LIFE STORIES

UNIT 1
(TIỂU SỬ)
A. VOCABULARY
New words Meaning Picture Example
achievement thành tích, thành This new album is one of
/əˈtʃiːvmənt/ (n) tựu his greatest achievements.
Album mới này là một
trong những thành tựu
tuyệt vời nhất của anh ấy.
anonymous ẩn danh, giấu tên For reasons of personal
/əˈnɒnɪməs/ (adj) safety, the customer
wishes to remain
anonymous.
Để đảm bảo an toàn cá
nhân, khách hàng mong
muốn được giấu tên.
dedication sự cống hiến, hiến I admire Uncle Ho for his
/ˌdedɪˈkeɪʃn/ (n) dâng, tận tụy dedication to our country.
Tôi ngưỡng mộ Bác Hồ vì
sự cống hiến của Bác cho
đất nước chúng ta.
diagnose chẩn đoán (bệnh) He was diagnosed with
/ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz/ (v) lung cancer last year.
Anh ấy bị chẩn đoán mắc
bệnh ung thư phổi vào
năm ngoái.
distinguished kiệt xuất, lỗi lạc He had a distinguished
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ (adj) career in medicine.
Ông ấy có một sự nghiệp
lỗi lạc trong ngành y tế.

figure nhân vật She is a famous political

/ˈfɪɡə(r)/ (n) figure in the world.
Bà ấy là một chính trị gia
nổi tiếng trên thế giới.
generosity sự rộng lượng, You shouldn't let other
tính hào phóng people take advantage of
/ˌdʒenəˈrɒsəti/ (n)
your generosity.
Bạn không nên để người
khác lợi dụng lòng tốt của
 mình.
hospitalization sự nhập viện, đưa Because of the severity of
/ˌhɒspɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ vào bệnh viện the accident, the patient
required hospitalization.
(n)
Do vụ tai nạn khá nghiêm
trọng, bệnh nhân bắt buộc
phải nhập viện.
influential có ảnh hưởng lớn He is the most influential
/ˌɪnfluˈenʃl/ (adj) person in the company.
Ồng ấy là người có tầm
ảnh hưởng lớn nhất trong
công ty.
perseverance tính kiên trì, sự She showed hard work
/ˌpɜːsəˈvɪərəns/ (n) bền chí and perseverance in the
face of difficulty.
Cô ấy đã thể hiện sự cần
cù và kiên trì khi phải đối
mặt với khó khăn.
prosthetic leg chân giả After getting used to my
prosthetic leg, I traveled
/prɒsˈθetɪk leg/
to many different places
(n.p) to explore the world.
Sau khi đã làm quen với
việc mang chân giả, tôi đã
chu du rất nhiều nơi để
khám phá thế giới.
reputation danh tiếng After winning this contest,
she gained a reputation as
/ˌrepjuˈteɪʃn/ (n)
a first-class cook.
Sau khi chiến thắng trong
cuộc thi này, cô ấy đã
giành được danh tiếng
của một đầu bếp hạng
nhất.
respectable đáng kính, đứng I think that you'll look
đắn more respectable if you
/rɪˈspektəbl/ (adj)
wear this suit.
Tôi nghĩ là trông anh sẽ
đứng đắn hơn khi mặc bộ
com-lê này.
talented có tài năng, có Lionel Messi is a talented
/ˈtæləntɪd/ (adj) năng khiếu football player.
Lionel Messi là một cầu
thủ bóng đá tài năng.
waver dao động, phân I'm wavering between
/ˈweɪvə(r)/ (V) vân buying a house in this city
or moving away.
Tôi đang phân vân giữa
việc mua nhà ở thành phố
này hoặc chuyển đến một
nơi khác.

B. GRAMMAR
I. THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE (THÌ QUÁ KHỨ ĐƠN) VS. THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
(THÌ QUÁ KHỨ TIẾP DIỄN)
1. The past simple tense (Thì quá khứ đơn)
a. Cấu trúc (Form)
Affirmative (Khẳng định) Negative (Phủ định) Interrogative (Nghi vấn)
S + V(past) (+ O) S + did not/ didn't + V(bare- Did + S +V(bare-inf) (+ O)?
inf) (+ O)
They went to the cinema last They didn't go to the cinema Did they go to the cinema last
night. last night. night?

b. Cách dùng (Use)

- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra và kết thúc tại một thời điểm trong quá khứ (finished actions or events)
E.g:
I saw him at the airport yesterday. (Hôm qua tôi đã nhìn thấy anh ấy ở sân bay.)
My aunt sent me a letter two days ago. (Cách đây 2 ngày cô tôi đã gửi thư cho tôi.)
- Diễn tả hành động lặp đi lặp lại trong quá khứ (repeated actions)
E.g:
I played soccer three times a week when I was at school. (Lúc tôi còn đi học thì tôi đã chơi bóng đá 3 lần
một lần.)
She went to Paris twice last year. (Năm ngoái cô ấy đến Pari 2 lần.)
- Diễn tả thói quen trong quá khứ (past habits)
E.g:
She visited her parents every Sunday. (Vào mỗi chủ nhật thì cô ấy đã đến thăm bố mẹ.)
We often went swimming every afternoon. (Vào mỗi buổi chiều thì chúng tôi đã thường đi bơi.)
- Diễn tả tình trạng hay tình huống trong quá khứ
Did you have a car when you were young? (Có phải bạn có ô tô khi bạn còn trẻ không?)
- Diễn tả một chuỗi hành động xảy ra liên tiếp nhau trong quá khứ (sequences of actions)
E.g:
He ran to the car, jumped in and raced off into the night.
c. Các cụm từ thời gian (Time phrases)
Một số cụm từ thời gian được dùng trong thì quá khứ đơn: yesterday, last night/week/month/year, etc.,
two days/ weeks/months, etc. ago, in 2000, at that moment, then, suddenly, when
2. The past continuous tense (Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn)
a. Cấu trúc (Form)
Affirmative (Khẳng định) Negative (Phủ định) Interrogative (Nghi vấn)
S + was/ were + V-ing (+O) S + was/ were + not + V-ing Was/Were + S +V-ing
(+O) (+O)?
My brother was reading books My brother wasn't reading Was your brother reading
at this time last night. books at this time last night. books at this time last night?

b. Cách dùng (Use)

- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra tại một thời điểm cụ thể trong quá khứ (actions in progress at a point
of time in the past)
E.g:
At 9 o'clock yesterday, I was doing the homework. (Vào lúc 9 giờ hôm qua tôi đang làm bài tập về nhà.)
- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra trong một khoảng thời gian trong quá khứ (actions in progress over a
period of time)
E.g:
My husband was working hard all day. (Chồng tôi đã làm việc vất vả suốt cả ngày.)
Note: Các cụm từ thời gian như all day, all the morning,... thường được dùng trong trường hợp này
- Diễn tả tình huống/ sự việc tạm thời hoặc đang thay đổi trong quá khứ (temporary or changing
situations in the past)
E.g:
At the time, I was working for a bank in this cit. (a temporary situation)
I was becoming bored with the job, so I decided to change. (a changing situation)
- Diễn tả một hành động đang diễn ra thì một hành động khác xen vào trong quá khứ (an action was in
progress when another action happened/ interrupted it)
E.g:
We were having dinner when someone knocked at/on the door.
(Chúng tôi đang ăn tối thì có ai đó đã gõ cửa.)
- Diễn tả hai hay nhiều hành động xảy ra song song cùng một lúc trong quá khứ (two or more actions in
progress at the same time in the past)
E.g:
While I was cooking dinner, my husband was playing computer games.
(Trong khi tôi đang nấu bữa tối thì chồng tôi đang chơi điện tử.)
- Diễn tả hành động lặp lại nhiều lần trong quá khứ gây ra sự khó chịu, bực mình (mang nghĩa tiêu cực).
Cách dùng này thường đi kèm với trạng từ "always/ constantly".
E.g:
The old man was always complaining about the noise in the area.
Note: Chúng ta không thường dùng thì quá khứ tiếp diễn với các động từ chỉ tình trạng, cảm xúc, sở hữu,
tri giác như: be, cost, belong, own, have, feel, hear, hate, like,...
c. Các cụm từ chỉ thời gian (Time phrases)
Các cụm từ thời gian thường được dùng trong thì này như: while, as, when, meanwhile, at that time, all
the morning/ afternoon/ day, etc.

■ BÀI TẬP VẬN DỤNG CƠ BẢN

Bài 1: Write the words in the correct order.
1. I/ the bus/ caught/ yesterday/ to work/.
______________________________
2. it was raining/because/ didn't/ she/ for a walk/ go/.
______________________________
3. I got/TV/ when/ watching/ my/ brother/ was/ home/.
______________________________
4. break/your arm/you/how/did/?
______________________________
5. last summer/ in a beautiful village/ spent/ we/.
______________________________
6. last night/ Sally/ what/ was/ wearing/ at the party/?
______________________________
7. a loud party/ while/ my neighbors/I/ were having/ to study,/ was trying/.
______________________________
8. you/ to the cinema/ last night/ did/ go/?
______________________________

Bài 2: Choose the correct answer in the bracket.

1. Last night I _______ on my thesis and it took me a while to realise that my phone was ringing. (work/
was working)
2. When you _______ I was in a meeting so I couldn't answer your call. (called/ were calling)
3. David can never agree with Tim. They _______. (always argue/ are always arguing)
4. Why did you disagree with me at the meeting? _______ to make me look incompetent? (Did you
try/Were you trying)
5. Daisy _______ the buffet while I was seeing to the drinks. (prepared/ was preparing)
6. Tim _______ home when the accident happened. (walked/ was walking)
7. I _______ to work, even when it rained. (was always walking/ always walked)
8. Kelly _______ her speech when I walked in. (was finishing/ finished)

Bài 3: Put the verbs into the past simple or past continuous tense.
1. I used my time well while I (wait) _______ for the train - I wrote some emails.
2. I (not/work) _______ when my boss walked in my office. I was on Facebook.
3. I saw a car crash when I (wait) _______ for the taxi.
4. Tom (have) _______ long hair and a beard when he was at university.
5. It started raining while I (drive) _______ to work.
6. What (you/do) _______ this time last year?
7. I (not/call) _______ you at 10 o'clock as arranged because I was having a meeting.
8. I (stiIl/sleep) _______ when my husband left for work this morning.

Bài 4: Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct tense, past simple or past continuous. Use the
passive form if necessary.
1. When she heard the phone ring, she _______ (stop) reading to answer it.
2. My mother _______ (read), so she didn't see me walking past.
3. When the accident happened, thousands of people _______ (pass) through the airport.
4. I _______ (have) English lessons every week from the age of four onwards.
5. They decided to leave the beach because it _______ (get) dark and they wanted to get home while there
was still some light.
6. Kate already _______ (think) of leaving university before she failed her first year exams?
7. Since your house had a pool, you _______ (swim) every day?
8. The disaster _______ (attract) hundreds of people from the country to the city.
9. Sorry I couldn't come on Monday, I _______ (work) on my project.
10. The national park _______ (create) to protect wildlife.

Bài 5: Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct tense.

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Hoa (1. call) _______. She said she (2. call) _______ me on
her cell phone from her biology classroom. I asked her if she (3. wait) _______ for class, but she said that
the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (4. talk) _______ to me. I couldn't believe she
(5. make) _______ a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.
She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (6. sleep, actually) _______ in
class. Some of the students (7. talk) _______ about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her
(8. draw) _______ a picture of a horse. When Hoa (9. tell) _______ me she was not satisfied with the
class, I (10. mention) _______ that my biology professor was quite good and (11. suggest) _______ that
she switch to my class.
While we were talking, I (12. hear) _______ her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?"
Suddenly, the line went dead. I (13. hang) _______ up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
As I (14. cut) _______ vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (15. be) _______ Hoa, but
this time she wasn't sitting in class.
II. ARTICLES (MẠOTỪ)
1. Mạo từ xác định "The"
Mạo từ "the" thường được dùng trước danh từ số ít hoặc danh từ số nhiều khi chúng ta nói về những sự
vật, sự việc xác định.
E.g:
The book I read yesterday is on the table.
 Một số quy tắc
Chúng ta dùng "the" trong các trường hợp sau:
- Khi vật thể hay nhóm vật thể là duy nhất hoặc được xem là duy nhất
E.g:
The sun; the world; the atmosphere; the sky; the ground; the sea; the earth;...
- Khi cả người nói và người nghe đều biết đến thứ gì hoặc ai đó được nói tới
E.g:
Could you open the door please? (Cả người nói lẫn người nghe đều biết đó là cái cửa nào)
- Trước một danh từ được xác định bằng cụm từ hay mệnh đề
E.g:
The girl in uniform; The doctor that I met; The place where I waited for you.
- Trước so sánh nhất của tính từ
E.g:
She is the most beautiful girl in this class.
- Trước tên các loại nhạc cụ
E.g:
Can you play the guitar?
I like listening to the piano.
(but) I've just bought a guitar and a piano.
- Trước danh từ số ít đại diện cho một nhóm (tên động vật, thực vật, phát minh, bộ phận cơ thể,...)
E.g:
The dodo is an extinct bird.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
He hit me on the head.
- Trước thập kỷ và thế kỷ
E.g:
The 1800s; The twenties
- Trước cụm từ chỉ thời gian và nơi chốn
E.g:
The morning/afternoon/evening; The future/present/past; The north/south/west/east; The front/back/
middle/top/bottom
- Trước số thứ tự
E.g:
The first/second day; the sixth lesson
- Khi người nói nói đến một danh từ cụ thể
E.g:
Coffee originated in Ethiopia, (general)
The coffee I had this morning was Brazilian.
- Trước tên quốc gia, bang, thành phố, trường học có chứa "of", trước quốc gia có tên số nhiều hoặc có
tính từ trong tên, ngoại trừ Great Britain.
E.g:
The United States of America; The State of Florida; The City of Boston; The University of Texas; The
Netherlands;The Philippines
- Trước tên núi, sông, quần đảo, vịnh, biển, đại dương, tên sách, báo và tên các chiếc tàu.
E.g:
The Thai Binh river; the Times; the Pacific Ocean, the Sahara
- Trước vùng, miền địa lý, nhưng không phải các châu lục
E.g:
The Middle East;The Orient (but) Europe; Asia
- Trước tên các lĩnh vực học thuật khi chúng có chứa "of"
E.g:
The history of the United States
- Trước tên các cuộc chiến tranh
E.g:
The war of Independence; the civil war; the second World War (but World War II)
- Trước một tính từ để tạo nên danh từ chung chỉ nhóm người
E.g:
The rich are not always happy.
The Japanese work very hard.
- Trước danh từ riêng số nhiều để chỉ vợ chồng hay cả họ (cả gia đình)
E.g:
The Smiths always go fishing at the weekend.
2. Mạo từ bất định A/An
- "A" đứng trước một phụ âm hoặc một nguyên âm có phiên âm là phụ âm:
+ a girl; a game; a boat; a book
+ a university /aˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/; a European /aˌjʊərəˈpiːən/; a one-parent family; a year /a jɪə /
- "An" đứng trước một nguyên âm hoặc một âm câm (U, E, O, A, I):
+ an orange; an umbrella; an egg
+ an hour/an ˈaʊər /; an honest child /an ˈɒnɪst tʃaɪld /; an honour/an ˈɑːnər /
- "An" đứng trước các mẫu ký tự đặc biệt đọc như một nguyên âm bắt đầu với A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, O,
R, S, X:
+ an MP/an ˌem ˈpiː /; an SOS/an ˌes əʊ ˈes /; an X-ray /an ˈeks reɪ /; an MSC /an ˌem es ˈsiː/
 Một số quy tắc
Chúng ta dùng a/an:
- Trước danh từ đếm được số ít với nghĩa là 1
E.g:
We need a microcomputer/chair/pen.
- Giới thiệu vể một ai hay vật gì chung chung, không cụ thể hoặc chưa được đề cập trước đó
E.g:
I saw a snake.
- Khi nói về nghề nghiệp
E.g:
He is an engineer.
- Trong các cụm thành ngữ chỉ số lượng
E.g:
A dozen; a couple; a third; a hundred; a lot of;...
- Mang nghĩa là "per"
E.g:
Three times a year; $ 10 a day
- Trong câu cảm thán với danh từ đếm được số ít
E.g:
What a pretty girl!
- "A" có thể được đặt trước Mr/Mrs/Miss + Surname
E.g:
A Mr. Smith a Mrs. Smith a Miss. Smith
A Mr. Smith mang nghĩa một người đàn ông được gọi là Smith và ngụ ý rằng anh ấy là một người lạ với
người nói.
Mr. Smith, không có "a", ngụ ý rằng người nói biết Mr. Smith hoặc biết về sự tồn tại của anh ấy.

■ BÀI TẬP VẬN DỤNG CƠ BẢN

Bài 6: Fill in the blank with the suitable article: a, an, the or x (no article).
1. Are you coming to _______ party next Sunday?
2. I bought _______ new TV set yesterday.
3. I think _______ man over there is very ill. He can't stand on his feet.
4. I watched _______ video you had sent me.
5. She was wearing _______ ugly dress when she met him.
6. I am crazy about reading _______ history books.
7. She is _______ beautiful girl.
8. Do you want to go to _______ cinema where we first met?
9. He is _______ engineer.
10. He thinks that _______ love is what will save us all.
11. I like _______ blue T-shirt over there better than _______ red one.
12. Their car does 150 miles hour.
13. Where's _______ USB drive I lent you last week?
14. Do you still live in _______ Ho Chi Minh City?
15. Is your mother working in old office building?
16. Tim's father works as _______ electrician.
17. The tomatoes are 99 pence _______ kilo.
18. What do you usually have for _______ breakfast?
19. Mike has _______ terrible headache.
20. After this tour you have _______ whole afternoon free to explore the city.

Bài 7: Fill in the bank with a/an, the or x if it isn't necessary to use any article.
1. He is _______ very nice man.
2. They are _______ brave girls.
3. _______ farmhouses in my village were rather poor.
4. He told me _______ story of his life.
5. This is _______ good example.
6. _______ roof of _______ house was on fire.
7. We are _______ students.
8. Those were _______ interesting books.
9. Look at _______ top of that tree.
10. I am _______ good sailor.
11. _______ frame of that picture is broken.
12. John has become _______ driver.
13. It was _______ very long way to go.
14. We stopped at _______ door of his hut.
15. _______ cover of my English book is green.
16. Mark and Peter were _______ good sportsmen.
17. _______ last days of my stay in London were the most interesting.
18. She was _______ good actress.
19. This _______ exception.
20. _______ banks of _______ river were very steep.

Bài 8: Correct the following sentences, adding articles where necessary.

1. Do English drink tea or coffee for breakfast?
2. We returned from two-week holiday in Philippines and Indonesia.
3. During the rush hour in Hanoi, it's more convenient to travel by motorbike than to take taxi.
4. We had great time in USA last summer.
5. Tim decided to become soldier so that he could fight for his country.

Bài 9: Complete the text by using A, AN, THE or (x) for "no article" for each blank.
I just received a postcard from (1) _______ Smiths, a family I met last year. It made me start thinking:
When was (2) _______ last time I actually sent (3) _______ letter or (4) _______ postcard to someone?
It's strange, (5) _______ postal service has been part of (6) _______ daily life for (7) _______ centuries.
And suddenly, within (8) _______ single generation, (9) _______ postal system is on its way to becoming
(10) _______ thing of (11) _______ past. These days, (12) _______ few people send (13) _______
letters.
Today, (14) _______ email is (15) _______ far more common way to communicate with (16) _______
friends and (17) _______ family. It's also (18) _______ faster and cheaper way to communicate. When I
send (19) email to (20) _______ friend in (21) distant country, (22) _______ friend will receive (23)
 _______ email almost immediately. What's more, I have the ability to attach (24) _______
photograph, (25) _______ video, or (26) _______ MP3. And I don't even have to buy (27) _______
expensive stamp. But (28) _______ world is changing quickly. In (29) _______ decade or two, we might
all be using (30) _______ totally different kind of technology to communicate.

■ BÀI TẬP TỔNG HỢP NÂNG CAO

Bài 10: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences.
1. We to the hospital to visit Tom when he _______ to say that he was fine.
A. were driving - was calling B. drove-called
C. were driving – called D. drove-was calling
2. What _______ to you last Sunday?
A. happen B. happened C. was happening D. would happen
3. Last night, we _______ for you for ages but you never _______ up.
A. waited - showed B. would wait - showed
C. were waiting - were showing D. waited - was showing
4. We _______ dinner when the light _______ off.
A. had-went B. were having-went
C. had been having - went D. have had - would have go
5. I _______ out last night but at the last minute I _______ that I had an English test this morning.
A. was going to go – realized B. went – realized
C. had gone - would realize D. would go - have realized
6. Who is _______ girl over there with Tom?
A. the B. a C. an D. ∅
7. The director needs an assistant with good knowledge of foreign affairs.
A. a B. the C. any D. ∅
8. What _______ terrible weather! Normally _______ weather in the UK is not so bad.
A. the-the B. a-the C. ∅-the D. the-a
9. After a busy day, I went to _______ bed and had _______ most beautiful dream ever.
A. the - the B. a - the C. a - a D. ∅ - the
10. She has visited _______ Portugal but she has never been to _______ Netherlands.
A. the-the B. ∅-the C. a – the D. a – a

Bài 11: Choose the underlined part that needs correction.

1. Last month, when my friend (A) was traveling around London by (B) the car, he crashed (C) the car
into (D) a tree.
2. When she (A) was walking to (B) the library to borrow (C) some books, she (D) was seeing a robbery.
3. (A)The biggest problem with eating too (B) much sugar is (C)that it can cause (D) the diabetes.
4. (A) The most people need (B) to have a healthy diet and (C) do exercise (D) every day.
5. Last night, suddenly my mother (A) was deciding to prevent me from using (B) the Internet so we (C)
ended up having (D) a quarrel.
Bài 12: Fill in the blank with A, AN, THE or (x) for "no article" for each blank.
1. What's _______ longest river in _______ world? Is it _______ Amazon or _______ Nile? I'm terrible
at _______ geography.
2. In 1824, Louis Braille developed _______ system of writing for _______ blind. Quickly, _______
system, known as "Braille" after _______ inventor, spread from _______ France to dozens of _______
countries.
3. Because she did not speak _______ English, she had _______ little chance of advancing her career, so
she applied for _______ year-long English course at _______ Cambridge University.
4. Tim loves islands. He has been to _______ Cuba, _______ Bali, _______ Bahamas, and _______
Philippines. And _______ next year, he wants to go to _______ Madagascar.
5. Jenifer always says that _______ patience is _______ virtue, but she is _______ least patient person
I've ever met. Don't you think that's _______ little ironic?
6. Every year, _______ Smiths go camping in _______ Yellowstone National Park. But _______ next
year, they are going to visit Mr. Smith's mother in _______ South instead.
7. Wow, _______ cheese is getting so expensive! Look, that cheese costs more than $50 _______ pound.