Tµi liÖu luyÖn thi §¹i häc * M«n TiÕng Anh * READING COMPREHENSION 1. Name: ________________________ PASSAGE 1: According to a survey conducted between 1985 and 1995, there were fewer girls than boys in schools world-wide. In the 51 countries with the most significant gap, 75 million fewer girls than boys were enrolled in school. Afghanistan and Pakistan saw the greatest increases in the gap over the ten-year period, in spite of the survey being conducted before the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban militia came to power. On the other hand, a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, have made the biggest strides towards closing the education gap. 1) In the 51 countries with the largest gender gap in education, __________ A. the feminist movement has made significant gains in recent years B. the number of girls attending school was gradually decreasing C. male students outnumbered female students by 75 million D. the gap between educated men and women was diminishing 2) We understand from the passage that the survey __________ A. was carried out in 51 countries B. reflects the educational states of the countries over a ten-year period C. did not include any of the Western countries D. was conducted under great difficulty in certain countries 3) From the implication in the passage about Islamic Taliban militia, we can conclude that __________ A. Pakistan must have achieved equality in education D. they came to power using force B. they give girls less chance to attend school C. Pakistani people must be too busy to spend time on improving their education PASSAGE 2: If the Nobel Peace Prize were awarded for actually securing peace, many of those who have received it would have to give it back. For example, in 1994 Yasir Arafat, Yitsak Rabin, and Shimon Peres received the prize jointly, though years later Palestinians and Israelis are still fighting. Mikhail Gorbachev, who received the Prize in 1990, dissolved the Soviet Union, but left the Russian economy in collapse and its people in chaos. One of the more notorious awards went to Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho, who negotiated a cease-fire to end the Vietnam War. The war went on for two more years, and Le Duc Tho, though not Kissinger, was honest enough to decline the award. 4) What is emphasized in the passage is that the Nobel Peace Prize ___________ A. is frequently given to people who have not actually attained peace B. has mostly been given to someone from a Western country C. has to be given to a different person each year D. has, in several cases, brought about the end of bloody wars 5) It is clear from the passage that ____________ A. corruption is involved in awarding the Nobel Peace Prize B. all the people who have received the Prize should give it back C. the end of the Soviet Union has proved beneficial for the rest of the world D. the Nobel Peace Prize can be given to more than one person in the same year 6) The author believes that some of those who were awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize ___________ A. had, in fact, worked for their own good, not for world peace B. returned the Prize when they were involved in a war in later years C. had, in the first place, started the wars themselves D. did not actually deserve it PASSAGE 3: One of the smallest of all mammals is the shrew, a mouse-like creature with a head and body length of only 3.8 centimetres. All shrews are small, with dense, velvety fur, long tails, and tiny eyes and ears. Shrews have been called bloodthirsty, though the label is not entirely accurate because they must eat almost constantly to stay alive. The animal is believed to have a very high metabolic rate and cannot live more than a few hours without food. In the absence of normal prey, it will turn to cannibalism to survive. The shrew, or some closely related animal, can be found on every continent except Australia. Since this tiny animal has a reputation for having a very bad temper, the adjective "shrewish" is sometimes used to describe a certain type of women. 7) The passage tells us that the shrew ___________ A. has a very short life span B. is similar to a mouse in appearance C. lives in dense forests D. makes an exceptionally good pet 8) The passage states that shrews ____________ A. are found in huge numbers in Australia B. are the smallest living mammals C. eat each other when they can't find any food D. feed on the blood of other mammals 9) From what is stated in the passage, we can infer that a shrewish woman is someone who ____________ A. has tiny eyes and ears B. is very fond of velvet and fur C. keeps shrews as pets D. easily gets annoyed Nguyễn Đức Hưng** - Marie Curie High School, HP. ( : 0912.883.190) 1 Tµi liÖu luyÖn thi §¹i häc * M«n TiÕng Anh * READING COMPREHENSION 1. PASSAGE 4: Over the past 30 years, children's consumption in Britain has increased dramatically. In the average family of two parents and two children, spending on toys and children's clothing has more than tripled, and spending on sweets, ice -cream and soft drinks has risen by one -third. Research has recently found that spending is around £3,000 per child per year. The growth in spending reflects higher living standards, but it has been boosted by the efforts of the advertising industry. Campaigns directed straight at children account for much advertising expenditure. Most children in Britain over eight now have a television in the bedroom; on average, they watch 900 hours of TV a year, which is more than the 750 hours the average child is actually being taught in school. Thus a child could see at least 10,000 commercials a year. 10) The average family 30 years ago ___________ A. bought more children's clothes and books and less ice -cream and candy B. watched more TV commercials than today C. had a higher living standard than today D. spent far less on children's products 11) One reason that children's consumption in Britain has risen is that __________ A. parents tend to have fewer kids now B. more kids are involved in advertising campaigns C. researchers advise parents to spend £3000 per year D. the living standard has risen in the country over the years 12) The author concludes the fact that most children over 8 now have their own television set means ___________ A. children prefer watching television to going to school B. children are not as healthy as they were C. more, children are missing school in order to watch television D. an increasing amount of commercials are being watched by children PASSAGE 5: The official language of the Czech Republic is Czech, a highly complex western Slavic tongue. Any attempt from foreigners to speak Czech will be heartily appreciated, so do not be discouraged if people fail to understand you, as most will be accustomed to hearing foreigners stumble through their language. If you don't know any Czech, brush up on your German, since, among the older generation at least, it is still the most widely spoken second language. Russian, once the compulsory second language has been practically wiped off the school curriculum, and the number of English speakers has been steadily increasing, especially among the younger generation. 13) It is clear from the passage that ____________ A. more Czechs speak German than any other foreign language B. as their own language is so difficult, Czechs prefer German C. everyone in the Czech Republic speaks several languages D. Czechs usually laugh at foreigners who try to speak Czech 14) The author informs us that ___________ A. it is now illegal for Czechs to speak Russian B. Czechs do not want to speak German as it reminds them of the German occupation C. most Czech schools offer courses in the Russian language D. Czechs were once required to study Russian at school 15) This passage would most likely appear in ___________ A. a grammar book of the Czech language B. a history book of the Czech Republic C. a book about English language teaching D. a travel guide for the Czech Republic PASSAGE 6 The term 'castle' is most commonly applied to the fortresses belonging to European kings or important nobles during the Middle Ages. The first of this type were built by the Normans in France, during the eleventh century. They were constructed of wood and consisted simply of a tower built on a mound and stood in a courtyard, which was surrounded by a fence and a ditch. By the twelfth century, the wooden tower had given way to a stone one, containing living accommodation for the whole household, centred on the Great hall, and surrounded by a strong wall. As new methods of attack developed, the outer fortifications became more elaborate in order to withstand them. 16) We can conclude from the passage that _____________ A. a castle was a certain type of early defensive structure B. every noble in the Middle Ages had his own castle C. the first fortress was built in Europe in the Middle Ages D. the first castle built by the Normans remained inhabited for a century 17) The author makes it clear that in the12th century, ___________ A. the Normans became less influential in Europe B. the towers were built of stone C. a castle consisted only of a tower D. a castle was still a residence only for the army 18) We learn that castles became stronger and more defensive ____________ A. as new and better construction methods were developed B. as they began to accommodate larger populations C. in reaction to the development of new military strategies D. as more and more buildings were added for the increasing population Nguyễn Đức Hưng** - Marie Curie High School, HP. ( : 0912.883.190) 2 Tµi liÖu luyÖn thi §¹i häc * M«n TiÕng Anh * READING COMPREHENSION 1. 1 B 2 D 3 C 4 D 5 D 6 B 7 B 8 C 9 D 10 D 11 D 12 D 13 A 14 D 15 D 16 A 17 B 18 C Nguyễn Đức Hưng** - Marie Curie High School, HP. ( : 0912.883.190) 3 . School, HP. ( : 0 912 .883 .19 0) 2 Tµi liÖu luyÖn thi §¹i häc * M«n TiÕng Anh * READING COMPREHENSION 1. 1 B 2 D 3 C 4 D 5 D 6 B 7 B 8 C 9 D 10 D 11 D 12 D 13 A 14 D 15 D 16 A 17 B 18 C Nguyễn Đức. * READING COMPREHENSION 1. Name: ________________________ PASSAGE 1: According to a survey conducted between 19 85 and 19 95, there were fewer girls than boys in schools world-wide. In the 51 countries. Nguyễn Đức Hưng** - Marie Curie High School, HP. ( : 0 912 .883 .19 0) 1 Tµi liÖu luyÖn thi §¹i häc * M«n TiÕng Anh * READING COMPREHENSION 1. PASSAGE 4: Over the past 30 years, children's consumption