chất
- theoretical (adj) thuộc về [í thuyết thải
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
21-
10 ’c ANUNWELCOME GUEST : .
O f th e óự e In -seven people m the UK who cỉaim to-have seen a ghost,
the m ajority ''are 1women.* T h is m ay' be because woi&ẹÈrhạve fax, more
association w ifevihe-spirit->worldv-W-omen t r u s t their.-erootions an d are
generally b e tte r .able th a n .men to,cope with the unexpected.---..
Housewife Fiona Blair describes hersetf a s very practical-and down-
to-earth, an d never believed in the idea th a t a house could be h au n ted .
T hat all changed w hen she an d h er family moved into a m an or h ouse
in the MidỊạriắs. Although the surveyor reckoned th a t th e ho use re-
quired á., lot -of atten tio n and w as som ew hat dam p, they th o u g h t it w as
stunning. They could ju s t afford it and it would be a good investm ent,
so they took the plunge an d decided to buy it.
Nonetheless, right from the start, Fiona had a strange sense th a t
they were not alone in the house. One of her teenage d au g h ters h ad left
a towel over the back of a chair in the kitchen. Fiona w as in the garden,
and when she re tu rn ed to the house, the towel w as over the kitchen
table like a tablecloth. On other occasions the family would find th a t
objects su c h a s glasses an d vases had been tu rn ed upside-dow n.
This w as only the sta rt of the peculiar happenings. A particularly
strange incident happened on Fiona's birthday. Fiona’s h u sb an d , Mark,
came hom e from work an d w ent into the living room. He im m ediately
came ru sh in g o u t to ask who had bought h e r the beautiful flowers -
b ut nobody had given Fiona flowers an d h er d au g h ters h ad n ot p u t the
flowers there. It rem ained a m ystery how they had m iraculously a p -
peared.
Fiona w as curious an d decided to find o ut ab o u t th e h istoiy of the
house. W hat she discovered w as ra th er alarm ing. A pparently a young
girl, servant to a previous generation of ow ners, h ad been found dead
in peculiar circum stances in the attic. Fiona an d h e r family inevitably
began to feel claustrophobic and trapped in th e house, an d eventually
decided th a t they would have to move.
U nfortunately, things were not a s simple as th at. Each tim e they a t-
tem pted to show the h ouse to potential buyers, Fiona w ould of course
en su re beforehand th a t everything was n ea t an d tidy in order to m ake
a good im pression. B ut by ,the time anyone arrived, the entire house
would be in a com plete m ess, and visitors com plained of an u n p le asa n t
atm osphere. Eventually, after m any m onths, a n A m erican couple
viewed the house, an d decided it had a certain attraction. For som e
reason, the ghost did n ot play its u su a l tricks, an d Fiona w as able to
sell w hat h a d been h er dream hom e.
Now living in a spacious m odem ap artm en t in London, Fiona w ants
to forget it all an d move on w ith h er life. “At one point I th o u g h t I m ight
be going ou t of my m ind, it w as all so frightening. We can alm ost laugh
about it all now, b u t I hope we never experience anything like th a t
again.
22 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1. Why did the w riter and h er h u sb an d w ant to move into th e house
GLOSSARY
- spirit 1) tinh thần 2) tâm linh 3) bóng - stunning (adj) tuyệt vời, rất hay
ma - to be turned upside-down bị lật úp
- down-to-earth (adj) thực tế - attic rầm thượng, gác xép
- haunted (adj) (nhà) bị ma ám - claustrophobic (adj) cảm thãy sự khi ờ
- the Midlands vùng Trung Nguyên (ở trong không gian ñóng kín
Anh) - to play tricks giở trò chọc phá
- surveyor nhân viên ñịa chính - spacious (adj) rộng mênh mông
- to reckon cho là, ñoán là - to gò 'oyt of one's mind phát ñiên
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
23
\À recen t survey ,of-crime: statistics show s :rth a t:we ạrẹ.' all mo re likely
: to be.;bụrglẹd: now ttiah- 20 ;y ears ago' and' thei p o & ^ adíyỈổẹ-íẹveryone to
take a.few sim ple p re c a u tio n s•tò; p rotect their-H om es|:: .
The first fact IS ữ ^ t b u r g l a r s o t h e r .'intruders prefer, easy oppor-
tu nities, like a h o u se w hich is- very obviously 1em pty This .is,m uch le s s :
of a challenge th a n a n occupied house, a n d one w hichr is well-
protected. A b u rglar will wonder if it is w orth th e bother. '.
There are some general tips on how to avoid y our hom e becom ing
an o th er crim e statistic. Avoid leaving signs th a t your h o u se is em pty.
W hen you have to go out, leave a t least one light on a s well a s a radio
or television, a n d do n o t leave any c u rta in s wide open. The sight of
your late st m usic centre or com puter is enough to tem pt any burglar.
Never leave a sp are key in a convenient hiding place. The first place
a bu rglar will look is u n d e r th e doorm at or in a flower pot a n d even
som ew here m ore “im aginative” could soon be uncovered by the in-
truder. It is m uch safer to leave a key w ith a neighbour you can tru st.
B ut if your h o u se is in a quiet, desolate a rea be aw are th a t th is will be
a b u rg lar’s dream , so d eter any potential crim inal from approaching
your h o use by fitting security lights to th e outside of.your h ouse.
B ut w hat could h ap p e n if, in spite of the aforem entioned _jgecauz;
tions, a burg lar or in tru d er h a s decided to target y our hom e. Windows
are usu ally th e first point of entry for m any in trud ers. D ow nstairs w in-
dows provide easy access while u p sta irs windows can be reached with
a ladder or by clim bing up th e drainpipe. Before going to bed you
should double-check th a t all windows an d sh u tte rs are locked. No m at-
ter how sm all y o u r windows may be, it is surp risin g w hat à narrow gap
a determ ined b u rg lar ca n m anage to get th roug h. For ex tra security, fit
window locks to th e inside of th e window.
W hat ab o u t entry via doors? Your back door and patio doors, w hich
a re easily forced open, should have top quality security locks fitted.
Even though th is is expensive it will be money well spent. Install a b u r-
glar alarm if you can afford it a s a n o th er line of defence a g a in st in tru d -
ers.
A sobering fact is th a t n ot all in tru d ers have to b reak a n d e n ter into
a property. Why go to th e trouble of breaking in if you ca n ju s t knock
and be invited in? Beware of bogus officials or w orkm en and , p a rtic u -
larly if you are elderly, fit a chain an d a n eye hole so you can scru tin ise
callers a t y o u r leisure. W hen you do have callers never let anybody into
your hom e u n le ss you are absolutely su re they are genuine. Ask tò see
a n identity card, for example.
24 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
If you are in the frightening position of w aking in the m iddle of the
night and th in k you can h ea r an intruder, th en on no acco un t should
you app roach the in trud er. Far better to telephone the police an d wait
■for help.
1 . A w eil-protected h o u s e _____
(A jis less likely to be burgled.
(B J is regarded a s á challenge by m ost crim inals.
C: is a lot of Bother to m aintain.
D. is very unlikely to be burgled.
2. According to th e w riter, we s h o u ld _____ _
A. avoid leaving our ho use empty.
B. only go ou t w hen we have to.
c. always keep the cu rtain s closed. '
give the im pression th a t our house is occupied w hen we go out.
3. The w riter th in k s th a t hiding a key u n d er a doorm at or flower pot
26 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
O thers d o n ’t know w hat foods to choose in the s.chool canteen in order
to have a balanced diet. There is a saying “you are w h at you ea t”. So if
you w an t to become the next David Beckham th en y o u ’d b etter sta rt
eating properly.
Exercise
Lack of m oney in schools plus increased p re ssu re to .do well in the
course exam s m eans th a t teenagers are doing less sport in school th an
ever before. Giris, in particular, are more likely to suffer from lack of
exercise a n d u p to 4 in 10 girls stop playing spo rts in th eir early teen -
age years. J u s t because you a re n ’t sporty doesn’t m ean you can 't be
active. W alk or cycle to school instead of taking th e bus. Help at home
w ith the housew ork or gardening. Go dancing w ith your friends. There
are lots of ways you can stop being a couch potato L
Sleep
If “we. are w hat we eat” th en sleep is like food for the brain. Teens need
a t least 9 h o u rs ’ sleep every night and even mild sleepiness can affect
your perform ance, h u m o u r an d health. Lack of sleep can m ake you
tired, angry or depressed. Nearly 40% of secondary school stu d en ts go
to bed after 11 p.m . on school nights and 15% of teen s say they have
fallen asleep during class. In the USA some schools are startin g classes
a t 10 a.m . so th a t teens can get some extra sleep. These schools have
noticed an im provem ent in their stu d e n ts’ work.
28 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
B ritish T ran sport Police h a s a graffiti u n it designed to catch graffers
in the act. It sp en t five m onths tracking down the recently prosecuted
gang.
Graffiti a rt can also be a dangerous pastim e. The London U nder-
ground says th a t som e teenagers have died in accidents during n o ctu r-
nal graffiti “ra id s”.
However, o th ers say th a t graffiti a t its best is an a rt form. Art galler-
ies in London an d New York have exhibited work by increasingly fa-
m ous graffiti artists. “Of course graffiti is art. There’s no question ab o u t
th a t,” says David Grob, director of the Grob Gallery in London. Even
some of those who think graffiti is wrong adm it th a t graffers are ta l-
ented. “It’s ju s t th a t their artistic talent is channeled in the wrong di-
rection,” says Barry Kogan, a barrister who represented Declan Rooney,
one of the gang m em bers.
There is a difference between “good graffiti” an d vandalism , says
Dean Colman, a 24-year-old graffiti artist. “I’d never spray private
property, like som eone’s house. Some graffiti are disgusting. There’s a
big difference betw een th a t an d graffiti w hich can brighten u p grey
w alls.”
D ean m akes a living as a graffiti artist. His days of illegal spraying
are behind him, he says. He h a s w orked on a television program m e
about graffiti, designed a- series of governm ent posters, an d decorated
nightclubs. He h a s exhibited his work a t B attersea Arts Centre in Lon-
don, a n d he h a s tau g h t graffiti-spraying in youth clubs.
Dean sees him self a s an artist, and thin ks th a t graffiti a rt does not
get du e recognition. “There’s no graffiti art in the Tate Gallery an d there
should be,” he says. “Graffiti is a valid a s any other a rt form .”
GLOSSARY
- graffiti sự viết/vẽ bậy - anarchy tình trạng vô chính phủ
- gang nhóm/ băng ñàng chaos tình trạng hỗn loạn
- to be convicted of bị buộc vào tội - barrister luật sư
- hard-core (adj) trung kiên, cốt cán - to prosecute truy tố
- mural tranh tường, bích họa - to catch sb in the act bắt quả tang ai
- scrawl ( Ý) viết chữ nguệch ngoạc; (rì) - to track sb down truy lùng ai
chữ nguệch ngoạc - nocturnal (adj) hoạt ñộng về ñêm
- spray paint sơn xịt từ bình khí nén - raid cuộc bố ráp, cuộc lùng bắt
- marker pen bứt nét íón - to channel truyền ñi, chuyển ñi
- vandalism hành vi phá hoại của công - spray phun sơn
- menace mối ñe dọa - to brighten sth up [àm cho cái gì sáng
- rail user khách ñi tàu hỏa lên
- offensive (adj) gây khỏ chịu - the Tate Gallery [tên phòng trưng bày
- graffiti-resistant paint loại sơn chõng nghệ thuật ở London]
viẽt vẽ bậy - due (adj) ñúng ra phải ñược (hưởng)
- spokeswoman nữ phát ngôn viên
30 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
14 1 0 1 WAYS TO AVOID STUDYING
The Six-O ’clock-In-The - Evening-Enthu siastic- D eterm ined-And-W ell-
Intentioned-Studier-U ntil-M idnight is a person w ith whom you are
probably already familiar. At 6 o’clock he ap proaches his desk, and
carefully organizes everything in preparation for th e stu dy period to fol-
low. Having eveiything in place he next carefully a d ju sts each item
again, giving him self tim e to complete the first excuse: he recalls th a t
in th e m orning he did no t have quite enough time to read all item s of
in terest in the new spaper. He also realizes th a t if he is going to study it
is b est to have su ch sm all item s completely ou t of the way before set-
tling down to th e ta s k a t hand.
He therefore leaves h is desk, browses th roug h th e new spaper and
notices a s he brow ses th a t there are m ore articles of in terest th a n he
ha d originally thought. He also notices, as he leafs thro ugh the pages,
th e e n tertain m en t section. At th is point it will seem like a good idea to
plan for the evening’s first break - perhaps an interesting half-hour
program m e betw een 8 and 8.30 p.m.
He finds the program m e and it inevitably s ta rts a t ab ou t 7.00 p.m.
At th is point, he th ink s, “Well, IVe h ad a difficult day a n d it’s n ot too
long before the program m e starts, an d I need a re st anyway an d the
relaxation will really help m e to get down to studying ...” He re tu rn s to
his d esk a t 7.45, b ecau se the beginning of th e next program m e w as
also a bit m ore interesting th a n he thought it would be.
At th is stage, he still hovers over his desk tapping his book re a s s u r-
ingly a s he rem em bers th a t phone call to a friend which, like th e arti-
cles of in terest in the new spapers, is b est cleared o ut of th e way before
the serious studying begins.
The phone call, of course, is m uch more interesting an d longer th an
originally planned, b u t eventually the intrepid stu d e n t finds him self
back ạ t h is desk a t ab o u t 8.30 p.m.
At this point in the proceedings he actually sits down a t the desk,
opens the book w ith a display of physical determ ination a n d sta rts to
read (usually page one) a s he experiences the first pangs of hu n g er an d
th irst. This is d isastro u s because he realizes th a t the longer he w aits to
satisfy the pangs, the w orse they will get, and the m ore in terru pted his
study concentration will be.
The obvious an d only solution is a light snack. This, in its p re p a ra-
tion, grows a s m ore an d m ore tasty item s are piled onto the plate. The
sn ack becom es a feast.
Having removed th is final obstacle the desk is retu rn ed to w ith the
certain knowledge th a t th is time there is nothing th a t could possibly
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
31
■interfere w ith .-the following •period of study. ;:The-' .£ÍFst còỊÌpĩè of sen -
ten ces' 0X1' page- onp are locked a t again: ... as- :the stu d e n t realizes th a t
his stom ach •isfeelin g decidedly, heavy ancLa gerieral::;'droWsiness seem s
to have' set in. ' F ar -.better 'at- th is ju n c tu re tơ' w atch 'th at .other in terest-
ing half-hour program m e a t 10 o clock after w hich th e digestion will be
m ostly com pleted and' th e re st will enable him to really get down to the
ta sk a t hand.
At 12 o ’clock we find him asleep in front of the TV. Even at this
point, w hen he h a s been w oken u p by whoever com es into th e room , he
will th ink th a t thing s have not gone too badly, for after all he h a s h a d a
good rest, a good m eal, w atched some interestin g an d relaxing pro-
gram m es, fulfilled h is social com m itm ents to h is friends, digested the
d ay ’s inform ation, an d got everything completely o u t of the way so th a t
tomorrow, at 6 o ’clock...
1. The stu d en t in fact reads the new spaper in. order t o _____
A. find ou t w hat is on TV.
B. avoid beginning work.
c . be able to w ork continuously w ithout a break later.
D. keep u p-to-date w ith world events.
2. The stu d en t s ta rts p lanning his first b re a k _____
A. w hen he sits down a t his desk a t 6 o ’clock.
B. after working for a very short period..
c . while he is reading the new spaper before startin g work.
D. a t 7 p.m.
3. After he w atches television, the stu d e n t’s study period is fu rth e r
delayed b e c a u s e ___ _
A. he h a s to m ake a n im portant phone call.
B. he phones a friend to avoid startin g work.
c . he realizes he w on’t be able to concentrate u n less he calls h is
friend first.
D. he finds w h at his friend says on th e phone very interesting.
4. W hat does “th is final obstacle” refer to?
A. the feast he h a s ju s t eaten
B. th e pangs of hu n g er and th irst he w as experiencing earlier
c . th e phone call he m ade earlier
D. feeling tired
5. The text suggests th a t the next day the p e r s o n _____
A. will be able to study m ore efficiently.
B. will not attem p t to study.
c . will do exactly the sam e thing.
D. will feel guilty ab o u t w asting a whole evening.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
6 . W hich best describes the w riter’s attitu d e to the stu d en t he is d e-
scribing?
A. He is angry with him.
B. He is gently poking fun a t him.
c . He feels sorry for him.
D. He d o esn ’t care ab o u t him.
7. The w riter th in k s th a t the re a d e r _____
A. will have had some sim ilar experiences of avoiding studying.
B. will be am azed .by the behaviour of th is lazy stu dent,
c . will im mediately resolve to be a b etter student.
D. will feel guilty abo ut all the tim es they have allowed them selves
to be distracted.
GLOSSARY
- to adjust ñiều chỉnh, sửa Eại cho ngay - to pile chồng/.chất cao íên
ngắn - feast bữa ñại tiệc
- to browse through ñọc lướt qua - obstacle chướng ngại vật
- to leaf through lật dở (các trang sách) - to interfere with xen vào, gây trở ngại
- break quãng tạm nghỉ - decidedly (adv) rõ rệt
- to hover over (a place) ñứng làng - drowsiness cơn' buồn ngủ
vàng bên cái gì - to set in kéo ñến, ập ñến
- to tap chạm tay vào cái gì - at this juncture vào lúc này
“ reassuringly (adv) với vẻ an tâm - digestion sự tiêu hóa
- intrepid (adj) iiều lĩnh, bạt mạng - commitments to sb nghĩa vụ/ bôn
- proceedings íoạt sự kiện, chuỗi hành phận ñối với ai
ñộng - to poke fun at sb ñùa cợt, chế nhạo ai
- pangs of hunger cảm giác ñói cồn cào - to resolve to do sth quyết tâm làm gì
- snack món ăn dặm
15 POLAR PURPOSE
In 1997, a group of tw enty B ritish women m ade history. Working in
five team s with four women in each team , they walked to the North
Pole. A part from one experienced female guide, the o th er women were
all ordinary people who had never done anything like th is in their lives
before. They m anaged to survive in an environm ent which h ad defeated
several very experienced m en during the sam e few spring m onths of
th a t year. Who were these women and how did they succeed where
others failed? .
In 1995 an advertisem ent about a selection for the expedition was
p u t in several B ritish new spapers. Nearly one h u nd red wom en took
part in the first selection weekend and then, after several training ex-
peditions designed to weed ou t u nsuitable applicants, twenty women
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
33
•were'ẹ&ỜS.en.iiThe youngest, of.'t-hésẹ- w as tw enty-one..and'the o ld est fifty-
•oiiẽỉ.: M ''&ẹ>'g^up> thére'-.was- ấ .ĩậ o th e r of triplets, a te a c h e r^ :flig h t- a t -
tenHant.andevenproducer.
- They.-were‘a-m ikedbuiic-h b u t they -all really w ajnteti'to'take p a rt in
ữie. venture-and. ma'ke it a .success. Each of th e wom en agreed to raise
th e £2500 needed ' for the expenses a n d the airfare to .Canada, w here
the expedition began. They also com m itted them selves to following a n
intensive physical training program m e before leaving th e UK so th a t
they were fit enough to take p a rt in the expedition w ithout endangering
their own or o th e rs’ lives.
The wom en set off a s soon a s they were ready. Once in the ice, each
wom an h ad to ski along while dragging a sledge weighing over 50 kilos.
This would n o t have been too bad on a sm ooth surface, b u t for long
stretches, the Arctic ice is p u sh ed u p into huge m ou nd s two or three
m etres high and the sledges h a d to be h au led up one side a n d carefully
let down th e o th er side so th a t they did n’t sm ash. The tem p eratu re was
always below freezing point and som etim es strong w inds m ade walking
while pulling so m uch weight alm ost im possible. It w as also very diffi-
cult to p u t up th eir ten ts when they stopped each night.
In su ch conditions the women were m aking good progress if they
covered fourteen of fifteen .kilom eters a day. B ut th ere w as an oth er
problem. P art of the journey w as across a frozen sea w ith moving w ater
u n d e rn e ath th e ice an d at some points the team would drift b ack m ore
th a n five kilom eters du ring th e night. T hat m eant th a t after walking in
these very h a rs h conditions, for ten h o u rs on one day, they h ad to
spend p art of thè next day covering the sam e ground again. F u rth e r-
more, each day it would take three h o u rs from w aking u p to setting off
an d an o th er three h o u rs every evening to set u p the cam p and prepare
the evening meal.
So, how did they m anage to succeed? They realised th a t they were
p art of a team . If any one of them didn't pull h er sledge or get h er job
done, she would be jeopardizing the su ccess of the whole expedition.
Any form of selfishness could result in the efforts of everyone else being
completely w asted, so personal feelings had to be p u t to one side. At
the end of th eir journey, the women agreed th a t it w as m ental effort far
more th a n physical fitness th a t got them to the North Pole.
34 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. W hat did the women who answ ered the ad vertisem ent have in
com m on?
A. They were about the sam e age.
B. They had all suffered pain an d discomfort,
c. They all h ad plenty of money.
D. They all w anted to achieve a goal.
3. W hat does underlined “th ese” refer to?
A. all the- app licants
B. the training expeditions
c . the women who w ent on the trip
D. the unsu itable applicants
4. W hat did each wom an have to do before the sta rt of the expedition?
A. visit C anada B. get fit
: c. learn to ski . . . D. m eet the other women
5. On the expedition, th e women had to be careful to av o id _____
A. falling over on the ice. B. being left behind,
c . dam aging the sledges. D. getting too cold at night.
6 . It w as difficult for the women to cover 15 kilom etres a day because
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
16
Tennis started in France nearly 1000 y ears ago. The game was
originally played in th e courtyards of royal palaces, using the w alls (like
squash) ra th e r th a n a n e t One of the G rand Slam to u rn am e n ts tak es
place in W imbledon every year. The Tournament or The Fortnight, a s the
B ritish call the W imbledon Tennis C ham pionships, is very im p o rtan t to
the English.
So here you are, standing in the queue to buy your ticket to w atch
the m atches. Everybody is waiting for their tu rn to get inside. Nobodv is
pushing. If you are English, you will have all the necessary thing s with
you: a therm os of tea (of course), a folding cha ir and (surprise, s u r-
prise) an umbrella!
At last you go through the gates, and you discover the atm osphere.
People are sitting un d er their um brellas enjoying the B ritish w eather.
The atm osphere is calm and controlled. You feel as if you are in a select
private club - and, in fact, you are. The gardens are su p erb (well, you
are in England...). Eveiy year 3,500 geranium s are planted!
W hat is so special about Wimbledon? Well, it is the oldest to u rn a -
m ent in the world, an d th e last of the big four cham pio nships to be
played on n a tu ra l grass. The American, A ustralian an d French C ham -
pionships are played on cem ent, artificial g rass and clay. All the play-
ers m u st d ress only in white. W imbledon is free from sponsorship,
which m akes it different from alm ost all other sporting events. This
m eans th a t there are no advertising b an n e rs aro u n d the courts. The
people who come to w atch the m atches, com pared to those who watch
m any other international to urn am ents, are well disciplined. You can
only som etim es h ea r sh o uts or w histles when a player p repares to
serve. And if any sp ectator behaves badly, he or she m ay be asked to
leave.
You think th a t the English are very serious ten n is fans. B ut if you
w ant a good place, you may well find one aro u n d 4 p.m. W here h as
everybody gone? Look in the tents: they are having straw berries and
tea. After all, ten n is is ju s t one of many traditions, an d the English like
to continue them a l l - especially tea!
(Adapted from ! Love English, 1994)
1. The Fortnight i s _____
A. ano th er nam e for the G rand Slam tournam ents.
B. the original nam e for a game sim ilar to squash.
c. the nam e of one of the two W imbledon to urnam ents.
D. an o th er nam e for the Wimbledon C ham pionships.
36 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
\
2. To en te r W imbledon you have t o _____
A. wait in a line of people.
B. book the tickets earlier,
c . have your own chair.
D. belong to the club.
3. W hich of these sentences is true?
A. Most of the courts at W imbledon have artificial grass.
B. Only the W imbledon to u rn am ent is played on n atu ra l grass,
c. The Wimbledon cham pionships are played on cem ent or clay.
D. All four Grand Slam T ournam ents are played on n a tu ra l grass.
4. S pectators a t W im bledon _____
A. never behave badly during a m atch.
B. leave w hen a player serves badly,
c. do no t often sh out during a m atch.
D. are given special discipline rules.
5. It is easier to find a seat a t 4 o'clock b e c a u s e _____ .
A. English spectators go to some special tents.
B. it is an English tradition to go hom e for tea.
c. m ost of the spectators leave Wimbledon.
D. serious tennis fans come in the morning.
6 . The text is m ainly a b o u t _____
A. th e m ost popular spo rts in England.
B. the history of tennis cham pionships,
c . the ten nis to u rn ain en ts a t Wimbledon.
D. different English custom s and traditions.
GLOSSARY
- courtyard cái sân trong - sponsorship sự tài trợ
- tournament giải thi ñấu . - advertising banner dải băng quảng cáo
- thermos bình thùy - well disciplined (adj) có tinh thần ki
- folding chair ghế xếp luật, trật tự
- select (adj) (câu lạc bộ) dành riêng - whistle tiếng huýt sáo
- geranium cây hoa phong lữ thảo - strawberry trái dâu tây
- day ñất sét; (tennis) sân ñất nện. - to serve phát bóng, giao bóng
- to be free from sth (adj) hoàn toàn
không có cái gì
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
17 . , . '4 r ^Ệgặ: '■
H ave -ýọư/heará':ọf■rmis'hers? -They.are:people who :$nve£lpg->sledges.
■Every, year, orí ■tfoe^ferst'Satttrday-'in--'March,. ,6:ớ;ịo 75 tẹam ế;;of';m ushers
-from- around--the .world istaiS;-:th e [Idifarod, fặịỊ:ạặltó^Jami|ỗs:-ỉsled-dog
race. The ;raee goes from Anchorage^, tồ ứie,.ciíyẫ>f ;
H q w did,the Iñitạrod start?.:Irr Ĩ925, th ere -was à diphtheria epidem ic
sib lè: S ilf t-iien -the train lines stopped. There were Stm-.v525 m iles to
cross in fa: cold, hostile environm ent. There w as only one solution. The
first dog team left on J a n u a ry 28th, with tem p eratu res of -45CC! Men
and their dogs tran sp o rted the serum , w arm ing it occasionally. On
February 2nd, the serum finally arrived in Nome. H u ndreds of children
were saved.
The Iditarod w as started in 1973 to com m em orate this. The ro u te is
symbolically 1049 miles long: 1000 (a ro un d num ber) plus 49 (Alaska
is th e 49th U.S. state}. The race sta rts in Anchorage: a team leaves
every two m inutes. There are more th an .twenty checkpoints on the Idi-
tarod, some in Eskim o villages. The m u sh e rs’ dogs are H uskies, Mala-
m utes an d Sam oyeds. These dogs love to ru n , to m ake their m asters
happy, and th eir m asters w ant to come first in the race.
The lead dogs are the ones who best obey' the m u s h e rs ’ com m ands.
They are generally the m u sh e rs 5 favorites. W hen the dogs are not ru n -
ning, they live outside, attac h ed on long ch a in s n ea r a dog house.
Many m u sh e rs raise their own dogs. O thers borrow or re n t them . A
m u sh er knows all his dogs 5nam es and he som etim es h a s 150 dogs!
The m u sh ers come from England, Germany, J a p a n , France, A ustra-
lia an d the U.S. They travel across m ou ntains, the frozen Yukon River,
•forests and ice fields, all in the horrible cold. With tem p eratu res of -
55°c, the m u sh ers have to w ear warm clothes. They do it for th e love of
it, b u t there are m any dangers, too: dangers of being lost, getting stuck
in th e snow, bad w eather, and anim als th a t can attac k th e dogs. The
race is difficult. B u t'to the people who do the Iditarod, the A laskan si-
lence is the m ost beautiful sound .in the world. They really enjoy it.
(Adapted from I Love English, 1995)
38 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. The serum to protect the children got to Nome
A. by two m eans of transport.
B. w ith the help of dogs only,
c. by p assen g er train only'.
D. by m edical inland post.
3. The Iditarod team s lea v e _____
A. all at the sam e time. B. one after another,
c. two per m inute. D. two a t a time.
4. The m u s h e r s _____
' A. rarely know their dogs’ nam es.
B. do no t need to have their own dogs,
c. always borrow th eir dogs.
D. always have their own dogs.
5. The people who take p art in the ỉñitaroñ lik e _____
A. dealing w ith difficulties. B. the changing weather,
c. the peace an d quiet. D. being in danger.
6 . W hich of these is the best title for the text?
A. Saving the Children o f Nome B. A laskan Hunting Expedition
c. Lost in the Snouf D. On Their Way to Win
GLOSSARY
- dog sledge xe trượt tuyết do chó kéo - hostile (adj) thiễu thân thiện, thù nghịch
- sled-dog race cuộc ñua chó kéo xe - to commemorate tưởng niệm
trượt tuyết - symbolically (adv) có tính tượng trưng
- diphtheria bệnh bạch hầu - á round nưmber con số ñã làm tròn
- epidemic trận dịch - checkpoint trạm kiềm soát
- serum huyết thanh
18
Ever since a Polish Jew invented Esperanto in 1887 in the hopes of
fostering a cro ss-cultural community,, cynics have m ocked it a s an ide-
alistic cult for linguistic weirdos. Yet for such an am bitious and
unlikely idea it h a s earned its share of notoriety. Iraq ’s only Esperanto
teacher w as expelled during the regime. And billionaire benefactor
George Soros owes h is prosperity to the idea: he defected from Com-
m unist Hungary a t the 1946 World E speranto Congress in Switzerland.
To h ea r a growing n u m ber of en th u siasts tell it, the language’s m ost
glorious days may actually lie ahead. Though n u m b e rs are h ard to
come by - and those available' are h a rd to believe (the Universal E spe-
ranto Society - UES - estim ates 8 million speakers) - the language may
be spreading in developing nations in Africa, Asia an d South America.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
39
“B ecause s>f tĩiế Internet, .vvéỉìãve seen a. vast im p ro v em e n ts. th e levels
of com petent 1-sjafeakers-. iri ■places^ike C h in a.a n d :Brazil,” ■says- ỊHumphrey
T ^kinX tkei'-form ei'president’of’th e Universal E sp eran to A ssociation.
■ M eanwhile,, a sm all com m unity :of.-diehardS'. h a S ; i b e e n . y lobbying to
m ake it theoffiqiaT language of ứié Eúrope'ạn:-ÍỤnioii. ’Indeed'; E sp eranto
seem s-perfect for a m odem age, w hen global barrier's are being to m
down by free trade, im m igration and the Internet.
The renew ed en th u siasm for the language w as on display in G oth-
enburg, Sweden, at .the 88th an n u a l World E speranto C ongress. Some
1,800 m em bers of the Universal E speranto A ssociation - from places as
varied as J a p a n , Israel, Nepal an d Brazil - conversed in w h at sou nd s
like a m ixture of overenunciated. Italian an d softly spoken Polish. Or-
ganizers say atten dance outstripped last y ea r’s m eeting by alm o st 20
percent. Meanwhile, the num ber of E speranto hom e pages h a s jum ped
from 330 in 1998 to 788 in 2003.
So w h a t’s the big appeal? Unlike th a t other global language, E spe-
ranto p u ts everyone on a level playing field; native English speakers
m ake up only 10 p ercent of the world population, b u t they expect eve-
rybody else to be as articu late a s they are. “T hroughout Asia, for exam -
ple, people are conscious of the language problem b ecause they all
speak different languages,” says J o h n Wells, professor of phonetics at
University College London. “Some are questioning w hether they have to
use English as their language for wider com m unication or w hether
there is some other possible solution.”
The m ajority of E speranto speakers still live in Europe, w here the
language w as invented by Ludovic Zamenhof, u n d e r the pseudonym
Doktoro E speranto (meaning “one who hopes”). B ack in his time, peo-
ple were draw n to E speranto because it is five tim es easier to learn
th a n English an d ten tim es sim pler th a n R ussian.
Nowadays, E uropean E speranto speakers tend to be older throw-
backs of the cold-w ar era “ though, as sources report, stu d e n ts in Po-
land an d H ungary can still earn PhD’s in the language. Many believe
the popularity of the language in the developing world is being fueled
by growing resen tm en t of English as the language of global com m erce
and political rhetoric. “B ush a n d Blair have become E sp eran to ’s best
friends,” jokes Probal D asgupta, professor of linguistics a t India’s U ni-
versity of H yderabad. “Globalization h a s p u t a wind in o u r sails, m ak -
ing it possible for people to have in terest in E speranto a s n ot only a
language, b u t a social idea.” Sim ilar hopes have been voiced from the
m om ent Z am enhof .first came u p w ith his egalitarian lingo. B ut in to-
day’s rapidly shrinking world, the timing cou ld n’t be better.
(Abridged from Newsweek, August 2003)
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
40
1. In the first parag rap h, the w riter m e n tio n s _____
A. two people who survived th an k s to Esperanto.
B. the nam e of the m an who invented Esperanto.
c . the year w hen E speranto gained popularity.
D. th e idea th a t lay behind Esperanto.
2. From the first paragraph, we can infer th a t George S o ro s _____
A. w as one of the participants a t the 1946 World E speranto Con-
gress in Switzerland.
B. becam e very rich th a n k s to Esperanto.
c. d idn ’t approve of the idea of using Esperanto a s a su b stitu te for
his native language.
D. left the H ungarian Com m unist party so th a t he would be free to
use Esperanto.
3. The word “n u m b e rs ”, in paragraph two, refers t o ______
A. E speranto u sers all over the world.
B. m em bers of the E speranto Society.
c . Internet u se rs who learn Esperanto.
D. sp eakers of E speranto in Asia.
4. W hat do you learn abou t the 88 th World E speranto Congress?
A. The people present in G othenburg practised a variety of la n -
guages.
B. The p articip an ts were encouraged to set up new Esperanto
websites.
c . The nu m b er of its participants exceeded the n u m b er present
th e year before.
D. The p articip an ts h ad a n opportunity to see different displays
organized there.
5. Which of these facts is n ot mentioned a s an advantage th a t E spe-
ranto h a s over English?
A. Nobody is privileged to be a native speaker of Esperanto.
B. E speranto is not a s h ard to learn as the English language.
c . English is m uch more difficult to pronounce th a n E speranto.
D. More an d m ore people reject English a s a global language.
6 . In the last paragraph, the au th o r of the a rtic le _____
A. explains why E speranto is spoken mainly by the older genera-
tion of Europeans.
B. expresses h is belief th a t it is very good time for E speranto to be-
come widely used.
c . analyses the efforts m ade by some politicians, aim ed at popu-
larising E speranto.
D- gives re aso n s why E speranto should be treated only a s a m eans
of com m unication.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
41
à Polish 3ew‘môt.nguội Do. Thái goo V. - bạirrier rầo cản
Ba Lan- . • i- - renewed (ad0':ñừợc'phục'hồi, ñƯỢc tái
- Esperanto Quốc tế ngữ/ The giới ngữ sinh
- to foster nuôi dưỡng, khuyên khích, cổ - enthusiasm niềm say mê, nhiệt tình
vũ - to be on display ñược phô bày ra
- cross-culturaỉ (adj) giao văn hóa - to converse trò chuyện
- cynic người hoài nghi, người hay chỉ - overenundated (adj) ñược phát âm
trích cay ñộc quá cẩn thận
- to mock chế giễu - attendance số người tham dự
- idealistic (adj) cỏ tính duy tâm - to o utstrip sb vượt xa hơn/ bỏ xa ai
- c u lt'sự sùng bái - home page trang chù (cùa 1 website)
- ling uistic (adj) thuộc ngôn ngữ học - appeal sức thu hút '
- w eirdo ñiều/ người lập-dị - a level playing field một sân chơi bình
- notorie ty sự nổi tiếng (xấu), sự khét ñằng
tiếng - articu late (adj) (phát âm, nói năng) rõ
- to expel ñuổi, trục xuất ràng, rành mạch
- regime chế ñộ (ñang cai trị) - phonetics ngữ âm học
- benefactor ân nhân, người làm việc - pseudonym tên giả, biệt hiệu, bút
thiện danh
- to owe sth to sb /sth nhd ai/cái gì mà - throwback người/vật gợi nhớ/thuộc về
cóñượccáigì một thời kì ñã qua
- prosperity sự giàu có, thịnh vượng - cold-w ar era thời kì chiến tranh lạnh
- to defect from chạy trốn khỏi, ñào - to be fueled by ñược cung cấp nhiên
thoát khỏi liệu/ kích ñộng bởi
- congress ñại hội - resentment sự bất mãn, nỗi hận
- enthusiast người nhiệt tình ủng hộ - rhetoric lối nói hoa mĩ/ khoa trương
- glorious (adj) ñầy vinh quáng - to joke nói ñùa
- come by tình cờ kiếm ñược - linguistics ngôn ngữ học
- diehard người cố chấp/ bảo thủ ñến - globalization sự toàn câu hóa
cùng - egalitarian lingo một ngôn ngữ binh
- to lobby vận ñộng hành lang ñằng
- the European Union Liên Minh Châu - shrinking (adj) ñang ngày càng thu
Âu nhò lại
19
Shoplifting is an addictive crime. There are two types of shoplifters
{people who steal goods from shops): professional crim inals who do it
for a living, o r to ea rn money for a drug habit; an d non-professionais.
Non-professionals know th a t there are consequences, a n d they usually
have the money to pay, b u t they continue to steal anyway. These peo-
ple steal item s they often d o n’t need and som etim es d o n ’t use.
Although people of all ages shoplift, alm ost one third of all shoplift-
ers arrested by the police are between the ages of 13 a n d 17. Teens
usually steal thing s th a t they c a n ’t afford or are not allowed to buy,
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
such a s CDs, cosm etics, clothes and cigarettes. But m any also steal
things they could simply buy. Why? “I think, I could be spending my
m oney on this, b u t Fm getting it for free,” a teenage girl said. “Besides,
th e re’s also the thrill of doing som ething bad. Your h ea rt s ta rts to race,
and all you can th in k about is getting out of the store,” the girl added.
Teens who shoplift often believe their actions d on ’t really h u rt any-
one. They d o n ’t think th a t shoplifting m eans stealing. They th in k th at
the store will not notice the losses. They are wrong. Stores know exactly
how m any articles they lose, and the costs are huge. Ask teens who
shoplift why they do it, and they usually say they d o n ’t know.' Or they
may say th a t it’s fun; shoplifting can eheer up the mood of a teen who
is feeling depressed, angrv or bored. Friends can also force friends to
shoplift together - to be cool.
B ut why? Shoplifters usually don’t know the tru e m otivations b e-
hind their actions. However, shoplifting can become an addiction. In
fact, drug addicts who shoplift say it is a s h ard to stop stealing as it is
to quit drugs. W ithout intervention, shoplifting can become a danger-
ous lifetime habit.
For teens who are ju s t “trying o ut” shoplifting, the best thing th at
can happen is getting caught. And the sooner, the better. When they
are caug h t by store security personnel, they feel frightened, and the
experience can stop m any teens from repeating their behaviour. Shop-
lifting is stealing. Stealing is wrong, it's really ju s t th a t simple.
(Adapted from Weekly Reader, 2003)
1. According to paragraph o n e , _____
A. non-professionals work w ith professionals.
B. some professionals are addicted to drugs.
c . non-professionals rarely have enough money.
D. professionals steal things th a t they do not need.
2. In p arag rap h two, you can find o u t _____
A. w hat articles were stolen bv a teenage girl..
B. why people of different ages steal from shops.
c . how shoplifters m anage to get out of stores.
D. w hat things are usually stolen by young people.
3.. P aragraph three is about the reasons w h y _____
A. young people steal from shops.
B. shoplifting m akes people angry.
c . stores do not notice their losses.
D. teenagers say shoplifting is wrong.
4. P aragraph four inform s you t h a t _____
A. shoplifters can not often tell why they steal.
B. m ost shoplifters c a n ’t live w ithout taking drugs.
c . som e shoplifters are scared of their bad habit.
D. quitting drugs is easier th an giving up stealing.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
43
5. According to paragraph five, _____
A. m any teenagers thin k th a t shoplifting is simple.
B. it is quite easy for teenagers to get really scared,
c. some teenagers often frighten security personnel.
D. young shoplifters should be cau gh t a s soon a s possible.
6 . W hich of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Catch Shoplifters
B. How to Recognise Shoplifters
c. Teenagers Who Steal from Shops
D. Burglars Who Never Get Caught
GLOSSARY
- to shoplift ăn cắp ở cừa hàng - thrill cảm giác hồi hộp thú vị
- shoplifting (n); shoplifter (n) - intervention sự can thiệp, sự ngăn chặn
- consequence hậu quồ - security personnel nhân viên an ninh
- cosmetics mỹ phẩm
20
Can the school you go to m ake a m assive difference to y o u r life?
This is the question th a t a TV com pany w anted to answ er, so they ran
an experim ent. They paid for a 14-year-old boy who co nstantly got into
trouble an d w as throw n out of his S outh London school to go to an ex-
clusive £1 5,000 a year boarding school.
The experim ent w as a second chance for 14-year-old Ryan Bell. He
had never had the opportunities th a t his new classm ate s a t Downside
School had. W hen he w as asked if he m ight have trouble getting used
to a “sm art and po sh ” new school, he simply said, “D on’t worry ab o u t
me looking like a person with no friends, all 14-year-old guys are the
sam e - we like ca rs an d girls! I’m certain I won’t have any problem s.”
R yan’s first year at his new school w as a definite success. He w as
coming top in Latin and got into the rugby team , w here he w as one of
the best. His m other w as really proud - she hoped h e r son would never
have the problem s with money she had. His father had left them both
when Ryan w as a baby. His m other h ad always done h er best, b u t a d -
m itted she c o u ld n ’t give Ryan ,the best sta rt in life. Now Ryan started
talking ab ou t going to university and a possible career a s a TV director.
At his old school, R yan’s teachers used to say he w as always c a u s -
ing problem s b u t a t h is new school Ryan got on very well w ith th e other
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
44
stud en ts. His teach ers said he would get throu gh his GCSE exam s e a s-
ily. There were a few. sm all problem s, but at first they w eren’t consid-
ered too serious. The first one was w hen Ryan returned hom e for the
holidays and. w as cau gh t doing graffiti. It w as bad, b u t the school
blam ed his friends at hom e for encouraging him to do it and said it
would be un fair to expect Ryan to “transform overnight”. They were less
tolerant of the second incident - Ryan took an o th er boy’s mobile phone
and even though it was apparently a joke, he was not allowed to attend
school for a week.
After returnin g to the school which he w as enjoying being p art of,
Ryan went into the n earest town one evening w ith som e of his friends.
At the local disco he lost his tem per an d hit an o ther boy in the face.
The incident reflected badlv on the school’s reputation as the police
were called. B ecause Ryan had already been in trouble and the regula-
tions were the sam e for everyone, he had to be throw n out of school.
This decision was crueỉ, though the teachers believed his aggression
and wrongdoings were caused by his previous experiences. Everyone
agrees th at Ryan was doing very well and even though he failed to
com plete his education a t Downside School, he progressed a long way
educationally and emotionally.
(Adapted from Club, Nov/Dec 2003)
1 . The aim of the experim ent w as to •
A. help a young boy get out of trouble at school.
B. find o ut if the choice of a school m atters,
c. check how good Downside School was.
D. show Ryan w hat an exclusive school w as like.
2. R y a n _____
A. w as optim istic ab out joining the school.
B. was worried abou t m aking friends.
c . th o ug h t he m ight have some problems.
D. w anted his m other to be proud of him.
3. Ryan’s m o th e r _____
A. didn't like the experim ent.
B. never had financial problem s,
c . offered him the best she could.
D. expected Ryan to go to university.
4. Ryan’s new te a c h e rs _____
A. expected him to change a t once..
B. d id n ’t p u n ish him in any way.
c . never tried to justify his m anners.
D. blam ed his p ast for his behaviour.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
45
<2l •While-reading,;..tĩie children-w ere araused b ec a u se " -ri
•' A-.', th e book h a d yellow pages J -'I
' B:: they had-to tụ m th e pages. .■■■■■.-. :■■' ■’
C: th e w ords-stayed in the sam e place. •• Ợ , :
D. they h ad to read the sam e page tw ice.': . ^
3. W hat did Margie h ate m ost?
A. Tests and homework;
B. Her ugly teacher.
c . The questions on the screen.
D. Getting bad m arks.
4. The difference between Margie’s school a n d the school cen tu ries
ago was in t h e _____
A. n u m b er of tests the children were given.
B. subjects the children were taught.
c . age w hen the children w ent to school.
D. place, where the children had their lessons.
5. In her school Margie m is s e d _____
A. the regular ho u rs of lessons.
B. th e com pany of other children.
c . individual lessons with h er teacher.
D. textbooks printed on paper.
6 . The w riter w an ts to show u s t h a t _____
A. today’s schools are m uch worse th a n future schools.
B. today’s children should be happy abo ut p resent schools,
c . teaching and learning w on’t change m uch in the future.
D. the com puter is a better teacher th an a m an.
7. The text is p art o f _____
A. a fairy tale. B. a fantasy book,
c . a science fiction story. D. a historical novel.
GLOSSARY
- cynical (adj) tò vẻ hoài nghi
- County Inspector viên thanh tra giáo dục quận
- to scream thét lên, hét iớn
22
E ducation is an im portant issue for m any people in the UK as well
as aro u nd the world. In m ost countries pupils who atten d secondary
schools take an exam to get a school leaving certificate. One particular
worry is whv boys are. doing so badly. Some tw enty y ears ago, exam
48 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
scores of girls a n d boys in a class were com pared. Boys got b ettẹr re -
su lts in exam s, so various steps were taken to improve the resu lts of
girls, including having single sex girl-only classes. Now, the situation is
reversed, w ith girls getting b etter scores th a n boys.
So, w hat h a s gone wrong with boys, and w hat can be done abou t it?
Jo h n D unsford, leader of the Association of Head T eachers in Secon-
dary Schools, says th a t the fact th a t boys do not achieve m uch aca-
demically h a s its, roots in society rath e r th a n the classroom . Girls, more
th a n boys, see education a s a passport to a good job. On the other
hand, according to Penny Lewis, a head teacher, young m en are not
confident enough an d are often uncertain ab out their place in society.
Some boys grow u p in families where th ere is no father, w hich m eans
no male roỉe model to follow.
Moreover, boys learn in a different way to girls, preferring small
am ou n ts of work with sho rt deadlines ra th er th a n large projects ex-
tended in time. And education is not seen as “cool”. As som eone on a
BBC website p u t it, “Girls achieve more a t school because they are
watching the future while the boys are watching the girls.” This is not
ju s t a problem in Britain. In a study by the O rganisation for Economic
Cooperation an d Development an d UNESCO, girls did b etter th a n boys
at reading a t the age of 15 in all 45 countries. The UK took the n inth
place am ong the 45 countries in reading skills, although pupils in the
UK spend less time reading th a n in m ost other countries. Interestingly,
th e study suggested th a t B ritish children read for p leasure more often
th a n those in other countries.
(Adapted from www.bbc.co.uk)
1. Twenty years a g o _____
A. boys d idn’t do very well in exams.
B. school au th orities decided to change the situation.
c . girls had very good re sults in exams.
D. all pupils w ent to single-sex classes.
2. Girls have b etter exam results th a n boys b e c a u se _____
A. boys are too su re of themselves.
B. girls th in k th a t a good education will help them find a job.
c . boys come from a different place in society th a n girls.
D. gừls grow up in complete families.
3. Boys differ from girls i n _____
A. the n u m b e r of books they read.
B. the tim e sp ent surfing the Internet.
c . the way they spend th eir free time.
D. the way they learn.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
49
4.. The study by UNESCO show ed th a t B ritish childreii a t ili.e: age of
fifteen ‘ \
A;.'read_a:lQt-althoiigK'tIi'ey d o n ’t have;t(X : "y-^'
' -B:. Spend m ore tim e reading th a n children in o th e r:countries.
. c. a re th e b est a t reading.
D. c an ’t read very well.
5. The text is m ainly a b o u t _____
A. th e kind of exam s pupils take.
B. boys’ a n d girls’ su ccess in education,
c . the educational system in Britain.
D. w hat pupils read for pleasure.
GLOSSARY
- reversed (adj) ñảo ngược
- head teacher hiệu trưởng
- role model cái gương ñể noi theo
- deadline hạn chót
- extended in time dài ngày
23
Leanne B eetham ’s work is surprising. B ut w hat m akes h er a r t truly
exceptional is th a t her paintings are all done w ith a b ru s h th a t she
holds in h e r m outh. Since birth the girl h as been u nab le to u se h er
arm s or legs, b u t her talent an d en th u siasm have allowed h e r to be-
come a successful artist.
Leanne w as b om w ith a serious genetic disease. The prospect w as
so depressing th a t h er m other could not learn to live w ith it. However,
she d id n ’t w ant to p u t the baby up for adoption, so eventually, sh e gave
Leanne’s g ran d p aren ts the right to look after Leanne.
Despite h e r young age, L eanne’s work h a s already been show n at
th e Royal Academy of Arts. Last week one of h e r paintings w as sold at
C hristie’s auction h ouse in London. Leanne w as the youngest a r tist in
th e auction, w hich w as organised to raise funds for the David S h epherd
Wildlife Foundation for endangered wildlife.
W hen Leanne w as two, she began drawing w ith a pencil in h er
m outh. Her talen t w as discovered a t the age of 13 w hen she painted a
reindeer on a school C hristm as card. It w as even p ub lished in th e local
new spaper. As a 19-year-old she says: “I w as able to hold a pen in my
m outh quite naturally. I started draw ing before I started writing. I p ain t
because I like it. Although m any people say I am very talented, I have
never th o u g h t ab o u t m yself in th is way. I d o n ’t w an t to im press any -
body or win a com petition, b u t to feel better. It’s som ething I do w ithout
thinking an d I c a n ’t im agine my life w ithout it.”
50 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Her talent b ro ught h er to the attention of a fam ous landscape artist,
S hepherd, who occasionally p aints flowers. And crime w riter Frederick
•Forsyth is also am ong the people who adm ire h er en th u siasm for por-
traying . elephants, horses an d dogs. This fam ous w riter, who h a s a
large collection of p ortraits, came to the gallery and saw th ree of her
p ictures on sale for £250. He sent h er a note, with a four-figure cheque
for each one, telling h er she was underselling h er talent.
L eanne’s artistic talent shows h e r attitud e to life. “If you say I c a n ’t
do som ething, I’ll go out of my way to prove you w rong,” she said.
(Adapted from The Daily Mail, May 2, 2007)
1 . L eanne’s m o th e r _____
A. allowed stran gers to bring h er daughter up.
B. accepted her daug hter's h ealth problem,
c. learned how to look after h er daughter. .
D. let h er relatives take care of h er daughter.
2. The aim of the auction a t C hristie’s w as t o _____
A. prom ote Leanne’s paintings.
B. collect m oney for the protection of anim als,
c . a ttra ct young a rtis ts ’ attention.
D. exhibit the p aintings showing wild anim als.
3. Leanne p ain ts b ecause s h e _____
A. w an ts to show how good she is.
B. w ould like to be b etter a t it.
c . h as a con tract with a local paper.
D. h a s always enjoyed doing it.
4. Leanne loves p a in tin g _____ .
A. lan dscap es B. p ortraits
c . anim als D. flowers
5. Frederick Forsyth _____
A. bought some of her paintings.
B. did not recognize h e r talent.
c . offered h er regular financial help.
D. sold three of h e r paintings.
6 . In th e article, the a u t h o r _____
A. encourages people to take up painting a s a hobby.
B. suggests th a t everyone h a s a talent for painting.
c . proves th a t disability do esn’t always prevent success.
D. invites a rt collectors to buy disabled a rtists’ paintings.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
GLOSSARY
- genetic (adj) thuộc di truyền - crime writer nhà văn viết truyện hỉnh
“ prospect triển vọng sự
- depressing (adj) ñáng buồn, gây chán - to portray mô tà
nản - four-figure cheque ngân phiếu ghi số
- to put a baby up for adoption ñem tiền có 4 con số
một ñứa trẻ ñi cho làm con nuôi - to undersell sth bán cái gì với giá
- Royal Academy of Arts Viện Hàn Lâm không xứng .với giá trị thật của nó
Nghệ Thuật Hoàng Gia - to go out of one's way to do sth CỐ
- auction cuộc bán ñấu giá hết sức ñể ỉàm gỉ
- reindeer con tuền lộc - disabled (adj) tàn tật - disability (n)
24 SHYNESS
S hyness m ay n o t seem to be a serious com plaint, b u t for some who
suffer from it, it ca n become unbearable. Even talking to a sm all group
of people you know can seem like an ordeal - it can feel a s if youVe
been asked to give a speech on a topic you know very little a b o u t to a
n u m b er of experts. You sta rt to feel h o t a n d shaky, you r h e a rt b ea ts
faster, your knees feel weak, you begin to stu tte r an d th e whole experi-
ence seem s to last forever.
The fact of th e m atter is th a t shyness is som ething we often recog-
nise in others: blu shin g (going red) is one of the m ore visible signs, for
example. Yet we d o n ’t judge som eone h arsh ly because of this. B u t shy-
ness does m ean yo u ’re h ard er to approach, so you becom e m ore iso-
lated. As one shy person p u t it, “It’s like being in a prison, a n d it’s veiy
h ard to break o u t.”
E xperts on the subject have come u p with various possible solu-
tions, an d one h a s been singled o u t a s being th e key to su cc ess -
nam eỉy, finding an in tere st in comm on w ith oth er people. Spending a
lot of tim e on th e sidelines w atching o ther people an d envying th em b e-
cau se they are m u ch more outgoing doesn’t help; rem em bering th a t
some of the people you envy m ost are probably shy them selves, does.
The secret is how you deal with it. And experts have come u p w ith four
thing s you can dơ today to help.
Firstly, you c a n sta rt by listening to o ther people. You will find y o u r-
self getting in terested in w hat they’re talking ab o u t a n d ask in g q u e s-
tions - an d before you know it, you 11 be having a conversation.
Secondly, you could tiy asking neighbours if you can w alk th e ir dog.
Like children, p ets ca n be. excellent icebreakers for conversations with
passers-by.
Thirdly, try joining a class to learn som ething like tap -d an cin g or
flamenco, w here people are likely to laugh a lot. You’ll feel relaxed, an d
also you II be m u ch too b u sy concentrating on w h at y o u ’re doing to feel
shy.
Lastly, try telling yourself th a t it doesn ’t m a tter if you say or do
52 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
som ething silly. Most people m ake a fool of them selves eveiy so often -
and it’s not th e end of the world if you do!
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
. .. . ; - ' ' ^ n. 'Ạ' -1 :. V,
' ; * * '• ..i- ' ' ; , », : h : 'ẾẺMs;ậị,-
GLOSSARY ~ 1 , •:. >
25 ■
I. rem em ber going to the British M useum one day to read about a
treatm e nt for some slight illness which I believed I had. I think it was
hay fever. I got the book and read the fragm ent I cam e to read and th en
I began tu rn in g the leaves an d studying other diseases. I don't rem em -
ber which w as the first I read about b u t I soon realised I h ad them all.
I sat for a m om ent, frozen with horror; and then, in despair, I again
turned over the pages. I came to typhoid fever, m u st have h ad it for
m onths w ithout knowing it. I wondered w hat else I had got; tu rn ed to
Blight’s disease an d was relieved to find I had only a modified version
so I m ight live for years. I read through the whole book an d the only
disease I decided I d id n ’t have was housem aid’s knee.
I w ent to my doctor. He is an old friend of m ine, an d feels my pulse,
and looks a t my tongue and talks abo ut the w eather an d I tho ught I
would be doing him a favour by going to him now. “W hat a doctor
w a n ts,” I thought, “is practice. He shall have me. He will get m ore p ra c-
tice out of me th a n ou t of seventeen hu n d red of your ordinary' p atien ts
with only one or two illnesses each.”
So I w ent straig ht up to him and he said, “Well, w hat is the m atter
with you?” I told him it would be easier for m e to tell him w hat was not
the m atter with me. I said I didn’t have hou sem aid’s knee. I said I had
every other illness. And th en I told him how I cam e to discover it all.
Then he looked a t me, took hold of my wrist, counted the pulse an d
continued the exam ination. After th at, he sat down an d w rote out a
prescription. He folded it up and gave it to me an d I p u t it in my pocket
and w ent out.
I did not open it. I took it to the nearest ch em ist’s, an d h an d ed it in.
The m an read it, an d th en handed it back saying th a t he did n’t have
the things I needed. “Are you a chem ist?” I said in surprise. “I am ,” he
replied. “If I w as a grocer and a family hotel com bined, I m ight be able
to help. B ut being only a chem ist m akes it im possible.”
54 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
I looked a t the prescription an d read it slowly. It ran:
Ĩ lb beefsteak w ith 1 p t bitter beer every 6 hours. 1 ten-mile w alk
every morning. 1 bed at 11 sharp every night A n d don't s t u f f up your
head reading things you d on ’t understand.
Ĩ followed the directions, with the happy re su lt - speaking for myself,
th a t my life w as saved an d is still going on.
(adapted from three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome)
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
55
GLOSSARY -
—hay fever-bệnfí ^'raua.-Gp.kft0v - housemaid's .kn^bệnhsưng ñầu gối
r-fragm ent.:m arrh.\^,v^ui^0v;'.iv-..'. ẨC . -■- to feel ones' pu’i ^ibat mạch cho ai
9 .fj0 z e n v y |tk h 0 r rịór, hoátìg .sỢ;ñến ự 'r : ■'ị - wrist cổ tay • V
' ñiẽng h gư ối‘ V '' : ' •• ìb ĩviếtỉtẳt. ñơn íyị:^ranặ;fụỵng.pound =
. - m 'despair tuyệt vọng •/■■■-.• . . 453 grams] V . ."
—typhoid fever bệnh sốt thứơng hàn - bitter beer bia 3ang: :'
- relieved (ãdj) an'tâm, nhẹ nhõm - to stuff sth up nhồi nhét vào cái gì
- a modified version một thể (bệnh) ñã
biến ñổi
56 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
bosses are in Poland: people on the Polish-Germ an border tell them
ab out police operations.
Even the best con a rtists a re n ’t always luckv. For example, Wilde
w as executed. And you c a n ’t trick all old people. A clever old lady in
Germany recently cau ght two “relatives” with th e help of the police.
1. J o n a th a n W ilde ______
A. w as a politician.
B. w as not very intelligent,
c. was not very nice.
D. was popular wife women.
2. In 18th centu ry E n g la n d _____
A. a lot of people had to move to big cities.
B. there w a sn ’t a lot of crime.
c . the ind ustry w as not well developed
D. there were a lot of small businesses.
3. J o n a th a n W ild e ______
A. cooperated with the police.
B. w as a real gentlem an,
c . w as a real hero.
D. gave monev to the poor.
4. Con a rtists in Germany pretend th e y _____
A. have a lot of money.
B. w ant to give some money away,
c . are related to their victims.
D. have health problems.
5. Older people are easier to trick because they
A. have problem s w ith using com puters.
B. live alone.
c. have old-fashioned nam es.
D. m ight have health problems.
6 . J o n a th a n W ilde _____
.A. w as never caught.
B. moved to an o th e r country,
c. was killed.
D. w as ca u g h t by an old lady.
GLOSSARY
—fake (adj) giả —rival ñối thủ
- con artist kẻ life ñảo, tênñại bi.p - to trick lừa phình, lường gạt
- charm sự quyến rũ - Alzheimer's Disease bệnh mất trí nhớ
- h it người / vật ñược ưachuộng - to execute xử tử
- terrified of (adj) sợ hãi
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
57
27 RẶMBLING r o b
■I- ■This-:wểék&ớbTj^ữrts.<>nỊỈ^&&'<m-ị^-tegtoes£rcM;i&aỊỊ.'in:the world.
■ - '-A lter e n jo y in g 'ìiỉie':.GọioniaJícharm''of. P e r a ?s-‘0id ''tp w n s a n d c itie s ,-1 d e -
c id e d -it w a s tim e to go fo r th e “big o n e. A jo u rn e y - o n - t h e h ig h e s t ra ilw a y
in the world: through'. the A ndes'M ountains an d a climb u p M achu Pic-
chu. This is a really high m ou ntain an d the views th e n are am azing.
I arrived a t the station early in the m orning b ecause I th o u g h t there
would be lots of to u rists w aiting for tickets. I really hoped there
w ouldn't be too m any of them on the train. They always talk loudly to
each other and never really look a t things. I w as lucky th is tim e. There
were ju s t one or two other travellers. They looked m ore in terested in
their books th a n anything else.
The carriage w as full. Each seat was full a n d some people h ad a n i-
m als with them . There w eren’t any dogs, ju s t chickens a n d a couple of
goats. Some of the people sa t silently, others talked quietly to each
other in Quechua(*). I looked ou t of the window. The train moved slowly
through the beautiful scenery. There were green m o u n tain s everywhere
I looked. I felt like I was in a dream an d I d id n ’t w ant th e dream to end.
Alter m any h o u rs of travelling, the train finally arrived a t the station
near M achu Picchu. It w as getting dark, so I found a bed for the night
in the youth hostel. My room w as basic: there was only a ìàed, a chair,
a sm all table and a reading lam p. B ut it w as com fortable. I fell asleep
with my book on Peru in my hands.
The next day, I woke u p early to get ready for my climb. The w eather
was perfect for climbing. U nfortunately, I forgot to chew coca leaves.
The local people chew these leaves because it helps them no t to feel
dizzy high u p in the m ountains. As I climbed u p the m ountain, I felt
dizzier and di 22Ĩer. In th e end, I felt so bad th a t I fainted! A doctor woke
me up and took me back down the m ountain. He told me to re st for a
couple of days. He also said I could climb the m oun tain w ith him w hen
I felt better. We’re going tomorrow. I c a n ’t wait!
(*} ộ uechu a is a Native Indian language spoken in South America.
1. Rob arrived a t the statio n early b e c a u s e _____
A. he wanted tò avoid crowds.
B. he w anted to ch a t with other tourists.
c . he w anted to choose a good seat on the train.
D. he d id n 't w ant to m iss the train.
2 . In the c a rria g e _____
A. there w eren't m any people.
B. there were people with dogs an d other anim als,
c . som e people talked in English.
D. no one talked in English.
3. W hen he looked out of the w indow _____
58 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
A. he saw the scenery he saw in a dream .
B. he saw M achu Picchu.
c. th ere w as am azing scenery around him.
D. he co uldn’t see anything because of the train m oving too fast.
4. After arriving a t the s ta tio n _____
A. it w as already dark.
B. he rented a room.
c. he w ent to climb u p M achu Picchu.
D. he w as very tired.
5. Before he went for a h ik e _____
A. it started to rain.
B. he. checked the w eather forecast,
c . he m ade som e preparations.
D. he felt dizzy.
6. The local p e o p le _____
A. never chew coca leaves high u p in th e m ountains.
B. chew coca leaves because they do n’t w ant to feel dizzy,
c . only chew coca leaves when they feel dizzy.
D. chew coca leaves n ot to feel sleepy.
7. Up in the m o untains h e _____
A. lost consciousness. B. felt very good
c . m et som e local people D. m et a friend who w as a doctor.
GLOSSARY
- to ramble ñi dạo, ñi ngao du - youth hostel lữ quán thanh niên
- colonial (adj) thuộc thời thuộc ñịa - dizzy (adj) chóng mặt
- carriage toa xe lửa - to faint ngất xỉu
60 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5. While visiting a school you should pay atten tion t o _____
A. o th er stu d en ts.
B. equipm ent,
c . furniture.
D. how you feel abou t the school.
6 . While visiting a school you m a y _____
A. check if the teachers have proper qualifications.
B. check if the teach ers have proper qualifications an d w atch a
class.
c . w atch a class.
D. check w hat textbook is used.
GLOSSARY
- practically (adv) hầu như, gần như - to accredit ùy nhiệm
- flyer tờ quàng cáo - accreditation sự ủy nhiệm
- leaflet tò rơi - inspector viên thanh tra
29
Angelina Jolie is a talented actress who h as been in m any films.
Even though no t all of h e r films have been good ones, m any people say
th a t she is a good actress. In fact, she won an O scar for h er role in Girl,
Interrupted, in 2000. She is now one of the highest-paid actresses in
Hollywood. Many people also respect h er for h er work as a Goodwill
A m bassador for the United Nations. She h as visited poor people in
m any different countries and h a s even adopted two children, one from
Cam bodia and the other from Ethiopia. She h as been m arried twice
an d now lives with Brad Pitt, the father of h er biological child.
She is the dau g h ter of Jo n Voight, who starred in Midnight Cowboy
with D ustin Hoffman. Her parents divorced when she w as a baby. An-
gelina an d h er b ro ther were brought up by their m other. W hen she was
a child, she often w atched movies with h e r m other. She later said th a t
this inspired her to become an actress, not h er father. In fact, she
blam ed him for the break-up of h er p a re n ts’ marriage.
W hen she w as 1 1 years old she decided th a t she w anted to be an a c -
tress an d trained for 2 years. She was not happy w hen she was a .s tu -
d ent a t the Beverly Hills High School. Her m other did not have m uch
money, so she often had to wear second-hand clothes. She felt lonely
am ong th e richer kids. O ther stu d en ts were horrible to her because of
the way she looked: she w as very thin and wore both braces on her
teeth and glasses. W hen she w as 14, she stopped going to acting
classes and becam e a rebel. She wore black clothes, dyed her h air p u r-
ple and w ent o ut to p u n k concerts a lot. In the end, however, she went
back to theatrical classes and back to high school.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
61 '
■■■*■■She-' ftầs':;:sặñìtKat.-jsixe>.rè;? stiiL.at.Keart!-jxtsi a p im k kid. w ith ta tto o s”.
Anti s h e h a s a -lot'of th e m iA il'o f Her ".tattoos h av4 .a special m eaning.
:She h as removed .-sòine::Gf,;lốem\ovéF' the-years. j Eo f ;-exam ple, she u sed
to have a -tattdo-oCa^indow.'XD'n her lower. back. She saysi she u sed to
•Spend 'hentảmẽioofciEkg- out xrf.toioctow&and waasting'.tQ be outside,
bufikowL:s h e ’&: outside. SỀH-the time. T bat’i why she. .doesn’t have th a t
tattoo any m ore.
62 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
GLOSSARY
- Goodwill Ambassador for the - break-up sự ñổ vỡ/ tan vỡ
United Nations ðại sứ Thiện chí cho - brace cái niềng
Liên Hiệp Quốc - acting class = theatrical class lớp
- to adopt a child nhận một ñứa trẻ làm dạy diễn viên
con nuôi - rebel kẻ nổi loạn
- biological child con ñẻ - to dye nhuộm
- to divorce ii dị - punk [tên loại nhạc rock mạnh]
- to inspire sb to do sth gñi cảm húlng - tattoo hình xăm
cho ai làm gi
30
I rem em ber a holiday of mine being completely ru in ed one late a u -
tu m n by o u r paying attentio n to the w eather report of th e local new s-
paper. “Heavy show ers, with thun derstorm s, m ay bè expected today,” it
would say on Monday, an d so we would give u p o u r picnic, an d stay
indoors all day, waiting for the rain. Meanwhile people would p ass the
house, the su n shining brightly, and not a cloud to be seen.
“Ah!” we said, a s we stood looking out a t them through th e window,
“won’t they come hom e soaked!" And we chuckled to th in k how wet
they were going to get. By twelve o’clock, with the su n pouring into the
room, the h eat becam e quite oppressive, and we wondered w hen those
heavy show ers and th u n d ersto rm s were going to begin.
“Ah! They’ll come in the afternoon, y o u ’ll- find,” we said to each other.
“Oh, w o n t those people get wet.” At one o’clock, the landlady would come
in to ask if we weren’t going out, as it seemed such a lovely day.
“No, n o ,” we replied, “not we. We don’t m ean to get wet - no, no.”
And when the afternoon was nearly gone, an d still there was no sign
of rain, we tried to cheer ourselves u p w ith the idea th a t it would come
down all a t once, ju s t a s the people h ad started for hom e. B ut not a
drop ever fell, and it finished a great day, and a lovely night after it.
The next m orning we would read th a t it w as going to be a “warm,
fine day; m uch h eat;” an d we would go out, and, lialf an h o u r after we
h ad started , it would s ta rt to rain hard, we would come hom e with
colds an d aching all over from rheum atism , an d go to bed.
The w eather is a thing th a t is beyond me altogether. I never can u n -
d erstan d it.
(Adapted from Three Men in a Boat by Jerome. K. Jerome)
GLOSSARY
- soaked>(adj) ướt sũng - rheumatism bệnh thấp khớp
- to chuckle cười khẩy - to be beyond sb vượt khỏi tầm hiểu
- oppressive (añj) ngột ngạt, bức bối biết cùa ai
- aching sự ñau nhức
64 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
31 A STAR IS BORN!
Katie M elua w as born in Georgia: not th e one in America, b u t the
one th a t is quite n ea r Turkey. She moved to Belfast in N orthern Ireland
with h er family w hen she w as eight. The people in N orthern Ireland
were very friendly to h e r an d she m ade really good friends at school
there. W hen she w as thirteen, she dream ed of becom ing a politician
(she th o u gh t she could m ake the world peaceful if she controlled it!} or
a historian. After five years of living in Belfast, h er family moved to
London. Two years later, she w as in a talen t com petition on television,
she sang “W ithout You” (a M ariah Carey song) a n d won! The com peti-
tion gave h er experience of perform ing live on national TV.
Later, she w ent to a perform ing a rts school. While she w as there,
she found o u t ab o u t different kinds of m usic. She wrote a song about
Eva Cassidy called “Faraway Voice”: Katie really liked one of Eva’s
songs an d wrote it w hen she learned th a t the singer was dead. She
sang th is song w hen Mike Batt, a successful songw riter an d producer,
cam e to her school. He could see Katie’s taĩent an d asked h er to work
with him . “The Closest Thing to Crazy” becam e her. first hit in the
sum m er of 2003.
Since then, she h as won m any aw ards and h e r records have sold
very well: I’m sure you have heard “Nine Million Bicycles’ on the radio!
She h a s perform ed for the B ritish, D utch a n d Norwegian royal families.
She h as also done a lot of concerts, both in big a ren as an d sm aller
cỉubs. She likes playing in sm all places b ecause you can feel closer to
other people in them .
She is an am b assad o r for a charitv called Save the Children an d has
visited Sri Lanka to see the work th a t it is doing there. She perform ed
a t 46664, a concert organised by Nelson M andela to get m oney for peo-
ple with AIDS. She w as on a new version of “Do They Know It’s C h rist-
m as?”, a song w ritten more th a n twenty years ago to get money for
poor people in Africa. She also sang on a new version of “Tears In
Heaven”: it was recorded to raise money for people who lost their
■hom es and families because of the tsunam i.
She is a talented young wom an with a good heart.
(adapted from www.katiemelua.com)
1 . Katie Melua w as b o m i n ___
A. N orthern Ireland, B. the USA.
c. the form er Soviet Union. D. Turkey.
2. She first ap peared on TV when she was years old.
A. 15 B. 13 c. 8 D 18
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65
3. One-of h e r songs w as dedicated 'to a(n) -- .: '
A. h isto ria n B. politician ' c . singer :r ,D\. actress
4: : Katie w as noticed by a fam ous p roducer
A. a t a ta le n t com petition. B. on TV.
1 -C. in a school. D. in a club.
5. Katie prefers to s in g _____ _
A. in big con cert halls. B. in sm all clubs,
c . a t private parties. D. in stadium s.
6 . Katie helped to ra ise money for
A. children, people w ith AIDS an d tsu n am i victims.
B. children a n d people w ith AIDS,
c . children a n d tsu n am i victims.
D. people w ith AIDS an d tsu n am i victims.
7. “Do They Know It’s C hristm as ?’7w as w ritten i n _____ .
A. the early 90s B. the late 90s c . 2003 D. th e 80s
GLOSSARY
- performing arts school trường nghệ - royal family hoàng gia, hoàng tộc
thuật biểu diễn - arena sân vận ñộng lớn
- hit bản nhạc ăn khách nhất
32 A FAMILY TRAGEDY
Today, Cecile Dionne looks m uch like any o th er su b u rb a n g ra n d -
m other, b u t she an d h e r four identical sisters were once the m ost cele-
brated children on the face of the planet. They were know n to th e world
as th e Dionne Q uintuplets.
25-vear-old Elzire Dionne, already the m other of five children, gave
b irth to the q u in tu p le ts in May, 1934. Identical siste rs were b orn in the
family hom e in ru ra l Ontario. No one expected the five tiny in fan ts to
survive. B ut w hen Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile an d Marie did - the
first q u in tu p le ts ever do so - they becam e a sensation.
W ithin days of th e ir birth , their father sold a prom oter th e rig h ts to
exhibit his d au g h ters. S tung by th e re su lta n t public outcry, the Ontario
governm ent stepped in. The girls were tak en away from th eir p a re n ts
an d placed u n d e r the care of a board of guardians.
It w as n o t long, however, before th e g u ard ian s, too, began to exploit
them . The O ntario au th o rities built a nine-room n u rse ry on Oliva’s
farm right ac ro ss the road from the family hom e, later expanding it into
a bizarre facility nicknam ed “Q uintland ”. It included a ho rsesh o e-
sh aped observatory, w here crow ds peered th ro u g h screened glass w in-
66 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
dows while the little girls played. The quints soon developed into a m a-
jo r to u rist attraction, draw ing as m any a s 10,000 visitors a m onth.
The q u in ts should have earned a fortune, certainly enough to last
them the re st of th eir lives. They were on the covers of m agazines. They
appeared in films an d on radio. Still, by the tim e they were seven years
old in 1941, $1 million had accum ulated in a tru s t accou nt held for the
girls until they tu rn e d 21 in 1955. The quin ts were finally reunited with
their p aren ts an d siblings (three more were b om after them ) when they
were nine. Around th a t time, the p aren ts won back custody of the girls
and greater access to the tru s t fund fed by th eir earnings.
Cecile h a s decidedly mixed feelings ab ou t h er parents. In television
d ram a h er m other is portrayed as consum ed by love for the five little
girls. T hat is no t the way Cecile rem em bered her. “I d idn ’t even really
know my m other. She w as always too busy. B ut I suppose there were
too m any for h er to love. After all, she already had seven o ther kids by
the time we w ent back to the big hou se.” If there is a glimm er of sym pa-
thy in Cecile’s attitu d e to h er m other, there is little for h er father. “He
was a difficult m an to know and com m unicate,” she says.
The difficult m om ents cam e later, after the Dionnes were reunited.
There were two distinct entities in the family. On the one hand, there
were the five little girls who had finally retu rn ed hom e. On the other,
there were b ro th ers an d sisters who were both proud an d envious at
the sam e time. It w as not an easy situation. Cecile rem em bers it well.
“We lived separate lives,” she says. “But there w as always so m uch te n -
sion. in o u r relationships, always so m any quarrels. O ur b roth ers and
sisters, even o u r paren ts, always thou g ht th a t we were the cause of
th eir misery, their u n h ap p in e ss.”
1. The Dionne sisters becam e so fam ous because they were the only
q u in tu p le ts ____ _
A. who had lived p ast infancy.
B. who were no t b o m in a hospital.
c. whose m other had already had children.
D. who nearly died a t birth.
2. Why did th e O ntario governm ent take th e girls away from th eir p a r-
ents?
A. They th o u g h t th eir p aren ts would cause problem s.
B. They tho ugh t their father was exploiting them .
c. They responded to. people’s reaction to the q u in ts’ situation.
D. They w anted to m ake m oney out of the girls.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
67
3. W hat is Cecile’s lasting im pression of the q u in ts’ early y ears at
Q uintland? >
A. The n u rse s were cruel to them .
B. The oth er q u in ts m issed th eir parents,
c . People m ade a lot of fu ss of them .
D. They h ad very little privacy.
4. W hat h appened w hen the q u in ts were nine?
A. Their m other h ad triplets.
B. They gained more control over their finances,
c . They earned $1 million dollars.
D. They w ent back to live w ith the re st of the family.
5. How does Cecile feel abo ut h e r p aren ts?
A. She feels sorry for them both for having had su ch a large family.
B. She ap preciates th e difficulty of her m o ther’s situation,
c . She w ishes she h ad been able to talk to h e r father.
D. She feels they were not properly portrayed in a book an d TV
program m e.
5. Why w as life m ore difficult when the q u in ts moved back to live w ith
their family?
A. The family were divided over w hat to do w ith q u in ts’ earnings.
B. The other Dionne children felt am bivalent ab o u t them .
c. The girls couldn’t spend as m uch time together as they had before.
D. They made the rest of the family miserable by quarrelling all the time.
7. How does the w riter of the article react to'C eciie's accou nt of her
childhood?
A. She is not convicted by it.
B. She accepts it as fact.
c . She th in k s Cecile is concealing th e tru th .
D. She th in k s Cecile is exaggerating.
GLOSSARY
- suburban (adj) thuộc ngoại ô - observatory ñài quan sát
- celebrated (adj) nổi tiếng - to peer through ghé mắt nhìn qua
- quintuplets những ñứa trẻ sinh 5 - screened (adj) có lưới chắn
- rural (adj) ở nông thôn - to accumulate tích iũy
- infant trẻ sơ sinh - trust account tài khoán ủy thác
- sensation tin giật gân, tin gây xôn xao - siblings anh chị em ruột
dư luận - custody sự trông nom chăm sóc (một
- promoter người tổ chức quảng bá sản ñứa trẻ)
phẩm - trust fund quỹ ùy thác
- to be stung bị chỉ trích - earnings tiền kiếm ñược, thu nhập
- resultant (adj) xảy ra sau ñó như íà - to portray mô tả
hậu quà - to be consumed by love for sb chan
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
68
- publsc outcry những phàn ñổi ầm ! cùa chữa lòng .yễu thựơng dành cho ai
công chúng - glimmer tia sáng le !ót, một chút gi ít òi
- to step in can thiệp - entity thực thể, cái thực tẽ ñang tồn tại
- board of guardians ban giám hộ - envious (adj) ganh tị
- to exploit khai thác, bóc lột - tension sự căng thẳng
- nursery nhà trẻ - misery sự khốn khổ
- bizarre (adj) kì quái - infancy giai ñoạn sơ sinh
- facility cơ sở vật chất - to make a lot of fuss of sth làm rùm
- nicknamed có biệt danh là beng một chuyện không ñâu
- horseshoe-shaped (adj) hình vòng - triplets những ñứa trẻ sinh ba
cung như móng ngựa - ambivalent (adj) vừa yêu vừa ghét
70 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. The w riter says th a t “the positive view of family life should not be
un expected ” b e c a u s e _____
A. a happy family is the norm al situation.
B. th is view com es from a specific time in the past,
c. p aren ts allow children a lot of freedom nowadays.
D. children can be bribed to behave well.
5. W hat does u nderlined “th a t” refer to?
A. a period of economic growth
B. a belief in individualism an d self-reliance
c . a n attitu d e held only in the p a st
D. a confidence in the fairness of life
6 . W hat do some young people believe abọu t life today?
A. It always gives everyone a fair chance.
B. M aking m oney is the m ost im portant goal.
c . Some people have to work longer th a n others.
D. Not everyone have equal opportunities.
7. The p urpose of the article is t o _____
A. help people improve family relationships.
B. show young people how to choose a career.
c . dem o nstrate th a t popular ideas about relationships m ay be
false.
D. suggest ways of educating children in developing relationships.
GLOSSARY
- harmony sự hài hòa, sự hòa thuận =>■ - adolescence thời mới lớn, lứa tuổi
harmonious (adj) thạnh xuân
- opposite ñiều trải ngược lại - to be rooted in có nguồn gốc tại
- popularly-held image (adj) hỉnh ành - to break away from thoát li khỏi
mà mọi người thưởng hình dung - a smooth transition from... to... một
- sullen (adj) mặt mày ủ rù sự chuyển ñổi suông sẻ từ... ñến...
- positive (adj) có'tính tích cực - to take sth over tiếp quân, nhận bàn
- rebellious (adj) hay nổi loạn giao
- material goods của cải vật chất - individualism chủ nghĩa cá nhân
- negotiation sự thương lượng - self-reliance sự tự lập/ tự thân vận
- decision-making process tiến trình ñộng
ñưa ra quyẽt ñịnh - fairness sự công bình, hợp lí
- to rock the boat íàm ñào !ộn, gây xáo - inevitable (adj) tất yếu, không thế
trộn tránh ñược
- subordinate cấp dưới, thuộc hạ - inner city khu lao ñộng nghèo khổ
- to back sth up hỗ ỪỢ, ủng hộ cái gì trong một thành phố tôn
- to make compromises ñưa ra thỏa - stability tính ổn ñịnh
hiệp, nhượng bộ nhau - to start out ỉn life bẳt ñầu vào ñời
- to look back on hồi tưởng ỉại, nhìn lại - gloomy (adj) u ám, ñen tối, ảm ñạm
- bribery sự hối íộ - decline sự suy giàm, sự xuống dốc
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71
34 y . SUPERSTITIONS EVERYWHERE :
. Was-.it' poor visibility'-or.'superstition'^at^m ade .WEanchesfer U nited’s
players. A bandon; ''theiij géey.st'ti'p :f9Ệ;,áwàỵ:'gam es'in -th è m iddle of a
P re n u e rsh ip /m a tc k m l 1990!?./The-.'players cou ldn ’t.pick each oth er out,
m anager Alex Ferguson told rep orters a t the time. It w as noth ing to do
with superstition. They said it was difficult to see their team m ates a t a
distance. But his protest failed to m ention th a t one of th e five occasions
the grey strip had been worn, the team had failed to win.
Dr Richard W isem an, a psychologist a t H ertfordshire University,
says U nited’s players m ay have succum bed to th e power of sup erstition
w ithout even realising it. “I m ight argue th a t the players m ay have un- .
consciously noticed th a t w hen they do certain things, one of which
m ight well involve the wearing of red shirts, they are su ccessful.” He
draw s a parallel with research into stock m arket speculators. Like
gam blers they swore th a t certain days were lucky for them . Eventually
it was shown th a t the successful m arket sp eculators were u n c o n -
sciously picking u p on num erou s indicators an d were shadow ing m ar-
ket tren d s b ut were unable to explain how they did it. Superstition
plays a p art w henever people are not certain w hat it is they do to
achieve a good perform ance and people who have to perform to order
are particularly vulnerable. It is a s if the im agination steps into the gap
in the dialogue betw een the conscious an d th e u nconscious m ind.
Many sup erstitions have deep roots in the p ast according to Moira
Tatem, who helped edit the 1,500 entries in the Oxford D ictionaiy of
Superstitions. People today observe superstitio ns w ithout know ing why
an d th ey ’d probably be surprised to discover origins. The idea th a t mail
vans are lucky is a good example. Sir W inston C hurchill, th e B ritish
Prime M inister during World War II, w as said to have touched a mail
van for luck w henever he saw one in the street. The reaso n for th is s u -
perstition resides in the ancient belief th a t Kings an d Q ueens h ad the
ability to cure by touch. M onarchs, naturally enough, grew fed u p with
being constantly touched and a t some point started trailing ribbons
with gold m edals or coins o u t of the door of th eir coaches w hen travel-
ling and people touched them instead. Mail van s carry the Crown sym -
bol on the side an d touching the van is a direct throw back to th a t e a r-
lier belief.
While some ancient superstitio us beliefs an d practices have been
m aintained, others have died out. This is b ecause those practices w ith
a connection tò farm ing and a life sp en t in close proxim ity to n a tu re no
longer m ake m uch sense now th a t so m any of u s live in cities. Never-
theless, we continue to develop ou r own som etim es very private and
personal su perstitio ns. Many people carry or w ear lucky objects al-
72 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
though they may n o t in fact thin k of them as such. It only becom es ob-
vious th a t the object forms a p art of a sup erstitio us belief w hen the
person is u n able to w ear or carry it and feels uncom fortable as a result.
E xperts agree th a t th ese individual sup erstitiou s practices ca n be an
effective m eans of m anaging stress and reducing anxiety. The self-
fulfilling n a tu re of sup erstitio n s is what- can help. The belief th a t som e-
thin g brings you good luck can m ake you feel calm er, an d as a resu lt,
able to perform m ore effectively. International cello soloist Ralph Kir-
sh b a u m savs m u sicians are a good example of th e effectiveness of
these very p a rticu la r rituals. “I know string players who w on’t w ash
th eir h a n d s on the day of a recital an d others who avoid eating for eight
h o u rs prior to a perform ance. They can th en play w ith confidence.”
B ut th is self-fulfilling asp ect of sup erstition s can also work against
you. This is why K irshbaựm prefers to confront the su p erstitio u s p ra c-
tices of o th er m usicians. *If yo u’re in a situation where you c a n ’t avoid
eating or forget an d w ash your h an d s, you th en feel th a t y o u ’ll play
badly. And you often do, simply because you feel so anxious. I w ash my
h a n d s an d have broken th e taboo ab o u t eating. My only vice is to in sist
th a t people leave a nd give me two m iọ utes com plete silence in the
dressin g room before I go on.”
S uperstition s can become even more harm ful w hen they develop
into p hobias or obsessions, often characterized by elaborate collections
of rituals. “It’s n o t a problem if Ỉ carry a lucky object of som e k ind ,”
says psychologist Robert Kohlenberg of the University of W ashington.
“B u t if I d o n ’t have it w ith me and I get terribly u p se t an d tu rn the
house upside down looking for it, th a t’s a bad th ing .”
GLOSSARY
- visibility tầm nhìn xa, mức ñộ nhìn rõ - to cure by touch chữa lành bằng cách
- superstition sự/ ñiều mê tín dị ñoan sờ tay
- strip ñồng phục cùa ñội bóng - monarch vua/ hoàng hậu
- away game trận ñấu ở sân khách - to trail kéo lê ñằng sau
- Premiership match trận ñấu giải ngoại - ribbon dải băng
hạng Anh - coach cỗ xe ngựa
- to pick each other out nhìn thấy nhau - Crown symbol biểu tượng Hoàng gia
~ protest sự phản ñốì - throwback người/vật/ ñiều tương
- tơ be succumbed to chịu thua cái gi ñương như trong qua khứ
- unconsciously (adv) một cách vô thức - ìn close proximity to sth rât gần với
- to draw a parallel with sth so sánh - self-fulfilling (adj) (lời tiên tri) trở
cái gi với thành sự thật vỉ người ta tin íà sẽ
- stock market thị trường chứng khoán thành sự thật/ có tin thi có thiêng
- speculator người ñầu cơ - cello soloist nhạc sĩ ñộc tấu ñàn celỉo
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- gambler ngứời ñánh bạc - ritual nghi lễ, nghi thức
- to pick up on sth ñế ý thấy cái gì - string player người chơi ñàn dây
- indicator ñiều chi dân, dấu hiệu - recital buối trình tấu nhạc
- to shadow market trends thăm dò, - to confront thách thức
theo dõi các xu thế thị trường - taboo ñiều cấm kị
- vulnerable (adj) dễ bị tốn thướng - vice thói xấu
- gap khoảng trống - phobia chứng sờ hãi vô lí
- mail van xé chở thư - obsession nỗi ám ảnh
- to reside cư trú tại - to turn the house upside down xáo
tung cà nhà lên (ñể tìm)
35
W ilbur an d Orville Wright, aviation pioneers a n d Am erican inven-
tors, achieved the first powered, su stain ed and controlled flight of an
airplane. W ilbur w as b o m on April 16 1867, in Millville, Indiana, and
Orville on A ugust 19 1871 in Dayton, Ohio. They were the sons of Mil-
ton Wright, á m in ister an d his wife, S u san Wright. Their aviation in te r-
est sta rte d a t a young age when in 1878 th eir fath er brought them -a
rubberband-pow ered helicopter toy th a t they adored. They instantly
began m aking various copies of it.
W ilbur an d Orville lived very proper lives. They did not smoke,
drink, or m arry, and they always dressed in sm art b u sin ess suits, even
when they were likely to get dirty working with m achinery. They com -
pleted high school courses, but. neith er graduated formally. In 1892
they opened a bicycle shop where they sold, repaired an d m an ufac-
tu red bicycles. Income from the shop supported them d u rin g the early
years of th eir aeronautical experim ents. Their in tere st in m echanical
flight was reinforced-by the gliding flights of the G erm an pioneer Lil-
lienthal. The W right brothers followed Lillienthal’s career an d studied
all the available literature on aviation a t the time. This inspired them to
begin their aeronautical experim entation. D uring the w inter of 1901-
1902 they built a wind tu n n el to test th e drag a n d lift of various wing
shapes. They also m anaged to design a gasoline engine th a t w as light
enough an d powerful enough to propel an aeroplane.
Finally, on Decem ber 17 1903 a t Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville
m ade histo ry ’s first powered and controlled aeroplane flight. The press,
however, refused to believe th a t m an had flown, an d th eir 1903 flight
w as n o t im m ediately acknowledged by the public. This first W right a ir-
plane was underpow ered an d difficult to control, an d it becam e obviọuỉ
th a t a lot h ad to be done to perfect their invention. As a result, they ñe
tid ed to co ntinue experim entation. W ithin two y ears of trials, th<
Wright B rothers m anaged to fine-tune the controls, engine, propeller
and configuration, a n d created the w orld’s first “practical” aeroplane. Ỉ!
1905, after they perfected their aircraft, they began looking for buyer
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
passp o rts. He collected them wearily, stam ped them m echanically, an d
handed th em b ack to u s. He h ad no sooner left th a n th e cu sto m s offi-
cers entered. They were extremely polite an d m uch to o ur su rp rise (es-
pecially th e lady in the fu r coat), did not seem too concerned ab o u t the
goods we h ad w ith u s. They opened one or two cases, w hich they did
not exam ine thoroughly, and then asked each of u s how m u ch money
we h ad with u s an d requ ested to see it. {I learned afterw ards th a t large
am o u n t of money were being smuggled out of th e countiy).
The officers rem ained quite satisfied th a t all w as in order an d were
p rep arin g to lea v e w h e n o n e of th e m c a s u a lly p ic k e d u p th e
c ig a r e tt e - lig h te r to lig h t h is pipe. The m an opposite me m ade an
involuntary m ovem ent an d checked himself, saying th a t the lighter w as
broken. The officer replied jokingly th at th a t w as why th e m an h ad
probably h ad no cigarettes to declare. The m an stam m ered an em b ar-
rassed reply an d it w as clear he w as trying to hide som ething. The c u s -
tom s officer noticed th is too, an d offered to rep air the m a n ’s lighter. He
unscrew ed th e bottom of it an d , to o ur am azem ent, began to draw out
a thick roll of dollar bills of high value. A lighter like th is w as too valu -
able to be left lying aro un d, the officer said, an d he ask ed the m an to
follow him o u t of the com partm ent.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. After a very quick survey of p asse n g ers’ things the custom s officers
A. after they were through with the thorough exam ination of the
things.
B. after one of them m ade a motion to take the lighter an d tried to
m ake u se of it.
c . because the m an looked very em barrassed.
D. after th e officer unscrew ed the bottom of the lighter.
7. The custom s officers asked the owner of the lighter to come along
with them b e c a u s e _____
A. the m an was a smuggler.
B. they cou ldn’t leave such a valuable thing a s the lighter lying
around.
c . he w as too nervous and it was clear he w as trying to hide som e-
thing.
D. one of them w anted to repair a lighter.
GLOSSARY
- jerk cái giật mạnh - to be in order hợp pháp, hợp lệ
- to take to sth/sb thích cái gì/ ngưòi - involuntary (adj) ngoài ý muốn, bất
nào giác
- bright (adj) thông minh - to check oneself tự kềm chế, kìm
- good-tempered (adj) vui vẻ, vui tính mình iại
- frontier biên giới - to unscrew'vặn,trái ñể mở ra
- compartment buồng hành khách trên - roll một cuộn
tàu hoà - narrator người kể chuyện
- to stamp ñóng dấu - at the back of one's mỉnñ vẫn còn
- mechanically (adv) một cách máy móc ñọng íại trong trí
không cần nghĩ ngñi - to make a motion to do sth làm cái
- to smuggle buôn lậu, vận chuyển iậu ñộng tác là
hàng hóa - smuggler kẻ buôn lậu
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
79
37 _........... , .
.■D id VOỈU •>àâp0--that'-w'ẹ-.íoí;gèt aì?áut-8.0% -ọ£ th e -m e d ic ạ L m íọ r m ạ tio n a
■doctor m ig h t jg iv ew iiiP ^ h is/fe cam e to
light.'.às,:à resuit^of stodv ^arried-.o.ut-by-'/tJtrecht’-Unf^e.rsity. W hat is
.'even''more;iriterestiwg' is ttia t'a lm o st half of iệhat w e-thir% w e rem em ber
is wrong.. Why do yoữ think: th is is? WeH, gộậng to tibte doctor can m ake
m ost people-nervous and when we are stressed we 'are*more inclined to
focus on tfte".diagnosis ra th e r th an on the treatm ent-'.’■■.Therefore,:we
know w h a t isfwrong with u s b u t have no idea w h at to do ab o u t it.
Here ạre some good tips to have in m ind w hen seeing a doctor. Al-
ways bring along a notepad to jo t down im po rtant pieces of inform ation
such a s how to take prescribed m edication or how to prepare for any
m edical te sts you m ight need. W hat would be even b e tter is if your doc-
tor agreed to having your consultation recorded. In this way, you can
replay his advice a t hom e, where you are m ore likely to be able to a b -
sorb it. Should you believe the situation is serious or y o u ’re really wor-
ried, get a family m em ber or close friend to accom pany you to listen in.
The P artnersh ip for Clear Com m unication recom m ends you ask
these three questions every time you talk to a h ea lth care professional:
“W hat is my m ain problem ?”, “W hat do I need to d o ? ’ a n d “Why is it
im portant for me to do th is?”. It's also very im p ortant to get any w ritten
inform ation th a t is available on your condition.
80 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5. The word “prescribed” in paragraph 3 m e a n s _____ .
A. u s u a l B. ordered c. used D. perm itted
6 . The a u th o r suggests recording th e consultation in order to _
A. listen to it w hen you have calm ed down.
B. play to your family and friends to get th eir opinion,
c. refer to it later to better u n d ersta n d you r condition.
D. use ag a in st the doctor if necessary.
7. Who should you a sk three particular questions?
A. Anyone you con sult with regards to your health
B. The P artnership for Clear Health Com m unication
c . E ither a family m em ber or a friend
D. R esearchers w ith knowledge of your particular condition
GLOSSARY
- to come to light ñược công bố - to jot down ghi chép
- stressed (adj) cảm thấy căng thẳng - medication thuốc men
- to be inclined to'do sth có xu hướng - consultation sự hội ý, trao ñổi ý kiến
thích ìàm gì - to repiay mò ra ñể nghe/xem (băng ghi
- diagnosis sự chẩn ñoán âm/ phim)
- notepad cuốn sổ tay - health care professional chuyên viên
y tế
38
For m illions of people, the in tern et h a s opened u p a whole new
world. From th eir personal com puters they are ordering books, sending
greetings card s an d finding o ut abou t literally anything on E arth. For
s tu d en ts it is invaluable for homework, for travellers it m akes planning
and booking astonishingly easy, while for m any o th ers it is a great way
of keeping in to uch w ith family and friends or, indeed, m aking new
friends. It is, in short, a wonderful resource for obtaining inform ation,
getting th ing s done an d com m unicating with others. And yet it is also
creating one of thẹ fastest-growing social problem s of ou r time: Internet
addiction.
A recent study involving Internet u sers from all over the world found
th a t 50 p er cent of them claim ed to be addicted, spending an average of
over 60 h o u rs per week on-line. Some of these reported routinely log-
ging on a s soon as they arrived hom e from work, university or school,
often rem aining on-line un til the sm all hours. "Som etim es I’m feeling
absolutely exhausted , dying to go to bed,” said one resp o nden t “b u t
th en I th in k to m yself I’ll just, try one m ore page, it m ight be really
good. And then I th in k the sam e abou t the next page. And the next.
And so on.”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
81
The- study .showed no difference in the rate of addiction betw een m en
a n d woihen.■-and-revealed th a t m anv heavy, u sers sim ply lo s t trac k of
time. vinyextreínéìcasesý they'.begaji to.negleet themseiyes^.vtSeir families
arid -their' friends^ apparently preferring l^e.companyi^of com puter '
to th a t of o th er people..They were also fo u n d tò be nĩpre',:likély to be de-
pressed th a n m oderate u se rs, although it is ạ s yet unclear;.w hether this
is brought ab o u t by the excessive time, sp ent on-line, or w h eth er al-
ready depressed individuals have a greater tendency to stay a t hom e
and engage in w hat is, essentially, a solitary activity.
The re search ers com pared it with o ther addictions su ch a s gam -
bling, which, they say, shares with it the elem ent of in term itten t re-
wards: in the case of the Internet, the occasional discovery of an excit-
ing web page. In addition, both activities tend to take place against a
background of dark ness. Net surfing often tak es place at night; casinos
deliberately keep the lights tu rn ed down low so th a t the p u n ters, too,
lose all sense of time. Television addiction, however, ap p ears to be dif-
ferent, as TV w atching tends to be m ore passive, m erely filling the
available free time.
Many Internet u sers, of course, would say the sam e of going on-line.
So when does “norm al” extensive Net surfing become an addiction? In
som e cases the indications are clear: skipped m eals, lack of sleep,
strained relationships, etc., but in others the sym ptom s are m ore s u b -
tle. Obsessive u sers m ay check an d re-check th eir e-m ail boxes u n n e c -
essarily. They m ay deceive them selves, an d others, abo ut how long they
actually sp en d on-line, an d spend th eir off-line tim e looking forward to
their next on-line session. They m ight even ru s h to th eir PCs th e m in -
ute they have the h ouse to them selves, relieved th a t o th ers are not
there to p ass judgem ent.
W hat, though, can those who recognise they have a problem actually
do ab o u t it? The first thing is not to panic. One expert points o u t th a t
m any people spend an enorm ous am ou nt of tim e reading, say, or talk -
ing on the telephone, som etim es to the detrim ent of family relation-
ships. Yet nobody talks about “book addiction”, or “phone addiction” as
if they were in som e way akin to chronic alcoholism or heavy smoking.
If they are cutting them selves off, so th is theory goes, it is b ecause o f a
weak relationship. Going on-line is m erely one way, like tu rn in g on the
TV or going o u t for a drink, of avoiding' conversation with those at
home. The problem is th e relationship, not th e com puter.
W here an addiction genuinely does exist, the advice is to seek pro-
fessional help sim ilar to th a t for sufferers of other com pulsive d iso r-
ders. This co nsists of gradually reducing the tim e sp en t on line, as well
as dealing w ith any personal difficulties th a t m ay underlie th e condi-
tion. O ther experts advise the addict to talk to su p p o rt groups specifi-
82 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
cally formed to help people w ith th e problem of Intern et overuse. Ironi-
cally, these groups can currently only be contacted via th e Internet.
40 WIMBLEDON
There is a definite buzz to W imbledon in July. This is the “village”
where Londoners celebrate both th e su n an d th eir prou d lawn ten n is
roots. W hen you see th e crowds stream in g into th e stre e ts w earing
su n g lasses, sum m ery dre sses an d straw h a ts, it’s like a n official decree
from the Q ueen herself: th e long aw aited B ritish sum m er h a s rolled in.
Up un til 6 Ju ly , there is only one reason to come to W imbledon: te n -
nis. Over one fortnight in J u n e an d Ju ly , th e w orld’s top-seeded players
fight it o u t in a g rass cou rt for the prestigious trophies. The atm o s-
phere is electric. F am ous faces dot the crowds, English flags wave for
th e players a n d vendors do a steady trad e in straw berries a n d cream ,
which h a s come to be th e official food of th e C ham pionships.
86 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
It is possible to get ạ ticket for Wimbledon on th e day of the m atch.
Get u p an d get there a s early a s possible. Day-of-play tickets are sold
on strictly o ne-per-person queuing basis. Q ueues can be extremely long
a n d your position in the queue can n o t be reserved by equipm ent, you
m u st be th ere in person!
If youVe m issed th e C ham pionships, m ake u p for it w ith a visit to
th e aw ard-w inning Wimbledon Lawn Tennis M useum . The m useu m
offers a glim pse of how th e gentle game of lawn tenn is, once all th e rage
on th e law ns of Victorian England an d with origins th a t go far back to
Medieval Royaỉ T ennis, h a s become a multi-m illion dollar professional
sport.
The m u seu m offers w onderful views over C entre Court. You’ll find
m em orabilia donated from fam ous players and great footage of p a st
m atches, a s well as a rt an d artifacts th a t bring the excitem ent of the
spo rt to life.
Visitors also p artak e in the other gam e in Wimbledon: walking. Take
a picnic on one of W imbledon’s m any green areas. Wimbledon Common
covers ab o u t 1,140 acres of woodland, h ea th land and mown recreation
areas. Ten ponds prom ote a variety of bird, anim al a n d plant life. The
entire area is unfenced and is open to the public 24-h o urs a day
th ro u g h o u t the year.
Shopaholics should head for the 320,000 squ are foot shopping cen-
tre a t C entre Court, Wimbledon - the h e a rt of Wimbledon retail. Three
floors, w ith 62 sho ps an d food outlets offer visitors a plethora of pleas-
a n t shopping. It’s also a convenient place to p u rc h ase m em orabilia or
to get a snack an d stock up on provisions before the big m atch a t the
Wimbledon T ennis G rounds.
If you wish to seek o u t a bit of quiet time pe rh ap s to m editate and
th in k w inning th o u g h ts for your chosen ten n is player hopeful, th e first
B ud dhist tem ple in th e UK is th e place to visit. Four peaceful acres e n -
com pass a n im posing temple, ornam ental lake, a small grove, flower
garden an d orchard.
GLOSSARY
- buzz tâm trạng/ bầu không khí nô nức - to donate hiến tặng
- to stream chày tuôn trào - footage ñoạn phim ngắn
- summery (adj) thuộc mùa hè - artifact ñồ chế tác, ñồ mỹ nghệ
- straw hat mũ rơm - to partake in sth tham gia vào
- decree sắc lệnh - common khu ñất công
- long awaited (adj) ñược chờ ñợi ñã lều - mown (adj) (cỏ) ñược cắt xén
- to roll in kéo ñến - unfenced (adj) không có hàng rào
- fortnight khoàng thời gian 2 tuần - to head for a place nhắm hướng một
- top-seeded player cầu thủ hạt giống nơi ñể ñi ñến
hàng ñầu - retail sự bán lẻ
- prestigious (adj) danh giá, uy tín - outlet ñiểm.bán hàng
- trophy giải thưởng, cúp - plethora trạng, thái thừa thài, dư ñả
- electric (adj) sôi ñộng, sôi nối - snack món ăn dặm
- to dot có mặt lác ñác - to stock up ơn provisions mua ñồ dự
- vendor người bán rong ngoài ñường trữ
- to do a trade in sth mua bán món gì - to meditate suy gẫm, thiền quán
- hopeful (adj) ñay triển vọng
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- strawberry trái dâu tây - to encompass bao gồm, chứa ñựng
- day-of-piay ticket vé bán ñúng vào - imposing (adj) oai nghiêm, hùng vĩ, bệ
ngày thi ñấu vệ, nguy nga •
- on a one-per-person queuing basis - ornamental (adj) dung ñể trang trí
dựa ừên cơ sở mỗi người xếp hàng - grove khu rừng nhỏ
chỉ ñược mua một vé - flora hệ thực vật
- rage sự say mê cuồng nhiệt - fauna hệ ñộng vật
- memorabilia kì vật, ñồ IƯU niệm
41
Although I left university w ith a good degree, I suddenly found th a t
it w as actually quite h ard to find a job. After being unem ployed for a
few m onths, I realised I h ad to take the first thing th a t cam e along or
I’d be in serious financial difficulties. And so, for six very long m onths, I
becam e a m arket research telephone interviewer.
I knew it w a sn ’t the best com pany in the world w hen they told me
th a t I’d have to undergo th ree days of training before startin g work, and
th a t I w ouldn’t get paid for any of it. Still, I knew th a t the hourly rate
when I actually did s ta rt full time would be a lot better th an un em -
ploym ent benefit, and I could work up to twelve h ou rs a day, seven
days a week if I w anted. So, I tho ught of the money I’d earn an d p u t up
w ith th ree days of u n paid training. W hatever those th ree days tau g h t
me - an d I ca n 't really rem em ber anything abou t them today - I w a sn ’t
prepared for the way I would be treated by the supervisors.
It w as worse th a n being a t school. There were abou t twenty in ter-
viewers like myself, each sitting in a sm all, d ark booth w ith an ancient
com puter and a dirty telephone. The booths were aro u n d the walls of
the fifth floor of a concrete office block, an d the supervisors sa t in the
middle of the room, listening in to all of o u r telephone interviews. We
w eren’t allowed to talk to each other, and if we took m ore th a n about
two seconds from ending one phone call and startin g another, they
would sh o u t a t u s to h u rry up and get on with our jobs. We even had
to ask perm ission to go to the toilet. Ĩ w as am azed how slowly the day
went. O ur first break of the day cam e a t eleven o ’clock, two h o u rs after
we started. Ill always rem em ber th a t feeling of desp air w hen I would
look a t my w atch thinking, “It m u st be nearly time for th e break”, only
to find th a t it was q u arte r to ten and th a t there w as an o th er h o u r and
a q u arte r to go. My next th oug ht w as always, “Ỉ c a n ’t believe I’m going
to be here un til nine o’clock tonight.”
It w ouldn’t have been so bad if w hat we were doing h ad been useful.
But it w a sn ’t. Most of o u r interviews were for a m ajor telecom m unica-
tions com pany. We’d have to ring u p b u sin esses and ask them things
like, “Is your telecom s budget more th a n three million pou nds a year?”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
89
The Ghạnceạ are w e’d..get'tibie r-epiy, “O h ,,! don 'tx tM nk’sp.. I’ll a sk my
husb^d:;.This:is.-a:,coriierislio.p^ W;eke c^iy^gbt-on&'pJipne:.1’ And so the
day w ent on. ?' _ ' - ' ■ ’ 1 - ỹ f|
- TH e-m ost'frightening asp ect of- th e job -wậ's th a t ! w as ■actually quite
good at it. “Oh no!” I thought. “Maybe I’m -destined to be a m ark e t re-
searcher for the re st of m y life.” My boss certainly seem ed to th in k so.
One day - during a break, of course - she ordered m e into h e r office.
“Sim on,” she said, “Fm prom oting you. From tom orrow, you’re off tele-
com s and onto credit card com plaints. I’m sure you can handle it.
There’s, no extra pay, b u t it is a very responsible position."
Three w eeks later I quit. It was one of the best decisions IVe ever
m ade.
90 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
c. It involved greater responsibility.
D. There w as no increase in salary.
7. W hat would be the m ost suitable title for th is extract?
A. Typical Office Life
B. U npleasant Employm ent
c. How To E arn a Decent Salary
D. You Get W hat You Deserve
GLOSARY
- market research telephone inter- - break quãng giải lao
viewer nhân viên phỏng vấn khách - despair cảm giác tuyệt vọng
hàng qua ñiện thoại ñê’ phục vụ công - telecommunications = telecoms
việc nghiên cứu thị trường viễn thông
- to undergo trài qua - budget ngân sách
- hourly rate tiền i ương tính theo giờ - to be destined to do sth ñược số
- unemployment benefit trợ cấp thất phận an bài !à sẽ làm gi
nghiệp - to promote sb thăng chức cho ai
- supervisor viên giám thị - credit card complaints bộ phận giải
- booth buồng ñiện thoại/ ngăn riêng quyết các khiếu nại liên quan ñến thè
- concrete (adj) bằng bê tông tín dụng
- to handle xử lí, giải quyết
92 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. Why does the w riter p u t back the clothes her h u sb an d chooses?
A. She d o esn ’t like w hat he w ears.
B. He forgets to choose things for her.
c . He c a n ’t decide w hat to take. ‘
D. The clothes a re n ’t suitable.
5. The w riter im plies t h a t _____
A. it’s not far from h er house to the airport.
B. they would be late if she d idn’t m ake a fuss,
c. airpo rts are usually badly designed.
D. people should go on holiday more often.
6 . The w riter th in k s she is different from some other, people because
s h e _____
A. finds flying an enjoyable experience.
B. d o esn ’t worry ab o u t problem s,
c . u n d e rsta n d s w hat pilots face.
D. d o esn ’t care ab o u t other passengers.
7. The w riter th in k s th a t h er fam ily _____
A. .try’tó stop h er from relaxing on holiday.
B. d o n ’t recognise h er when she's on holiday,
c . d o n’t need her as m uch as they think.
D. ignore her u n less they need som ething.
GLOSSARY
- drizzle cơn mưa phùn. - volume khối lượng
- argumentative (adj) hay tranh cãi - packing sự sắp xếp hành lí
94 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1. Why did th e w riter invite Tom H arper to h e r house?
A. She w anted him to see how difficult it is to be environm entally
friendly.
B. She w anted to know if she could be m ore environm entally
friendly.
c . She w anted him to teach h er children to be environm entally
friendly.
D. She w anted to show him how to be environm entally friendly.
2. The w riter w as surprised by w hat Tom said ab ou t the fridge be-
cau se _____
A. sh e h ad h ad it for so long.
B. it w as only ab ou t fifteen years old.
c . she w anted it to stop working before she bought a new one.
D. she th o u g h t he would not recom m end throw ing things away.
3. Why is the w riter using too m u ch electricity in th e living room?
A. A lot of the h eat is escaping through the windows.
B. Theiwriter h a s the heating on in November,
c . The children have the TV on too m uch.
D. The window fram es are not the right size.
4. W hat does th e p hrase “one of those” in paragrap h 6 refer to?
A. a show erhead w ith big holes
B. a good shower
c . a w ater-saving show erhead
D. thei show er in the w riter’s bathroom
5. Tom is sym pathetic to the w riter’s _____
A. desire n ot to use public transport.
B. children’s desire to have showers,
c . willingness to buy a new shower.
D. explanation of why she h a s a car.
6 . According to Tom, both clean air filters an d a properly-tuned engine
95
c. It may.be' a -lief ,4 . - .
D. It 'sW w s ữiè'-nẹe<i-;fQF actioni'
,*7:. \ W iia t w o u l& | D ie ^ ( e : m o s t r s u it a l3 t e '.t M e io r it h iS ‘ exteafct?'
'Be-Fooled layd esig n ers-
'B.'-A R eturn to 'Popularity
c. The D ecline in. th e F ur Trade
\ D. Millions of Animals Are Suffering
GLOSSARY
- fur lông thú - to dye nhuộm
- fur farm trại nuôi ñộng vật ñể lấy bộ - powder blue màu xanh dương
lông - trick mánh lới
- to be bound to do sth nhất ñịnh sẽ - fur trapper người ñặt bẫy bắt thú lấy
!àm gì bộ lông
- slogan khẩu hiệu - leghold trap bẫy kẹp chân
- trend xu thế - fox con cáo
- to disguise ngụy trang - to go bankrupt phá sàn, vỡ nợ
- to trim cắt tỉa bớt - trendy (adj) hỢp thời trang
98
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Stress, insom nia, aggression an d lack of concentration are the m ain
effects, b u t according to Mr Perera, “city noise does not cau se perm a-
n en t dam age”.
The best way of quietening the row, the authorities adm it, is for
people to use public tran sp o rt ra th er th a n the private car, b u t nobody
seriously expects th a t to happen. The Socialists propose ro u nd a bo u ts
in stead of traffic lights, m ore acoustic screens - the la st one w as put
up in 1991 - an d repaying streets with a more porous asp h a lt th a t a b -
sorbs m oisture an d reduces noise.
So w h at will the city do? Set up more m easuring stations, for a start:
there will be 25 throug hou t M adrid by Septem ber. From next week they
will sta rt m easuring the noise produced by heavy lorries and building
works.
The problem is th a t m ost people don ’t find noise a problem . S pan-
iards - whose own language was described by the w riter Laurie Lee as
“the dry throaty rattle of pebbles being rolled down a gully” - are m ostly
self-assertive an d sociable and used since childhood to raising, their
voices to m ake them selves heard. You find gentle speakers outside Ma-
drid, b u t few in th e capital.
Awoken on a Sunday m orning by a m onotonous sh outing down a
m egaphone, I looked from my terrace to see two m en selling bouquets
of roses off the back of a truck, inflicting a horrible form of noise pollu-
tion upon a quiet residential street. B ut it seemed to be effective: a
wom an no t only bought two bunches, she broke off a bloom and pinned
it behind h er car.
(adapted from "Loud And Proud in the Noise Capital of Europe" by Elizabeth Nash,
The Independent, Sunday, 7 June 1999}
GLOSSARY
- to echo lặp !ại - roundabout vòng xoay giao thông
- blindingly obvious rõ ràng ñến mức - acoustic screen tãm chắn/ vách ngắn
không thể chối cãi ñược cách âm
- OECD [Organisation for Economic Co- - porous (adj) xốp/ có nhiều íỗ !i ti
operation and Development] Tồ Chức - asphalt nhựồ trải ñường
HỢp Tác và Phát Triển Kinh Tế - throaty (adj) (giọng) khàn khàn
- to rank xếp ai vào vị thứ - rattle tiếng loảng xoảng, rổn ràng
- acoustic measuring point trạm ño ñộ - pebble sỏi, ñá cuội
ồn - guliy rãnh nưỏc, máng, mương
- to register 1) ñăng kí 2) ño ñược - self-assertive (adj) (người) tự tin/
- decibel [ñơn vị ño cường ñộ âm thanh] mạnh dạn phát biếu ý kiến
- tolerance sự chấp nhận ñược - sociable (adj) thích giáo du/ thích kết
- to roar gầm rú bạn, dễ gần, chan hòa
- intersection ngã tư, giao lộ - monotonous (adj) ñơn ñiệu, tẻ nhạt
- pts [peseta] ñơn vị tiền tệ cu của Tây - megaphone !oa 'phóng thanh
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
100
Ban Nha - terrace sân thượng, sân hiên
- insomnia chứng mất ngủ - bouquet bó hoa
- aggression tính hung hăng/ hay gây sự - to inflict gây ra
- to quieten làm im tiếng/ làm cho dịu ñi - bunch bó (hoa), chùm (chìa khóa)
- row $ự om sòm, huyên náo - bloom bông hoa
- Socialists ngưởi theo ñàng Xã Hội - to pin ghim chặt, ñính vào
48
Most children a t the tender age of six or so are full of m ost im prac-
tical schem e for becom ing policemen, firemen or train drivers when
they grow up. B ut w hen I w as th a t age, I could not be bothered with
su ch m u n dane am bitions. I knew exactly w hat I w anted to do, I was
going to have my own 200. At the time, th is did n ot seem to me, and
still does not seem, a very unreasonable idea. My friends an d relatives,
who h ad long found me strange b ecause I showed little in tere st in any-
thing th a t did not have fur or feathers, accepted this a s ju s t ano ther
m anifestation of my strangeness. They felt that, if they ignored my of-
ten-repeated rem arks abo ut owning my own zoo, I would eventually
grow out of it.
As the years passed, however, to the bew ilderm ent of those friends
and relatives, my resolve to have my own 200 grew greater an d greater
and eventually, after going on a num b er of expeditions to bring back
anim als for other zoos, I felt the time w as ripe to acquire my own.
From my latest trip to W est Africa, I had brought back a consid-
erable collection of anim als w hich were living,- tem porarily I assured
her, in my sister's su b u rb a n garden in B ournem outh. B ut after a n u m -
ber of u n su cc essfu l attem p ts to convince local councils in various areas
to su p p ort my plans, Ĩ began to investigate the possibility of startin g
my zoo on the island of Jersey in the English C hannel.
I w as given an introduction to a m an nam ed H ugh F raser who, I w as
told, w as a broad-m inded, kindly soul. He would show me aro u nd the
island an d point ou t suitable sites. So, I flew to Jersey an d w as m et by
Hugh F raser who drove u s to his family home, probably one of the m ost
b eautiful old h o u ses on the island. There w as a huge walled garden
with lots of outbuildings all b uilt in the beautiful local stone which was
the colour of a u tu m n leaves glowing in the sun shin e. T urning to my
wife, I said: “W hat a m arvellous place for a 200.”
If my h o st h ad prom ptly fainted on the spot, I could not have blam ed
him . The th o u g h t of creating the average p erso n ’s idea of a 200, w ith all
the grey cem ent and iron bars, in such a lovely spot w as horrible. To
my astonishm ent, however, Hugh F raser did not faint, b ut merely
cocked an enquiring eyebrow at me and asked w hether I really m eant
w hat I said. Slightly em barrassed, I replied th a t I had m eant it, b u t
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
101
. added 'h a stily 'th at •I.reaiised/% ^it'^as;.:im possible^:.H u^i ,said he did
n o t'th in k it was.;as im possk)leras ali'that,?.. •- , ■
V'-He- w ent on to explajji-.that .the hojise, arid.grounds'r'were 'too big for
him to'lceep up a s 'a private individual, an d so he w anted to move to a
sm aller .place in E ngland. Wotild I care to consider renting th e property
for the p urpose of establishing my zoo? I could not im agine m ore a t-
tractive surroun dings for ray purpose, an d by the tim e lunch w as over,,
the bargain h ad been sealed.
The alarm displayed by all who knew me w hen th is w as an no u n ced
can be im agined. The only exception to the general ch o ru s of d isap -
proval w as my sister. Although she tho ught it a m ad schem e, a t least it
would rid her back garden of the assorted jungle creatu re s th a t were
beginning to p u t a great strain on h er relationship w ith h er neighbours.
102 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
6 . The w riter p articularly liked the place he chose for the zoo because
of i t s _____
A. size. B. price. c. setting. D. facilities.
7. W hen the w riter’s sister learned ab out the establishm ent of the 200
in Jersey, she fe lt _____ .
A. alarm ed B. relieved c. supportive D. disappointed
GLOSSARY
- tender (adj) (tuổi) còn non nớt, măng - to glow sáng ñỏ iên
non - promptly (adv) ngay lập tức
- mundane (adj) tarn thường - to faint ngất xỉu, bất tinh
- feather lông vũ - iron bars các chấn song sắt
- manifestation sự biếu lộ, biểu thị - horrible (adj) kinh khủng, khùng khiếp
“ to grow out of sth (rốt cuộc sẽ) từ.bỏ - t o cock an enquiring eyebrow
cái gì, sẽ quên cái gỉ ñi nhướng mày tò ra thắc mắc
- bewilderment sự hoang mang, bốỉ rối - hastily (ãdv) một cách vội vã, hấp tấp
- resoỉve sự quyết tâm - grounds khu ñất quanh nhà
- to acquire kiếm ñược - to seal a bargain ñi ñến một thòa
- temporarily (adj) tạm thời thuận
- suburban (adj) ở ngoại ô - chorus ñồng thanh, cùng nhau nói
- broad-mìnded (ádj) có ñầu óc phóng - disapproval sir không tán thành,
khoáng không bằng lòng
- soul 1) linh hồn 2) kẻ, người - to rid sth of sth giải thoát cho cái gì
- walled garden vườn có tựờng bao khỏi cái gì
quanh - assorted (adj) ñù mọi íoại khác nhau
- outbuilding nhà phụ (xây tách rời nhà -jungle creatures thú rừng
chính) - strain sự căng thẳng
47
The m iddle-aged w om an’s voice on the other end of th e phone w as
icily im perious: “Oliver, come and sp eak tồ th is lady, now, sh e’s from
clearing.”
Jud g in g by Oliver's rather slow response., it w as ap p aren t he w as re-
lu ctan t to d iscuss h is p lan s for further education, in the light of his
disappointing A-levei results. B ut when he finally m ade it to the receiver,
he was m et with the soothing, tones of a clearing centre adviser.
At universities across the country, sim ilar scenes were played out
from th e m om ent clearing lines were opened, in some cases a s early as
8.30 am.
C andidates who m issed their target resu lts by a grade or two des-
perately dialled their adm issions tu to rs to discover if they would still be
accepted. Those who did m uch worse th an expected, tu rn ed to clearing,
the system through w hich tem porarily unplaced stu d en ts apply for
spare places on degree courses.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
103
“I’m here to help by m atchm aking stu d e n ts w ith co urses,” said Ryan
S aun d ers, 29, a paid volunteer a t Kingston University. “I’ve ju s t h a d a
bloke who skipped lots of his exam s an d w anted to get on a b u sin ess
course, for w hich he needed 180 points, b u t he only h ad 60. C ertainly
he w a sn ’t accepted by u s. He w as quite a persuasive talker. I personally
thin k h e ’s got a great career in sales.”
Figures show th a t there w as a rise of m ore th a n 16,000 people from
2002. Almost one stu d en t in 1 1 found a place on a degree course
th rough clearing.
U niversities are typically at p ains to stress th a t stu d e n ts should
take time before m aking m ajor decisions. They claim they are careful of
aw arding places to app licants who have hitherto show n no in tere st in a
subject. Their advice to anyone who h a s n ’t got into th eir first choice
university is to ring around an d see w h a t’s available elsew here ra th e r
th an simply taking, the first course they’re offered. It’s b etter to m ake a
considered decision th a n end up on the wrong course in the wrong
place.
All th e sam e, nationw ide, there was a mood sim ilar to th e opening
day of a budget airline in tern et sale. Anyone w ho lost th e ir nerve an d
hesitated ra n the risk th a t the place w ould be snapp ed u p w hen they
called back later.
At Greenwich University some professional train in g co u rses were
filled w ithin hours. Nursing, midwifery and education proved popular,
followed by newly introduced courses in criminology an d forensic sci-
ence.
With h u n d re d s of clearing places available, th e university h ad 100
p hone lines ôpen b u t w as still sw am ped by th e flood of calls ju s t after
10 am , the tim e w hen m any stu d en ts received th eir results.
The overall quality of th e stu d en ts calỉing u p is b e tter th a n in p re-
vious years. B ack a t K ingston University adm issions tu to r for geological
sciences w as confident the m ajority of his 15 places w ould be filled
throu gh clearing.
“As far a s w e’re concerned, once a n app licant is accepted by u s it
doesn ’t m atter w heth er they’ve come through clearing or n o t,” he said.
“It often h as a positive effect. Some stu d en ts suddenly realize they need
to work h ard er th a n they have done in the p a st.”
48 ’
It started w ith sh ep h e rd ’s pie 30 years ago and now ready-m ade
m eals have transform ed th e n atio n ’s eating h ab its. B ritons sp en t £1.9
billion on ready-m ade m eals la st year, twice a s m u ch a s th e F rench
an d G erm ans, four tim es a s m u ch a s the Italians a n d six tim es as
m uch as th e Spanish. Nearly one in three B ritish a d u lts e a ts a ready-
m ade m eal more th a n once a week. D em and for in sta n t m eals in -
creased by 29 per cent between 1998 a n d 2002 acro ss Europe a s a
whole b u t in B ritain it increased by 44 per cent.
B ritain becam e th e European, capital of ready-m ade m eals, second
only in the world to America. Some claim th a t th e reaso n for it is an ex-
cuse “C an ’t cook, w on’t cook”. However, o th ers consider it to be a case
of culture. Regular cooking h a s disappeared first in th e u s an d th e n in
Britain. In France, G erm any, Spain, Italy, th ere is still a traditio n of
going hom e to a cooked meal.
Convenience is definitely p art of the attractio n . A recen t survey
found th a t 77 per cent of buyers said they only bought ready m eals
when they did n o t have tim e to cook.
Dr S u san Jeb b , h ead of nu tritio n a t th e Medical R esearch Council,
said: “People in th e UK work the longest h o u rs, we are very time-poor,
an d we d o n ’t have a strong cu ltu ral history of cooking.”
The ready-m ade m eal boom also reflects changing social tre n d s in
Britain. More people live alone an d so are less likely to cook. And w ith
families eating a p a rt m ore often, ready-m eals allow people to eat w hat
they w ant w hen they w ant. Besides, people are becom ing m u ch more
dem anding a s th ere 's p re ssu re on time.
B ut ready m eals also reflect changing ta ste s in food. B ritain ’s m ulti-
cu ltu ralism h a s broug ht a wider range of re sta u ra n ts th a n o th er E uro-
pean countries, a n d ethn ic cuisines, which people are often scared of
cooking, are far more popular. One q u arte r of chilled m eals are Indian,
an d nearly one in five is Chinese. T raditional B ritish food ac co u n ts for
only 18 p er cent of sales.
“We’ve always h a d more C hinese and Indian takeaw ays an d m ore
ethn ic re sta u ra n ts,” says a co n su ltan t nutritionist.
106 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
S up erm ark ets have responded by offering a wider range. “As in -
creasing n u m b ers of B ritish people travel to the F ar E a st an d regularly
eat o ut a t oriental re sta u ra n ts, custom ers are now looking for a u th e n -
tic E astern foods they can enjoy a t hom e.”
The quality of ready-m ade m eals h as become b etter since the 1970s.
However, Dr Je b b says: “Ready-made m eals tend to be higher in fat,
su gar an d salt th a n the m eals we would cook ourselves at hom e. Fat is
cheap an d it ad d s flavour. Most of the salt we eat is added by m anufac-
tu rers - people like it.” B ut it is n ot necessarily bad. People can choose
healthy options, or have ready-m ade salads. There is a whole genera-
tion th a t h a s been brought up with ready m eals. They h av en ’t grown
up w ith cooking, they have neither th e ability nor the desire to cook
and; th a t is alarm ing.
If we cook, we are interested in life. For m any of us, cooking is a way
of keeping some control over o u r own health an d happ in ess. There is
no way to g u arantee a long and healthy life, b u t there are three ways to
m ake it possible. The first is to drink a lot of w ater, the second is to
walk a lot an d th e third is to cook.
GLOSSARY
- shepherd's pie món thịt băm nấu với - chilled meal bữa ăn nguội
- khoai tây hầm - takeaway suất ăn mua mang về
- boom sự phát triển rầm rộ, sự bùng nố, - consultant nutritionist nhà tư vấn về
sự thịnh hành dinh dưỡng
- multi-culturaỉism tính chãt ña vắn hóa - oriental (adj) thuộc phương ñông
- ethnic (adj) thuộc cộng ñồng nhập cư/ - authentic (adj) thật (trái với già mạo)
nhóm thiểu số - alarming (adj) ñáng báo ñộng
- cuisine phệp nấu nướng
49
My friendship w ith Kathy w asn ’t a perfect friendship. I learned very
soon in o u r relationship th a t Kathy w as jealous. We would have great
fun going o ut shopping b u t if I bought, say, a d ress for a party an d she
thought my d re ss w as better th a n hers, she would s ta rt to say slightly
un k in d things ab o u t it. She would be keen to com e o u t w ith m e to buy
the dress. She would give me a lot of helpful advice while I w as trying
on the various d re sses in the shops. Her advice would be good. She
would even tell the shop a s s is ta n t if she th o u g h t th e price w as too
high. I can.rem em ber one occasion w hen she said th is and, to my s u r-
prise, they knocked the price down so th a t I could afford to buy it. The
trouble would come later. W hen we were actually going to the p arty and
we were both d ressed u p and she w as looking m arvellous (for she w as
very beautiful) she would suddenly say, “I think, S arah, we were both
wrong a b o u t th a t dress. It iooks a bit cheap, d o esn ’t it!”
Once or twice I “dropped” Kathy. I told h er I w as too busy to see her.
Or I told h er I h ad to see an o th er friend. All these lies h u rt m e because
I had no o th er friend and I w as so lonely. B ut they never h u rt her. She
ju s t sm iled sweetly an d said sh e’d see me next week. And of course,
w ithin a week or so, I’d be on the phone asking h e r to come out. She
never m inded this! She never sulked a t m e a n d pretended th a t she w as
too busy.
S tu d en ts alw ays celebrated the end of the college year w ith a fancy-
dress ball. It w as a big event. But a s luck would have it, Kathy a n d I
had m ade an o th er arrangem ent for the day of the ball. We had booked
to go to the th eatre. We h a d talked for ages of going, an d a t last we h ad
our tickets. For u s it w as a big event. It w as a m usical an d o u r favour-
ite singer s ta r w as in it, so o u r h ea rts were set on the theatre.
108 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Then Kathy cam e ro u n d to see me. M other w as in a t th e tim e, an d I
had to sp eak to h er on the doorstep b ecause Mum had ju s t been hav-
ing a go a t me for seeing too m uch of Kathy.
“I d o n ’t w an t th a t girl coming in th is house and nosing a ro u n d .” So I
told Kathy I cou ldn ’t invite h er in because my M um h ad a bad h ea d -
ache.
Kathy d id n ’t m ind. She smiled and said she w as sorry ab ou t my
m o ther’s bad head. I w as sure she knew w hat h ad really happened.
B ut she carried on smiling, an d then she said: T m sorry, b u t I c a n ’t
come to the th eatre w ith you after all. My b ro th er’s come hom e an d he
w a n ts to take me to the fancy-dress ball a t the college. I c a n ’t let him
down.” I couldn ’t believe th a t she would let m e down. She knew how
m uch I had looked forward to the th eatre trip. We had talked ab ou t it
together for m onths.
I w as alm ost in tears bv the tim e I had said goodbye to her and
closed the door. My M um w as kind an d und erstand ing . She m ade me
prom ise I would never see Kathy again. I agreed, an d felt th a t w as the
least I could do by way of revenge for my disappointm ent. I told myself
th a t I would never so m uch as talk to Kathy if I saw her. O ur relation-
ship w as a t an end. I would never forget w hat sh e'h ad done to me.
GLOSSARY
- jealous (adj) ganh tị, ghen tuông “ one's heart is set on sth khao khát,
- to be dressed up ăn mặc ñẹp chưng trông chờ cái gi
diện - doorstep bậc thềm
- to sulk at sb hờn dỗi ai ;t - to have a go at sb la mắng ai
- fancy-dress ball vũ hội hóa trartg - to let sb down làm ai thất vọng, phụ
- a s luck would have it tình cờ !ẩ lòng ai
run rùi là ... - by way of sfch như là ñể ìàm gi
- musical vỏ nhạc kịch “ revenge sự trả thù
50
The London M arathon celebrates its 23rd birthday. T hat is 23 years
of stresses and strain s, blisters an d sore bits, and incredible tales.
Somehow, yours truly h a s m anaged to ru n four of them . And 1 have
m edals to prove it. It seemed like a good idea a t the time. I w atched the
in aug ural London M arathon on M arch 29th 1981. It seem ed extraordi-
nary th a t norm al people would w ant to ru n 26 m iles an d 385 yards.
And, it m u st be said, they looked strange an d no t quite steady a t the
end of it all. There are, indeed, terrible tales of people losing con-
sciousness by the tim e they reach th a t glorious finishing line. B ut I w as
captivated. I knew 1 had to do it.
Three y ears later I was living in London, not far from Greenwich
where the event begins, an d it seem ed the perfect opportunity to give it
a go. I w as only a short train ride from the starting line, b u t m ore th an
26 m iles from the finish. “Who cares?” I thought. By the end I did. The
m om ent Ĩ crossed th a t finishing line, an d h ad th a t m edal placed
110 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
aro u n d my neck, w as one of the finest in my life. The sense of achieve-
m en t w as im m ense. It w as a m ad th in g to do, an d ultim ately pointless.
Bilt knowing th a t I’d ru n a M arathon - th a t m o st historic of all d istan t
races - felt incredible.
London provides one of the easiest of all the officially sanctioned
m arath on s because m ost of it is flat. Yes, there are th e cobblestones
while ru n n in g through th e Tower of London, an d there are the quiet
p atch es w here crowds are thin and you are crying o ut for some en co u r-
agem ent - those thin gs m atter to the .alleged “fu n” ru n n e rs like myself,
the serious ru n n e rs d o n ’t th in k of such things.
This year London will a ttra c t unprecedented n u m b e r of athletes, a
lot of title holders am ong them . It is set to w itness w hat is probably the
greatest field ever for a m arathon. In the m en’s race, for example,
am ong n u m ero u s ap plicants th ere’s the holder of the world’s b est time,
Khalid K hannouchi of the USA; the defending cham pion El Mouriz of
Morocco; E thiopia’s Olympic bronze-m edallist Tesfaye Tola. And, m ak-
ing h is m a ra th o n debut, is one of the finest long distance ru n n e rs of all
time Haile G ebrselassie.
Since 1981, alm o st h alf a million people have com pleted th e London
M arathon, raising m ore th a n $125 million for charity. For the majority
of the ru n n e rs, this is w hat it is aỉl about. It is for charity, for fun, for
self-development. ĩt is a w onderful day. I have ru n it with poor training,
with proper training. And I have always loved it. It’s crazy, an d it’s one
of the greatest things Ifve ever done. If you w ant to feel a s though
vouVe achieved som ething, ru n a m arathon.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
111
4. “By the end I did” m ean s th a t the a u t h o r _____
A. found the distan ce suitable.
B. found th e distance challenging.
c. decided to take p a rt in the m arathon.
D. eventually took a train to the finish.
5- According to th e au th o r, th e London M arathon is one of th e ea siest
b e c a u s e _____
A. it goes thro ug h the Tower of London.
B. there are quiet p atch e s w ithout crowds,
c. m any “fun ” ru n n e rs participate in it.
D. its course does no t slope u p or down.
6. th e greatest field ever for a m arath o n ” m ean s th a t th e m arath o n
GLOSSARY
- stresses and strains sự căng thẳng patch một màng, một ñám
thần kinh và thể chất to cry out for sth rất cẩn ñến, rất khao
- blister chỗ phồng rộp trên da khát cái gi
- sore bits những chỗ ñau nhức alleged (adj) ñược cho là, theo như
- yours truly [lối xưng hô khôi hài] (như) người ta nghĩ thì là
tôi ñây, riêng mỗ ñây, tại hạ unprecedented (adj-):trước ñây chưa
- inaugural (adj) mở màn, khánh thành, từng có
khai trương title holder người ñang giữ danh hiệu
- to give sth a go gắng làm thừ cái gì (vô ñịch,...)
- steady (adj) vững vàng, không nghiêng It Is set to do sth Chắc chắn/ Nhất
ngả ñịnh sẽ iàm gi
- to lose consciousness bất tỉnh, ngất to witness chứng’kiến
xỉu defending champion người ñang thi
- glorious (adj) vinh quang, vẻ vang ñấu bảo vệ chức vô ñịch
- captivated (ádj) mê mẩn, say ñắm ■bronze-medallist người giữ huy
- starting íine vạch xuất phát chương ñồng
- Who cares? Mặc kệ/ sá gì/ Chuyện • debut sự ra mẳt lần ñầu (của diễn viên
nhò/ Ai thèm quan tâm ñã chứ? hoặc vận ñộng viên)
- ultimately (adv) rốt cuộc, cuối cùng ■charity hoạt ñộng/ quỹ từ thiện
- pointless (adj) vô ích • self-development sự tiến bộ bản thân
- to be officially sanctioned ñược chính ■crazy (adj) ñiên khùng
thức phê chuẩn/ chấp thuận ■to siope up or down dốc lên hoặc dốc
- cobblestone sòi/ñá cuội trải trên mặt xuống
ñường
112 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
51 INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Intensive English Program
The University Indiana Universit}' was founded in 1820 an d is one of
the oldest and largest state-sponsored universities in th e U nited States.
It is internationally known for the excellence and variety of its pro-
gram s. The University h as over 100 academ ic dep artm en ts an d a full-
tim e faculty of over 1,500, including m em bers of m any academ ic socie-
ties.
It is located in Bloomington, the cultu ral an d recreational center of
so uthern Indiana in th e m id-w estern us. Bloomington, a dynam ic, safe
and culturally-sophisticated town, h a s a population of 65,000 (not in-
cluding university students). It is su rround ed by hills, green woodlands
a n d lovely lakes th a t m ake this area fam ous for vacationing.
IEP
The goal of the Ind iana University Intensive English Program (IEP) is to
increase the English language skills of non-native English speakers to
the level needed for study a t a college or university in the United
States. We encourage stu d en ts to reach this goal as quickly a s possi-
ble. T eachers in the ỈEP are qualified to teach English as a second la n -
guage an d have ta u g h t in the United S tates an d abroad.
R equirem ents for Admission
All stu d en ts adm itted to the program m u st have earned a high school
diplom a an d m u st show th a t they or their sponsors are able to pay for
their living expenses an d tuition while in the United S tates. O ur appli-
cation m aterials will tell you how m uch m oney is needed for each ses-
sion.
Curriculum
There are seven levels in the IEP. All levels m eet for 20-24 classroom
h o u rs each week. Levels One through' Five use audio-visual m aterials,
as well as cam pus com puter a n d language laboratory resources. These
levels concentrate on listening, speaking, writing, an d gram m ar.
Level Six is a high' interm ediate academ ic reading an d w riting class,
which focuses m ainly on writing. After completing Level Six, m ost s tu -
d en ts are ready to begin academ ic work a t a college or university. How-
ever, som e additional English may be recom m ended to help them a d -
ju s t to th eir new environm ent. In Level Seven stu d en ts focus on w ritten
analysis of au th en tic texts. This gives them a clear idea of the kind of
work w hich is required by Am erican universities. At levels Six an d
Seven, stu d en ts also select from a variety of courses in advanced
gram m ar, advanced pronunciation, b usiness, com puter skills, com m u-
nication, film, literature, test preparation and the World Wide Web to
m eet their p articu lar needs and interests.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO 113
C ollegeand'Ụ ợlỹếỉtìty ^ìàcèịíỊẹiit^ậv..,^ ....,
OradiiảteSí’-of,the -C e H te r^ K B n g H s h ^ f? ^ ^ & ^ r^ ^ S -^ v e gone on to
p u rsu e c a r e e rs 'ĩn sú c h areas a s physics,,:ậậ-t,v m u sic, cftem istiy, b u si-
ness," edu cátioriv:an&-.;everi-: teaching .É n ^ sỉầ ^ ặ s a foreign .language. We
offer careers .guidance to -qualified students/w fro w ant to apply eith er to
Indiana "University; pr ta: other colleges o r ^universities .in th e United
S ta te s. Adm ission, however, to the intensive English. Program does not
guarantee adm ission to'-specific academ ic program s a t In d ian a Univer-
sity.. . . ' Vy:’- ,
Housing
There' is a wide variety of housing available in Bloomington for both
m arried and single stud ents: on-cam pus housing is arran g ed thro u gh
the IU Halls of Residence. After receiving your application form, we will
send you a cam pu s housing application. C am pus ap a rtm en ts are all
within walking distance of classes an d are on the University b u s
routes. Many off-cam pus ap a rtm en ts are located n ear cam p u s or n ea r
city b u s routes. Off-campus housing is best arranged after y o u r arrival
in Bloomington, b u t you can begin your search by brow sing th e elec-
tronic classifiedfadsMn ±he Bloomington Herald Times.
Extracurricular Activities
Bloomington an d In dian a University offer a large variety of recreational
activities an d social events. To begin with, soccer, swim ming, boating,
tennis, racquetball, skiing, and m any other form s of exercise an d re-
laxation are readily available. The internationally-know n Ind ian a Uni-
versity School of M usic p resen ts operas, concerts an d ballets on a regu-
lar basis. Concerts on cam p us range from sym phony o rch estras to the
latest popular m usic groups. There are also th eate r presen tatio ns
which include Broadway m usicals and individual perform ances by fa-
m ous a rtists from aro u nd the world. We have also com bined education
an d enjoym ent with trip s to nearby zoos, m u seu m s an d n a tu re centers.
At Indian a University there is never a night w ithout som e form of e n ter-
tainm ent!
114 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
3 . ậU idents interested in finding off-cam pus acco m m od atio n _____
/ a ) can s ta rt looking in new spapers.
nỀO can s ta rt looking for a p a rtm e n ts on th e Internet.
Ọ. can co n tact the IU Halls of Residence.
D. m u st arrive in th e u s first.
4. According to th e passag e, stu d en ts staying on c a m p u s _____
O / c a n also take th e b u s to class.
(By can only walk to'class,
c . n e e d n ’t go throu gh the IU Halls of Residence.
D. have b e tter room s th a n those staying off cam pus.
5. W hat does th e w riter say ab o ut th e univ ersity’s teaching staff?
A. They are non-native English speakers.
B. They have only tau g h t in non-E nglish speaking countries.
c . They encourage non-native English speakers to atte n d the pro-
gram.
They help stu d e n ts improve th eir English.
6 . W hat is tru e a b o u t In d ian a University?
It is located in m id-w estern Bloomington.
C am pu s concerts cater for different m usical tastes.
E x tra-cu rricu lar activities are ra th e r limited.
D. It is attend ed by foreigners only.
7. Apparently, th e IEP is m ean t for somebody w h o _____
A, sp e ak s English fluently.
/jO is already studying a t an American university.
•(TÍ) com es from' a non-E nglish speaking country.
D.‘p la n s to live in th e u s perm anently.
8 . In Level Seven, s tu d e n ts _____
tak e a w riting course.
ca n choose from a n u m b er of courses offered,
learn how Am erican universities are organized.
D. have more h o u rs per week th a n in Level Six.
9. According to th e passag e, after completing the IE P _____
A. stu d e n ts get a degree in English.
Brvstudents have successful careers.
( c ./stu d e n ts have th e n ecessaiy background to atten d a u niver-
sity/college in th e US.
D. stu d e n ts can begin w orking for a university.
Ỵ 10. S tu d e n ts on the IE P _____
have to study a t least 24 h o u rs per week,
have access to lots of entertainm ent,
move on to do a coupse a t Indiana University.
D. usu ally stayHOCTIENGANH.INFO
u p late a t night.
115
■aiuvv u** ^ •,
12 . W hich of th e following does th e C enter for E nglish Language T rain -
ing offer to its stu d e n ts?
A. A daily edition of “The Bloomington Herald Tim es”.
B. Free b u s passes.
c . Trips to New York to w atch Broadway m usicals.
^j5) C areers advice.
13. C ourses in com puter skills an d the World Wide Web are available
GLOSSARY
- state-sponsored (adj) ñược nhà nước - college and university placement sự
tài trợ ñược bố trí theo học tại cao ñằrig và
- academic departments các khoa ñào ñại học
tạo - careers guidance sự tưvãn nghề
- faculty ban giảng huấn khoa nghiệp
- dynamic (adj) năng ñộng - Halls of Residence Kí Túc xá
- culturally-sophisticated (adj) có trình - off-campus apartment căn hộ nằm
ñộ văn hóa cao ngoài khu ñại học
- tuition học phí - extracurricular activities các hoạt
- session phiên (họp), ñợt (học) ñộng ngoại khóa
- curriculum chương trình học - recreational (adj) có tính cách vui chơi
- audio-visual materials các tài iiệu giải trí
nghe nhìn - racquetbail môn bóng quần (dùng vợt
- analysis sự phân tích ñánh bóng vào tường)
- bus pass vé ñi xe buýt
116 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
52
My p aren ts always said I was b om to be a sportsm an. They said th a t
even w hen I w as in nappies, I w asn ’t happy u n less I w as kicking or
throwing a ball. My first memory is of Dad ạnd me playing football in
our back garden. I recall my m um sitting down on the grass u n d er the
sum m er su n cheering m e on as I clumsily kicked a football into the
goal net my dad w as “defending”. The sense of achievem ent w hen I
scored my first goal stu ck with me, and my life h a s revolved around
football ever since.
As I grew up, Ĩ dream ed of becoming a football player. During class,
I tried to stay focused on-ray studies; I knew th a t few people becam e
professional sportsm en and it was crucial to get a good education. But
1 dẹvoteñ every sp are second to my passion. At break tim es, I could be
found in the playground practising ball skills, an d alm ost a s soon as
the bell rang a t the end of the school day, I w as playing five-a-side
gam es a t the local playing fields, I knew th a t if I w anted to become a
success, I would have to p u t all my energy into the game.
My big break cam e w hen I was 18. Leicester City FC offered me a
place in the squad. It was there th a t I learned the tru e value of team -
work. I played w ith a fantastic group of guys there and we worked to-
w ard one com m on goal - to win! I learned th a t every .person h a s their
own individual talen ts, an d a great team brings these talen ts together.
We enjoyed great success at Leicester, and I w as lucky enough to
become one of the UK’s top scorers! I was transferred to Everton and,
while I w as sad to leave my fellow team -m ates, I was excited about
working with new people an d m aking new friends. My time at Everton
was an o utstan ding experience. While I was there; I scored 38 goals in
52 gam es. It w a sn ’t long until I w as on a new journey, th is tim e across
th e sea to S pain to play for FC Barcelona. I w as nervous a t first, b u t it
tu rn ed o u t th a t th ere w as no reason to panic.
I felt great pride when I stepped into the stadium an d onto the pitch
in Barcelona. Many footballers dream of playing for su ch a glorious
team ! It w as a wonderful time for me. Not only did we beat our a rc h -
rivals, Real M adrid, b u t we also fought our way th ro ugh to the UEFA
finals where we defeated Sam pdoria and becam e E uropean Champions.
As you can im agine, th e proudest I felt was w hen I played for my
country, England, in the World Cup. The to u rn am en t raises the level of
com petitiveness for every player. Not only do you have to be m entally
prepared, b u t you have to be a t the peak of physical fitness - so, as you
can imagine, it did n ’t help th a t I had to play the tou rn am en t with my
left arm heavily strapped up! B ut I was determ ined no t to let one injury
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
117
stop, me a n d played anywayr B ecause we were a strong, team , we got to
th e.q u a rter finals, an d I scored.six goals d uring th e e n tir e com petition
and won the “ Golden Boot” award!
Football hats ..taken m e .aj'ound' ^ Spain to
ỡapari! I have becom e fluent in two other languages an d have experi-
enced other cultures. Since retiring, I have worked a s a sp o rts com -
m entator an d a s a writer. I’ve even done som e TV advertisem ents, b u t
I’m n ot quite an O scar winner! I’ve become quite the all-roun d sp o rts-
m an - I’ve even played for Leicester Cricket Club. My career provided
me with m any happy m em ories th a t I w ouldn’t change for th e world.
Plus, I’ve played m any fun gam es of footy!
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
7. W hat im pression do we get of the w riter’s attitu d e tow ards his a c t-
ing skills?
A. He th in k s h e is good enough to win an Oscar.
B. He doesn ’t th in k he is very good a t acting,
c. He expects them to improve.
D. He th in k s he m ight win an Oscar.
8 . How does the w riter seem to by the end of the text?
A. He h as some regrets, b u t he is m ainly happy.
B. He is very happy that he can speak two other languages fluently,
c. He is happy he can play more cricket and try new things.
D. He believes th a t he h as had m any great experiences in his life
and h as no regrets.
GLOSSARY
- nappy tã ỉót trẻ em - big break dịp may, cơ hội lởn
- to cheer sb on reo hò cổ vũ ai - squad ñội bóng
- clumsily (adv) một cách vụng yề - scorer cầu thù giỏi ghi bàn
- to stick with sb cứ mãi ở bên ai - to panic hoàng loạn, hoàng hốt
- to revolve around xoay quanh cái gì - pitch sân bóng ñá
- focused on sth (adj) tập trung tâm trí - archrival ñối thủ không ñội trời chung
vào cái gì - peak ñỉnh cao
- crucial (adj) qưan trọng, hệ trọng - physical fitness the [ực, phong ñộ
- passion niềm ñam mê - strapped up (adj) (cánh tay bị thương)
- break time quãng nghi giải tao, giờ ra ñược treo bằng dây
chơi - quarter final trận tứ kết
- bail skills các kĩ năng ñiều khiến trái - sports commentator bình luận viên
bóng thể thao
- five-a-side game môn bóng gồm mỗi - footy [ngôn ngữ bình dân = football]
ñội năm người bóng ñá
119
After a couple of m onths, I started to notice som e ch an g es in myself;
I was getting acne an d my clothes were getting tight and uncom fort-
able. I w as also very lethargic an d friends com plained th a t I would get
irritable, often for no good reason. At first, I d id n ’t pay too m u ch a tte n -
tion to it all, I w a sn ’t surp rised th a t the stre ss of university w as .taking
its toll. However, over the weeks th a t followed, I w as getting colds an d
h ead ach es on a regular basis. My health, seem ed to be deteriorating,
b u t everyone else ap peared to be- coping. I sta rte d to question if I w as
cut ou t for university.
I decided to listen to friends’ suggestions to visit a doctor. I w ent
along and, after a five-m inute discussion of ray u n h ea lth y eating h a b -
its, she referred m e to a nutritionist; I have to adm it I w as a little scep-
tical; I could accept th a t my acne an d weight gain m ight re su lt from the
foods I ate, b u t the moods, headaches, colds - surely diet co u ld n ’t
cause these too?
N onetheless, I m ade the appointm ent an d soon found I. h a d u n d e r-
estim ated th e im portance of diet. I w as told th a t th e food I ate w as high
in fat b u t low in goodness. The lack of fruit, vegetables, an d o th er food
groups in my diet w a sn ’t balancing th is ou t a n d my body w as stru g -
gling to keep u p w ith the dem ands I w as p u ttin g on it. She explained
th a t if I continued to eat so unhealthily, I would be a t risk of obesity
and diabetes. Apparently, obesity w as now an epidem ic in America, an d
England w as following suit. F ast food seem ed to be a serious h ealth
hazard.
Some simple blood tests revealed th a t I had an iron deficiency, so to
com bat this an d my generally rundow n system , th e n u tritio n ist m ade
me a personalised plan of n u tritio u s m eals to prepare an d listed th e
vitam ins I needed to supplem ent my diet with. She w as very stern
when giving me the advice. She told me n ot to expect it to be easy,
since it is now believed th a t the body becom es addicted to a ju n k food
diet. I’d never h eard this claim before an d w as completely tak en aback.
There w as a lot to do to get back on track.
After four weeks, I could really see a difference. The h ead ach es an d
colds h ad completely disappeared and the acne an d weight gain were
well on the way to being rectified. A few relieved friends were also
pleased to have th eir hap py flat m ate back! It took time to learn ab o u t
food and prepare decent m eals. B ut it soon becam e a habit, ju s t like
my un h ealth y lifestyle had. My energy levels were really high an d m ain -
taining my grades w as no longer a m assive struggle. I'm no t saying th at
everyone should ab stain from fast food completely, b u t we sho uld all be
health-conscious. Once you experience the benefits of a h ealthy life-
style, you w on’t w ant to see an o th e r ham burger again!
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
120
I. Wha-t does th e w riter m ean w hen he says h e w as n o t “h ea lth con-
scious”?
A. he did. n o t worry m uch a b o u t the food he consum ed
B. he ate lots of u nh ea lth y foods
c . h e d id n ’t u n d e rsta n d th a t some foods were u n h ealth y
D. it w as form al for people he age to eat fast food
2. Why did th e w riter s ta rt to eat fast food m eals a t university?
A. b ecause it w as easy a n d convenient
B. b ecau se th e re sta u ra n t w as close to his flat
c . because they ta ste d b etter th a n h is own cooking
D. becau se he d id n ’t w ant to cook in the flat
3. As tim e progressed, w h at began to concern th e w riter?
A. He w as getting ill on a frequent basis.
B. O ther people were aw are of his u n h ealth y diet,
c . He w a sn ’t su re he could succeed a t university.
D. He w as th e only person who s tru ggling.
4. Why w a sn ’t th e w riter en th u siastic a b o u t seeing a n utritio n ist?
A. B ecause his friends h a d forced him into it.
B. He w as do ubtful th a t they could be of help.
c . He felt th e doctor m ade h er decision too quickly.
D. He d id n ’t agree th a t diet could cau se m any of h is sym ptom s.
5. Why does the w riter call fast a “h ea lth h az a rd ”? (line 43)
A. F ast food h a s a high fat content.
B. Obesity is a serious .problem in America,
c . The food he ate w as n o t nutritiou s.
D. A poor diet can re su lt in ill health.
6 . On visiting th e n u tritio n ist, w hat did th e w riter find surp rising?
A. The a m o u n t of effort it would take to get better.
B. T h at fast food can be addictive.
c . T hat his body w a sn ’t getting enough iron.
D. The n u tritio n ist’s stern m anner.
7. The w riter found the new eating plan to be
A. good a t first, b u t h e developed bad habits.
B. a success, som ething th a t eveiyone should do.
c . a little difficult b u t w orth the effort.
D. good, it quickly got rid of all his sym ptom s.
8 . How does the w riter’s attitu d e tow ards diet develop over the course
of th e article?
A. He h a s becom e totally again st eating fast food.
B. He pays atten tio n to the food he eats.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
121
• c . He 'thiriks;it "is -too. hard' to m a in ta in s balanced diet.
/ •D-'-iie-'-believ’e s *hèalt£y-jéaìtmg ^tame-CQjasiiming: 1 .
GLOSSARY
- health-conscious (adj) biết-qirantâm - epidemic trân dịch . "
ñến sức khỏe - t o follow suit bắt chước làm theo
- peer group nhóm bạn cúng-trang lửa - health'hazardmoi nguy hại ñến sức
- fizzy drink thức uống có ga khòe - ,
-a cn e mụn - blood test sự thu’máu
- tight (adj) (áo quần) chật - iron deficiency sự thiểu chất sẳt
- íethargic (adj) lờ ñờ, phờ phạc, uể oải - rundown (adj) suy kiệt •
- to take its toil (on sb) có tác dụng - personalised (adj) ñược cá nhân hóa
xấu (ñến ai) - stern (adj) nghiêm khắc
- to deteriorate trở nên xấu ñi, xuống - to supplement sth with sth bổ sung
cấp, thoái hóa cái gỉ bằng cái gỉ
- to be cut out for sth có ñủ phẩm chất - junk food thức ăn ngon miệng nhưng
và năng lực ñể làm gỉ không bổ dưỡng
- sceptical (adj) hoài nghi - to be taken aback cảm thấy bất ngờ
- weight gain sự tăng cân - to get back on track trở tại con ñường
- to underestimate ñánh giá thấp ñúng ñắn
- to balance sth out cân bằng với/có giá - to rectify sửa chữa sai ỉầm, sửa lại cho
trị tương ñương với cái gi, ñủ sức làm V ñúng
ñối trọng cùa - massive (adj) to lớn, khổng fồ
- obesity chứng béo phì - to abstain from sth kiêng cử cái gí
- diabetes bệnh tiểu ñường - time-consuming (adj) tốn quá nhiều
thì giờ
54
í was struggling to get by. I- h ad ju s t moved to G loucester from Lon-
don an d h ad taken th e first job th a t I w as offered a s a cash ier in a local
superm ark et. I w as barely earning enough to do my weekly shopping
and I yearned for the money I used to m ake b ack in London. As I
cou ldn 't afford my own place, I had settled for my b est friend’s sofa, b u t
the h ard cu sh io n s an d b ackaches h ad m ade m e realise th at, above all
else, I craved my old flat - my little sanctuary! I soon began to w onder if
moving had been the right decision. T h at’s w hen I heard a radio advert
th a t changed my life...
“Looking for you r own place b u t dreading the cost? Worry no more!
You could live free for a year in the “Enviro-H ouse”, one of B ritain ’s
first environm entally friendly hom es. We're looking for a resid en t to live
rent-free! For more details, visit W W W ...” My friend h ad h eard ab o u t th is
“carb o n -n eu tral” h o u se an d h e th o u g h t th a t it would be very difficult to
stick to an energy conserving routine. I should have considered this, or
at least have been concerned ab o u t how m any “g u ests” would actually
p ass through. But, a s I sat on the painfully uncom fortable sofa, the
only thing in my head were th e w ords... “Live free, live free.”
122 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
I visited the w ebsite and' entered the competition to become an “eco-
h o u sem ate”. I w as one of three lucky finalists who had to battle it out
for a place in th e ho use live on local television. We h ad to cook a m eal
for five ju d g es usin g a solar cooker and only organic vegetables and
then face questions from the studio audience. The judg es w eren't im-
pressed with my cooking an d I thought I had lost. But, as I looked at
my friends in the studio audience th e y all gave m e sm iles and the
“th u m b s u p ” and it w as ju s t the confidence boost I needed. Thankfully,
I m ade the audience laugh, they liked me an d I w as voted into the
house.
The o th er finalists were keen environm entalists w ith a passion for
the issue, unlike me. I had never really given it m uch atten tion to be
honest, a s it w as insignificant to me. I joked w ith the audience th a t the
only way I was going to learn w as if they sen t me to the house! They
agreed. As I moved into the house and tried to prepare for a drastic
change in lifestyle, I suddenly becam e nervous and asked m yself if I
bad th o u g h t this through properly.
As I walked th rou gh the front door, I had worrying visions of living
in a futuristic house, full of high-tech gadgets. 1 certainly w ouldn’t have
been su rp rised to see a num ber of complex-looking m achines. However,
I was shocked to see the house was completely norm al. In fact, it
looked ju s t like any other house. This eased my m ind a bit, as I rarely
find m odern technology easy to u n derstan d , I prefer the simple life.
The h eating system , w ater supply an d electricity all worked in ex-
actly the sam e way as they would in any other House in the UK. The
only difference w as th a t the house used renewable sources of energy.
At first I th o u g h t th e house would definitely need some fossil fuels, like
coal an d gas b u t instead, solar panels an d sm all wind tu rb in es (which
could be a little noisy a t times!) were used to provide the hot w ater and
electricity. The ho use d id n ’t b u m wood or oil either b ecause sm oke pol-
lutes th e atm osphere.
My experiences in the house m ade me look a t the way Ĩ had lived my
life in th e p a s t an d how I should live it in the fu tu re. For example, it’s
n either difficult nor tim e-consum ing to recycle, a s long a s you m ake it
p art of your daily routine. I also changed my perspective on which e n -
ergy sources to use. I used to th in k solar panels were' too expensive,
b u t now I realise th a t although the initial cost is high, they actually
save a lot of m oney over time. I’ve recognised th a t spending a few extra
p o und s is preferable to losing o u r beautiful planet. It’s very simple to
m ake those all-im portant changes; we ju s t need th e m otivation to m ake
them .
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
123
ĩ . W hat is t h e m ain reạsọ rr {he w riter gives^for m issing London?
A. "Earning a-higher -salary'^'-. ^ '
: -;rT B. Not having'h ìs.ọ w n iiom e.
V' c . Living th e'inn er^it} 'lifestyle, ' '■
D. S haring a flat w ith his b est friend.
2. W hat did th e w riter th in k sifter hearing the radio advertisem ent? .
A. T hat he h ated having to sleep on th e uncom fortable sofa.
B. T hat he could have h is own,'home w ithout having to pay.
c . He w as worried abo ut how m any people would visit th e “Enviro-
H ouse”.
D. He w ould n’t be very good a t energy conservation.
3. In line 25 (para. 3), the w riter says “th e y ”. Who is he referring to?
A. The audience B. The ju d ges
c . The finalists D. His friends
4. W hat h ad the w riter previously th ou ght ab o u t th e environm ent?
A. He considered it unim po rtant.
B.. He h a d always been passio nate ab o u t the issue,
c . It m ade him nervous.
D. He always joked ab out it,
5. As the w riter entered the house, he w ạs su rp rised t h a t _____
A. the hou se looked futuristic.
B. the h o use hadffots of complex m achinery,
c. the technology w as easy to un d erstan d .
D. the h ouse looked the sam e a s other houses.
ệ. W hich so urces of energy did the h ouse use?
J A. Coal and gas only.
B. Some fossil fuels plu s solar and wind,
c . Renewable sources of energy only.
D. Wood a n d oil only.
7. W hat is the w riter's opinion of recycling?
A. It tak es a lot of tim e out of his daily routine.
B. It is expensive to do. <
c . It d oesn’t tak e a long time if done daily.
D. It is difficult to m ake it p a rt of his daily routine.
8 . How did the w riter’s attitu d e change during the passage?
A. He realised how m uch he enjoyed living alone again.
B. He realised he h ad no reason to fear m odem technology.
c . He realised how im portant it is to talk abo ut environm ental is-
sues.
D. He decided to adopt a more environm entally friendly lifestyle.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
124
GLOSSARY
- to get by cố xoay xở ñể song qua ngày - studio audience khán giả ñang ngồi
- cashier nhân viên thu ngân trong phòng thu
- to yearn for sth khao khát cái gì - to give sb thumbs up ra hiệu khích iệ/
- to settle for sth ñành chấp nhận/ ñành ñộng viên ai (bằng cách ñưa ngón cái
bằng lòng vối cái gì lên)
- cushion tấm ñệm ñể ngồi - confidence boost sự thúc ñẩy lòng tự
- backache cơn ñau lưng tin
- to crave (for) sth ao ước, thèm muốn, - t o joke nói ñùa
thèm khát cái gì - drastic (adj) triệt ñể
- sanctuary nơi trú ẩn, chốn dung thân - to think sth through suy nghĩ kĩ về
- to dread sth sợ gặp phải cái gi ñiều gì
- rent-free (adj) khỏi tốn tiền thuê - futuristic (adj) mang tính tương lai/ sẽ
- carbon-neutrat (adj) không thải ra khí có trong tương lai
các-bon - high-tech gadgets các tiện nghi gia
- to pass through ghé qua, ghé ñến dụng cống nghệ cao
chơi - to ease sb's mind [àm ai hết lo lẳng
- finalist người vào vòng chung kết - solar panel tấm thu nắng lượng mặt
- to battle it out thi ñấu ñể giành cái gì trời
-judge giám khảo - wind turbine ñộng cơ chạy bằng sức
- solar cooker bếp dùng năng lượng mặt gió
trời - perspective quan ñiểm
- organic vegetables rau hữu cơ/ rau - initial cost chi phí ban ñâu
sạch
55
Most of u s associate robots w ith films such as Star Wars, Ỉ, Robot or
AỈ, b u t in reality they have more to do with social issu es an d politics
ra th e r th a n science fiction. The term robot first jn ad e its app earance in
a play entitled R o ssu m ’s Universal Robots w ritt£h alm ost a century ago
by a C zechoslovakian playwright by th e nam e of Karel Capek. Capek
got the nam e robot from the Slavic word “robota” w hich m eans forced
labour. In his play, he portrays a society where robots which look h u -
m an are m ass-produced to work in the place of people.
C apek’s story w as well received by the critics b u t never really got
credit for being the source of the notion of robots. The play h a s a sig-
nificant relevance to o u r society today, as hum anoid type robots are
being created to fulfil a wide range of tasks. Robot engineers are not
only developing m indless w orker drones, b u t are attem pting to create
hum an-like com panion robots for people. Consequently, th e question of
w hat actually m akes u s h u m an is th e subject of lively, debate.
In the USA, sociable robotics is developing a t a relatively rapid rate
and a h u m an com panion type of robot could soon be a reality. J a p a -
nese research ers see a very bright future for these robots who will serve
a s friends or family to the lonely. Nevertheless, one needs to ask if a
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
125
h u m an b ein g'càn ;ha^e\a.-relation ship w ith a m achine in 'th e sam e way
as they do with- otfter^peopie^OT; anim als, an d if .'so; w h at effect th is
could have o n o u r ^sọcạeíỵ.':'T he; su ccess of robot toys or v irtual pets
suggests .-tfcrat th is type of relationship is possible. R esearch show s th a t
children tend to have sim ilar relationships w ith h u m an s a s w ith non-
h u m a n s w hereas th e sam e is tru e for a d u lts only w ith p ets or w hen the
robot is designed to look like a child. This is probatply b ecau se robots
display superficial em otions an d can no t a s yet replace h u m an touch.
B u t will th ese m achin es one day succeed in replacing h u m an s?
Some p ain t a very d ark picture of a robot society an d predict th at
artificially intelligent m achines will tak e control of th e entire p lan et an d
dom inate th e h u m a n ’ race. However, robot technology is still in its in -
fancy an d the idea of them taking over th e world is p u re fan tasy to
m ost of u s, including scientists. In fact, m ost robots can only perform
very basic ta s k s an d even th e m ost advanced robot th a t is p resum ably
capable of expressing over forty different em otions seem s to do so in a
totally random m an n er independently of w h at is going on aro u n d it.
In spite of th e simplicity of today's robots, robotic technology is im -
pacting o u r everyday lives in a dram atic way. Nowadays, o u r robots are
becom ing m ore an d m ore like those portrayed in C apek’s work. In a so-
ciety where h u m an relatio nships are so often strained , it is no su rp rise
th a t th e possibility for h u m an-robo t relatio nsh ips is increasing.
126 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
6 . A dults tend to have good relationships w ith _____ .
A. virtual p ets B. childlike robots
c . n o n -h u m an s D. robot toys
7. Advanced robots still o n ly _____
A. perform basic tasks.
B. re act to em otions ju s t like h u m an s,
c. express em otions random ly.
D. express up to forty em otions.
8 . W hat is the w riter’s conclusion?
A. Robots are not im po rtant enough to really affect o u r lives.
B. He’s concerned abo ut the ro bots’ future role in society,
c. He can u n d ersta n d the robo ts’ role in society.
D. He th in k s the robo ts’ role h as been dram atised.
GLOSSARY
- Czechoslovakian (adj) thuộc Tiệp - worker drone con ong thợ
Khắc (cũ) - lively (adj) sôi nổi, sinh ñộng
- playwright nhà viết kịch - debate cuộc tranh luận
- Slavic (adj) thuộc hệ ngôn ngữ slave - sociable robotics công nghiệp chế tạo
- forced labour lao ñộng cưỡng bách, rô-bô thân thiện
lao ñộng khổ sai - virtual pet thú cành ảo
- critic nhà phê bình -superficial (adj) hòi hợt, không sâu sắc
- to get credit for sth ñược ghi nhận là - infancy giai ñoạn sơ sinh
có công trong việc gì - fantasy sự hoang tường
- relevance to sự thích hợp với - presumably (adv) có ỉẽ
- humanoid bộ máy có dạng người - random (adj) ngâu nhiên
- mindless (adj) thiểu bộ óc, không biết - to impact tác ñộng, ảnh hưởng ñến
suy nghĩ - strained (adj) căng thẳng
128 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. The w riter says th a t real life fra u d s te rs _____
A. are ju s t ordinary likeable people.
B. live a glam orous lifestyle.
c . are crim inals who ch eat other people.
D. are not as bad a s they seem.
3. In Cape Town, it was.difficult for Derek Bond to estab lish his in no-
cence b e c a u s e _____
A. his correct details were in a police file.
B. he had a bad reputation in Cape Town,
c. there w as proof th a t he w as a crim inal.
D. nobody knew him personally there.
4. W hat developm ent does th e w riter consider to be a particularly dis-
tu rb in g asp ect of identity theft?
A. Terrorists will sta rt stealing people’s identities.
B. T errorists will becom e involved in the buying an d selling of false
identities.
c. There will be a great dem and from terrorists for false identities.
D. Identity theft will become a form of terrorism .
5. According to the article, having a false identity enables crim inals to
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
129
GLOSSARY -V r /. ị ; -• ;x i; v • ■ -s
■-?deceptivetadjjj/de-gay^nham; liny „dễ :rr;beijefit fraud SỊÊlìte ,ñàp ñể chiếm
.. ñánh iừa ngựờlkhác- - -’- Á '' '::' ; ‘ ỢoạtỂện phúc ịỢỊ ~ '
■—to pass bad; xÃeqựesỉ.Ịĩnh<tiễn:'bằtig V ;;r ID;:=->icfentificatton giãy,tờ chứng
nhifrg'ngan phiếu gia" .- ■ ■■''■;■ rrttnh:nhân thân-'
- to pose: a s già danh lă, ñóngvaUà ^ to bank giao ñịch' ngân hàng
- amiable {adj) tủ'tể, ríhã nhặn,'dễ . -fraudulent (adj) nhậm mục ñích gian
■ thương lận, lừa ñảo
•’r- crook kẻ Iừa ñào *v;' - t o boom nở rộ, phát triển ram rộ
- fraudster kẻ lừa ñàó - catastrophic (adj) gây 'ra thảm họa
- glamorous (adj) ñầy quyến rũ - credit tín dụng
- daring (adj) táo bạo, cả gan - foolproof (adj) không có kẽ hở, không
- civil engineer kĩ sư xây ñựng thê’ sai íầm dược
- fraud sự gian Ịận, sự lừa ñảo - snippet mầu nhỏ, miếng vụn
- jail = prison nhà tù - bin diving sự lục lọi trong thùng rác
- impeccable (adj) hoàn hảo, không tì . - credit checking agency cơ quan kiểm
vết fra tín dụng
- solely (adv) chỉ - invoice hóa ñơn
- police file hồ sơ cảnh sát - to get one's hands dirty làm ñiều phi
- build vốc người pháp
- conman kẻ lừa ñảo - debit card thẻ ghi nợ
- identity theft sự ăn cắp nhân thân - hard-earned cash ñồng tiền mồ hôi
- impersonation fraud sự lừa ñảo bằng nước mắt
cách mạo danh ^ terrorist kè khủng bố
- to assume sb's identity tự nhận [à - terrorism hành vi khùng bố
- drug trafficking sự buôn lậu ma túy - corrupt (adj) tham ô, tham nhũng,
- money laundering sự rửa tiền thoái hóa
- immigration sự nhập cut
57
They died where they stood. Violently, w ith alm ost no warning.
We'althy wom en in their jewels. Armed soldiers. Babies. Almost 2,000
years ago a seaside town in so uthern Italy h ad the m isfortune to be in
the shadow of M ount Vesuvius - one of E u rop e’s active volcanoes - at
the wrong tim e. The 16,000 in h ab itan ts of the Rom an tow ns of H ercu-
laneum and neighbouring Pompeii who were buried b eneath 30 m etres
of d u st on a n A ugust night in AD 79 bear silent w itness to the d estru c-
tive force of volcanoes.
Objects of terro r a n d fascination since the beginning of h u m a n time,
volcanoes take their nam e from Vulcan, the Rom an god of fire. Today
there are som e 1,350 active volcanoes in the world. At any given m o-
m ent, som ew here between one dozen an d two dozen are throw ing out
ash an d m olten rock from the e a rth ’s core.
Approximately one billion people live in th eir dangerous shadows.
Experts expect the n u m b er to rise. The rapid growth of population,
130 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
greater com petition for land and an increase in u rb a n m igration are
driving m ore an d m ore people to settle aro u n d volcanoes, significantly
increasing the potential loss of life and properly in th e event of e ru p -
tions.
Despite m ajor advances in technology, the ability to predict w hen a
volcano m ight eru p t rem ains imprecise. B ut m eeting the challenge is
vital because volcanoes are “people m agnets.” A recent stu dy identified
457 volcanoes where there are one million or m ore people living within
100 kilom etres. Many of these volcanoes - several in Indonesia an d J a -
pan, for instance - have surrou nding populations greatly exceeding one
million. Today, 3.75 million people live w ithin 30 kilom etres of the
sum m it of M ount V esuvius in the so u th ern Italian city of Naples. “W hat
do they do if it sta rts erupting? No one can.im agine evacuating a city
the size of N aples,” said c. Dan Miller, chief of the us Geological S u r-
vey’s Volcano D isaster A ssistance Program. “P ersuading people to move
perm anently o ut of hazard zones is n ot usually a n option. Many of the
land -u se p a tte rn s are long established, a n d people ju s t w on’t do i t ,”
Miller w ent on. “The only thing you can do is have system atic volcano
m onitoring to detect the earliest departure from norm al activity.”
Nowadays it is easier to predict volcanic activity, b u t evaluating the
th re a t of eruption is frequently still difficult. Mexico City know s the
problem well. The city, which h a s a population of more th an twenty
million, lies within 60 kilom etres of the sum m it of Popocatepetl, a vol-
cano w hich h a s erupted a t least fifteen tim es in th e la st 400 years. The
flanks an d valleys surrou nding “Popo” have been evacuated several
tim es since 1994 in response to earth quakes and eruption s of volcanic
a sh an d plum es of steam . Each time the m oun tain h a s settled down
w ithout a m ajor eruption, although some activity h a s continued. Yet
when, or if, a m ajor eruption will occur next rem ains unknow n.
“There could be weeks, m onths, or years between the time a volcano
shows som e activity and the tim e of its eruption,” said Miller. “It may
never erupt. Most people are willing to be evacuated once. B ut if n o th -
ing h ap pen s, the loss of credibility could cause people to ignore future
w arnings.”
Volcanic eruptions, when they do come, are som etim es relatively
slow an d quiet. There w as no loss of life w hen the world’s largest active
volcano erupted in 1984. The people who lived in th e proxim ity of Ha-
waii’s M auna Loa volcano h ad plenty of tim e to get out of the way when
it erupted in 1984. Its lava crept down the slope a t abo ut the speed of
honey. At other tim es the eruption is sudden and violent, an d evacua-
tion unfortunately com es too late.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
131
lo/:-.What happened when..Mo.urit,Vesuvius erupted in AD 79?
The rich; m anaged tạ é s ẹ a p e ."
•• •. ^B. -It covered m any to w n s with; dust.
c . A few people w erèkỉìỊèd. V- ■•• ^
D. People were unprepared. •
2. W hat dò experts th in k will happen in the-future?
, A. More volcanoes will become active.
B. People will move away from volcanic areas,
c . More people will set up hom e near volcanoes.
D. Around one billion people will die in volcanic eruptions.
3. According to the article, w hat is the p resen t situatio n regarding vol-
canic eruptions?
A. E ruptions are m o st likely to happen in Indonesia an d Ja p a n .
B. E xperts can predict w hen there will be a volcanic eruption.
c . Most large cities have no appropriate evacuation plans in place.
D. People will be less affected th a n before.
4. W hat does “do it” (underlined) in parag raph 4 refer to?
A. go a n d live som ewhere else.
B. build farm s on th e land
c . force people to leave the area ■
D. leave the are a un til the danger h a s passed
5. W hat does the article say abou t Popocatepetl?
A. There w as a m ajor eruption in 1994.
B. Experts expect a m ajor eruption w ithin a few years,
c . Nobody know s w hether it will erupt again.
D. People who live nearby are fed u p w ith being evacuated.
6 . Why w as the eruption of M anna Loa less dangerous?
A. People h ad been evacuated from the area beforehand.
B. People were able to keep ahead of the lava.
c. Scientists had w arned people well in advance.
D. It w as not a m ajor eruption.
7. W hat would be the m ost appropriate title for th is article?
A. Volcanoes: Sleeping T hreat for Millions.
B. Volcanic E ruptions an d O ther N atural D isasters,
c . Volcanic Activity in Italy.
D. Volcanic Eruption: A Study of Volcanic Behaviour.
GLOSSARY
- misfortune ñiều bất hạnh, sự rủi ro - summit ñỉnh núí
- active volcano núi lửa ñang hoạt ñộng - to evacuate sơ tán, ñi tản, tàn cư
- neighbouring (adj) ở kế cận - Geological Survey's Volcano Disas-
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
132
to bear witness to sth là nhân chứng ter Assistance Program Chương
cho Trình Trự Giúp Thảm Họa Núi Lửa
terrorsự kinh hoàng thuộc Cục Quan Trắc ðịa Chất
fascination sức hấp dẫn/ mê hoặc - hazard zone vùng nguy hiểm
molten (adj) nóng chảy - to monitor theo dõi
core !õi, nhân -fla n k sườn (núi)
urban migration sự di cư ñến thành - plumes of steam các luồng hơi nước
phố - credibility tính/sự ñáng tin
imprecise (adj) không chính xác - in the proximity of ở gần với
to meet a challenge ñối ñầu với một - lava dũng nham
thách thức - slope sườn dốc
to exceed vượt quá
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
133
The reservoir .will' also, tftreaten the habitats,:0£ "hundreds of fish,
■plạnts, arid, anim al species^ Among' tiie' cre’attixres :a t risk: ra re river dol-
phins, -eIoxided lpppard's, an d .Siberian, white cranes. . The governm ent
promisife^ tb' ;monitor^tih.e ienvironment'^aroiund' ■t h e ' daim an d h a s set
aside m oney to creaite'1a protective area for th e dolphins.
B ut scientists are doubtful ab o u t prom ises. They w arn th a t blocking
the river will create sewage back ups an d p erh ap s even ca u se >more
floods. Some fear th á t the dam m ay-collapse' M any d am s in C hina have .'
collapsed in the p a st 20 years.
C hina’s cu ltu re an d history are also endangered by the dam . A n -.
cient pagodas (temples) an d o ther im portant historic sites will be u n d e r
water.
The Chinese who m u st leave their hom es are already feeling th e im-
pact of the Three Gorges Dam. These resettlers, or yim in, have no
choice b u t to find new hom es and jobs.
Despite th eir worries, th e Chinese are not perm itted to sp eak out
again st th e project, w hich is expected to cost m ore th a n $24 billion.
Jo u rn a list Dai Qirig landed in prison after she criticized th e dam .
“There is only one Yangtze River,” sh e wrote in protest. “And we have
already subjected it to m any stupid deeds.”
134 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5. At the p resen t time, before the generators are installed, energy
com es fro m _____
A. water.
B. Yinchang.
c. coal-burning power stations.
D. n a tu ra l sources.
6 . In w h at way will this cause an ecological disaster?
A. People will have to move.
B. Fish a n d o ther anim als will die.
c. It will create a lake.
D. People will have to b u m m ore coal.
7. Why don't the 1.2 million people refuse to leave?
A. They know the dam will be good for the country.
B. They m ight be sen t to. prison,
c. They w an t a change of sceneiy.
D. Their hom es are old an d run-dow n.
8 . W hat anim als will be placed in a government-funded protected area?
A. clouded leopards B. Siberian w hite cran es
c. pagodas D. ra re river dolphins
9. W hat does a jo u rn a list do?
A. p ro tests B. reports the new s
c. sells hom es D. advises the governm ent
10. Why do som e people fear the dam will collapse?
A. Many of C hina's d am s have collapsed in the past.
B. They are poorly constructed,
c. The river is too strong.
D. The people will knock it down in protest.
GLOSSARY
• mud-packed walls những bức tường - reservoir hồ chứa nước nhân tạo
trát bằng ñất - dolphin cá heo
•cemetery nghĩa trang, bãi tha ma - clouded leopard con báo mây
the Three Gorges Dam ðập Tam Hiệp - crane con cq
■spectacular (adj) ngoạn mục - to set aside money ñể riêng ra một số
gorge = canyon hẻrn núi tiền
the Yangtze River sông Dương Tử - sewage backup sự tích tụ chất thài
■ winding (adj) uốn khúc quanh co, cống rãnh
ngoằn ngoèo - to collapse sụp ñồ
■steep (adj) dốc ñứng - resettler người tái ñịnh cư
■cliff vách núi - protest sự phản ñối
■generator máy phát ñiện - to subject sth to sth bắt cái gì phải
- ecological disaster thảm họa sinh thái nhận chịu eái gi
- stunning (adj) khiến người ta sững sờ - deed hành ñộng, việc làm
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
135
59 PREDICTING EARTHQUAKES
Since the beginning of recorded history, virtually every cu ltu re in the
world h a s reported observations of u n u su a l anim al behaviour prior to
ea rth q u ak es an d , to a lesser extent, volcanic eruptions, b u t conven-
tional science h a s never been able to adequately explain the phenom e-
non.
Nevertheless, the Chinese an d J ap a n ese have used su ch observa-
tions for h u n d red s of years as an im po rtant p a rt of th eir earth q uake
w arning system s.
Most significantly, on F ebruary 4, 1975 the C hinese successfully
evacuated the city of Haicheng several h o u rs before a 7.3 m agnitude
earth quake, saving nearly 90,000 lives. This w as based prim arily on
observations of u n u s u a l anim al behaviour.
Helm ut T rib u tsch ’s classic work on the subject of e a rth q u ak e s an d
u n u su a l anim al behaviour - When the S n a ke s A w a ke - details n u m e r-
ous consistent acco u n ts of the phenom enon from all over the world.-
However, although these behaviour p attern s are very well-docum ented,
m ost Am erican specialists do not take them very seriously. In fact,
m ost conventional geologists do no t believe th a t there are any e a rth -
quake prediction techniques which perform any b etter th a n chance;
th is includes u n u su a l anim al behaviour. In fact, the notion th a t odd
anim al behaviour can help people predict ea rth q u a k es is perceived by
m ost traditional geologists in the W est as folklore an d is often treated
as seriously a s sightings of ghosts, Elvis Presỉey, an d the Lọch Ness
M onster.
U nusual behaviour is difficult to define, an d determ ining if there is a
typical behaviour p attern is not a simple, clear-cut process, although
there are some distinct p attern s which have em erged. An exam ple of
this, which h as often been reported, is an inten se fear th a t a p p e ars to
m ake some anim als cry or b ark for h o urs, an d o thers ru n away in
panic. Equally typical is. the phenom enon of wild anim als losing their
u su al fear of people.
Although th e m ajority of accounts relate to dogs an d cats, there are
also m any stories ab o u t other types of anim al in the wild, on farm s,
an d in zoos. U nusu al behaviour h a s been reported in m any o th er a n i-
mal species a s well, including fish, reptiles, an d even insects. This
strange behaviour can occur at any time in advance of a quake - from
weeks to seconds.
A n u m b er of theories have been proposed to explain th is phenom e-
non, and w h at the signals th a t the anim als are picking u p on m ight be.
B ecause m any anim als possess auditory capacities beyond the h u m a n
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
136
range, it h a s been suggested th a t som e anim als m ay be reacting to u l-
traso u n d em itted as m icroseism s from rock breaking below the e a rth ’s
surface.
A nother possibility is fluctuations in the e a rth ’s m agnetic field. Be-
cause som e anim als have a sensitivity to variations in the e a rth ’s m ag-
netic field {usually as a m eans of orientation), an d since variations in
the m agnetic field occur n e a r the epicentres of earth quak es, it h a s been
suggested th a t this is w h at the anim als are picking up on.
O ther m ysterious phenom ena are often connected w ith earthq uak es.
The regular eru p tio n s of geysers have been interrupted. W ater levels in
wells have been reported to change, or the w ater itself h a s become
cloudy. M agnets have been said to lose their power tem porarily. Many
people report th a t th ere is suddenly an inexplicable stillness in the air,
and th a t all aro u n d them becom es completely silent. Strange lights are
often seen glowing from the earth, and u n u su a l fogs have been re-
ported. These phenom ena are all consistent w ith the notion th a t the
odd anim al behaviour may result from changes in the e a rth ’s electro-
m agnetic field. More puzzling is the fact th a t a n um b er of people even
claim to have sighted UFOs hovering around earth q u ak e sites.
C urrently W estern science does no t have any reliable m ean s of fore-
casting earth q u ak es. Any clues th a t may be u sed to help u s predict
when and where th e next quake is coining should be approached with
an open mind.
138 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
60 A WEATHER FORECASTER’S JOB
Millions of people tu n e into th e w eather forecast each evening on
television. Most of them im agine th a t the p resen ter does little m ore
th a n arrive a t the studio a few m inutes before the broadcast, read the
w eather, and then go hom e.
In fact, th is image is far from the tru th . The tw o-m inute bulletin
w hich we all rely on w hen we need to know tom orrow’s w eather is the
re su lt of a h ard d ay ’s work by the presenter, who is actually a highly-
qualified m eteorologist.
Every m orning after arriving a t the TV studios, th e first ta sk of the
day is to collect the latest d ata from the National Meteorological Office.
This office provides up-to-the-m inute inform ation ab o ut w eather condi-
tions th ro u g h o u t the day,, both in Britain and aro u n d the world. The
inform ation is very detailed a n d includes predictions, satellite an d ra -
d ar pictures, a s well as m ore technical data. After gathering all the
relevant m aterial from this office, the forecaster h a s to tran slate the
scientific term inology an d m aps into im ages and w ords w hich viewers
can easily un d erstan d .
The final broadcast is th en carefully planned. It is prepared in the
sam e way a s other program m es. The p resen ter decides w h at to say and
in w h at order to say it. Next a “story board” is draw n u p w hich lays out
the script word for word. W hat m akes a w eather forecast m ore com -
plicated th a n o th er program m es are the, m aps an d electronic im ages
w hich are required. The com puter h a s to be program m ed so th a t the
pictures ap p ear in the correct order during the bulletin.
The tim e allocated for each b roadcast can also alter. This is because
the w eather report is screened after the news, w hich can vary in length.
The w eath er forecaster d oesn’t always know how m u ch tim e is avail-
able, w hich m ean s th a t h e /s h e h a s to be thoroughly prepared so th a t
the m aterial can .be adapted to the time available.
A nother related com plication is th a t the w eather forecast h a s to be a
live broadcast; it can not be pre-recorded. Live show s are very nerve-
racking for the p resenter because alm ost anything can go wrong. Per-
hap s the m ost worrying aspect for every w eather forecaster is getting
the following day's predictions wrong. U nfortunately for them th is is
not an u n u su a l occurrence; the w eather is n ot always possible to pre-
dict accurately.
The w eather is a national obsession in Britain, p erh ap s because it is
so changeable. It’s the national talking point, an d m ost people w atch at
least one daily bulletin. It can be mortifying for a w eather m an or
wom an who h a s predicted rain for the m orning to wake u p to brilliant
sunshine.
These days, a w eather forecaster’s job is even m ore com plicated be-
cause they are relied upon to predict oth er environm ental conditions.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
139
For exam ple, in the sum m er, the w eather forecast h a s to include the
pollen co u n t ,for. hayfey^r'Syfferers. Some' also includ e /reports on u ltra-
violet radiatio n -intensity- to':help people avoid su n b u rn . -
The Job of :a .weather forecaster is certainly far m ore com plicated
th a n ju s t pointing a t á m ap an d describing w e ath er conditions. It's a
job for professionals who can còpe w ith stressfu l an d dem anding condi-
tions.
GLOSSARY
- forecaster người dự báo thời tiết - pre-recorded (adj) thu sẵn ñể phát
- to tune into a program mở radio hoặc sau
TV ñể nghe một chương trình - nerve-racking (adj) căng thẳng
- presenter người dẫn chương trình - obsession sự ám ầnh
- bulletin bản tin - talking point ñề tài nói chuyện
- highly-qualified (adj) có trình ñộ cao - mortifying (adj) gây xấu hổ, khiến mất
- meteorologist nhà khí tượng học thể diện
- National Meteorological Office sở - pollen count sự ñếm nồng ñộ phấn
Khí Tượng Quốc Gia hoa trong không khí
- scientific terminology thuật ngữ khoa - hayfever bệnh sốt mùa cỏ khô
học - ultraviolet radiation intensity cường
- story board cốt truyện, kịch bàn ñộ bức xạ cực tím
- to allocate (time) for sth dành ra - stressful (adj) gây căng thẳng thần
(một khoảng thời gian) cho cái gì kinh
- to screen phát hỉnh - demanding (adj) ñòi hỏi nhiều công
- a live broadcast chương trình phát sức
sóng trực tiếp
61
“H appiness is not having w hat you w ant b u t w anting w hat you
have,” according to Ja m es Stewart; Although • scientists now u n d e r-
stan d the roots of depression m ore clearly th a n they used to, hap piness
still rem ains a m ystery. Recently, however, som e interesting discoveries
have been m ade.
Those who say they are happy, for example, tend to be less self-
centred, less hostile and abusive, and are less prone to disease and
general ill health. Interestingly, th e affluent are not notably happier
th a n their less-well-off counterp arts, and seemingly, no particu lar time
of life is significantly h appier th an any other. Even though some people
see life as a tragedy, w hen questioned, m ost people said they were gen-
erally happy - painting a m uch rosier picture regarding people’s general
m oods and dispositions.
R esearch h a s show n th a t people have two basic rew ard centres in
th eir b rain s th a t are stim ulated by two different chem icals which cause
happiness. The first, dopam ine, is triggered by activities like exercise,
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
141
>reiaxatioTi.i.a^;d; th e Ịq u Ịẹ tẹ r-p le a s u r e s . T h e s e c o n d c o m p ris e s a s e t o f
adrenaiine-tỵpẹ chemicạls^ which are triggered by exciting or frightening
activities.. D opam ine'provokes à response of passive "happiness, while
the second set of chem icals provokes a high-energy state of hap piness,
the feeling one m ight get from public speaking or m o u n tain climbing.
While un d e rsta n d in g the chem ical process b eh ind h ap p in ess is im -
portant, it does not' explain why only some people are corlsistently
happy. The answ er m ay lie in people’s perceptions of hap pin ess.
One of the reaso n s we have su ch a problem w ith h ap p in ess is th a t
m any confuse it with>a life unto uch ed by anxiety, rage, do u bt an d sa d -
ness. The belief th a t -happiness m eans th a t nothing ever goes w rong is
naive; in order to be happy, we m u st know not how to avoid d istu rb ing
events, b u t how to deal with them .
The key to coping with life’s u n p lea sa n t aspects, while rem aining
content, com es from an everyday practice w hich Mihaly C sikszentim i-
halyi calls “the flow”. He describes “the flow” a s the state one is in when
doing som ething completely absorbing. It com es w hen one is p u sh ed
right up to th e lim it of one’s ability, b u t n ot beyond it. “People can get a
feeling of flow from d angerous sports like m o untain clim bing or driving
fast,” he says “b u t Ị t can also come .from som ething relaxing like p a in t-
ing or reading a good book.” The point is th a t it’s an activity you do for
the pleasure of doing it..You are n ot looking for praise or rew ard. W hat
is im portant, is to keep your brain busy if you w an t to be happy. The
professor explains, “If you leave som eone oil th eir own w ith nothing
specific to do, m ost of their th oug hts will be w orries.” People tend to
th ink ab ou t all the things they w ant and h av en’t got ra th e r th a n how
good their life is. It seem s the key to hap pin ess lies in having an active
an d challenging lifestyle.
The scientific study of h app in ess will help u s u n d e rsta n d how to
build a world th a t improves h u m a n well-being an d self-esteem , an d
how to get the m ost satisfaction from their goals an d circum stances.
142 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
3. A com m on m isconception ab o u t h ap p in ess is t h a t ____ _
A. rich people are happier.
B. h a p p y p eo p le p erc e iv e th in g s d ifferen tly ,
c . h ap p in e ss im plies never having problems.
D. h ap p in e ss stem s from being naive.
4. In reality, con sisten t h ap p in ess lies in
A. not feeling anxious.
B. being able to han d le problem s,
c . n ot having problems.
D. n o t confusing o u r feelings.
5. W hat does “it” in th e sentence “b u t it can also come from ...” {next-
to-last paragraph) refer to?
A. people
B. a d an g ero us sport
c . “th e flow”
D. research
6 . According to C sikszentim ihalyi, “th e flow” is triggered b y _____
A. external reward.
B. doing nothing.
c . challenging others.
D. activities done for personal pleasure.
7. W hen we are in a c tiv e _____ .
A. we d o n ’t get w hat we w an t
B. we try to challenge ourselves
c. we experience more anxiety
D. we th in k everything is fine
GLOSSARY
- self-centred (adj) ích kì - t o trigger khơi dậy, làm khởi phát
- hostile (adj) có thái ñộ thù nghịch, - relaxation sự thư thái
thiếu thân thiện - to provoke khiêu khích, khơi gợi dậy
- abusive (adj) hay chửi rủa người khác - perception sự nhặn thức
- t o be prone to sth (adj) thưdng hay - untouched (adj) không bị ảnh hưởng
bị/ mắc phải cái gi bởi, còn nguyên vẹn
-affluent (adj) giàu có - rage cơn giận dữ
- well-off (adj) khố giả - naive (adj) ngây thơ
- counterpart ngưòi/vật tương ñương - content (adj) hài lòng
- rosy (adj) lạc quan., toàn một màu hồng - absorbing (adj) hấp dẫn
- disposition tâm trạng, tính khí, tính - well-being cảnh sống yên vui,, sự hạnh
tình phúc
- to stimulate kích thích - self-esteem lòng tự trọng
- misconception quan niệm sai lầm
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143
62 THE QUALITIES WE PRIZE IN OUR CHILDREN
A recent intern atio nal study h a s shown some su rp risin g an d a p p a r-
ently contradictory re su lts on the question of the priorities p a re n ts
aro u n d the world have w hen raising th eir children. While the survey
showed th a t som e virtues are universally prized, interesting regional
an d n atio n al tre n d s em erge w hen p aren ts are ask ed to ra te th e im por-
tance of various qualities they w ish to instil in th eir children.
P arents aro u n d the world seem to agree th a t good m an n ers, a sense
of responsibility and respect for oth ers are im p o rtan t qualities to teach
th eir children. B ut while W est E u rop ean s give all th ree qualities m ore
or less equal importance-, E ast E uropean s an d N orth Am ericans ra te a
sense of responsibility a s by far the m ost im p ortan t, an d relegate re-
spect for oth ers to fourth place.
Interestingly, a sense of im agination rank ed th e lowest priority
worldwide, although W est E uropeans gave the quality of flexible th in k -
ing twice the im portance any o ther group did. The Italians stress the
virtue of cultivating their y o u n g sters 5im agination m ore th a n m ost o th -
ers surveyed, w ith th e exception of Switzerland. The supposedly staid
Swiss prize im aginative youth.
E tiquette-m inded Belgians, Spaniards an d Greeks placed, th e high-
est prem ium on politeness, while the D anes an d Swedes p u t good
m ann ers lowest on the list. The new ly-capitalist E astern bloc cou ntries
also ra te d good m ann ers a s relatively u n im p o rtan t, p erh ap s because
th e y are being confronted with com m ercial com petition for th e first
time. Together w ith the Swiss an d the T urks, on the o th er h an d , they
prized the ability to com m unicate w ith others.
The virtues of tolerance and respect for o th ers were m ost highly re-
garded in Scandinavia, France, Britain, Switzerland, the N etherlands
and Spain. This w as not th e c a s e ' in Greece a n d the form er E astern
bloc nations, w hich rated these as being of lesser im portance.
G erm ans, A ustrians an d Swedes esteem personal independence, b u t
the in d u strio u s F rench hold th e quality of conscien tiou sness a t work
more dear th a n any o th er E uropean nationals. The re sp o n ses in the
industrialized nations of Sweden an d B ritain showed, p e rh ap s bewil-
deringly, th a t nationals of those cou ntries gave little im portance to con-
scien tio usn ess a t work.
Polite Belgians answ ered th a t for them , obedience is am ong their
param o u n t values; th is sentim ent is sh ared to a lesser degree by th e
B ritish, Greeks an d Irish. The Italians, according to th eir question -
naires, ranked th is very low.
W hen rearin g th eir children, the Greeks, T urk s an d Irish are alone
in th eir em p hasis on instilling strong religious beliefs.
144 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
■ One of th e prim ary difficulties the research ers faced w as tra n slatin g
th e qu estio n s a s perfectly a s possible in order n o t to d isto rt the result.
“Im agination”, for example, can be tra n sla te d into D u tch a s “conceited-
n e ss”; p erh ap s th is explains why th e D utch ap peared to give imagi-
natio n a low priority.
Also, som e qualities are so ingrained in certain c ultu re s th a t they
are tak en for granted, while o th ers are given great em p h asis because
they are felt to be lacking in a p ạrticu lar society.
GLOSSARY
- t o prize qiiýtrong, ñánh giá cao - This is not the case (in/with) ðiều
- contradictory: (adj) trái ngược nhau, này không ñứng (tại/vởi)
mâu thuẫn - to esteem quý trọng
- priority sự/ quyền ưu tiên - industrious (adj) siêng nắng, cần mẫn,
- virtue phẩm chất tốt ñẹp, ñức hạnh cãn cù
- to instil sth ìn sb làm cho cái gi thấm - conscientiousness sự tận tâm
nhuần vào, truyền thụ - bewilderingly (aơv) dễ gầy hoang
- to rank xếp hạng mang
- flexible thinking sự suy nghĩ linh - nationals người ñân (trong một nước)
ñộng/ mềm dẻo/ khoáng ñạt - paramount (adj) tối cao, tột bật
- to stress nhấn mạnh - questionnaire bản câu hỏi thăm dò/
- to cultivate vun ñắp, trau dồi, tu thẩm vấn lục
dưỡng - to rear a child nuôi dạy một ñứa trẻ
- supposedly (adv) ñược cho !à, theo - to distort làm btẽn dạng, làm méo mó
như người ta nghĩ thì - conceitedness tính tự phụ, tính kiêu
- staid (adj) trầm tĩnh, ñiềm ñạm ngạo
- etìqueỉte-minded (adj) coi trọng phép - ingrained (adj) ñã ăn sâu vào, ñã thâm
xã giao căn cố ñế
- premium tầm quan trọng - to be taken for granted ñược xem là
~ capitalist (adj) thuộc chủ nghĩa tư bản chuyện bình thường
- Eastern bloc countries Kha các quốc - to contradict each other nói ngược
gia ðông Âu nhau, mâu thuẫn nhau
- to be confronted with phải ñối mặt - capitalism chủ nghĩa tự bản
với - uncommunicative (adj) không thích
- tolerance sự/lòng bao dung giao tiếp
- to bewilder sb làm ai hoang mang
63
Nigel w as one of my best friends. In the seventeen years we’ve
known each other, weVe done the sort of things th a t m ates do. WeVe
gone ou t for d rin k s together, played in a nu m b er of sad rock b a n d s to -
gether. We’ve got a history, a s they say.
When a personal d isaster of catastrophic proportions left me out on
the streets w ith a couple of cardboard boxes an d a rucksack, it w as
Nigel who supplied a sofa' and a well-stocked fridge. And w hen I got
m arried, it w as Nigel’s plum -coloured Rover P5 Coupe th a t w as waiting,
engine purring, outside the registry office.
However, it cam e as som ething of a shock w hen I realised th a t I
h a d n ’t actually seen Nigel for nearly six m onths. W hat h ad gone
wrong? It’s n o t a s if we’d fallen out. We still worked an d lived in th e
146 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
sam e town. We h a d simply fallen victim to som ething th a t afflicts mil-
lions of m en in th eir late tw enties an d thirties. They s ta rt m isplacing
th eir friends.
Once you a n d y o ur m ates were inseparable. Now th ere never seem s
to be enou gh tim e to cram everything in. T here’s work, a hom e, kids
even. In reality, it’s getting to th e point where it's n o t so m uch a q u e s-
tion of m eeting up, more a question of having a reunion. It’s been so
long since you got together it’s actually becoming em barrassing.
The irony is th a t y o u ll continue to in sist th a t th ese m en, w hom you
hardly ever see, are y o u r closest friends in the world, even though in
every m eaningful sense th ey now barely qualify a s ac q uaintan ces. You
probably have a closer relatio nship w ith the m an who collects your
ticket a t th e railway station.
Men seem to need a practical reason to spend time together. Psy-
chologist Dr Malcolm George says, “As m en, we very m uch form our
friendsh ips aro u n d doing som ething m utually. B ut the problem is th a t
th e m ain ten an c e is depen den t on doing th e thing. W hen the d em ands
of career and fam ily'kick in, those relationships get squeezed o u t.”
Dr George believes th a t th ere is a n essential difference in th e n a tu re
of m ale an d female friendship. Men have a more limited expectation of
th eir friendships, partly b ecause the m an-w om an relationship is still
looked up o n a s th e vehicle for em otional fulfilment. Men’s relationships
with o th er m en are regarded a s having no real em otional content. They
serve a function - playing in th e football team or whatever. Women ac-
tually expect to sh a re th e ir em otional life with their friends - th a t’s the
difference.
It seem s as though yo u r p a rtn e r m ay determ ine the friends you
keep. This m ay be becau se people ten d to m ake new acq u ain tan ces at
work and it’s very h ard to convert those work friends into family
friends. W hen m en la u n c h into a relationship a n d lose co ntact with
th eir friends, they m ake bigger d em and s on th eir p a rtn e r by expecting
h e r to supply all th e friendship th a t’s missing.
Most wom en w ant m en to keep th eir friends - a s long a s they can
express them selves w ithin th ese friendships an d talk problem s over.
After all, m e n ’s inability to express th eir feelings is one of th e things
th a t m akes relatio n sh ip s flounder.
GLOSSARY
- mate bạn thân - irony sự trớ trêu, sự oái oăm
- proportion tì lệ, tầm mức - to qualify as ñủ tiêu chuẩn ñể công .
- cardboard box thùng các-tông nhận là
- rucksack cái ba lô - acquaintance người quen
- a well-stocked fridge một tủ lạnh - psychologist nhà tâm lí học
chất ñầy thức ăn - mutually (adv) hỗ tương, lẫn nhau
- plum-coloureñ (adj) màu quả mận - maintenance sự duy trì
- to purr (mèo) kêu rừ rừ; (ñộng cơ) - to kick in bắt ñầu lộ diện/ bắt ñầu có
ñang nổ chờ tác dụng
- registry office phòng ñăng kí kết hôn - to be/get squeezed out bị xô ra ngoài
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
148
- to fait out bất ñồng, xích mích nhau - to look upon sb/sth as xem ai/cái gỉ
- to fall victim to sth trở thành nạn như là
nhân của - vehicle xe cộ ị phương tiện
- to afflict ảnh hưởng, tác ñộng ñến - content nội dung
- to misplace ñặt không ñúng chô, ñể - to convert sth into sth chuyên hóa cái
sai chỗ gi thành ra cái gì
- inseparable (adj) không tách rời nhau, - missing (adj) thiếu mất, thất lạc
luôn ñi liền nhau - to talk problems over bàn bạc kĩ (ñê
~ to cram everything in nhồi nhét mọi giải quyết) vấn ñề
thứ vào - to flounder ìúng túng không biết xoay
- reunion sự ñoàn tụ xở ra sao, có nguy cơ thất bại vi gặp
- embarrassing (adj) gây ngượng khó khăn
ngùng, gây bối rối
64
A global television-channel which will appeal to the entire world pop-
ulation is possible, according to research from a Germ an in stitute. The
a u th o r of the research, Dr Helm ut Ju ng , chief executive officer of the
M olln-based Sam ple In stitu t, says th a t in order to m ake it work, the
ta stes of people in various countries need to be taken into considera-
tion.
While a possible global television channel is an ideal, in practice
people in different countries have different program m e preferences. In
the form er USSR, eighty-seven per cent of the people who took p art in
the research w anted to see m ore full-length films, .com pared with a
global average of sixty p er cent. In the Middle E ast, eighty-one per cent
of people w anted more hom e-produced news* as did seventy-nine per
cent in Asia. Only ab o u t half the resp ondents from W estern Europe,
N orth America an d J a p a n felt they needed m ore dom estically produced
news.
In places where program m ing 1S left to television controllers ra th e r
th a n political or religious officials, television audiences are generally
happy. J u n g identified regions where m any people were u n h ap py with
program m ing schedules, including C entral Europe, the form er USSR
an d Latin America, as having state-ru n television, w hereas regions
su ch a s W estern E urope and North America, w hich have independent
program m ing, got a clean bill of health.
Despite his confidence th a t global television will eventually arrive,
J u n g th ink s there is a more realistic alternative for the n ea r future,
nam ely “M ulticultural Regional TV” or MRTV. speakin g recently in New
York, J u n g said, “I’m convinced.th a t the concept of global television is
basically prom ising an d th a t the process of globalisation will continue
a n d will first of all happen in th e area of m edia and telecom m unica-
tions. B ut Pm also convinced th at the idea of global television will be
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
149
.'restricted to a ,lim ite d ;num keiyof channel.s. a n d .rtb;-^pfee|iic'-;types of pro-
gram m e s.: The options .for:the next- tw enty '.JOr 'thirty^y e ar S;' will be m ore
in the area of regional'television.”
J u n g also said th a t global television’s tim e h a d ; not vet come. It
would have tò om it certain -program m es due to un popu larity in certain
regions w hich other people m ight w ant to see. Viewers still prefer
hom e-produced news, and cu ltu ral differences rem ain. For example,
Asian audien ces look for education, while Latin Am ericans a n d E uro-
pean s generally reject violent program m es.
J u n g ’s researc h h as been supported by surveys in Europe which
found th a t pan-E uropean channels su ch as Euro sport were tem pting
more people to w atch television. The presence of in ternation al c h a n -
nels, for example, increased the average n u m b er of h o u rs of television
watched by w ealthier people in Austria, G erm any an d Sw itzerland by
fifteen per cent an d in sou thern Europe by three per cent.
It rem ains to be seen w hat im plications the globalisation of televi-
sion will have. It ‘is certain to stren g th en the position of English a s the
top language for m edia in the world, and m ay u nderm ine the s ta tu s of
the languages of m ore economically disadvantaged cu ltures. B ut d e-
spite increasing internationalism , national differences rem ain.
150 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. According to J u n g ’s survey, TV viewers across the world were
h a p p y _____
. A. w hen schedules were completely unregulated.
B. w hen TV controllers wrote the program m es,
c . w hen TV controllers decided on schedules.
D. w hen m ost program m es had. a political or religious content.
5. How does J u n g feel ab out global TV?
A. He is positive abo ut it.
B. He is negative ab o u t it.
c . He th in k s it could work in certain areas.
D. He h as mixed feelings ab ou t it.
6. W hat is J u n g ’s prediction abou t th e future?
A. Everyone will w atch the sam e TV program m es.
B. Global TV is im possible because of differing ta s te s -
c. MRTV is m ore likely to succeed in the long ru n.
D. MRTV is th e m ost probable short-term developm ent.
7. The advent of global TV could m ean th a t m inority la n g u a g e s __
A. will become economically disadvantaged.
B. will becom e m ore internationally accepted.
c . will be overwhelm ed by English. '
D. will highlight national differences.
GLOSSARY
- to appeal to sb hấp ñẫn, thu hút at - Multicultural Regional TV Truyền
- chief executive officer giám ñốc ñiều Hình Khu vực (nhưng có tính) ða văn
hành Hóa
- Mol in-based (adj) ñặt cơ sở tại thị trấn - globalisation sự toàn cầu hóa
Molln (ở Áo) - to bẹ restricted to bị giới hạn lại trong
- the former USSR Liên Xô cũ phạm vi
- a full-length film một bộ phim có ñộ - to reject bác bò, khước từ
dài ñúng chuẩn - pan-European (adj) liên Châu Âu, toàn
- home-produced news tin tứ c ñược Châu Âu
sản. xuất trong nước - It remains to be seen vln chuci thấy rõ
- respondent người tham gia trả lời cuộc - implication hậu quả, hệ lụy
thăm dò - to undermine phá hoại, làm sụp ñổ
- programming việc hoạch ñịnh chương trình - economically disadvantaged (adj)
- official viên chức thiệt thòi về mặt kinh tế
- state-run (adj) do nhà nước quản lí. - unregulated (adj) không bị ràng buộc
- a clean bill of health giấy chứng nhận bởi. các-qui ñịnh, không bị khống chế
ñù sức khỏe - to have mixed feelings about sth CO
- realistic (adj) có tính hiện thực những càm nhận trái ngược nhau về
- alternative phương án khác ñể chọn - to be overwhelmed by bị thống trị bởi
lựa, chọn lựa thứ hai - to highlight iàm nổi bật
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151
65
If the very idea of a fitness routine leaves you feeling ex h au sted an d
you shiver at th e th o ug h t of jogging round the p ark in the w inter wind,
th en Qigong m ight be ju s t the form of exercise you are looking for.
This new gentle form of oriental gym nastics is com posed of a system
of m editative exercises which involve standing in a series of p o stu res
for up to h alf an h o u r a day, or com bining simple m ovem ents with
breathing exercises. Although this type of exercise does not build m u s-
cles, it is quickly growing in popularity as it is considered to be a good
way of reducing stress, stim ulating the circulation an d strengthen ing
the body’s im m une system .
Qigong, literally tran slated , m eans training your energy, an d h as
been com pared to acu p u n ctu re w ithout needles. According to C hinese
beliefs, qi is vital energy w hich circulates w ithin th e h u m an body and
th ro ughou t n atu re . Qi is thought to flow along a system of bodily
channels, sim ilar to the way th a t sap flows throu gh a tree. Conse-
quently, Qigong is based on th e hypothesis th a t illness and psychologi-
cal problem s are caused when the n a tu ra l energy flow is blocked or de-
ficient. Qigong directs energy to the trouble spot, and can be u sed to
alleviate allergies, asth m a, hypertension, insom nia an d rheu m atism .
This m ethod h a s also been shown to be successful in treatin g obesity;
one p atien t who weighed 230 kg w as able to lose 70 kg. Another D utch
patient weighed 168 kg when her father took h er to a Qigong practitio-
ner two years ago. “I w as veiy sceptical,” she says. “I’d tried so m any
diets, b u t I always p u t weight back on again.” Once she started the
Qigong routine h er weight began to drop, despite only m inor m odifica-
tions to her diet. In six m onths she lost 50 kilos. “It’s not difficult a t all.
Since Ỉ started doing the exercises I h aven ’t been so hung ry an d I’ve
had m ore energy, so I’m more active.”
Chinese practitioners have found it difficult to pe rsu ad e the w estern
m ind of the powers of Qigong. B ut although conventional m edicine c a n -
not explain it, governm ents keen to cu t rising h ealthcare costs are e n -
dorsing it. In Germ any, for example, Qigong is available on the national
healthcare system , a n d m any doctors are prescribing it for aches,
swellings an d allergies. Many patients who have suffered from allergies
for years have found th at, since startin g Qigong, they h av en ’t been ill a t
all, or only suffer from very slight allergic reactions.
In Europe, for the m ost part, it h a s been used to trea t relatively m i-
nor conditions, b u t recently Qigong h a s achieved dram atic resu lts with
more serious conditions. In one case a French air stew ardess w as told
by h er doctor th a t she only h ad a few m o nth s to live because she h ad
cancer. Conventional treatm ent, including chem otherapy, h ad been
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
152
unsuccessful. I t m ade h er so ill th a t she nearly died. After starting
Qigong, however, the p atient im mediately began to feel better. S ubse-
quently, the doctors could find no further traces of .the disease and the
p atien t w as able to re tu rn to work. While th is m ay so u n d like a m ira-
cle, one should point o u t th a t Qigong may not necessarily cure every-
one, a s it depends on how m uch you exercise an d on the individual’s
psychological m otivation. N evertheless, even if it does no t cure you, it
h a s the potential to prolong your life.
GLOSSARY
- fitness routine việc tập thể dục hằng - asthma bệnh hen suyễn
ngày - hypertension chứng tăng huyết áp
- to shiver at the thought of rùng mình - insomnia chứng mất ngù
khi nghĩ ñến - rheumatism bệnh thấp khớp
- Qigong Khí côríg - obesity chứng béo phì
- meditative (adj) thuộc về suy tưởng, - practitioner người ñang luyện tập/
thuộc thiền quán truyền dạy (một pháp môn)
- posture tư thế của cơ thể - sceptical (adj) íìoài nghỉ
- circulation sự tuần hoàn - modification sự sửa ñổi
- immune system hệ miễn dịch - conventional (adj) thông thường, theo
- literally (adv) theo nghĩa ñen của từ quy ước
- acupuncture khoa châm cứu - to endorse chấp thuận, tán thành,
- bodily channels các kinh [ạc trong cơ chứng thực
thê’ - swelling chỗ sưng
- sap nhựa cây - allergic (adj) do dị ứng gây ra
- hypothesis già thuyết - chemotherapy phép hóa trị
- to be blocked bị tắc nghẽn - trace vết tích, dãu vết
- to alleviate làm giảm nhẹ - to prolong kéo dài
- allergy sự dị ứng - the circulatory system hệ tuần hoàn
154 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
could ever have im agined. While they left their children playing on the
beach, the S irrs looked aro u n d and realised th a t the deal w as even
more astonishing th a n they had first thought. The six-bedroom house
cam e w ith a farm an d 300 acres of land.
Once on the island the Sirrs tried to im agine w hat life could be like
for them . They were anxious to m eet their neighbours a s soon as pos-
sible. However, they h ad no need to worry. On th a t first trip they m et
u p to h alf of the sixty or so island in h ab itan ts and were given a warm
welcome! The couple were thrilled th a t the people of Graem say were so
friendly. Many of th e m urged the couple to com plete the tran saction as
soon as possible. W ithin two weeks of their visit, the S irrs’ bid of
£55,000 w as accepted.
The move h a s brought new challenges to the family. Rob-'-and Jill
have started a sheep farm an d renovated the cottages to ren t out as
holiday hom es. Thẹy in sist th a t the only thing they m iss about their
previous life is going to the cinem a. If anything, moving to the rem ote
island h a s brough t the family closer together.
Before they moved, the Sirrs th ough t long and h ard abo ut bringing
th eir children u p in su ch a rem ote place. B ut the children are young
enough to ad ju st an d seem hap pier in the new environm ent.
They are content with their own com pany an d m ake th eir own e n te r-
tainm ent. A lthough they are the only pupils at the local school, they
receive lots of atten tion and are able to take advantage of the school’s
m odem facilities.
Since the move, the family have been ỵisited by m any friends who
are envious of th eir beautiful surroundings. The family consider them -
selves lucky. For very little cost, they have all the benefits of a beautiful
place to live. They also hope th a t by improving their property they can,
in future, give som ething back to the island.
GLOSSARY
- the rat race cành sổng bon chén ñua - transaction sự giao dịch mua bán
ñòi - bid giá ñưa ra ñể thương lượng
- to long to do sth khao khát làm gì - to renovate tân trang, ñổi mối
- the hustle and bustle sự xô bồ, sự sôi - to rent sth out ñem cái gì ra cho thuê
ñộng - to be content with their own com-
- estate khu nhà ñất, khu bất ñộng sản pany hài lòng với việc tự làm bạn với
- to comprise gồm có nhau
- to be under an illusion chịu ảnh - envious of (adj) ganh ty với
hưởng của ảo tưởng - apprehensive (adj) io sợ, e sợ
- chill cái càm giác lạnh - resigned (adj) tỏ ra cam chịu, nhẫn
- deal sự thỏa thuận mua bán nhục
- acre mẫu ñất (Anh) - to bid a higher price trả một giá cao
- thrilled (adj) cảm thấy hồi hộp thứ vị hơn
- to urge sb to do sth thúc giục ai làm
gì
156 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
67 NEW LINK FOUND
BETWEEN HUMANS AND MAD c o w DISEASE
Mad Cow D isease is a deadly illness of th e b rain a n d it is th e n o n -
technical term for BSE or Bovine Spongiform E ncephalitis. This is so
difficult to say th a t jo u rn a lists an d even some doctors prefer the more
vivid Mad Cow Disease. It is believed to be caused w hen cows eat food
m ade from th e bones and organs of diseased an im als, particularly
sheep. Cows are basically vegetarian an d the policy of farm ers in B rit-
ain of feeding them a cheap, m eat-based diet seem s to be responsible
for Mad Cow Disease.
W hen the disease ap peared in the 1990s, it caused, a huge contro -
versy, b u t it had first been discovered in cows in the late 1980s. Many
people began to be afraid to eat beef because it w as n o t known w h ether
th e disease could be cau g h t by h u m a n s who ate m eat from infected
cows. The disease in its h u m an form is known as Creutzfeldt Jak o b
Disease or GJD, an d it becam e familiar to the general public, not only
in B ritain b u t also in Europe, when several people were th o u g h t to
have died from the disease after eating beef infected w ith BSE. In 1996,
several E uropean governm ents b an n ed th e im port of beef p ro d ucts
from Britain. This action cau sed outrage in B ritain in th e p op ular press
a n d am ongst governm ent m inisters, who co ntin u ed to claim th e link
between Mad Cow D isease an d CJD h ad no t been scientifically proven.
The B ritish governm ent now ad m its th a t people' m ight get
Creutzfeldt Ja k o b from eating beef, after scien tists found sym ptom s of
CJD, w hich is alw ays fatal, in ten victims. Since th e n, th e sales of beef
have dropped dram atically, except am ongst the poorer m em bers of the
com m unity, who have tak en the opportunity of a drop in prices to enjoy
beef in a way they could not in the p ast. F ast food stores all over
Europe have begun to m arket a new (and they claim even tastier) v er-
sion of th e ir pop ular burger, the “vegiburger”, w hich does n o t contain
m eat.
S cientists w orking in B ritain have now published evidence in the
science jo u rn a l Nature th a t could show Mad Cow D isease an d CJD are
closely connected. They say b rain proteins linked w ith both d iseases
show very close sim ilarities. This could explain why people develop CJD
after eating m eat from cows infected w ith BSE. The research could also
explain wiry people never got CJD from eating sheep, w hich also suffer
from a kind of “m ad sheep disease”. We do not sh are the protein
“prion” w ith sheep, b u t it is som ething people a n d cows have in com -
mon.
W hat h ap p e n s exactly w hen h u m an beings get the disease? The key
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
157
seems-to. be the protein prion. Normal prions are im po rtant if th e brain
is to function riormally. ;'^ệnH 'hiĩíậS:'-gó;wrôií|' w ith pnộii,-. however, the
brain becomes-'Spohge-Uke/which;is also what happens ~iiv'COWS who
suffer from. M ad Cow Disease. Scientist Professor K rakauer a n d his col-
leagues have been exploring genetic sim ilarities between h u m an s, an d
cows. “We needed to find a sim ilarity we share w ith cattle th a t we d o n ’t
sh are w ith sheep,” said K rakauer, “and th a t’s w hat we have found.”
They com pared cow prion genes an d h u m an prion genes to those found
in other anim als, su c h as?' sheep a n d m onkeys. They found two striking
sim ilarities in cows, h u m an s, chim panzees an d gorillas. Scientists be-
lieve these findings “hatve to be tak en seriously a s they are the first th a t
link h u m an s w ith ca ttle.”
158 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
c . cows a n d people.
D. a n u m b e r of anim als.
7. W hat does th e passage suggest ab o u t o u r u n d erstan d in g of Mad
Cow D isease ______
A. We know little ab o u t the real causes.
B. There is no danger in eating meat.
c . little progress h a s been m ade by scientists.
D. We know things we did not know before.
GLOSSARY
- Mad Cow Disease Bệnh Bò ðiên - version phiên bản
- non-technicaỉ term tên gọi không - burger món.thịt bò băm
mang tính kĩ thuật t ^ - ,sponge-lìke (adj) xốp như bọt biển
- vegetarian (adj) (thu) an co; (ngươ!) _ genetic (adj) thuộc di ừuyền
-controversy SƯtranh cãi -genegien
-o u tra g e cơn phẫn nộ - * * « " 9 similarities những ñiểm
-minister bộ trưởng tu^g ñồng rât rõ rệt
- fatal (adj) gây chết người chimpanzee con tinh tinh
- to market tung ra thị trường - gorilla con khi ñột
160 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
c. he behaves a s if he is sober.
D. he keeps falling down.
6 . His films can be described a s _____
A. ju s t entertainm ent.
B. political a n d rom antic,
c. serious and comic.
D. love stories.
7. W hat w as he like as a director?
A. He w as difficult to please.
B. He w as keen to please everyone.
' c. He w as anxious to finish.
D. He w as never satisfied with his work.
GLOSSARY
- comic (adj) hài hước, khôi hài - travelling theatre company gánh hát
- genius thiên tài rong
- well off (adj) khá giả - romantic (adj) thơ mộng, lãng mạn
- maid cô giúp việc - to worship tôn sùng, sùng bái
- comedian diễn viên hài - applause sự/ tràng vỗ tay tán thưởng
- to take turns doing sth thay phiên - ridiculous (adj) lố bịch
nhau làm gi - drunken (adj) (dùng trước danh từ)
- to desert sb bỏ rơi ai ñang say rượu
- alcoholism sự nghiện rượu - drunk (adj) (dùng sau ñộng từ liên kết
- strain sự căng thằng ñể mô tả chù ngữ) ñang say rượu
- desertion sự bò rơi (gia ñình) - tramp kẻ vô gia cư, kẻ du thủ du thực
- to fall apart sụp ñổ - gentleman quý ông
- insane (adj) ñiên loạn - perfectionist người ầ u toàn
- asylum nhà thương ñiên, bệnh viện - mean (adj) keo kiệt
tâm thần - tyrannical (adj) ñộc ñoán, ñộc tài
- orphanage trại trẻ mồ côi - sober (adj) tình táo (= không say
- autobiography tự truyện, tiểu sử tự rượu), sáng suốt
viết
69
W hen my Uncle Alan tu rn ed u p at my th irtee n th birthday party
w ithout a present, I cou ld n’t hide the disappointm ent on my face. He
w as my favourite uncle, and he always bought me fantastic presents.
■ “D on’t look so sad, A nna,” he said kindly. “I h av en ’t forgotten to get
you a present. I ju s t cou ld n’t bring it w ith me. Tomorrow, I’m taking
you abseiling.”
“I d id n ’t know you h ad a boat,” I said.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
161
“No, not saving!-Ạbsẹỉlmg!’’
“What's tiba.t?Wii askedt alfyè neveir
“Y oull see,”:he said mysteriously^ ^
■■ Early the :néxt ■da>v P 'n cle. AỊan."drịọvế-; rạe.:. to'.' lýạrnerton Adventure
Park. I’d. never been there before., b u t h a d often told m y .m um an d dad
how excitm g.it'.fu n d e d . Ạs we drove.through th e gates, it seem ed th at,
: once again, Uncle- Alan-.'nad found me a birthday p resen t I’d never for-
■get. W hen we arrived, we w ent to. firid my instructo r, á friendly young
wom an called Isabelle. S he p u t m e completely a t ease, an d I knew that,
whatever.1 w as going to be doing, I’d be quite safe w ith her.
“So, Anna, have you ever been abseiling before?” she asked. I adm it-
ted I d idn’t even know w hat abseiling was. “Well, it’s always fun to ex-
perience som ething new, is n ’t it?” she said;
We walked th rou gh the park, an d ended u p at a rocky hill. The big-
gest rock face w as extremely high and steep, b u t th ere were smaller,
easier faces too. W hen I saw the equipm ent w aiting for me - a rope, a
h a rn ess an d a helm et - I guessed w hat I was going to be doing.
“Oh, I’m going rock climbing!” I said excitedly.
“Not exactly,” said Uncle Alan.
Isabelle explained- “With rock climbing, you s ta rt a t th e bottom an d
go u p, b u t with abseiling, you sta rt a t the top an d go dow n.” Now I u n -
derstood.
We carried the equipm ent up a p ath to the top of the sm allest rock
face. I carefully looked over the edge. The ground w as ab o u t live m etres
below. “This is going to be fun ,” I thought. Isabelle tied the rope care-
fully to a m etal ring, and then ’ threaded it throug h my h arn ess, which
by now I was w earing round my waist. She threw the other end of th e
rope over the edge of the rock face, a n d it fell to the ground.
“This is w here I say goodbye,” said U nde Alan. “I’m going back down
to the bottom. I’ll be holding th e other end of the rope, so y o u’ll be quite
safe. See you w hen you come down!” Isabelle w as the perfect in stru c -
tor. She talked m e through w hat to do step by step. I stood on the edge
of the rock face with my back to the drop. My left h a n d w as holding th e
rope in front of me, my right h an d holding the rope behind me. “Now,”
she said, “gently lean b ack.” This w as the m ost difficult part. It’s a te r-
ribly scary experience leaning back over a cliff, especially the first time
you attem p t it, an d for the first few m in utes I w ondered w hether I could
actually do it. Finally,"I decided to risk it. I d id n ’t w an t Uncle Alan
thinking I w as a coward. Keeping my feet still, I leant back a little. Then
a little more.
“F antastic!” shouted Uncle Alan from below me.
162 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
“T h a t’s w onderful,” said Isabelle. “Now, slowly sta rt to walk down the
rock.” It w as more like bouncing th a n ac tu al walking, b u t I started to
go down. It d id n ’t take long to reach th e bottom, b u t I felt a huge sense
of achievem ent w hen I p u t my feet on the ground next to Uncle Alan.
“I’m so proud of you!” he said. “Do you w an t to try a higher rock face
now?” “You bet!” I said. “The higher, the better!” ■
GLOSARY '■ ■; V■ ■
- a bseiling môn thetiiao 'tụt xuồng núi - drop cHỗ mặt ñất thụt xuống, dốc ñứng
bằng dây thừng - to lean back ngả người ra sau, dựâ
- to put sb at ease khiến ai an lòng/ ngửà ra
cảm thấy dễ chịu - scary (adj) ñáng sợ
- sỉeep (adj) dốc ñứng - coward kẻ nhát gan, kẻ hèn nhát
- harness bộ dây nịt (ñeo quanh người - to bounce nẩy bật lên (như quả bóng)
nhảy dù hoặc leo núi) - "You bet!" "ðương nhiên rồi!"; "Dĩ
- to thread luồn sợi dây qua nhiên!"
70
Oliver glanced a t h is w atch. There were ten m in utes left un til the
su perm arket closed an d he was ru sh in g ro und , quickly dropping things
he needed for the weekend into h is trolley. He h a d n ’t been in h is own
flat long an d now his m other had invited herself for d in n er the follow-
ing day. He really w anted to im press her with h is ability to cope on his
own, b u t he knew th a t the u su al critical com m ents would soon appear
if everything w a sn ’t perfect. He hoped th a t the th ree days h e ’d sp en t
cleaning the place from top to bottom w ouldn’t be w asted, an d h e ’d
even gone so far a s p ainting the front door. His m other w ouldn’t notice
th at, though, of course. W hat she would notice w as the d u s t on top of
th e pictures, or the 'old sofa, or one of a th o u sa n d oth er th ings th a t
Oliver had forgotten about. Still, he w as determined, to give h e r a good
meal, an d m aybe th a t would p u t h er in a slightly b etter mood th an
usual.
He checked his shopping list again and b en t over to look th ro u g h his
trolley. He m entally ticked off the item s and th en realised th a t he still
needed eggs. As he straightened up to set off tow ards the dairy section,
there w as an enorm ous collision, a clatter of tin s an d a loud shriek of
pain. W hen Oliver had recovered his balance, he saw ạn attractive
wom an of ab o u t nineteen on h e r knees, pu tting tin s an d vegetables
back into a h andh eld basket.
“Why don't you w atch where y o u ’re going?" she snapped a t him over
h er shoulder. “Some people ju s t have no m anners. Honestly ...”
“Er ... sorry,” stam m ered Oliver. “Let me help you .” He began to pick
tins up. “It really w a sn ’t my fault, though, you know. I w as ju s t ...” The
girl grabbed a tin of tu n a from his hands.
“Never mind>” she said, her b ask et now full, an d she strode off down
the aisle w ithout looking back: Oliver w atched h er go an d sighed. He
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
never seem ed to have m uch luck with girls. Maybe th a t w as ju s t w hat
he needed to show his m other how grown u p he was. He tu rn ed back to
his own trolley and began to p u sh it. Maybe if she cam e to dinner an d
he introduced h e r to an intelligent, charm ing young wom an then she
would stop calling him every day to check he w as okay. As Oliver
th o u g h t abo u t th is possibility, som ething caug ht his eye a n d he
stopped his trolley. There w as a red leather purse on top of his shop-
ping. It m u st have come out of the girl’s basket and landed in his trol-
ley. Oliver quickly glanced aro und , -looking for the girl. She w ouldn’t be
able to pay for h er shopping. He picked up the p urse, left his trolley
and sprinted tow ards the line of checkouts.
W hen he got there, he scanned the lines of custo m ers waiting to
pay. There were ab o u t a dozen queues, b u t Oliver co u ldn ’t see the girl
in any of them . T hinking th a t she m u st still be shopping som ew here in
the superm ark et, Oliver tu rn ed to go and find her w hen he suddenly
heard a fam iliar voice a t the front of the queue next to him.
“I’m su re I had it here a m inute ago. I w ant to speak to the m anager.
I th in k it’s been stolen. It m u st be som eone in this superm arket be-
cause I know ..." Í •
'S he stopped as she realised th a t Oliver w as stand in g next to her,
holding h er p u rse out tow ards her.
“Lost som ething?” Oliver asked.
The girl sm iled, then recognised Oliver and frowned, before h er ex-
pression softened again an d she took the pu rse with, a faint smile on
her lips.
“T h an k s,” she said quietly. .
GLOSSARY
- to glance at ỉiếc mẳt nhìn - to snap at sb xẳng giọng với.ai,, nói
- trolley xe ñẩy mua hàng trong siêu thị như mắng ai
- to cope on ones' own tự minh xoay xở - to have no manners ỉò ra bất lịch sự
lấy - to stammer nói íắp bắp
- critical comments những lời chỉ trích - to grab chộp iãy
- to (even) go so far as doing sth - tuna cá ngừ
thậm chí [à (làm gì ñó) ñể.../ ñi xa , - to stride (strode - stridden) sải
ñến mửc là bước, rảo bước
- mental?Y (adv) thềm ở trong ñầu - aisle lối ñi giữa hai hàng ghế/ hai dãy
- t o tick sfth off ñánh dấu cái gi ñó iồ ñã kệ trong siêu thị
mua/làm xong - to caught one's eye khiến aí chú ý/
- to straighten up ñứng thằng người lên ñạp vào mắt ai
- dairy (adj) thuộc sản phẩm từ sữa bò - to Sprint chạy nhanh, chạy vù
- collision sự va chạm/ ñâm vào nhau - checkouts những người ñang sắp hàng
- clatter tiếng kêu loảng xoảng chờ thanh toán tiền
~ tin hộp kim loại/ ion thiếc - to scan nhìn lướt qua
- shriek tiếng la thét - to frown cau mày (tỏ vè khó chịu)
- to recover one's baỉance lấy [ại thăng - to soften trở nên dịu lại/ mềm ñi
bằng - faint (adj) mơ hồ, xa xôi
- handheld basket chiếc giò xách - to bump into each oỉher va vào nhau
166 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
71
I looked o u t of the window again a n d th e n back a t th e clock. “Typi-
cal Helen!” I th o ug h t to myself, w ondering w hat excuse sh e would try
th is time. We h ad had th is arran g em ent for a year now. We took it in
tu rn s to drive to work, stopping along the way to pick th e other up. It
saved petrol an d w as b etter for th e environm ent, w hich w as som ething
th a t Helen claim ed to care about, although I h ad seen h er em pty h er
a sh tra y o u t of the car window more th a n once. For me, th e m ain a d -
vantage w as th e stre ss reduction. If I could avoid battling the city cen -
tre -traffic a few days a week, I’d p u t up w ith any am o u n t af m eaning-
less gossip along th e way. A c a r h orn sounded an d I looked u p to see
Helen waving from h er c a r window an d pointing a t h er w atch a s if to
say, “H urry u p ”. I deliberately sa t down out of view and counted to
thirty before picking up my jack et an d bag a n d heading tow ards the
car, locking the front door behind me.
“Sorry, V anessa!” Helen called. “J u s tin ju st, w ouldn’t get ready for
school th is m orning .” If Helen’s excuses werfe to be believed, then
J u s tin w as the m ost difficult child im aginable. He also seem ed to be
th e u n iu ck iest, having suffered from half a dozen different m inor ill-
n esse s in th e last m onth alone. It w as strange th a t he never seemed to
have any problem s on m ornings w hen it w as my tu rn to drive.
“Never m ind,” 1 replied, fastening my se at belt. “We should be okay.”
Helen set off an d we joined th e ru sh h o u r traffic.
“Did you read th e rep o rt?” she ask ed me after a m inute a n d I nod-
ded. “W hat did you th in k ?”
I h a d been expecting the question, b u t still I h esitated for a m om ent.
I co u ld n ’t say w hat I really thought, w hich w as th a t Helen would be
lucky to keep h e r job b ecause the repo rt was very critical of h er de-
p artm en t. Helen glanced a t me.
“I know ,” she said. “It’s bad, is n ’t it? I knew th a t Peterson w as o u t to
get m e.”
Carl P eterson w as th e a rea m anager. The repo rt w as the re su lt of a
m onth-long stud y of the.com pany an d we h ad all been ask e d to read it
over th e w eekend. I u nd ersto o d why Helen d id n ’t get on w ith him . Both
were determ ined to get to the top in the.com pany. The difference was
th a t w here Helen h ad no idea how to deal w ith oth er people a n d sp ent
h e r time finding ways of avoiding blam e, Carl w as a talented m anager.
“I’m su re th a t’s not th e case,” I said. “H e’s j u s t doing his jo b .”
H elen’s lips tightened. “Hmm,” she said. After a m om ent, she co ntin-
ued. “Look. I know I’m not perfect, b u t it’s not my fault. I ...”
J u s t a t th a t m om ent, a young child on a bicycle pulled o u t into the
road in front of us. I sh o uted "Look out!” and Helen slam m ed on the
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
167
brakes and tu rn e d the wheel quickly. There w as a cru n ch of m etal as
we hit th e back of the car in front, which had stopped a t the traffic
lights. The boy glanced over h is shoulder before quickly pedalling off.
Steam began to rise from u n d er the bonnet. Helen hit the steering
wheel in anger an d frustration. “You okay?” I asked.
“Yes, fine,” she replied, and then I saw h er expression change from
anger to shock and she let h er head fall forward onto the wheel. I fol-
lowed where she had been looking and. saw w hat she h ad seen. The
driver of the other ca r had got o ut a n d w as stand in g by the car, looking
at u s with a fixed expression. It was Carl Peterson.
GLOSSARY
- excuse cái cớ - area manager giám ñốc khu vực
- to take it in turns to do sth thay - sb's lips tightened môi mím chặt lại/
phiên nhau iàm gì mím chặt môi lại
- stress reduction sự giảm bớt stress - to slam on the brakes ñạp mạnh chân
- gossip chuyện ngồi lê ñôi mách, chuyên phanh
buôn dưa lê, chuyện tầm phào - crunch tiếng kêu lạo xạo
- car horn cái còi xe ô-tô - to pedal off ñạp xe ñi mất
- deliberately (adv) một cách cố ý - steam hơi nước
- jacket áo khoác - bonnet nắp máy ô-tô
- to bé critical of sb (adj) tỏ ra phê - frustration cảm giác thất vọng/ chán
phán/ chi trích ai chường
- to be out to get sb quyết tâm hại ai/
hạ uy tín cùa ai
72
“C ongratulations, Angela! You’ve won the car, youVe won the holi-
day for two in the C aribbean, an d now y ou ’re throug h to the final for a
chance to win one million pounds!”
Angela w as su re th a t even the scream ing an d clapping of the a u d i-
ence w ouldn’t be able to drown ou t the sound of h er beating heart. She
co uld n ’t believe it - the first tim e sh e ’d ever tak en p art in a gam e show
and here she w as in a potentially life-changing situation.
“Stay calm ,” she th o ugh t to herself. “Don’t lose control now.*’
“Okay, Angela,” said Bob, the presenter. “Now, skill h a s got you this
far but, a s you know, th e re ’s always a n elem ent of chance in the final
and th is week is no exception.” Angela nodded. She’d never m issed an
episode a n d knew w hat every round entailed. “So let’s have a look at
how you could win one million pounds!”
A brightly-coloured board descended from the ceiling of the studio.
On the board were three large doors. “Angela, behind one of these
doors is one million pounds. Pick the right one, and you’re going hom e
today a millionaire. Pick the wrong one and yo u’re going hom e with...
“The audience d id n ’t h esitate to complete Bob’s catch p h rase for him:
ju s t your b u s fare!” Even Angela m outhed it, she.knew it so well.
“T h at’s right! And we-don’t w ant th at, do we? So pick a door, Angela,
and m ay luck be w ith you!” Angela th o u g h t carefully before answering.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
169
“The m iddle 'ñoố.E'’p.leạổès,3ỡbi_” .sh è.said'.finally. “The m iddle door!” re-
peated Bob: '“Ọ kạyí Eiut^efore.we.-laaye'&.'io0k, I’m gbing to open a door
th a t you were ÌỊìịàse-àòt-'toỊcjb.ọpáe. 'Ệfe.ojensed .the .door on th e far left,
revealing a ••piètựre bus' ticket. The; :audience cheered. Angela’s
h e a rt starte d beating faster^’ _ '
“Now, Angela,” said ;Bob: ' <<We’re.''going: 't0'be nice to. you. You’ve got
an o th er choice to-.naake. ;Yoụ. can eith er stick'w ith your original choice -
th e m iddle':doọrT.^Qr.you-can: change your-, decision atiid .opt-for the door
ÒĨ1 the right-hand.'side^.W-hat’s it to' be?”- \
As,a m ath em atician , Angela had côme ácro ss the 'very sam e problem
at university. "Now, here she was, facing it in real life. She couldn't b e-
lieve her luck. S he knew w hat not m any people know, a fact th a t
seem ed to contradict all reason an d com m on sense. She did the m a th s
in h e r head one m ore tim e ju s t to m ake su re she w a sn ’t m istaken. She
w a sn ’t. W hen s h e ’d picked the first door, she had a one in th re e chance
of being rig h t Looking a t it the o ther way round, she h a d a two in three
chance of being wrong. Those were not good odds. B ut one of th e wrong
doors h ad now been elim inated, so if she changed h er choice to the
other possibility, she would double h er ch ances of being right, of w in-
ning the million. It seem ed im possible, b u t she knew it w as tru e. “W hat
are you going to do Angela? Stick w ith your original choice or sw itch-to
the o ther door?” “Bob, I’d like to switch, please.”
“Angela’s going to switch!- Let’s get th is right, Angela. You now be-
lieve - you now hope - the million pounds is behind the rig h t-hand
door. Is th a t correct?”
“The right-hand door, yes,” said Angela weakly.
“Not th e m iddle door?”
“No, not the m iddle door.”
“W hat are you going to do if it is actually behind the m iddle door?”
asked Bob. “Cry, probably!” said Angela. The audience laughed, “I’m
going to open the door you chose, Angela - the rig h t-h an d door. Let’s
hope th ere isn ’t a b u s ticket behind it. Here we go!”
Time seem ed to stan d still as Bob ou tstretch ed his arm an d began to
open the door. Angela had never known a feeling like this. S urrou nd ed
by so m any people, sh e felt like the only person in th e universe. Here
w as th e m om ent of tru th , an d she w as not su re she could face the con-
sequences, w hatever they were.
1. W hen she got th roug h to the final, Angela co uldn ’t believe t h a t ___
A. h er h ea rt w as beating so loudly.
B. sh e ’d never taken p art in a gam e show before.
c . the audience were supporting her so m uch.
D. h er life m ight be abo ut to change completely.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. The p resen ter tells Angela th at
A. she will need som e luck to win th e money.
B; he w on’t m ake an exception for her.
c. h e r skill will increase the chances of her winning.
D. th ere is a sm all chance her skills will be useful.
3. W hen the p resen ter d oesn’t finish a sentence, it’s clear th a t
A. the audience h as already been told w hat to say.
B. the p resenter is u n su re exactly w hat to say.
c. the p resen ter is well known for saying som ething.
D. Angela had to complete a well-known saying.
4. W hen the p resen ter opens th e first door,
A. he knows th a t Angela h a s won the money.
B. he d oesn’t know which door the money is behind,
c. he knows which door th e m oney is behind.
D. he th in k s she h a s m ade a bad choice.
5. Angela “couldn’t believe h er luck” t h a t _____
A. h er education would help h e r w ith this decision.
B. the p resen ter w as giving her an extra chance,
c. s h e ’d been in the sam e situation at university.
D. she knew far m ore facts th a n m ost people.
6 . Angela was absolutely certain t h a t _____
A. the m oney w as behind the right-hand door.
B. she could increase h er chances of winning,
c. she h a d an im possible decision to m ake.
D. she had to analyse the problem in a different way.
7. As Bob began to open the right-hand door, Angela fe lt.
A. there were too m any people aro u n d her.
B. knowing the tru th was the m ost im portant thing,
c. worried by w hat the future would bring.
D. annoyed by Bob being so slow.
GLOSARY
- dapping sự/ tiếng vỗ tay - to mouth sth nói ra ñiều gì- to opt for
- to drown out a sound át ñi/ nhấn sth chọn lụầ cái gỉ
chìm một âm thanh - mathematician nhà toán học
- life-changing situation tình huống - reason lí trí
ñem lại sự ñổi ñời - one in three chance một phần ba cơ
- presenter người dẫn chương ừình
- element of chance nhân tố may rủi may
- episode một kì phát sóng, một chương/ - the other way round theo hướng
hồi/ tập (truyện/ phim) ngược lại, ñảo íại
- to entaii sth kểo theo/ dẫn ñưa ñến - odds tỉ lệ ñặt cược
ñiều gì - to eliminate loại trừ
- catch phrase khẩu hiệu, câu nói cửa - to outstretch one's arm vươn cánh
miệng, câu nói quen thuộc tay ra
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
171
73 .. ; ;■ . ■
Things^weren’t ••Woỉlaạg:-ọụt-.qtóe;;ạạ;Ls^lọ::had- ;éi£peọte<Ị. He’d been
in London ■foiv six: m onth's now arid:, all :hỉs. early optim ism h a d alm ost
disappeared: None of thè: galleries were interested in his paintings and
he w as tired of carrying the sam e p ictures from one b uy er to th e next.
The respon se w as always the sam e: a shake of the head, som e com -
m ent ab o ut p o rtra its not being fashionable th ese days an d a suggestion
to try som ewhere else, usually som ewhere he h ad already tried. He w as
beginning to lose hope an d w as thinking of going back hom e. It would
be difficult, an d he would have to face his p are n ts saying “I told you
so”, b u t at least he could find a steady job.
He was sitting on a bench in a p ark one day considering th is w hen
he noticed a new spaper beside him . He glanced a t it an d th e word “a r t-
ist” caught his eye. He picked the paper u p and read m ore closely. It
w as a job advertisem ent. An advertising com pany w as looking for a
portrait artist to work on a new advertising cam paign. Lazio ripped the
advertisem ent out of the paper and started to look for a public phone.
“I won’t be able to choose my sub jects,” Lazio thought to him self, “b u t
a t least 111 be able to pay the rent, an d th a t’s a bit m ore im p o rtan t right
now.” He spotted a phone, p u t a few coins in an d dialled. After a few
m om ents, a female voice answ ered. Lazio explained who he w as and
th a t he w as applying for the job; They arranged for him to go to their
office the next day with some of his work. He w ent hom e excited and
nervous.
T h at night, h e chose th ree paintings from th e dozens in h is flat th a t
he tho ught show ed w hat he w as capable of. He selected a self-portrait
he h ad done a few years before; he th oug ht it showed a thoughtful side
to his work. He also chose a p ortrait of an old m an th a t he h ad m et in a
cafe. It w as simple b u t clear, an d Lazio thoug ht th a t m aybe th a t w as
the style they would w ant for an advertising campaign. The th ird one
was a painting of h is m other. It had always seem ed to him th a t th a t
picture ca ptured a lot of feeling th a t w as difficult to p u t into words. A
lot of people th o u g h t it w as the best p ortrait he h ad ever done, an d
Lazio knew th a t if anythin g w as going to im press them , th a t painting
would.
The next m orning, he woke early an d got ready. He rolled th e pic-
tu res up, placed them in a large tube so th a t they w ouldn’t get d am -
aged a n d set off towards the b u s stop. There w as a lot of traffic, b u t he
arrived on time. W hen he got to the office, he saw th a t an o th er four
people were waiting, each with a large tube of paintings ju s t like his.
The secretary asked him to take a seat.
172 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Lazio sa t and waited for his nam e to be called. He knew th a t a lot
depended on the next half an h ou r or so. With a job, he could begin to
sort out his life, m aybe doing his a rt in his spare time. He knew he
would never com pletely give up on his dream , b u t he h ad also come to
realise th a t he had to live in the real world, an d talent d o esn ’t pay bills.
W ithout a job, he w ouldn’t survive the m onth; he had ju s t about
enough for the ticket hom e. The secretary picked u p the phone and had
a short, quiet conversation. She turned to Lazio.
“You can go in now,” she said, smiling.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
173
7.' O ne-of^he-things Lazlp’s ^ p 'e rie n c e h a s t a u g h t . _____
..A. h e n eeds money to .live.. .. . . :
• B. :a rt is m ore im p ortant th a n money.
G. following'your dream is a w aste of time.
D. he has-n o artistic talent.
GLOSSARY
- Optimism sự iạc quan - nervous (adj) hồi hộp
- advertising company công tiquảng - self-portrait bức chân dungtự họa
cáo - to roll sth up cuộn tròn cái gì lại
- advertising campaign chiến dịch - tube cái ống
quảng cáo - to sort sth out chình ñốn, thu xếp lại
- to rip xé rách cho ngăn nắp
- to spot phát hiện - artistic (adj) thuộc nghệ thuật, có năng
- to dial quay số gọi ñiện thoại khiếu nghệ thuật
74
Sean h a d never felt so nervous before in his life. S itting alone o u t-
side th e closed door, he suddenly realised h e w as physically shaking.
“This is rid iculou s,” he th o u g h t to himself. “Pull yourself together.
You’ve got to stay calm .”
This w as easier said th a n done, an d w hen a m iddle-aged w om an in
a sm art b u sin e ss su it opened the door an d asked, “S ean P erkins?”,
there w as a definite trem or of fear a n d w eakness in his voice as he a n -
swered th a t th a t w as indeed him.
“Hello, I'm Katie S uth erland . Do come in.”
Sean w as invited into a com fortable an d sp acious office. The w alk
from the door to the chair he w as to sit on seem ed to la st a lifetime,
an d Sean w as terrified w ith each step th a t h e ’d suddenly trip or stu m -
ble. How could som ething so sim ple -as walking a n d sitting down be so
difficult?
As th e interview progressed, however, S ean slowly began to relax. If
h e ’d ha d tim e to th in k ab o u t it, he would have realised h e w as an sw er-
ing th e qu estion s p u t to him quite well. He w as giving clear, full a n -
sw ers w ithout saying too m uch or anything irrelevant. Then cam e a
question w hich, a t first, he w as u n ce rtain how to answ er.
“So, tell me, why do you w ant to leave your c u rre n t job?”
S ean hesitated. Should he tell h er the tru th ? This w as, of course,
th a t he d id n ’t feel respected. His boss, Air Dominguez, took him for
granted, overworked him , was often rude, patron ising an d u n p le a sa n t
and m ade him dread going in to work each m orning. S ean decided a
more positive respo n se w as called for.
174 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
“Well,” he said, “I’ve been w ith Brookes B rothers for over four years
now, and altho ug h I've learned a lot there, an d I’m very grateful for the
opportu nities they Ve given me, I th in k it’s tim e for so m e new ch al-
lenges, a n d th is seem s th e ideal com pany to provide them . From w hat
IVe seen, Fisher & F isher is a n extremely dynam ic com pany, an d I’d
* like to be a p a rt of th a t. I really th in k I could help co n tribu te to the
com pany’s future su cc ess.”
S ean w as pleased w ith h is answ er an d knew h e ’d been right no t to
criticise his c u rre n t employer. From Katie S u th e rlan d ’s expression, it
seem ed she w as satisfied with h is answ er too. Her next question
prom pted Sean to smile. “W hat would you say w ere'your biggest w eak-
n esses, S ean ?”
He’d th o u g h t he m ight be asked this, and so h a d already rehearsed
an answ er. He d id n ’t w ant it to sound rehearsed, though, so he p u r-
posefully h esitated slightly before answ ering. “T h at’s a tricky question,
isn ’t it?” h e said. “In fact, I think we both know it’s a bit of a triek q u es-
tion too, b ecause if I give a list of serious w eaknesses, you w on’t th in k
Pm suitable for the job, an d if I say I h aven’t got any, y o u ’ll th in k I’m
arro g an t a n d over-confident. So, in answ er to your question, I’d have to
say th a t one of my biggest w eaknesses is not being able to talk ab o ut
m yself in too negative a light, even w hen I know I’m n o t perfect. For any
o th er w eak nesses Ifve got, you m ight be b etter off asking my cu rre n t
em ployer, Mr Dom inguez.”
His an sw er w as a risk, b u t he knew th a t if he said it in a fairly light-
h earted m an ner, h e could probably get away with it. From Katie’s re -
sponse, it w as clear th a t he had. “Yes,” she said, “it is a bit of a silly
q u e s tio n , is n 't it? Y o u’d be a m a z e d w h a t so m e p eo p le s a y w h e n I a s k it,
though. It can tell me a lot. I’m glad you d id n ’t fall into th a t trap .”
This w as th e first clearly positive com m ent th a t Katie h ad m ade on
h is interview so far, a n d filled Sean both w ith joy a n d hope. P erhap s he
really was in with a cha n ce of getting this job. P erhaps he w ould be
able to p u t Mr Dom inguez an d Brookes B rothers behind him once and
for all.
GLOSSARY
- to pull oneself together tỏ ra binh - to rehearse diễn tập, tập trước
tĩnh, trấn tĩnh - purposefully (añv) cố tình, cố ý
- business suit bộ ñồng phục công sở - to hesitate do dự, chần chừ, lưỡng lự
- tremor of fear sự run rầy vì sợ - a tricky question một câu hòi [ẫt léo
- spacious (adj) rộng mênh mông - a trick question một câu hỏi ñánh bẫy
- to trip bưởc hụt chân - arrogant (adj) kiêu ngạo
- to stumble ñi lảo ñảo, vấp té. - over-confident (adj) quá tự tin
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- to progress diễn biến, tiến hành - to be better off doing sth nên làm gì
- irrelevant (adj) không thích hỢp ñó thì tốt hơn
- to take sb for granted xem thưồng ai - risk sự liều lĩnh
- to overwork sb bắt ai làm việc quá sức - light-hearted (adj) với vẻ ung ñung,
- patronising (adj) ra vẻ bề trên/ kẻ cà thư thái
- dynamic (ădj) nang ñộng - trap cái bẫy
- to criticise chỉ trích - to deserve sth xứng ñáng với cái gì
- to prompt sb to do sth thúc giục ai - to trick lừa phình
làm gỉ
75
The ticket inspector hand ed the ticket back to D ora w ith a nod of his
head an d con tinued on his way down the train. He w as a handsom e
young m an, D ora tho ught, an d he rem inded h er a little of h e r h u sb a n d
w hen he h a d been the sam e age. She smiled a little a t the th o u gh t as
she w atched the countryside roll p ast the window of the train. She was
now eighty-four an d although she regularly forgot things th a t other
people found so easy to rem em ber, like where she h ad p u t h er glasses,
th a t M arch day w hen she and Ralph had got m arried stood out clearly ■
in h er mind. They h a d n ’t known each other long, an d relatives had
tried to advise Dora against it, b u t they h ad both known th a t it w as the
right thin g to do. They quickly found a house to buy an d the wedding
w as organised in a couple of days. Dora w as grateful for the forty happy
years, they h ad had together.
The sou nd of som eone sniffing brought D ora’s atten tion back to her
surroundings. Sitting opposite h er in the carriage w as a w om an, who
Dora estim ated to be in h er early thirties. She looked u p at Dora, who
realised th a t the w om an would welcome conversation. Dora pulled a
tissu e from h er bag an d passed it over. •
“W hat’s h is nam e?” D ora asked with a friendly smile. The wom an
wiped h er eyes w ith th e tissue.
“Michael. He’s ju s t got a new job ...” the w om an began, th en laughed
a little. “How did you know ?”
“I w a sn ’t always old, you know,” Dora said and.looked m ore closely
at the wom an. She w as sm artly dressed, although h e r clothes w eren't
new. Clearly she h ad h a d money in the p a st b u t now couldn’t afford
luxuries. Dora noticed th a t she had brought h er own sandw iches on
the journey, ra th e r th a n spend money on the train. She h a d the air of
som eone who is educated b u t who h as never h a d m u ch lu ck at tu rn in g
th a t education into money. Dora knew w hat it w as like to keep up a p -
pearances on a sm all income and h er h ea rt w ent out to h e r fellow trav-
eller.
“Tell m e ab o u t it,” she said. For the next half an hour, the wom an,
HOCTIENGANH.INFO ₩ 177
whose-.name,j»tprtìếỊ;^fe4ợj£e-.SanaỂa,- told h er story-: D ora.listened. The
details of .thè -ỊèlatịonẨĩốpýéscape^ỊnDệr "ag&cfc'-Sandra -m entioned people
w ithout 'explaimrig -it'w asn't Im portant.
; S a n d ra ’^^r^ cfeo k m g ^ ^ ^so liitib ias^ ^ frc^i^D o ra. T he ònly th in g th a t
; m attered w as;th a t she gave- sandra" a shoulder to cry o n a iid a sym pa-
thetic ear. She nodded in- .all the .right places an d by th e tim e the train
pulled in at' the next;.; station, S andra seem ed a lo t'h a p p ier. S an d ra
looked u p an d cried, “Oh, th is is my stop!" She grabbed h e r bags,
th anked Dora for listening and hu rried off the train.
Dora sa t back an d closed her eyes. A feeling of sad n ess cam e over
her for a m om ent. Listening to S andra talk h ad been w hat sh e im ag-
ined being a grandm oth er w as like. It would have been nice to have h ad
children an d w atch their children grow up. still, it w a sn ’t to be an d she
and Ralph h ad sp en t m any happy years travelling the world. She
opened h er eyes "and looked out onto the platform a s the train pulled
away. S an d ra w as looking up a t the train window an d w aving-at her.
Dora waved back and smiled, w atching over h er shoulder as th e train
station got sm aller and sm aller. She tu rn ed back to see a teenage girl
standing beside h er seat. She had a su itcase in one h an d an d the
m ake-up arou n d her eyes had ru n as if she had been crying. She
looked exhausted.
“Excuse m e,” she said in a quiet voice. “Is anyone sitting here?” She
pointed to th e seat w here ố a n d ra h ad been sitting.
“No, my dear. Sit dow n,” said Dora, and began to reach into h er bag
for a tissue. It’s going to be one of those days, she th o u g h t to herself.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. The young w om an seem s t o _____
A. be poorer th a n she once was.
B. like only hom e-m ade food,
c. have problem s finding a job.
D. be careless about h er clothes.
5. While S an d ra talks ab o u t h er life, D o ra _____
A. gives h er some useful advice.
B. tries to focus on the im portant details,
c. ask s h er to explain things more clearly.
D. ac ts a s if she u n d ersta n d s everything.
6 . W hen S an dra leaves, Dora feels -unhappy for a m om ent because she
GLOSARY
- ticket inspector người soát vé - luxuries những món ñồ xa xi
- to sniff hít vào, sụt sịt, thút thít - to keep up appearances cố giữ bề
- surroundings khung cảnh chung ngoài tươm tất ñể khòi mất thể diện
quanh (dù ít tiền)
- carriage toa xe lửa - one's heart goes out to sb thương
-tissu e khăn giấy xót ai
- to be smartly dressed an mặc [ịch sự - to grab chụp lấy, nắm chặt
76
“I w ant everyone to be absolutely clear how seriously I’m taking
th is,” said Mrs Lowry. The twelve children stared a t h er silently an d in -
tently, their frightened expressions dem onstrating th a t they did indeed
recognise th e gravity of the situation.
“We will no t tolerate stealing in this school. It’s quite simple. Who-
ever h a s tak en J u lie ’s p u rse m u st retu rn it to m e during ’the lunch
break. If you do th at, we w on’t say anything more ab o u t it. I s h a n ’t
p u n ish you, an d I w on't tell the head teacher or your parents. B ut if
Ju lie ’s p u rse h a s n ’t been retu rn ed by the end of lunch, then I’m afraid
111 have no choice b u t to go to Mr Jen k in s, and you know w hat h e’ll do.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
179
' There’s á SfchoóV;pólicỹ ..for situ ation s Like this and th e re’s no getting out
: of it. Thait’s rig h t'- h e ’ll: bring.the poHce.ifi. .Tl^eyTi com e .this afternoon,
an d th ey ’ll interview yoụ all. Thev.il; find’ o ut who took the p urse, I’m
sure of. it, • wKqevecfit;Ịs ‘wUl beim'. very,. ,yery^ seripus -trouble. So,
please; for you r own' goody if you took J u lie ’s;p u rse , bring it to m e d u r-
ing the lu nch break.. Ill be in here, on. my own, the whole tim e. Does
everyone u n d ersta n d ? ”
“Yes, Mrs Lowry,” said th e group of nine-year-olds in chorus.
Lunch break cam e and w ent w ith no one h an d in g in the p u rse to
Mrs Lowry.
‘T h is is a great sh am e,” said Mrs Lowry sadly. “Before I go a n d talk
to Mr Jen k in s, I’m ju s t going to ask you, Julie, one m ore time: are you
absolutely one hu n d red p er cent sure you brought your p u rse to school
this m orning?”
“Yes, Mrs Lowry.”
“And when did you last see it?”
“D uring the break, at eleven o ’clock. J u s t a s I told you. I took o u t a
pound coin to go an d buy a can of Coke: W hen I cam e back w ith the
change, it had gone.”
“And Elizabeth, you saw Ju lie take the pound coin o u t of h e r pu rse,
did you?” “Yes, Mrs Lowry,” said the girl sitting next to Julie. “J u lie ’s
telling the tru th . We w ent to the d rinks m achine together an d w hen we
cam e back, J u lie ’s p u rse wasn't, in h er bag anym ore. T h a t’s w hen we
cam e to find you.”
“Ill a sk you all one m ore time. Does anyone know an y th in g ab o u t
th e w h ereabouts of J u lie ’s p u rse?” There w as absolute silence in the
classroom . “Then I shall go and get Mr Je n k in s now.”
Mrs Lowry h ad already opened the door a n d stepped into th e corri-
dor w hen a voice shouted: “Mrs Lowry!”
She im m ediately tu rn ed an d cam e back into the room. “W hat is it?”
she asked.
David, sitting right at the back of the class, w as pointing excitedly a t
the radiato r on th e wall next to him. “Look, Mrs Lowry! B ehind the r a -
diator! I th in k it's Ju lie ’s purse!”
There did seem to be som ething colourful behind the radiator. Mrs
Lowry ra n to the wall, bent down and picked it up. “Is th is your p urse,
Ju lie ?” “Yes!” said Julie.
“Rem ind me how m uch w as in it.” “A five-pound note.”
Mrs Lowry opened th e purse. “T hank goodness for t h a t s h e said.
“Ju lie, here you are. David, I’d like to talk to you outside, please. The
re st of you ju s t sit quietly until I re tu rn .”
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180
"~” TVirs~T0wry'ancf X)avia”stoocf silently outside the ñõõrT~S’hẽ~looked"at
him sadly. “I’m waiting, David,” she said eventually. “W hat for, Mrs
Lowry?” “For an-explanation.”
“W hat do you m ean?” Tears were already beginning to well u p in his
eyes.
“I’m not stupid, David. Don’t think I am. I w ant you to tell me ex-
actly w hat you did an d why you did it. If you do th a t, it 11 go no further,
I prom ise.”
“I d id n ’t do anything! I saw the purse an d I called you in.”
“I d o n’t thin k y ou r p aren ts are going to believe th a t,'a re they? t)o
you w ant them to know you’re a thief?”
“I’m not a thief! I’m not!” He wiped his eyes w ith his sleeve. "How can
I m ake you believe m e?”
GLOSSARY
- gravity 1) trọng [ực 2) sự trầm trọng/ - change tiền thối [ại
nghiêm trọng - drinks machine máy bán thức uống
- to tolerate chỉap nhận, dung thứ - whereabouts tung tích, những nơi ai
- purse ví nhò cầm tay ñỏ ñã ghé qua
- iunch break giờ nghỉ ñế ăn trite - corridor hành íang
- head teach er ông hiệu trưởng - excitediy (adv) với vè phấn khích, sôi
- policy chính sách nổi
- to say in chorus cùng nhau nói, nói - radiator máy sưởi
ñồng thanh - tears well up ỉn sb's eyes ai ñó ñang
- shame sự xấu hổ, ñiều ñáng tiếc ứa nước mắt
- a pound coin ñồng tiền mệnh glá 1 - sleeve tay áo
bảng Anh - to confess to the crime thú nhận ñã
- a can of Coke một lon Coca-Cola phạm tội
77
The first time I saw Ben w as w hen his family moved in next door. It
w as a hot, su nn y day an d we’d heard th a t the new neighbours were a r-
riving th a t day. O ur old neighbours, the Sharpes, h ad moved out a
couple of m onths before and, to be honest, we h ad not been sorry to
see them go. They were an argum entative couple and once a m onth
there would be one or other of them a t the door, going on ab o u t noise,
or our cat, or w here Dad parked his car. We were all hoping th a t w ho-
ever moved in next w ould m ake a bit m ore of an effort to get on.
T hat m orning, Mum and Dad were both busy on various projects of
th eir own. W ith Mum, it was her ongoing attem p t to tu rn herself into
her idea of a traditional housewife, a t least for a weekend. She w as go-
ing through a baking phase so she spent h o u rs in the kitchen m aking
biscuits th a t were either too h ard or too sweet for even my young taste.
She h ad a successful career as a lawyer so she didn’t take h er dom estic
failure too badly. Dad w as decorating one of the bedroom s. I w as cy-
cling u p and down the street, looking for the removal van every tim e I
reached the co m er and tu rn ed back. I w anted to be th e first to see it so
182 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
th a t I could th en be the one to d ash inside w ith th e news. Finally, a
large green van w ith the words “B axter’s Removals” in gold lettering on
the side tu rn e d into ou r street, followed by a blue car. I c a n ’t say th a t
th a t w as th e m om ent w hen I first saw Ben, although I suppose I regis-
tered th a t there were people in the car. I was too b usy dropping my bi-
cycle by the side of the road and ru n n in g into th e house shouting,
‘T h ey ’re here! They’re here!”
Mum wiped her h an d s on a towel an d said, “Yes, Katy. Let them set-
tle in, though. W ell give them a few h o u rs before we s ta rt bothering
them , shall we?” I felt disappointed th a t h er reaction w a sn ’t m ore like
my own. I ra n back outside an d down ou r garden p ath to the front
gate. I stood on the gate, watching. By this time, the removal van an d
the car had both pulled up next door and two large w orkm en h ad be-
gun to open u p the back of the V ein. Inside were neatly packed item s of
furniture. The family had also got out of th e car and were looking up a t
the house a s if they’d never seen it before, although Dad said h e ’d seen
them looking round w hen they were thinking of buying it. The m an was
tall and dark-skinned, while the w om an w as very beautiful an d looked
younger th a n my own m um . They were clearly .enjoying the m om ent of
arriving a t a new place. A boy of about my own age stood between
them , looking a t me. He d id n ’t smile.
They unlocked the door and w ent inside, the w orkm en following with
the first of th eir belongings. I w atched for a while a s they cam e back
and forth w ith boxes, banging them down noisily, occasionally pointing
to tell each oth er where to p u t things. I had an odd feeling of being
w atched and som ething m ade me look up. At one of the windows stood
the boy, looking down a t me. I smiled and he disappeared into the
room. I had h ad su ch high hopes, and now it seem ed th a t it w as going
to take a lot of h ard work to m ake friends. I sighed an d w atched the
w orkm en a little longer. J u s t a s I w as thinking of going inside to see
how Dad w as getting on, I heard a sm all voice behind me.
“I’m Ben. Hello.”
I tu rn ed to see the boy standing behind me.
GLOSSARY
- argumentative (adj) (người) có tính - to register ghi nhận, nhìn thầy
hay tranh cãi, hay gây gổ - to settle in ổn ñịnh sau khi ñến nơi ở
- to go on about nói ñen, lải nhải về, ca mới
cẩm về - to puii up (xe) ñỗ lại, dừng lại
- ongoing (adj) ñang tiến triển - to be neatly packed ñược gói ghém
- to go through a phase ñang trải qua gọn gàng
giai ñoạn - belongings tải sản/ dồ ñạc cá nhân
- baking sự làm bánh - back and forth (adv) tôi lui, qua [ại
- removal van xe của dịch vụ dọn nhà - to bang sth down thả phịch cái gi
- to dash phóng chạy thật nhanh xuống
- lettering dòng chữ ghi - to sigh thở dài
184 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
78
Although Ju lie had been with Mrs W orthington ju s t three days, she
h ad already learnt th a t her boss w as the kind of person one h ad to be
careful with. Her changes of mood could be rapid, she definitely did not
tolerate failure, laziness or poor work an d she firmly believed th a t eve-
ryone’s highest priority should be their work for the com pany. Ju lie
w as enjoying h e r job a s Mrs W orthington’s personal secretary, b u t she
knew th a t today would be tough.
For several days, Ju lie had been experiencing toothache. At first, it
w as merely a m inor annoyance th a t could be ignored. “It’ll probably go
away by itself,” Ju lie told herself. “If not, 111 see the d entist w hen I’m
m ore settled here a t work. It’s not that-u rg ent.”
It d id n ’t disappear, however, and after an extremely uncom fortable
night, Julie awoke to severe dental pain. “T hat’s ju s t w hat I need,” she
said to herself. “Maybe I can get a d en tist’s appointm ent for this eve-
ning, after w ork.”
. Ju lie called the dentist's. “I’m afraid the only tim e th e dentist has
available today is a t 3.30 pm this afternoon,” said th e receptionist.
Julie h ad to m ake an im m ediate decision. “I’ll take it,” she said.
The question was, how was Mrs W orthington going to react? Would
she say, “Of course you can leave early, Julie. In fact, leave a t lunchtim e
and don’t come back until you're completely better,”? Julie knew a far
more likely response would be som ething along the lines of: “Well, that
really is m ost inconvenient. Couldn’t you have arranged to see the den-
tist in your own time? You have to think about the com pany as well, you
know. We c a n ’t all take time off whenever we feel like it. We’d never get
any work done if we all spent the day running around seeing doctors and
dentists. C an't you change the time of your appointm ent?”
The pain w as increasing in intensity, though, and Julie knew she
h ad to see a d en tist today. If the only solution w as to leave work early
an d face Mrs W orthington’s displeasure, th en so be it.
“H ere’s your coffee, Mrs W orthington,” said Julie, as she went into
h er b o ss’s office for the first time th a t morning.
“T hank you, Ju lie,” said Mrs W orthington, w ithout looking up.
“Don’t forget I need those reports typed up by three o’clock at the lat-
est. I’ve got a m eeting with Mr Price this afternoon.” “Yes, Mrs Wor-
thington. IVe nearly finished them . Uram ... Sorry, Mrs W orthington,
b u t I wonder if I could ask you som ething. It’s quite im portant.”
“W hat is it, Ju lie? ” She looked up from the docum ents sh e ’d been
studying, an d w ithout giving Julie a chance to reply, said: “Oh my
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
185
goodness! What^s.;happ.ene'd:ito yo u r'face? It’s all swollen on one side.
Are you all r i g h ^ . _••• I" ’
“I’ve got reálỉy;bạd -tootftaetteV-M^ I. called the den tist
an d triẹd to mạ&ể;aii: a p p o m ti^ b u t the.only tim e he
can see me- is a t;h a lf p a st -’th ree; an d I. know::th a t w ould m ean leaving
.early- b u t I :d0n ‐1 Mriow. w hat else .....
■ “StopJ’* said .Mrs W orthington. “I quite u n d ersta n d . T hese things
have to be-dealt'w ith, or they only get worse, d o n’t they? Get it sorted
but, a s quickly as possible.”
'• “T hank you, M rs W orthington.”
“Do you th in k you can w ork this m orning, Ju lie? If you c a n ’t, tell me
and w ell find a solution. If you can, ju s t finish those reports a s quickly
as you can an d th en go home. Have you taken anything for it, by th e
way?”
“No, I h av en’t. I th in k Vd better wait as the d en tist will probably have
to give me an an aesthetic and you have to be a bit careful, d o n ’t you?
But, yes. I can definitely stay and finish the reports. It’s not th a t b ad .”
“Well, it looks bad enough. I do appreciate it, Julie. I really do.”
As Ju lie re tu rn ed to h er desk, she w ondered if she h a d n ’t m isjudged
Mrs W orthington. “I couldn’t have asked for a m ore u n d ersta n d in g per-
son to work for - this m orning, at least,” she said to herself, an d
smiled, despite the pain.
186 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
B. talking to Mr Price,
c. typing som e reports.
D. looking a t som e docum ents.
5. Mrs W orthington in terru p ts Ju lie to _____
A. give h er perm ission to see the dentist.
B. tell h er to leave the building immediately,
c . express h er displeasure a t w hat she said.
D. find out some m ore inform ation from her. -
6 . Mrs W orthington ask s Ju lie w hether s h e _____
A. can thin k of a solution to the problem.
B. h a s taken an y m edicine for th e pain,
c . .has already finished typing the reports.
D. can tell h e r w hat work h a s to be done.
7. W hen Ju lie leaves Mrs W orthington's office, s h e _____
A. feels th a t she h a d n ’t m isjudged Mrs W orthington after all.
B. w onders why sh e’d m isjudged Mrs W orthington so badly,
c. recognises some goốñ qualities'in Mrs W orthington.
D. w ishes Mrs W orthington had been more u nderstanding.
GLOSSARY
- a change of mood sự thay ñổi tâm - then so be it thì cũng ñành vậy/ ñành
trạng phải như thế thôi
- tough (adj) gay go, khồ khăn, gian nan - swollen (adj) sưng vù lên
- annoyance sự bực mình - to get sth sorted out giải quyẽt ổn
- urgent (adj) khẩn cấp. thỏa việc gỉ
- intensity cường ñộ - anaesthetic thuốc mê
- displeasure sự không hài lòng - to misjudge ñánh giá sai, phán xét sai
79
The plane circled a n d the pilot pointed down into the A ustralian de-
sert below. “T hat's the runw ay th ere,” he said, “next to the store.”
Nancy looked. There w as a strip of level ground next to a few wooden
buildings. It looked sm all and u n im p o rtan t in th e middle of the empty
stretch es of red earth a n d sm all b u sh es th a t stretched a s far as the eye
could see, b u t Nancy knew th a t it was a vital link to th e outside world
for the farm ers in the area. As she looked, a figure appeared a t the door
of one of the buildings and waved u p a t them . The pilot tu rn ed the
plane expertly an d they soon to.uched down on the line of h ard sand.
They cam e to a stop by the largest building and Nancy stepped out. A
wom an of perh ap s forty held o ut h er hand.
“Hi. Welcome to C arter’s Cross. I’m Shelley.” Nancy looked at her.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
187
• She w as not u nattractive, although long h o u r s in Ị h é .s u n were begin-
n in g . t o ' ta k e : th eir toll: an d she h ad a n u m b er of.vime&^ind wrinkles.
; Nancy w as surprised; tọ- see th á t her clothes were quite, fashionable, de~
• spite á bit of d u s t.• Soộiething in N ancy’s expression m u St have com -
m unicated itself to Shelley because she laughed an d said, “We’re not
quite as backw ard a s you m ight think. This is th e 2 1 st century. Come
on into the store.”
They w ent inside while th e pilot checked his plane. The store w as
well stocked w ith fanning equipm ent, tinned food an d clothes. An old
m an w as cleaning the counter. He looked up w hen they entered an d
then carried on w ith his ta sk w ithout catching .Nancy's eye. “Now, come
on, D ad,” Shelley said. “We all know how you feel ab o u t them finding
oil outside C arter’s Cross, b u t th a t’s no reaso n to be rude. This is
Nancy Edw ards, from the university.” She tu rn e d to Nancy. “He’s stu ck
in his ways. T hinks it’ll m ean the end of farm ing ro u n d here. Not su ch
a bad thing, if you ask m e.”
“Well, nobody did ask you.” It was the old m an. “My granddad
farm ed th is land, a n d so will my grandson.' I'm n o t having th is land
turn ed into a great big ugly oil refinery.” He looked a t Nancy. “And I
w on’t be bought off, eith er.”
Nancy h ad heard from h er colleagues th a t th is kind of resistan ce
ju s t disappeared w hen people realised quite w hat the find w as w orth
and they happily packed up a n d headed for th e com forts of th e n ea rest
city. She hoped this tim e would be no exception.
“I’m here to a sse ss th e environm ental im pact, Mr W illiam son,”
Nancy said. “I have no intention of building any th ing.” The old m an
looked a t h er and th e n walked to the door. He pointed out a t th e land.
“Environm ental im pact?” He shook his head. “W hat environm ent?
It’s a baking desert a n d a person's got to work h a rd to m ake a living off
sheep in a land like this. You a re n ’t going to find any endangered spe-
cies out there, and so you 11 go back and write your rep ort and the oil
com panies will move in. B ut there's one thing th a t 1 bet you d o n ’t m en -
tion in y our report. The village.” He looked o u t into the su n again.
Nancy w as a little confused. There had been no m ention of a village in
any of the inform ation she had read. “W hat village?” she asked.
“There are ten farm s th a t rely on th is store. Together, they cover an
area, of nearly 400 squ are kilom etres. And th ey ’re o u r neighbours. We
. never m iss a birthday, or a wedding, or any o th er event. You’re going to
destroy our. village.” Nancy could th in k of nothing to say. Shelley
shrugged her shoulders. Nancy w andered back to th e plane to get h er
equipm ent.
188 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1. The buildings Nancy sees from the plane a r e _____
A. sm aller th a n she expected.
B. very im portant to the local people,
c . left em pty m ost of th e time.
D. used to store farm ing equipm ent.
2. The p hrase “take their toll” in paragraph 2 m eans t h a t _____
A. the su n h as improved Shelley’s appearance.
B. Shelley enjoys spending time in the sun.
c . Nancy and Shelley both find the su n too hot.
D. the su n h a s dam aged Shelley’s skin.
3. Shelley laughs w hen she realises th a t N ancy _____
A. w asn ’t expecting her to be w earing new clothes.
B. d id n ’t know th a t there would be so m uch dust. •
c . is usin g strange expressions.
D. w ants to be invited into the building.
4. The m an ignores Nancy a t first because he doesn’t _____
A. like m eeting new people.
B. approve of w hat is happening,
c . see h er behind Shelley.
D. w ant h e r to see how u p set he is.
5. Nancy hopes th a t the old m an will change his m ind w h e n _____
A. he lea m s how comfortable the city is.
B. he sees there is no point hiding his tru e feelings,
c. he is offered enough m oney .
D. she explains how im portant the find is.
6 . Mr W illiamson believes t h a t _____
A. Nancy h a s no intention of doing h er job properly.
B. the discovery of oil th reaten s the local wildlife.
c . the oil com panies will ignore w hat Nancy tells them .
D. there is no wildlife w orth saving in the area.
7. Nancy doesn’t u n d ersta n d Mr W illiamson’s reference to “the village”
b e c a u s e _____
A. it covers a large area an d is never m arked on m aps.
B. the oil com pany d id n’t give her all the relevant inform ation,
c . h e ’s talking ab o u t relationships an d not a physical place.
D. it’s a long way from w here they are.
GLOSSARY
- to circle (chim/ máy bay) lượn vòng - farming equipment nông cụ
quanh - tinned food thực phẩm ñong hộp
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
189
- a strip of level ground một dải-ñất He's stuck in his ways :<hư khư giữ
bằng phang ' . y-- - thói quen/ quan ñierrí cùa mình
- stretch vùng (ñất/nước) .trải rộng . to farm canh tác
- to stretch as fa r as th e eye can see ~ oií-refinery nhà máy lọc dầu
trải dài ñến hết tầm mắt to be bought off bị mua chuộc bằng
- a vital link to sth mộtìiên kết quan . tiền, chịu nhận tiền bồi thường
trọng với resistance sự "kháng cự/ phản ñối
- expertly (añv) một cách khéo léo - find món phát hiện
- to touch down (máy bay) ñáp xuống . to head for a place nhắm hướng nào
- unattractive (adj) không xinh ñẹp, ñể ñi ñến
không quyến rũ to assess ñánh giá
- to take its toll làm hại ñến, có tác - environmental impact tác ñộng ñến
ñộng xấu ñến môi trường
- lines and wrinkles nếp nhăn trên da baking desert sa mạc nóng như thiêu
- backward (adj) ìạc hậu ñốt
- to be well stocked with sth dự trữ to make a living off sth kiếm sống
ñầy ñù, có sẵn rất' nhiều hàng hóa nhờ vào cái gì
to shrug ones shoulders nhún vai
80
W hether you call it a “gap year”, a. “year o u t”' or a “y ear ofF, the deci-
sion to delay going to university for a year after leaving school is a diffi-
f cult, b u t im portant, one.
Becky Roberts, now studying history a t the University of Warwick,
doesn’t regret h er decision to take a year off. “I’d worked so h ard for my
A levels,” she says. “I knew it would do me good to do som ething totally
u n related to studying before em barking on a three-year degree course.
My y ear off w orking for my d a d ’s com pany w a sn ’t a holiday by any
m eans, b u t it w as a break from the world of education, an d th a t’s ju s t
w hat I needed.”
Carl Sanchez agrees. Now halfway through a biology degree a t Car- •
diff University, Carl spent m uch of his gap year travelling. “I w orked for
about three m onths to save up enough money, th en w ent to stay w ith
some friends who live in France. I ended u p travelling ro u n d m ost of
Europe, an d even got over to R ussia for a few w eeks, which w as fa n tas-
tic.” Both Becky and C arl enjoyed their year off, b u t do they feel it’s
benefited them in term s of th eir university life now? “Definitely,” says
Carl. “W hen I left school, I w as a norm al, fairly irresponsible eighteen
year-old. I h a d n ’t been anyw here, I h a d n ’t done anything. A y ear later,
when I w ent to university, I felt m uch more like an ad u lt th a n a child.”
“I know a few people at Warwick who took a year off,” says Becky.
“Generally, we’re m ore dedicated to our stu dies th a n those stu d e n ts
who cam e straig h t from school. We’ve got different priorities. We w an t
to have fun, of course, b u t we realise w e’re here to get ou r degrees. I
190 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
d o n ’t think som e of the others have quite realised why th ey ’re ạ t u n i-
versity yet.”
There are draw backs to taking a gap year, thought Penny C artw right
w ent straig h t from school to study m edicine a t Im perial College, Lon-
don. “I th o u g h t ab o u t taking a gap year b u t decided ag ain st it and
do n’t regret the decision for a m inute. Becoming a doctor tak es such a
long tim e - I’ll be ab out 26 years old before I can s ta rt earning any
m oney - th a t the sooner you start, th e better, in my opinion. It m ight
be fun, b u t it’s really ju s t a w asted year in term s of career develop-
m ent.”
T here’s also the financial consideration. If you do. decide to take a
year off, an d you d o n ’t w ant to work the whole time as Becky did, you
have to be able to pay for it. S usan Jen k in s, a C areers Officer, points
out th a t p aren ts are now less likely to fund th eir child’s year off.
“Twenty y ears ago, it was fairly comm on for p are n ts to say to their son
or daughter, “H ere’s two th o u san d pounds, go an d have fun abroad for
a few m o n th s.” Nowadays, because p aren ts have to pay so m uch more
for their child’s edu cation while they're a t university, they ju s t c a n ’t af-
ford to pay for th is extra year too.”
•One option, of course, is to do w hat Carl did: work for a few m o nths
in order to save u p for a trip abroad. Another option is to find casu al
work while travelling abroad. “There are now a lot of books an d web-
sites with loads of inform ation for people who w an t to do th is,” says
S usan. “It’s a great way to see the world, gain experience, an d get
money for living expenses all a t th e sam e time. B ut d o n ’t expect to earn
enough to save any m oney.”
So, should you take a gap year? The answ er is: it depends. If you
w ant a b reak from books an d essays, then it’s probably a good idea -
a s long a s you, or your parents, can afford it an d a s long a s you ’re go-
ing to do som ething w orthwhile during your tim e off. Sitting a t hom e
w atching TV d oesn’t count! If you w ant to get your degree an d s ta rt
regular em ploym ent a s quickly as possible, a gap year m ay not be so
sensible.
GLOSSASRY
- a gap year một năm tạm nghỉ học (ñể - to end up doing sth rốt cuộc (phải)
ñi du lịch)- làm gi
- A levels chương trình dự bị ñại học (hai - to beneíỉỉ sb có ]Ợi cho ai
năm cuối trung học, chuẩn bị cho học - in terms of xét về mặt
sinh vào thằng các trường ñại học ở - to be dedicated to sth chuyên tâm,
Anh)
- to do sb good có lợi cho ai chuyên cần, dồn hết tâm trí vào
- to embark on sth bắt tay vào làm gi - drawback ñiều bất tiện
- a three-year degree course khóa học - a Careers Officer nhân viên tư vấn
kéo dài 3 năm ñua ñến bằng cử nhân .hướng nghiệp
- n o t... by any means hoàn toàn không - to fund tài trợ, chu cấp
chút nào - casual work việc làm thời vụ
- a break thời gian nghỉ xà hởi - worthwhile (adj) có ích
192 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
81
W hen they first saw the dog, they w eren’t sure, in fact, th a t it was a
dog. A sm all pile of ru b b ish by the side of the litter bin began to move.
Verity and Sally, walking p a st on their way to th e beach, bo th jum ped
back, expecting a ra t to emerge from the litter. W hat they saw instead
w as the back end of a sm all brown dog, which seem ed to be connected
to a plastic bag. They both let out shrieks of delight.
“Oh, it’s a puppy!” cried Verity, and ben t down to release the dog’s
head from the plastic bag. The dog looked up a t them w ith k etch u p on
its face. Now th a t they could see the whole anim al, it w as clear th a t it
was not quite a s young as Verity had th oug ht a t first sight. It carried
one o r two scars of life on the streets - it h ad a cu t below one eye and
one ear seem ed to be perm anently a t an angle - b u t on the whole it was
not in bad health for a stray dog. Its coat was shiny an d you co u ld n ’t
see its ribs u n d er the skin, like you could with m any dogs in a sim ilar
position. Ju dging by the litter bin, visitors to the beach were a good
source of chips, hot dogs and ham burgers w ithout knowing it. The dog
sat, looking u p a t the girls with its tongue hanging o ut as it panted.
“Come o n ,” said. Verity. “Let’s take him down to the beach!” Sally
hesitated a m om ent before agreeing. She could see where it w as lead-
ing. Her father always told h er to walk away from a stray anim al be-
cause th ere w as a danger you would w ant to keep it. Then it would be
h ard er when you actually did have to waik away. However, she could n’t
deny th a t the dog w as cute, so she w as pleased when it trotted along
behind them on the way to the beach.
They spread th eir towels on the beach a n d got suncream ou t of their
bags. W hen they tu rn e d round, the dog h a d settled on one of the towels
a s if he owned the place. He seem ed glad of the opportunity to re st and
Verity could im agine the co n stan t battle he faced each day to survive.
Apart from the search for food and shelter, which p erh ap s were less of
a problem here th a n they would have been in the city centre, there was
the com petition from other dogs. This dog m u st be p retty sm art, she
decided, to survive against the others b ecause he certainly w ouldn’t
win too m any fights, even if his injuries showed th a t he d id n ’t give up
easily.
They sp en t the day lazing in the sun, swim m ing an d playing beach
tennis. The dog joined in after resting for a while. To the casual ob-
server, it would have looked like two girls and their dog playing to-
gether. Sally knew, however; th a t th a t w a sn ’t the case an d she was
dreading the m om ent w hen they would have to leave. Eventually, the
su n began to set and it got cooler. Verity stared a t th e sun, a s if willing
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
193
it to stay in 0e>,sky;for"sm other^houE^Sịhe;iạvoỉded looking a t Sally and
"didn’t 5eem /to.:^ t 3!ce$M 0 ^ ^ i ^ Verity stroked th e dog,
• which;. w;as lỵixig,on th é ^ ọ ^ â .n e x tto ỉ:ầ ^ :^ a n ỵ ^ k n e w ' th a t .they co uld n’t
p u t it off an y lọngẹi:-.. i': / • •!-•. •:;■•■■■■■
“It’s probably '/itime we. were - getting .back,” she said a t last. Verity
tu rn ed .round .and ;Sally;^saw te a rs -m ạ iỉìặ g . down h e r face. The dog
looked from one'.of them to .th e other arid .waited.
194 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
7. Sally feels uncom fortable b e c a u s e _____
A. she an d Verity have argued abo ut.the dog.
B. she th in k s th a t someone is w atching them ,
c. she knows th a t leaving the dog will be hard.
D. she w ants to get rid of the dòg w ithout Verity knowing.
GLOSSASRY
- a pile of rubbish một ñống rác - shiny bóng láng
- litter bin thùng rác - rỉb xương sườn
- to emerge from chui ra từ, xuất hiện - chips khoai tây rán
- shrieks of delight tiếng reo mừng - hot dog bánh mì kẹp xúc xích
- puppy con chó con - to. pant thở hổn hển
- to release sth from sth tháo gỡ cái gì “ cute (adj) dễ thương
ra khỏi - suncream kem chống nắng
- ketchup nưốc xốt cà chua "r- to ỉaze nghi ngơi thư giãn
- at first sight mới thoạt nhìn - to the casual observer ñối với người
- scar vết sẹo ngoài cuộc
- to be at an angle nghiêng một bên, - to stroke vuốt ve
không ngay ngắn - lead dây dẫn chó
- a stray dog con chó ñi ỉạc/ vô chủ - coward kẻ hèn nhát.
82
W hen C arrie joined the school’s debating team ,’ she h a d n ’t consid-
ered the fact th a t she would have to speak confidently and clearly in
front of an audience of strangers. She’d merely gone down the list of
possible T hursday afternoon activities, crossing off first the ones which
she liked the least. W hen there was one activity left on the list - the
Debating Club - she thou ght to herself, “Well, a t least it’s indoors.” She
p u t a tick next to it an d thoug ht no more ab out it.
The reality of w hat m em bership actually involved s u n k in the follow-
ing Thursday. “This year, w ell be com peting w ith schools in the local
area,” said Miss Forbes. “The first debate is next S aturday evening at
D aversham College. W ell need two speakers, and the topic is capital
punishm ent. We halve to argue in favour of it. Any volunteers?”
There w as silence in the room. “Nobody?” said Miss Forbes. “Well, in
th a t case i l l decide w ho’s going to speak. Alison, will you do the m ain,
five-m inute speech, and Carrie, can you do the tw o-m inute sum m ing
up at the end?”
Although Miss Forbes h ad ph rased it as a question, it was not the
kind of school where you could say no to a teacher. “Yes, Miss Forbes,”
said Carrie weakly.
Miss Forbes explained to Carrie exactly w hat she would have to do.
“The actu al sum m ing up of ou r m ain argum ents should be the last
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
195
thirty seconds or so of your speech. That, b it’s easy , an d can be w ritten
in advance. D iscuss with AĨỊèon w hat the m ain points s h e ’s m aking
are. F or the first in in u te a n d a háứỵ though^you have to respond to the
points m ade by th e opposition, a n d explain, why th ey ’re wrong. I w on’t
lie to you, it’s n o t;ẹasýf'ỵốu .have to listen,very, veiy carefully to w hat
they say in th e ir'm a in speech, m ake notes a s you listen, and come up
with reasons why those points are wrong.”
Carrie w as terrified. S he’d never done anything like th is before in
her life, an d w as sure she would m ake a fool of herself. W hat if she
couldn’t think of anything to say? A m inute a n d a h alf is a lifetime
when you’re standing in front of a m icrophone an d everyone’s looking
at you. Still, a t least none of her friends would be th ere to see h er m ess
up. “T hank goodness it’s not a t o u r school,” she thought.
The debate a t D aver sham College w as held in the Main Hall. The
whole school w as present. The rows of unknow n faces seem ed to Carrie
to be waiting for h er to fail. Her h e art had never beaten so fast, an d a s
she walked across the room with Alison an d Miss Forbes, h e r h a n d s
were shaking so m uch she could hardly hold th e pen an d p ap er she
was carrying.
Alison opened the debate. Although she had w ritten her speech out
in full, she rarely glanced a t the papers in front of her. “She m u st have
learnt it by h e a rt,” th o ug h t Carrie admiringly. Alison m ade som e force-
ful argum ents, h er points were clear, her tim ing w as excellent, and
there was th u n d ero u s ap plause a s she sat down. Carrie ju s t h a d time
to w hisper, “Well done, Ali. Great job!” before th e m ain speaker of the
opposing team stood up. “Come on, Clare Dalton of D aversham Col-
lege,” th o u g ht Carrie. “Say som ething ridiculous th a t I can easily argue
against.”
For the first thirty seconds of C lare’s speech, Carrie co u ld n ’t find
any points to disagree with. She stared a t h er blank piece of paper, and
dreaded w hat would happen if it rem ained blank for the whole five
m inutes. Suddenly she found herself thinking, “W ait a m inute. W hat
sh e’s ju s t said d oesn ’t m ake sense. Does it? No, it doesn’t!” As quickly
as she could, she wrote down Clare’s exact w ords, an d m ade a note
next to them a s to why her point w as illogical. “One or two m ore like
th a t,” th o u gh t Carrie, “and I’ll be able to m ake a speech after all.”
196 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. The following Thursday, Carrie realised, for th e first tim e t h a t ____
A. she would actually have to speak in public.
B. she d id n ’t believe in capital p u nishm ent at all.
c . Miss Forbes would always decide the speakers.
D. she w as allowed to volunteer to be a speaker.
3. Miss Forbes told Carrie, th a t C arrie’s m ain responsibility would be
t o _____ :
A. help Alison come up with a list of points to make.
B. write Alison’s speech for h er before the debate.
c . answ er th e opposition’s questions during the debate.
D. disagree w ith argu m en ts m ade by the opposing team :
4. Carrie w as glad the debate h ad been arranged a t ano th er school
because
A. she would be able to use a m icrophone there.
B. h er friends w ouldn’t be able to see h er fail,
c. th e atm osphere w ould help h er succeed.
D. she h ad never taken p art in a debate there.
5. In the Main Hall before the debate, Carrie felt th a t everyone in the
room 1
A. co.uld h e a r h er h eart beating.
B. w as looking a t h er h a n d s shaking,
c. expected h e r to do badly.
D. knew she would drop h er things.
6 . Carrie was particularly im pressed th a t A lison _____
A. h ad w ritten h er speech on several pieces of paper.
B. had. m ade so m any clear, forceful argum ents,
c. d id n ’t look a t the papers in front of h er a t all.
D. h ad m em orised h er speech before th e debate.
7. During C lare’s speech, Carrie w as surprised th a t s h e ______
A. h ad found a point to m ake in her own speech.
B. w as able to rem em ber Clare’s exact words.
c . had time to m ake a note next to C lare’s words.
D. could m ake notes on the piece of paper so quickly.
GLOSSASRY
- debating team ñội tranh iuận - to phrase diễn ñạt bằng từ ngữ
- to cross sth off gạch bỏ cái gì (trên 1 - argument lí lẽ
danh sách) - the opposition ñối thủ
- Debating Club câu Lạc Bộ Tranh Luận - to make a fool of oneself biến mình
- a tick dấu tick thành kẻ ngốc nghếch
- membership sự trờ thành hội viên/ tư - to mess sth up íàm hòng bét cái gì
cách hội viên HOCTIENGANH.INFO - admiringly (adv) tỏ vẻ thán phục/ hâm
197
- to sink’in hiện rõ: ỳ nghĩa'trong* ñề lí ai/ mộ ^.
khịếri àỊ thấm ttiỉá ý nghia'.V- ~ forceful (adjýmạnh rriể
- capital punishment áa tử tìinh ' . •-■- timinạ sự ñịnh gid'
- to argue in favour of sth ñưa ra lí- lẽ r opposing team ñội ñối thủ
ñể ung hộ cầi gì' • - illogical (adj) phi Iồ-gích> không hợp lí
83
Terry stood on deck a s the ferry slowly arrived a t the island. He
w atched the sailors throw ropes to their colleagues on shore a n d theti
looked up a t th e villages of sm all white ho uses th a t dotted the m o u n-
tainside above the sm all town. He was p lannin g a six-m onth stay,
m uch longer th a n the few days or weeks th a t the noisy crowds of to u r-
ists aro u n d him were planning. He had given him self th a t long to write
a novel and he was determ ined to succeed, whatever the tem ptation s to
enjoy him self m ight be. Leaving his life behind was ju s t the thing he
needed, he thought, and th e island seemed to him to be th e ideal place
for it. He collected his things an d m ade his way onto the concrete quay.
He w as im mediately su rro und ed by local people, all rudely push ing
each other o ut of the way to offer him a room th a t w as gu aran teed to
be “the cheapest in town”, although he knew th a t they cou ld n’t all be
th e cheapest. Terry politely shook his head and peered aro u n d for the
Paradise Hotel and one “Mrs Magda”. She had sounded quite intim idat-
ing on the phone, so w hen a young woman approached him a n d quietly
asked in perfect English if he w as Terry Snow, he w a sn ’t su re how to
respond. The wom an smiled and said: “Perhaps you were expecting my
m other? I hope you are not disappointed.”
,“N ... No, no. Not a t all,” stam m ered Terry. She picked u p one of his
bags and they set off into the sm all town. She asked him ab o u t his stay
and he told her th a t his plan was to stay a week a t the hotel while he
found more p erm an en t accomm odation.
“Six m o nths is a long time to be on the island,” she said. “You’ll find
it different in winter. Once, there was farm ing and fishing on the island
but' th ey ’ve practically disappeared. Tourism is th e only source of in -
come and so few of the locals fancy sitting an d w atching w inter come
w hen the to u rists leave, Almost all of them have second jo b s on the
m ainland an d the h e a rt h as been ripped ou t of the place.” “And you?”
Terry asked.
“I w ent away to the m ainland for my education. Since I cam e back, I
stay here all year rou nd.” They stopped outside a hotel. It rem inded
Terry of an old wom an who still m anaged to keep a certain air of dig-
nity. It could do w ith a bit of pa in t and one of th e letters in the nam e
was m issing, b u t it m u st have once been one of the m ost im pressive
buildings on the island. Terry began to w onder ab o u t its decline and.
198 . HOCTIENGANH.INFO
w h at caused it b u t realised th a t the young w om an w as w aiting for him
to say som ething.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “W hat did you say?”
“I ask ed you w hat you thought of th e hotel.” She looked a t it. “Since
Dad died, it h a s n ’t been the' same. Mum gets a few of the local m en in
to help ou t every now and then, b u t you never do as good a job when
you’re being paid a s w hen it’s an act of love, do you? And D ad loved
th a t hotel. It w as his gift to his grandchildren, he used to say. Terry
looked at the hotel again. He felt th a t he h ad come som ew here w here
buildings were m uch m ore th an shelter. Each brick held a stoiy ready
to be unlocked an d he felt inspired ju s t by touching them . If he felt like
th a t after such a short time, imagine w hat he m ight achieve in six
m onths.
“Well, m aybe I could help ou t a bit, while I’m h ere,” he said, excit-
edly. The young w om an nodded and said, “Maybe,” before leading the
way into th e cool interior of th e hotel.
GLOSSASRY
- ferry chiếc phà - to sỉammer nói lắp bắp
- to dot tạo thành từng ñốm nhỏ/ có mặt - practically (adv) gần như, hầu như
lác ñác tại một nơi - locals người dânñịa phương
- mountainside sườn núi - to fancy doing sth thích làm gì
- temptation mối cám dỗ - mainland ñất liền
- concrete (adj) bằng xi măng/ bê tông - dignity sự/ vẻ ñáng kính
- quay câu tàu - It could do with sth Nó sẽ ñẹp hơn
- rudely (adv) một cách thô lỗ nếu có ñược...
- to peer nheo mắt nhìn kĩ - to decline xuống cấp, suy giảm
- to sound nghe tiếng có vẻ - to inspire gỢi cảm hứng
- intimidating (adj) khiến ai phải e dè/ - interior phía bên'trong
sơ hãi
84
Ask a hu n d re d com edians w hat the secret of good comedy is, an d
y o u ’re gu aran teed th a t a t least ninetv-nine of them will come u p with
the sam e response: timing. Although th is is undoubtedly tru e, it is not
the com plete answ er, a s w hat exactly good comedy is should, surely,
involve the concept of m aking people laugh. Successful politicians also
have, to have good timing, b u t m ost of them would soon face an em pty
audience if they ever chose to perform a t a comedy club.
So w hat is th e secret of good comedy? There clearly is n ’t one straigh t
answ er, b u t th e re ’s no doubt th a t m uch of m odern B ritish h u m o u r re-
lies on comedy throu gh language, com edians like Charlie C haplin an d
Benny Hill an d present-day ch aracte rs like Mr B ean being p a rt of a dif-
ferent tradition of “slapstick” comedy th a t relies on the physical ra th e r
th a n the verbal.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
200
The joke is the m ost obvious example of language comedy. With lan -
guage comedy, how you phrase w hat you’re saying - particularly the
“pun chline”, the final line of a joke th a t draw s the laugh - is m ore im-
po rtan t th a n w hat y o u’re saying. Take this traditional double-act joke:
First m an: I say, I say, I say. My wife’s gone to the C aribbean.
Second m an: Jam aic a? ,
First m an: No, she w ent of her own accord.
Ignoring the fact th a t it’s not particularly funny to m odem ears (if it
ever w as funny), a t first sight it appears th a t the h u m o u r rests in the
fact th a t “Ja m a ic a ” is confused for “D ’you. m ake her?”, i.e. “Did you
m ake her go to the C aribbean?”. Try puttin g a different final line on the
joke, though. “No, she chose to go.” contains exactly the sam e m eaning
but, well, it’s ju s t not a s funny, is it? It’s all'in the phrasing.
This may be one of the reasons why B ritish h u m o u r do esn ’t tra n s -
late into other languages very well. W hen one tran slates, one keeps the
m eaning b u t the p hrasing changes, losing the basis of the hum our.
The second secret of comedy to my m ind is characterisation. By this,
I m ean the creation of a character, or characters, by the com edian
through w hich the jokes or stories are told. Comedy is acting and, like
any play, a great script in the wrong h an d s can be a d isaster a n d a te r-
rible script in an expert’s h an d s can be m ade into som ething quite spe-
cial.
I rem em ber a s a child w atching the com edian Peter Sellers being in -
terviewed on the P arkinson show. Michael Parkinson, the studio au d i-
ence, and my p aren ts w atching with me at hom e were crying with
-laughter at everything th a t Sellers did or said. I sat there thinking:
“He’s ju s t waving a handkerchief around. Nobody laug hs w hen 1 do
that. Why are they laughing a t him ?” I now know w hat I d idn’t know
then - th a t he w as a comic genius, and I’m not. And by th at, I m ean
th a t he had the ability to create characters th a t people found genuinely
funny, w hatever they did. He could have sa t there in silence and people
would still have been laughing. And - let’s be clear - even though Sell-
ers w as appearing on a ch a t show supposedly as himself, he was in
character. As anyone w ho’s read the biography of Peter Sellers by Roger
Lewis knows, Sellers off-stage w as an incredibly violent an d difficult
m an.
So is it possible to learn to be a com edian, or is it ju s t a n a tu ra l tal-
ent? There m ay well be people who will never, ever succeed at being
professional com edians however h ard they try. Very few of u s will ever
be an E instein, Mozart or Shakespeare in our respective fields. How-
ever, all com edians will tell you th a t the m ore experience you get, the
more experienced, and therefore th e better, you become. And they’re
not joking.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
201
1. In th e first;paragrapfcL,. the. w riter suggests th a t p o litic ia n s _____
• Ạ. ofíèrỊ'ổtÌẹmịi^ hum ọỉur in their ,speeches. >
.B. a r e , t h e y ; ^ẹ í ụr mỳỊ ị ; '
c ẹ L r e - ư ^ d : ‘Ị o . : f a , ắ n g l e m p t ỳ 'R ụ ặ ỉe n c e s : Í ' V - ' ' .";:--
•DA;à're'nố;;goọd:^ ^
2. According to the-'text, “slapstick” com edy -V
Ậ. does not m ake,u se of language to be funny.
•B: is different to the comedy of Benny Hill.
G. is only, found in m odern B ritish hum our.
D. does no t exist in Britain anym ore.
3. The w riter tells th e joke ab o u t Ja m aic a t o _____
A. d em o n strate how m any old jo kes are n o t funny today.
B. explain why m any jo kes need two people to tell them .
c . show how th e a c tu a l words used in a joke are im portant.
D. point o u t th a t some jokes contain confusing p h rases.
4. W hether a comedy a c t is “a d isaste r” or “som ething quite special”
dep en d s o n _____
A. the quality of the script being performed.
B. th e ability of th e perform er to p erfo rm .'
c . how m uch th e act is like a play.
D. which c h a rac te r tells which joke.
5. W atching the P arkinson show, the w riter did n o t u n d e rsta n d why
202 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
GLOSSASRY — --------
- secret 1) ñiều bí mật 2) bí quyết - double-act joke màn tấu hài gồm 2
- comedy hài kich diễnviên
- comedian dien viên.hài - to do sth of one's own accord tự V
- concept quan niệm làm gì
- a straight answer một câu trả lời ñơn - characterisation sự hóa thân thành
giản nhân vật
- humour óc/tính hài hước - script kịch bản
“ slapstick comedy loại hài kịch sử dụng - a chat show chương trình tán gẫu trên
ñộng tác chọc cười TV
- verbal (adj) thuộc/ bằng lời nói - off-stage khi không diễn trên sân
- punchline câu kết bất ngờ có tác dụng khấu/ ở ngoài ñời
gây cười cùa màn tấu hài - respective (adj) tương quan/ riêng cùa
từng người
85
New w ords are Invented all the time. I know th at, an d I know it’s in-
evitable. For my part, and oerhaps th is is because I’m an old m an now,
I tend to th in k weVe got enough words already an d if we only used
them properỉv we w ouldn’t need to come up w ith new ones.
There is a fairly new word, though, which I h eard for the first time
only a year or two ago. I believe it’s American in origin, which m akes it
all the more surprising th a t I’ve added it to my vocabulary. And, Ĩ m u st
point out, it’s not unwillingly th a t I’ve accepted an d em braced it. I h on -
estly cannot imagine how I got through eighty-two years of life w ithout
it. Looking back, I can see occasion after occasion where the word
would have been useful, where its existence m ight actually have
changed thin gs for the better, because to define som ething is to u n d er-
stan d it, an d be able to change it. The word is: nimby.
For those of you who are still unaw are of th is word, let me explain. A
nimby is a person who does not w ant som ething su ch a s a new b uild-
ing or road built n ea r where they live. It’s not th a t they c a n ’t see the
value of the building project; often they can. They ju s t w ant it built
som ewhere else - som ewhere th a t w on’t distu rb th eir peace an d quiet
a t home. If you have an in terest in language, you may like to know th a t
nim by is an acronym , its letters being formed from the first letters of
the w ords “Not In My Back Yard”.
I have lived in the sam e small village in S ussex (population: 2,500)
for over 30 years. I had always th o u g ht I w as su rro un d ed by
neighbours, friends an d fellow lovers of ru ra l life. Now I have discovered
I am su rro u n d ed - with a few notable exceptions - by nim bys (or “nim -
ble s”, opinion seem s to be divided on the plural). The village is a t war
with itself, and, unfortunately, the nimbys are winning. A few of u s are
fighting them , though, an d I am confident th a t we shall win eventually.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
203
The w ar is over a proposed new com m unity centre. I see it - a s any
sensible per sop. s h o u l d ; a m uch-needed, addition to th e village. It
w ould be a plậce for the -youth of tile-village -to m eet a t nigh t a n d would,
frankly, help- keep-them.; ỒUÍ o f trouble. It would be a place for p en sion -
ers like m e to go for a coffee a n d c h a t in the m ornings. It would have
m eeting rooms', a cafe, spo rts facilities, a sm all stage for perform ances,
even a gym. It would create jobs. How could anyone oppose it? B u t of
cou rse for nim bys, th e issu e is n o t th a t th e village d o e sn ’t need a com -
m unity centre. I th in k I’m right in saying th a t every single one of th em
su p p o rts the con cept in principle. They ju s t d o n ’t w a n t it n ext to th eir
house.
There are four possible sites. This m ean s there are four groups of
nimbys. E ach group w a nts th e centre to be b uilt in one of th e three
sites th a t are n o t n ea r th e ir own houses. While they fight am ongst
them selves, the cen tre is not being built. It could have opened six
m o nth s ago, if th e village h ad un ited an d backed th e proposals. The
money - all £25 0 ,00 0 of it - is sitting in a b an k ac co u nt w aiting to be
spent. Some d o u b t it ever will.
For me, th e cam paign goes on an d I have one key stren g th . One of
the proposed sites is alm ost right next door to my house. Am I terrified
th a t th ere will be busloads of people arriving in the m iddle of th e night
an d distu rb in g my sleep? No, I am not. Am I afraid th a t all th e y o u th s
leaving the cen tre w hen it closes will sm ash my window s a n d burgle my
h ouse? No, I am not. Am I worried th a t a com m unity centre next door
will decrease th e value of my ho use? No, I am not. Am I p rou d th a t I
am not an d never will be a nim by? Yes, I am.
204 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. The w riter h a s re c e n tly _____
A. discovered th a t he h a s new neighbours.
B. le arn t the tru th about his neighbours,
c. realised he is alone in his struggle.
D. become more confident ãbout winning.
5. The word “frankly” in parag raph five em phasises t h a t _____
A. the centre would solve all the problem s caused by young people.
B. there are very few young people living in the village anyway,
c. m ost people do not believe the centre would be used a t night.
D. young people in the village do som etim es get into trouble at
present.
6 . The four groups of n im b y s ___ _
A. agree th a t the village doesn’t need a new centre.
B. have agreed where the centre should not be built,
c. disagree ab o u t where the centre should be built.
D. agree th a t one of the four sites is acceptable.
7. The first three questions which the w riter ask s in the final p a ra -
graph _____
A. dem onstrate how courageous the w riter is.
B. help show u s w hat nim bys are scared of.
c. suggest th a t nim bys som etim es use violence.
D. show th a t th e w riter h a s a very secure house.
GLOSSASRY
- inevitable (adj) tất yếu, không thế - community centre trung tâm sinh
tránh ñược hoạt cộng ñồng
- to come up with sth nghĩ ra (một ñiều - much-needed (ádj) ñang ñược mong
mới mè) mỏi
- to embrace 1) ôm hôn, ôm choàng ỉấy - addition to món bổ sung cho
2) vồ vập cái gì vì quá thích/ hồ hởi
ñón nhận - frankly (adv) thành thực mà nói
- to change things for the better, làm - to keep sb out of trouble giúp ai
cho mọi sự trở nên tốt ñẹp hơn tránh ñược rắc rối
- acronym từ viết tắt thành âm tiết ñọc - pensioner người lãnh lương hưu
ñược - gym nhà tập thể dụe
- fellow lover người cùng yêu thích như - in principle về mặt nguyên tắc
mình - terrified (adj) sợ hãi
- rural life ñời sống nông thôn - busloads of những chuyến xe buýt chở
- notable (adj) ñáng chú ý ñầy
- to be at war with sb ñang có chiến - to smash ñập nát
tranh với ai - to burgle a house ăn trộm một ngôi
- proposed (adj) ñang ñược ñề xuất
nhà
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
205
86 SMART EXERCISE
Are you preparin g for a big test? If so, you m ay w an t to go play some
b asketball in betw een hitting th e books. Doctors are sta rtin g to find
more and m ore: inform ation th a t suggests a connection betw een exer-
cise an d brain developm ent. Ju d y Cam eron, a scien tist a t Oregon
H ealth an d Science University, studies b rain developm ent. According to
h er research, it seem s th a t exercise can m ake blood vessels, including
those in th e b rain, stronger an d m ore fully developed. Dr. Cam eron
claim s th is allows people who exercise to co n cen trate better. As she
says, “While we already know th a t exercise is good for th e h e a rt, exer-
cise can literally c au se physical ch an g es in th e b ra in .”
The effects of exercise on b rain developm ent can even be seen in b a -
bies. Babies who do activities th a t require a lot of m ovem ent a n d phy si-
cal activity show g reater b rain developm ent th a n babies who are less
physically active. With babies, even a little m ovem ent can show big re -
sults. M argaret B arnes, a pediatrician, believes in th e im portance of
exercise. She th in k s th a t m any learning disabilities th a t children have
in elem entary school or high school can be traced bac k to a lack of
m ovem ent as babies- "Babies need m ovem ent th a t stim u la te s th eir five
senses. They need to 'establish a connection between m otion a n d m em -
ory. In th is way, a s they get older, children will begin to associate
physical activity with higher learning,” says M argaret.
Older people can beef u p th eir b ra in s as well. Cornell University
studied a group of seniors ranging in age from seventy to seventy-nine.
Their study showed a sh o rt-term m em oiy increase of u p to 40 p ercent
after exercising ju s t th ree h o u rs a week. The exercise does n o t have to
be very difficult, b u t it does have to increase the h e a rt rate. Also, ju s t
like th e m otion for infants, exercise for older people shou ld involve
some complexity. Learning some new skills or m otions, su c h a s with
yoga or tai-chi, helps to open u p mem ory p a th s in the b rain th a t m ay
not have been u sed for a long time.
For m ost people, any type of physical activity th a t in creases the
h e a rt rate is helpful. The m ain goal is to increase th e b ra in ’s flow of
blood. And y o u r b rain ca n benefit from as little a s two to th ree h o u rs of
exercise a week.
206 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
A. Exercise m akes u s stupid.
B: The b rain need s special m ental exercise.
G. The m ore exercise, th e bigger the brain.
D. Physical exercise helps u s th in k better
3. The m inim um am o u n t of exercise required to gain any benefit is
GLOSSARY
- to hit the books bắt tay vào việc học - motion sự chuyển ñộng, ñộng tác
thật chăm chi - to beef up sth tăng cưdng cái gì
- blood vessel mạch máu . - senior người cao tuồi, bậc lão thành
- paediatrician bác sĩ nhi khoa - short-term memory trí nhớ ngắn hạn
- learning disability chứng thiểu năng - heart rate nhịp tim
- học tập - infant trẻ sơ sinh
- to be traced back to có nguồn gõc từ - complexity sự/ ñộ phức.tạp
- to stimulate kích thích - tai-chi thái cực [môn thể dục dưỡng
- the five senses năm giác quan sinh] •
- flow dòng chảy, dòng lưu thông
87
D am ian would never have called him self a bully. A victim of bullying
him self on occasion, if h e ’d th ou g ht for one second th a t h e w as bullying
his classm ates, he would have been devastated. The id ea th a t he b u l-
lied his friends h ad never even entered his head. B ut now he w as hav -
ing to face up to the fact th a t p erhaps in certain w ays he w as a bully.
It h ad all started in th e m id-m orning break, when- D am ian and a
couple of his friends were discussing w hat to do ab o u t F ran k Rice.
F rank Rice w as a bully and the whole school knew it. The question
was, should they tell a m em ber of staff the next tim e F rank picked on
one of them ? D am ian thought they should. Chris and Will th o u gh t th a t
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
207
they sh o u ld n ’t. As they were arguing, D am ian said: “We’ve got to do
something. He’s m aking people’s lives a misery. It c a n ’t go on like th is.”
There w as silence w hen Chris replied: “Well, h e ’s n ot th e only one, you
know! You should tak e a look in the m irror, D am ian, before accusing
other people. You’re not perfect, yoil know.”
D am ian w as so shocked, he d id n ’t know how to reply. He d id n ’t
know where to begin. Finally, he m anaged to ask: “W hat on ea rth do
you m ean? You’re not suggesting I’m a bully, are you? How am I like
Frank Rice?”
Will explained. “No, y o u ’re no t like F rank Rice a t all. C hris d id n ’t
m ean th at. You don't hit people, you d o n ’t w an t to be horrible an d
nasty. You’re usually ju s t trying to be funny, b u t som etim es the thing s
you say do h u rt people. Quite often, in fact.”
“Give me an exam ple,” said Damian.
“Well, tak e yesterday, for exam ple,” said Will, “w hen we were in the
changing room after football. You kept saying how C hris w as su ch a
terrible goalie, you seriously wondered if h e ’d been bribed by the other
team .”
“I w as only joking!” protested Damian. “You know th a t, C hris, d o n ’t
you? I w as only teasing.” “T h at’s exactly the point,” said Will. “You were
teasing Chris. And you do th a t a lot. It's n ot very nice, you know. I
could see th a t Chris was u pset, even if you d id n ’t notice.”
“Were you, C hris?”
“Well, I c a n ’t say I enjoyed it, to be honest. And Will’s right. You do
seem to do it a lot.”
The bell rang, and they w ent off to class. D am ian found it h ard to
concentrate for the re st of the m orning. The conversation h e ’d h ad with
Will an d C hris kept coming back to h a u n t him. W as he a bully? If he
was, he certainly d id n ’t m ean to be. B ut th ere w as no escap ing 'th e fact
th at two very good friends of his th ou ght th a t his com m ents often h u rt
them .
At lunch, D am ian, a s usu al, sat next to C hris an d Will. “Guys, I’ve
been thinking ab o u t w hat we were talking ab o u t earlier an d I th in k
yo u’re right. I ju s t w ant to say th a t I’m really, really sorry. You’re my
best friends, an d I’d never do anything to h u rt you on purpose. I can
see th a t Ĩ do som etim es say things th a t would u p se t you, an d I’m going
to m ake a real effort n ot to do th a t from now on. Still friends?”
“Of course we are, D am ian,” said Chris. “B ut th a n k s.”
“No problem ,” said Will.
In the changing room th a t afternoon after football practice, Dam ian,
208 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
C hris a n d Will were discussing th e game. Will h ad fallen over the ball
a t one point, a n d D am ian w as ju s t ab o u t to m ake a joke ab o u t it when
he stopped himself. “Am I allowed to say som ething like th a t? ” he
th o u g h t to himself. “We are friends. We’ve got to be able to joke with
each other. Or is it too n asty ?” D am ian decided n o t to say anything on
this occasion, b u t he began to realise th a t keeping his prom ise to. Chris
an d Will w ould n ot be a s easy a s he'd thought.
■GLOSSASRY . -
- bully kẻ/bắt nạt,(ngứời:nhQtuỔr hớn) misery sự khổ sở/ khốn khổ - chang-
- on occasion thỉnh thoảng • ing room phòng thay.quần áo
- devastated (adj.) cam thấy sững sờ/ goalie thủ môn
sửng sốt/ choang váng to bribe hối lộ
- a member of staff một thầy cô giáo to protest phản ñối
trong ừường
- to pick on sb chọn ai ñó (ñể trừng trịị/ to tease chọc ghẹo
chi trích/ lên án) to haunt ám ảnh
88
That night as E aston walked home th ro ug h th e rain he felt very d e-
pressed. It h a d been a very bad sum m er for m ost people a n d he h ad
not fared b ette r th a n the rest. A few weeks w ith one firm, a few days
with ano ther, th en ou t of ạ job, th en on again for a m o n th p erhap s,
an d so on.
William E aston w as a m an of m edium height, ab o u t 23 years old,
with fair h a ir an d m o ustache and blue eyes. His clothes, though
shabby, were clean an d n eat b u t the holes in his shoes m ade it painful
to walk.
He w as m arried: his wife was a young wom an w hose acq u ain tan ce
he had m ade w hen he happened to be employed w ith o thers painting
th e outside of the h ouse where she w as a general servant. E aston h ad
been in no hu rry to m arry for he knew th a t, taking good tim es w ith
bad, h is w ages did not average a pound a week. However, after going
out for 18 m o n th s they were finally m arried.
T hat w as a year ago.
As a single m an he h ad never troubled m uch if he h ap p e n ed to be
ou t of work. He always had enough to live on an d pocket m oney b e-
sides, b u t now th a t he was m arried it w as different; the fear of being
“o u t” h a u n ted him all the time.
He h ad sta rted for R ushton an d Co. on the previous M onday after
having been idle for three weeks and, a s the ho use w here he w as w ork-
ing h ad to be done right through, he had con gratulated him self on h av -
ing secured a jo b th a t would la st till C hristm as; b u t he now began to
fear th a t w hat h ad happened to J a c k Linden - a m aster craftsm an -
m ight also h ap p e n to him self a t any time. He would have to be very
210 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
careful n o t to offend Bill C rass in any way. He w as afraid th a t the latter
did not like him very m uch a s it was. He knew th a t C rass could get him
the sack a t any time an d would not scruple to do so if he w anted to
m ake room for some pal of his.
C rass, th e forem an, w as quite w ithout special abilities; he was if
anythin g inferior to the majority of the m en he supervised. Even so, he
pretended to know everything, and the vague references h e w as in the
h ab it o f’ m aking to “ton es” an d “sh ad es” an d “harm ony” h ad so im -
pressed Frederick H u n ter th a t the latter w as completely tak en in. It
was by p u sh in g him self forward in th is way th a t C rass h a d m anaged to
get him self p u t in charge of the work.
Although C rass did a s little a s possible himself, he took care to work
the oth ers h ard. Any m an who failed to satisfy him w as reported to
H u n ter a s being “no .good” or “too slow for a funeral” an d w as then' dis-
pensed w ith a t th e end of the week. Knowing this, all the workers
feared an d hated the wily'Crass.
Some, by giving him pipefuls of tobacco an d p in ts of beer, m anaged
to stay in C ra ss’s favour an d often kept th eir jo b s w hen b etter m en
were dism issed.
As he w alked hom e th ro ugh the rain thinking of these things,
E aston realized th a t it w as not possible to foresee w hat a day or even
an h o u r m ight bring.
A. using-language: • ■;v
B. m anaging Qther'people.
c . u n d e rsta n d in |:q o lo u r schem es.
D. repairing or decorating houses.
5. To keep h is job, anyone w orking u n d e r C rass h ad to ;
A. work hard.
B. give him p resents.
c. take care n o t to offend him.
D. m ake room for h is “p a ls”.
6 . C rass w as _____
A. a skilful w orker b u t lazy.
B. not very skilful b u t h a rd working,
c. no t very skilful an d also lazy.
D. a skilful m an a n d a h a rd worker.
7. A good title for the passage would b e _____
A. Forem an C rass. B. An U ncertain F utu re,
c. Too Slow for a Funeral. D. A M iserable Walk.
GLOSSASRY
- to fare làm ăn/ sinh sống - if anything [cách nói ñể làm mạnh
- moustache bộ rỉa mép thêm một phát biểu phủ ñịnh trước
- shabby (adj) xộc xệch, cà tàng ñó] thậm chí là còn.../ còn hơn thế
“ to make sb's acquaintance làm quen nữa/ mà trái ỉại còn
với ai - inferior to sb (adj) thua kém ai
- general servant người giúp việc nhả - to supervise giám sát, cai quàn
- to take good times with bad lấy lúc - vague (adj) mơ hồ
khẩm khá bù cho lúc túng thiếu - tones, shades, harmony [nói về trang
- to average ñạt ñược số bình quân là trí/ sơn nhà cửa] những cách phối
- to trouble bận tâm màu, các .sắc ñộ, sự hài hòa màu sắc
- idle (adj) nhàn rỗi/ ăn. không ngồi rồi - to put sb in charge of sth giao cho ai
- to do right through a house trang trí phụ trách việc gì
cho xong một cáí Jihà - to be taken in bị lừa dõi
- to secure sth nắm vững/ câm chắc/ - to work sb hard bắt ai làm việc vãt vả
kiếm ñược cái gì - to be dispensed with bị vút bỏ/ bị loại
- master craftsman thợ thủ công tay thải *
nghề cao/ vào hạng bậc thầy - wily (adj) xảo trá, quỷ quyệt
- to offend làm mất lòng - a pipeful of tobacco một ống tẩu nhồi
- to give sb the sack sa thải ai ñầy thuốc hút
- to scruple to do sth ngại ngùng không - pint [ñung tích] một panh (= 0.57 lít ở
muốn làm gì Mỹ] _
- to make room for dành sẵn chỗ cho - to stay in sb's favour vẫn ñược lòng
- pai bạn thân ai, vẫn ñược ai ủng hộ/ bênh vực
- foreman viên ñốc công - senior (adj) (vai vế) ờ cấp cao hơn, ỏ
cấp trên
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
89 ALL IN A DAY’S WORK
reported by Jenny Paterson
When most people are asked to describe their job, their description does not in-
clude running through burning buildings and jumping out of tenth floor windows!
Being a stuntperson, however, is no ordinary job! Last week, i was lucky enough
to meet Stanley Pilot, who has been working as a stuntman for over twenty years.
He was kind enough to agree to see me during his short stay in London.
Q O ur readers would love to find ou t how you got started a s a s tu n t-
m an. Had you always w anted to do th is kind of work?
A Well, actually, it took me a while to realise th a t th is was the job for
me. You see, w hen I w as a child,. I was always th e one to climb the
highest trees in the neighbourhood. The others would w atch an x -
iously to see if I w as going tó survive my latest stu n t. My mother,
an d I got used to spending m ost w eekends in the local ch ild ren ’s
hospital! I rem em ber h er saying to me on my sixteenth birthday,
“You’re too old for th is now; Stanley; next time, y o u’re on your own.”
Q W hat did she m ean?
A Sh e’d h ad enough! She thou ght I w as old enough to know w hat was
dangerous. She m ade m e realise th at, although I loved doing d an -
gerous things, I needed some guidance. T hat sum m er I joined the
local m ountaineering club and, from th en on, nothing could stop
me.
Q W hat other spo rts did you learn?
A You nam e it, I’ve done it! Actually, I was learning w hitew ater rafting
when I applied for my first job. David, one of the oth ers on the
course, told me th a t he worked a s a s tu n tm a n for a small inde-
pend en t film com pany th a t had been filming on location in our
area.
Q Did you get a job there, too?
A Yes, I w as very lucky. David took me along one day, an d I showed
th em w hat I could do. The director liked w h at he saw, an d I got my
first job!
Q W as it easy to find work after th at?
A No, it w a sn ’t! To be fair, the film com pany w as a great help, b u t
even so, Ĩ d id n ’t find any work for a long time. It got easier when I’d
been in a few films, though. I m et other stu n tm en an d m ade some
good friends. Actually, one of the people who h a s helped me a lot
h a s done s tu n ts for Clint Eastwood.
Q Do you have a favourite stu n t?
A Yes, I really enjoyed jum ping o u t of a helicopter in the Alps. Words
c a n ’t describe the thrill you feel as you fall th rough the air. Al-
th ough you are only in the air for a few seconds. It feels like forever!
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
213
Q Your job; m u st be very dan gero us. Have, you ever b een seriously in -
ju red ?
A Apart from a few broken bones, no. I u sed to be foolish a n d th in k “It
; will never h ap p en to me!” Some people say I’ve been lucky., b ụ t for
y ears I’ve m ade su re th a t th e com pany I work for h a s a good safety
record. A good com pany can tak e days to set u p a s tu n t w hich may
tak e only a few m in u tes to film. -I’m- u se d to w aiting on film se ts for
h o u rs an end. I t’s b e tter th a n risking y o u r life b ecau se y o u ’re too
im patient.
Q T h a t’s veiy sensible. W hat would you say to people in terested in
th is line of work?
A I’d tell th em it’s h a rd work, b u t th a t th ere are plenty of op p o rtu ni-
ties in the film industry. Go for it!-
GLOSSASRY
T Stuntman diễn viên ñóng thế (các hành - whitewater rafting môn bơi xuồng
ñộng nguy hiểm), cascadeur trên sôngrchày xiết
. - stunt hành ñộng nguy hiểm - to film on location quay phim tại thực
- to have had enough of sth ñã chán ñịa (không phải quay trong phim
ngấy cáí gì trường .
- mountaineering club câu iạc bộ leo - helicopter máy bay trực thăng
núi - the Alps rặng núi Alps
- You name i t ,... Nhiều iắm không kể ra - thrill cảm giác hồi hộp thích thú
hểt ñược/ Bạn cứ việc kê’ tên ra bất kì - film set bộ ñạo cụ ñề ñóng phim
thứ gỉ thì thứ ñó tôi cũng ñã (làm rồi) - for (hours) ọn enñ suốt hàng giờ liền
- to go for sth lựa chọn cái gì
90 BODY TALK
by Màrk Evans
You will probably laugh when I tell you th a t my interest in body lan -
guage w as sparked by a favourite professor of mine a t university. He
m entioned “Pinocchio Syndrom e” to me one w intry m orning after claim -
ing th a t I always rubbed my nose when giving excuses for being late to
his lectures. Apparently, w hen someone tells a lie, th e p erso n ’s blood
ru sh e s to the nose an d the extra blood m akes it itchy. So if you think
som eone is not being entirely honest with you, perhap s like my profes-
sor you should w atch to see if they scratch their nose! This little exam -
ple of non-verbal com m unication inspired me to become a body lan -
guage expert.
Now, I earn my living by training people in non-verbal com m unica-
tion. Knowing w hen someone is lying and knowing how to convince
people y ou ’re telling the tru th are two of the m ost im portant skills
yo u’ll ever learn. For examplei lawyers build their rep utatio n on their
deductive skills w hen cross-exam ining in court, while politicians need
to rely on th eir powers of persuasion to gain support.
I have dedicated my life to studying th e ways the h u m an body gives
more reliable inform ation th an the w ords we speak. The words say one
thing b u t the body may say som ething completely different. This is the
HOCTIENGANH.INFO 215
theory of body language an d m ost of u s are fam iliar w ith th e basics. We
know th a t crossed arm s can be seen as either defensive or aggressive,
b u t w hat ab o u t facial expressions, gestures, p ostu re, a n d the in to n a-
tion an d rhy thm of o u r speech? All of th ese speak volum es a n d can be
und erstood if you only know how to m ake sen se of the signs.
Take the eyes, for example. If I told you a lie, you w ould probably
expect me to look awav ra th e r th a n look you full in the face.
However, th is is not, as commonly th oug ht, the su re sign of a lie,
b u t the reflexive m ovem ents we m ake w hen we are trying to rem em ber
something. B ecause of this, glancing away is no t as easy to in terp ret as
you m ight believe. A, good liar is no t searching h is m em ory for the
tru th , so he can quite easily look you straigh t in the eyes a s he sp eaks
to m ake the lie more convincing. Here’s a tip, though. W atch the pupil
of the eye; does it change size? If it gets bigger, th is ĨỒ probably an in-
voluntaiy sign th a t som ething is being hidden.
Body language is som ething th a t the m ajority of u s can n o t control;
it’s w hat escapes w hen we’re concentrating on som ething else. I m ight
think I’m creating a good im pression because my voice is strong an d
steady an d my speech is clear, b u t the sw eat pouring off my forehead
and my constantly moving feet say otherwise.
B usiness clients are constantly in need of my services a n d I try to
improve th eir confidence in them selves by teaching them ab o u t body
language. I give advice ab out h an d sh a k es, w hich should always be firm
and steady, an d I teach the im portance of personal space, explaining
th a t people who live in warm clim ates stan d a lot closer to one a n o th er
th a n people in cooler clim ates. They may seem like m inor m atters, b u t
th ese codes of behaviour can be the key to m aking or breaking a b u si-
ness deal.
My working life gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I feel th a t I’m
providing a public service, b u t it is a service th a t h a s h ad its downside.
W henever I m eet som eone new an d I tell them w hat I do for a living,
they im m ediately p u t th eir guard up and th ey ’re no longer relaxed.
They quite literally freeze in the attem p t to hide all the signals th a t they
assu m e I’m reading. It m akes life difficult a t tim es, b u t I consider it a
sm all price to pay for a job I enjoy so m uch.
216 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. According to the writer, non-verbal com m unication is im portant
b e c a u s e _____
A. it helps lawyers to bé more skilful.
B. politicians need to know when people are lying.
c . it can help m ake people believe w hat you tell them .
D. it provides a unique way of earning one’s living.
3. W hat does the w riter assu m e ab out his readers?
A. They are able to change their intonation.
B. They need to develop good posture,
c . They Uổe only w ords to com m unicate.
D. They know som ething about the subject.
4. According to the writer, it is not easy to recognise w hen someone is
lying b e c a u s e _____
A. they have a n hon est look on th eir face.
B. they move their eyes very rapidly.
c . listeners read th eir body language incorrectly.
D. listeners do not .look into their eyes.
5. To have a positive effect on someone, you should try to avoid _____
A. m aking any facial expressions.
B. having any involuntary reactions,
c. giving the im pression of not caring.
D. moving your legs ab o u t too m uch.
6 . W hat is the m ost im portant thing for businessm en to learn?
A. th e laws of a particu lar country
B. the correct way to behave
c. the necessity of being polite
D. the skill of appearing confident
7. Why do people react in a negative way when they m eet the writer?
A. They th in k he is too self-confident.
B. They assu m e th a t he is always lying,
c. They have h eard abo ut him previously.
D. They believe he is studying them.
8 . W hat do we learn ab o u t the writer from the passage?
A. He m akes a lot of money from his job.
B. He travels the world giving advice,
c. He is dedicated to his work.
D. He train s body language experts.
GLOSSARY
- body language ngôn ngữ cơ thể - aggressive (adj) có thái ñộ gây hấn,
- to spark làm khởi HOCTIENGANH.INFO
phát chực tấn công
217
■ • "■/ • : ■-V■ị ỉ'Íĩ-'--'À?;ỉ
•- • ■.• V - V fi- .. *■■ ; : • L .•S'-
:
r' >■;: > ■
91 THE SERENGETI
As daw n breaks over the vast Serengeti an eleph an t herd slowly
w anders to the side of the w aterhoie to drink, nearby a pride of lions is
lazing in the dry yellow g rass an d a wild dog howls in the distance. The
w aterhole is a gathering place for the wildlife in th is p art of the Seren-
geti and for people, too. At night, the anim al kingdom reigns over the
area b u t the day brings-tourists to photograph the wildlife, biologists to
study the ecosystem and Masai tribesm en to w ater their herds of cattle.
It appears th a t anim als and h u m an s are m anaging to live together in
harm ony in one of the last great wildlife refuges in Africa.
The nam e for the Serengeti com es from a M asai word th a t m eans
“the place w here the land ru n s on forever” b u t it m ay not be big enough
for th e Masai to continue their traditional way of life there for m uch
longer. Although the M asai were once free to roam w herever they
pleased, since 1959 they have been confined to one sm all p a rt of th e
Serengeti ecosystem, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The area w as
established as a place where the Masai could continue with th eir no-
• madic life style > where wildlife could be protected an d to urism could
flourish.
Wildlife a n d tourism are both doing very well b u t the sam e can n o t
be said for th e Masai tribes. In the p a st fifty y ears the M asai population
218 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
h a s ’’increased from ab o u t 10,000 to over 50,000. The re su lt is th a t
th ere are too m any people an d too few resources to su pp o rt th e tra d i-
tional M asai way of life. The ỉand available for them to graze th eir cattle
is limited a n d they are only allowed to grow enough food to live on for
fear th a t large scale farm ing will affect the a re a ’s n a tu ra l h abitat.
The rise in the Masai population is also worrying because of how it
m ight affect the an im als in the conservation area. H erds of w ildebeest,
zebras an d o th er an im als travel th rou g h the Ngorongoro region on their
m igratory p aths. Masai settlem ents, farm s an d grazing cattle could in -
terfere with these im p ortan t ro u tes an d conservationists do no t w an t to
cause any problem s for the now growing n u m b ers of an im als in the
area. So it’s the Masai who are being asked to move cftit o f th eir hom e-
lands a n d to change th eir way of life, even though th e conservation
zone w as originally created to be a m ultiple-use a rea n o t ju s t for wild-
life.
In th e Masai village of Endulen women with shaved heads, gleam ing
silver jewellery an d colourful red robes are busv w ashing clothes in the
stream . Tall, spear-carrying w arriors h iss a t their cattle as they drive
them down th e dusty m ain street tow ards the only w ater supply in the
village. There is a hospital, a school and a m ark et in th is village of
8,000 b u t th ere is no fresh w ater supply, only th e stream . A stream
th a t supplies all the needs of the people an d anim als for drinking,
washing, cooking and bathing. It is without do ub t th e life source of th is
bustlin g com m unity, a com m unity which continues to grow year by
year.
Yet th e conservation au th o rities do no t w ant to provide th e Masai
with a perm an en t w ater supply. This is because they do not w ant to
encourage p erm a n en t settlem ents within th e conservation area. As far
as .the au th o rities are concerned, the M asai are only allowed to live in
the a rea a s no m ad s who m ake light u se of th e land. If th e Masai w ant
to m ak e th e s h ift from a nom adic existence to a fanning com m unity
with full am en ities su ch as a w ater supply an d electricity, th en they
should, once again, be moved o u t of the Ngorongoro region.
The Masai have o ther ideas, though. Namely th a t they have no in-
tention of being moved on again. Although the old ways are slowly fad-
ing, they still keep th eir livestock and go out on the land, even if it is
only for days a t a time ra th e r th a n m onths. In the village they work on
vegetable plots outlaw ed by the autho rities an d live in p erm an en t
dwellings. The flowing traditional red robes a nd leath e r sa n d a ls are still
worn by m any Masai b lit you can also see train e rs an d T -shirts, too. As
an o th er cell phone s ta rts to buzz it becom es obvious th a t the M asai are
m aking the long, slow tran sition to a m ore m odem way of life.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
W hat im pression. dọés/tKẹ^TÌíer.givẹ of th is p art pf tHệ. Serengeti?
A. The anim als ruleon:tb;is-regiQn\of Africa.
B. People and/wildHi^iexIst peạcéầiPy^Ịhếre.
0. There-are íoo m ahỵ people com ing to the area.
D. It is one of the few places to see wildlife in Africa.
W hat does, th e w riter say h as changed ab o u t the M asai way of life?
A. They have had to accept living w ith anim als a n d to urists.
B. The Serengeti is no longer large enough to sup p o rt them .
c. They are no longer allowed to go w herever they w ant.
D. They cannot continue their traditions in the conservation area.
Why does the w riter feel the growing Masai population h a s caused
problem s for the tribe?
A. It h as m ade it very difficult to continue th eir traditions.
B. They are unable to grow, enough food to survive. .
c . There is too little room for.them an d the to urists.
D. They do not have sufficient space to graze their cattle.
C onservationists w ant the Masai to move to an o th er area because
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
8 . W hat was the w riter’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To criticise the conservation authorities.
B. To show how wildlife and people can live together,
c. To describe the problem s the Masai are-facing.
D. To explain th e effects of tourism on African culture.
GLOSSARY
- the Serengeti [tên khu bào tồn ñời - wildebeest íinh dương ñầu bò
sống hoang dã ở Tanzania] - zebra ngựa vằn
- As dawn breaks Khi bình minh ló - migratory (añj) thuộc sự di cư, di trú
dạng; Lúc ngày vừa rạng - multiple-use area vùng ña dụng, vùng
- herd ñàn ñộng vật sử dụng cho nhiều mục ñích
- waterhole vùng nước - shaved (adj) cạo hết tóc/ trọc
- a pride of lions một ñàn sư tử - gleaming (adj) sáng lấp lánh
- to laze nẵm/ ngồi thảnh thơi - spear ngọn [ao/ giáo
- to howl (chó sói) tru, kêu rú lên - warrior chiến binh
- to reign over an area ngự trị/ thống - to hiss at sth (tạo ra tiếng) xuỵt xuỵt
trị một vùng ñể thúc cái gì ñi
- tribesman người dân trong bộ tộc - bustling (adj) rộn ràng, lăng xăng
- to water a herd of cattle ñẫn ñàn gia - to make light use of sth khai thác cái
súc ñí uống nước gỉ ở mức ñộ nhẹ/ vừa phải
- refuge nơi lánh nạn, nơi trú ẩn an toàn - amenities các tiện nghi sinh hoạt
- to roam an area ñi lang thang khắp - namely (adv) cụ thể là
một vùng - to fade ñang phai tàn dền, ñang nhạt
- to be confined to a place bị giới hạn nhòa dần
lại trong phạm vi một nơi - livestock ñàn gia súc
- conservation area khu bảo tồn - vegetable plot ñám ñất trồng rau
- nomadic (adj) thuộc ñời sống du mục; - to outlaw sth cấm ñoán cái gì
du canh du CƯ - flowing (adj) (quần áo) buông chùng
- to flourish phát triển mạnh, phất iên xuống
- to graze cattle chăn thà gia súc - to buzz (ñiện thoại) reo lên
- large scale farming làm nông nghiệp - transition to sự chuyển ñổi sang
trên qui mô lớn
222 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
To my u tte r relief I w as released w ithout charge ju s t over an hou r
later. W hat h a s my experience tau g h t me? D espite the fact th a t this
country h as m ore CCTV surveillance th an any other country in the
world an d the governm ent h a s spent millions of pound s on it, m any of
th e im ages are so bad it can re su lt in a completely innocent person
spending a day a t the police station. People are alw ays com plaining
th a t Big B rother is w atching b u t in my personal experience it’s worse
w hen h e ’s cau g ht sleeping on the job.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
223
7. The w riter w as eventually released b e c a u s e _____
A. there w as a lack of evidence. .
B. new evidence proved him innocent,
c. the real culprit was found.
D. a co u rt ruled th a t he should be.
8. W hat did th e w riter leam from his experience?
A. Despite disadvantages, CCTV cam eras are still beneficial to so-
ciety.
B. B ritain h a s too m any CCTV cam eras.
c. CCTV cam eras have a disadvantage th a t m ost people d o n ’t
th in k of.
D. CCTV cam eras bring m ore harm th a n good.
GLOSSARY
- to be caught in the act bị bắt quả - to fire questions at sb hỏi ai dồn dập
tang ñang phạm tội - to raise a questioning eyebrow
- uniformed (adj) ñang mặc ñồng phục nhướng .mày íên tỏ vẻ thắc mắc
- to be taken aback cảm thấy bất ngờ, - supposedly (adv) ñược cho là
ngạc nhiên - crucial (adj).quan trọng
- grim (adj) (nét mặt) dữ tợn, ñằng ñằng - to scuttle off nhanh nhẹn chạy ñi
sát khí - to fetch ñi ỉãy mang ñến
- interrogation room phòng thẩm vấn/ -faint (adj) mờ nhạt, không rõ ràng
hỏi cung - build vóc người
- stunned (adj) sửng sốt - hairstyle kiểu tóc
- to stare blankly at nhìn chăm chăm - a close-up một bức hình cận cảnh/
một cách ngây dại chụp gần
- for all I know theo như tôi biểt/ tôi - blurred (adj) mờ nhòe
biết chắc là... - feature ñặc ñiểm gương mặt, nét ñặc
- a law-abiding citizen một công dân biệt trên gương mặt
tuân thủ pháp luật - criminal record tiền án tiền sự
- stern-faced (adj) vè mặt nghiêm khắc - a citizen of good standing một công
- whereabouts những nơì ñã lui tới dân tốt
- to panic hoảng hốt, hoảng loạn - to be released ñược trả tự do
- to call ỉn sick at work gọi ñiện ñến - utter (adj) cực ki
thỗ làm xin nghỉ vi ổm - charge tội ñanh
- alibỉ bằng chứng ngoại phạm - surveillance sự giám sát
- to drop the bombshell ñuầ ra cái tin - Big Brother [hinh tượng cùa sự theo
gây chấn ñộng/ gây sửng sốt dõi thường trực - mượn tên gọi trong
- CCTV (Closed-circuit television) hệ tiểu thuyết 1984 của nhà văn Anh
thống camera quan sát nội bộ George Orwell]
- to identify nhận dạng - to be caught sleeping on the job bi
- mood tâm trạng bẳt quà tang ñang ngủ gật trong khi
- outright fury cơn phẫn nộ cực ñiểm làm nhiệm vụ
- to fume rất tức giận - to be critical of sb chỉ trích ai
- a grudge against sb mối ác cảm ñối - culprit kẻ phạm tội, thủ phạm
với ai - to rule that... (tòa án) ñưa ra phán
quyết rằng...
224 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
93 LONESOME GEORGE
“Only one tortoise remains to tell the story of the existence of its subspe-
cies on the tiny isolated island of Pinta,” Tony Harper reports.
Som etim es th e road to rom ance is long. “Lonesome George”, a giant
Galapagos tortoise, is the last of his subspecies an d th u s profoundly
alone. Living fax o ut in the Pacific on the island of Pinta in the G alapa-
gos Islands, he is officially the rarest living creature on E arth.
No anim al better captures the history and m ysterious beauty of the
Galapagos Islands th an the giant tortoise. There used to be th o u san d s
of them roam ing over these islands, including the volcanic slopes of
Pinta. O bservations of them by C harles Darwin, who visited the islands
in 1835, even formed p a rt of his world-changing theory of evolution.
Sadly, however, m ostly as a result of centuries of passing sailors
hu n tin g the giant tortoises for food, there are now only an estim ated
fifteen tho usand left in the Galapagos Islands! Of the fifteen known
subspecies, four are already thought to be extinct, as was the Pinta gi-
a n t tortoise un til Lonesome George w as discovered in 1971. This came
as a p leasa nt surprise to scientists since no other Pinta tortoises had
been found on Pinta Island since 1906.
In the decades since George w as discovered, he h as become the sta r
attractio n at the Charles. Darwin Research Station where conservation-
ists have been hoping to rescue some of h is genes by m ating him with
ano ther tortoise. Two females from the nearby island of Isabela, the
m ost closely related to the Pinta subspecies th a t could be found, were
p u t into his enclosure w ith him in 1992, b u t he failed to take the h in t.
Then, Professor Jeffrey Powell, an evolutionary biologist from Yale
University, cam e u p w ith a possible reason why Lonesome George was
not finding tru e rom ance with the ladies from Isabela. Perhaps, he sug-
gested, they were simply too different to him to be a suitable m atch.
Sailors often carried the tortoises from one island to another, he
pointed out. His question, therefore, was: “How do we know these tor-
toises are Lonesome George’s closest relatives?” In other words, there
could be a perfect Pinta m atch for George alive an d well on Isabela or
even on som e more d istan t island.
To begin testing his theory, Professor Powell, together with a team of
researchers, analysed DNA from seven Pinta tortoises - six from de-
ceased m u seu m specim ens and one from George him self - an d com -
pared it w ith blood sam ples from tw enty-seven giant tortoises living on
the side of a volcano on the northern tip of Isabela. Among these sam -
ples, they found one tortoise, about thirty years old, w ith clear signs of
Pinta ancestry. Sadly, however, the newly discovered tortoise w as not a
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
225
suitable rom antic .partner for was. m ale. He w as n o t p u re -
bred, eith er^ w t à ĩ ẹ : r h ^ ; ^ h e r ;ic>r^naily from Pinta Island, his
. . m other e a r n e r from-W(>if^ypi^no oi^ ỉsábẹia/-.Powell- sees th is a s a b re ak -
th ro u g h ,''howeveri;' .l^eause" it proves.' .that a n the- re ce n t p ast, a Pinta
. . male w as b reeding on. the island: “If th a t's the case, it is possible th ere
. are o ther P inta individuals b ut there, maybe even a.fem ale.”
Powell also notes th a t there are ab o u t eight th o u sa n d giant tortoises
living on Isabela, an d their study looked at only a sm all ran do m sam -
ple. His team of researchers inten ds to re tu rn to th e island an d tak e
blood from m ore th a n two th o u sa n d tortoises. If they do indeed find a
Pinta female, they hope to take h er to George’s en closure an d attem p t
to breed the pair.
The possibility rem ains, then, th a t Lonesome George m ay one day
not be so lonely after all. When asked how great George’s ch an ces of
reproducing really are, however, Dr Henry Nicholls, an evolutionary
ecologist an d au th o r of the book “Lonesome George”, still feels th a t h is
p ro s p e c ts a re bleak. “As far as h is s ta tu s a s a conservation icon is
concerned, th o u g h ,” he says, “his prospects have never been better.
George really is an am azing am bassador for the conservation ca u se in
Galapagos and even beyond.”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. W hat does the writer suggest about Pinta tortoises in the fifth paragraph?
A. They could have originally come from Isabela Island.
B. They m ay be found on islands other th a n Pinta Island,
c. Most of them were tak en by sailors to Isabela Island.
D. Sailors used to h u n t th em more th a n o th er subspecies.
5. After carrying o u t his research on Isabela Island, Professor Powell
GLOSSARY
- lonesome, (adj) cô ñơn - a suitable match một người/vật xứng
- tortoise con rùa (loài sống trên cạn) ñôi vừa lứa
- subspecies phân loài - to analyse phân tích
- isolated (adj) cô lập, biệt lập - deceased (adj) ñã chết
- romance chuyện ái tình lãng mạn - museum specimen mẫu vật trưng bày
- profoundly (adv) một cách sảu sắc, ở viện bảo tàng
thâm thúy - blood sample mẫu máu
- theory of evolution học thuyết tiến - ancestry dòng dõi tổ tiên
. hóa - romantic (adj) lãng mạn, thơ mộng
- passing (adj) ñang ñi ngang qua - pure-bred (adj) thuần chùng
- to mate an animal with another cho - to breed sinh sản
một con vật giao phối với một con - random sample một mẫu lấy ngẫu
khác nhiên
- enclosure khu ñất có rào ñế nhốt ñộng - to reproduce sình sản
vật HOCTIENGANH.INFO
227
- to take the hint hiểu và lạm .theo ỉời - ecologist nhà sinh thái học
gợi ỷ bóng gió •; • - - prospect triển vọng
- evolutionary (acfj) liến quạn.ñẽn sự - bleak (adj) vô vọng, mờ mịt, u ám
tiến hỏa . - •; . • ■■-status ñịa: vị, tưcảch tư thế
- - conservation.icon biểu tifang cùa sự
- ; : : ^'.Vbảo : . ■ _ V
94
From the m om ent we retu rn ed from the violent h e a t of E ast Africa
we were soaked by the contin uo us drizzle of a fine English sum m er. It
was not a particularly prom ising introduction to life b ack in E ngland
after three y ears of being baked u n d e r the Kenyan su n. Nevertheless,
the leaden skies of A ugust could n ot m ake me any less en th u siastic
about my fast approaching re tu rn to B ritish education. I w as ab out to
en ter a South London com prehensive.
At the time I w as totally unaw are of the shock th a t w as aw aiting me,
one m uch worse th a n ad apting to the dism al climate. I w as ju s t looking
forward to m aking lots of new friend? an d getting stu ck into school life.
I w as u n d e r the im pression th a t the other pupils would be in terested in
my stories ab o u t Africa an d would instan tly w arm to my sparkling p er-
sonality. U nfortunately, however, I had really been lo o k in g a t th in g s
th ro u g h ro s e -tin te d g lasses and it w asn ’t long before I experienced a
m uch darker, unappealing side of things.
On the first day of term I bounded into the noisy assem bly hall eager
to size u p my new classm ates. As I scanned the room, w hich w as
packed w ith hu ddled clu sters of teenagers, I got my first suspicions
th a t becom ing p a rt of th eir cosy groupings m ight not be a s easy a s I
had imagined. They all seem ed to have an air of belonging a s they
laughed an d ch atted together. I tried to look relaxed an d carefree b u t
no one so m uch a s glanced in my direction, let alone tried to introduce
them selves. It tu rn ed o u t to bẹ an uncom fortable m orning in my new
class, b u t a s the h o u rs dragged by, I tried to work o ut w h at would be a
good plan of attac k for getting in on the action.
It began to daw n on m e th a t w hat w as needed w as a little effort on
my part. So a t break, I swallowed my pride an d strolled over to a.gro up
of boys stand ing by the gates to say hello. The tallest w as a dark-haired
lad with a p erm an en t sneer on his face. “W here did you get your shiny
shoes, m ate?” w as all he said. I looked down a t my new leather shoes
and noticed th a t everyone else was w earing the latest train ers. Before I
could th ink of som ething am using to say, they h ad begun to w ander
back to class leaving me red-faced and dum bfounded by the gate.
At the end of my first day, I storm ed ou t o f th e classroom as soon
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
228
as the final bell rang, alm ost knocking over a girl who w as passin g
along th e corridor. I w as fuming. I h ad arrived th a t m orning full of
hopes for a bright new future, only to have them d ash e d on the h ard
rocks of teenage indifference. The d ark ciouds above my h ead seem ed
to settle aro u n d me a s I trudged back home, rem inding me of how grim
th e day h a d been, I w as so enraged th a t I alm ost d id n ’t h e a r som eone
calling my nam e a n d I tu rn ed ro un d to see a boy from my class, Brian,
ru n n in g to ca tch up w ith me.
“You h a v e n ’t exactly been m ade to feel welcome today, have you ?” he
said beam ing a t me. “You could say th a t,” I replied sarcastically. He
laughed an d suggested I give him my mobile n u m b e r an d he would text
me later. “B ut Ĩ h aven ’t got a mobile!” I told him, my h e a rt sinking once
again. A look of u tte r am azem ent spread across his face a n d he su d -
denly w ent very quiet while I waited for him to reply. Finally, he took a
deep breath . “Look, if I were you, rd get a mobile. Everyone h as one!
And while y o u ’re a t it, so rt yourself out with a decent p air of tra in e rs.”
Then h e w as gone.
I walked into th e h o use an d flung my blazer an d bag down in th e
hall. My m um popped h e r head ro u n d th e living room door and asked
how my first day h a d gone. “Can you please tell me why I need a mobile
phone an d tra in e rs if. I w ant to m ake any friends?” I replied. I was so
stony-faced th a t I th in k she knew b etter th an to reply, so she ju s t stood
there looking confused a s I stom ped up the sta irs an d slam m ed my
bedroom door shut.
GLOSSARY
- to be soaked bị ướt sũng - to fume rãttức giận .
- drizzle cơn mưa phùn - to be dashed bị ñập vỡ tan tành
- leaden (adj) màu xám như chì, xám xịt - indifference sựthờ-ơ, vẻ lạnh nhạt
- comprehensive trường trung học tổng - lad cậu trai, anh chàng
hợp - sneer cái vẻ chẽ nhạo, vẻ nhạo báng
- dismal (adj) buồn thảm, tối tăm, ảm - mate (tiếng xưng hô) này anh bạn
ñạm -dumbfounded (adj) cảm thấy bị sốc
- to warm to hường ứng, nồng nhiệt ñón ñến ñộ không nói ra [ỏi, lặng người ñi
nhận, có thiện cảm với vì sửìng sốt
- sparkling (adj) lấp !ánh, lóng lánh, long - to trudge lê bước nặng nhọc
ianh - enraged (adj) phẫn nộ, tức giận
- rose-ỉỉnted glasses cặp kính ñeo mắt - to beam at sb cười thật tươi với aỉ
màu hồng - sarcastically (adv) với vẻ chua chát/
- unappealing (adj) không hấp dẫn mìa mai
- to bound into a place bước vào với vẻ - to text sb nhắn tin cho ai bằng ñiện
hăng hái thoại ñi ñộng
- assembly hail hội trường - to fling (flung - flung) ném mạnh
230 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- to size sth up ñò xét cái gi ñể ñánh giá - blazer áo khoác
- to scán nhìn lướt qua - to pop one's head round the door ió
- huddled (adj) túm tụm lại với nhau ñầu vào khung cửa
- cluster chùm, chòm, nhóm - stony-faced (adj) vẻ mặt lạnh nhạt
- cosy (adj) ấm cúng không thân thiện, vô cồm
- air of belonging vẻ tự nhiên (của - to know better than to do sth cảm
người gặp môi trường thích hợp) thấy ñừng làm gi thi tốt hơn
- carefree (adj) vô tư, không chút lo âu - to stomp dậm bước thật mạnh khi ñi
- to drag by (thời gian) chậm rãi trôi qua - to Siam ñóng cửa ñánh sầm, ñóng ập
- to dawn on sb (ñiều gì ñó) chợt sáng cửa
lên trong trí ai; aí ñó chợt hiểu ra - to compliment khen ngợi, chúc mừng
rằng - ỉose one's temper with sb nối cáu với
ai
95 NATURE’S FURY
M ount St. Helens, the volcano in Clark County, W ashington State,
erupted on Monday m orning. The disaster has caused a t least ten
d ea th s a s well as m assive destruction .in th a t region of the state.
The m ou ntain w as hit by two earthq uakes ju s t before h alf p ast
eight. Then, at eight thirty-two, the top of the. m ountain w as blown off
by an explosion th a t w as heard two hu nd red miles away. Huge blocks
of ice and rock fell onto th e surro und ing area an d the m o untain was
left 1,300 feet shorter. Then the trem endous h eat inside w as released.
Hot ash an d gas came o ut of the m ountain, causin g a lightning storm
as it rose into the air. W hite ash , along w ith steam an d thick m ud, con-
tinue to p o u r from the giant crater left by the explosion.
At each stage of this dram atic eruption people have been killed. The
explosion caused the first casualties; several people were injured or
died du e to the force an d h eat of it. Then the h ot a sh started fires
w hich have burn ed vast area s of forest, causing m ore death s. Fortu-
'nately, fxre-fighters have m anaged to p u t m ost of them out. The vol-
canic cloud w as so large an d dark th a t it w as said to have tu rn ed day
into night, forcing airp o rts tó close temporarily! One m ore life was lost
as á pilot flew his aeroplane into th e cloud an d hit electricity cables.
Mud from th e volcano is running down the m ountainside an d filling
rivers, causin g flooding. People living nearby have been forced to leave
th eir hom es a s the w ater continues to rise.
R escue w orkers have picked up casualties an d survivors by helicop-
ter, an d are moving them away from the dangerous areas. More victims
are expected to be found during the next few days. One w itness said
th a t it h ad been like the end of the world. “I really tho ug ht we were ail
going to die,” Jerry Irvine said. “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
231
Scientists say th a t the top of the m o untain h a d been “growing”, by
five feet per day for several weeks before the explosion. They say th a t
ash an d m ud could continue to p o u r ou t of St. H elens for u p to fifteen
years. Meanwhile, th e people of Clark C ounty axe learning to cope with
n a tu re ’s fury.
GLOSSARY
- fury cơn thịnh nộ - crater miệng núi lùầ, hố lớn hình phễu
- massive (adj) to lớn, khổng !ồ - electricity cable dây cáp dẫn ñiện
- tremendous (adj) khủng khiếp - rescue worker nhân viên cứu hộ
232 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
96
Helen Keller, a n inspiration to all, w as a n advocate for the blind,
deaf an d disabled. She w as b om on J u n e 27 1880 to p a re n ts C aptain
A rthur Henley Keller an d Kate Adam s Keller, in T uscum bia, Alabama.
She w as b o m healthy, w ith full sight an d h ea ring u n til tragedy stru ck
h er a t the young age of 19 m o nths old. She co n tracted a life-altering
disease, believed to be scarlet fever or m eningitis, w hich left h er .blind,
deaf a n d m ute. Her family found no m ethod to edu cate h er u n til the
age of six w hen they so ug ht advice from Alexander G raham Bell, a n a c -
tivist in deaf education. Bell suggested they con tact the Perkins In stitu -
tion for th e Blind in Boston an d requ est th a t they try to find a teacher
for Helen. Anne Sullivan w as chosen a n d sen t to T uscu m b ia to begin
tu toring Helen right away. Anne becam e a live-in teach er a n d im m edi-
ately began to u se finger spelling, the tracing of w ords on the palm , in
H elen’s h a n d to nam e objects. Although Helen learned the finger spell
p attern s, she did not yet relate them to nam es for objects. This
changed one day w ith trip to the w ater pum p. Anne placed one of
H elen’s h a n d u n d e r th e w ater coming from th e pu m p an d spelled WA-
TER repeatedly on H elen’s free hand. Suddenly Helen h ad a realization;
th e letters were a way of referring to th e liquid coming from the pump!
She finally u n d ersto o d th a t w ords were related to things. Keller w as so
im pressed th a t she w an ted to learn the n am es of everything aro u n d h er
an d on th a t sam e day she learned 30 new words.
There w as no stopping Helen after th a t. Anne ta u g h t Helen to read
with raised lette rs an d w ith Braille, an d later to w rite w ith both ordi-
nary and Braille typew riters. She eventually learned to u n d e rsta n d
w hat people, were saying by touch ing their lips a n d th ro at. She also
w anted to learn to sp eak b u t unfortun ately since h er vocal chords were
not properly train ed, h er speech did not develop far.
In 1900, Helen enrolled a t Radcliffe College, H arvard’s college for
women. D uring h e r college years she wrote h e r first book, a n autobiog-
raph y titled “The sto ry of My Life” w ith the help of editor Jo h n Albert
Macy. It w as p ublish ed in 1903. On J u n e 28 1904, Helen Keller be-
cam e th e first deaf-blind individual to g ra du ate from Radcliffe College,
com pleting a B achelor of Arts degree.
In 1921, The Am erican F oundation for the Blind was organized an d
Helen w as invited to be a spokesperson for th e organization. She trav -
eled extensively w ith Anne Sullivan an d Polly Thom son, an o th er one of
h er aids, giving speech es an d raising fun ds for th e blind an d related
causes. Along, w ith h e r m any books an d o th er w ritings, th is w as to be-
com e h e r life’s work. On October 20 1936, Helen Keller’s beloved
teach er died. Although greatly affected by th is loss, it did not hin der
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
233
• Helen's v o lu n tẻ^ :''W o r^ ;:S'he;’eontiaụed- traveling thè w orld w ith Polly,
trving' to raise; m pney::forf tiie AmenGap^ Foiiindation . for the O verseas
Blind. ^ ■:
. In 1953, •:!ne'; ;dọcijựTienỊáryí■film íiạbọủt' vHelen’s life,' “The U ncon-
quered*, w on a n 1, Helen-Keller’s p u b -
lic^ life-was d ra w irto 'a''.close: ^ e n sh e'su ffered the first of a series of
■ strokes. Helen; Keller: received many^Uwards'Jtliroughout h e r lifetime in -
cluding th e P resiñẹntiaỉ Meidai of Freedom ,’w h ich 'w a s given to h e r by
234 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
B. did not progress m uch,
c. developed during h er college vears.
D. improved th an k s to Polly Thomson.
7. Helen Keller travelled the world t o _____
A. raise money for the deaf an d m ute.
B. prom ote h e r book.
c. inform people ab o u t the problem s of those w ithout sight.
D. get inspiration for her books.
GLOSSARY
- inspiration người hoặc vật truyền cảm - water pump cái bơm nước
hứng - raised letters chữ nhô cao, chữ nổi
- advocate người biện hộ, người bênh - vocal chords dây thanh âm, dây thanh
vực/ ủng hộ cho » ñối - to enrol ñăng kí theo học
- disabled (acjj) tàn tật - autobiography tự truyện, tiểu sử tự
- to contract a disease mẳc phải một viết
bệnh - a Bachelor of Arts degree một văn
- scarlet fever bệnh sốt ban ñỏ 'bằng cử nhân khoa học-xã hội nhân
- meningitis bệnh viêm màng não văn
- life-altering (adj) làm thay ñổi cuộc - spokesperson người phát ngôn
ñời - extensively (adv) rộng khắp, khắp nơi
- activist người tích cực ùng hộ/ vận - to raise funds gây quỹ
ñộng cho - cause lí tưởng, mục ñích
- to tutor dạy kèm, iàm gia sư - to hinder cản trở
_ a ỉive-in teacher thầy/cô giáo ở ngsy - volunteer work công việc tình nguyện
luôn trong nhà - overseas (adv) ở hải ngoại
- finger spelling sự viết chữ bằng ñầu - unconquered (adj) không chịu bị khuất
ngón tay phục
- to trace vạch thành ñường nét - to be drawn to a close sắp kết thúc
- palm lòng bàn tay - stroke cơn ñột quỵ
- to relate sth to sth liên kết cái gì với - legacy di sản
cái gì - to conquer chinh phục
236 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
brother. Steve, who lives in Philadelphia, w as raised in a B u dd h ist
household. Both m en own body-building gyms.
It’s obvious from these tw ins’ stories th a t genetics are a m ajor factor
in sh aping who we are. In fact, research so far indicates th a t c h a rac te r-
istics su ch as personality are m ainly related to genes. This m ean s th a t
o ur c h a ra c te r tra its as ad u lts are largely determ ined before we are born
- a n d th ere is very little th a t we, or anybody else, ca n do to change
them .
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
238
98 NUCLEAR WEAPONS
It is generally well know n th a t in a num ber of particularly, dangerous
p a rts of the world, for exam ple the Middle E ast an d the In d ia/P ak ista n
border region, th ere are countries which either possess, or have the
technology to produce, nuclear weapons. It is also w orth rem em bering,
however, th a t the country which possesses more n u clear w eapons th a n
any other, the United States, is the only power ever to have u sed n u -
clear w eapons ag a in st people.
Nuclear w eapons were first developed in the United S tates during
th e Second World War, to be used against Germany. However, by the
tim e the first bom bs were ready for use, the w ar w ith Germ any had
ended and, a s a result, the decision w as m ade to use th e w eapons
against J a p a n instead. Hiroshim a an d Nagasaki have suffered the con-
sequences of th is decision to the present day.
The real reaso n s why bom bs were dropped on two heavily-populated
cities are not altogether clear. A n um ber of people in 1944 an d early
1945 argued th a t th e Use of n u clear weapons would be u nnecessary,
since Am erican Intelligence w as aw are th a t some of the m ost powerful
and influential people in J a p a n had already realized th a t the war was
lost, an d w anted to negotiate a Jap a n ese surrender. It was also argued
that, since J a p a n h a s few n atu ral resources, a blockade by the Ameri-
can navy would force it to su rren d er within a few weeks, an d the u se of
nuclear w eapons would th u s prove unnecessary. If a dem onstration of
force w as required to end the war, a bom b could be dropped over a n
un po pulated area like a desert, in front of Ja p a n e se observers, or over
an area of low population inside Ja p a n , su ch as a forest. Opting for
this course of action m ight minimize the loss of fu rth er lives on all
sides, while th e power of nuclear w eapons would still be adequately
dem onstrated.
All of theầe argum ents were rejected, however, and the general con-
sen su s w as th a t the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use
n uclear w eapons ag ain st centres of population inside J a p a n . In fact,
two of the m ore likely reasons why this decision w as reached seem
quite shocking to u s now.
Since the beginning of the Second World W ar both Germ any and
J a p a n h ad adopted a policy of genocide (i,e. killing as m any people as
possible, including civilians). Later on, even the us an d B ritain had
used th e strategy of fire bom bing cities (Dresden an d Tokyo, for exam -
ple) in order to kill, injure an d intim idate as m any civilians as possible.
Certainly, the general public in th e West had become used to hearing
ab ou t the d ea th s of large n u m bers of people, so the d ea th s of an oth er
few th o u sa n d Jap a n ese , who were the enemy in any case, would not
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
239
seem particularly unacceptable - a bit of “justifiable” revenge for the
Allies’ own losses, perhaps.
The second reaso n is n ot m uch easier to com prehend. Some of th e
leading scientists in the world h ad collaborated to develop nu clea r
w eapons, an d th is developm ent h a d resulted in a n u m b er of m ajor a d -
vances in technology an d scientific knowledge. As a resu lt, a lot of
norm al, intelligent people w anted to see n u clear w eapons used; they
w anted to see ju s t how destructive th is new invention could be- It no
doubt tu rn ed o u t to be even more “effective” th a n they h a d im agined.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
241
10. W hich 1of ;ihe fo'll^wi^ig oould b est .replace .“n a tu ra l reso u rces” in
parag raph 3 . . V- ■ ■'
A. characteristics such- as. detejqpbination. an d resou rcefulness
B. ports a n d harbo urs. ■■■'ế'
c . w orkers w ith n a tu ra l ability- ‘ ■
D. m aterials su ch á s coal an d iron
1 1. W hich is closest in m eaning to' the last sentence of p arag ra p h 2:
A. the cities of Hiroshim a an d N agasaki were badly dam aged w hen
they were bom bed
B. H iroshim a an d Nagasaki suffered because J a p a n would n o t
agree to end th e w ar
c. the awful effects of dropping n u clear bom bs on th ese cities can
s till be fe lt
D. the end of the wax w ith Germ any m ean t th a t H iroshim a an d
Nagasaki would suffer
12. “justifiab le” in p arag raph 5 is in inverted com m as b e c a u s e _____
A. the word is. used in an u n u su a l way.
B. th e w riter is quoting from th e decision m akers,
c . it is no t really correct English.
D. it m ight not be altogether appropriate here.
GLOSSARY
- nuclear weapon vũ. khí hạt nhân - to minimize giảm thiểu, thu nhỏ ñến
- consequence hậu quả mức thấp nhất
- heavily-populated (adv) ñông dân cư - genocide sự/ tội diệt chủng
- altogether (añv) hoàn toàn, hết thãy - civilian dân thường
- intelligence sự/ ngành tình báo - strategy chiến lược
- influential (adj) có nhiều thế lực - to intimidate sb làm ai sợ hãi
- to negotiate thương thuyết, thương - justifiable (adj) có thể biện minh ñược
lượng - revenge sự trả thù
- surrender sự ñầu hàng - the Allies phe ñồng minh (trong Thế
- blockade sự phong tòa Chien II)
- navy hải quân - to comprehend hiểu ñược
- demonstration of force sự biểu - to collaborate hợp tác
dương lực IƯỢng - destructive (adj) có sức hủy diệt/ gây
- unpopulated (adj) không có dân cư . nhiều tàn phá
- to opt for sth chọn iựa cái gì - potentially (adv) có tiềm năng
- a course of action phương hướng - objectively (adv) một cách khách quan
hành ñộng - resourcefulness tài xoay xở khéo léo
- to quote trích dẫn
242 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
99 THE REAL THING?
One of th e m ost successful com m ercial p ro d u c ts ever launch ed is
said to have come ab o u t a s th e re su lt of a m istake. In 1896, Ja c o b ’s
Pharm acy in A tlanta, Georgia, w as selling a nerve tonic known as
“F rench Wine Cola - Ideal Nerve Tonic”. By accidentally ad ding fizzy
w ater in stead of still w ater to the recipe, a p h arm acist called Jo h n s.
Pem berton invented w h a t h a s today become th e m o st popular soft
drink in th e world: Coca-Cola. Along w ith its closest rival - Pepsi -
which appeared on th e m arket three y ears later, Goke h a s enjoyed
phenom enal su ccess worldwide, particularly in the p a st fifty years. In-
deed, old Coke bottles an d “lim ited edition” c a n s can often fetch con-
siderable su m s from collectors, an d th ere are even stores w hich deal
exclusively in Coke p rod u cts an d memorabilia.
W hat could possibly acco unt for the am azing su ccess of Coca-Cola?
How h a s th is com bination of carbonated w ater, sugar, acid an d fla-
vourings come to symbolize the American way of life for m ost of the
world? After all, even the m an u factu rers could h ardly describe Coke as
a healthy p rod uct since it con tain s relatively high a m o u n ts of su g ar
(admittedly n o t the case with Diet Coke which con tain s artificial sweet-
eners instead of sugar) an d phosphoric acid, both of w hich are know n
to dam age teeth.
One explanation m ay be found in the nam e. The. original recipe in -
cluded a flavouring from th e coca p lan t an d probably included sm all
am o u n ts of cocaine (an addictive substance), b u t since th e early p a rt of
th is cen tu ry all trac es of cocaine have been removed. However, Coke
(like all cola drinks) also includes a flavouring from the cola tree; cola
extract co n tain s caffeine, which is a stim ulan t, a n d the Coca-Cola
com pany adds ex tra caffeine for good m easure. While caffeine is not
th o u g h t to be a n addictive su b stan c e in itself, th ere is considerable evi-
dence th a t over a period of time the consum ption of caffeine h a s to be
increased in order for its stim ulating effect to be m aintained, and so
sales of Coke p erh ap s benefit a s a result.
A m ore likely reason for the end uring popularity of Coke may, how-
ever, be found in th e com pany’s enviable m arketing strategies. Over the
years it h a s come up with some of the m ost m em orable com m ercials,
tu nes, slogans an d sponsorship in the world of advertising, variously
em phasizing intern atio n al harm ony, yo uthfulness an d a carefree life-
style. Few o th er com panies (arguably including Pepsi) have been able to
m atch su c h m arketing ploys so consistently o r effectively. As suggested
earlier, th e influences of American cu ltu re axe evident ju s t ab o u t eve-
rywhere, an d Coca-Cola h a s somehow come to rep resent a vision of the
United S ta tes th a t m uch of th e re st of th e world dream s ab o u t an d a s -
pires to. P erh ap s drinking Coke brings people th a t little bit closer to the
dream .
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1. In parag rap h .1.» “can s can. often fetch considerable su m s” m eans
'•. the sam e as' ’ ' r" ■ : ^ ' yY
: A-: Coke iS'guite expensive in some p arts of the world
■ B. collectors consider carefully how m uch they are paying for a can
V of Coke J :
c . some collectors will only d rin k Coke in exclusive stores
D. certain Coke cans are worth a lot of m oney a s collectable item s
2. The w riter u ses “for good m easure” in p aragrap h 3 to em phasize th e
fact t h a t _____ .
A. there is a lQt of caffeine in Coke
B. the am o u n t of caffeine in Coke is carefully m easu red
c . the extra caffeine improves th e tasté of Coke
D. the extra caffeine balances the am o u n t found naturally in the
cola extract
3. “Coke h a s enjoyed phenom enal success" p arag rap h 1 suggests the
w rite r _____ .
A. th in k s th a t the success of Coke is very strange
B. believes th a t the success of Coke h as been im pressive
c . ra th e r disapproves of the success of Goke
D. considers the su ccess of Coke to be undeserved
4. Describing Coke’s m arketing strategies a s ‘enviable’ in p arag ra p h 4,
m eans t h a t _____ .
A. the strategies are based on envy
B. Coke’s m arketing staff are encouraged to be envious of each
o th er’s ideas
c. people are p ersu ad ed to buy Coke because they are envious of
oth ers •
D. rivals are envious of the Coke com pany’s successful m ethods of
m arketing
5. “variously em phasizing” in p arag rap h 4 is closest in m eaning t o __
Á. stressing a t different tim es
B. using a wide variety of em phasis
c . stressing at the sam e time
D. using a p artic ula r order of em phasis
6 . In the last sentence of the passage the w riter implies t h a t _____ .
A. m ost people would like to live in America
B. m any people w ish for a lifestyle like they im agine m ost Ameri-
cans have
c. drinking Coke rem inds a lot of people of visiting America
D. living in the United S tates is a bit like living in a dream
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
244
Y '
7. “both of w hich” in paragrap h 2 refers to ____ .
A. phosphoric a n d acid
B. su gar an d artificial sweetener
c. su g ar a n d phosphoric acid
D. artificial sw eetener an d phosphoric acid
8 . In p arag rap h 1, the w riter points out t h a t _____ .
A. Coke is so pop ular th a t some shops sell nothing else
B. only certain people are allowed to en ter the m ost popular Coke
stores
c . some stores can successfully sell Coke at higher prices
D. Coke is. so pop ular th a t some shops only sell goods w ith the
Coke label
9. The sentence in lines 33-35 m eans t h a t _______ .
A. Pepsi an d a few other com panies have h ad better m arketing
th a n Coca-Cola
B. the Coke com pany h a s been m ore successful in m arketing th a n
m ost o thers
c . some com panies have copied Coca- Cola’s m arketing strategies
very effectively
D. no o th er com pany h a s been as successful as Coca-Cola in m ar-
keting its products
10. “ju s t abou t everywhere” in paragraph 4 is closest in m eaning to ___
A. in a lot of countries
B. in every p a rt of the world
c . in a m ajority of places
D. in alm ost every p a rt of the world
11. In the last sentence of paragraph 2, the writer im plies t h a t _____ .
A. it is easy for the com pany to argue th a t Coke is a healthy drink
B. h e /s h e considers Coke to be un healthy a s a drink
c . the com pany believes Coke is n ot a n un h ea lth y product
D. Coke is, in fact, quite a healthy drink
12. “Along w ith its closest rival - Pepsi” paragraph 1 refers to the fact
t h a t _____ .
A. Coke an d Pepsi work very closely together
B. Pepsi is Coke’s only com petitor
c . Coke an d Pepsi are com petitors in the sam e m arket
D. Coke a n d Pepsi between them keep rivals out of the m arket
13. In the second sentence of parag raph 2, the w riter seem s surprised
t h a t _____
A. som ething so norm al could have such im portance
B. all the ingredients can be found in m ost countries
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
24 Í
c . m ost o f the ingredients; are not very healthy
D. Coke m u st be so easy to produce -
14. W hich of the .following, statem ents a b o u t the passage is t r u e __ _
A. Cocaine an d caffeine are addictive su bstances.
B. At least one of the ingredients of Coke is addictive.
c. The stim ulating effect of caffeine is reduced over time u n less
consum ption of it is increased.
D. The Coca-Cola com pany h a s gradually increased th e am o u n t of
caffeine it p u ts in Coke.
GLOSSARY
246
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
100 LETTER OF COMPLAINT
D ear Sirs,
Your sh ip m en t of twelve th o u sa n d “S m art” w atches w as received by
o u r com pany th is m orning. However, we wish to m ake a n u m b er of
com plaints concerning th e serious delay in delivery and y ou r failure to
c a n y o u t o u r explicit in stru ctio n s w ith regard to th is order.
It w as stressed from the o u tset th a t the delivery date h a d to be lesẹ
th a n six w eeks from the initial order, in order to comply w ith o u r own
c u sto m ers’ requ irem ents. While we appreciate th a t delays in prod uc-
tion are occasionally inevitable, we m u st point o u t th a t the m ajor rea -
son why th e order w as placed w ith y o ur com pany w as b ec au se we were
a ssu re d by you of its straightforw ardness, an d th a t y ou r existing
stocks were sufficiently high to ensu re im m ediate shipm ent. Late deliv-
ery of the goods h a s caused u s to disappoint several of o u r m ost valued
custom ers, a n d is b ou nd to have a n adverse effect on potential fu tu re
orders.
The second com plaint concerns th e discrepancy in colour between
the w atches we ordered an d those delivered. It w as stated clearly in the
original order th a t w atches in com binations of g re en /p u rp le a n d or-
a n g e /p u rp le only were required. However, only half the w atches in th e
delivery received are of th e colours specified. O ur Hong Kong ag ent a s -
su re s u s th a t she stressed to you the im portance of following o u r in -
stru ctio n s precisely, since we consider th ere to be only a limited m arket
in th is country for w atches of o th er colours a t th e present, time. Any
w atch es th a t are n o t of th e specified colours will, of course, be retu rn ed
to you.
We are also som ew hat concerned ab o u t th e ra th e r poor quality of
the goods received, since it is ap p a ren t th a t the w atches th a t finally a r-
rived have been p roduced from inferior m aterials and have been m a n u -
factured to a lower stan d ard th a n those in th e sam ple. We have also
found th a t a n u m b er of the w atches do not ap p ear to be functioning.
W hether th e la tte r problem is due to poor m an u facture, dam age in
tra n sit or defective b atterie s is not yet clear, b u t we should like to point
o u t th a t we feel th is m atte r to be entirely your responsibility.
As a re su lt of th e above problem s, therefore, we. feel th a t the m ost
suitable course of action is to re tu rn to you u np aid any of the goods
considered unsatisfacto ry , a n d to ded u ct any costs in cu rred from our
final settlem ent. .We shall also, of course, be forced to reconsider
w hether any fu rth e r orders should be placed with y our com pany.
We look forward to y ou r prom pt reply.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
247
1. How m any of th e w atches will be retu rn ed to the m an u fa ctu rers?
A. 6,000
B. less th a n 6,000
c . more th a n 6,000
D. th e passage d oesn’t give enough inform ation to answ er
2. The m an u fa ctu rers of “S m art” w atches were given th e order b e-
cause _____ ..
A. they were assu re d a n d there was sufficient space for im m ediate
shipm ent
B. the w atches would be easy to m ake an d the designs were al-
ready prepared
c . they prom ised they could produce enough stocks quite quickly
D. they claim ed the order would be easy since the w atches were al-
ready in stock
3. Receiving w atches in the wrong colours is a problem b e c a u s e ____.
A. the Hong Kong agent stressed the need to fulfil the order exactly
B. these w atches will be difficult to sell
c . they will n ot be able to get into the limited m arket
D. people will not buy the w atches a s presents
4. Which of th e following does “th e latter problem ” in p arag rap h 4 re-
fer t o _____
A. the poor quality of the goods
B. the u se of inferior m aterials
c . the low stan d a rd of m anufacture
D. some of th e w atches no t working
5. The last sentence of parag raph 5 h a s been included in o rder to
suggest t h a t _____ .
A. the receiving com pany m ay cease trading w ith th e w atch m a n u -
factu rers
B. th e com pany will probably .reduce the n u m b er of w atches it or-
ders in future
c . th e w riters are afraid their com pany m ight go ou t of b u sin ess
soon
D. the com pany are probably willing to give the m an u fac tu rers a n -
other ch ance
6 . Late delivery will have an “adverse effect on futu re orders” in p a ra -
graph 2 b e c a u s e _____ .
A. the com pany will no longer place orders with the m an u factu rers
B. future orders will have to be delivered sooner
c . the com pany is su re to lose some of its b u sin ess w ith its c u s-
tom ers
D. the com pany will certainly have to advertise itself m ore effec-
tively in future
248 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
7. “limited m ark e t in th is country for w atches of o th er colour s” in
parag rap h 3 m e a n s _____ .
A. not m any shops are able to sell su ch w atches
B. o th er w atch com panies m ake it difficult for new com ers to entei
the m ark et
c. m ark et stalls d on 't seem to sell su ch w atches here
D. not m any people are interested in buying su ch w atches
8 . “adverse” in p arag raph 2 m eans the sam e a s _____ .
A. unfavourable B. positive
c . reduced D. prom otional
9. W hich of th e following does “th is” refer to in p aragraph 4 ' _____ .
A. poor m an ufactu re
B. dam age during transp orta tion
c. poor m an u factu re, dam age d uring tran sp o rta tio n a n d defective
batteries
D. the problem of w atches not working
10. In th e last sentence of p arag rap h 4 the w riter im plies t h a t _____ .
A. the w atch m an u fa ctu rers have tried to cheat th e com pany
B. h is /h e r com pany does not intend to pay for dam aged w atches
c. the m an u factu re rs have behaved irresponsibly in this m atter
D. the com pany w ould prefer not to attac h blam e for the problem
11. In th e last sentence of paragrap h 3, “specified colours” refers to
. A. th e w rong colours
B. w atches of other colours
c. the'colou rs originally ordered
D. none o f the above
12. W hich of the following best describes the general tone of the letter
GLOSSARY
- shipment sự/ số lượng hàng hóa vận - discrepancy sự không nhất quán,
chuyển không khớp, sự lệch, sự thiếu thống
- explicit (adj) rõràng, ñầy ñủ chi tiết, nhất
minh bạch - in combinations of theo các cách kết
- to stress nhấn mạnh hợp (màu sắc)
- from the outset ngay từ ñầu - specified (adj) ñược xác ñịnh rõ
- to comply with sth tuân thù chấp - agent ñại lý bán hàng
hành cái gỉ - precisely (adv) một cách chính xác
- inevitable (adj) tất yếu, không thể - inferior (adj) thấp kém, kém chất
tránh ñược lượng, tồi
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
^ to place an order wỉụi;stịịíñặf rnua ;':Ị -.V -rSamp.le.mau hangt: ...
; hàng với ái. ậ t ị V ' ; ĩ ị ^ ị ỵ ỉ ' ■ ' ~ ỉn ti^nsjt trong lục chuyên chở
- straightfonvárñnẹs^ sự-ỞỢọ,gian^.s.ự . • . -''defective (adj) cọ khiiyet tặt, có trục
rõ ràng, dễ hiêứ ' 4 :trặo ' ạ ' ' ■^ ’ ■
-stock lùtóng.hại^iiộa-ñạtìg^TOng..-'--,'-''' :'-uhpard;:(adj) không ñược trả tiền
kho .> ' ' - t ò deduct khấutrừ ' 1 :
- to be bound ;tọ'.do 5th nhất ñịnh/ chắc - t o incursth gánh chịu, mắc.phài, bị cái
chắn sẽ làm gỉ... ; gì
- adverse (adj) bạt lợi, gây hại . - stall giari hàng, quầy hàng
101 REALITY TV
Chris Dufford gives u s the scoop on reality show s.
T here’s a new kind of program me on television, an d it’s hardly like
television, at all. It’s called reality TV and, a s the nam e suggests, it is
supposed to show u s som ething very real. The p articip an ts a re n ’t a c -
tors a t all, b u t ordinary people in th eir daily lives. We, the viewers,
m ight see them eating, sleeping, arguing or having a good time. We can
hear all their conversations and w atch their every move. Reality shows,
therefore, are not regular television program m es a t all. Instead they
give u s a close-up look into other people's lives.
Why have reality shows become so popular? W hat m ak es u s w an t to
w atch reality show s on TV? To begin with, we feel th a t we get to know
the p articipants. We know their n am es from the beginning an d g ra d u -
ally we learn m ore abo ut them . We might even come tò like some of
them. O th ers, we m ight not like a t all! Reality shows take u s inside the
lives of other people. Mostly, people wonder w h at it’s like to be som eone
else. Experiencing other people’s lives can be a great escape from o u r
own.
Some people say this h a s a very healthy effect on society a n d it’s a
harm less an d en tertaining way of passing the time. O ther people,- how-
ever, are not in favour of reality TV. Critics say th a t it is no t really en -
terta in m en t at all. W hat could be entertainin g ab o u t two people doing
th eir laundry or preparing the evening meal? Who w ants to w atch th at?
Who w ants to h ea r all of th eir secrets and gossip? Some social scien-
tists even say th a t reality TV could have dam aging effects on society.
W hat kinds of people ta k e: p art in reality program m es? Well, since
the particip an ts m ay win a prize, they m ight be doing it for th e money.
There could be o ther reason s a s well. For example, the participa n ts on
these show s become well known to the viewers. They m ay even become
fam ous an d find more work in TV after the reality show ends. Not only
th at, b u t some people may really like the atten tio n of millions of eyes
on them everv day an d night. Clearly, reality TV is not for shy people!
250 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
New reality show s ap p e ar all the time. They ca n take place on a
farm , in a n ap a rtm e n t or even on an island. E ach time a new show be-
gins, it seem s to be even more daring th an the previous one. W hat do
you th in k the fu tu re holds for reality TV? Could the next show take
place in your city, neighbourhood or school? Eventually, th e day may
come w hen we are all p a rt of reality TV!
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
251
GLOSSARY
- reality w truyền hinh th u t-te •. .^/-cnticTiha phê bình, nguỹi chỉ trích';
- a scoop on sth'thong.tiQ.'.fn^i 'nhat về . < to; do^one's laundry giặt quần áo
close-up look mpt cai .phin cận cảnh; : r.-gossịp chuy?n n9ồi !ê ñôi mốch' chuy?n
■ •' • • . 2 /, • :buôO;dưalê
252 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
occasions, b u t Minor pleaded poverty an d a n indisposition to travel.
Since, in tho se days, travelling aro un d th e coun try w as ex h au sting and
expensive a n d correspondence w as a m uch m ore com m on a n d n a tu ra l
way for people to com m unicate, th ese reaso n s were accepted by the
learned scholar.
Nevertheless, M urray w as n atu rally eager to m eet his sta r co n trib u -
tor a n d so h e finally se t o u t for B roadm oor one day in 1897, nearly
tw enty y ears alter th e ir correspondence h ad begun. W hen he arrived
there, he w as asto n ish ed to discover th a t Doctor William M inor was no t
th e Governor or a senior m em ber of staff, as h e h a d supposed, b u t an
inm ate himself.
The sad a n d often harrow ing story of how M inor ended u p in
Broadm oor, a n d the u n h ap p y circ um stan ces of his life before th a t fate-
ful m orning in 1871, is recounted in gripping detail; a s is th a t of Ja m e s
M urray, a sch olar a n d linguist who h ad a t le a st a w orking knowledge of
virtually every language th a t exists. Their stories, an d th a t of th e u n -
dertak in g of the colossal work of scholarship th a t is the Oxford English
Dictionary, are bo u n d together in th is fascinating w ork by Sim on W in-
chester.
GLOSSARY
- surgeon bác sĩ - correspondence thư từ giao dịch
- to come into being ra ñời, xuất hiện - common bond mối liên kết chung, sự
- Herculean (adj) cân có sức mạnh như gắn bỏ yới nhau
của thần Hercules, ñòi hòi nhiều công - devoted (adj) trung thành
sức - lunatic người ñiên
- seedy (adj) tồi tàn, nhếch nhác - governor người cai quản
- slum khu nhà ổ chuột - inmate til nhân
- gunshot tiếng súng nổ - numerous (adj) vô so
- police constable cảnh sát viên - to plead poverty íấy cớ là nghèo khổ
- Irish (adj) thưộc Ai-len (Ái Nhĩ Lan) - indisposition (to do sth) sự cảm thấy
- labourer công nhân lao ñộng chần tay không muốn íàm gi
- perpetrator kè gây ra tội ác, hung thủ - exhausting (adj) gây kiệt sức, khiễn
- confusion sự .hỗn loạn, sự rối tung người ta rất mệt nhọc
- a tortured mind một tâm trí bị dằn vặt - learned (adj) uyen bầe, học rộng biết
- to torment hành hạ nhiều
- to be detained for life bị giam giữ ñến - senior (adj) quan trọng, ở cãp cao
■trọn ñời - member of staff thành viên của ban
- asylum bệnh viện tâm thần quản trị
- to house sth chứa cái gi bên trong, - harrowing (adj) thương tâm, gây ñau
cung cấp chỗ cho cái gì lòng
- the criminally insane những người - fateful (adj) như là ñịnh mệnh
phạm tội vi bị ñiên loạn - to recount kê lại
- self-taught (adj) tự học - gripping (adj) hấp ñẫn, thu hút
- schoíar học già - linguist nhà ngữ học
- to appoint bổ nhiệm, giao nhiệm vụ - to have a working knowledge of sth
- to take over tiếp quản, ñảm nhận khá thông thạo cái gì
- immense (adj) to lớn - to undertake ñảm ñương, gánh vác
- leaflet tờ rơi, tò truyền ñơn - colossaỉ (adj) to lỏn, vĩ ñại, khồng íồ
- avidly (adv) ñầy vẻ háo hức, chăm chú - a work of scholarship một công trình
- to line a wall xếp thành hàng trên một uyên bác
bức tường - to be bound together ñược gắn kẽt lại
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
254
- ceil phòng giam, xà lim với nhau
- contributor ngưởi ñóng góp bài vở cho - a run-down area một khu vực tồi tàn/
một ấn phầm, người cộng tác viết bà'] xuống cấp
- illustrative (adv) dùng ñế minh họa - illustration tranh minh họa
- quotation lời trích ñẫn - absorbing (adj) hấp dân, thu hút
256 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
6 . The secretary knew the d en tist w as ready to see the next p atien t
b e c a u s e _____
A. she h eard footsteps in the corridor.
B. the clock sounded the hour,
c . the bell w as a signal to her.
D. Mrs. B arker p u t h er knitting away.
7. Why did J o h n stop playing his game?
A. He h a d got bored with it.
B. It w as tim e to see the dentist,
c . He w anted to read a magazine.
D. It w as not very relaxing.
GLOSSARY
- practice sự hành nghề (bác sĩ/ iuật sư) - scarf khăn quàng
- suburban (adj) ở tại/ thuộc ngoại ô - to moạn rên rỉ
- to be furnished with sth (một căn - routine (adj) việc làm thường ngày
phòng) ñược trang bị món ñồ gi hoặc theo ñịnh kỉ
- a selection of sth một tập hợp những - check-up sự kiểm tra sức khỏe
cái gì - absent-mindedly (adv) một cách/ với
- to fall to pieces tan rã ra từng mảnh, vẻ ñãng trí
long rời ra - swollen (adj) sưng vù iên
- to be scattered nằm vương vãi - maggot con giòi
- scratched (adj) trầy sướt - gum -ỊỢi/ nướu
- to sit fidgeting ngồi nhãp nhỏm, bồn - to consult tham khảo ý kiến ai/ dò tim
chồn không yên v trong sách
- tick tiếng tích tắc - diary nhật kí, sổ ghi chép
- mantelpiece mặt bằng trên lò sưởi - to rise to one's feet ñứng bật dậy
- fire-place iò sưởi - to head towards a door tiến về phía
- tap-tap tiếng lách cách cite
- ĩñly (adv) một cách nhàn nhã - to cease thôi, ngừng
- to flip through a book [ật dở nhanh - to sigh thở dài
các trang sách - inwardly (adv) âm thầm trong lòng
104
On April 26 1986, one of histo ry’s w orst n uclear accidents occurred
a t th e Chernobyl N uclear Power Plant in the Ukraine (the former Soviet
Union). At 4:23 AM, technicians at .the Chernobyl plant allowed the
power in the fourth reactor (reactor-4) to fall to low levels a s p art of a
controlled experim ent, which w ent terribly wrong. The reactor over-
h eated an d caused a meltdown of the core. This resulted in a n explo-
sive force of steam , which blew off the lid of the reactor. Large am ou nts
of radioactive m aterial were released into the atm osphere. The reactor-
4 explosions released more radioactivity th a n the atom ic bom bs
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
257
dropped on H iroshim a a n d Nagasaki during World W ar II. Most of the.
■d isch arged '-m ateri^: W as.;deposited.'close^y a s d u s t a n d debris, b u t
wind carried, th e ■lighter radioactive m aterial .over the U kraine, B elarus,
R ussia and parts- of Eurapẹ. Ĩ Ẵ :■
The o p erato rs’’overr confident :ñẹpsìon-ỊKàking, a flaw in th e design
■' of the T ea c tc » ri^ d :in a d e ^ ia ^ ^ sa ^ % -is^ |e m s:a re believed to be th e m a- ' •
■_ ; jo r fàctọrs tliat''caạseâ" the:',Chemobyl.^isaster.
' Many- people 'wefe affected'by 't^s:Gatẳ'S;tfòphe. The': accident caused
. 31 immediat-e d ea th s thát, were m ainly th e 're s u lt of exposure to radia-
258, HOCTIENGANH.INFO
4. The reactor-4 explosion resulted in t h e _____
A. spread of the heavier radioactive m aterial by the wind.
B. im m ediate d eath of 200,000 people.
c. release of d u st and debris into the atm osphere.
D. release of reactor-4’s cover.
5. Most of the people who died as a result of the explosion were
A. firefighters.
B. m em bers of the clean u p crew,
c. operators of th e reactor.
D. children.
6 . The m em bers of the clean-up crew _____
Á. developed thyroid, cancer.
B. p u t out the fires.
c . were subject to high levels of radiation.
D. were u nh arm ed by th e radiation.
7. Reactor-4 ■ _
A. is still leaking radiation.
B. is enclosed in cem ent
c. will be replaced in the future.
D. cost millions of dollars.
GLOSSARY
- nuclear power plant nhà máy ñiện - radiation bức xạ
hạt nhân - liquidating crew ñội phụ trách thanh
- the former Soviet Union uên xô cũ tẩy khu nhiễm xạ
- technician kĩ thuật viên - to swell sưng vù lêp; (số lượng) tăng
- reactor lò phản ứng mạnh ỉên
- to overheat trở nên quá nóng - dose liều lượng
- meltdown sự tan chảy của lõi lò phàn - in the long run vẹ sau này
ứng hạt nhân do quá nóng gây ra sự . - thyroid cancer .ung thư tuyến giáp
giải thoát năng ìượng phóng xạ - to emit phát r a
260 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
to im port food from elsewhere b u t you have to keep in m ind th a t the
type' of chang es experienced in so u thern C hina will take place else-
where a s well,” he said. Sea levels could rise a s glaciers m elted and the
higher tem p eratu res expanded the size of the oceans, threaten ing
m uch of developed Hong Kong w hich is bu ilt on reclaim ed land. C ur-
re n t projections are th a t sea levels worldwide will rise by 15 to 90 cen-
tim etres by 2 10 0 , depending on w hether action is tak en to reduce
greenhouse gas em issions.
“Hong Kong h a s su b stan tial areas built on reclaim ed land and sea
level rises could im pact on th a t, not only on Chek Lap Kok b u t the
W est Kowloon Reclam ation and the C entral and W estern Reclamation -
the whole lot,” Mr Melville said, adding th a t sea-walls would be needed.
Depleted fresh w ater supplies would be an o th er problem because in-
creased evaporation would reduce levels. Mr Melville said the general
outlook could be helped if Hong Kong used w ater less wastefully and
encouraged energy efficiency to reduce fuel-burning. He also called on
the W est to help C hina improve its efficiency.
1-. Overall, w hat sort of picture is painted of the future effects of global
w arm ing?
A. d isa stro u s
B. potentially d isastrou s
c . relatively optimistic
D. on balance things are going to be satisfactory
2. W hat is th is passage? ■
A. a report
B. a preview of a report
c . an article describing a response to a report
D. an article previewing a report
3. Mr David Melville suggests th a t m future m ore food could be im -
ported into Hong Kong. He th in k s these m easu res could b e _______ .
A. efficient B. sufficient c. insufficient D. inefficient
4. The m ain point of p arag rap h 3 is to describe ■ .
A. effects of changes in th e climate of C hina on food production
B. fu tu re changes in th e clim ate of C hina
c . effects of changes in the climate of C hina on the growing season
D. projected fu tu re changes in the climate of C hina
5. The m ain point of paragraph 5 is to d esc rib e _____ .
A. global w arm ing
B. the effects of global warm ing
c . the ca u se s an d projected effects of global w arm ing
D. the cau sesHOCTIENGANH.INFO
and effects of global w anning
261
■i.6 . 4 W hỵdoes4foe w r^te'F;add^fee:info^atioiivm squ are;b raek ets in
T" paragrapfi' ' 5?~c r v\ V : - \ = ' '
A. beca.\^\^ ê}^ & ỡ^ ^ ấ^ 'á?^ ếc^ ỉỆ ẩsẾ ọ^ uagé 'user whose com- ■
m and'of-E ^^shH ’s iio t.p e n e c i ^ -
• B. becaảsè,-‘ik í h o ỉ^ ith ế y ^ a r e ^ ^ iậ r t- Q ầ th e original quote, th e
•,.. additional-iiư o ièaặtion/givenis'necessary to u n d e rsta n d th e
statem ent. •. . ••. ' w : ; ■ ■' .
c . b ecause the w riter is quoting from an o th er source.
D, because., the' -Writer wants'.to em phasize th e m eaning of these
words-, " -
7.. In p arag rap h 7,. w hich point is Mr Melville NOT m aking?
• A. suggesting th a t there is a potential d isaster in Hong Kong
B. suggesting th a t reclam ation areas are a t risk
c . criticising c u rren t safeguards
D. m aking a call for action
8 . How would you describe the Dr. Leeman’s attitu d e tow ards C hina?
A. m ainly favourable
B. critical
c . supportive in theory
D. adm iring
9. In p arag ra ph 2 “n e g a te d ” is closest in m eaning t o _____ .
A. . m ade possible B. m ade ineffective
c . reduced D. paid for
10. In paragraph 7 “depleted ” could be replaced by which of the following?
A. reduced B. poor c . decaying D. decim ated
GLOSSARY
- sea-wall tường chắn sóng biển, ñê bao - reliance (on) sự lệ thuộc, sự nhờ cậy
sát bờ biển - coal-fired power ñiện sàn .xuất bằng.
- reclamation vùng ñất san lấp lấn biển than ñá
- Academy of Meteorological Sci- - to bode weỉi báo trước ñiềm tốt
ences Viện Khoa Học Khí Tượng - to accelerate tăng tốc, gia tốc
- projection sự ước tính, số lượng dự - to take sth seriously nghiêm túc xem
báo xét xừ ỉí cái gì
- gloomy (adj) u ám, ñen tối - to incorporate sth sát nhập, kết hợp,
- outlook ñiều dự báo, triển vọng kẽt nạp
- vegetation thực vật - depressing (adj) ñáng buồn
- tropical (adj) thuộc nhiệt ñới - scenario kịch bản
- sub-tropỉcal (adj) cận nhiệt ñới - crop yield sàn lượng cây trồng
- to shift chuyển ñổi sang - glacier núi băng, bang sơn
- temperate (adj) ôn hòa - reclaimed land vùng ñất san lấp lấn
- to negate phủ ñịnh, phủ nhận biển
262 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
evaporation sự bay hơi - substantial (adj) có kích thước/ giá trị/
moisture ñộ ẩm tầm quan trọng to lớn
growing season mùa gieo trồng - Kowloon Reclamation Khu san lấp lấn
■mainland ñại lục (chỉ ỉục ñịa Trung biển Cửu Long (ở Hồng Kông) .
quốc không kể ñến Hồng Kông và ðài - to deplete làm cạn kiệt, làm suy kiệt
Loan) - wasteful ly (adv) một cách lãng phỉ
■breadbasket nguồn cung cấp lương - energy efficiency sự sử dụng năng
thực chính, vựa lúa lượng hiệu quả
■diminished (adj) bị giảm bớt, suy giảm - optimistic (adj) lạc quan
productivity năng suất - preview sự duyệt trước, lời giới thiệu
•to trap làm mắc bẫy, làm cáí gỉ kẹt lại - safeguard sự/ bĩẹn pháp bảo vệ
•to project dự kiến, dự báo số lượng
264 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5. In p arag rap h 3 th e reader is NOT told abo ut w hich of the following:
A. the dam age to the plane
B. a survey on the safety of T ristars
c. w hat a n aviation expert th in k s
D. how su ch problem s are usually dealt with
6 . In p arag rap h 6 it is suggested th a t Mr Heale th in k s ; Ị
A. the pilot should never have taken off in the first place
B. a report should be prepared for the Civil Aviation D epartm ent
c. the pilot co uldn ’t see properly
D. the pilot could have landed in Beijing
7. W hich of the following is the w riter implying in paragraph 7?
A. the pilot m ade the right decision
B. the plane w as unsafe
c . the pilot m ade the wrong decision
D. S hanghai was closer th a n Hong Kong
8 . W hich of the following is NOT m entioned in p arag rap h 9?
A. the attitu d e of the passengers
B. eye w itness accou nts
c . criticism s of the passengers
D. w h at people did on landing
9. In p arag ra p h 5 “T h is” refers t o _____ .
A. a review
B. a Civil Aviation D epartm ent report
c . a D ragon Air report
D. a C athay Pacific report
10. The phrase-,“q u e stio n e d th e w isdom o f allow ing” in parag rap h 8
is sim ilar in m eaning to w hich of the following _____
A. strongly criticised the decision of allowing
B. queried the sense of letting
c . implied it was crazy to allow
D. were angry a t the decision to let
GLOSSARY
investigator nhân viên ñiều tra - Si no-British talks các cuộc thương
ỉo probe ñiều tra lượng giũầ Trung Quốc và Anh
terror flight chuyến bay kinh hoàng - to conduct a review of stfa tiến hành
senior air staff các lãnh ñạo cấp cao nhận xét ñánh giá cái gi
của hãng hàng không - shareholder cổ ñông
■nose cone phần mũi cùa máy bay - supplier nhà cung cấp
•cockpit buồng lái máy bay - Civil Aviation Department (CAD) ủy
■windscreen kính chắn gió phía ừư ớ c Ban Hàng Không Dân Dụng
electrical storm cơn bão ñiện từ - to be diverted to ñược chuyển hướng
•to encounter gặp phải, chạm trán sang
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
265
- atrocious (adj) 1 )hung bạo,; tàn. bão 2) : - airfield sân bay
■ ' xấu, tệ hại : - - auto-land sự hạ cánh tự ñộng
- to take evasive action ñúặ ra-rnqt; - v&biiity tầm nhìn xa -
' ■ hành ñộng ;ñế tranb ta.r rtạiị'íi • ■’ ■ :v;"0--£rackM ‘{adj) rạn nứt, CGvểt nút
" - airworthy (ádj);:ñủ ñiều kiẹri:ñậ baỵ -:,;; v |i- Sfiartàhaỉ Thượng Hải. . .
- t o be put at risk bi ñưa yấo. chỗ Rguý j- - Safety Regulation Division Ban Phụ
.. hiểm- :' ■■"v■/..'iỉ [ ỵ ~'; V_;. TrầclrCắc Quy•Dinh về An Toàn
-TiriStar [tên hắng máy bay]' '':-'. -. - shaken (adj) rúng-ñộng, hoảng loạn
. - to be ton] open bi xé rách toạc • - to pray'câu nguyện
- to be shattered bfcñập ySten nát - turbulence vung nhiễu ñộng không khí
Haviation nganh hang' không . - a roller coaster ríde chuyến ñi trển
- expert chuyên gĩa : ñoàn tàu trượt siêu tốc
- to dischargexàihẽt ñiện, hóa giải dòng - to line up on standby sắp hàng chờ
ñiện sẵn
- conductor thiết bị dẫn ñiện - smooth (adj) suông sẻ, êm ái
- outer (adj) phía bên ngoài - mĩd-air (adj):giữa không trung
- ambassador (to a country) ñại sứ - collision sự/ vụ ñâm vào nhaụ
(tại một nước) - to query nghi ngờ, thắc mắc
- sense ý nghĩa, sự sáng suốt
107
In the sixteenth century, a n age of great m arine a n d terrestrial ex-
ploration, F erdinand Magellan led the first expedition to sail aro u n d the
world. As a young Portuguese noble, he served the king of Portugal, b u t
he becam e involved in the quagm ire of political intrigue a t co u rt an d
lost the king’s favor. After he w as dism issed from service to th e king of
Portugal, he offered to serve the futu re Em peror C harles V of Spain.
A papal decree of 1493 h ad assigned ail land in th e New W orld w est
of 50 degrees w longitude to Spain and all the land e a st of th a t line to
Portugal. Magellan offered to prove th a t th e E ast Indies fell u n d er
S panish autho rity. On Septem ber 20, 1519, M agellan set sail from
Spain with five ships. More th a n a year later, one of th ese sh ip s was
exploring the topography of S outh America in search of a w ater route
acro ss the continent. This ship sank, b u t the rem aining four ships
• searched along th e so u th ern p enin su la of S outh America. Finally they
found the passage they sought n ea r a latitude of 50 degrees South.
Magellan nam ed th is passage the S trait of All Saints, b u t today we
know it a s th e S trait of Magellan.
One ship deserted while in th is passage an d re tu rn e d to Spain, so
fewer sailors were privileged to gaze a t th a t first p an o ram a of the Pacific
Ocean. Those who rem ained crossed the m eridian we now call th e In-
tern atio n al Date Line in th e early spring of 1521 after ninety-eight days
on th e Pacific Ocean. D uring those long days a t sea, m any of Magel-
la n ’s m en died of starvation an d disease.
266 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Later Magellan becam e involved in an insular conflict in th e Philip-
pines an d w as killed in a tribal battle. Only one ship an d seventeen
sailors u n d er the com m and of the B asque navigator Elcano survived to
complete th e w estw ard journey to Spain and th u s prove once an d for
all th a t the world is round, w ith no precipice at the edge.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
267
GLOSSARY
;marine (añj)-thuộe: về ;blển -straịtèOibiển ự.
terrestrial (adjj freh.mat;ñất -. :ý y v: :~,saĩnfciw"thánh. .
expedition clìuýển-thâm^ìiểm.:, ■ ■.•: < desert ñào ngu, -bỏ cụộc
"Portuguese (àdj) thuọc .'-Bồðàó'Nhả . - tọí>e privileged to do sth có ñựợc cái
noble nhà quý tộc l-: ■:l' ^V;v.ñặc-q:uyền/-:cải;.máý mạn lấm gì
quagm n^tì’nh^íịạng. 'bị sả íầy ■: - to gaze: át nhìn ctìặm. chãm vào
a political"intrigue một ârrrmưưchính ‘ - panorama tóàn';cảhlybáọ quát, -bức :
trị ■tranh toàn cảnh
court triều ñình - meridian kinh tuyến gốc
•to lose sb's favor khôpg con ñược ai - the International Date Line ñường
yêu mến/ bị thất sủrig ñôi với ai phân giờ quốc tẽ
• papal (adj) thuộc Giáo hoàng - starvation sự thiếu ăn, sự chết vi ñói
•decree sắc lệnh - insular (adj) hẹp hòi, thiển cận, có ñầu
•to asSigfi'sth to sb gán/'giao phó cái óc cục bộ ñịa phương, không sẵn
gì cho ai sàng chấp nhận ý kiến hoặc người [ạ
■emperor hoàng ñế - conflict cuộc xung ñột
•the East Indies vùng ðông Ạn - tribal (adj) thuộc bộ tộc/ bộ lạc
• to fall Under sb's authority thuộc - battle trận ñánh
quyền kiểm soát của ai - Basque [tên một xứ ở Tây Ban Nha]
■topography ñịa mạo, ñịa hình - navigator nhè hàng hải
- water route thủy [ộ - once and for all (adv) một fan dứt
- peninsula bán ñảo khoát
- passage lối bang ngang qua biển - precipice vách núi dựng ñứng
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
provided an im petus for rock-and-roll. On their way to becom ing rock
stars, m any perform ers copied songs from the original artists. For in -
stance, Pat Boone scored a hit w ith a toned-dow n version , of Little
R ichard’s song, “T utti F ru tti,” prom pting Little Richard to com m ent,
“He goes an d outsells me with my song th a t I w rote.” In 1955-56,
Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, an d particularly Elvis Presley
becam e fam ous for their version of traditional rhythm an d blues. Elvis
Presley’s first television appearance in Ja n u a ry 1956 m arked rock-and -
roll's ascendancy into the world of pop m usic.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
269
GLOSSARY - : .... V i
h% i ^ựềỉẬp l l ă i l i i l ; í
^pèrtõrraèr íìg^ệ^sĩịbìeu ềrêri- A:‘- Ị y)ì 'z^x~ỳ- v r^ ^ s^ 0 n g Me,_syc thúc ñây
hit'Ch.0:’ra-ñờirhriột bản nhạc
•^v'ÌjíipM^^'ffêọ;|ac tftếíoẩ^ni4ịcỊ^. >!v^Snvlhlch nhặt- f " " ',l- ,
:^lu^mEOT^3G^^ẾỦ^cậ:Ệ)ués.’..: :: ĩ^'tonẹd-ñown version, một phiên bản có
- ỉegènñ hùýẹo tổoạ i^ -ỳ'^''.- ■ '■- ’ ', -'•‘•giontfdilu nhẹ nhàng hơn
- rocker cạ sỉ nhaefot^?-:: ■'>.?••-■--V:': ;- ■
:..:;;‘-;^>tQ,'^orapt sb.tQydo sth nhắc/ khiến ai
-segi^afed^^^aiig^^rig'-ftrth-.lTaHg :,k ^-vốm.gi -r '
phân biệt chùnặ tộc 7 ■■'. r- tọ comment bỉnh phẩm/ ñưa ra nhận
- musical forms các lọại htntì ằnvnhạc ■ xết
- disc jockey (D3) người diễn tấu và - to outsell sb bán chạy hơn ai
bình luận nhạc trên radio hoặc truyền . -.ascendancy sự ñi lên .
hỉnh - charismatic (adj) có uy tín, có sức thu
. hút quần chúng
109
A highly acclaim ed motion picture of 1979 concerned a nearly d is a s-
tro us accident a t a nuclear power plant. W ithin a few weeks of the
í ĩ l ^ s release, in a chilling coincidence, a real-life accident startlingly
sim ilar tb the fictitious one occurred a t the Three Mile Island p la n t n ear
H arrisburg, Pennsylvania. The two incidents even corresponded in cer-
tain ậetails; for instance, both in the film an d in real life, one cause of
the m ishap w as a false m eter reading cau sed by a jam m ed needle.
^ u c h sim ilarities led m any to w onder w hether the fictional movie
jftots'ixajl been, prophetic in o ther ways. The movie depicted officials of
m e po^fer in d u stry a s seriously corrupt, willing to lie, bribe, an d even
kill to conceal th eir culpability in the accident. Did a sim ilar cover-up
occur in the Three Mile Island accident? Perhaps we will never know.
We do know th at, despite the endeavors of reporters an d citizen groups
to uncover th e cau ses of the accident, m any of the facts rem ain u n -
known. Although they declare th a t the public is entitled to th e tru th ,
m any of the power indu stry leaders responsible have been re lu c tan t to
cooperate with independent, im partial investigators.
GLOSSARY
- to acclaim ca tụng, khen ngợi - culpability sự có tội, sự phải chịu trách
- release sự tung ra thị trường, sự công nhiệm
chiếu (một bộ phim) - cover-up sự giấu nhẹm, ém nhẹm, che
- chiiling (adj) gây càm giác ớn lạnh vì ñậy
ñáng sợ - endeavor sự nỗ lực
- coincidence sự trùng hợp ngẫu nhiên - to uncover phanh phui, vén màn bí
- startling ly (adv) khiến người ta giật mật
mình - to be entitled to sth có quyền ñược
- fictitious (adj) có tính tưởng tượng, hưởng cái gì
không có thật - reluctant to ño sth (añj) ngần ngại,
- t o corresponded khớp nhau, giống ño dự không muốn làm gi
nhau - impartial (adj) khách quan, không
-m ishap ñiều rùi ro, bất hạnh thiên vị
- meter reading số ñọc ñược trên ñồng - to foreshadow báo hiệu, là ñiềm báo
hồ ño trước
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
271
-jammed (adj) bị:mắt kẹt - to commit murder phạm tội giết người
- needle cây kirn (của ñồng hồ ño) - accessible (adj) cb thể tiếp cận ñược,
' - fictional (adj) già tưởng, không có thật có thể sử dung 'ñươc
. ngoài ñờị - subsequent (adj)diễn ra sau ñó
- plot cốt truyện ' - to prompt sth thúc ñẩy cái g'ì xảy ra,
- to depict mô tả gây ra cái gì
- official viên chức/quan chức - to persist cứ tồn tại dai dẳng
- power industry ngành ñiện lực - mechanical breakdown sự hỏng hóc
- corrupt (adj) tham ô, tham nhũng máy móc
- to be willing to ño sth sẵn lòng làm gi - partial (adj) có tính một phần
- to bribe ñưa hổi lộ - documented (adj) có tư liệu chứng
- to conceal che giấu minh
110
Traditional nineteen th-centu ry education is usually associated w ith
the imá^e of a stern teach er standing in front of a b lackboard in a one-
room sshoolhouse, teaching only the three R’s of reading, writing, an d
arithm etic, an d dem anding rote learning in an atm osp here of silence
an d resti'aint.
A ccurate or not, th a t image conflicts sharply with ?1the m odem real-
ity. Today, the typical public school offers stu d e n ts ^ d iv e rsity of su b -
ject areas, a p le th o ra ốf educational m aterials, an d a: variety of activi-
ties from creative dram atics to journalism . The m oderfi school complex
contains an array of educational facilities. W ithin th e classroom set-
ting, stu d e n ts are encouraged to speak up and engage in guided d is-
cussion. In fact, articulate speech an d debate are desirable skills. Chil-
dren are encouraged to interrelate on class projects, th a t are in depend -
ent of the teacher. T eachers may certainly d em and quiet w hen n eces-
sary, b u t they in tu rn are expected to be flexible ab o u t individual s tu -
dent needs.
.Contemporary schools reflect the th ru s t of a progressive educational
philosophy whose m ain proponent was the pragm atic philosopher Jo h n
Dewey. Dewey believed th a t education m u st serve th e whole, child in
order to fully prep are him or h er for an active role in society. To th a t
end, the school curriculum w as to include both academ ic a n d u ti li ta r -
ian courses. He firmly believed th a t children have in n ate curiosity an d
talen ts w hich will be stim ulated by an environm ent varied enough to
call forth these qualities and provide an outlet for th eir expression.
Following the precepts of progressive educational philosophy, the
Gary Ind iana school system- initiated the Gary Plan between 1908 and
1915. The plan w as later em braced by schools th ro u g h o u t the country.
In addition to classroom space, the Gary Plan provided room for recrea^
tional activities, a. th eater, science laboratories, an d c ra ft shops'. The
272 f HOCTIENGANH.INFO
ac tu al m erit of progressive philosophy is still a very controversial issue,
especially in light of figures th a t indicate a high degree of illiteracy
am ong high school g rad u ates in the p a st two decades. However, to this
day, Dewey’s progressive philosophy continues to exert a strong influ-
ence on American education.
111
A survey is a study, generally in the form of a n interview or a q u es-
tionnaire, th a t provides inform ation concerning how people th in k an d
act. In the United States, the best-know n surveys are th e G allup poll
and th e H arris poll. As anyone who w atches th e new s durin g p resid en-
tial cam paigns knows, these polls have become a n im p o rtan t p a rt of
political life in th e United States.
North Am ericans are fam iliar w ith the m any “perso n on th e street”
interviews on local television news shows. While su ch interviews can be
highly entertaining, they are not necessarily a n ac cu rate indication of
public opinion. F ữ st, th e y reflect the opinions of only th ose people who
appear a t a certain location. Thus, su ch sam ples can be biased in favor
of com m uters, m iddle-class shoppers, or factory w orkers, depending on
which a re a th e newspeople select. Second, television interviews ten d to
a ttra ct outgoing people who are willing to ap p ear on th e air, while they
frighten away oth ers who m ay feel intim idated by a cam era. A survey
m u st be b ased on a p recise, representative sam pling if it is to genu -
inely reflect a broad range of the population.
In preparing to conduct a survey, sociologists m u st e x e r c is e .great
care in the wording of questions. An effective survey question m u st be
simple an d clear enough for people to u n d ersta n d it. It m u st also be
specific enough so th a t there are no problem s in interpreting th e re-
sults. Even qu estio ns t h a t are less stru c tu red m u st be carefully
ph rased in order to e lic it the type of inform ation desừed. Surveys can
be indispensable sources of inform ation, b u t only if the sam pling is
done properly an d the questions are worded accurately.
There are two m ain form s of surveys: the interview an d th e q u es-
tionnaire. E ach of th ese forms of survey research h a s its advantages.
An interview er c a n obtain a high response ra te because people find it
more difficult to tu rn down a personal req u est for an interview th a n to
274 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
throw away a w ritten questionnaire. In addition, an interview er can go
beyond w ritten questio ns and probe for a subject’s underlying feelings
an d reasons. However, questionnaires have the advantage of being
cheaper sold m ore consistent.
GLOSSARY ,
- survey cuộc khảo sát - genuinely (adv) ñúng thật
- questionnaire bàn câu hòi ttíăm ñò ý - range phạm vi, tầm mức
kiến; thẩm vãn lục. - sociologist nhà xấ hội học .»
- poll cuộc thầm.dò dử luận - to exercise care in doing sth sử £
- presidential campaign cuộc vận ñộng dụng sự thận trọng khi lam gì
tranh cử tểrig thống - to word phát biểu, diên ñạt bằrtg từ
- the person/ man pn th e Street người ngữ, chọn chữ chọn .lời
bình thường - structured (adj) có cấu trúc rõ ràng/
“ public opinion công luận có dạng xác ñịnh
- sample 1) mẫu hàng hóa 2) một phần - to phràse [ập văn, chọn từ ngữ ñể diễn
làm mẫu • ñạt
- to be biased in favor of sb/sth có xu - to elicit rút ra ñược/ thu ñược (1 câu
thế thiên vị ai/cái gi trà lời)
- commuter người sống ở ngoại ô vào - indispensable (adj) rất cần thiết,
thành phố làm việc hằng ngày không thể thieu ñược
- midñle-class (adj) thuộc giới trung [ưu - response rate tì lệ người trà lời
- newspeople giới phóng viên - to probe thăm dò, ñiều tra
- outgoing (adj) thân thiện, thích giao - underlying (adj) nằm ẩn. bên dưới/
du nằm ñằng sau, cơ bàn
- to frighten sb away khiến ai sợ phải - consistent (adj) nhất quán, trước sau
tránh xa như một.
- to intimidate làm ai sợ hãi - respondent người tham gia trả lời
- precise (adj) chính xác - frustrated (adj) thất vọng
- representative sampling sự lấy mẫu - to supplement sth with sth iấy cái gì
có tính ñại diện bổ sung cho cái gì
112
The term “folk song” h a s been cu rren t for over a h u n d re d years, b u t
there is still a good deal of disagreem ent as to w h at it actually m eans.
The definition provided by the International Folk Music Council states
th a t folk m usic is the m usic of ordinary people,- w hich is p assed on
from person to person by being listened to ra th e r th a n learned from the
printed page. O ther factors th a t help shape a folk song include: conti-
nuity (many perform ances over a num ber of years); variation (changes
in words an d melodies either throug h artistic interp retation or failure of
memory); an d selection (the acceptance of a song by the com m unity in
w hich i t evolves).
W hen songs have been su b je c te d to these processes th eir origin is
276 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
usually im possible to trace. For instance, if a farm laborer were to
m ake u p a song an d sing it to a couple of friends who like it and
m emorize it, possibly w hen the friends come to sing it them selves one
of them m ight forget some of the w ords an d m ake u p new ones to fill
the gap, while the other, perh ap s more artistic, m ight ad d a few decora-
tive touch es to the tu n e and improve a couple of lines of text. If this
happened a few tim es there would be m any different versions, the
song’s original com poser would be forgotten, an d th e song would be-
come com m on property. This co n stan t reshaping an d re-creation is the
e sse n c e of folk m usic. Consequently, modem popular songs an d other
published m usic, even though widely sung by people who are not pro-
fessional m usicians, are no t considered folk music'.
The m usic and w ords have been set by a printed or recorded source,
limiting scope for fu rth e r artistic creation. These songs’ origins cannot
be disguised an d therefore they belong prim arily to th e com poser and
not to a com m unity.
The ideal situatio n for the creation of folk m usic is an isolated ru ral
com m unity. In su ch a setting folk songs an d dances have a special
pu rpose a t every stage in a p erso n ’s life, from childhood to death. Epic
tales of heroic deeds, seasonal songs relating to calendar events, and
occupational songs are also likely to be sung.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
278
113
It is estim ated th a t over 99 percent of sill species th a t ever existed
have become extinct. W hat cau ses extinction? W hen a species is no
longer ad ap ted to a changed environm ent, it m ay perish. The exact
ca u ses of a species’ death vary from situation to situation. Rapid eco-
logical change m ay re nd er an environm ent hostile to a species. For ex-
am ple, tem p eratu re s m ay change and a species m ay n ot be able to
adapt. Food resources m ay be affected by environm ental changes,
which will th en cau se problem s for a species requiring th ese resources.
O ther species m ay become b etter adapted to an environm ent, resu lting
in com petition an d , u ltim a te ly , in the d eath of a species.
The fossil record reveals th a t extinction h a s occurred th ro ug h o u t the
history of E arth. Recent analyses have also revealed th a t on som e oc-
casions m any species becam e extinct a t the sam e tim e - a m ass extinc-
tion. One of th e best-know n examples of m ass extinction occurred 65
million y ears ago with the d em ise of d in o sau rs a n d m any other forms
of life. P erhaps th e largest m ass extinction w as th e one th a t occurred
225 million y ears ago, when approxim ately 95 p ercent of all species
died, m a ss extinctions can be ca u sed by a relatively rapid change in
the environm ent an d can be w orsened by th e close interrelationship of
m any species. If, for example, som ething were to h ap p e n to destroy
m uch of th e p la n k to n in th e oceans, th en the oxygen con tent of E a rth
would drop, affecting even organism s not living in th e oceans. Such a
change would probably lead to a m ass extinction.
One interesting, an d controversial, fin d in g is th a t extinctions during
the p a st 250 million y ea rs have tended to be more intense every 26 mil-
lion years. This periodic extinction m ight be due to intersection of the
E a rth ’s orbit with a cloud of com ets, b u t th is theory is purely sp ec u la-
tive. Some re searc h ers have also speculated th a t extinction m ay often
be random . T h at is, certain species may be elim inated and o thers may
survive for no p artic u lar reason. A species’ survival m ay have nothing
to do with its ability or inability to adapt. If so, some of evolutionary
history m ay reflect a sequence of essentially random events.
280 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
10. In p arag rap h 3, th e au th o r m akes which of the following sta te -
m ents ab o u t a species’ survival?
A. It reflects the interrelationship of m any species.
B. It m ay depend on chance events.
c. It does no t vary, greatly from species to species
D. It is associated w ith astronom ical conditions.
11. According to the passage, it is believed th a t th e largest extinction of
a species o c c u rre d ____ _
A. 26 million years ago B. 65 million y ears ago
c. 225 million y ears ago D. 250 million y ears ago
GLOSSARY
- to perish chết tàn lụi - organism sinh vật, tổ chức có sự sống
- ecological (adj) thuọc về sinh thái - controversial (adj) gây tranh cãi
- to render sth + adj biến cái gi thành - periodic (adj) theo ñinh kì
ra - intersection sự rắt lẫn nhau, sự giao
- hostile (adj) thù nghịch, không thân cắt
thiện - comet sao chổi
- ultimately (adv) rốt cuộc, cuối cùng - speculative (adj) có tính suy ñoán •
- fossil yật hóa thạch - to speculate suy ñoán
- analysis (p / analyses) sự phân tích - random (adj) ngẫu nhiên
- m ass extinction sự tuyệt chủng hàng - to eliminate loại trừ
loạt - evolutionary (adj) thuộc về sự tiến
- demise sự chẽt hóa
- to worsen làm cho trở nên tệ hại hơn - sequence chuỗi, loạt
- interrelationship mõi tương quan, mối - interdependence sự lệ thuộc vào nhau
quan hệ lẫn nhàu - to be in existence ñang tồn tại
- plankton sinh vật phù du . - ongoing (adj) ñang tiến hành
- content hàm íượng - astronomical (adj) thuộc thiên văn
282 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
B. To suggest th a t m ost of the problem s of global w a nnin g are a s -
sociated w ith o u r rap id u se of oil.-
c. To suggest th a t o ur oil is likely to ru n o u t som etim e in th e next
th irty years.
D. To c o n trast the differences in lifestyle betw een people giving 100
y ea rs ago an d people living today.
The word o th ers in the passage refers t o _____ .
A. problem s of global w arm ing in the m odem world
B. exam ples of th e environm ental consequences of population
growth
c . way's in w hich o u r usage of oil will effect the world clim ate
D. th e re aso ns why tree s are essential in controlling global w arm -
ing
According to the passage, how does th e sta n d a rd of living affect
global warm ing?
A. Higher sta n d a rd s of living are better for the environm ent. ;
B. F irst world natio n s create less population th a n developing n a -
tions.
c . The u se of n a tu ra l reso urces is directly related to th e stan d ard
of living.
D. High sta n d a rd s of living lead to increases in world population.
W hich of the sen ten ces below best expresses th e essential inform a-
tion in the highlighted sentence (in bold) in th e passage? Incorrect
choices change the meaning in important w a ys or leave out essential
information.
A. If C hina becom es a first world nation an d all o th er n atio n s keep
th e ừ c u rre n t stan d ard of living, th e usage of energy a n d n a tu ra l
resou rces will double.
B. If C hina doubles its usage of n a tu ra l resources, its will atta in a
b etter sta n d a rd of living, b u t other n atio n s will have to rem ain
as they are today.
c . Even if the stan d ard of living in every o th er nation on E a rth re-
m ains as its is today, C hina will still try to a tta in a first world
sta n d a rd of living.
D. W hen C hina a tta in s a first world lifestyle, th e am o u n t of energy
an d n a tu ra l reso urces used by other natio n s to keep th eir c u r-
re n t sta n d a rd of living will double.
Why does th e a u th o r d iscu ss China, Ja p a n , an d the United S tates?
A. To com pare th e sta n d a rd s of their citizens
B. To explain why C hina will n o t be able to become a first world
nation
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
■■••..c.-To'better illiisirate. the^effectsof an-: increasei-n sta n d ard s of.liv-.;
ing ^ ‘:'-iv'
. D^'^o^e^plai^-why^he-w.orld’s ^ s e of energy w31:nẹAd.ítOí'doubLe
J 's o o n '’
GỊOSSẬRY ■ '' ■* _
“ climate change sự-thay ñôì khí hâu • - barrel thùng tròn
- pace nhíp ñộ, tốc ñộ .... .-.populous (adj) ñông .dân cư
- t o triple tang gấp ba -first world nations những quốc gia
- consumption sự tiêu thụ thuộc thế giới thứ nhất
- trillion một ngàn tỉ - to attain ñạt ñược
115
In science,-a .theory is ạ reasonable explanation of observed events
th a t are re la te d . A theory often involves an im aginary model th a t helps
scien tists picture the way an observed event could be produced. A' good
example of t h i s is found in the kinetic m olecular theory, in w hich gases
are pictured a s being m ade u p of m any sm all particles th a t are in con-
sta n t motion.
A useful theory, in addition to explaining p a st observations, helps to
predict events th a t have not a s yet been observed. After a theoiy h as
been publicized, scientists design experim ents to test the theoiy. If ob-
servations confirm the scien tists 1 predictions, th e theory is s u p p o rte d .
If observations do no t confirm the predictions, th e scientists m u st
search further. There may be a fault in the experim ent, or th e theoiy
may have to be revised or rejected.
Science involves im agination an d creative thinking a s well a s collect-
ing inform ation an d perform ing experim ents. Facts by them selves are
not science. As this m athem atician Ju le s Henri Poincare said: “Science
is built w ith facts ju s t a s a h ou se is built with bricks, b u t a collection
of facts ca n n o t be called science any m ore th a n a pile of bricks can be
called ả hou se.”
Most scien tists s ta rt an investigation by finding out w h at o th er sci-
en tists have learned ab o u t a p articu lar problem . After known facts
have been gathered, the scientist com es to the p a rt of the investigation
th a t requires considerable im agination. Possible solutions to the prob- ■
lem are form ulated. These possible solutions are Càlled hypotheses. In
a way, any hypothesis is a leap in to th e u nk n ow n . It extends the sci-
e n tist’s thinking beyond the know n facts. The scientist p lans experi-
m ents, perform s calculations an d m akes observations to test hypothe-
ses. For w ithout hypotheses, fu rth er investigation lacks p urpose and
direction. W hen hypotheses are confirmed, they are incorporated into
theories.
284 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
1 . The word “re la te d ” in line 2 is closest in m eaning to.v
A. connected B. described c . com pleted D. identified
2 . The w ord “th is ” in line 4 refers t o _____
A. a good example
B. a n im aginary model
c . th e kinetic m olecular theory
D. a n observed event
3. According to th e second p aragrap h, a useful theory is one th a t
helps scien tists t o _____
A. find errors in p a st experim ents
B. m ake predictions
c . observe events
D. publicize new findings
4. The word “su p p o rte d " in line 10 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. finished B. adjusted c . investigated D. upheld
5. B ricks are m entioned in p arag rap h 3 to indicate h o w _____ .
A. m ath em aticin an s ap proach science
B. building ạ h o u se is like perform ing experim ents
c . science is m ore th a n a collection of facts
D. scientific experim ents have led to im proved technology
6 . In th e fo urth p aragrap h , the a u th o r im plies th a t im agination is
m ost im p o rtan t to scientists w hen th e y ____ _
A. evaluate previous work on a problem
B. form ulate possible solutions to a problem
c . g ath er know n facts
D. close a n investigation
7. In the la st p arag rap h , the a u th o r refers to a hypotheses a s “a lea p
in to th e u n k n o w n ” in order to show th a t h y p o th e se s _____
A. are som etim es ill-conceived ■
B. ca n lead to dang erous resu lts
c . go beyond available facts
D. require effort to form ulate
8 . In the la st p arag ra ph , w hat does the a u th o r imply a m ajor function
of hypotheses?
A. Sifting th ro u g h know n facts
B. C om m unicating a scien tist’s th o ug h ts to o th ers
c . Providing direction for scientific research
D. Linking together different theories
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
285
GLOSSARY v /-
- to picture hình.dung, tưởng-tứợng ra - to formulate thiết: [ập cái gì một cách
- kinetic molecular theory iiithuyet V;- hehệ thong, hình thành ;
' ñộng lực phântiy. • '•••/' -hypothesis (hypotheses pỉ) giả
- particle hạt vật-chat: V .: 'ị . tỊiụýểt ' .- • ■■■■■.■■■
- (to be) in constant motioỌvliềri .tuc -leap.bước nhày
chuyen ñộng • /■■■:■’ .V;-:" '’ - the unknown cái chưa biết, ẩn số
- to publicize công bo - to extend kéo dài, mở rộng
- to confirm khẳng ñịnh - to incorporate sth intosth tích hợp/
- to revise xét lại, duyệt lại •, kết hợp cái gì vào trong cái gì
- to reject bác bo J - to sift sang lọc
- creative thinking sự suy ngHTsang tạo
116
ĩn th e early days of the U nited S tates, postal cha rg es were paid
by th e recipient a n d charges v a rie d w ith th e d istance carried. In
1825, the United S ta tes Congress perm itted local p o stm asters to
give letters to mail carriers for hom e delivery, b u t th ese carriers
5 received no governm ent salary an d th eir entire com pensation de-
pended on w h at they were paid by the recipients of individual let-
ters.
In 1847 the U nited S tates Post Office D ep artm en t adopted the
idea of a postage stam p, w hich of course simplified th e p aym ent
10 for po stal service b u t cau sed grum bling by th o se who did n o t like
prepay. B esides, th e stam p covered only delivery to th e p o st office
an d did n o t include carrying it to a private ad d ress. In Philadel-
phia, for exam ple, w ith a population of 150,000, people still h a d to
go to the p o st office to get th eir mail. The confusion a n d conges-
15 tion of individual citizens looking for th e ir letters w as itself enough
to discourage u se of the mail. It is no w onder th a t, d u rin g th e
y ears of th e se cu m b e rso m e arrang em ents, private letter-carrying
an d express b u sin esses developed. Although th eir activities were
only semilegal, th e y thrived, an d actually advertised th a t betw een
20 Boston an d P hiladelphia they were a half-day speedier th a n th e
governm ent mail. The governm ent postal service lo st volum e to
private com petition a n d w as n o t able to h an d le efficiently even the
b u sin e ss it h ad.
Finally, in 1863, C ongress provided th a t th e m ail carriers who
286 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
25 delivered the m ail from the p ost offices to private ad d resse s should
receive a governm ent salary, an d th a t th e re shou ld be no extra
charge for th a t delivery. B ut th is deliveiy service w as a t first c o n -
fin e d to cities, an d free hom e delivery becam e a m ark of u rb a n -
ism. As late as 1887, a town had to have 10,000 people to be eligi-
30 ble for free hom e delivery. In 1890, of the 75 million people in the
United S tates, fewer th a n 20 million had m ail delivered free to
th eir doors. The rest, nearly th ree -q u arte rs of th e population, still
received no m ail u n le ss they w ent to th eir post office.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO 289
GLOSSARY
- roller coaster toa tàu trứợt cao toe . - mechanical tracks ñường ray cơ khí
.- sled xe trượt tuyết - theme park công viên giải trí theo chủ
- steep (adj) có ñộ ñốc cao ñề
- ice slide sườn -dốc băng . . ' ■ ' . - era. -kỉ nguyên
- navigation skíH kĩ năng lèo lái, tồi ñiềú - tubular (añj) có dạng ống
khien • - stability sự on ñịnh
- amusement park công viên giải trí V- loop ñường di chuyển lượn vòng
- gravity-driven (adj) chuyển ñộng théó - corkscrew 1) cái khóa xoắn ruột gà (ñể
nguyên lí trọng'lực mở nút của chai rƯỢu vang) 2) ñường
- a flight of stairs một dải cầuthang xoắn trôn ốc
- bump chỗ nhô cao lểri trên mặt ñường
118
One of the m ost popular literary figures in Am erican literature is a
I'o m a n who sp e n t alm ost half of h er long life in C hina, a coun try on a
cbntinen t th o u sa n d s of miles from th e United States. In h er lifetime she
earned th is co u n try ’s, m ost highly acclaim ed literary aw ard: th e Pulitzer
Prize, and also th e m ost prestigious form of literary recognition in the
world, the Nobel Prize for Literature. Pearl s . B uck w as alm ost a
household word th rou g hout m uch of h er lifetime b ecause of h e r prolific
literary o u tp u t, w hich consisted of some eighty-five p ub lished works,
including several dozen novels, six collections of sh o rt stories, fourteen
books for children, an d more th a n a dozen w orks of nonfiction. W hen
she w as eighty years old, some twenty-five volum es were aw aiting p u b -
lication. Many , of those books were set in C hina, the land in w hich she
spen t so m u ch of h er life. Her books and h er life served a s a bridge be-
tween th e c u ltu re s of the E ast and the West. As the pro d u c t of those
two c u ltu res she becam e as she described herself, “m entally bifocal.”
Her unique background m ade h er into an u n u su ally interesting an d
versatile h u m an being. As we exam ine the life of Pearl Buck, we can n o t
help b u t'b e aw are th a t we are in fact m eeting th ree sep arate people: a
wife an d m other, a n internationally fam ous w riter a n d a h u m an ita rian
an d ph ilanthropist. One cannot, really get to know Pearl B uck w ithout
learning, ab o u t each of the three. Though honored in h er lifetime with
the William Dean Howell Medal of th e American Academy of Arts an d
Letters in addition to th e Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, Pearl B uck a s a to -
tal h u m an being, no t only a fam ous au th o r, is a captivating subject of
study.
290 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
2. According to th e passage, Pearl Buck is known a s a w riter of all of
the following EXCEPT ________ .
A. novels . B. children’s books
c. poetiy D. sh o rt stories
3. W hich of the following is NOT m entioned by the au th o r a s.a n aw ard
received by Pearl.Buck?
A. The Nobel Prize
B. The Newberry Medal
c . The William Dean Howell medal
D. The Pulitzer prize
4. According to the passage, Pearl Buck w as an u n u su a l figure in
American literature in th a t she _ . ; ,
A., wrote extensively abou t a very different culture.
B. published half of her books abroad.
c. won more aw ards th a n a n y o ther wom an of h er time.
D. achieved h e r first success very late in life.
5. According to the passage, Pearl Buck described herself a s "mentally
bifocal” to suggest th a t she was .
A. capable of resolving the differences between two distinct linguis-
tic system s.
B. keenly aw are of how the p ast could influence the future.
c . capable of producing literary works of in terest to both ad u lts
a n d children.
D. equally fam iliar with two different cu ltural environm ents.
6 . The a u th o r's attitu d e toward Pearl B uck could best be described as
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
291
119
The oldest living things on Ẹ arth' sựe trees. Some of California’s
sequoias have for four . thousand., years looked down on the
changes in ứiẹ lan d sca p e a n d the com ings and goings of h u m an s.
/ -"They spxQut^d fE0m . ; ^ 3'''seeds:'ab&ut:;th;e. tiine the Egyptian pyra-
5 m ids ’w.erẹ :lD.emg bililt^ .Tbỏạìy these, g ia n t p a tria r c h s seem a s re-
.mote arid inaccessible as>the Yocks- an d' m o un tain •cliffs on w hich
- they grow,;like:cath ed ral colum ns holding up the sky. It is h ard to -
■V imagine them playing any p art in the lives of m ere h u m a n s or be-
. ing in any way affected by the creatu res th a t p ass at th eir feet.
Lesser trees, however, have played an intim ate role in the lives
^ of people "since th e y first appeared on E arth. Trees fed th e fires
th a t warm ed hum an s: they provided shelter, food an d m edicine
an d even clothing. They also shaped people’s spiritual, horizons.
Trees expressed the gra n d eu r and m ystery of life, a s they moved
throug h the cycle of seasons, from life to d ea th an d b ack to life
15 again. Trees were the largest living things aro u n d h u m a n s an d
they knew th a t some trees .had been stand ing on the sam e sp ot in
th eir p a ren t’s an d g ra n d p aren ts 1 time, an d would con tinue to
stan d long after they were gone. No wonder these trees becam e
symbols of strength , fruitfulness, and everlasting life.
20
292 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
5. The a u th o r implies th a t, com pared with sequoias, other tree s have
12 0
Amelia E arh art w as born in K ansas in 1897. Thirty-one years
later, she received a phone call th a t would change her life. She
w as invited to become th e first woman passen ger to cross the At-
lantic O cean in a plane. The flight took more th a n 20 ho urs -
5 ab o u t th ree tim es longer th a n it routinely tak es today to cross the
Atlantic by plane. E arh a rt was twelve years old before she ever saw
an airplane, an d she d id n ’t take her first flight un til 1920. But she
w as so thrilled by h er first experience in a plane th a t she quickly
began to take flying lessons. She wrote, “As soon as I left the
ground, I knew I myself had to fly.”
10 After th a t flight E arh art became a m edia sensation. She was
given a ticker tape parade down Broadway in New York and even
President Coolidge called to congratulate her. B ecause her record-
breaking career a n d physical ap pearance were sim ilar to pioneer-
ing pilot an d American hero C harles Lindbergh, she earned the
nicknam e “Lady Lindy.” She wrote a book ab ou t h e r flight across
15 the Atlantic, called 2 0 Mrs., 40 Min.
E arh art continued to break records, an d also polished her skills
as a speaker an d w riter, always advocating w om en’s achievem ents,
especially in aviation: Her next goal w as to achieve a tran sa tla n tic
crossing alone. In 1927 C harles Lindbergh becam e the first person
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
293
2Q to m a k e a so lo n o n s to p flig h t a c r o s s th e A tla n tic . Five y e a r s la te r ,
E arh art becam e the first wom an to repeat th a t feat. Her popularity
grew even m ore an d she was the u n d ispu ted queen of the air. She
then w anted to fly arp un d the. world, an d in J u n e 1937 she left
Miami with Fred. Noonan a s her navigator. No one know s why she
25 left b e h i n d ' . i m p o r t a n t - n a v i g a t i o n in stru m en ts.
P e r h a p s it:w as tofmcLkeVroom:for additional fuel/for the long flight.
The p air ;made- it. ,to- New .Guinea.’ in ;.2 l days .and th e n .left for
Howland. Island, a;tm y islaild in-the. m iddle of--the Pacific O cean ..
y The last comm unication, from E ạ rh à rt an d Noonan w as on Ju ly 2,
30 1937 with a nearby C oast G u a rd : ship. The U nited S tates Navy
conducted, a m assive search for more th a n two w eeks b u t no trace
of th e plane of its passengers was eyẹr found. Many people believe
they got lost an d simply ra n ou t of fuel an d died.
GLOSSARY
- routinely (adv) theo thông lệ, bình - to advocate sth bênh vực, ủng hộ
thường thì - achievement thành tựu, thành tích
- thrilled (adj) hồi hộp một cách thú vị -aviation ngành hàng không
- to take flying lessons học lái máy bay - solo nonstop flight chuyến bay một
- a media sensation tin tức gây xôn xao mình không nghỉ
'dư luận trên các phương tiện truyền - feat kì tích
thông/ tin gây chủ ý cho công chúng - undisputed (adj) không còn gì ñể nghi
- a ticker tape parade cuộc diễu hành ngờ nữa, khòí cần phải bàn cãi
trong ñó người ta ném giấy qua cửa - navigator 1) nhà hàng hài 2) hòa tiêu
sổ cac toà nhà cao ñể chào ñón người dẫn ñường .
nổi tiếng - to make room for sth ñể dành chỗ
- record-breaking career một sự cho cái gì
nghiệp phá kỉ [ục - Coast Guard Lực iượng Tuần Duyên,
- pioneering (adj) có tính tiên phong Lực lượng Canh Phòng Bờ Biển
- to polish 1) ñánh bóng 2) trau dồi, rèn - trace dấu vết, vết bch
luyện - aviatrix nữ phi công
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
295
121 ■...
In the late 1960’s, m any people in K orth America tu rn e d th eir
atten tion to environm ental problem s a n d new steel-and-glass sky-
scrap ers were widely criticized: Ecologists pointed out th a t a clu s-
ter of tall buildings in a city often overburdens public tran sp o rta -
5 tion a n d parking lot.capacities.
S kyscrapers are also lavish consum ers, an d w asters, o f electric
power. In one recent year, the addition of 17 million sq uare feet of
skyscraper office space in New York City raised th e p eak daily d e-
m and for electricity by 120,000 kilow atts - enough to supply th e
10 entire city of Albany, New York, for a day.
G lass-w alled skyscrapers can be especially w asteful. The h ea t
loss (or gain) through a wall of half-inch plate glass is m ore th a n
ten tim es th a t th ro ugh a typical m asonry wall filled with insulation
board. To lessen the strain on. heating a n d air-conditioning equip-
15 m ent builders of skyscrapers have begun to u se double glazed
panels of glass, and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold
m irror films th a t reduce glare a s well a s h e a t gain. However, mir-
ror-walled sky scrap ers raise the tem peratu re of th e su rrou n d in g
air an d affect neighboring buildings.
20 Skyscrapers p u t a severe strain on a city's san itatio n facilities,
too. If fully occupied, the two World Trade C enter tow ers in New
York City would alone generate 2.25 million gallons of raw sewage
each year - as m uch as a city the size of Stam ford, C onnecticut,
which h a s a population -.of more th a n 109,000.
25 S kyscrapers also interfere with television reception, block bird
flyways, an d o b stru ct air traffic. In Boston in the late 1960’s, some
people even feared th a t shadow s from skyscrapers would kill the
grass on B oston Common.
Still, people continue to build skyscrapers for all th e reaso n s
30 th a t they have always built them - personal am bition, civic pride,
an d the desire of ow ners to have the largest possible am o u n t of
rentable space.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Ị22
The Kobel.Peace Prize is .awarded::ầnỈỊụ^ỉỹ and ;tKe 'Hret 'WQmarir •
to. win this, p rize' Baroness; Berthá. FeUcie'-Sopliie^yon'; Sutưíer:
• •. in l-9-05. i n fact, :.her,Jw0rk, inspired; the- creation -bf .the Prize. The
X.' first A m en ca n w o m a jitd ‘win^'this. prize w as J a n e Addams, in 1931.
7-5 However, Addám s is'.b'est :,knowii-, a s the founder of H ull House.
J a n e Ad’d am s w as born .in 186.0, into a wealthy family. She w as
one of a . sm all n u m b er of women in her generation to graduate
from college. Her c o m m itm e n t to im proving th e lives of those
aro u n d h e r led ỉier to work for social reform an d world peace. In
10 the 1880s Jarie Addam s traveled to Europe. While she w as in Lon-
don, she visited a “settlem ent h o use” called Toynbee Hall. Inspired
by Toynbee Hall, Addams and h er friend, Ellen G ates S tarr,
opened Hull House in a neighborhood of slu m s in Chicago in
1899. Hull House provided a day care center for children of work-
15 ing m others, a com m unity kitchen, an d visiting n u rses. Addams
and h e r staff gave classes ini English literacy, art, an d o th er su b -
jects. Hull H ouse also becam e a m eeting place for clu bs a n d labor
unions. Most of the people who worked with Addam s in Hull
House were well educated, m iddle-class women. Hull H ouse gave
20 them an opportunity to use th e ir education an d it provided a
training ground for careers in social work.
Before World War I, Addams was probably the m ost beloved
wom an in America. In a new spaper poll th a t asked, “Who am ong
o u r c o n te m p o ra rie s axe of the m ost value to th e com m unity?”,
25 J a n e Addam s w as rated second, after Thom as Edison. W hen she
opposed Am erica’s involveựient in World W ar I, however, new spa-
per editors called h er a traitor and a fool, b u t sh e never changed
her m ind. J a n e Addams w as a strong cham pion of several other
cau ses. Until 1920, American wom en could no t vote. Addams
30 joined in th e m ovem ent for wom en's suffrage an d w as a vice presi-
de n t of the National American W oman Suffrage Association. She
was a founding m em ber of the National Association for th e Ad-
vancem ent of Colored People (NAACP), an d w as p resident of th e
W om en’s International League for Peace a n d Freedom. H er repu ta-
35 tion w as gradually restored during the la st y ea rs of h e r life. She
died of cancer in 1935..
298 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
c . The early developm ent of Social Work in America.
D. C ontributions of ed ucated women to American society.
2. Which of the following ca n be inferred from th e passage?
A. the w ork of B aroness B ertha Felicie Sophie von S u ttn e r w as an
inspiration to J a n e Addams.
B. J a n e A ddam s is m ost fam ous for h er opening of Hull House,
c . those who lived n e a r Hull House had very poor literacy skills.
D. Jarie A ddams considered herself as a citizen of th e world ra th e r
th a n of one particu lar country,
3. The word “c o m m itm e n t” in line 8 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. involvem ent B. obligation c . dedication D. e n th usiasm
4. J a n e Ad d am s w as inspired to open Hull House b e c a u s e _____
A. it gave ed u cated wom en a n opportunity to u se th eir education
an d develop careers in social work.
B. sh e traveled to Europe in the 1880s.
c . she visited Toynbee H all
D. she w as invited by a .‘settlem ent h o u se’ in Chicago.
5. The word “t h e ir ” in line 20 refers to
A. children of working m others
B. m iddle-class w o m e n '
c . visiting n u rse s
D. labor -union m em bers
6 . The word “c o n te m p o ra rie s ’' in line 24 is closest in m eaning t o ___
A. people of the sam e time
B. fam ous people still alive
c . elected officials
D. people old enough to vote
7. According to the passage, Ja n e A ddam s’ re p u ta tio n w as dam aged
w hen s h e _____
A. allowed Hull House to become a m eeting place for club s an d la-
b or u n ion s
B. joined in th e m ovem ent for w om en’s suffrage
c . becam e a founding m em ber of the NAACP
D. opposed A m erica’s involvement in World W ar I
8 . W here in th e passage does the a u th o r m ention th e services p ro-
vided by Hull House?
A. Lines 6-14
B. Lines 14-21 ,
c . Lines 22-28
D. Lines 28-34
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
299
GLOSSARY
- to inspire.gỢi.cam hứng; ,. —involvement in sự tham gia vào
- founder ngựồi’ sang .lập '-V... - traỉtorkẻ phản bội
- commítmenỊíơ-istKÍnhiệt tinih/^50'^' - champion 1) nhà vô ñịch 2) người
• o ' hăng háị muon lam gi . rậ í ^ :7 . ;J ’ nhiệt, tinh ủng hộ ; .
- social reform sự cài 'cách xa hộr - cause 1) nguyễn nhân 2) [í tưởng, mục •
- slum khụ nhà ồ chuột ; ■ ñích
- a day care center'trúng tâm. chăm sỗc - suffrage quyền ñầu phiếu của phụ nữ
trẻ vào ban ngày - vice president phó/chủtịch ,.
- working mother bà mẹ ñang phài làm. - founding member thảnh viên ban
việc ’ .. - . sáng lập .
- community kitchen nhặ bếp tập thể - National Association for the Ad-
- literacy khả năng’ñọcViết cơ bản vancement of Colored People
- labor union công ñoản, nghiệp ñoàn (NAACP) Hiệp Hội QuốcGia vì sự
- middle-cĩass (adj) thuộc giới trung iưu Tiến Bộ Của Người Da Màu
- p o ll cuộc thăm dò ý kiến • - Women's International League for
- contemporary người sống cùng thời Peace and Freedom Liên ðoàn
- to be rated ñữợc xếp hạng Quốc T ế Phụ Nữ vì Hòa Bình và T ự Do
- to oppose chống ñối - to restore phục hồi, khôi phục
123
The Moon h a s been w orshipped by primitive peoples an d h a s
inspired h u m an s to create everything from lu n ar ca len dars to love
sonnets, b u t w hat do we reallv know ab o u t it? The mos-t accepted
theory about the origin of the Moon is th a t it w as formed of the
5 debris from a m assiv e collision with the young E arth ab o u t 4.6
billion years ago. A huge body, perhap s the size of M ars, stru ck
the E arth, throwing out an im mense am ou n t of d e b ris th a t coa-
lesced and co o led in orbit around the E arth. '
The developm ent of E arth is inextricably linked to the moon;
10 the Moon’s gravitational influence upon the E arth is th e prim ary
cause of ocean tides. In fact, the Moon h as m ore th a n twice the
effect u p o n the tides th a n does the Sun. The Moon m akes one ro-
tation and com pletes a revolution aro un d the E a rth every 27 days,
7 hours, an d 43 m inutes. This synchronous rotation is cau sed by
15 an u n ev e n distribution of m ass in the Moon (essentially, it is
heavier on one side th a n tile other) an d h as allowed the E a rth ’s
gravity to keep one side of the Moon perm anently facing E arth. It
is an average distance from E arth of 384,403 km.
The Moon h as no atm osphere; w ithout an atm osphere, the
20 Moon h a s nothing to protect it from m eteorite im pacts, an d th u s
the surface of the Moon is covered w ith im p a c t c ra te rs , both large
and small. The Moon also h a s no active tectonic or volcanic activ-
ity, so the erosive effects of atm ospheric w eathering, tectonic
shifts, an d volcanic upheavals th a t tend to e ra se an d reform the
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
300
25 E a rth ’s surface features are not a t work on the Moon. In fact, even
tiny surface features such as the footprint left bv an a stro n a u t in
the lu n ar soil are likely to last for millions of years, u n less obliter-
ated by a chance m eteorite strike. The surface gravity of the Moon
is abo ut one-sixth th a t of the E a rth ’s. Therefore, a m an weighing
30 82 kilogram s on E arth would only weigh 14 kilogram s on the
Moon.
The geographical features of the E arth m ost like th a t of the
Moon are, in fact, places such as the Hawaiian volcanic craters
and the huge m eteor crater in Arizona. The climate of the Moon is
35 very unlike either Hawaii or Arizona, however; in fact the tem pera-
tu re on the Moon ranges between 123 degrees c to -2 3 3 degrees
c.
1. W hat is the passage primarily about?
A. the Moon’s effect u pon the E arth
B. the origin of the Moon
c . w hat we know ab out the Moon and its differences to E arth
D. a com parison of the Moon and the E arth
2. The word “m assiv e” in line 5 is closest in m eaning t o ___________
A. unavoidable B. dense c . huge D. im pressive
3. The word “d e b ris” in ỉine 7 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. ru b b ish B. satellites c. moons D. earth
4. According to the passage, the Moon i s _____
A. older th a n the E arth
B. protected by a dense atm osphere
c . com posed of a few active volcanoes
D. the prim ary cause of E arth's ocean tides
5. The word “u n e v e n ” in line 15 is closest in m eaning t o ______ -
A. Heavier
B. Equally distributed
c . Orderly
D. Not uniform
6 . Why does th e au th o r m ention “im p a c t c ra te rs ” in line 21?
A. to show the result of the Moon not having an atm osphere
B. to show the result of the Moon not having active tectonic or vol-
canic activity
c . to explain why the Moon has no plant life because of m eteorites
D. to explain the corrosive effects of atm ospheric w eathering
7. The word “e ra s e ” in line 24 is closest in m eaning to-_____
A. change B. im pact c . obliterate D. erup t
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
301
8 . A person on the Moon would weightless th a n on the E arth because
GLOSSARY
- to worship sừng bái, tôn thờ - mass khối Sượng'
- primitive (adj) nguyên thủy, sợ khai - gravity ừọng lực
- lunar calendar âm lịch, lịch theo mặt - permanently (adv) một cách vĩnh viễn,
trăng mãi mãi.
- love sonnet bài thơ tinh, bài xon-nê . - meteorite impact sự va ñập mạnh do
trữ tình (gồm 14 câu) thiên thạch gây ra
- debris mảnh vỡ vụn - impact crater hố hình phễu do va
- massive (adj) to lớn . chạm mạnh tạo rạ-
- collision sự va chạm, sự ñâm vào nhau - tectonic (adj) thuộc về kiến tạo
- to coalesce kết dính íại thành một khổi - erosive (adị)có tác dụng bào mòn
- to cool nguội ñi - atmospheric weathering sự biến ñổi
- inextricably (adv) không thể tháo gỡ hình dạng ño khí quỵển. gâỵ ra
ra ñược - shift sự dịch chuyển
- gravitational (adj) thuộc trọng lực ■ - upheaval sự thăng trầm, sự biến ñộng
- tide thủy triều lớn
- rotation vòng quay quành trục - to obliterate hùy diệt, xóa sạch
- revolution vòng quaỳ tron - a chance meteorite strike một sự va
- synchronous (adj) ñồng bộ ñập tinh cờ cùa thiên thạch
- uneven (adj) không bằng phẳng, - dense (ádj) dày.ñặc,-rậm rạp ■
không ñồng ñều - uniform (ạdj) ñồng nhất
- distribution sự phân bố,'sự phẫn phối - composition thành phần cấu tạo
302 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
124
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), who wrote u n d er th e p se u -
donym of o . Henry, was born in North Carolina. His only formal
education w as to atten d his Aunt Lina's school u n til the age of fif-
teen, where he developed his lifelong love of books. By 1881 he
5 w as a licensed pharm acist. However, within a year, on th e recom -
m endation of a m edical colleague of his father’s, Porter moved to
La Salle-C ounty in Texas for two years herding sheep. D uring th is
time, W ebster’s U nabridged Dictionary was his co n stan t com pan-
ion, and Porter gained a knowledge of ran ch life th a t he later in-
10 corporated into m any of his sh ort stories. He then moved to Austin
for three years, and during this time the first recorded use of his
pseudonym appeared, allegedly derived from his h abit of calling
“Oh, Henry” to a family cat. In 1887, Porter m arried Athol E stes.
He worked a s a draftsm an, th en as a bank teller for th e First Na-
15 tional Bank.
In 1894 Porter founded his own hu m or weekly, the “Rolling
Stone”, a v e n tu re th a t failed within a year, and later wrote a col-
u m n for the H ouston Daily Post. In the m eantim e, th e First Na-
tional B ank w as examined, an d th e s u b se q u e n t indictm ent of
20 1886 stated th a t Porter had embezzled funds. Porter th en fled to
New O rleans, and la ter to H onduras, leaving his wife an d child in
A ustin: He retu rn ed in 1897 because of his wife’s continued ill-
health, however she died six m onths later. Then, in 1898 Porter
w as found guilty an d sentenced to five years im prisonm ent in
25 Ohio. At the age of thirty five, he entered prison a s a defeated m an;
he h ad lost his job, his home, his wife, and finally his freedom. He
em erged from prison three years later, reborn as o . Henry, the
pseudonym he now used to hide his tru e identity. He wrote a t
least twelve stories in jail, and after re-gaining h is freedom, went
30 to New York City, where he published m ore th a n 300 stories and
gained fame as America’s favorite sh o rt story writer. Porter m ar-
ried again in 1907, b u t after m onths of poor health, he died in New
York City a t th e age of forty-eight in 1910. o . H enry’s stories have
been tran slated all over the world.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
303
2. According to the passage, P orter’s F ather w a s _____
A. responsible for his move to La Salle County in Texas
B. th e person who gave him a life-long love of books
c . a m edical doctor
D. a licensed p h arm acist
3. The word “a lleg e d ly ” in line 9 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. supposedly B. reportedly c . wrongly ð. m istakenly
4. W hich of th e following is tru e, according to th e p assage?
A. both of P o rter’s wives died before he died
B. Porter left school a t 15 to become a p h arm a cist
c . Porter wrote a colum n for the H ouston Daily Post called “Rolling
S tone”
D. th e first recorded use of his pseudonym w as in A ustin
5. The .word “v e n tu re ” in line 17 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. challenging experim ent
B. bold initiative
c . speculative action
D. sorry experience
6 . The word “s u b s e q u e n t” in line 19 is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. re su ltin g B. police c . alleged D. official
7. Porter lost all of the following when he w ent to prison EXCEPT his
304 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- pseudonym tên giả - draftsman người vẽ sơ ñồ thiết kế,
- licensed pharmacist một dược sĩ ñược người phác thảo - humor weekly tò
cấp phép hành nghề tuần báo trào phúng
- on the recommendation of theo lời - venture công việc kỉnh doanh ñầy mạo
khuyên của hiểm
“ to herd sheep chăn cừu - column cột báo, chuyên mục trên báo
- unabridged (adj) không rút ngắn, toàn - indictment sự buộc tội
tập - to embezzle biển thù công quỹ
- ranch trại chăn nuôi - to flee (fled - fled) chạy trốn
- to incorporate hợp nhất, tích hợp, kết - defeated (adj) bị ñánh bại, thất bại
hợp, sat nhập - to emerge from xuất hiện, bước ra
- allegedly (adj) ñược cho là khòi (một nơi)
- to be derived from sth (từ ngữ/ tên - identity lỷ lịch, nhân thân
gọi) phát sinh từ -jail nhà tù
- to re-gain íấy lại ñược
308 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
• Action on bullying an d a new Victim Support schem e for young
people who have been th e victims of crime.
• Young Mayors elected in every area to give teenagers re p resen ta-
tion and a say in their com m unity.
• Free public tra n sp o rt and leisure for all young people u n d e r 18 tc
en su re access for all.
Oona King, C hair of the Review said: “Growing u p can be tough and
we are simply not doing enough to help the next generation to flourish.
On average we spend 17p for each young person per day on you th ser-
vices and th is h a s to change. Young people need to be a p art of OUĨ
com m unities otherw ise we spend billions dealing w ith the conse-
quences of anti-social behaviour, crime and violence.*
GLOSSARY
- youth review sự ñánh giá; lại giới trẻ - youth icon bịểu tượng cùa tuổi trẻ
- to break up for the holidays (trường) -stak e phần chia, phần ñược hưởng, cổ
ñóng cừa nghỉ hè tức
- enquiry cuộc ñiều tra - to go off the rails bắt ñầu có hành vi
- to consult sb tham khảo, hòi ý kiến ai . ngang bướng/ lệch [ạc
- radical (adj) cấp tiến, ừỉệt ñể - crisis cơn khùng hoảng
- to transform cải tạo, chuyển hóa, biến - deprived (adj) nghèo khổ
ñổi -to hang around lang thang, lảng vầng,
- youth hub trung tâm sinh họat thanh thơ .thẩn
niên - gang bằng ñảng
- to tackle xử lí, giải quyết - detention centre trung tâm tạm giam
- anti-social behaviour hành vi chống - investment sự ñầu tư
lại xã hội . - intervention sự can thiệp
- to undertake sth ñảm ñương, gánh -troubled (adj) ñang gặp rắc rối
vác - to escalate ỉeo thang, tăng mạnh
- charity hội từ thiện - dedicated (adj) dành riêng
- unprecedented (adj) chưa từng có ■- deprivation sự.nghếo khổ
trước ñây - unrest sự bat on
- debate cuọc tranh cãi - bullying, sự bắt nạt trẻ nhỏ hơn
- welfare sự hạnh phúc,.cảnh sống yêrì - mayor thị trưởng
vui - to give sb representation and a say
- trend xu thế, xu hướng ñem lại sự ñại diện và tiếng nói'cho ai
- risky (adj) nguy hiểm - tough (ạdj) kho khăn, gian; khổ
- to tour an area ñi khắp một khu vực - to flourish trở nên phát ñạt, thịnh
- to publicise công bố vượng
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127
■ In Egyptian m yth, Apophis w as the an cien t spirit of evil an d de-
structiQn. So it seem ed a fitting nam e for a 390-m etre wide asteroid
th a t is potentially on a collision course with o u r planet. NASA h a s e s-
tim ated th a t a n im p act from Apophis, w hich h a s a n ou tsid e chance of
hitting th e E arth in 2036, would release m ore th a n 100,000 tim es the
energy released in th e n u clear b last over Hiroshim a. T h o usan d s of
sq u are kilom etres would be directly affected by the b last b u t th e whole
of th e E arth w ould see th e effects of th e d u st released into th è atm o s-
phere.
Apophis h a d been, interm ittently tracked since its discovery in J u n e
2004 b ut, in Decem ber, it started causing serious concern. Projecting
the orbit of th e asteroid into th e future, astronom ers calculated th a t
th e odds of it h itting th e E a rth were alarm ing. As m ore observations
cam e in, th e odds got higher. The asteroid w as placed a t four ou t of ten
on the Torino scale - a m easu re of the th re a t posed by a n ea r-E a rth
object, where ten is a certain collision. This w as the h ighest of any a s -
teroid in recorded history.
Alan Fitzsim m ons, a n astron om er from Q ueen’s University Belfast,
said: “W hen it does p a ss close to US in April 2029, the E arth will deflect
it an d change its orbit. T here’s a sm all possibility th a t if it p asse s
through a p artic u la r point in space, th e so-called keyhole, the E ar tin’s
gravity will change things so th a t w hen it com es back aro u n d again in
2036, it will collide w ith u s.” The chance of Apophis passin g through
the keyhole, a 600-m etre p atch of space, is 1 in 5,500 b ased on cu rre n t
inform ation.
There is no shortage of ideas on how to deflect the asteroid. No
technology h a s been left unconsidered; even potentially dangerous
ideas su c h ’a s n u clea r powered spacecraft. The favoured m ethod is also
potentially th e easie st - throw ing a spacecraft a t the asteroid to change
its direction. One idea th a t seem s to have no su p p o rt from astro no m ers
is th e u se of explosives. The next opportunity for ra d a r observations of
Apophis will no t be u n til 2013. NASA h a s argued th a t a final decision
w hether or n o t to go ah e ad w ith a full-blown m itigation m ission will
have to be m ade a t th a t stage. In 2029, astronom ers will know for sure
if Apophis will pose a th re a t in 2036 b ú t if th e w orst-case scenarios
tu rn o u t to be tru e a n d the E arth is not prepared, it will be too late to
do anything.
1. A p o p h is _____
A. h a s th e potential to destroy the whole of th e E arth.
B. m ay ca use dam age com parable to th a t of a n u cle ar bomb.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
311
c. is larger th a n any asteroid.recorded by NASA so far.
D. h as been given a nam e reflecting.its om inous n atu re.
2:: W hen Apophis-'was.'ñis.cơverèd, scientists :
A. took some tim e to calculate its orbit.
B. im mediately realised how dangerous it was.
c. decided they would never let it out of sight.
D. invented a scale to m easure the th re a t it posed.
3. According to Professor Alan F itzsim m on s _____
A. it’s probable Apophis w on’t come n ear the E arth in 2029.
B. passing through the keyhole may prove to be a decisive factor,
c. in 2029, the asteroid may change the E a rth ’s gravity.
D. the chance of Apophis hitting the E arth is 1 in 5,500.
4. S cientists believe t h a t _____
A. we have no effective technology now to solve the problem.
B. the b est way to deal w ith the asteroid would be to blow it up.
c. a controlled collision could stop Apophis from h itting th e E arth.
D. the last m om ent to send a m itigation m ission will be 2029.
GLOSSARY
- myth chuyện thần thoại - the Torino scale thang cấp ñộ Torino
- spirit of evil and destruction bóng - to deflect sth làm cái gi ñổi hướng bay
ma của sự ñộc ác và hủy diệt - so-called (adj) ñược gọi ỉà
- fitting (adj) thích hợp - keyhole lỗ khóa
- asteroid tiểu hành tinh - to collide With va chạm với
- collision sự va chạm, sự ñâm sâm vào - patch màng, ñám, khoảng
- impact sự va ñập mạnh - explosive chất nổ, bom, min
- nuclear blast vụ nồ hạt nhân - to go ahead with tiếp tục thi hành,
- intermittently (adv) thỉnh thoảng, tiến hành
chốc chốc - full-blown (adj) phát triển ñây ñù,
- to track theo dõi, lần theo dấu vết toàn diện
- to project lường ñoần, tính toán, ước - mitigation sự làm giàm bớt ñộ nguy
chừng hại
- odds khả năng xảy ra - mission sứ mệnh, nhiệm vụ
- alarming (adj) ñáng báo ñộng, ñáng sợ - worst-case scenario kịch bản xấu
- to pose a threat làm hiển hiện một nhất
mối ñe dọa - ominous (adj) báõ ñiềm xấu
312 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
128 A DANGEROUS HABIT
The world of online gaming is a growing phenom enon w ith millions
of young m en an d women aro un d the globe logging on to join in role-
play gam es w hich allow them to in teract with o th er players. EverQuest
an d World o f Warcraft are two of the biggest online gam es. Seven mil-
lion people su b scribe to World o f Warcraft an d join a virtual world of
Lord o f the Rings type ch aracters.
However, a study of 7,000 online com puter gam ers h a s revealed th a t
one in nine were displaying the sam e signs of addiction a s gam blers
an d drug u sers. The subjects, mostly m ale an d w ith a n average age of
21, were ask ed to fill ou t two q uestionnaires. The addictive signs they
displayed included w ithdraw al sym ptom s su ch a s depression a n d crav-
ing, loss of control an d neglect of other activities. The re su lts will prove
alarm ing for p a re n ts whose children spend h o u rs on th e com puter.
EverQuest, a fantasy gam e in w hich players populate a virtual m ystical
world of dragons a n d wizards- h a s proved to be particularly addictive,
a n d h a s been blam ed for m arriage break-ups, child-neglect an d even
an obsessive player’s suicide. An EverQ uest widows’ su p p o rt group h a s
been set up for people who never see th eir p artn e rs because they are
always playing th e game.
The study is th e work of Professor Mark Griffiths, director of the In-
te rn a tio n a l Gaming R esearch Unit a t Nottingham T rent University, in
the UK. “Addicted” gam ers were com pared to the rem aining “norm al”
players a n d it w as found th a t they played for m uch longer periods and
were “significantly” more likely to report w ithdraw al sym ptom s. Last
night Prof Griffiths said it was a largely ad u lt phenom enon because
m ost online gam ing sites require a credit card subscription. {Fees are
typically ab o u t £8 a m onth.) The average age of a n online gam er is 29
to 30: However, he did find th a t some teenagers were playing, aftei
p a ren ts sub scribed to th e sites. About 20 p er cent of players are
women, draw n by the social a n d co-operative elem ent of th e games.
“A lthough I th in k genuine addiction is fairly low, the thing aboul
online gam ing is th a t th e game never stop s,” said Prof Griffiths, “With £
stan d -alo ne game, you can sw itch it. off and come back the next day
b u t w ith an online game it’s veiy difficult to log off w hen you know hal
the world h a s ju s t logged on. Many gam ers play excessively a n d displa}
few negative effects. There is nothing wrong in itself with doing som e-
thing excessively, a n d unlike gambling, gam ing h a s little or no fm ancia
consequence. However, th e 2 4 -h o u r a day never-ending online game!
may provide a potentially addictive m edium for those w ith a predisposi
tion for excessive gam e playing.”
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
31:
In. o th er p a rts of the world, such gam es have come in for m uch
greater criticism . In C hina a g ừ l died after playing World o f Warcraft for
three days w ith barely a break, and a w om an in th e USA blam ed a
game for the: d ea th of h er 2 1 -year-old son, who h ad a history of m ental
health problems',..ajid shot him self w h ile ‘still; sitting a t his com puter. In
these co untries a whole h ost of special trea tm en ts an d clinics are
available w h ic h ‘claim to hold a cure for th e com pulsive gam er. In
S outh Korea, th e auth orities have become so concerned by th e n u m -
bers of .young people spending too m u ch tim e on com p uters th a t the
g o v ern m en t.launched a nationw ide addiction hotline to help com bat
the problem.
GAMING FORUM
Kevin, L iv e rp o o l
I used to play gam es every day, b u t last m onth I deleted every game
on my com puter an d cancelled my subscription to Warcraft. The
problem is th a t you get totally im m ersed in the gam es an d becom e
oblivious to the.real world. W hat have you achieved after 11 h o u rs in
a virtual world? You m ight have developed your virtual ch aracter,
fought a battle, killed a few dragons, b u t su ch achievem ents are illu-
sory - w hen you re tu rn to the real world you're a t exactly the sam e
point a s w hen you started.
Martin, Cardiff
I started playing EverQuest five years ago, an d for th e next two years
the game dom inated my life. B ut they were w onderful years an d I
have no regrets. I had th e m ost am azing experiences an d m ade loads
of friends through the game. OK, so it’s escapism , b u t how is it any
different from w atching TV? I know people who spend seven or eight
h o u rs a day w atching TV b u t no one ever suggests they have a seri-
ous addiction.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
315
GLOSSARY
- phenomenon hiện tượng ' credit; card subscription sự ñăng kí
- to log on ñăng nhập . bằợg. thẻ tín dụng
- role-play game game to be d rawn by bị hấp dẫn bởi
- to i nteract with tứơag iac :với V stand-alone game game ñộc lập/
- sub ject chù thể • game chơi một minh ■
- questionnaire bàn câu hỏi/ thẩm vãn to switch sth off tắt cái gì ñi
lục ■to ìog off ñăng xuất, thoát ra khỏi
- addictive (adj) gây nghiện, chứng tỏ mạng
■ñang nghiện ; ■excessively (adv) một cách thài quá
- withdrawal symptom triệu chứng lên ■medium phương tiện
cơn nghiền khi phải cai nghiện ■predisposition xu hướng thiên về
- depression sự trầm cảm to come in for criticism bị chỉ trích
- craving sự thèm khát ■break quãng nghĩ giải lao
- neglect sự bỏ bê, chểnh mảng ■to shoot oneself tự sát bằng súng
- to populate cung cấp dân cho/ ñem ■a host of sth một số rất ñông cái gì
người ñến ở 1 vùng •clinic bệnh viện
- mystical (adj) ñầy bí hiểm •compulsive (añj) quá ham mê, mê
- wizard phù thủy, thuật sĩ ñắm
- marriage break-up sự tan vổ hôn ■hotline ñường ñây nóng
nhân ■to combat chiến ñấu chống lại
- child-neglect sự bò bê con cái to be immersed in sth ñẳm mình vào,
- obsessive (adj) như bị ám ảnh mê mải với
- suicide sự tự sát ■oblivious to (adj) quên hết, không còn
- partner người vợ/ chồng nhớ gi ñến
~ gamer game thủ ■illusory (adj) mang tính ảo tưởng
- gaming site trang mạng chơi game ■escapism sự thoát li thực tế, sự chạy
trốn thực tại
129
Twenty-five years after they were invented a s a form of com puter-
geek sh o rth an d , em oticons are now everywhere. The smiling, winking
and frowning faces th a t in habit the com puter keyboard have evolved
into a quasi-accep ted form of p u n ctu atio n. T hese sweet hieroglyphs
have conquered both the young an d th e old, as o u r daily com m u n ica-
tion relies m ore an d more on text ra th e r th a n the spoken word. There
was a tim e w hen em oticons seemed naively youthful. Yet now adays,
applied appropriately, em oticons can no longer be dism issed a s ju v e-
nile. They come in hand y in m any a d u lt social in teraction s, a n d help
avoid serious m iscom m unications.
Psychologists say it is only n a tu ral. People instinctively look for sig-
nals of intim acy in th e h u m an face. This re su lts from co u n tless g enera-
tions of evolution, d uring which people relied on th ese signs a s life-or-
d ea th signals to survive. W hen infants are given a series of geom etrical
p attern s, th eir eyes will n atura lly be draw n to those th a t seem to rep re-
sen t a face.
316 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
Faced w ith th e absen ce of facial expressions in e-com m unications
we sho uld m ake u p for it by com posing e-m ails th a t m ake it clear
thro u gh o u r language th a t we are being cheerful, b u t th a t, of course,
h ap p e n s only in the ideal world. And so we’ve tu rn ed to em oticons. At
first glance it seem ed th a t only the younger generation took to th e little
faces. B u t in fact, in a recent em oticon survey of 40,000 u se rs of Yahoo
M essenger, 52 p ercen t of th e resp on dents were older th a n 30. Among
th o se; 55 per c e n t’ said they u se em oticons every day. 82 p ercent con-
sidered wom en more likely to use em oticons. B ut for m en, who have a
h a rd time usin g term s of tend ern ess, em oticons can be very helpful in
conveying affection.
Em oticons have now entered even th e m ost serious a rea s of life. One
m ilitary veteran says th a t he u se s plenty of em oticons in h is com m uni-
cations even w ith adm irals a t the Pentagon, where they provide a cer-
tain cover for high-ran kin g leaders to com m ent on sensitive m atters. “A
win'k says quite a lot,” he says. “It could be a th o u sa n d different things
- b u t I know w hat it m eans. It’s a kind of code.” Also on Wall Street,
b u sin essm en will u se th e term ‘QQ’ (from a n em oticon sym bolising cry-
ing eyes) in conversation as" a sarcastic way of saying “boo hoo”.
Supposedly, it all sta rte d in 1982. Scott Fahlm an, a professor of
com pu ter science, w as linked to a n electronic university bulletin board
w here com p uter e n th u sia sts posted th eir opinions. In one note a joke
a b ou t elevators w as m isinterpreted by som e a s a safety w arning. So
Fahlm an suggested u sin g :-) as a way to indicate jokes a n d :-( for seri-
o u s rem arks. F ah lm an ’s “joke m ark ers” spread quickly an d w ithin a
m onth or so techies a t Xerox were circulating a list of strikingly sop h is-
ticated new em oticons. He never received a trad e m ark for his invention,
an d never m ade a dim e from it. Before long, em oticons h ad accom -
plished w hat E speranto never could, a universal lingua franca.
318 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
130 HOW TO BE A GOOD PARENT: A TEENAGER’S GUIDE
Sixteen-year-old Eilie, who lives with her parents, Louise, 38, and Peter, 43,
has written a book to tell us what parents of teenagers are doing wrong.
All a d u lts th in k teena gers are a nightm are. According to them , we’re
moody, argum entative, ru d e a n d disruptive. B ut have any a d u lts ever
stopped to. th in k th a t p erh ap s they are responsible for the u n p re d ict-
able an d confusing way we behave?
Take me, for instance. I m ay be a teenage nightm are, b u t th is is all
to do w ith my p aren ts, n o t me. With my m other, I stam p my feet, storm
out. of sh o p s in th e middle of arg u m e n ts a n d m oan u n til I get my own
way. J u s t last week, for example, I p ersu ad ed m um to buy me a pair of
shoes th a t she had said I co uldn’t have. B ut my father, on th e oth er
h an d , tu rn s m e into a shining example of teenage perfection. I do a s he
ask s, I do n’t answ er back and I happily accept th a t no m ean s no.
My p a re n ts have very different p arenting styles. While my d ad brings
o u t th e b est in me, by being calm an d reasonable a n d tre a tin g me like
an ad ult, my m um , like so m any o th er p a ren ts of teenagers, inadver-
tently m akes m e w an t to rebel by being com bative an d speaking to me
a s th ou g h I’m still a child. Last sum m er, after yet a n o th e r row in a
shop w ith my m other, I decided to sta rt w riting down th e way I felt
a b o u t things.
A few m ore rows later a n d I’d w ritten m ore th a n 10,000 w ords of a d -
vice for p aren ts.
In December, having contacted various publish ers, I signed a book
deal. My p aren tin g book, How Teenagers Think , is going to be p u b -
lished next year, the first of its type actually w ritten by a teenager.
Much of my book is b ased on my own experiences, b u t IVe also in ter-
viewed my friends ab o u t th e ir parents. Surprisingly, we all sh are sim i-
lar views on w h a t o u r p a re n ts are doing wrong. And it u su ally com es
down to the fact th a t o u r p a re n ts care too m uch ab o u t u s an d d o n ’t
w a n t to let u s grow up. For example, m um drove m e crazy, a few weeks
ago w hen she kept w orrying I’d broken my neck after ! fell off my bike.
Yes, my n eck h u rt, b u t I’d been to th e doctor a n d h e ’d told m e I w as
fine, so why did she w an t to tak e me to hospital?
Instead of fu ssin g aro u n d th eir teenagers-like w e’re sm all children,
p aren ts could be u sin g our desire to feel grow n-up tớ th e ừ advantage.
If we’re behaving badly, why n o t tell u s straig ht ou t th a t we d o n ’t d e-
serve to be treated like a n ad ult? Then w ell try to e a rn y our respect.
And why not rew ard u s when we do behave m aturely? Recently, I
w anted to tak e a tra in to P ortsm outh to see a friend - a jou rn ey I’d
done w ith m um before. Dad w as fine with th e idea of me going alone,
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
319
b u t it took weeks of argu m ents before m um agreed. Why w as it su ch a
big deal?
P arents need to learn to tru s t teenagers. And w hen p aren ts are w or-
ried abou t u s, th ere is no point becoming angry - th a t ju s t m akes
things worse. A few m onth s ago, m um lost h er tem per w hen I told my
parents I’d been receiving e-m ails from a stran g er I'd m et in a c h a-
troom. She in stan tly b an ne d me from usin g the In ternet an d we ended
up having a huge row. B ut I’m not stupid. Most teenagers know talking
to stran g ers online is not a good idea, so I’d told them w h at w as h a p -
pening - I d p n ’t w an t to get abducted, ju s t a s m u ch a s they d o n ’t w ant
me to. So why be angry with me, m um ? It m akes me not w ant to con-
fide in you. Surely it’s better for me to feel you w on’t be angry, so I can
talk to you?
Many of my friends feel the sam e way. They end up n ot telling their
p arents w h at they’re up to because they ll be cross. Everyone I in ter-
viewed for my book loved the idea of being really close to their p aren ts.
Despite the way we behave, we all w ant close relation ships w ith ou r
parents. We also ail know deep down th a t o u r p aren ts u sually do know
best. B ut p art of being a teenager is feeling free to take steps down new
p a th s an d learning from o u r own m istakes. O ur p aren ts have to u n -
wrap the cotton wool they place aro u n d u s a n d let u s get on w ith w hat
is ju s t a n atu ra l p hase of life.
320 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
c. p a re n ts
rew arded them more often.
D. they d idn ’t trea t them like little children.
5. How does Ellie react to h er m um ’s lack of tru st?
A. It m akes h er feel stupid.
B. It m akes h er tell h er m um exactly w hat is happening in h er life.
c. It m akes h er not w ant to talk abou t herself to h er m um .
D. It m akes h er th in k h er m um is stupid.
6. W hich sentence best su m m arises the m ain idea?
A. F athers are m uch better a t dealing w ith teenagers th a n m others
because they u n d ersta n d them better.
B. If p aren ts tru sted teenagers more an d were less controlling,
th e n they would get on m uch better with them .
c. It’s b est not to tell your paren ts w hat you are doing because
they will either get angry or worried.
D. A dults have a poor opinion of teenagers, b u t they often behave
badly them selves an d set a bad example for their children.
GLOSSARY
- nightmare cơn ác mộng - to drive sb crazy khiến ai muốn phát
- moody (adj) tính khí thay ñổi thất ñiên lên
thường - to fuss around làm rùm beng lên về,
- argumentative (adj) hay ừanh cãi [àm rối tung íên vì
- disruptive (adj) hay phá rối - to use sth to one's advantage lợi
- confusing (adj) gây rõi trí, gây hoang dụng cái gì
mang - straight out (adv) ngay lập tức
- to stamp one's feet dậm chân - t o earn sb's respect giành ñược lòng
- to storm out of hùng hổ chạy ra khỏi, kính trọng cùa ai
bỏ ñi ra với vè tức giận ■ - maturely (adv) một cáeh chín chắn/
- to moan rên rì trưởng thành
- a shining example một tấm gương - a big deal chuyện to tát, chuyện quan
sáng trọng
- perfection sự hoàn hảo - to lose one's temper nổi cáu
- to answer back cãi ỉạỉ - chatroom phòng Chat trên mạng
- parenting style lối làm cha mẹ - to get abducted bị bắt cóc
- inadvertently (adv) vô tình, không cố - to confide in sb tâm sự/ thổ lộ chuyện
ý riêng tư với ai
- to rebel nổi loạn - to end up doing sth rốt cuộc lại làm gì
- combative (adj) sẵn sàng gây hấn - to be up to sth âm mưu/ ñang toan
- row cuộc cãi vã tính ñiều gì
- to sign a book deal kí một hợp ñồng - cross (adj) gắt gỏng, bực bội
xuất bản sách - to unwrap the cotton wool ngưng
- it comes down to the fact that... ngay sự bảo bọc con cái quá trớn
chung qui !ại là... - phase giai ñọan, thời kì
HOCTIENGANH.INFO 321
131 ORGANIC FOOD: WHY?
A recent NOP* poll found th a t 82 per cen t of UK consu m ers w ant a
retu rn to traditional farm ing, even if it m eans paying m ore for food. To-
day, m any sins are laid of the feet of conventional farm ing. BSE, foot-
and -m outh, pollution, obesity and th e disappearance of sparrow s have
all been blam ed on m odern agriculture. And governm ents across
E urope are keen to show they care. They are increasingly keen to be
seen a s prom oting not conventional fanning m ethods, b u t the new-age
version: organic. E urope is now th e biggest m ark e t for organic food in
the world, expanding by 25 per cent a y ear over th e p ast 10 years. The
G erm an ag riculture m in ister w an ts to m ake 20 per cent of G erm an ag-
riculture organic by 2010, an d D enm ark’s agriculture m in ister is h e r-
self an organic farmer.
Organic farm ing is often claimed to be safer th a n conventional farm -
ing - for the environm ent, for our children a n d for u s. Yet after lengthy
and ongoing research worldwide, science co ntin ues to reject th is claim.
The UK’s cross-party House of Commons com m ittee on agriculture a n -
nounced th at, despite exhaustive investigation, it h ad failed to find any
scientific evidence to vprove “th a t any of the m any claim s m ade for or-
ganic farm ing are always an d invariably tru e ”.
The notion th a t organic food is safer th a n “norm al” food is co n tra-
dicted by the fact th a t m any of our m ost com m on foods are full of
n a tu ra l toxins. Yet educated E uropean s are more scared ‘ of eating
traces of a few, strictly regulated, m an-m ade chem icals th a n they are of
eating the ones th a t n atu re created directly. Why? For m ost of h u m a n
history the m ore artificial an d elaborate your diet, the better; when
dom inating n a tu re w as a co n stan t battle, it w as a sign of cu ltu red liv-
ing. The an cient R om ans distinguished between foods n ot as proteins
versus carbohydrates, or even m eat versus vegetables, b u t a s cultivated
versus w ild.. F arm ed anim als were a more civilised food th a n game.
Wine an d bread, because they were created by m an, were sym bols of
cultured living - only b arb arian s ate wild plants. Today, E uropeans,
su rround ed by plentiful food, fear not natu re , b u t science. O ur ob ses-
sion with the ethics an d safety of w hat we eat w ith antibiotics in an i-
m als, additives, 'GM foods, a n d so on - are sym ptom atic of a highly
technological society th a t has lost faith in its ability' to p u t technology
to a positive end. In th is context, the less touched by h u m an h an d
som ething is, the m ore virtue we see in it.
A do m inan t contem porary fear is th a t we are wrecking n atu re . This
is the real significance of the NOP poll. It is no t a vote of positive s u p -
port for “traditio nal” or organic farm ing - ab o u t w hich m ost of US are
blissfully ignorant - b u t ra th e r a vote against h u m an intervention in
the countryside.
322 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
*NOP - National Opinion Polls; a leading market research organisation.
GLOSSARY
- organic food thực phẩm hữu cơ/ thực - cultivated (adj) ñược nuôi trồng
phẩm sạch - wild (adj) hoang, dại, ngoài thiên nhiên
- sin tội lỗi - farmed animal ñộng vật ñước chăn
- BSE bệnh bò ñiên nuôi
- foot-and-mouth bệnh lở mồm long ■ - game thú rừng, thú hoang
mỏng - barbarian người man rợ, người dã man
- obesity chứng béo phì - obsession mối ám ảnh
- sparrow chim sẻ - ethics ñạo ñức, luân lí
- to promote quảng bá, phát huy - antibiotics thuốc kháng sinh
- agriculture minister bộ trưởng nông - additive chất phụ gia
nghiệp - GM foods [genetically modified foods]
- to reject bác bỏ thực phẩm biến ñổi gien
- claim lời tuyên bố - symptomatic of (adj) là triệu chứng
- cross-party House of Commons của
committee ủy ban gồm các thành - to lose faith in mất niềm tin vào
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
323
viên ñến từ nhiều ñảng của hạ viện - In this context Trong bổ cành này
Anh - virtue phẩm chất cao quí, ñức hạnh
- exhaustive (adj) thấu ñáo, toàn diện, - dominant (adj) nổi bật, chiếm ưu thế
không bỏ sót ñiều gỉ . - vote lá phiếu bầu
- notion quan niệm - blissfully ignorant about sth (adj)
- to contradict nói ngựợc lại, c h ứ n g k ị i ồ n g bíỗ: ñến mặt xấu cùa cai gỉ
minh ngược lại •' ” intervention sự can thiệp vào .
- toxin chat ñộc '■ - NOP [National Opinion Polls] cơ quan
- trace dấu vết : / Thầm ñò Dư luận Quốc giã
- strictly regulated (adj) ñược ñiều tiết - market research sự nghiên cứu thị
chặt chẽ trường
- elaborate (adj) phức tạp, tỉ mi, tinh vi - degradation sự thoái hóa
- to dominate khống chế, chế ngự - to be favoured by ñược ủng hộ bởi
- cu Itured Jiving lõì sống có văn hóa - organĩc-orĩented (adjj có khuỳnh
- versus (prep) chống lại hướng thích những thứ hữu cớ
- carbohydrates thức ăn có chứa hy-
drat-cacbon
324 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
h a s a p erm an en t reporter who lives in th e virtual world of Second Life.
Second Life allows people to do w hat they do in the real world withoul
leaving th eir chair. People m eet, chat, 'dance an d socialise. Residents
can also m ake an d sell goods in exchange for the world’s currency, the
Linden Dollar. This h a s a n exchange rate w ith the u s dollar, so m onej
th a t you m ake in Second Life can be transferred to the real world.
B u t whv are virtual worlds suddenly becoming so popular? “I th in t
it w as the right tim e for Second Life,” said Dr Jim Purbick, a senioi
software engineer, a n d the only full-time employee of Linden Lab. D]
Purbick believes th a t the increase in th e n u m b er of bro adban d useri
and the ever faster speeds of personal com puters are two of the m air
reasons b ehind the growth in popularity.
Roo Reynolds believes th a t th e virtual worlds are here to stay, anc
will become a bigger a n d bigger p art of life. “Nobody believes th a t ex-
periencing som ething online is really the sam e as experiencing it in rea
life,” he says. “However, not everyone can afford to go to m ajor sporting
events like the Olympics or the World Cup. Experiencing these event:
in a virtual world is the next best thing.” So Mr Reynolds’ job, whic?
involves convincing people of the benefits of Second Life an d similai
online environm ents, m ay not last long. “My job will become un n eces
sary because everyone will be using it,” he says. •
*5.
GLOSSARY
- alien ngườỉ ngoài hành tinh - permanent reporter phóng viên
- to envy cảm thấy ganh tị thường trú
- a three-dimensional digital world - to socialise giao lưu kết bạn
thế giới kĩ thuật số trong không giạn 3 - in exchange for ñế ñổi lấy
chiều - currency ñơn vị tiền tệ
- to take note of lưu ý ñến - exchange rate hối suất, tỉ suất hối
- to be populated by gồm các dân cư ñoái
là, ñông ñúc những CƯdân là - to be transferred to ñược lưu chuyển
326 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
avatar hình ảnh ñại diện ñến
on-screen representation hỉnh biểu - senior (adj) cấp cao
hiện trên màn hình - full-time employee nhân viên toàn cơ
•statistic con số thống kê hữu
imaginary (adj) tưởng tượng, không có - broadband [có kẽt nối] băng thông
thạt rộng
milestone cột mốc, cột cây sổ - to be here to stay trở thành môt thực
■a 50:50 split sự phân chia ñồng ñều tế ñương nhiên/ tồn tại vĩnh viễn
marketing department bộ phận tiếp - the next best thing ñiều kẽ cận với
thị ñiều tốt ñẹp nhất
training shoes giày tập thế dục - to market tiếp thị
■Chain chuỗi cửa hàng - to be converted into ñược chuyển ñổi
Reuters news agency thông tấn xã thành
Reuter
133 iP O D S b y IV E
Jo n a th a n Ive w as on stage, lovingly, taking ap a rt an iBook laptop in
front of a n audience of fascin ated .designers. For over an hour, he de-
scribed its creation, the necessity of every curve, binge an d surface.
Then he pointed to a tiny toolset built into the back of the case, a won-
derful idea for any service engineer. His attentio n to detail is amazing,
b u t h is talen t goes deeper th a n that.
The 39-year-old vice-president of industrial design is widely re-
garded a s today’s m ost im portant B ritish designer. From h is studio a t
Apple C om puters in California, Ive’s team have defined th e look of a
generation, first with the iBook and iMac, and lately the iPod, whose
owners include the Queen, Tony Blair a n d George Bush.
Beyond Ive’s talent, he is fam ous for his privacy. He rarely gives in-
terviews. His IVTio's Who entry states only th a t he w as b o ra in 1967,
and fails to m ention h e is th e father of twins. W hat is known is th a t he
is thoughtful, brutally honest, passionate an d critical of himself. With
his family, he leads a simple life in a two-bedroom ho use in Twin
Peaks. His only luxury is h is Aston M artin, bought, naturally, because
of its looks.
Ive studied in d u strial design a n d im mediately displayed a great ta l-
ent. He would find u n u su a l influences for his designs a n d instinctively
tu rn them into am azingly m odem -looking products. For his final-year
project, Ive developed an alternative m onetary system , a pebble-like ob-
je c t which could be charged u p and used instead of cash or credit
cards.
In 1990, he worked on projects from toilets to video cassette record-
ers for a London design company. Asked to design a new bathroom , he
bought m arine biology books and searched them for influences from
nature. Ive joined Apple in 1992 and his first m ajor success, th e col-
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
327
ourful all-in-one iMac com puter, w as inspired by th e glistening tra n s -
parency of guradrops, a n d w as a reaction ag ainst th e d u lln ess of the
beige desktop com puters worldwide. Yet his g reatest su ccess is the
iPod, th e MP3 player w hich h a s sold m illions of u n its a n d become a
classic. In 2003 he won the Design M useum 's designer of the year
com petition. And he know s b etter th a n anyone w h at we’re going to be
holding in o u r h an d s five years from now.
1. Jo n a th a n Iv e ______ _
A. used to act in a theatre.
B. used to be a service engineer,
c. is am azed by sm all details.
D. gives talks for other designers.
2. At p resent J o n a th a n Iv e ______
A. designs products w hich are a sign of ou r tim es.
B. lives an d w orks in Great Britain.
c. works only for very im portant people.
D. creates luxu rio us designs for Aston M artin.
.3. J o n a th a n Iv e _____
A. expects a lot from himself.
B. lives a life of luxury in Twin Peaks,
c. loves giving interviews.
D\ is described in detail in Who’s Who.
4. During his studies Iv e _______
A. showed a great talent for m aking money.
B. found very uncom m on inspirations,
c. developed only during his last year.
D. got a credit card an d spent a lot of money.
5. W hen Ive started work, h e ______
A. w as a designer of “n a tu ra l bathroom s”.
B. w as im mediately searched out by Apple,
c . h ated boring designs of practical things.
D. m ade a lot of m oney selling classic iPods.
GLOSSARY
- iovingly (adv) với vẻ trìu mến - Aston Martin [tên kiểu xe hơi hạng
- to take sth ápart tháo ròi ra từng sang của Anh]
mảnh - ffinal-year project ñề án làm vào năm
- curve ñường cong cuối ñại học
- hinge bản le.- alternative (adj) khác... ñể thay thế
- toolset bộ dụng cụ - monetary system hệ thống tiền tệ
- Tony Blair [tên cựu thủ tướng Anh] - pebble-like (adj) giống như viên sỏi
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
328
- George Bush [tên cựu tổng thống Mỹ] - marine biology ngầnh sinh học biển
T- privacy sự riêng tư - alỉ-ĩn-one (adj) tất cả trong một
- W ho's Who [tên từ ñiển danh nhân] - to be inspired by ñược gợi cảm hứng
- entry mục từ (trong từ ñiển) bởi
- thoughtful (adj) hay suy nghĩ, hay -glistening (adj) lóng [ánh
trầm tư - transparency sự trong suốt
- brutally honest (adj) cực kì thành thực - gumdrop íoại kẹo nhai nhiều màu vị
- passionate (adj) giàu cảm xúc trái cây
- critical of (adj) có thái ñộ phê phán, - dullness sự tẻ nhạt
hay chỉ trích - a classic một tác phẩm mẫu mực/ kinh
- luxury món ñồ xa Xi’/ sang trọng ñiển
134
Ju lie Lewis from Oregon, in the United S tates, is w earing an expen-
sive-looking pair of boots. They are durable yet fashionable. To look at
th em you would never know th a t they were m ade entirely of recycled
m aterials. Ju lie owns h e r own shoem aking com pany a n d h a s achieved
a long-term am bition to tu rn w aste into som ething useful. The shoes
are m ade from all sorts of otherw ise useless m aterials, including textile
scrap s, ru b b e r from tyres, an d plastic bags. Ju lie know s th a t she c a n -
not solve the world's environm ental problem s single-handed, b u t no ne-
th eless she feels she is doing good a t a local level.
. Recycling h a s become extremely p op ular in th e us, particularly ir
recent years w hen th e n u m b er of recycling schem es h a s increased bj
500 percent. 65 percent of alum inium carts are recycled p lu s a quart®
of pap er a n d 20 p ercent of glass. The en th u siasm for re-usin g materials
h a s come from th e realisation th a t Am ericans produce far more wasti
per person th a n m ost Europeans; a total of 200 million to n s a year
T his is twice a s m u ch per capita a s Germ any, for exam ple, an d i
would be enough to fill a line of d u stb in lorries stretchin g eight time!
aro un d the world.
America even exports its waste. Taiwan b u ys u se d p ap er to mak<
m ore p ap er an d J a p a n u se s American scrap m etal a n d m akes it int<
new cars, w hich it th en sells back to th e us. Two th ird s of the rem ain
ing w aste is buried in landfill sites. D isposal of w aste Doses a majo
problem . Landfill sites c a n cau se pollution of w ater supplies. And a
sites fill u p , new ones need to be found. Some ru b b ish is b u rn t b u t thi
pollutes the atm osphere. The obvious answ er, then , is to recycle more
Recycling is already big b u sin e ss - Ju lie Lewis being a perfect example
Her com pany h a s already attra cted millions of dollars w orth of invest
m ent. Recycled p ro d u c ts are no longer seen as poor quality gọọds bu
as desirable alternatives.
A hugely successful schem e h a s been operating in Palm B ead
C ounty since 1988. R ubbish is sorted into different categories. Pape]
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
32
glass a n d plastic are sold to recycling firms. Kitchen w aste is u sed to
power a g enerato r w hich supplies electricity to 30,000 h o uses, o th e r
m aterials are u s e d to m ake-soil, which, is .then u sed for growing fruit
and vegetables. _ 4/ f '
There are of course economic a rgu m en ts ag ain st recycling. It can be
expensive to ru n the schem es. A n d 'as Lynn S carlett, a governm ent a d -
viser from Los Angeles' argues, it does n o t m ake economic, or- environ-
m ental sense to tra n sp o rt m aterials for recycling from a re a s w hich still
have plenty of landfill space:
M an ufacturers in G erm any are trying to solve th e problem a t the
production stage, m ainly by looking a t how th eir goods are packaged.
Soap pow ders are now m ore concentrated a n d packed in sm all con-
tainers, to o th paste tu b e s are sold w ithout boxes and plastic w rapping
h a s been reduced.
In a tim e w hen new spapers a n d TV new s b u lletin s a re filled w ith de-
pressing stories of environm ental d isasters, it is im p o rtan t to rem ind
people, especially children, th a t they can m ake a difference. After all,
they ca n recycle th eir w aste every day of th eir lives.
GLOSSARY
- durable (adj) bền, lâu hỏng - to fill up ñầy ắp, hết chỗ
- otherwise (adv) xét về mặt khác thi.. - alternative món thay thế
- textile scrap vải vụn - county quận (ở Mỹ)
- singie-handed (adj) ñơn lẻ, chỉ một - to sort phân [ọai, lựa ra
mình - category loại, hạng
- recycling scheme ñề án tái chế - generator máy phát ñiện
- aluminium nhôm - to make sense có ý nghĩa
- plus (prep) cộng thêm - to package ñóng gói
- enthusiasm lòng nhiệt tình - soap powder bột giặt
- per capita mỗi ñầu người - concentrated (adj) ñược cô ñặc lại, có
- dustbin lorry xe tải chở rác nồng ñộ cao
- to stretch kéo dài ñển - wrapping bao bì
- scrap metal sắt vụn, sắt phế liệu - news bulletin bản tin
- landfill site bãi ñổ rác “ depressing (adj) ñáng buồn
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
331
135 TO BECOME WEALTHY
As a kid, I always w anted to become.-'wealthy. I knew if I could
achieve this, I would be able to consider m yself successful. At th e time,
I had no worries a n d felt my h ap p in ess would be based on w hether I
could fulfill ail my needs an d w ants. My simple philosophy of th a t time
w as if 1 w as rich, I would definitely be content w ith my life.
My father always stressed, his belief th a t h ap p in ess .includes, m uch
m ổre th a n money. I can rem em ber him lecturing m e ab o u t how m oney
does n ot m ake an individual happy; other th ings in life su ch as: health ,
family, friends, an d memorable- experiences m ake a person genuinely
happy. At this tim e in my life, I took w hat my d ad said for granted a n d
did not give any th o u g h t to his words. All I could see w as the great life
my co usins had b ecause they h ad everything a kid ever dream ed of.
At a young age, I noticed society w as extrem ely m aterialistic. The
m edia seemed to portray the -wealthy as happy people who ad d value to
o u r society. My opinions did not change; in high school I still sought a
career th a t would eventually yield a high salary. I still felt th a t th e po s-
sibility of living life from paycheck to paycheck would autom atically
tran slate into my u n h ap p in ess. However, things changed w hen I de-
cided to tak e a n in ternship in the accounting d ep a rtm en t for th e su m -
m er after my second year of college.
S tarting th e first day on the job in the accounting departm ent, I
found myself extremely bored. I w as forced to do m onotonous work,
such as au d it eight th o u sa n d travel an d expense rep o rts for a potential
duplicate. In addition, I h a d to relocate away from friends an d family in
order tD accept the position. I w as earning the money I always w anted;
however, I noticed th a t having money to spend w hen you are by y ou r-
self w as n ot satisfying.
I began to th in k back to w hat my dad always said. After a .few
m onths in the job, I truly realized th a t m oney does not bring h a p -
piness. A m ore satisfying experience for me wou,ld have been doing an
ordinary sum m er jo b for far less money. For me to u n d e rsta n d th a t
concept, it took a n experience as painful a s th is one.. I often contem -
plated how m u ch m oney it would take me to do th is a s my everyday
job. I concluded, w hatever the salaiy for th is position I w ould never be
capable of fulfilling a happy life an d m aking a career ou t of th is job.
As I looked forward to the su m m er to draw to a close, I truly com-
prehended the m eaning of my d a d ’s words. C ontrary to my prior be-
liefs, I firm ly. believe thro ugh experience th a t money can n o t m ake a
person happy. The term “w ealth” is a broad term , an d I believe title key
to hap p in ess is to become w ealthy in great m em ories, friends, family,
and health. This I believe.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
332
1. In h is childhood the n a rra to r’s idea of hap p in ess w as t o ____ _
A. get w hat he w anted. ^
B. live an interesting life,
c . be an influential person.
D. m ake other people happy
2. The n a rra to r h eard w hat his father used to say, b u t did n o t _____
A. believe him.
B. agree with him.
c . u n d e rsta n d him.
D. th in k over his words.
3. From his early childhood till he finished school the n a rra to r w as •
convinced t h a t _____
A. society w as extremely unfair.
B. m edia added value to society.
c . m oney w as the only thing th a t ensu red happiness.
D. the wealthy could not spend money properly.
4. After the second year in the college the n a rra to r decided to ______
A. s ta rt to work.
B. quit his studies,
c . change th e college.
D. tak e a sum m er course.
5. The n a rra to r’s internship proved t h a t ____ _
A. it w as not a money-m aking job.
B. hẹ h ad chosen the wrong job.
c . he could n ot cope with professional tasks.
D. he had to get rid of h is family an d friends to keep the position.
6 . It becam e obvious to the n arrato r th a t h e _____
A. needed to th in k of an o th er career.
B. would like to work only in sum m er,
c . would like to have a higher position.
D. preferred ordinary non-professional work.
7. The sum m er for the n arrato r w a s _____
A. m onotonous an d lonely.
B. dragged out an d boring,
c . dynam ic and satisfying.
D. difficult b u t inspirational.
GLOSSARY
- to be content with (adj) hài lòng với - accounting department bộ phận kế
- to stress nhấn mạnh tóan
- to lecture sb about iên lớp ai/ giảng - monotonous (adj) ñơn ñiệu, tẻ nhạt,
giải cho ai về buồn chán
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- to take sth for granted xẹm.cái gì íà - to audit Idem tỏan, kiểm tra sổ sách
bình thường chẳng ñáng- quan tâm - duplicate bản sao
- materialistic (adj) thiên ve vật'chết, - to relocate ñồi chỗ ở
ham mê vật chat - to contemplate suy gẫm
- to portray mô tà to draw to a dose sắp kết thúc
. - to yield sản sinh ra, mang lại - to comprehend hiếu
- paycheck chi phiẽu trả l ư ờ n g , - to drag out trôi qua chậm chạp
- 1&translate into hóa ra, hóa thành - inspirational (adj) mang lại nhiều càm
- internship sự ñi thực tập . - 'hứng
334 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
D ear Editor,
W hat if, w hen o u r n atio n w as p u sh in g west, som eone stepped for-
w ard a t th e M ississippi River an d said, “Okay, th a t’s far enough!” a n d
we h ad stopped? We would never know the w onders th a t lay beyond.
Those who w ould re stric t In tern et access are th rea te n in g to destroy
expansion on a sim ilar scale. Of the nearly 9,000 public libraries in the
United States, over 60 percent offer access to th e Internet. B ut this
learning tool could be seriously ham pered by the increasing n u m b er of
libraries u sin g software to block access to certain Web sites.
Law m akers were threaten in g the dem ocratic m ission of libraries by
forcing th em to u se blocking software. This software prevents access to
m any a rea s on the Internet, including sites dealing w ith a rt, literature,
w om en’s h ealth , politics, religion, an d free speech.
Public libraries provide inform ation to all, regardless of race, eco-
nomic background, a n d age. W hat if you c a n ’t afford a hom e com puter
an d y o u r only choice is to use one of th e library’s? If th is com puter
u se s blocking software, th e n you are being denied th e ac cess th a t peo-
ple w ith hom e co m p uters have.
Obviously, we have to protect o u r kids from distu rb in g im ages and
vicious pred ato rs. B ut th a t protection would come in th e form of tea c h -
ing, no t preaching. As the American Civil Liberties Union suggests, we
should sta rt D rivers’ Ed-type courses th a t show kids how to navigate
th e ro a d s of th e Internet. These classes would teach children to use
critical th in k ing a n d reasoning skills to distin gu ish between w h a t’s
valuable a n d w h a t’s trash . We should give our kids th e .tools they need
to m ake th e right decisions, not m ake the decisions for them . Let’s not
kill som ething before we u n d ersta n d it.
Sincerely yours,
All H ershey
Salisbury, M aryland
336 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
10. W hat does Ju lie R ichardson consider a s “unsuitable* for children?
A. inform ation abou t body p a rts
B. inform ation ab o u t violent events
c . inform ation u n su itab le for every family
D. inform ation ab o u t weapons.
11. W hat does All Hershey propose instead of blocking software?
A. joining the American Civil Liberties Union
B. boycotting the library
c . restricting Internet access
D. providing classes to teach children to m ake responsible deci-
sions
12. Ju lie R ichardson proposes th a t libraries m u st use blocking soft-
w are or they w ill _____
A. lose th e ứ com puters.
B. forfeit th eir funding for com puters,
c . close th e library.
D. be breaking the law.
GLOSSARY
- in the name of free speech nhân - vicious (adj) ñộc ác, thâm ñộc
danh tự do ngôn luận - predator con thú săn mồi
- to feature sth trình bày cái gi như iằ - to preach giảng ñạo, thuyết pháp
một ñặc ñiểm - Drivers' Education courses các khóa
- to label'gán nhãn, ñặt tên học dạy lái xe và luật giao thông =>
- to couple sth with sth kết hợp cái gì Drivers' Ed-type courses các khóa
với cải gì học tương tự như các khóa dành cho
- roughly (adv) khoảng chừng tài xế xe hơi
- a recipe for disaster (tình trạng) hội - American Civil Liberties Union Hiệp
ñủ mọi ñiều kiện ñể thảm họa xảy ra hội Bảo vệ Các Quyền Tự Do Công
- resolution nghị quyết ñấn Mỹ
- to deny sb sth khước từ không cho ai - to navigate tìm ñường ñi
hưởng cái gì - critical thinking sự suy nghĩ có phê
- background hoàn cánh xuất thân phán
- government agency cơ quan của - reasoning skill kì nầng suy luận
chính phủ - trash ñồ vô giá trị, rác rưởi
- to be legally binding có tính ràng - to monitor theo dõi ñề ñiều khiến
buộc về mặt pháp lí - to violate a rig h t vi phạm một quyền
- offensive (adj) gây khó chịu - to bear arms mang vũ khí
- to push west tây tiến, di cư ồ ạt về - to pursue happiness mưu câu hạnh
hướng tây phức
- expansion sự bành trướng - to charge ñòi ai phải trả tiền, ñòi lệ phi
- to hamper cản trở, gây trở ngại - to be bound to do sth chắc chắn sẽ
- lawmaker nhà lập pháp làm gì
- democratic (añj) thuộc về/ có tính dần - to boycott tẩy chay
chủ - to break a law phạm một luật
- blocking software phần mềm ñể ngăn
chặn
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
137
The word desertification w as first u sed in Ĩ949 by th e F rench geog-
ra p h er Andre Aubreville to describe the change in North an d equatorial
Africa from productive sav an n a forest, g rasslan ds, an d sh ru b la n d s into
unproductive desert. Desertification does no t refer to the expansion of
existing d eserts, b u t ra th e r to th e d e g ra d a tio n of productive drylan ds
(rangeland or cropland) into less productive desert. D rylands occur on
every con tinent, an d are estim ated to cover a ro u n d 40 p ercen t of th e
e a rth ’s surface. In /the past, drylands recovered after long drou g hts an d
dry periods th ro u g h shifting agricultural practices, nom adic herding,
an d so forth. Today, however, p ressu re on dry lands is heightened due
to intensive agricultural practices an d increasing populations.
Desertification becam e well known in the 1930’s, w hen p a rts of the
G reat Plains in the United S tates tu rn ed into th e “D u st Bowl” a s a re-
su lt of drought an d poor practices in farm ing (although the term itself
was n o t used un til 1949). The m assive erosion d u ring those years h a s
been blam ed on inappropriate u se of technology (ploughing th e p rai-
ries), overpopulation in the affected region, an d lack of rainfsLll. Many
people believe th a t the problem s related to the D ust Bowl have been
solved by resettlem ent of some of the rem aining population, th e esta b -
lishm ent of N ational G rassland s an d the Soil Conservation Service,
governm ent spending an d regulation, an d the re tu rn in m o st y ears of
“norm al rainfall.!’ However, the U nited Nations rep o rts th a t Texas and
New Mexico are some of the fastest, m ost severely desertifying a rea s of
the world.
We have lots of nam es for th is problem: d ro u g h ts a n d floods, weeds,
overgrazing, wildfire, endangered species, an d th e chronic d o w n tro d -
d e n state of th e ag ricu ltu ral economy (in spite of m assive subsidies,
enorm ous technical im provem ents, an d overseas m arkets). These are
problem s for th a t tiny sector of the economy know n a s agriculture. Al-
thoug h we have sep arate governm ent agencies in charge of each of th e
sym ptom s, th ese "rural problem s” can an d do tu rn into, u rb a n prob-
lems. According to the U.N.’s Kofi A nnan, “droug ht an d desertification
th rea ten the livelihood of over 1 billion people in m ore th a n 110 co u n -
tries aro u n d the world.” According to th e UN C onvention to Com bat
Desertification, “70 p ercent of th e world’s dry lands {excluding hyper-
arid deserts), o r some 3.600 million hectares, are degraded.”
In 1992, R hodesian wildlife biologist Allan Savory cam e to a startling
conclusion. Most experts on desertification blam e overpopulatiori, over-
stocking w ith livestock, overcutting of trees, poverty, w arfare, in ad e-
qu ate technology o r education, or shifting cultivation. In W est Texas,
where Savory w as working a t the time, none of th ese ca u ses were pre-
338 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
sent. R ural population w as declining, livestock n u m b ers were way
down from earlier decades, m esquite trees were e n c ro a c h in g , and
th ere w as peace. Money, technology, an d education were a b u n d a n t, all
land w as privately owned, a n d th ere w as no shifting cultivation. Yet
West Texas w as desertifying as rapidly a s th e w orst a re as of Africa or
Asia.
Savory felt th a t the decision framework th a t m ost people use, an d in
w hich they are unconsciously trained, is well adapted to tre a t sym p-
tom s, b u t leaves th e ca u ses u n ad d ressed . Savory w as forced to con-
clude th a t the lack of a holistic decision framework w as the fu n d am en -
tal cau se of h u m an -in d u ced desertification, in both an cien t an d m od-
ern times.
By 1992, th e United Nations Environm ent Program m e h a d sp en t u s
$6 billion treatin g the sym ptom s of desertification, w ith an o th er $450
billion called for. Though some people are skeptical of the U.N’s figures
for th e rate a t which productive land is tu rn in g into unproductive de-
sert, th e reality worldwide is th a t land deterioration co ntin ues to have a
serious im pact on the quality of people's lives. We owe it to ourselves
an d to futu re generations to u n d e rsta n d the cau ses of desertification
an d loss of biodiversity, an d to su p p o rt the n u m erou s practition ers of
cost-effective, successful approaches. More efficient u se of existing wa-
te r reso u rces an d control of salinization have proven to be effective
tools for improving a rid lands. New ways are being sou ght to u se s u r-
face-w ater re so u rces su ch a s rainw ater h arvesting or irrigating with
seasonal runo ff from adjacent highlands. F u rther, new m ethods of find-
ing and tapping g roundw ater resources are also being p u rsu e d , as well
a s developing m ore effective ways of irrigating arid an d sem i-arid lands.
R esearch on th e reclam ation of deserts is focusing on discovering
proper crop rotation to protect the fragile soil, on u n d e rsta n d in g how
sand-fixing p la n ts can be adapted to local envirpnm ents, an d on how
grazing la n d s and w ater resources can be developed effectively w ithout
being overused.
A. deterioration '■
B..im provem ent •;. : -• •. • .
;C .-enhancem ent ■ .
D. b e tte rm e n t. 'c V ■
The word' “encroaGhing^. in the passage could best be replaced by
A. dispersing
B. retreatin g
c . declining
D. advancing
According to th e passage, w hat did Savory conclude w as th e p ri-
m ary c a u se of h u m an -in d u ced desertification?
A. The effects of global w arm ing
B. Politicians have n o t tak en th e problem seriously enough,
c . A lack of a holistic decision fram ework
D. Shifting cultivation tren d s
It can be inferred from p arag rap h 6 t h a t _____
A. th e problem of desertification m ay n o t be a s serious a s previ-
ously th o u g h t
B. n o t enough m oney h a s been sp en t on trea tin g th e sym ptom s of
desertification
c . desertification is an im p ortan t global issue th a t needs cost-
effective solutions
D. th e U.N.’s figures regarding desertification are u n d isp u te d
W hich of th e following is NOT m entioned as a way of controlling de-
sertification?
A. More efficient u se of w ater resources
B. R ainw ater harvesting
c . Increased governm ent funding
D. Irrigating with seaso nal runoff
The word “arid ” in the la st parag rap h is closest in m eaning to
A. dam p B. fertile c. lu sh D. b arren
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
GLOSSARY
- desertification sự sa mạc hóa - startling (adj) ñáng giật mình
- equatorial (adj) thuộc/ ở gần xích ñạo - overstocking sự lưu trữ quá nhiều
- productive (adj) sản xuất ñược * un- - livestock gia súc (bò, cừu) chăn nuôi
productive (adj) trong nông trại
- savanna ñồng cỏ, thảo nguyên - shifting cultivation sự du canh [lối
- shrubland vùng ñãt nhiều khóm cây canh tác theo kiểu ñất bạc màu thì bỏ
bụi ñi nơi khác]
- dryland vùng ñất khô (trái với vùng - mesquite tree loại cây ñế ñốt lấy than
sông/biển) - to encroach lấn dần tới
- rangeland = cropland ñất canh tác - abundant (adj) nhiều, phong phú
- the Great Plains vùng ðại Bình - unaddressed (adj) chưa ñược giải
Nguyên (ở Mỹ) quyết
-'Dust Bowl [tên gọi vùng ñất bị ảnh - holistic (adj) có tính chinh thể
hưởng của bão bụi thập kì 30 ở Mỹ] - decision framework một khuôn khố
- erosion sự xói mòn, sự xâm thực pháp lí ñể ñưa ra quyết ñịnh
- inappropriate (adj) không thích hợp - fundamental (adj) có tính cơ bàn
- prairy ñồng cỏ - human-induced (adj) do con người
- resettlement sự tái ñịnh cư gây ra
- desertifying (adj) ñang biến ñân thành - skeptical of (adj) tỏ ra hoài nghi
sa mạc - practitioner người thực hành
- overgrazing sự chăn thả gia súc nhiều - cost-effective (adj) lợi về kinh tế
quá mức - salinization sự mặn hóa
- wildfire sự cháy rừng/ñồng cỏ trên - surface-water resources các nguồn
diện rộng nước bề mặt
- chronic (adj) mãn tính - rainwater harvesting sự tích trữ nưdc
- downtrodden (adj) bị ñàn áp, bị áp mưa
bức, bị ñè nén - seasonal runoff lượng nước chảy từ
- subsidy tiền trợ cấp chỗ cao ñến cho thấp theo mùa
- sector phần - adjacent (adj) ở kế cận
- livelihood sự !àm ăn sinh sõng, kế sinh - highlands vùng ñất cao
nhai - reclamation sự thu hồi ñất từ sa mạc/
- UN Convention to Combat Deserti- biển
fication Công Ước Chống Sa Mạc - crop rotation sự luân canh
Hóa của Liên HỢp Quốc - fragile (adj) mong manh, dễ vỡ
- excluding (prep) ngoại trừ - sand-fixing plant cây chống cát bay/
- hyper-arid (adj) quá khô cằn cây giữ cát
- degraded (adj) xuống cấp, suy thoái - grazing land ñất chần thả súc vật
- Rhodesian (adj) thuộc nước Rhodesia - to overuse lạm dụng/ sử dụng quá
ở Nam Phi mức
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
138
Alfred Nobel w as b o m inr Stockholm on October 21,1833. His fattier,
Im m anuel Nobel, w as a n engineer a n d inven tor who b u ilt bridges an d
buildings in Stockholm . In. connection .with his co nstru ctio n w ork Im-
m anu el Nobel also experim ented with different techniques, for blasting,
rocks. Alfred’s "mother,. born -Andriette:";Ahisell, cam e from a wealthy
family. Due. to .m ĩsíortụ nés in ĩiis co n stru ction w ork cau sed by the loss
of some b a rg e s of build in g , m aterial,. Im m anuel Nobel w as forced into
bank ru ptcy th e sam e year-Alfred Nõbel was' born. In 1837 Im m anuel
Nobel'left Stockholm a n d his family to s ta rt á new career in Finland
an d in R ussia.: To su p p o rt th e family, A ndriette Nobel sta rte d a grocery
store w hich provided a m odest income.
Meanwhile, Im m anuel Nobel w as successful in h is new en terp rise in
St. Petersburg, R ussia. He started a m echanical w orkshop w hich pro-
vided equipm ent for the R ussian arm y, a n d he also convinced th e T sar
a nd his generals th a t naval m ines could be u se d to block enem y naval
sh ip s from th rea ten in g the city. The naval m ines designed by Im m anuel
Nobel were sim ple devices consisting of subm erged wooden c a sk s filled
with gunpow der. A nchored below the surface of th e G ulf of F inland,
they effectively deterred th e B ritish Royal Navy from moving into firing
range of St P etersb urg d uring th e Crim ean W ar (1853-1856). Im m anuel
Nobel w as also a pioneer in arm s m an u fa ctu re an d in designing steam
engines.
S uccessful in h is in d u strial a n d b u sin ess v en tu res, Im m anuel Nobel
w as able, in 1842, to b ring h is family to St. Petersburg. There, h is so n s
were given a first class ed ucation by private teachers. The train in g in -
cluded n a tu ra l sciences, languages a n d literature . By th e age of 17, Al-
fred Nobel w as fluent in Swedish, R ussian, French, English arid Ger-
m an. His prim ary in tere sts were in English lite rature an d poetry a s well
as in chem istry an d physics. Alfred’s father, who w anted his so n s to
join his enterprise a s engineers, disliked Alfred’s in te re st in poetry an d
found his son ra th e r in tro v e rte d . In order to w id en A lfred ’s h o riz o n s,
his fath er se n t him abro ad for fu rth e r training in chem ical engineering.
D uring a two-year period Alfred Nobel visited Sweden, G erm any,
France a n d th e U nited S tates. In Paris, the city h e cam e to like best, he
worked in th e private laboratory of Professor T. J . Pelouze, a fam ous
chem ist. There h e m et th e young Italian chem ist Ascanio Sobrero who,
th ree years earlier, h a d invented nitroglycerine, a highly explosive liq-
uid. Nitroglycerine w as produced by mixing glycerine w ith sulfuric an d
nitric acid. It w as considered too dang ero us to be of an y practical use.
Although its explosive power greatly exceeded th a t of gunpow der, th e
liquid would explode in a very unpredictable m a n n e r if subjected to
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
342
h e a t a n d p re ssu re . Alfred Nobel becam e very in terested in nitroglycer-
ine a n d how it could be p u t to practical use in co nstructio n work. He
also realized th a t th e safety problem s h ad to be solved a n d a m ethod
h a d to be developed for the controlled detonation of nitroglycerine. In
th e U nited S tates he visited J o h n Ericsson, th e Swedish-A merican en -
gineer who h a d developed the screw propeller for ships. In 1852 Alfred
Nobel w as asked to come back and work in the family enterprise which
w as boom ing b ecau se of its deliveries to the R u ssian army. Together
with his fa ther he perform ed experim ents to develop nitroglycerine a s a
comm ercially an d technically useful explosive.
The m ark e t for dynam ite and detonating caps grew very rapidly an d
Alfred Nobel also proved him self to be a very skillful e n tre p re n eu r an d
bu sin essm an . By 1865 h is factory in Krum mel - n e a r H am burg, Ger-
m any - w as exporting nitroglycerine explosives to oth er co untries in
Europe, America, an d A ustralia. Over the y ears he founded factories
and laboratories in some 90 differerit places in m ore th a n 20 countries.
Although h e lived in P aris m u ch of h is life, he w as constantly traveling.
Victor Hugo a t one time described him a s “E u ro p e’s rich e st vagabond”.
W hen he w as n o t traveling or engaging in b u sin ess activities, Nobel
him self worked intensively in his various laboratories, first in Stock-
holm an d later in G erm any, Scotland, France, Karlskoga, Sweden, an d
Italy. He focused on the developm ent of explosives technology as well as
other chem ical inventions, including su ch m aterials a s synthetic ru b -
ber, leather, an d silk. By th e time of his d eath in 1896. he h ad 355
paten ts.
Intensive work a n d travel' did not leave m u ch tim e for a private life.
At the age of 43 h e w as feeling like a n old m an. At th is tim e he. adver-
tised in a new spaper “Wealthy, highly-educated elderly gentlem an
seeks lady of m a tu re age, v erse d in languages, a s secretary an d su p e r-
visor of h o useho ld .” The m ost qualified applicant tu rn e d o u t to be an
A ustrian w om an, C ountess Bertha-K insky. After working a very sh o rt
tim e for Nobel, she decided to re tu rn to A ustria to m arry C ount A rthur
von S u ttn er. In spite of th is Alfred Nobel and B ertha von S u ttn e r re-
m ained friends a n d k ep t w riting letters to each o ther for decades. Over
the years B erth a von S u ttn e r becam e increasingly critical of th e a rm s
race. She w rote a fam ous book, Lay Down ■Your A rm s a n d becam e a
pro m inen t figure in the peace movement.
Alfred Nobel died in S an Remo, Italy, on Decem ber 10,1896. When
his will w as opened it cam e as a su rp rise th a t his fortun e was to be
u sed for Prizes in Physics, Chem istry, Physiology or Medicine, Litera-
tu re an d Peace. The executors of his will were two young engineers,
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
R agnar Sohlm an an d Rudolf Lilljequist. They set ab o u t form ing the No-
bel Foundation a s an organization to take care of the financial a sse ts
left by Nobel for th is p urpose an d to coordinate th e work of the Pri2e-
Awarding In stitu tio n s. This w as not w ithout its difficulties since the
will w as contested by relatives an d questioned by auth o rities in various
countries.
A. nitroglycerine
B. synthetic silk
c. the steam engine
D. dynam ite
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
344
9. W hich of the following w ords or p h ra ses is LEAST accu rate in de-
scribing Alfred Nobel?
A. visionary B. innovative c. prosaic D. altru istic
10. The word "versed” in th e passage is closest in m eaning t o _____
A. aw kw ard B. accom plished
c. incom petent D. graceless
11. W here in thè passag e does th e a u th o r discu ss Alfred Nobel’s b u si-
n e ss life?
A. P arag rap h 1 B. Paragraph 2 c . P aragraph 3 D. P aragraph 4
GLOSSARY
- to blast phá nổ, làm nổ tung - to be subjected to sth phải chịu, phải
- born + [tên người] có tên khai sinh là nhận lãnh
- misfortune ñiều bãt hạnh, sự rùì ro - controlled detonation sự kích nổ có
- barge chiếc xà lan kiểm soát
- building material vật iiệu xây dựng - screw propeller chân vịt của tàu thủy
- bankruptcy sự phá sản/ vỡ nợ - to boom phát triển râm rộ, phát ñạt
- modest (adj) khiêm tốn - dynamite mìn
- enterprise công cuộc kinh doanh - detonating cap thiết bị kích nổ
- Tsar Nga Hoàng -entrepreneur nhà kinh doanh
- naval mine thủy lôi - vagabond kẻ lang thang không nhà
- to block phong tỏa, chặn ñứng - to engage in tham gia vào
- submerged (adj) ñặt chìm dưới nước - synthetic (adj) tổng hợp
- wooden cask thùng tròn bằng gỗ - patent bằng sáng chế/ bằng phát minh
- anchored (adj) ñược neo lại - mature (adj) ñã trưởng thành, chín
- Gulf of Finland Vịnh Phần Lan chắn
- to deter ngăn cản, răn ñe, iàm chùn - to be versed ỉn sth thông thạo cái gỉ
bước - supervisor giám thị
- firing range tâm pháo, lâm ñạn có thể - Countess nữ bá tước
bắn tới ñược - Count bá tước
- venture cuộc kinh doanh - arms race cuộc chạy ñua vũ trang
- first class (adj) hạng nhất, thượng - prominent (adj) xuãt sắc, xuất chúng
hạng, tốt nhất - physiology khoa sinh lí học
- introverted (adj) sống khép kín, hướng - executor người thi hành, người hành
nội xử (1 quyền)
- chemical engineering ngành kĩ thuật - to set about doing sth khởi sự làm gì
hóa chất - financial asset tài sản bằng tiền mặt
- highly explosive (adj) rẩt nhạy nổ - to coordinate ñiều phối
- to exceed vượt quá - Prize-Awarding Institutions các cơ
- unpredictable (adj) không thể ñoán quan phụ trách cấp giải thưởng
trước ñược - to contest phản ñối
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
345
139
October 1, .1958, th e official sta rt of th e N ational A eronautics an d
Space A dm inistration (NASÀ), w as th e beginning of a rich history of
u niq ue scientific a n d technological achievem ents in h u m an space
flight, aeron autics, space science, an d space applications. NASA’s first
high-profile program w as Project M ercury, an effort to learn if h u m an s
could survive in space, followed by Project Gemini, w hich built u p o n
M ercury’s su ccesses an d u se d spacecraft built for two a stro n a u ts.
NASA’s h u m a n spaceflight efforts th en extended to th e Moon w ith Pro-
ject Apollo, culm inating in 1969 when th e Apollo 11 m ission first p u t
h u m an s on the lu n a r surface. Apollo becam e a NASA priority on May
25, 1961, w hen P resident J o h n F. Kennedy an n o u n ced “I believe th a t
th is natio n should com m it itself to achieving the goal, before th is dec-
ade is out, of landing a m an on the Moon a n d re tu rn in g him safely to
E arth .” .
A direct resp on se to Soviet Union successes in space, Kennedy u sed
Apollo a s a high-profile effort for the U.S. to dem on strate to the world
its scientific an d technological superiority over its cold w ar adversary.
In response to th e Kennedy decision, NASA w as consum ed w ith ca rry -
ing o u t Project Apollo an d sp ent the next 11 years doing so. This effort
required significant expenditures, costing $25.4 billion over the life of
the program , to m ake it a reality. Only th e building of the P anam a Ca-
nal rivalled th e size of the Apollo program as the largest non-m ilitary
technological endeavour ever u n d ertak en by th e United States; only the
M anhattan Project w as com parable in a w artim e setting. Although
there were m ajor challenges an d some failures - notably a J a n u a ry 27,
1967 fire in an Apollo capsule on the ground th a t took the lives o f.as-
tro n a u ts Roger B. Chaffee, Virgil “G us” Grissom, an d E dw ard H. White
J r. - the program moved forward inexorably. Less th a n two y ears later,
in October 1968, NASA bounced back w ith th e successful Apollo 7 m is-
sion, w hich orbited the. E arth an d tested the redesigned Apollo com -
m and m odule. The Apollo 8 m ission, w hich orbited the Moon on De-
cem ber 24-25, 1968, w as an o th er crucial accom plishm ent o n th e way
to the Moon.
“T h at’s one sm all step for [a] m an, one giant leap for maxi k ind.” Neil
A. A rm strong u ttere d these fam ous words on J u ly 20, 1969, w hen the
Apollo 11 m ission fulfilled K ennedy’s challenge by successfully landing
A rm strong and Edwin E. “B uzz” Aldrin, J r. on the Moon. A rm strong
dram atically 1 piloted th e lu n a r module to the lu n a r surface w ith less
th a n thirty seconds w orth.of fuel rem aining. After taking soil sam ples,
photographs, an d doing other ta sk s on the Moon, A rm strong a n d
Aldrin rendezvoused with their colleague Michael M ichael Collins in lu -
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
346
n a r orbit for a safe voyage back to E arth. Five more successful lu n ar
landing m issions followed. The Apollo 13 m ission of April 1970 a t-
tracted th e p ub lic’s atten tio n w hen astro n a u ts a n d ground crew s h a d
to improvise to end the m ission safely after an oxygen ta n k b u rs t m id-
way thro u g h the jo urney to the Moon. Although th is m ission never
landed on the Moon, it reinforced the notion th a t NASA h ad a rem a rk -
able ability to a d a p t to th e unforeseen technical difficulties in h ere n t in
h u m an space flight. W ith the Apollo 17 m ission of Decem ber 1972,
NASA com pleted a successful engineering and scientific program . Fit-
tingly, Harrison H. “J a c k ” Schm itt, a geologist who participated on this
m ission, w as the first scientist to be selected a s a n astro n a u t. NASA
learned a good deal a bo u t th e origins of the Moon, a s well as how to
su p p o rt h u m a n s in o u ter space. In total, twelve a s tro n a u ts walked on
th e Moon du ring six Apollo lu n a r landing m issions
In 1975, NASA cooperated with the Soviet Union to achieve the first
in tern atio n al h u m an space flight, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).
This project successfully tested jo in t rendezvous a n d docking proce-
d u res for spacecraft from the U.S. an d the Ư.S.S.R. After being
launched separately from their respective countries, th e Apollo and
Soyuz crew s m et in space an d conducted various experim ents for two
days. After a gap of six years, NASA retu rned to h u m a n space flight in
1981, w ith the advent of the Space Shuttle- The S h u ttle’s first m ission,
STS-1, took off on April 12, 1981, dem onstrating th a t it could take off
vertically an d glide to an unpow ered airplane-like landing. Sally K. Ride
becam e the first American wom an to fly in space w hen STS-7 lifted off
on J u n e 18,1983, a n o th er early m ilestone of the S h u ttle program .
On Ja n u a ry 28, 1986 a leak in the join ts of one of two solid rocket
boosters attac h ed to the Challenger orbiter caused the m ain liquid fuel
ta n k to explode 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven crew m em -
bers. The S h uttle program w as grounded for over two years, while
NASA an d its co ntracto rs worked to redesign th e solid rocket boosters
an d im plem ent m anagem ent reform s to increase safety. On Septem ber
29, 1988, the S huttle successfully retu rned to flight. Dozens of su c -
cessful flights followed, b u t the Space S h u ttle Columbia d isaster
changed all that. The entire seven-m em ber crew w as killed on February
1, 2003, w hen the S hu ttle disintegrated over Texas du rin g re-entry into
th e E a rth ’s atm osphere. Although th e S huttle program is currently
su spend ed, th e organization h as indicated th a t it is com m itted to re-
tu rn in g th e three rem aining sp ace S huttles to safe flight by mid-2005.
348 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
GLOSSARY
- the National Aeronautics and space - to fulfil làm trọn vẹn, thực hiện
Administration (NASA) cơ quan - to pilot ñiều khiển
Quán trị Hàng không và Không gian - lunar module khoang tàu dùng ñể ñáp
Quốc gia xuống mặt ừăng
- unique (adj) ñộc ñáo - soil sample mẫu ñất
- high-profile (adj) ñình ñám, gây nhiều - to rendezvous hẹn gặp
tiếng' vang, ñược quảng bá rầm rộ - ground crew ban nhân viên mặt ñất
- Project Mercury, Project Gemini, - to improvise tùy cơ ứng biến, ứng tác,
Project Apollo [tên các chương trình ứng ñổ theo tinh huống
thám hiểm vũ trụ cùa Mỹ] - oxygen tank bình chứa ô-xy
- to extend to mở rộng, kéo dài ñến - to reinforce tang cường, gia cố
- t o culminate lên ñến ñỉnh cao - unforeseen (adj) không tiên liệu ñược
- lunar surface bề mặt mặt trăng - inherent (adj) nội tại, săn có như thế
- priority ñiều ưu tiên - fittingly (añv) một cách rất thích hợp
- to commit oneself to sth/ doing sth - geologist nhà ñịa chất
cam kẽt sẽ làm gi -joint rendezvous cuộc hẹn gặp nhau
- response to câu ừả lời cho - docking procedures các quy trình
- superiority ưu thế, sự ưu việt ghép noi
- cold war adversary ñối thủ thdi chiến - the advent of sth sự ra ñời (cùa một
tranh lạnh phát minh)
- to be consumed with sth dồn hết tâm - the Space Shuttle tàu vũ trụ con thoi
sức vào việc gì -vertically (adv) theo chiều thẳng ñứng
- expenditure chi phí, phí tổn - to glide lượn, lướt nhẹ
- the Panama Canal Kênh ñào Panama - unpowered (adj) khộng ñược cấp ñộn<
- rival ñối thủ năng .
- non-military (adj) phì quân sự, không - to lift off rời bệ phóng
mang tính quân sự . - milestone cột mốc ñánh dấu chặng
- technological endeavour nỗ iực về ñường
công nghệ - leak cho rò ri
- comparable (adj) có thể sánh, vái/ . - joint khớp nối
ngang tâm với - solid rocket booster tên lửa ñẩy dùnc
- in a wartime setting trong bõi cành nhiên liệu rắn
thời chiến - orbĩter phi thuyền (dùng ñể bay quartf
- notably (adv) ñáng lưu ý là quĩ ñạo)
- capsule khoang tàu vũ trụ - launch sự phóng tàu vũ trụ
- inexorably (adv) không thể cản lại - to be grounded (máy bay) không ñưọ
ñược cất cánh, bị ñinh chỉ hoạt ñộng
- to bounce back trở lại (sau khi tạm - contractor nhà thầu
ngưng),, lấy lại phong ñộ cũ - to implement thi hành thực thi
- to orbit bay quanh quĩ ñạo - reform sự cài cách, cài tố
- to redesign thiết kế !ại - to disintegrate tan rã, vỡ ra từng
- command module khoang tàu chỉ huy mảnh
- crucial (adj) quan trọng - re-entry lức vào lại (khí quyển)
- leap cú nhay, bước nhảy - to be suspended bị ñình chỉ
- to utter a word thốt lên một lời - interplanetary travel sự du hành liêr
hành tinh
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
3A
140
Jo h a n n e s G utenberg w as a pioneer in' th e use of movable type.
W hen he began building ạ printing press in 1436, he w as unlikely to
have realized th a t he was giving b irth to an a rt form th a t w ould take
center stage in the social-and in d u strial revolutions w hich followed.
G utenberg w as G erm an, h is p ress w as wooden, a n d th e m ost im por-
ta n t a s p e c t of his invention w as th a t it w as the first form of printing to
use movable type. Although Laurence Koster of H aarlem also laid claim
to the invention, scho lars have generally accepted G utenberg a s the
father of m odern printing. A fu rth e r claim th a t movable type w as u sed
in C hina a s early a s 1041 .is..undisputed. However, th e C hinese types
were m ade of (unlike G utenberg’s, which were ca st in metal), they were
com prised of only oriental: characters, an d th eir m ethods of application
differed. Before G utenberg, the printing p ress w as u sed only to repro -
duce pictures, playing cards, an d designs on cloth. Designs were cu t in
wood, stone, or m etal arid transferred to p arch m en t or vellum. Some-
tim es a few w ords of explanation were cu t into the printing block, b u t
th a t w as the limit of text printing. Books were copied by h a n d by
m onks, w hich w as a labor-intensive undertaking.
Detailed records of J o h a n n e s G utenberg’s life an d work axe n eg lig i-
b le ; his nam e does no t ap pear on any of the w orks credited to him .
From w h at is know n, G utenberg w as b o ra in Mainz, G erm any in ab o u t
1400. He worked 'as a silversm ith an d also served a s a policem an. In
1438, G utenberg becam e a p a rtn e r in a block p rinting firm. From 1438
to 1455, he experim ented with m etal type.
P erhaps his m ost significant in n o v a tio n w as th e efficient m olding
a n d casting of movable m etal type. Each separate letter w as carved into
the end of a steel p u n ch w hich w as th en ham m ered into a copper
blank. The copper im pression w as inserted into a m old a n d a m olten
alloy m ade of lead a n d tin w as poured into it. The m etal cooled quickly
an d the resu ltin g reverse image of the letter w as attac h e d to a lead
base. The w idth of th e lead base varied according to the lette r’s size (for
example, the base of an “i” would not be nearly a s wide a s the b ase of a
“w”). This em phasized th e visual im pact of words an d clu ste rs of w ords
ra th e r th a n evenly spaced letters. This novelty len t elegance an d so-
phistication to w h at seemed to m any to be th e m agically perfect regu-
larity of a printed page.
. G utenberg designed a Latin-print Bible which becam e his sign ature
work. He printed approxim ately 300 two-volume G utenberg Bibles,
which sold for 30 florins each, or ab o u t three years of a clerk ’s wage.
The copies of the 4 2 -line Bible th a t rem ain - ab o u t 40 in all - are
am ong the w orld's m o st valuable books. It is known as th e 4 2 -line Bi-
350 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
ble because m ost of its pages are printed in two colum ns forty-two lines
long. The Library of Congress in W ashington. D.c. h a s one of th e three
rem aining com plete an d perfect sets.
All in all, G utenberg’s contributions to early printing technology
should be classed w ith the greatest events in the history of the world. It
caused a revolution in the developm ent of culture, equaled by hardly
any oth er incident in the C hristian Era. Thus, no t only h a s G utenberg’s
a rt been insep arable from the progress of science, b u t it h a s also been
a n indispensable factor in th e education of the people a t large. C ulture
a n d knowledge, un til th e n considered aristocratic privileges peculiar to
certain classes, were popularized by typography, although in the proc-
ess it u nfortunately brou gh t abo ut an internal revolution in th e intel-
lectual world in th e direction of w hat is ptofane an d free from restraint.
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
351
7. Why is G utenberg’s bible called the 42-line Bible?
A. The complete bible w as w ritten in 42 lines.
B. Most pages contained exactly 42 lines.
c. Only 42 lines of the bible have been found
D. The bible consisted of 42 lines p er volume
8 . According to th e passage, th e au th o r im plies th a t G u ten b e rg ,
A. invented the p rinting press
B. w as the first to p rin t text
c. only prin ted a bible
D. w as no t successful at any job
9. In p arag rap h 6 , the au th o r suggests t h a t _____ _
A. G utenberg contributed little to the developm ent ơf printing
B. G utenberg’s a rt h a s no connection to th e progress of m odem
science
c. cu ltu re an d knowledge in the C hristian E ra w as peculiar to all
classes
D. the invention of movable type w as a significant event In world
history
10. W hich of th e following sentences should NOT be included in a
sum m ary of th e passage?
A. The 4 2 -line Bible is considered G utenberg's finest work.
B. G utenberg changed the way text is produced.
c. G utenberg w as one of the m ost fam ous G erm ans in history.
. D. Movable m etal "type w as invented by G utenberg.
GLOSSARY
movable type thuật in bằng con chữ - t o emphasize nhấn mạnh
rời (trái với in bản khắc) - duster cụm, nhóm
printing press máy in - evenly spaced letters các chữ cái có
take center stage ñóng vai trò quan khoảng cách ñều nhau
trọng - novelty sự mới lạ, phát minh mới
to lay daim ỉo sth tự xưng mình là - to lend elegance and sophistication
người có công/là cha ñẻ của to sth khiẽn cho cáí gì trông ñẹp và .
scholar học già tinh tế hơn
undisputed (adj) không ai phản ñối - regularity sự ñều ñặn
d ay ñất sét - Latin-print Bible Kinh thánh bằng chữ
•to be cast ỉn metal ñược ñúc bằng kim La tinh
loại - signature work công trình lưu danh
to be comprised of gồm có - two-volume (adj) gồm 2 tập
•oriental character con chữ phương - florin [ñơn vị tiền Ý]
ñông (chữ Hán/ Nhật/ Hàn) - clerk nhân viên thư kí
- playing cards Gỗ bài, những lá bài - Library of Congress ThƯA/Ìện Quốc
- parchment da thú dùng lằm giấy Hội My
352 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
- v e llu m giãy íàm bằng da thứ - a set một bộ
- printing block bản khắc ñể in - contribution to sự ñóng góp cho
- monk thầy tu - to be classed with ñược xếp hạng
- a labor-intensive undertaking một chung với
công việc rất khó nhọc - to be equaled by ñược sánh ngang
- negligible (adj) không ñáng là bao, hàng bởi
nhỏ nhoi - the Christian Era Kỉ nguyên Thiên
- to be credited to sb ñược qui !ồ do ai chúa giáo
có công tạo ra - inseparable from (adj) không tách rời
- silversmith thợ bạc với
- block printing firm công ti in bản khắc - indispensable (adj) rất cần thiết,
- innovation phát kiến, sáng kiến cải tiến . không thê' thiếu
- molding sự tạo khuôn ñể ñúc - aristocratic privilege ñặc quyền cùa
- casting sự ñúc giới quí tộc
-toca rv e khắc - to be peculiar to sb/sth dành riêng
- steel punch mũi dùi bằng thép cho
- to hammer ñóng bằng búa - to be popularized ñược phổ cập, ñược
- copper blank mẫu ñồng chưa có vết ñại chúng hóa
tích gì - typography nghề in
- copper impression mẫu ñồng có chữ - internal (adj) ở bên trong, nội tại
lõm xuõng - intellectual (adj) thuộc trí thức
- molten alloy hợp kim nóng chảy - profane (adj) (lời lẽ, ngôn ngữ) có tính
- lead chì báng bổ
- tin thiếc - free from restraint thoát khỏi mọi giới
- resulting reverse image kết quả ià có hạn
cái ảnh lộn ngược
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 c D D D A
2 c c B c A D A c G B
3 D B c A D
4 B A D B D A
5 c B c c D D A
6 c cD c A B B B
7 B A D c D c D
8 A c D c B A A
9 B D A c A B
10 B c B D B c
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
353
11 A D A D BA D B
12 B B A c ðB
13 D B B e cc
14 B c c B. cB D
15 c B c B cA A
16 D A B c •Ac
17 e A. B B D
18 D 'Á .-.A. c c B
19 B D A A D c
20 B A c D A D
21 D c A D B B c
22 B B D A B
23 D B D c A c
24 B A B B c A D
25 c D A c B c
26 D A A c D c
27 A D c B c B A
28 A B c c D B
29 c B D A c A D
30 D A B B A c B
31 c A c c B A D
32 A c c D B B B
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I 10 1 11 112 I 13 I 14
33 D B D B B D c
34 B c B A B c D
35 c B B B A B D
36 D B B c D B A
37 c B A B B c A
38 c B A D A D B
39 c B B B D D c
40 D B B A B B c
41 c B D c A D B
42 c A D D B A e
43 B D A c ð B A
44 A B c A D c c
354 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
45 JB_ B
46 _D D _B
47 B_ A
48 JD B_ A _B_ D ð _D
49 D B_ D _D_ B
50 B B JD
51 D _B B_ c B c D c A
52 B D B _D_
53 D _D_ B_
54 B D D_ R
55 B B JD B c_
56 D D B
57 D_
58 B_ D JD B D B A
59 D B B
60 B B D B D
61 B B D
62 B B JD D
63 D _B_
64 _D_ A D
65 B B B
66 B D _D_ D
5_ 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
67 B D D D D D
68 A
69 JD B
70 JL B_ D _B_ D
71 B_ D B D
72 _D_ A _B_
73 B JD A _B_ D JB^
74 JD B _A_ D
75 B_ D A _D_
76 _D_ B_ D_
77 D B_ D
78 D D B
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
355
79 B D B D
80 D B D B
81 D D D
82 D B D A:
83 B D B
84 D B D D B
85 A B. ð B
86 B D D B
87 A D c B ð
88 B B B
89 B D D
90 B D
91 B D B
92 D B D D B
93 D B B D
94 B B D
95 D B D
96 B D B B
97 D A B D B B D
98 D B D B D D
99 D B D B D B D B A c
100 D B D D D B B
10 11 12 13 14
101 B A D
102 D B
103 B D D D
104 c B B D B
105 B D D D B B B
106 D D B B B D B
107 B B
108 D c. D B
109 D B
110 B D B
111 B D B A D B
112 B D B A
356 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
113 B c D c D A A D A B c
114 B B c A B c A G
115 A B B D c B c c D
116 B B A B A B c A c
117 c A B B B D
118 c c B A D B
119 B A c A D B
120 D B B B D D c c B
121 B A c R A
122 B B c Bc B ■A D
123 c c A
D D A c B D A
124 B c A D c A D c c A
125 A A D B c c
126 D A A D c A
127 D B B c
128 B c D A c D c A
129 A c B c
130 B D A D c B
131 A B A A
132 A B c B D D A D c
133 D A A B c
134 B D B A A D c B
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
135 A D c A B A A.
136 A A B D A A c B D B D B
137 B B A A D c c c D
138 B c A c A A D D c B D
139 B D A B B c A B A
140 B A A A D D B B D c
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
MỤC LỤC
358 HOCTIENGANH.INFO
86 SMART EXERCISE........ .......................... 206
89 / ALL IN A DAY’S WORK ................................ 213
90 BODY TALK........................................... 215
91 THE SERENGETI....................................... 218
92 CAUGHT IN THE A C T .................................... 221
93 LONESOME GEORGE.................................. ,225
95 NATURE’S FURY.......................................... 231
97 THE JIM TWINS......................................... 235
98 NUCLEAR WEAPONS ............................... .239
99 THE REAL THING? .................................... .243
100 LETTER OF COMPLAINT ............................... ,247
101 REALITY T V ----------------- ------------- .250
102 THE SURGEON OF CROWTHORNE ....................... .252
103 THE WAITING ROOM...................................... .255
105 WARNING ON GLOBAL WARMING.................... .260
106 INVESTIGATORS TO PROBE TERROR FLIGHT............ .263
114 WORLD POPULATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ......... .281
117 THE HISTORY OF THE ROLLER COASTER.............. .288
125 DEATH OF THE CLASSROOM ........................... .305
126 YOUTH REVIEW ....................................... .307
128 A DANGEROUS HABIT- ............................... .313
130 HOW TO BE A GOOD PARENT: A TEENAGER’S GUIDE .319
131 ORGANIC FOOD: WHY? ................................ .322
132 THE MAN WHO IS PAID TO BE AN ALIEN ................. .324
133 IPODS by IVE............................................ .327
135 TO BECOME WEALTHY ..................... .332
136 SHOULD KIDS BE ABLE TO SURF THE INTERNET?.... .334
HOCTIENGANH.INFO
359
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