Bài tập luyện nghe ôn thi học sinh giỏi cấp tỉnh, học sinh giỏi quốc gia THPT

Part 1:
1. ………………… of the flames tearing through Amazon have caught the world’s attention.
2. Scientists using ……………. to track the fires say 2019 is …………… to be
the Brazilian Amazon’s worst fire since 2010.
3. According to Matt Hansen, the fires were caused by people who reduced
cover to get …………………
4. Most years some of those fires spread to ……………. and some years are worse than others.
5. On the Descent viewed ………………. in the atmosphere, which freaks people.
6. Combine that with social media and celebrities …………... and you had the perfect storm.
7. This isn’t the first time Brazil has suffered …………………
8. Although locals say farming is an important part of their …………………,
Brazil has been ………… by the international community for slowing down
deforestation in the early 2000s.
9. But in the last decade, Brazil has been …………. in terms of limiting deforestation.
10. Today, it looks like a(n) ………………....... against the forest.
11. ………………………… drive the majority of tropical deforestation.
12. According to Matt Hansen, …………… and …………….. have to be respected.
13. However, in modern age, balance between the services that the environment
provides like ……………… and …………. versus the economic development.
14. It’s reasonable that there’s a bit of structure and much more ………………. to development.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5gv4bka5Qg Key: 1. Jarring photos and videos
2. NASA satellites – shaping up
3. new forage for cattle graze 4. unintended areas
5. (really) clear aerosol line 6. chiming in 7. dramatic forest fires
8. economic prosperity – applauded 9. backsliding
10. economic incentive Hollywood
11. Beef, soil, palm oil and wood products
12. sovereignty – economic development
13. regulating climate – harboring biodiversity
14. organized disciplined approach Part 2:
Back in jail for a third time, one of them picked off the streets by police
this morning. In the van are Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow. If this
…...(1)….. against China’s rule has any recognizable faces, it is theirs.
Charged with public order offences and …….(2)…….., they may look
like high school students. But they become Beijing’s biggest headache,
determined to fight on and even as the ……(3)………. apparently free from fear. Joshua Wong:
We shall not ……(4)…… and I urge international communities could
send a clear message to President Xi, sending troops or …….(5)……….
is not the way out. We will continue our fight no matter how they arrest and prosecute us. Agnes Chow:
We can see very clearly that ……(6)….. and Hong Kong government is
trying to create .…..(7)…… You tried to scare Hong Kong people to not
to participate in the social movement and in the democratic movement in
the future. But we Hong Kong people won’t give up and won’t be scared by these ……(8)…….
The demonstration surrounded ……(9)….. on the 21st of June. No
violence on that occasion but ……(10)…… the police in their own
building was seen as a(n) ……..(11)…….. to the authority of Beijing and
its …….(12)……. in Hongkong. These latest arrests may appear
…..(13)….. but they’re part of China’s ……(14)…… to this dilemma.
How to stop the …….(15)……. without resorting to a bloodbath?
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYOl4nC41AI (0:00 – 1:46) Key: 1. insurrection 2. released on bail 3. stake’s mount 4. surrender 5. using emergency ordinance 6. the regime 7. a white terror 8. white herald 9. police headquarters 10. barricading 11. brazen affront 12. surrogates 13. draconian 14. nuanced approach 15. contagion of freedom Part 3:
1. The MeToo movement, which empowered survivors in the US to speak up
about harassment by ………………………….. alike has made global waves
and spread to places like France, China and Kenya.
2. This isn’t the first time women in India are speaking out against sexual
assault, but it’s fair to say ………………….. haven’t caught fire on social media the way they are now.
3. In fact, one of the allegations that sparked this movement first …….. 10
years ago but didn’t really ………………. until just recently.
4. As Janice Sequeira reported, the leading man, Nana Patekar, had sort of
……………….. the choreographers and the producers to ensure that he
would be a part of the song in a manner where he got to touch Dutta inappropriately.
5. Dutta was met with ……………… outside her trailer, demanding that she finish the shoot.
6. When Dutta brought up the incident again in a TV interview 10 years later,
more people listened but she also received …………….
7. Comedian Mahima Kukreja called out a …………………….. for sending
…………………………
8. MJ Akbar denied the claims and filed a(n) ………………….. against the
first woman to come forward but also eventually resigned.
9. In 2017, a law student …………….. a list of Indian academists who sexually
harassed students, and published it on Facebook.
10. What we’re seeing right now is decades of ………………………
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuBDhN3NP7A (0:00 – 4:53) Key:
1. little-known and high-profile perpetrators 2. past allegations 3. surfaced – gain traction 4. colluded with 5. an angry mob 6. backlash
7. prominent stand-up comic – sexually explicit photos 8. defamation suit 9. crowdsourced
10. pent-up anger and frustration Part 4:
1. Besides old tires, what does an adventure playground include?
………………………………………………………………… 2. Who is Marjory Allen?
………………………………………………………………….
3. To create adventure playgrounds, what element designers had to introduce?
………………………………………………………………….. 4. What are loose parts?
……………………………………………………………………
5. When Marjory Allen visited American playgrounds in 1965, what did she call them?
…………………………………………………………………….
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lztEnBFN5zU Key:
1. wood planks, hammers and nails
2. British landscape architect / (/) and children’s welfare advocate 3. controlled risk 4. manipulatable objects
5. an administrator’s heaven and a child’s hell Part 5:
1. In the 1970s, researchers predicted that human overuse of …………………
would surface at the beginning of the 21st century.
2. Almost on cue, food prices ……………, peak oil got closer and pollution ……………. the climate.
3. In 2011, there were 44 million people on ………………, and five job
seekers for every available position.
4. The official discourse allows for just one way of solving these problems:
expand production, ………………………, and hope the jobs will …………
5. The indiscriminate growth would ……………………………., which in turn
creates more financial instability.
6. We have to challenge ……………………………….. by building a new
economic model and way of living.
7. DIY includes making manufactured items with …………………………..
8. DIY is …………………………… because 21st century technologies have
raised the productivity of small scale production.
9. ……………………………… are also finding security by linking up with each other.
10. A plenitude economy is a way to ………………………. to our economy,
take responsibility for our lifestyles, and treat one another and the planet
with the respect we all deserve.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-YrD_KB0M Key: 1. planetary resources
2. skyrocketed – destabilized 3. food stamps
4. rev up the engine – trickle down
5. intensify ecological overshoot
6. our devotion to endless growth
7. desktop-sized computer-controlled machines 8. savvy economics 9. Plenitude practitioners 10. reclaim a human scale Part 6:
1. The plastic in their bodies was formed by chemically bonding oil and
………………… together to make ………….
2. In turn, they were bonded into ……………………………. to make plastic
in the form of …………………………….
3. Those were melted at manufacturing plants and reformed in molds to create
the resilient material that makes up …………………………
4. Machines filled the bottles with ……………………………………
5. The bottles were then wrapped, shipped, bought, opened, consumed and ……………........
6. As rainwater flows through the waste, they can create a harmful stew called ………………….
7. It can take bottle a(n) ………………………………….. to decompose.
8. After month lost at seas, the bottle is slowly drawn into a(n) ………………, where trash accumulates.
9. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of five ………………………… in the world’s seas.
10. Most plastics don’t biodegrade, they break down into smaller pieces called
…………………………….
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8 Key: 1. gas molecules – monomers
2. long polymer chains – millions of pellets 3. the triplets’ bodies 4. sweet bubbly liquid 5. unceremoniously discarded 6. leachate 7. agonizing 1000 years 8. massive vortex 9. plastic-filled gyres 10. micro plastics Part 7: 1. ………(1)…………..
- Democrats can be considered less leaning so closer to socialism than the
Republicans but still more to the right in their European counterparts.
- Republicans can be considered right leaning so closer to pure capitalism
but more to the left …….(2)…….. 2. The role of the state
- Democrats think the government should be more present in our lives
through things like ………(3)………. after a financial crisis to jumpstart
the economy more ………...(4)………… and so on.
- Republicans like the idea of less …………(5)..…… and more free-market capitalism. 3. Taxation
- Democrats stand firmly behind ………..….(6)……………… so higher
tax rates for those who earn more.
- Republicans prefer less taxation in general and perhaps even an eventual …………(7)..……….. 4. Health care
- Democrats like the idea of ………….(8)………….. provided health care
- Republicans would rather let ……………(9)……………… be in the spotlight.
5. ……………(10)…………
- Democrats tend to be more generous when it comes to government
assistance through various programs.
- Republicans want less of a burden on the ……(11)……. 6. Defense
- Democrats prefer a more ………..(12)………...
- Republicans are more willing to spend money on defense and ……….(13)………… 7. National debt
- Republicans are more ………….(14)………….
- Both parties engaged in quite a bit of deficit spending over the years as
the US debt level of roughly 20 trillion dollars proves.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl9pAtdJck4 Key: 1. Ideology 2. the Libertarian party 3. deficit spending 4. regulatory oversight 5. government interference 6. progressive taxation 7. flat tax rate 8. universal government 9. private sector companies 10. Social safety nets 11. taxpayer 12. pacifist rhetoric 13. law enforcement 14. debt averse Part 8:
1. Silica aerogel is also known as ……………………..
2. At the nanoscale, it has a ……………………………… made of silica oxide.
3. Silica is the same material usually found in glass, so it is ………………. but
its ………..…….. means it’s 1000 times less dense than glass.
4. The idea that silica aerogel is an ideal material for a greenhouse on Mars
comes from a process called …………………………………
5. In the spring, heat in the soil underneath dry ice turns C02 to gas, which
spouts out of the surface like ……………, spraying ……………. up with it.
6. Light can pass through this material, allowing for ……………… to happen underneath.
7. Aerogel has helped keep components warm on every ……….. we’ve sent to the red planet.
8. So far on paper, it sounds like a key piece of a ………………………………
9. We could make greenhouse out of it to grow food on Mars, or simply place
it in the soil to ………………………………….
10. Because it’s made from the same stuff as glass, it’s extremely
……………................
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCPNauRhkLM Key: 1. frozen smoke 2. sponge-like structure
3. translucent – porous structure
4. the Solid-State Greenhouse Effect 5. a geyser – regolith 6. photosynthesis 7. rover
8. permanent Martian settlement 9. encourage algal growth 10. stiff and brittle Part 9:
1. The mandate of the Canadian Border Services Agency is to facilitate the
movement of travelers and goods, but it also needs to …………………….. ……… to Canada.
2. Specialized units and teams within the CBSA work behind the scenes to
uncover information that helps ………………………... do their job.
3. From 2012 to 2013, the CBSA processed more than 100 million travelers at
its ………………………………
4. The Intelligence Program helps to identify potential risks to the security and
safety of the people and goods through ………………………………………
5. The CBSA provides this intelligence to government authorities and like-
minded, counter-part nations, or ……………. on various threats to national security.
6. This might include information related to terrorism, ………………………..,
war crimes, organized crimes, smuggling, immigration fraud, irregular
migration, ………………………….., and ………………………………
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-XO-lB8WTA Key:
1. intercept any potential threats 2. frontline officers 3. ports of entry
4. tactical, operational or strategic intelligence 5. stakeholders
6. weapons proliferation – fraudulent documentation – border enforcement. Part 10:
1. Justin Trudeau arrives at this G7 as a great defender of ……………………
2. American media reports ……. anonymous US officials complaining that
France is wasting too much time on climate change, gender equality and
development in Africa, calling them …………………….
3. Trump wants to focus on boosting the economy, even though his escalating
trade war with China has slowed growth, …………………………………. and made allies nervous.
4. According to Boris Johnson, just to register as a(n) …………………………
of our view on the trade war, we are in favour of trade peace on the whole.
5. Trump’s stance on climate change has forced leaders to abandon the idea of
a(n) …………………………… when this summit is over.
6. At Trump’s first G7 in Italy, he …………………………………… on
climate by making clear he was pulling out of the Paris agreement.
7. At his second last year in Quebec, he ………………………………….. in a
……………………. from Air Force One.
8. Now in France, they won’t even try to ……………………………
9. Trudeau supports the ……………………………………… put forward by friends.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FAN2-TY91I Key: 1. multilateral institutions 2. cite – niche issues 3. sent markets tumbling 4. faint sheep-like note 5. unanimous communique 6. broke the consensus
7. obliterated the communique – tweet storm 8. forge a consensus 9. African Development Agenda Part 11:
1. Switzerland has the ………………………………………. in the world
2. French government’s spending accounts for half of the economy and it owns
shares of in many companies like banks, ……………………….,
transportation providers and ……………………………………
3. The Dutch government uses ………………………………… to fight the
worldwide trend of more and more earnings going to the rich.
4. The economic crisis that has …………….. Greece over the past decade has driven poverty over 30%.
5. The physical demands of mining industry could be why Australians put such
a high priority on …………………………….. their workers.
6. New Zealand is the fourth-best nation at preventing its one-percenters from
………………………………………..
7. Japanese embrace a balanced approach to society building through policies
that reward success while preventing …………………………………..
8. Hungary has a universal healthcare system and provides ……………………
…………….. to its people.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i53NGThBdoc Key: 1. highest median wealth
2. energy utilities – telecommunications firms 3. aggressive taxation 4. ravaged 5. fairly compensating 6. plundering all the booty
7. gratuitous wealth accumulation
8. tuition-free university education Part 12:
1. Right now you are a central point of the …………………… of change
fueled by digitization, mobilization, ………………, ……………….., automation,...
2. Things really have stopped happening gradually. This change is ……………
3. Everything that used to be dumb and disconnected is now ………………….. ……………
4. The sensors wiring intelligent cars, cities, ports, farms or even our bodies are also ………………..
5. They …………. each other creating a perfect storm of change.
6. Human-only traits such as creativity, imagination, ………….., …………..,
and ……......... will even be more important in the future.
7. Machines are very good at …...................... but not at being.
8. Technology represents the …………………………, but humans represent the why.
9. We will engage, relate and buy things because of the experiences they
provide, because of their ………………………………
10. The future is in technology, yet the bigger future lies in ………………… it.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ystdF6jN7hc Key:
1. raging tornado – augmentation – disintermediation 2. exponential 3. wired and intelligent. 4. combinatorial 5. amplify
6. intuition – emotion – ethics 7. simulating 8. howl of change 9. transformative power 10. transcending Part 13:
1. Mongol Empire was the ……………………………………………… in
history and was forged on the open plains.
2. In the 12th century CE, the East Asian steppe was home to scattered groups
of Mongol and ……………………………………………. led by Khans.
3. Despite losing his father at an early age and growing up in poverty, Temujin
quickly rose to power by ……………………………………………. with other leaders.
4. By 1206, he had united the people of the ……………………………………. and become Chinggis Khan.
5. The Mongols were …………….., believing that the spirits of nature and
their ancestors inhabited the world around them.
6. Under Chinggis Khan, the Mongols first subdued northern China and
…………………………………………
7. After his death in 1227, the ………………………… passed to his family, or
…………………………….
8. Life within the Mongol Empire wasn’t just ………………………………….
9. ……………………………. was the most valuable produce in the Empire.
10. Trade flourished along the Silk Road, helped by an extensive system of
……………………………………………….
11. Robust trade continued at sea, especially in …………………………………
12. By the 1260s, Chinggis Khan’s grandson were in a ………………………
…………….. over inheritance and ………………………………… into four separate empires.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUVvTqvjUaM Key:
1. largest contiguous land empire 2. Turkic pastoral nomads
3. forging strategic alliances 4. felt-walled tents 5. shamanists 6. the eastern Islamic lands
7. Divine Mandate – the Golden Lineage
8. war, pillage and destruction 9. Gold brocade
10. horse messengers and relay posts 11. blue-and-white porcelain
12. full-blown civil war – fragmented the realm Part 14:
1. When did the longest flight in history started?
……………………………………………… 2. What did Robert Timm do?
……………………………………………….
3. What thing was not removed from the plane’s interior?
………………………………………………...
4. What was the occasion of 4th December?
………………………………………………… 5. What happened on day 39?
………………………………………………….
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TDk34hnSXc Key: 1. in 1958 2. a slot machine mechanic 3. the pilot’s seat 4. National Cookie Day 5. the generator failed Part 15:
1. The disturbed man claims manager Michelle Kwan stole a quarter million
from his ………………………………
2. When the note is pushed through a crack in the door, the police are
………………………………… behind the bank.
3. The employees say not only he has a shotgun but ………………………….. as well.
4. After grabbing the note, the robot retreats having spotted the man inside
along with ………………….
5. While Michelle’s hustled away, the rest of the team charges inside to
……………………………………….
6. The gunman faces five life sentences plus 40 years for bomb making, ……..,
kidnapping and attempted murder.
7. Police have incredible resources for dealing with hostile situations, but it
still comes down to cops putting themselves …………………………… in a battle of Last Man Standing.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK8__8Td9fc Key: 1. safe deposit box
2. unloading that/a tactical robot 3. several pipe bombs 4. his arsenal 5. disarm the lunatic 6. extortion 7. in the crosshairs Part 16:
1. The trend that leaders extend presidential terms beyond reasonable limits is
called “………………………”.
2. For as long as many African countries have existed, they have been plagued
with ………………………….., corruption and so-called …………………...
3. Instead of ruling over their colonies directly, European countries have local
politicians ……………………..
4. After World War Two, proxy-leaders were largely distrusted by the people,
as they were seen as members of the elite and …………… with former Western colonizers.
5. After popular uprisings and …………………........., the continent saw an
entirely new wave of leaders, many of whom had little or no political experience.
6. European colonizers largely failed to prepare African nations for ………….. …………………….
7. Following decolonization, Africa was largely left with inadequate
infrastructure, lack of financial resources, insecure governments and
…………………………. surrounding …………………………
8. In order to pursue policies and restore order, most African governments
consolidated power into the highest office, even if that leader was
………………………………. for the challenges that lay ahead.
9. Although colonialism has been gone for the better part of a century, its
implications still …………………………. today.
10. While ruling for decades in the highest office, many of African leaders
become excessively wealthy, benefitting from …………….., ………………
……… or other corruption schemes.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EgytdOWnk8 Key: 1. third termism
2. rigged elections – sit-tight leaders 3. act as proxies 4. co-conspirators 5. violent coup d’états 6. post-colonial autonomy
7. arbitrary borders – rival ethnic groups 8. uneducated and ill-fit 9. plague African politics
10. kick-backs – money laundering Part 17:
1. By hiding our water systems underground, we are missing out on the wider
…………………………. benefits of managing water on or near the surface.
2. Our approach to better water management is called ………………………… ……………………….
3. This approach changes water from a(n) ………………………… into a valuable resource.
4. If we use …………………………………. instead of standard paving and
introduced ……………………………….., we would relieve pressure on our sewers.
5. More and healthier street trees will be naturally watered by runoff if we
design …………………. to drain roads.
6. In commercial areas, despite ………………………., large amounts of
rainwater could be stored to flush toilets, supply car washes or other
industrial processes, and keep businesses operating.
7. Prime development land is ………………… in areas near streams, rivers
and coastlines that may flood.
8. Advantages of this approach: - Reduces water pollution - Decreases flood risk
- Gives greater security of water supply - Improves ecosystem health
- Helps communities connect with water
- ……………………………………….
- Brings together disciplines to create attractive and intelligent environments.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_DTnOzYTR4 Key: 1. environmental and esthetic
2. Water Sensitive Urban Design 3. potential nuisance
4. permeable surfaces – sustainable drainage system 5. tree pits 6. a hosepipe ban 7. sought-after
8. Eases the Urban Heat Island Effect Part 18:
1. For thousands of years, China has stood as a ……………………….. of
culture, achievement and natural beauty.
2. As industrialization spread massive change, a mere 21 people have made us
redefined China as ……………………………………….
3. The factories fill the air with …………., dust, nitrogen oxide, ……………... ……………
4. Spending one day in Beijing is now the equivalent of ……………………….
5. Poisonous air causes the …………………. of over 4000 people each day,
and ………………………… every minute.
6. While the Chinese government struggles to adopt new technologies and
reduce emissions, these 21 people ……………………… exceeding 70
billion dollars by destroying environment.
7. It was recently revealed that the Chinese companies …………………….
and are burning 17% more coal than stated.
8. As China talked about reducing CO2 emissions, they provided permits in
2015 to …………………………………………..
9. These 21 people power their factories with dirty coal because they were
given ………………………………………………… to it.
10. The Chinese people are bound to live their lives in masks beneath …………
……………………………
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEbNOSNAsm0 Key: 1. global beacon
2. the Earth’s leading greenhouse gas emitter
3. sulfur – particulates and mercury 4. smoking 40 cigarettes
5. the premature deaths – two birth defects 6. amassed fortunes
7. manipulated emissions numbers 8. build 155 new coal plants
9. special, cheap, backdoor access
10. apocalyptic, smog-filled skies Part 19:
1. Softbank is a Japanese …………………………….
2. It started as a software distributor, grew into ………………………., and
now spans many different industries.
3. Its business dealings include telecommunications, …………….., finance,
technology services, ………………………….., media and marketing, a
baseball team or even a robot.
4. Pepper is a ……………………….. manufactured by Softbank, designed
with the ability to read human emotions and even analyze voice tone.
5. Masayoshi Son is known for his ……………………………, and they seem to pay off.
6. After the announcement in the ……………………………., Softbank’s stock surged more than 6%.
7. With almost a 300000% gain in 14 years, it’s no wonder Softbank become
a(n) …………………………………….
8. Last year, Softbank invested in more than half of the top 10 biggest
investments in ……………………………..
9. Google-owner Alphabet sold its robotic firm Boston Dynamics to Softbank
in 2017 for …………………………………….
10. While the $100 billion fund is primarily backed by Softbank, it also includes
massive investments from Apple, Qualcomm, Sharp, and the ……………….
…………….. of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgkQdUB0JVQ Key: 1. massive conglomerate 2. a telecom giant
3. e-commerce – semiconductor design 4. humanoid robot 5. fierce business strategies 6. Trump Tower lobby 7. investing powerhouse 8. VC-backed startups 9. an undisclosed amount 10. sovereign wealth funds Part 20:
1. The response was that that legislation of this size just wasn’t going to work
and that either the legislation was going to be repealed or that there were
going to be set to ………………………………… that it wasn’t really going to apply to them.
2. In most countries within Asia, there is still a lot more ………. but as there’s
more publicity around it, this seemed more of what the multinationals are doing.
3. FATCA is a piece of legislation that is designed to ………………………….
and foreign cooperations to deal with US persons to disclose those persons to the IRS.
4. The IRS estimates that 100 billion dollars every year …………………. by US citizens.
5. Financial services organizations should be focused on FATCA because if we
want to do business with the US, they need to be ……………………………
6. The way the US government compels US accounts to provide this
information to them is this stick which is the ………………………………...
7. That FATCA requires the whole organization to mobilize is going to require
significant changes to the operating model, our …………………………….., withholding, reporting.
8. KPMG has …………………………………… who have come through
FATCA academy and understand the fuel life cycle of the program.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2fwTxaPefE Key: 1. broad-based carve-outs 2. denial 3. force foreign entities 4. goes unpaid 5. factored compliance 6. 30% penal withholding 7. own customer onboarding
8. 300 accredited FATCA consultants Part 21:
1. ISIS defy the …………………………… hiding in caves.
2. Parts of ISIS are organized like a light army, others as …………………… ………….
3. Its leader was an ………………… who fought in the …………….. in 2004.
4. Established amid the chaos of the civil war, ISIS soon became …………….. ………………………
5. They have secured ……………………………………… from many Western countries.
6. Another distinctive advantage of this group is how they use technology to
……………………….. from all over the world and in many languages.
7. They released videos featuring a captured British journalist hosting ………..
………………….. trying to convince Western audiences on the merits of …………
8. Our second high-profile moment was the ………………………….. of the
Yazidis, a religious minority in Iraq.
9. ISIS’s brutal tactics with …………………….. and the killings of civilians
were even criticized by Al Qaeda’s leadership, which formally …………….. ………….. in February.
10. On the military front, an ……………………………… has slowed the group’s advance.
11. According to President Obama, America will lead …………………………
to roll back this terrorist threat.
12. Now, instead of storming into towns with …………………………., ISIS
fighters move in small groups and rely on ………………………..
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6qSirb9G9U Key:
1. stereotype of scattered terrorists
2. sophisticated terrorist cells
3. Iraqi preacher – insurgency
4. the most powerful terrorist faction
5. multi-million dollar ransoms 6. woo fighters
7. slickly produced talks – jihad 8. forcible expulsion
9. regular beheadings – severed ties
10. international airstrike campaign 11. a broad coalition
12. a show of bravado – sleeper cells Part 22:
1. America’s tax code is in desperate need of ……………..
2. If the current ………………….… continues and spending is not …………..,
marginal tax rates for most American will exceed 60%.
3. Taxes should be kept as ………………………… as possible while still
raising sufficient funds to cover necessary government spending.
4. ……………………………. budget controls are also an important part of keeping tax rates low.
5. …………………………………….. are used to encourage or discourage
specific behaviours, thereby turning taxation into a form of regulation.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh5HcdjWQK8 Key: 1. an overhaul
2. cascade of taxes – reined in 3. unobtrusive and low 4. Rigorous and enforceable
5. Deductions, exemptions and tax credits Part 23:
1. In spite of Russian support for Syria, and a long history of ………………….
………………, Israel and Russia are close geopolitical allies.
2. The United States provided military and financial support to Israel, creating
a …………………………… to the Soviet Union.
3. In spite of their political divide, the people of Israel and Russia have seen
………………………………….
4. Due to the Soviet Union’s persecution of religion, and in particular the
country’s ……………………………………., Israel served as a welcoming home for Jewish Russian.
5. Once in Israel, Russians were able to ……………., while introducing their own social norms.
6. The US and Russia, in addition to the UN and the EU, make up the ………
……………., which is a collection of national bodies working to solve the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
7. The two countries have cultures and politics are so ………………………….
that their social bond is able to overcome any natural military divisiveness.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3TZQ5yzxvU Key:
1. tense adversarial relations 2. de facto adversary
3. parallel social development
4. state-sanctioned anti-Semitism 5. assimilate 6. Middle East Quartet 7. deeply intertwined Part 24:
1. North Korea has been scrutinized as one of the world’s worst
dictatorships, with especially strong focus on the country’s ………… ……………….
2. What few reports have come out of this autocracy paint ……………...
………. for the average citizen.
3. North Korea society is based on a …………………….. known as “songbun”.
4. The ……………………………………. surrounding the country’s
leaders is one of the most emphasized aspects of songbun.
5. Due to mandatory …………………………………………, that starts
at age 17, citizens rarely get married before their late 20s.
6. Across the board, the largest cause of death is ………………………
7. The percentage of women smokers is incredibly low, particularly in
urban areas, where women smoking is ………………………………..
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9aJcBgU_Mc Key: 1. nuclear proliferation 2. a bleak existence 3. social caste system 4. cult of personality
5. 10-year military conscription 6. cardiovascular disease 7. severely stigmatized Part 25:
1. These islands don’t look like much but they’re at the center of ………
…………………… about who owns them.
2. China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea within a border
called ……………………………………………..
3. To show ownership, China started to build islands installing …………
………………………….
4. This action led the Philippines to challenge China’s claims in ………
…………………………….. at the Hague.
5. Washington ……………………………….. called for peaceful resolve.
6. A thousand miles north in the East China Sea, China is also locked in
a dispute with its age-old rival – Japan over …………………………
7. The South China sea is a ………………… of global commerce
hosting 5 trillion dollars of trade every year.
8. The US has responded to China’s island building ways by …………
……………………… and surveillance planes.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uNrPmxeGNc Key: 1. a simmering dispute 2. the Nine-Dash line
3. runways and deep water birds 4. an international tribunal 5. endorsed the ruling 6. another rocky outcrop 7. crisp lottery
8. upping patrols of its warships