lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
VSTEP READING FULL TEST 2
Time permitted: 60 minutes
Number of questions: 40 Passage 1:
Look at the stars in the night sky. Do some of them seem to form patterns or designs? Can you see
animals, people, or objects? These patterns are called constellations.
Constellations are not real animals, people, or objects. We imagine them to help us make a map of
the sky. On a dark night, you can see almost 1,500 stars. Trying to distinguish which is which can
be difficult. Constellations make it easier for us to identify stars. People began seeing patterns in
the stars about 6,000 years ago. Three of the first constellations they imagined were a lion, a bull,
and a scorpion. In ancient times, farmers used constellations to know which month it was. We can
see some constellations only one season each year. Farmers knew it was time to plant when they
saw a certain constellation. They knew it was time to harvest when they saw a different one.
People in different countries can look at the same constellation and imagine different things.
Someone in China might think a constellation looks like a dragon. Someone in Australia might
think the same pattern is a horse. Each country has its own ideas. Many constellations get their
names from the myths of ancient Greece and Rome. A constellation called Aquarius is named after
a Greek boy who carried water. A constellation called Taurus is named after a god who came to earth as a bull.
Constellations are not stationary. The stars in them are gradually moving. It is difficult to know the
boundaries of many constellations. In 1929, international astronomers, scientists who study stars,
agreed on official boundaries for the 88 constellations that exist today. However, by the time your
children grow up, these boundaries could change. We might also find new constellations. We will
always use our imaginations to help understand the world around us.
1. According to the passage, about how many constellations exist today? A. 90 B. 100 C. 1500 D. 6000
2. All of the following are true EXCEPT that
A. Constellations have a long history
B. Scientists agree on constellation boundaries C.
Constellations are groups of stars
D. Constellations never change
3. This passage mainly discusses
A. The names of constellations
B. The history of constellations C. How to see constellations lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ D. Greek and Roman myths
4. What does the word “which” in paragraph 2 refer to? A. Constellations B. Maps C. People D. Stars
5. In paragraph 3, the word “one” in the last sentence refers to a A. Farmer B. Star C. Season D. Constellation
6. Based on information in paragraph 2, we can infer that A. There are only 1,500 stars
B. We can see different numbers of stars depending on how bright the moon is
C. All constellations are animals
D. We need a map of the sky to see the stars
7. Based on the information in paragraph 3, what can we infer about ancient farmers?
A. They were not very intelligent.
B. They did not have calendars.
C. They worked very hard. D. They grew food.
8. Which of the following could best replace the word “identify” as used in paragraph 2? A. Recogniz e
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LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ B. Name C. Count D. Number
9. As used in paragraph 3, what is the meaning of the word
“ancient”? A. Old B. Modern C. Prehistoric D. Good
10. The word “boundaries” as used in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following? A. Dimensions B. Properties C. Borders D. Shapes PASSAGE 2
In the United States, presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four (1888, 1900,
1964, etc.). Since 1840, American presidents elected in years ending with zero have died in office,
with one exception. William H. Harrison, the man who served the shortest term, died of pneumonia
only several weeks after his inauguration.
Abraham Lincoln was one of four presidents who were assassinated. He was elected in 1860, and
his untimely death came just five years later. James A. Garfield, a former Union army general from
Ohio, was shot during his first year in office (1881) by a man to whomhe wouldn’t give a job.
While in his second term of office (1901), William McKinley, another Ohioan, attended the Pan-
American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. During the reception, he was assassinated while
shaking hands with some of the guests. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas only
three years after his election.
Three years after his election in 1920, Warren G, Harding died in office. Although it was never
proved, many believe he was poisoned. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times (1932, 1936,
1940 and 1944), the only man to serve so long a term. He had contractedpolio in 1921 and
eventually died of the illness in 1945. lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
Ronald Reagan, who was elected in 1980 and reelected four years later, suffered an assassination
attempt but did not succumb to the assassin’s bullets. He was the first to break the long chain of
unfortunate events. Will the candidate in the election of 2020 also be as lucky?
1. All of the following were election years EXCEPT…
A. 1888 B. 1860 C. 1963 D. 1960
2. Which president served the shortest term in office? A. Abraham Lincoln B. Warren G. Harding C. William H. Harrison D. William McKinley
3. Which of the following is true?
A. Only presidents from Ohio have died in office.
B. All presidents elected in years ending in zero have died in office.
C. Franklin D. Roosevelt completed four terms as president. D. Four American presidents have been assassinated.
4. How many presidents elected in years ending in zero since 1840 have died in office? A. 5 B. 7 C. 4 D. 3
5. The word “inauguration” in the first paragraph means most nearly the same as A. campaign B. election
C. acceptance speech D. swearing-in ceremony
6. All of the following presidents were assassinated EXCEPT… A. Abraham Lincoln B. Franklin D. Roosevelt C. James A. Garfield D. John F. Kennedy
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LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
7. The word “assassinated” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to… A. sickened B. honored C. decorated D. murdered
8. The word “whom” in the second paragraph refers to… A. Garfield B. Union army general C. McKinley D. Garfield’s assassin
9. In the third paragraph, “contracted” is closest in meaning to… A. notified B. agree about C. developed D. communicated about
10. How long did Warren G, Harding work as a president? A. 4 years B. 3 months C. 2 years D. 3 year PASSAGE 3
After inventing dynamite, Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he
foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the
inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death·, he created a fund to be used
for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to humanity. Originally
there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added
in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.
Nobel’s original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used
for the awards which vary from $30,000 to $125,000.
Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated
diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in
the judges’ decisions. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes. lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have
won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.
1. The word “legacy” in the second paragraph means most nearly the same as …. A. Bequest B. Prize C. Debt D. Legend
2. In how many fields are prizes bestowed? A. 6 B. 5 C. 2 D. 10
3. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT…
A. Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel’s invention
B. Politics plays an important role in selecting the winners
C. A few individuals have won two awards
D. Awards vary in monetary value
4. How much money did Nobel leaves for the prizes? A. $9,000,000 B. $155,000 C. $125,000 D. $30,000
5. The Nobel prize was established in order to ….
A. recognize worthwhile contributions to humanity B. spend money
C. resolve political differences
D. honor the inventor of dynamite
6. In the first paragraph, “worthwhile” is closest in meaning to …. A. Valuable B. Trivial C. Economic D. Prestigious
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LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
7. The word “foresaw” in the first paragraph is nearest in meaning to … A. Postponed B. Predicted C. Prevailed D. Prevented
8. According to the passage, Nobel’s profession was in … A. Literature B. Economics C. Medicine D. Science
9. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Alfred Nobel created awards in six categories for contributions to humanity.
B. Alfred Nobel left all of his money to science.
C. Alfred Nobel became very rich when he invented dynamite
D. Alfred Nobel made a lasting contribution to humanity
10. In which area have Americans received the least awards? A. Economics B. Science C. Peace D. Literature PASSAGE 4
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming back to an
empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have
something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called “latchkey children“.
They are children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.
Lynette Long was once the principal of an elementary school. She said, “we had a school rule
against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was
constantly telling them to put the keys inside shirts. There were so many keys; it never came to my
mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned that they were house keys. lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
She and her husband began talking to the children who had keys. They learned of the effect working
couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear was the biggest problem faced by
children at home alone. One in three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being
frightened. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. They may hide in a
shower stall, under a bed or in a closet. The second is TV. They often turn the volume up. It’s hard
to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs have learned. Most parents are slow to admit that
they leave their children alone.
1. The phrase “an empty house” in the passage mostly means…
A. a house with too much space
B. a house with no furniture C. a house with no people inside
D. a house with nothing inside
2. One thing that the children in the passage share is that…
A. they all wear jewelry
B. they spend part of each day alone C. they all watch TV
D. they are from single-parent families
3. The phrase “latchkey children” in the passage means children who…
A. like to carry latches and keys with them everywhere
B. close doors with keys and watch TV by themselves
C. look after themselves while their parents are not at home
D. are locked inside houses with latches and keys
4. The main problem of latchkey children is that they… A. are growing in numbers
B. watch too much television during the day C.
are also found in middle-class families
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LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
D. suffer a lot from being left alone
5. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Why kids hate going home
B. Children’s activities at home
C. Bad condition of latchkey children D. How kids spend free time
6. Why did a lot of kids have chains around their necks with keys attached?
A. They were fully grown and had become independent.
B. They had to use the keys to open school doors.
C. Schools didn’t allow them to wear jewelry, so they wore keys instead.
D. They would use the keys to enter their houses when they came home.
7. What do latchkey children suffer most from when they are at home alone? A. Tiredness B. Boredom C. Loneliness D. Fear
8. Lynette Long learned of latchkey children’s problems by… A. visiting their homes B. talking to them C. delivering questionaires D. interviewing their parents
9. What is the most common way for latchkey children to deal with fears?
A. Talking to the Longs B. Having a shower C. Hiding somewhere D. Lying under a TV
10. It’s difficult to find out the number of latchkey children because…
A. there are too many of them in the whole country lOMoAR cPSD| 48641284
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG VSTEP READING
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
B. most parents are reluctant to admit that they leave their children alone
C. they hide themselves in shower stalls or under beds
D. they do not give information about themselves for safety reasons
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