Xem toàn bộ tài liệu Lớp 11: tại đây

Bài 1. 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.

As viewed from space, Earth’s distinguishing characteristics are its blue waters and white clouds. Enveloped by an ocean of air consisting of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, the planet is the only one in our solar system known to harbor life. Circling the Sun at an average distance of 149 million kilometers (93 million miles), Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest planet in the solar system.

Our planet’s rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core give rise to an extensive magnetic field which, coupled the atmosphere, shields us from nearly all of the harmful radiation coming from the Sun and other stars. Earth’s atmosphere protects us from meteors as well, most of which burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere before they can strike the surface. The planet active geological processes have left no evidence of the ancient pelting it almost certainly received soon after it formed about 4.6 billion years ago. The Earth has a single natural satellite – the moon.

Question 1: Approximately how much of the Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen?

A. One-fourth     B. One-half     C. Three-fourths     D. All of it

Đáp án: C

Thông tin: Enveloped by an ocean of air consisting of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.

Dịch: Được bao bọc bởi một đại dương không khí bao gồm 78% nitơ và 21% oxy.

Question 2: Which of the following helps to create the Earth’s magnetic fields?

A. Its blue waters     B. Its nitrogen atmosphere

C. Its molten metal core     D. The moon

Đáp án: C

Thông tin: Our planet’s rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core give rise to an extensive magnetic field.

Dịch: Hành tinh của chúng ta có thể quay nhanh và lõi niken-sắt nóng chảy tạo ra từ trường rộng lớn.

Question 3: What two factors help protect the Earth from radiation?

A. Magnetic field and atmosphere     B. Blue waters and white clouds

C. Rapid spin and molten nickel-iron core    D. The Sun and the Moon

Đáp án: A

Thông tin: …… give rise to an extensive magnetic field which, coupled the atmosphere, shields us from nearly all of the harmful radiation …

Dịch: …. tạo ra một từ trường rộng lớn, kết hợp với bầu khí quyển, che chắn chúng ta khỏi gần như tất cả các bức xạ có hại….

Question 4: The word consisting most nearly means ________.

A. hardening    B. withholding     C. containing    D. shortening

Đáp án: C

Giải thích: Consist = contain (v) chứa, bao gồm

Question 5: The main idea of this passage is that ________.

A. Earth is predominantly water.

B. There are life-supporting characteristics on Earth

C. Earth is the only planet with a moon

D. Earth has no common characteristics with other planets

Đáp án: B

Giải thích: Câu này chúng ta nên để làm cuối cùng sau khi giải quyết hết các câu hỏi còn lại để có cái nhìn tổng quát về toàn bài mà chọn đáp án nhé.

Question 6: The word distinguishing as it is used in this selection means ________.

A. elevating in nature

B. characteristics like all other planets

C. devastating in nature

D. characteristics that set it apart from other planets

Đáp án: D

Giải thích: Câu này ta chỉ cần hiểu nghĩa của distinguish (phân biệt) là làm được rồi.

Question 7: It’s probable that the next paragraph would discuss ________.

A. people on planets     B. the solar system as a whole

C. rings around Saturn     D. the Earth’s natural satellite – the moon

Đáp án: D

Giải thích:Ta thấy câu cuối của passage là “The Earth has a single natural satellite – the moon.” nên chọn D

Bài 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions

Do you think education is better now than it was in your grandparents’ time? Many older people in the UK believe the opposite. “Schools were better in our day,” they complain. “There isn’t enough discipline these days. Kids don’t work as hard as we did, either. The syllabus isn’t as challenging, so clever students aren’t being stretched enough. They need to study things in greater depth. Exams are much, much easier now as well.”

Were schools better years ago? Some British teenagers travelled back in time to a 1950s boarding school. They got a big surprise! The first shock came when the teenagers met their new teachers. Dressed in traditional black gowns, they look so frosty and uncaring! They were really authoritarian, too, so anyone caught breaking the rules – talking in classes, mucking about in the playground or playing truant – was in big trouble! Punishments included writing ‘lines’ or staying after class to do detention. The naughtiest kids were expelled.

Things were just as bad after class. At meal times the students had to endure a diet of plain, no-nonsense, healthy food. Homework was obligatory and it took ages! Copying essays off the Internet wasn’t an option, as personal computers didn’t exist in the 1950s!

At the end of ‘term’ everyone sat 1950s-style exams. The old exams were much longer than their twenty-first century equivalents and involved learning huge amounts of facts by heart. History papers were all dates and battles. Maths papers were trickier, too; calculators weren’t around in the 1950s, so the students had to memorise multiplication tables and master long division. Our candidates found this really difficult.

The exam results surprised a lot of people. Students predicted to do well in their real-life, twenty-first century exams often got low grades in the 1950s exams. Does this prove modern exams are too easy? Do twenty-first century kids rely too much on modern technology, like calculators and computers?

The TV series of That ‘ll teach ’em! focused on a 1960s vocational school. UK school-kids study a range of academic subjects these days. But in the 1960s, children judged to be less ‘able’ went to vocational schools. These helped them learn job skills. Boys studied subjects like metalwork, woodwork or gardening. In some classes, they even learned how to milk goats! The girls’ timetables included secretarial skills. They also learned to cook, clean and sew – probably not much fun for most girls.

Question 1: What criticism is sometimes made about modern education in the first paragraph?

A. Teachers aren’t strict enough.

B. The syllabus is out of date.

C. There’s too much stress on exams.

D. The teaching methods are not good enough.

Đáp án: A

Thông tin: There isn’t enough discipline these days. Kids don’t work as hard as we did, either. The syllabus isn’t as challenging, so clever students aren’t being stretched enough ….

Dịch: Không có đủ kỷ luật những ngày này. Trẻ em cũng không làm việc chăm chỉ như chúng tôi. Giáo trình không phải là thử thách, vì vậy học sinh thông minh không bị kéo dài đủ…

Question 2: The word “authoritarian”in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

A. inexperienced    B. impolite     C. unreasonable    D. strict

Đáp án: D

Authoritarian = Strict (độc đoán)

Question 3: Which of the following statements is TRUE about the food the students ate at school?

A. It wasn’t cooked properly.     B. It wasn’t delicious.

C. It wasn’t nutritious.     D. There wasn’t much of it.

Đáp án: B

Thông tin: At meal times the students had to endure a diet of plain, no-nonsense, healthy food.

Dịch: Trong bữa ăn, các sinh viên phải chịu đựng một chế độ ăn uống đơn giản, vô nghĩa, thực phẩm lành mạnh.

Question 4: The word “obligatory” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ____.

A. compulsory     B. difficult     C. long     D. complicated

Đáp án: A

Obligatory = compulsory (bắt buộc)

Question 5: According to the passage, how did exams in the 1950s differ from those in the twenty-first century?

A They covered more subjects.     B. It took students less time to do them.

C. There was more to remember.     D. They were less difficult.

Đáp án: C

Thông tin: Maths papers were trickier, too; calculators weren’t around in the 1950s, so the students had to memorise multiplication tables and master long division. Our candidates found this really difficult.

Dịch: Các bài toán cũng khó hơn; máy tính không có trong những năm 1950, vì vậy các sinh viên phải ghi nhớ các bảng nhân và làm chủ phép chia dài. Các ứng cử viên của chúng tôi thấy điều này thực sự khó khăn.

Question 6: What was surprising about the students’ results after taking the 1950s-style exams?

A. All the students found the exams difficult.

B. Students didn’t do as well as expected.

C. Students who were predicted to fail did rather well.

D. Students did better than twenty-first century exams.

Đáp án: B

Thông tin: Students predicted to do well in their real-life, twenty-first century exams often got low grades in the 1950s exams.

Dịch: Các sinh viên dự đoán sẽ làm tốt trong các kỳ thi thế kỷ hai mươi mốt của họ trong thế kỷ hai mươi thường có điểm thấp trong các kỳ thi những năm 1950.

Question 7: The word “these” in the last paragraph refers to ____.

A. school-kids     B. subjects     C. series     D. vocational schools

Đáp án: D

Thông tin: But in the 1960s, children judged to be less ‘able’ went to vocational schools. These helped them learn job skills.

Dịch: Nhưng vào những năm 1960, trẻ em được đánh giá là ít có khả năng đi đến các trường dạy nghề. Những điều này đã giúp họ học các kỹ năng công việc.

Question 8: Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Vocational schools provided poorer children with equipment.

B. Vocational schools took children who were good at studying.

C. Vocational schools prepared students for employment.

D. Vocational schools were a complete waste of time.

Đáp án: C

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