Đề thi tham khảo ĐGNL Đại học Sư phạm TP.Hồ Chí Minh môn Tiếng Anh có đáp án - Đề số 3

A. LISTENING

In this section of the test, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to understand conversations and talks in English. There are three parts in this section with special directions for each part. Answer all the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied by the speakers in the recording. The recording will be played ONCE only.

Part 1: Question 1-8

In this part, you will hear EIGHT short announcements or instructions. There is one question for each announcement or instruction. For each question, choose the right answer A, B, C or D. First you have some time to look at questions 1 to 8.

Part 2: Questions 9-20

In this part, you will hear THREE conversations. The conversations will not be repeated. There are four questions for each conversation. For each question, choose the right answer A, B, C or D. You will hear the recording ONCE only.

Part 3: Questions 21-35

In this part, you will hear THREE lectures. The lecture will not be repeated. There are five questions for the lecture. For each question, choose the right answer A, B, C or D. You will hear the recording ONCE only.

B. READING

In this section of the test, you will read FOUR different passages, each followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer to each question. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.

You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions.

Passage 1:

       In recent years, gender equality policies have gained significant attention and advocacy, fueled by a growing recognition of the disparities that persist in the workplace. Over time, the dialogue surrounding these policies continues to evolve, influenced by social factors.

       Several key trends are shaping gender equality initiatives across various sectors. One prominent trend is the shift towards transparency in pay scales. Businesses are now more frequently publishing salary ranges for job postings and conducting internal pay audits. These practices aim to address systemic pay disparities and hold organizations accountable for equitable compensation across genders. Another significant trend is the growing emphasis on flexible work arrangements. The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed workplace dynamics, prompting many organizations to adopt remote work policies and flexible schedules. Companies that support work-life balance and offer fair parental leave are set apart as leaders in gender equality. These initiatives not only contribute to employee satisfaction but also attract a diverse talent pool.

       Despite progressive trends, gender inequality hasn’t been eradicated. One major problem is societal stereotypes and biases that persist in many workplaces. These can affect hiring decisions, promotion opportunities, and interpersonal relationships among employees. For instance, women may face skepticism about their capabilities in leadership roles, leading to fewer women in senior positions despite similar qualifications. Another issue is the resistance from some employees. Some individuals may perceive policies advocating for gender equality as preferential treatment, leading to workplace divisions rather than unity.

       In conclusion, achieving true gender equality requires more than just professional rules; it requires a shift in how we think and behave. By combining policies with open communication and cultural change, companies can overcome deep biases. Ultimately, a workplace that values everyone equally is likely to reach financial success in the long run.

Passage 2:

       In 2007, design graduates Joe Gebbie and Brian Chesky were struggling to pay the rent for their San Francisco apartment. Hearing that there was a conference coming to town and there were no hotel rooms available, they created the website airbedandbreakfast.com, where they advertised three airbeds in their home at $80 each a night, breakfast included. Only six days later, they had three guests sleeping on their floor. They knew immediately that this was the start of something big.

       Being budding entrepreneurs, the pair decided to take their idea further. They enlisted Gebbie's former flatmate, Nathan Blecharczyk, a computer science graduate, to develop their website. Their idea was to target conferences and festivals across the USA, getting local people to list their rooms and travelers to book them. The new website was completed just in time for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, at which Barack Obama was due to speak in front of 80,000 people. Within a week, they had 800 listings - an achievement which helped deal with the shortage of hotel rooms, but did not solve their financial problems, as the site was not making any money.

       The team decided that they would have to handle payment for the bookings. They began to charge three per cent to the host and between six and twelve per cent to the traveler, depending on the price of the booking. Meanwhile, investors had started showing interest in the company. By April 2009, when larger investments began to arrive, they moved the company out of their flat into a new state-of-the-art office and hired more staff. Since then, Airbnb has gone from strength to strength. The company now has over 1.5 million listings in 34,000 cities across 190 countries and is rumored to be worth around $20 billion.

(Adapted from Friends Global)

Passage 3:

       The agricultural sector has moved into a new stage with the rise of vertical farming, reshaping how crops are grown in cities around the world. What began as small-scale experimental greenhouse setups has developed into fully integrated indoor farming systems, offering promising solutions for sustainable food production in urban areas.

       Vertical farming provides substantial benefits for both agricultural producers and urban communities. Farmers achieve year-round crop production, eliminated weather dependency, and significantly increased yield per square meter. Cities benefit from reduced food transportation costs, access to fresh produce regardless of climate, and often decreased environmental impact from agricultural activities. However, these agricultural innovations present considerable obstacles requiring advanced technological infrastructure and substantial energy investments.

       Energy consumption represents the most significant challenge in vertical farming operations. LED lighting systems enable controlled photosynthesis, precise nutrient delivery, and optimized growing conditions that soil-based agriculture cannot achieve consistently. Additionally, maintaining sterile growing environments becomes increasingly complex when scaling production to commercial levels. Many vertical farms report struggling with profitability while competing against traditional outdoor agriculture without adequate economic incentives.

       Automation plays a fundamental role in vertical farming viability. Robotic harvesting systems, AI-controlled environmental monitoring, and automated nutrient distribution networks are transforming how indoor agricultural operations function efficiently. Facilities investing in comprehensive automation infrastructure often achieve superior crop quality and operational sustainability. Nevertheless, not all crops are economically viable for vertical cultivation, particularly those requiring extensive growing space or producing relatively low market values.

Passage 4:

       Digital media have dramatically changed how we consume information, largely due to the effects of social media. These digital sites provide users with highly personalized news feeds, carefully curated to align with their past interactions such as what they have liked, followed, commented on, etc. This algorithmic tailoring often leads to the formation of “echo chambers”, situations where individuals are mainly exposed to information that reinforces their existing beliefs. Such selective exposure not only limits intellectual growth but also cultivates a fragmented understanding of complex issues, where diverse perspectives are systematically sidelined. Because of this lack of variety, a shared reality can become elusive, replaced by separate, one-sided versions.

       [A] The root cause of these echo chambers lies in confirmation bias, a human cognitive tendency. It drives individuals to seek out, interpret, and favor information that supports their pre-existing beliefs, while simultaneously downplaying or rejecting information that contradicts those views. Every social media platform, in pursuit of maximizing user engagement and, consequently, advertising revenue, unintentionally amplifies this natural tendency. By prioritizing content that resonates with a user’s current belief system, its algorithms create a feedback loop, making it less likely for individuals to encounter challenging or differing viewpoints. This continuous belief validation, while psychologically comforting, significantly impedes the development of critical thinking skills and open-mindedness. [B]

       The impact of echo chambers on society is also concerning. Social media sites that restrict users’ access to opposing viewpoints and reinforce their existing beliefs could potentially exacerbate societal division. For instance, on the issue of climate change, one user might only see posts downplaying environmental risks, while another is exposed exclusively to catastrophic warnings. Since each group relies on completely disparate bodies of fact, there is little basis for them to share any kind of mutual understanding. [C]

       Breaking free from these echo chambers requires a conscious effort. Doing so involves cultivating digital literacy, actively seeking out diverse and credible sources of information, and critically evaluating content rather than passively consuming what algorithms present to us. Only through such proactive measures can individuals cultivate a more comprehensive understanding of the world, thereby fostering a more inclusive exchange of ideas across the increasingly fractured digital landscape. [D]

(Adapted from https://www.wired.com)

C. WRITING

In this section of the test, there are TWO writing tasks, with specific directions for each parts. You have 60 minutes to finish the two tasks.

Let’s talk about Shopping Habits

PART THREE: TOPIC DEVELOPMENT

TOPIC: Learning a foreign language is becoming important for high school students.