Reading

Education of Gifted Students is an area in the field of special education concerned with
the instruction of students who have exceptionally high abilities. The United States Department
of Education describes “giftedness” as exceptionally advanced performance or the potential for
outstanding performance in intellectual, creative, leadership, artistic, or specific academic
fields. Children who demonstrate outstanding talents come from all social, cultural, and
economic groups.
Educators believe that gifted students require special education services because their
learning needs differ significantly from those of the general population. They learn more rapidly
and can understand more abstract and complex ideas. They are also able to transform existing
knowledge into new and useful forms and to create new knowledge recognized for its originality,
complexity, and elegance. Special education services and facilities for gifted children may
enhance these abilities. In addition, some gifted learners may require special counseling services
to address social or emotional adjustment issues that are complicated by their exceptional
abilities.
Many regular elementary and secondary schools in the United States offer special
programs designed specifically to meet the needs of gifted students. Some schools provide
specialized education programs to gifted children exclusively. These schools offer advanced
education in mathematics, science, technology, the arts, or other academic disciplines. Many
school districts rely on intelligence tests to identify gifted students. However, most guidelines for
determining giftedness recommend the use of a combination of standardized test scores, rating
systems developed by individual schools, classroom observational records, and performance
assessments.
Gifted children may study a specially modified curriculum or may progress through
academic subjects at an accelerated pace. Acceleration involves adapting education programs so
that students may progress through particular subject material quicker than usual. These
modifications may take place within the regular classroom setting or they may involve changing
the child’s placement in school. Some gifted children gain early entrance to kindergarten, skip
grades, enter college earlier than usual, or take specific courses with older children. Ideal
programs for gifted students consider the individual needs of children and offer multiple options
for services. These programs generally involve both advanced course materials and acceleration.
In Vietnam, education for gifted students has received more attention in recent decades. It
is rather easy to find secondary and high schools specialized in teaching talented children
throughout the country. With ordinary schools, better students are often grouped and more
advanced programs are provided to satisfy their learning needs. Though acceleration has not
been allowed for students before tertiary level, it is hopeful that it will be introduced in the
coming years.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How to turn a normal student into a gifted one
B. How education of talented students is
C. How gifted students are different from their friends
D. How materials to teach young learners are designed
2. Which is NOT mentioned as a typical characteristic of gifted students?
A. creativity
B. intelligence
C. leadership
D. enthusiasm
3. The word “outstanding” in paragraph 1 can be best replaced by _____.
A. excellent
B. bright
C. practical
D. smart
4. Among the various qualities, gifted children are believed to be able to learn fast and _____.
A. apply knowledge creatively
B. create new learning methods
C. perform excellently in physical activities
D. behave themselves well
5. Some gifted learners’ exceptional abilities may _____.
A. deprive them of certain opportunities
B. bring them great success
C. cause certain trouble for them
D. help them solve difficult problems
6. According to the passage, what do some schools do in order to help gifted children?
A. Provide them with coaching
B. Give them exclusive programs
C. Isolate them from the rest
D. Provide them with international programs
7. The word “disciplines” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. violations
B. tasks
C. rules
D. subjects
8. Giftedness is supposed to be best measured by means of _____.
A. class observations
B. specialized assessments
C. psychological tests
D. medical check-up
9. Programs for gifted children are considered perfect when they _____.
A. address individual needs and have many options
B. provide enough advanced course materials
C. let students skip grades and learn with the older
D. modify the normal classroom settings
10. What is NOT true about education in Vietnam?
A. Schools for gifted children are now popular in the country.
B. Specialized programs for gifted students are available.
C. People have paid more attention to the education of gifted students.
D. High school students can skip grades and enter university at early age.
Overpopulation, the situation of having large numbers of people with too few resources
and too little space, is closely associated with poverty. It can result from high population density,
or from low amounts of resources, or from both. Excessively high population densities put stress
on available resources. Only a certain number of people can be supported on a given area of
land, and that number depends on how much food and other resources the land can provide. In
countries where people live primarily by means of simple farming, gardening, herding, hunting,
and gathering, even large areas of land can support only small numbers of people because these
labor-intensive subsistence activities produce only small amounts of food.
In developed countries such as the United States, Japan, and the countries of Western
Europe, overpopulation generally is not considered a major cause of poverty. These countries
produce large quantities of food through mechanized farming, which depends on commercial
fertilizers, large-scale irrigation, and agricultural machinery. This form of production provides
enough food to support the high densities of people in metropolitan areas.
A country's level of poverty can depend greatly on its mix of population density and
agricultural productivity. Bangladesh, for example, has one of the world's highest population
densities, with 1,147 persons per sq km. A large majority of the people of Bangladesh engage in
low-productivity manual farming, which contributes to the country's extremely high level of
poverty. Some of the smaller countries in Western Europe, such as the Netherlands and Belgium,
have high population densities as well. These countries practice mechanized farming and are
involved in high-tech industries, however, and therefore have high standards of living.
At the other end of the spectrum, many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have population
densities of less than 30 persons per sq km. Many people in these countries practice manual
subsistence farming; these countries also have infertile land, and lack the economic resources
and technology to boost productivity. As a consequence, these nations are very poor. The United
States has both relatively low population density and high agricultural productivity; it is one of
the world's wealthiest nations.
High birth rates contribute to overpopulation in many developing countries. Children are
assets to many poor families because they provide labor, usually for farming. Cultural norms in
traditionally rural societies commonly sanction the value of large families. Also, the
governments of developing countries often provide little or no support, financial or political, for
family planning; even people who wish to keep their families small have difficulty doing so. For
all these reasons, developing countries tend to have high rates of population growth.

1. Which of the following is defined in paragraph 1?

A. Poverty
B. Population density
C. Overpopulation
D. Simple farming
2. What will suffer when there are excessively high population densities?
A. Available resources
B. Farming methods
C. Land area
D. Skilled labor
3. The phrase that number in paragraph 1 refers to the number of _________.
A. resources
B. countries
C. people
D. densities
4. Why can large areas of land only yield small amounts of food?
A. There is an abundance of resources.
B. There is no shortage of skilled labor.
C. There are small numbers of laborers.
D. There is lack of mechanization.
5. Bangladesh is a country where the level of poverty depends greatly on _________.
A. population density in metropolitan areas
B. both population density and agricultural productivity
C. its population density only
D. its high agricultural productivity
6. The phrase engage in in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. escape from
B. look into
C. give up
D. participate in
7. The word ‘infertile’ in paragraph 4 probably means _________.
A. impossible
B. unproductive
C. discussed
D. inaccessible
8. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. In sub-Saharan African countries, productivity is boosted by technology.
B. There is no connection between a country's culture and overpopulation.
C. All small countries in Western Europe have high population densities.
D. In certain developed countries, mechanized farming is applied.
A NEW KIND OF LIBRARY
Does your school have a library? It probably does. The first libraries belonged to ancient
kings. In the Middle Ages, monasteries and convents had libraries. The books in those libraries
were written by hand, and they had pictures painted beside the words.
In the United States, most cities have public libraries. Inside most libraries are hundreds
of books - and sometimes more! - many of which are available for taking home. Of course, you
have to bring any book you borrow back to the library when you’re done.
Libraries help people find information. As the ways people find information change,
libraries need to change, too. The Internet is a tool that helps people find information much faster
than if they were to look in books, so a lot of libraries have begun using computers and
technology to help people keep learning.
The New York Public Library is the most famous library in New York City. When the
main branch was opened in 1911, it had a collection of over one million books. Outside this
main building, two giant stone lions guard the entrance. Since the library is over one hundred
years old, bringing in new technology is not easy.
The New York Public Library now has computers in every building. You can use the
computers to go on the Internet or to write a paper. The librarians will help if you have a
question and there are even free classes to help people learn how to use new computer programs.
But this is only the beginning of how the library wants to use technology.
In the basement of the library, there is a room filled with computer programmers and
designers who are bringing new technology to the library. This place is called the NYPL Labs.
Ben Vershbow runs the NYPL Labs. He wants to help the library reach more people. Ben runs
projects using “crowdsourcing.”
“Crowdsourcing” means getting a lot of people involved to help with a project. Ben is
currently using the Internet to find people to help with the library’s collection of menus. The
library has thousands and thousands of old menus. You can see what people ate in the year 1900
and find out how much that food cost.
In the past, only people in New York could use the New York Public Library. Now, the
library is online and everyone can enjoy it. Thanks to technology, we have a new kind of library.
1. What does the word “they” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. libraries
B. books
C. monasteries
D. convents
2. What do libraries help people find?
A. computers
B. information
C. paintings
D. tools
3. A lot of libraries have begun using computers and technology to help people keep learning.
What is a cause of this change, based on the passage?
A. the difficulty of finding new books to keep in the library
B. the fact that books are much less popular today than they used to
C. the growing number of people who want to visit libraries in person
D. the ability of the Internet to help people find information quickly
4. Which of the following does the word “branch” in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Part of a tree that grows from the trunk
B. The arm of a record player
C. A major part of government
D. A local store or organization
5. What is NYPL Labs?
A. A building
B. A project
C. A technology room
D. A library
6. What evidence from the text supports that computers are helpful to have in the library?
A. You can learn how to use computer programmes in NYPL Labs.
B. You can use computers to go on the Internet or to write a paper.
C. The New York Public Library now has computers in every building.
D. The librarians will help if you have questions.
7. Why might the title refer to the New York Public Library as "A New Kind of Library"?
 A. Because the New York Public Library no longer has any books in its main building
B. Because the New York Public Library has been replaced by a different library
C. Because the New York Public Library is now available online, not just to
people in New York
D. Because the New York Public Library has been different from other libraries
ever since it opened in 1911
8. What is this passage mostly about?
A. How technology and computers changed the New York Public Library
B. How public libraries in cities across the United States function
C. How the New York Public Library has changed the way people use computers
D. How crowdsourcing can help many people become involved in a project
9. What does the word “This place” in paragraph 6 refer to?
A. A room in the basement of the library
B. The basement of the building
C. The library of the building
D. A room in the basement of the building
10. What is NOT TRUE about The New York Public Library?
A. It is popular in New York City.
B. It is not modern.
C. It has information about people’s food in 1900.
D. It is over one hundred years old.
Quang Binh authorities have finally approved a plan to install a ladder inside the
north-central province’s famous Son Doong Cave, allowing tourists to explore the world’s
biggest natural cave instead of returning to exit after reaching its end.
The Quang Binh administration has green-lighted the “ladder solution” despite widely
objections that it may destroy the stalactites that are millions of years old inside Son Doong.
Son Doong Cave became internationally known after a group of cavers from the British
Cave Research Association conducted a survey of the area in April 2009. The cave has since
become known as the largest cave passage cross-section in the world, according to National
Geographic. At the end of the Son Doong passage stands the 90-meter tall “Vietnamese Wall,”
made of millions-years-old stalactites. Behind the wall is a 600-meter passage leading to the rear
entrance of the cave. As part of the current cave exploration tour, offered by Quang Binh-based
Oxalis, explorers must return to be able to exit the cave through its entrance after reaching the
‘Vietnamese Wall.’
 The tour operator has thus proposed building a ladder to help tourists climb over the
stalactite wall and leave the cave through the rear entrance. Even though the proposed ladder has
been met with public objection in that it may affect the natural stalactites believed to be formed
over millions of years inside the cave, the proposal was eventually approved by the Quang Binh
administration.
Oxalis has been allowed to take tourists through Son Doong from entrance to exit from
2018. The administration, however, required that the tour operator ensure the ladder installation
and usage will not leave any environmental impact or destroy the stalactites.
The decision came after the Quang Binh environment department submitted an
assessment report, claiming that the ladder may affect the geological process inside the cave, but
the impact is insignificant.
The new tour, allowing tourists to go through the cave, will take four days and three
nights, one day-night period shorter than the current package, according to Oxalis. The company
has tested the new tour from May 21 to August 31, with nine different groups including a total of
188 tourists successfully going through Son Doong. Oxalis said the ladder solution was initially
recommended by British Cave Research Association and its location had been carefully selected
to leave the smallest possible impact on the cave environment and its stalactites. Tourists will
feel more relaxed with the new tour as the journey will be shorter. The ladder will also help
shorten the time to leave the cave in case of accident to two hours from the current six hours.

1. The word explore in paragraph 1 could be best replaced by _______.

A. invent
B. escape
C. hide
D. go touring
2. Why do people have objections to the “ladder solution”?
A. Because it can damage the stalactites.
B. Because tourists can return to exit after reaching its end.
C. Because they are afraid that tourists may be in danger.
D. Because it is not good for tourists.
3. The cave is widely known worldwide due to ________.
A. a tour exploration
B. an experiment
C. a cave research
D. a journey
4. The word rear in paragraph 2 refers to
A. front
B. back
C. behind
D. middle
5. According to the passage, how high is Son Doong cave?
A. 600 meters
B. 100 meters
C. 90 meters
D. 31 meters
6. Who is permitted to take guide tourists?
A. the administration
B. Quang Binh tourist agent
C. the public
D. Oxalis tour operator
7. According to the passage, what is TRUE about Son Doong cave?
A. The cave has been existed for millions of years.
B. The cave has been noticed only when explorers discovered it.
C. The proposal of ladder solution is not approved.
D. No private tour agents organize tour for visitors.
8. Who has recommended the ladder solution in Son Doong cave?
A. Quang Binh administration
B. Oxalis
C. British Cave Research Association
D. Quang Binh authority