50 CÂU HỎI
Herman Melville, an American author best known today for his novel Moby Dick, was actually more popular during his lifetime for some of his other works. He traveled extensively and used the knowledge gained during his travels as the basis for his early novels. In 1837, at the age of eighteen, Melville signed as a cabin boy on a merchant ship that was to sail from his Massachusetts home to Liverpool, England. His experiences on this trip served as a basis for the novel Redburn (1849). In 1841 Melville set out on a whaling ship headed for the South Seas. After jumping ship in Tahiti, he wandered around the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. This South Sea island sojourn was a backdrop to the novel Omoo (1847). After three years away from home, Melville joined up with a U.S. naval frigate that was returning to the eastern United States around Cape Horn. The novel White-Jacket (1850) describes this lengthy voyage as a navy seaman. With the publication of these early adventure novels, Melville developed a strong and loyal following among readers eager for his tales of exotic places and situations. However, in 1851, with the publication of Moby Dick, Melville's popularity started to diminish. Moby Dick, on one level the saga of the hunt for the great white whale, was also a heavily symbolic allegory of the heroic struggle of man against the universe. The public was not ready for Melville's literary metamorphosis from romantic adventure to philosophical symbolism. It is ironic that the novel that served to diminish Melville's popularity during his lifetime is the one for which he is best known today. In what year did Melville’s book about his experiences as a cabin boy appear?
A. 1849
B. 1837
C. 1847
D. 1841
The word “metamorphosis” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to................
A. descent
B. circle
C. mysticism
D. change
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees. Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies. As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange. Which of the following can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A. There was a high turnover of railway mail clerks.
B. The development of the mail roads during the second half of the 19th century enabled Post Office Department to focus on timeliness.
C. The Post Office Department was more concerned about speeding up mail delivery than the safety of its clerks.
D. Mail was often lost or damaged as it was exchanged on the mail crane.
The word “elite” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to..............
A. majority
B. superior
C. more capable
D. leade
What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How the mail cranes exchanged the mail.
B. Improvements in mail handling and delivery.
C. How Post Office Trains handled the mail without stopping.
D. The skills of experienced clerks.
According to the passage, the Railway Mail Service commenced in ......
A. 1874
B. 1842
C. 1832
D. 1905
The word “glitches” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ...........
A. accidents
B. blames
C. advantages
D. problems
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The clerk booted out the outgoing mailbag before snatching the incoming bag.
B. Clerks couldn’t often see what they were doing.
C. The Railway Mail clerk’s job was considered elite because it was safe and exciting.
D. Despite their success, railway mail clerks only handled a small proportion of all non-local mail.
The public expects the following three services in handling and delivery of mail except ............
A. safety
B. accuracy
C. confidentiality
D. timeliness
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions Each person has different learning preferences and styles that benefit them. Some may find they have a dominant learning style. Others prefer different learning styles in different circumstances. There is no right or wrong answer to which learning style is best for you - or mix of learning styles. However, by discovering and better understanding your own learning styles, you can employ techniques that will improve the rate and quality of your learning. If you prefer lessons that employ images to teach, you are a visual learner. Visual learners retain information better when it is presented in pictures, videos, graphs and books. They frequently draw pictures or develop diagrams when trying to comprehend a subject or memorize rote information. If you are a visual learner, use pictures, images, color, diagrams and other visual media in your note taking, test preparation and studying. Whenever possible, use pictures instead of text. Try to develop diagrams to comprehend concepts and storyboards to remember important sequences and relationships. Aural (auditory) learners retain information better when it’s presented in lecture format, via speeches, audio recordings, and other forms of verb communication. While a visual learner would prefer to read a book or watch a video, auditory learners would prefer to attend a lecture or listen to a book on tap. Aural learners are also big on sound and music. They can typically sing, play an instrument and identify different sounds. If you are an aural learner, integrate auditory media, listening techniques, sound, rhyme, or even music in your learning and studying. You may also consider using background music and sounds to help you with visualization of processes and systems. For example, if you’re practicing fight procedures, you may consider playing a recording of an aircraft in the background as you study. Replacing the lyrics of a favorite song with information you are learning is a very powerful way to memorize large amounts of information for aural learning. Use this technique and you will never forget the information again. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Features and techniques of two learning styles.
B. Visual and aural learners’ problems and solutions.
C. Why and how to understand your learning styles.
D. What and how to use your learning techniques
By discovering and better understanding your own learning styles, you can improve ..............
A. Your learning quality and quantity.
B. Your learning rate.
C. Your learning styles.
D. Your learning quality and speed.
The word “They” in paragraph 2 refers to ...............
A. visual learners
B. pictures
C. videos
D. graphs
According to the passage, one benefit of diagrams is ...............
A. to understand concepts.
B. to remember sequences.
C. to understand story boards.
D. to use pictures not texts.
All of the following statements are TRUE about visual learners EXCEPT ...............
A. They employ images to teach.
B. They remember graphs well.
C. They prefer pictures to texts.
D. They use story boards for relationships.
According to the passage, the benefit of listening to music while learning and studying is that it ..............
A. is a hobby or an interest.
B. attracts your attention.
C. makes you feel relaxed.
D. helps you visualize processes and systems.
The author suggests that to remember lessons, aural learners can ................
A. forget melody
B. learn by heart lyrics
C. sing along
D. write songs with your favorite lyrics and information you’re learning.
It can be inferred from the passage that a person’s learning style ..............
A. is completely different from others’.
B. can never be best for them.
C. determines learning quality.
D. has its effective technique.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions Ranked as the number one beverage consumed worldwide, tea takes the lead over coffee in both popularity and production with 5 million metric tons of tea produced annually. Although much of this tea is consumed in Asian, European and African countries, the United States drinks its fair share. According to estimates by the Tea Council of the United States, tea is enjoyed by no less than half of the U.S population on any given day. Black tea or green tea – iced, spiced or instant – tea drinking has spurred a billion-dollar with major tea producer in Africa and South America and throughout Asia. Tea is made from the leaves from an evergreen plant, Camellia saneness, which grows tall and lush in tropical region. On tea plantation, the plant is kept trimmed to approximately four feet high and as new buds called flush appear; they are plucked off by hand. Even in today’s world of modern agricultural machinery, hand harvesting continues to be the preferred method. Ideally, only the top two leaves and a bud should be picked. This new growth produces the highest quality tea. After being harvested, tea leaves are laid out on long drying racks, called withering racks, for 18 to 20 hours. During this process, the tea softens and become limp. Next, dependent on the type of tea being product, the leaves may be crushed or chopped to release flavor, and then fermented under controlled condition of heat and humidity. For green tea, the whole leaves are often steamed to retain their green color, and the fermentation process is skipped. Producing black teas requires fermentation during which the tea leaves begin darken. After fermentation, black tea is dried in vats to produce its rich brown or black color. No one knows when or how tea became popular, but legend has it that tea as a beverage was discovered in 2737 B.C. by Emperor Shen Nung of China when leaves from camellia dropped into his drinking water as it was boiling over a fire. As the story goes, Emperor Shen Nung drank the resulting liquid and proclaimed that the drink to be most nourishing and refreshing. Though this account cannot be documented, it is thought that tea drinking probably originated in China and spread to other parts of Asia, then Europe, and ultimately to America colonies around 1650. With about half the caffeine content of coffee, tea is often chosen by those who want to reduce, but not necessarily eliminate their caffeine intake. Some people find that tea is less acidic than coffee and therefore easier on the stomach. Others have become interested in tea drinking since the National Cancer Institute publishes its finding on the antioxidant properties of tea. But whether tea is enjoyed for it perceived health benefit, its flavor, or as a social drink, teacups continue to be filled daily with the world’ most popular beverage. According to the passage, what is implied about tea harvesting?
A. It is totaling done with the assistance of modern agricultural machinery.
B. It is longer done in China.
C. The method has remained nearly the same for a long time.
D. The method involves trimming the uppermost branches of the plant.
What does the word “they” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. tea pickers
B. new buds
C. evergreen plants
D. tropical regions
Which of the following is NOT true about the tea production process?
A. Black tea develops its dark color during fermentation and final drying.
B. Green tea requires a long fermentation process.
C. Green tea is often steamed to keep its color.
D. Black tea goes through two phases during production.
According to the passage, what is TRUE about origin of tea drinking?
A. It began during the Shen Nung Dynasty.
B. It may begin some time around 1950.
C. It is unknown when tea first became popular.
D. It was originally produced from Camilla plants in Europe.
The word “eliminate” in paragraph 5 could be best replaced by which of the following words?
A. decrease
B. increase
C. reduce
D. remove
According to the passage, why someone would choose to drink tea instead of coffee?
A. Because it’s easier to digest than coffee.
B. Because it has higher nutritional content than coffee.
C. Because it helps prevent heart attacks.
D. Because it has more caffeine than coffee does.
What best describes the topic of the passage?
A. Tea consumption and production.
B. The two most popular types of tea.
C. The benefits of tea consumption worldwide.
D. How tea is produced and brewed.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions The economic expansion prompted by the Second World War triggered a spectacular population boom in the West. Of course, the region was no stranger to population booms. Throughout much of its history, western settlement had been characterized by spurts, rather than by a pattern of gradual and steady population growth, beginning with the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's. The decade after the First World War - the 1920's - witnessed another major surge of people pouring into the West, particularly into urban areas. But the economic depression of the 1930's brought this expansion to a halt; some of the more sparsely settled parts of the region actually lost population as migrants sought work in more heavily industrialized areas. By 1941 when the United States entered the Second World War and began to mobilize, new job opportunities were created in the western part of the nation. If the expansion of industries, such as shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing, was most striking on the pacific coast, it also affected interior cities like Denver, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Equally dramatic were the effects of the establishment of aluminum plants in Oregon and Washington and the burgeoning steel industry in Utah and California. The flow of people into these areas provided an enormous impetus to the expansion of the service industries - banks, health care services and schools. Although strained to the limit by the influx of newcomers, western communities welcomed the vast reservoir of new job opportunities. At the same time, the unprecedented expansion of government installations in the West, such as military bases, created thousands of new civilian openings. As land had served as a magnet for western migrants in the late nineteenth century, so wartime mobilization set in motion another major expansion of population. Indeed, it could be said that the entire western United States became a giant boomtown during the Second World War. This was especially true of California. Of the more than eight million people who moved into the West in the decade after 1940, almost one-half went to the Pacific coast. In fact, between 1940 and 1950, California's population surged by more than three million people. What is the main point of the passage?
A. California dominated the economic growth of the West during the Second World War.
B. Industrial growth during the 1940's attracted large numbers of people to the West.
C. The military drew people away from civilian jobs during the 1940's.
D. The West experienced gradual and steady economic growth from 1900 to 1940.
The word "triggered" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ...........
A. was connected to
B. generated
C. interfered with
D. illuminated
Why does the author mention “the gold and silver rushes of the 1850's and 1860's” in the first paragraph?
A. As causes of gradual population growth.
B. As contrasts to late patterns of population.
C. As illustrations of a market economy.
D. As examples of western population booms.
According to the passage, the depression of the 1930's caused which of the following?
A. A lack of population growth in the West.
B. The building of new suburbs.
C. A creation of more job opportunities.
D. A growth in immigration from abroad.
The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to ................
A. expansion
B. Denver
C. manufacturing
D. the Pacific coast
The passage suggests that industrialization in the West led to all of the following EXCEPT .............
A. An increase in school construction.
B. Improved access to doctors.
C. An increase in the number of banks.
D. A reduction in the price of land.
It can be inferred from the passage that the principal cause of California’s population surge between 1940 and 1950 was ..........
A. the increased availability of land.
B. people’s desire to live in a warm, coastal climate.
C. the industrial mobilization necessitated by the Second World War.
D. overcrowding in urban areas in other regions of the United States
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions The Development of Refrigeration Cold storage, or refrigeration, is keeping food at temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees F in order to delay the growth of microorganisms - bacteria, molds, and yeast - that cause food to spoil. Refrigeration produces few changes in food, so meats, fish, eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables keep their original flavor, color, and nutrition. Before artificial refrigeration was invented, people stored perishable food with ice or snow to lengthen its storage time. Preserving food by keeping it in an ice-filled pit is a 4,000-year-old art. Cold storage areas were built in basements, cellars, or caves, lined with wood or straw, and packed with ice. The ice was transported from mountains, or harvested from local lakes or rivers, and delivered in large blocks to homes and businesses. Artificial refrigeration is the process of removing heat from a substance, container, or enclosed area, to lower its temperature. The heat is moved from the inside of the container to the outside. A refrigerator uses the evaporation of a volatile liquid, or refrigerant, to absorb heat. In most types of refrigerators, the refrigerant is compressed, pumped through a pipe, and allowed to vaporize. As the liquid turns to vapor, it loses heat and gets colder because the molecules of vapor use energy to leave the liquid. The molecules left behind have less energy and so the liquid becomes colder. Thus, the air inside the refrigerator is chilled. Scientists and inventors from around the world developed artificial refrigeration during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. William Cullen demonstrated artificial refrigeration in Scotland in 1748, when he let ethyl ether boil into a partial vacuum. In 1805, American inventor Oliver Evans designed the first refrigeration machine that used vapor instead of liquid. In 1842, physician John Gorrie used Evans's design to create an air-cooling apparatus to treat yellow-fever patients in a Florida hospital. Gorrie later left his medical practice and experimented with ice making, and in 1851 he was granted the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration. In the same year, an Australian printer, James Harrison, built an ether refrigerator after noticing that when he cleaned his type with ether it became very cold as the ether evaporated. Five years later, Harrison introduced vaporcompression refrigeration to the brewing and meatpacking industries. Brewing was the first industry in the United States to use mechanical refrigeration extensively, and in the 1870s, commercial refrigeration was primarily directed at breweries. German-born Adolphus Busch was the first to use artificial refrigeration at his brewery in St. Louis. Before refrigeration, brewers stored their beer in caves, and production was constrained by the amount of available cave space. Brewing was strictly a local business since beer was highly perishable and shipping it any distance would result in spoilage. Busch solved the storage problem with the commercial vapor- compression refrigerator. He solved the shipping problem with the newly invented refrigerated railcar, which was insulated with ice bunkers in each end. Air came in on the top, passed through the bunkers, and circulated through the car by gravity. In solving Busch's spoilage and storage problems, refrigeration also revolutionized an entire industry. By 1891, nearly every brewery was equipped with mechanical refrigerating machines. The refrigerators of today rely on the same basic principle of cooling caused by the rapid evaporation and expansion of gases. Until 1929, refrigerators used toxic gases - ammonia, methyl chloride, and sulfur dioxide - as refrigerants. After those gases accidentally killed several people, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) became the standard refrigerant. However, they were found to be harmful to the earth's ozone layer, so refrigerators now use a refrigerant called HFC 134a, which is less harmful to the ozone. What is the main reason that people developed methods of refrigeration?
A. They wanted to improve the flavor and nutritional value of food.
B. They needed to slow the natural processes that cause food to spoil.
C. They needed to use for the ice that formed on lakes and rivers.
D. They wanted to expand the production of certain industries.
The word “perishable” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ............
A. capable of spoiling
B. uncooked
C. of animal origin
D. highly nutritious
What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about cold storage before the invention of artificial refrigeration?
A. It kept food cold for only about a week.
B. It was dependent on a source of ice or snow.
C. It required a container made of mental or wood.
D. It was not a safe method of preserving meat.
Artificial refrigeration involves all of the following processes EXCEPT .................
A. the pumping of water vapor through a pipe.
B. the rapid expansion of certain gases.
C. the evaporation of a volatile liquid.
D. the transfer of heat from one place to another.
According to the passage, who was the first person to use artificial refrigeration for a practical purpose?
A. William Cullen
B. Oliver Evans
C. John Gorrie
D. Adolphus Busch
The word “it” in paragraph 3 refers to ........
A. printer
B. refrigerator
C. type
D. ether
The word “constrained” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
A. restricted
B. spoiled
C. improved
D. alternated
According to the passage, the first refrigerated railcar used what material as a cooling agent?
A. ether
B. ice
C. ammonia
D. CFCs
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer. One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room. Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention as he dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin. On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time! The passage is mainly about ..................
A. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
B. a strange man
C. how roller skating began
D. an unusual party
The word "astonished" in paragraph 4 can be best replaced by ........
A. tired
B. surprised
C. embarrassed
D. polite
Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ..................
A. impress the party guests
B. arrive at the party sooner
C. show his skill in walking on wheels
D. test his invention
The word "ball" in paragraph 2 probably means ...............
A. game
B. party
C. round object
D. match
People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he ..............
A. was a gifted musician
B. invented the roller skates
C. often gave others surprises
D. was full of imagination
What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. Merlin got himself into trouble.
B. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
C. The roller skates needed further improvement.
D. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
The word "These" in paragraph 3 refers to ..........
A. wheels
B. roller skates
C. different ways
D. shoes
Read the following passage and mark the letter A , B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions When we moved to our new house near the sea, I was eight years old. Even before that I had spent every summer messing about on boats. My dad had taught me to sail before I learnt to ride a bike so I knew how I wanted to spend my time at the new house- I was going to get my own boat and sail it everyday. The house was only a few meters from the water's edge, and in rough weather the waves would come crashing into the front garden. I used to sit with my nose pressed to the glass, fascinated by the power of the ocean. I grew up watching the skies to see if it was going to rain; would I be going sailing that afternoon or not? Of course I sometimes wished I could live in the town like my friends. I used to get angry with my parents, who had taken early retirement because they seemed incapable of getting anywhere on time. Dad drove me the eight miles to school everyday, but I was often late because he had been walking on the cliffs earlier in the morning and had lost track of time. When I was taking my university entrance exams, I used to stay over at a friend's in town, just in case. All in all, I was lucky to grow up by the sea and I still love to sail. At the age of eight, the writer's house was ..............
A. in the town
B. under the mountain
C. on boat
D. by the sea
The word "rough"in the passage is closest in meaning to ...........
A. forceful
B. beautiful
C. careful
D. easy
The writer's father retired early because ..................
A. he walked on the cliffs every morning.
B. he was unable to get anywhere on time.
C. he had to drive his kid to school everyday.
D. he lost rack of time.
According to the passage, all of the following are true EXCEPT ................
A. the writer didn't know how to sail.
B. house to school was 8 miles.
C. the waves came crashing into the writer's front garden in bad weather.
D. the write moved to a new house when he was 8.
