50 CÂU HỎI
Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about 1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies. Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in 1794, had fifteen stars because by that time Vermont and Kentucky has joined the Union. At that time it was apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and halfdollars were produced with sixteen starts. As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from A798 on were issued with only thirteen stars-one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one variety of the A828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of the large cent with only A2 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error. The word “their” in line 1 refers to ..........
A. coins
B. features
C. colonies
D. stars
The word “bore” in line 3 is closest in meaning to ..............
A. Carried
B. drilled
C. symbolized
D. cost
The expression “Curiously enough” is used because the author finds it strange that ............
A. Silver coins with fifteen stars appeared before coins with thirteen
B. Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in 1794
C. Tennessee was the first state to use half dimes
D. No silver coins were issued until 1794
Which of the following can be inferred about the order in which Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vermont joined the Union?
A. Vermont joined after Tennessee and Kentucky.
B. Kentucky joined before Tennessee and Vermont.
C. Tennessee joined Vermont and Kentucky.
D. Vermont and Kentucky joined at the same time.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the denomination of an American coin?
A. Half cent
B. Half-dollar
C. Half dime
D. Half nickel
Why was a coin produced in 1828 with only twelve stars?
A. There was a change in design policy.
B. There were twelve states at the time.
C. The mint made a mistake.
D. Tennessee had left the Union.
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 Harvard University, today recognized as part of the top echelon of the world's universities, came from very inauspicious and humble beginning. This oldest of American universities was founded in 1636, just sixteen years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Included in the Puritan emigrants to the Massachusetts colony during this period were more than 100 graduates of England's prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities, and these universities graduates in the New Word were determined that their sons would have the same educational opportunities that they themselves had had. Because of this support in the colony for an institution of higher learning, the General Court of Massachusetts appropriated 400 pounds for a college in October of 1636 and early the following year decided on a parcel of land for the school; this land was in an area called Newetowne, which was later renamed Cambridge after its English cousin and is the site of the present-day university. When a young minister named John Harvard, who came from the neighboring town of Charlestowne, died from tuberculosis in 1638, he willed half of his estate of 1,700 pounds to the fledgling college. In spite of the fact that only half of the bequest was actually paid, the General Court named the college after the minister in appreciation for what he had done. The amount of the bequest may not have been large, particularly by today's standard, but it was more than the General Court had found it necessary to appropriate in order to open the college. Henry Dunster was appointed the first president of Harvard in 1640, and it should be noted that in addition to serving as president, he was also the entire faculty, with an entering freshmen class of four students. Although the staff did expand somewhat, for the first century of its existence the entire teaching staff consisted of the president and three or four tutors. The main idea of this passage is that .................
A. Harvard University developed under the auspices of the General Court of Massachusetts
B. What is today a great university started out small
C. John Harvard was key to the development of a great university
D. Harvard is one of the world's most prestigious universities
The passage indicates that Harvard is ............
A. one of the oldest universities in the world
B. the oldest university in the world
C. one of the oldest universities in America
D. the oldest university in America
It can be inferred from the passage that the Puritans who traveled to the Massachusetts colony were ............
A. rather rich
B. rather well educated
C. rather supportive of the English government
D. rather undemocratic
The pronoun "they" in the second paragraph refers to ..........
A. son
B. university graduates
C. Oxford and Cambridge universities
D. educational opportunities
The "pounds" in the second paragraph are probably ...............
A. units of money
B. college students
C. types of books
D. school campuses
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about John Harvard?
A. What he died of
B. Where he came from
C. Where he was buried
D. How much he bequeathed to Harvard
The passage implies that ..............
A. Someone else really served as president of Harvard before Henry Dunster
B. Henry Dunster was an ineffective president
C. Henry Dunster spent much of his time as president managing the Harvard faculty
D. The position of president of Harvard was not merely an administrative position in the early ears
The word "somewhat" in the last paragraph could best be replaced by ...........
A. to and pro
B. Back and forth
C. side by side
D. more or less
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 In early civilization, citizens were educated informally, usually within the family unit. Education meant simply learning to live. As civilization became more complex, however, education became more formal, structured, and comprehensive. Initial efforts of the ancient Chinese and Greek societies concentrated solely on the education of males. The post-Babylonian Jews and Plato were exceptions to this pattern. Plato was apparently the first significant advocate of the equality of the sexes. Women, in his ideal state, would have the same rights and duties and the same educational opportunities as men. This aspect of Platonic philosophy, however, had little or no effect on education for many centuries, and the concept of a liberal education for men only, which had been espoused by Aristotle, prevailed. In ancient Rome, the availability of an education was radually extended to women, but they were taught separately from men. The early Christians and medieval Europeans continued this trend, and singlesex schools for the privileged through classes prevailed through the Reformation period. Gradually, however, education for women, in a separate but equal basis to that provided for men, was becoming a clear responsibility of society. Martin Luther appealed for civil support of schools for all children. Al the Council of Trent in the 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church encouraged the establishment of free primary schools for children of all classes. The concept of universal primary education, regardless of sex, had been born, but it was still in the realm of the single-sex school. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, co-education became a more widely applied principle of educational philosophy. In Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union the education of boys and girls in the same classes became an accepted practice. Since World War II, Japan and the Scandinavian countries have also adopted relatively universal coeducational systems. The greatest negative reaction to co-education has been felt in the teaching systems of the Latin countries, where the sexes have usually been separated at both primary and secondary levels, according to local conditions. A number of studies have indicated that girls seem to perform better overall and in science in particular. In single-sex classes, during the adolescent years, pressure to conform to stereotypical female gender roles may disadvantage girls in traditionally male subjects, making them reluctant to volunteer for experimental work while taking part in lessons. In Britain, academic league tables point to high standards achieved in girls’ schools. Some educationalists, therefore, suggest segregation of the sexes as a good thing, particularly in certain areas, and a number of schools are experimenting with the idea. Ancient education generally focused its efforts on .............
A. young people only
B. on male learners
C. both sexes
D. female learners
Education in early times was mostly aimed at .....
A. teaching skills
B. learning new lifestyles
C. learning to live
D. imparting survival skills
The first to support the equality of the sexes was .................
A. the Chinese
B. the Jews
C. Plato
D. the Greek
The word “informally” in this context mostly refers to an education occurring ...................
A. in a department
B. in classrooms
C. ability
D. outside the school
When education first reached women, they were ..............
A. separated from men
B. locked up in a place with men
C. deprived of opportunities
D. isolated from a normal life
When the concept of universal primary education was introduced, education ................
A. was intended for all the sexes
B. was intended for all the sexes
C. was given free to all
D. focused on imparting skills
Co-education was negatively responded to in .................
A. conservative countries
B. Japan
C. South American countries
D. the Scandinavian countries
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 Animals have an intuitive awareness of quantities. They know without analysis the difference between a number of objects and a smaller number. In his book “ The natural History of Selboure ” (1786 ) , the naturalist Gilbert White tells how he surreptitiously removed one egg a day from a plover’s nest , and how the mother laid another egg each day to make up for the missing one . He noted that other species of birds ignore the absence of a single egg but abandon their nests if more than one egg has been removed. It has also been noted by naturalists that a certain type of wasp always provides five – never four, never six - caterpillars for each of their eggs so that their young have something to eat when the eggs hatch . Research has also shown that both mice and pigeons can be taught to distinguish between odd and even numbers of food pieces. These and similar accounts have led some people to infer that creatures other than humans can actually count. They also point to dogs that have been taught to respond to numerical questions with the correct number of barks, or to horses that seem to solve arithmetic problems by stomping their hooves the proper number of times. Animals respond to quantities only when they are connected to survival as a species – as in the case of the eggs – or survival as individuals - as in the case of food. There is no transfer to other situations or from concrete reality to the abstract notion of numbers. Animals can “count” only when the objects are present and only when the numbers involved are small – not more than seven or eight. In lab experiments, animals trained to “count” one kind of object were unable to count any other type. The objects, not the numbers, are what interest them. Animals admittedly remarkable achievements simply do not amount to evidence of counting, nor do they reveal more than innate instincts, refined by the genes of successive generations, or the results of clever, careful conditioning by trainers . What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Although animals may be aware of quantities, they cannot actually count.
B. Of all animals, dogs and horses can count best.
C. Careful training is required to teach animals to perform tricks involving numbers
D. Animals cannot “count” more than one kind of object.
Why does the author refer to Gilbert White’s book in line 2?
A. To indicate that more research is needed in this field.
B. To show how attitudes have changed since1786.
C. To provide evidence that some birds are aware of quantities.
D. To contradict the idea that animals can count.
The word “surreptitiously” is closest in meaning to .............
A. quickly
B. occasionally
C. stubbornly
D. secretly
The word “odd” refers to which of the following?
A. numbers such as 1, 3, 5 and so on
B. lucky numbers
C. numbers such as 2, 4, 6 and so on
D. unusual numbers
The author mentions that all of the following are aware of quantities in some ways EXCEPT ............
A. wasps
B. Plovers
C. caterpillars
D. mice
The word “accounts” is closest in meaning to ..............
A. reasons
B. reports
C. deceptions
D. invoices
How would the author probably characterize the people who are mentioned in the first line of the second paragraph .............
A. As foolish
B. As demanding
C. As clever
D. As mistaken
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 Until recently, most American entrepreneurs were men. Discrimination against women in business, the demands of caring for families, and lack of business training had kept the number of women entrepreneurs small. Now, however, businesses owned by women account for more than $40 billion in annual revenues, and this figure is likely to continue rising throughout the 1990s. As Carolyn Doppelt Gray, an official of the Small Business Administration, has noted, "The 1970s was the decade of women entering management, and the 1980s turned out to be the decade of the woman entrepreneur". What are some of the factors behind this trend? For one thing, as more women earn advanced degrees in business and enter the corporate world, they are finding obstacles. Women are still excluded from most executive suites. Charlotte Taylor, a management consultant, had noted, "In the 1970s women believed if they got an MBA and worked hard they could become chairman of the board. Now they've found out that isn't going to happen, so they go out on their own". In the past, most women entrepreneurs worked in "women's" fields: cosmetics and clothing, for example. But this is changing. Consider ASK Computer Systems, a $22-million-a- year computer software business. It was founded in 1973 by Sandra Kurtzig, who was then a housewife with degrees in math and engineering. When Kurtzig founded the business, her first product was software that let weekly newspapers keep tabs on their newspaper carriers-and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoebox under the bed to hold the company's cash. After she succeeded with the newspaper software system, she hired several bright computer-science graduates to develop additional programs. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $66.9 million of stock. Of course, many women who start their own businesses fail, just as men often do. They still face hurdles in the business world, especially problems in raising money; the banking and finance world is still dominated by men, and old attitudes die hard. Most businesses owned by women are still quite small. But the situation is changing; there are likely to be many more Sandra Kurtzigs in the years ahead. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The computer is especially lucrative for women today.
B. Women today are better educated than in the past, making them more attractive to the business world.
C. Women are better at small business than men are.
D. Women today are opening more business of their own.
The word “excluded” is closest meaning to .............
A. often invited to
B. decorators of
C. not permitted in
D. charged admission to
All of the following were mentioned in the passage as detriments to women in the business world EXCEPT .................
A. Women were required to stay at home with their families.
B. Women faced discrimination in business.
C. Women lacked ability to work in business.
D. Women were not trained in business.
According to the passage, Charlotte Taylor believes that women in 1970s .............
A. were unrealistic about their opportunities in business management.
B. had fewer obstacles in business than they do today.
C. were unable to work hard enough to success in business.
D. were still more interested in education than business opportunities.
The author mentions the “ shoesbox under the bed” in order to ................
A. show the resourcefulness of Sandra Kurtzig
B. Show the frugality of women in business
C. Point out that initially the financial resources of Sandra Kurtzig’s business were limited
D. suggest that the company needed to expand
The expression “ keep tabs on” is closest meaning to ............
A. pay the salaries of
B. keep records of
C. provide transportation for
D. recognize the appearance of
The word “hurdles” can be best replaced by ...............
A. fences
B. obstacles
C. questions
D. small groups
It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that business operated by women are small because ................
A. Many women fail at large businesses.
B. Women are not able to borrow money easily.
C. Women prefer a small intimate setting.
D. Women can’t deal with money.
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 It takes a long time to raise a family of owlets, so the great horned owl begins early in the year. In January and February, or as late as March in the North, the male calls to the female with a resonant hoot. The female is larger than the male. She sometimes reaches a body length of twenty-two to twenty-four inches, with a wingspread up to fifty inches. To impress her, the male does a strange courtship dance. He bobs. He bows. He ruffles his feathers and hops around with an important air. He flutters from limb to limb and makes flying sorties into the air. Sometimes he returns with an offering of food. They share the repast, after which she joins the dance, hopping and bobbing about as though keeping time to the beat of an inner drum. Owls are poor home builders. They prefer to nest in a large hollow in a tree or even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. even to occupy the deserted nest of a hawk or crow. These structures are large and rough, built of sticks and bark and lined with leaves and feathers. Sometimes owls nest on a rocky ledge, or even on the bare ground. The mother lays two or three round, dull white eggs. Then she stoically settles herself on the nest and spreads her feather skirts about her to protect her precious charges from snow and cold. It is five weeks before the first downy white owlet pecks its way out of the shell. As the young birds feather out, they look like wise old men with their wide eyes and quizzical expressions. They clamor for food and keep the parents busy supplying mice, squirrels, rabbits, crayfish, and beetles. Later in the season baby crows are taken. Migrating songsters, waterfowl, and game birds all fall prey to the hungry family. It is nearly ten weeks before fledglings leave the nest to search for their own food. The parent birds weary of family life by November and drive the young owls away to establish hunting ranges of their own. What is the topic of this passage?
A. Mating rituals of great horned owls
B. Raising a family of great horned owls
C. Habits of young great horned owls
D. Nest building of great horned owls
The phrase "a resonant hoot" is closest in meaning to ............
A. a sound
B. an offering of food
C. an instrument
D. a movement
It can be inferred from the passage that the courtship of great horned owls ................
A. happens in the fall
B. takes place on the ground
C. involves the male alone
D. is an active process
According to the passage, great horned owls ..............
A. may inhabit a previously used nest
B. are discriminate nest builders
C. need big nests for their numerous eggs
D. build nests on tree limbs
According to the passage, which of the following is the mother owl's job?
A. To build the nest
B. To initiate the courtship ritual
C. To sit on the nest
D. To feed the young
The phrase "precious charges" refers to ..............
A. the hawks and crows
B. other nesting owls
C. the nest
D. the eggs
According to the passage, young owlets eat everything EXCEPT ..............
A. insects
B. other small birds
C. small mammals
D. nuts and seeds
The word "they" refers to ................
A. the adult birds
B. the wise old men
C. the prey
D. the young birds
What can be inferred from the passage about the adult parents of the young great horned owls?
A. They are lazy and careless about feeding the small owlets.
B. They probably don't see their young after November.
C. They don't eat while they are feeding their young.
D. They are sorry to see their young leave home.
The phrase "weary of" is closest in meaning to ...............
A. become sad about
B. support
C. are attracted to
D. tire of
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 For many people who live in cities, parks are an important part of the landscape. They provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a refuge from the often harsh environment of a city. What people often overlook is that parks also provide considerable environmental benefits. One benefit of parks is that plants absorb carbon dioxide—a key pollutant—and emit oxygen, which humans need to breathe. According to one study, an acre of trees can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that a typical car emits in 11,000 miles of driving. Parks also make cities cooler. Scientists have long noted what is called the Urban Heat Island Effect: building materials such as metal, concrete, and asphalt absorb much more of the sun’s heat and release it much more quickly than organic surfaces like trees and grass. Because city landscapes contain so much of these building materials, cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas. Parks and other green spaces help to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect. Unfortunately, many cities cannot easily create more parks because most land is already being used for buildings, roads, parking lots, and other essential parts of the urban environment. However, cities could benefit from many of the positive effects of parks by encouraging citizens to create another type of green space: rooftop gardens. While most people would not think of starting a garden on their roof, human beings have been planting gardens on rooftops for thousands of years. Some rooftop gardens are very complex and require complicated engineering, but others are simple container gardens that anyone can create with the investment of a few hundred dollars and a few hours of work. Rooftop gardens provide many of the same benefits as other urban park and garden spaces, but without taking up the much-needed land. Like parks, rooftop gardens help to replace carbon dioxide in the air with nourishing oxygen. They also help to lessen the Urban Heat Island Effect, which can save people money. In the summer, rooftop gardens prevent buildings from absorbing heat from the sun, which can significantly reduce cooling bills. In the winter, gardens help hold in the heat that materials like brick and concrete radiate so quickly, leading to savings on heating bills. Rooftop vegetable and herb gardens can also provide fresh food for city dwellers, saving them money and making their diets healthier. Rooftop gardens are not only something everyone can enjoy, they are also a smart environmental investment. Based on its use in paragraph 2, it can be inferred that mitigate belongs to which of the following word groups?
A. exacerbate, aggravate, intensify
B. obliterate, destroy, annihilate
C. allay, alleviate, reduce
D. absorb, intake, consume
Using the information in paragraph 2 as a guide, it can be inferred that ...............
A. cities with rooftop gardens are cooler than those without rooftop gardens
B. some plants are not suitable for growth in rooftop gardens
C. most people prefer parks to rooftop gardens
D. most people prefer life in the country over life in the city
Based on the information in paragraph 3, which of the following best describes the main difference between parks and rooftop gardens?
A. Parks are expensive to create while rooftop gardens are not.
B. Parks are public while rooftop gardens are private.
C. Parks absorb heat while rooftop gardens do not.
D. Parks require much space while rooftop gardens do not.
The author claims all of the following to be the benefits of rooftop gardens except .............
A. increased space for private relaxation
B. savings on heating and cooling costs
C. better food for city dwellers
D. improved air quality