Hướng dẫn thi reading B1
Hướng dẫn thi reading B1
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Huong dan thi reading B1
Kỹ năng tiếng (Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Đà Nẵng)
SKIMMING (KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC LƯỚT) WHAT IS THE SKIMMING?
Skimming is a fast reading technique. It involves selective reading of the most
important parts of the text in order to:
Find out how the text is organized- that is, the way it is divided into sections or paragraphs.
Get a general idea of what the text is about.
Decide if the text is interesting and whether you should read it in more detail.
Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading.
People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time.
Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research.
Hints and tips for skimming the passage
Read the title, subtitles and subheadings to find out what the text is about.
Look at the illustrations to give you further information about the topic.
When you are skimming a passage for a general understanding, don’t try to
understand every word. Jump from paragraph to paragraph, finding the main
point in each paragraph before moving on to the next paragraph, like jumping
across stepping stones in a river. The main point of each paragraph is often,
through certainly not always, the first sentence in each paragraph. The sentence
with the main point is often called the topic sentence. Taken together, the topic
sentence of a passage should provide a reasonable summary of the passage.
When you are looking at sentence to understand the main points, try to find
the mainly words in the sentence, namely the subject, the verb and the object
of the main clause. Try to ignore the other the other words, particularly the
relative clauses and adverbial clauses. Examples:
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 2
Whale oil, rendered from the blubber, was used originally for lamp fuel and
later as a principle ingredient of soap, margarine, paint oils and lubricants.
While skimming, it is enough to understand that: (this) oil was used for (something)
Or, say you are skimming this sentence:
Tea plants are grown on tea plantations, called gardens or estates, in
areas that have a great amount of rainfall and rich loamy oil.
It is enough to understand that tea plants are grown on/in somewhere/
somehow. If you later find a question that relates to this sentence, you
can come back and read it more intensively.
When you have finished skimming to passage, skim the questions. You
need to know how many question there are and approximately. What
the questions are about. You can now practice skimming. To
encourage you to skim as quickly as possible, there is a suggested time limit.
Task types using skimming skill are: - Heading matching - Getting the main idea A. HEADING MATCHING A Heading covers the main WHAT IS A HEADING? ideas of the paragraph Tactics for heading matching
Reading all the headings and underline or highlight the key words.
Read the first paragraph of the passage, marking the topic sentence and
related phrases and vocabulary.
Re-phrase the main idea of the paragraph in your mind.
Read the list of headings to see if there is a match between the key Giáo trình luyện thi
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words and the headings and the words you have marked in the paragraph
Choose the heading that best summarizes the main idea of the first paragraph
Go on to the next paragraph and repeat the process.
If you think two heading fit one paragraph, mark both of them and rule one of these out later.
Exercise 1: which of these three headings states the main idea in the
paragraph? Use the highlighted key words to help you decide. Time limit: 1 minute
a. Population figures for China
b. Assessing China’s farmland
c. Global population and the future
The world’s population is forecast to reach 7.5 billion by 2020, and growing
prosperity, especially in China, is fuelling a rising appetite for meat and
cereals. Yet it is becoming harder to find new farmland, water is increasingly
scare and crop-yield growth is slowing. Already 167 million children are
malnourished. Are hungry times ahead?
1. How did the highlighted words help you?
2. How do the verb tenses help you find the answer?
3. Can you explain why the other headings are attractive, but wrong?
Exercise 2: look at these three headings
A. Britain’s modern motorway system
B. Roman principles relevant today
C. 6000km of Roman roads
As quickly ass possible decide which of the headings best matches the
paragraph, taken from a reading passage, below Time limit: 1 minute
Between 43AD and 81 AD Roman Britain acquired 6000km
network of technically advanced, hard bearing and straight highways
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linking towns of importance. Today Britain’s motorway system is only
half that length. The basic Roman philosophy of building a road to cope
with different types and volumes of vehicles and using local materials
where possible still applies today.
Exercise 3: look at the passage “difficulties commonly experiences by oversea
students”. Three are six sections A-F. Choose the most suitable heading for each
section from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate number (i-iv) in the lines.
Note: there are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them. Use may
use any of the heading more than one. Time limit: 5 minutes Example Answer Section A iv 1 Section B 4 Section E 2 Section C 5 Section F 3 Section D List of headings i. Personal finances ii. Language and communication iii. Being different and apart iv. Cultural adjustment v. Study –related concern vi. Family support vii. Getting around viii. Living independently
Difficulties commonly experienced by oversea students Giáo trình luyện thi
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The problems experienced by oversea students are now generally well documented.
The issues that cause the greatest difficulty can be summarized as follows:
A……………………………………………….
This involves getting used to the new country and different way of life, customs, and
values. In addition, students also have to deal with the sense of loss ( missing family,
friends, familiar food and places). These issues are usually referred to by the term “cultural shock”.
B…………………………………………………
Managing on a limited budget is a challenge for most, but it is especially so for people
living in an unfamiliar environment. Students may have to pay for education and
living expenses, find a reasonable place to live and, in some cases, a part time job to
supplement any scholarship or money from home.
C…………………………………………………
Many students are not used to looking after themselves. At home, parents and family
usually assist them in coping with shopping, cooking, personal finances and general
managing their affairs. Oversea, all of these things must be done without the family’s support.
D…………………………………………………
Even some of the students who have been educated in an English language school
have problems communicating freely at university level. Many students find reading
and writing in English especially difficult. Participating in classroom discussion and
asking questions of staff often produce difficulties.
E………………………………………………………
Differences in the style and traditions of learning between Western and Asian
countries frequently cause difficulty. Many overseas students find it difficult to adapt
to Western notions of independent thinking and learning. Students from some
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countries may also have difficulty because they lack experience in using well-
equipped libraries and laboratories.
F…………………………………………………………..
This refers both to experiences of racial intolerance and the relatively low level of
contact that overseas students have with local people. Students often report being
uncomfortable about generalized discrimination in a later section of this book. Unit 2 SCANNING What is the scanning?
Scanning is the method to use when you need to search a passage quickly to locate the
specific information you need to answer each question
When you are scanning to locate some specific information (e.g. names, places, dates,
specific phrases), it is not necessary to read and understand every word in the passage.
When you look at some sentence, you need to understand only enough to answer the
question: is it what I am looking for or not? So you only need to understand the topic
of each sentence. For example, you see this sentence: Example
Like perfumes, cosmetics were originally used as an adjunct to religious ritual, the
ceremonial aspects gradually being lost as both men and women adorned themselves with cosmetics.
You locate the subject of the sentence ‘cosmetics’ and that is enough. It
is not necessary to read all the details. You know that this sentence
probably does not contain the information you need, so you quickly
move on to the next sentence. This is scanning. Giáo trình luyện thi P B1 age V 7 S TEP - Phần đọc hiểu
Hints and tips for better scanning
1. Don’t try to read every word. Instead of let your eyes move quickly across the
page until you find what you are looking for
2. Use clues on the page, such as heading and titles , to help you
3. In a dictionary or phone book, use the header words to help you scan. You can
find these on bold type at the top of each page
4. If you are reading for study, start by thinking up or writing down some
questions that you want to answer. Doing this can focus your mind and help
you find the facts or information that you need more easily.
5. Many texts use A-Z order. These include everyday materials such as the phone
book and indexes to books and catalogues.
6. There are many ways to practice scanning skill. Try looking up a favorite
recipe in the index of a cookbook, search for plumber in your local yellow
pages, or scan web pages on the internet to find specific information.
Exercise: which of these types of text would you scan? Which would you skim? Tick the appropriate box: Types of text skimming scanning 1. A phone book 2. A newspaper article you are interested in 3. The film review page when looking for a particular film 4. A letter from the bank 5. A list of results for an exam you’ve taken
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When scanning, guide your eyes across the page by using your first 3 fingers, or
your index finger alone, or even the tip of a pen or pencil. This will prevent your
eyes from wandering about on the page. You can increase your general reading speed
too, by following your finger with your eyes across the page as you read. Many
studies prove how much quicker people read when guiding their eyes across the page.
You might be surprised to discover how much faster you will be reading. D, MULTIPLE CHOICE
TACTICS FOR MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Underline or highlight the key words in the question and the four questions.
Quickly read the sentences that contain the main ideas in each paragraph of the passage.
Rule out any options in the questions that you think are definitely wrong.
Decide which option is correct.
Exercise 1: The text below has been edited to highlight the areas that you might read
when skimming or scanning a text. Read through it quickly and answer the following
multiple-choice questions. Time limit: 3 minutes
GOODNESS, GRACIOUS, GREAT BALL OF FIRE
In the first of a new series, Alan Watts tackles the science of thunder and lightning
A. Despite our modern sophistication and advanced warning system, the
thunderstorm still provokes a primitive dread in most people. It is not only our
helplessness in the face of nature’s wrath that produces fear, but also the eerie
listlessness that settles over animals, birds and people in the build-up to a
storm. Yet the kind of storm with a sultry calm before its arrival is just one of
many kinds of thunderstorm associated with a particular kind of weather. Giáo trình luyện thi
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B. The kinds of intense storms that develop on hot sultry days are a mass of
individual storm cells.
“cell-theory” of storm ………….. “multicell” ...................... “supercell”
………..multicell ……….. daughter-cells……….
C. Then in spring, when the sun is warming the earth but the air is still cool, great
towering cumulonimbus clouds often develop and these can become thundery.
……… “air-mass” …………… thunderstorm France .......................... English Channel………..
D. If you’ve lived in the coastal regions of southern Britain, then you’ll be
acquainted with a special kind of storm that comes up from France a couple of times a year.
…………………………. Spanish plume storms sierras of Spain ‘sheet-
lightning’…………………
E. Whatever the cause of a storm, there has to be lightning ………………..
pressure waves ……………. electric charge .............................. raindrops
………………. Positively charged ………………… slivers of ice……………
F. It is estimated that there are some 1,800 storms going on at any one time
somewhere in the world – mainly in the tropics – and that the electric current
induced by the lightning from these compensates for the more-or-less
continuous drift of positive ions from the ionosphere to the earth, so balancing
the atmosphere’s electric current. 1. What is the article about? A. Fire B. Weather C. Science
2. Which of the following areas do you think the writer will discuss?
A. Animals and their environment B. Modern danger warnings
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 10 C. Types of storm D. What to do in bad weather
Exercise 2: Look at the letter below and the following questionnaire. Complete the
questionnaire about Carlo using the information given in the letter. Choose the one
letter for each answer. Time limit: 4 minutes Dear Sir,
I received a communication from you today asking me to complete a question to help
determine the spending habits of the population. I would willingly do this but you
failed to enclose the aforementioned questionnaire. In order to assist you, I will send
you some details of my lifestyle, which you can use to fill in the questionnaire at your office on my behalf.
Although I have been living in England since coming to study for my A levels, I spent
my early childhood in Australia. I am not British as my father was born in Poland and
my mother in Italy and we all hold Australian passports.
I studied for my first degree at Leeds University but am now doing postdoctoral
research in Electrical Engineering at the University of Easthampton. As I am
presently not earning a regular salary, my expenditure is kept to a minimum. I am not
a house owner and am currently living in the halls of residence at my university. I pay
a subsidized rent, which is inclusive of all utilities, so I do not have to worry about
gas, electricity or water bills. I tend to eat mostly in the university canteen so I only go
shopping in the local supermarkets about once a fortnight. At the very least I spend
ten pounds but I usually pay about twice that each time. Designer clothes are not in
my budget nor do me frequently high street stores. I prefer to wear used clothes,
mostly from charity shops. If they are not perfect I manage to repair them myself. My
one real extravagance is electrical equipment. I have a state of the art sound system
and a wide screen flat panel television with DVD facilities, which I bought less than a Giáo trình luyện thi
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year ago and I am still paying
for it every month on my credit card. This is rather an expensive pastime as I really only use them about twice a week.
Concerning transportation, since I live on campus, I walk to my office or the library
but if I travel into town, I sometimes take the special university bus or more likely I
cycle. I did have a car when I began my doctorate but sold it when the cost of its
upkeep became prohibitive.
As for entertainment, I occasionally go to the theatre, I play football three times a
week, I swim everyday and I go for dinner to a local restaurant once a month.
If you should require information about my life, either contact me here at the
university or send me a questionnaire which I can personally complete in full. Yours faithfully, Carlo Tulinski
SIMPSON SURVEY SERVICES
British lifestyle questionnaire
Please complete the questionnaire by circling the appropriate option or giving details of your personal lifestyle. 1. Where do you live? A. England B. Northern Ireland C. Scotland D. Wales
2. Please state your nationality…………………………
3. Please state your current professional status A. students B. self-employed C. private employee
D. civil servant E. unemployed
4. What is your level of education? A. basic compulsory education
B. completion of secondary education
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 12 C. first degree attained
D. post graduation degree attained 5. Where do you live? A. own house/ flat B. rented house/ flat C. student accommodation
D. rented room in private house E. commercial accommodation
6. How often do you shop for food? A. everyday B. every week C. every two weeks D. every month
7. What is your average supermarket bill? A. ten pounds B. twenty pounds C forty pounds D. eighty pounds
8. What kind of clothes do you prefer? A. From chain stores B. From local markets C. Home made D. Second hand E. Designer wear
9. How do you prefer to pay for expensive items? A. in cash B. by installments C. by cheque
10. How do usually travel in cities? A. by car B. by train C. by bus Giáo trình luyện thi
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11. What is your favorite leisure activity? A. watching TV B. listening to music C. eating out D. going to theatre E. doing sport
Exercise 3: look at the questions below, scan the passage then choose the best answers. Time limit: 3 minutes
The first black literature in American was not written but was preserved in an oral
tradition, in a rich body of folklore, songs and stories, many from African origins.
There are humorous tales, Biblical stories, animal stories, and stories of natural
phenomena, of good and bad people and of the wise and foolish. Many reflect how
African Americans viewed themselves and their lives. The lyrics of blues
spirituals, and work songs speak of suffering and hope, joy and pain, loved ones,
and religious faith, and are an integral part of the early literature of black people in American.
The earliest existing written black literature was Lucy Terry’s poem “Bars fight”
written in 1746. Other eighteenth –century black poets include Jupiter Hammon
and George Moses Horton. The first African American to publish a book in
American was Phillis Wheatly. Black poetry also flourished in the nineteenth –
century, during which the writing of almost forty poets were printed, the most
notable of whom was Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first black American to achieve
national acclaim for his work. Dunbar published eight volumes of poetry and eight
novels can collections of stories.
More than three dozen novels were written by blacks between 1853 and 1899, but
autobiography dominated African-American literature in the nineteenth century, as
it had in the eighteenth. In the twentieth century, however fiction has presided,
with Charles W. Chestnutt, American’s first black man of letters, successfully
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bridging the two centuries. He began publishing short fiction in the mid 1880s,
wrote two books that appeared in 1899, and had three books published between
1900 and 1905. He was a pioneer of the “new literature” of early 1990s, which
aimed to persuade readers of the worth and equality of African Americans.
1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as part of the oral
tradition of African Americans? A. Humorous tales B. Tales of adventure C. Biblical stories D. Animal stories
2. According to the passage, the lyrics of blues and spirituals are often concerned with A. the pain an joy in life B. loved ones and animals C. Religion and nature D. Wise and foolish people
3. According to the passage, an important part of early African Americans literature was A. Novels B. Short fiction stories C. Biographies D. Songs
4. According to the passage, when did the first written African American literature appear? A. In the 1600s B. In the 1700s C. In the 1800s D. In the 1900s
5. According to the passage, who was the first African American to receive
national recognition for his writing? A. Paul Dunbar Giáo trình luyện thi
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IV. Reading the passage and choose the best answer to each question
Humanitarian Dorothea Dix was born in Hampden Maine, in 1802. At the age of 19,
she established a school for girls, the Dix Mansion school, in Boston, but had to close
it in 1835 due to her poor health, she wrote and published the first of many books for
children in 1824. In 1841, Dix accepted an invitation to teach classes at a prison in
East Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was deeply disturbed by the sight of mentally-ill
persons thrown in the trail and treated like criminals. For the next eighteen months,
she torn Massachusetts institutions where other mental patients were confided and
reported the shocking conditions she found to the state legislature. When
improvements followed in Massachusetts, she turned her attention to the neighbouring
state and to the West and South.
Dix’s work was interrupted by the civil War, she served as superintendent of women
hospital nurse for federal government.
Dix saw special hospital for the mentally ill built in some fifteen states. Although her
plan to obtain public land for her cause failed, she arouses concern for the problem of
mental illnesses all over the United State as well as in Canada and Europe.
Dix’s success was due to her independent and thorough research, her gentle but
persistent manners, and her ability to secure the help of powerful and wealthy supporters.
1. In what year was the Dix Mansion school closed? A. 1822 B. 1824 C. 1835 D. 1841
2. Why did Dorothea Dix first go to a prison?
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 16 A. She taught classes there
B. She was sent there by the state legislature
C. She was convicted of a crime
D. She was doing research for a book
3. Where was Dorothea Dix first able to bring about reforms in the treatment of the mentally ill? A. Canada B. Massachusetts C. The West and South D. Europe
4. Dorothea Dix was Not successful in her attempt to
A. Become superintendent of nurse B. Publish books for children
C. Arouse concern for mentally ill D. Obtain publish land
5. At what point of the passage does the author discuss specific reason for Dix’s success A. Lines 19-21 B. Lines 14-16 C. Lines 12-13 D. Lines 17-18 REFERENCES
What is reading for reference?
Successful reading means being able to see the relationship between different words,
that is, being able to match information rather than understand isolated words. Look at the following example.
How do humans produce speech? First the brain issues a command to the lungs to
initiate an airstream. Before this stream can become speech, however, it must pass Giáo trình luyện thi
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through, or by, the larynx, pharynx, tongue, teeth, lips and nose _ all of which can
modify the airstream in various ways.
You might understand every word in the paragraph but you need to see the
relationship of the words to one another to be a successful reader. You have to see
what “it” and “all of which” relate to. “It” relates to “the airstream” and “all of which”
relates to “the larynx, pharynx, tongue, teeth, lips and nose”.
The most typical example of matching information is matching reference, that is, how
one word refers to other words. If you cannot understand all the references, you
cannot understand the passage. There are many types of referece.
1. Pronouns: (he, she, it, they, himself, herself, this, that, these, what, who, where)
Many people wrote to complain.
They particularly objected to….
We received about twenty calls a day. These range from requests for….
The hospital receives insufficient funding. This is a major problem.
He asked if I could lend him a torch.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have one.
2. Auxiliary verbs: (e.g. do/did, have/had, can/could, will/would)
We all tell white lies occasionally.
Life would be difficult if we didn’t. You need to pay the fee now. If you can’t, please let us know. They asked me to help. I said I would.
3. There, then, so, much…
At the beginning of the 19th century…. Things were very different then.
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You may experience symptoms of nausea. Such symptoms are not uncommon.
4. Parallel expressions His fellow mathematicians his colleague
Feelings of anger and betrayal strong emotions. 5. Articles
A survey….( First reference)
the survey …. (later reference)
How can you find the references? Reference words are in many cases pronouns
such as “it”, “them”, “they”, or “this”. When the reference word is a pronoun, look for
a previous noun that might match the pronoun. Make sure that they match in gender
(male or female), number (singular and plural), and case (is the word a subject, an
object or possessive?). replace the pronoun with this noun and check to see if the
meaning is possible. For example, in the sentences above, when ‘her’ is replaced with
‘Sandra” the sentence makes sense. Therefore ‘ her’ refers to ‘Sandra’.
Sandra’s closest friends are Amy and Lee. They study with her at the university.
Sometimes to understand a reading passage we need to work out the link
between the ideas correctly. This link is not always expressed by reference words but
by elliptical devices. Let’s have a look at the following example.
The main purpose of a resume is to convince an employer to grant you an
interview. There are two kinds.
In this sentences, “two kinds” means “two kinds of resume” Notes:
When answering reference questions be aware that the noun closest to the
reference word may not be always the correct answer. ưGiáo trình luyệnhi
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Reference words may refer to a noun or a noun phrase made up of several words.
Reference words may refer to the nouns in the following sentences.
Examples of this type are indefinite pronouns like “something”, “someone”….ect.
Exercise 1: Read the following sentences and state what the underlined words refer to
1. Once in the café you must buy something, so you spend your last fifty centimes on
a glass of black coffee with a dead fly in it.
2. You spend your last eighty centimes on half a liter of milk and you are boiling it over the spirit lamp
3. The city’s busiest underground station- St. Paul’s in Cheapside- unlocks its gates.
To get there on time, the station foreman, John Milne, has to come in by bus from Good Mayes in Essex.
4. The tiny number of residents -7500, many of them caretakers, 4000 of them living
in the Barbican- is suddenly and dramatically increased.
5. The city’s working day ends earlier than most of the rest of London. That’s
reasonable, it starts earlier.
6. Good husbandry – forest ecology, wisdom in planning, less greed and stupidity –
could keep man and the delicate rain forest relationship in balance indefinitely.
This is our last great store house…our last wonderland.
7. Birthmarks, once almost untreatable, are a mass of blood vessels and, being red,
they absorb the laser beam strongly. It seals them so that the mark becomes conspicuous.
8. Britain, though, is one of the leaders in the laser treatment of bleeding peptic
ulcers and this, combined with new medicines can mean ulcer treatment without conventional surgery.
9. When you think that you too might be asked to pay two sous extra, and would
have to confess you could not, you bolt in panic. What could you not do?
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10. Many people clutch when asked to think about their abilities,. Some think that
they have none at all. But everyone does, and one of yours may just be the ticket
an employer would be glad to punch- if only you show it. Everyone does what?
One of your what? What does it refers to?
11. Before writing a resume, take four or five hours off, not necessarily consecutive,
and simply write down every accomplishment in your life, on or off the job, that
made you feel effective. Don’t worry at first about what it all means. What does it prefer to?
12. When you are satisfied, send your resume to printer, a printed resume is far
superior to photocopies. It shows an employer that you regard job hunting as
serious work, worth doing right. What does it refer to?
13. To be fair to all concerned, the film was made in Greece, partly in the USA and
partly in Britain, and that probably explains why so many filled so seemingly
identical roles. What does that refer to?
14. In determining the shape and content of his narrative, the writer of prose fiction is
constrained by nothing except purely artistic criteria. This does not necessarily
make hos task easer than that of the writer of plays and screenplays.
15. Tiger moths are covered with highly conspicuous oranges and black or yellow and
black patterns of sport and stripes, such boldly patterned colour combinations
are commonplace in animal world, serving the function of forewarning potential
predators of unpleasant tastes and smell.
16. Detergents clean clothes by first removing particles of dirt from the fabric, then
suspending the particles until they can be washed away.
17. A number of sculptors have rejected the abstractions of minimalist artists. These
sculptors have developed a style of extreme realism involving ordinary subjects.
18. The details information in maps is now produced almost entirely from satellite
photography rather than by ground surveying because this method is faster, cheaper and more accurate.
19. Ruth sat three- hour papers- algebra and geometry, calculus, probability and
statistics, and math, pure and applied. I was happy with the first two, she said
yesterday, but I wasn’t sure about the third. Giáo trình luyện thi
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20. The major educational distinction between on campus and distance teaching is the
reliance on group based strategies in the former and the obligation to
individualise instruction the latter
Exercise2: read the following passage and state what the underlined words refer to
The flows of illegal immigrants have persisted in a number of countries. These
flows have been fostered by the demographic imbalance between the developed
and developing countries, differentials in economic growth, employment
opportunities and wages, and a demand for low-wage workers in a number of developed countries.
Although some countries have sought to strengthen the sovereignty of their
frontier through such measures as the extension of visa requirements and
increased checks on employers to ensure they have not hired illegals, illegal immigration still continues.
For example, the scale of illegal immigration to the United States is massive. It
has been estimated that three million illegals enter the united stated successfully
every year with perhaps twenty five per cent of them remaining permanently.
What do the underlined words refer to?
1. “these” in paragraph 1:……………………………………….
2. “their” in paragraph 2:…………………………………………
3. “they” in paragraph 3:………………………………………….
4. “them” in paragraph 4:…………………………………………….
Exercise 3: read following passage and state what the underlined words refer to
The local café is as much of an institution in Poland as the local pub in some
English speaking countries. Even small towns and large villages have cafes,
and in the cities there are hundreds of them. They are always well patronized,
the reason being that local cafes are ideal spots for meeting friends and for
stopping at during long walks. They also have the right atmosphere to
entertain, the privacy to discuss business and the convenience simply to gossip
for a while over a glass of wine or an espresso coffee and piece of cake. For
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 22
retired people, spending a few hours at a café over a cup of coffee watching
other people is probably better entertainment than watching television. When
poles go out to spend some time with friends, especially when they date or
meet informally, they prefer to go to a café than to a restaurant. They either
stay there for the whole evening or proceed to other places.
Most young people in Poland enjoy similar form of entertainment as their
peers in English speaking countries. These include popular music concerts,
discos, movies, sporting events- soccer being by far the most popular sport in
Poland – and attractions available in the city and local center. People with
children , as elsewhere, tend to go out less, especially if they do not have
parents or in-laws to look after the children. They tend to go for walks in local
parks or visit other people with children.
What do the underlined words refer to?
1. “them” in line 5:……………………………..
2. “they” in line 7:………………………………….
3. “they” in line 13:………………………………………
4. “there” in line 14:………………………………………….
5. “their” in line 15:………………………………………
6. “ these” in line 16:………………………………………………
7. “they” in line 19:…………………………………………….
8. “they” in line 20:……………………………………………..
Exercise 4: read the following passage and choose the right answer for each of the reference words
George Lucas’s star wars changed the direction of America film with some of the
most ingenious special effects contrived for movies of its time. Twenty two months
needed to design the equipment and more than 1000 story boards for effects sequences.
A special computerized camera, called a Dykstraflex, was designed to give the
illusion of real screen movement. This system, controlled by the camera operator, Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 23
enabled him or her to pan, tilt, and track around the model, always keeping it in focus.
The breakthrough was the camera’s ability to repeat the identical movement from shot
to shot, thus the effects sequences could be built like a music track; layer upon layer.
The illusion was complete: none of the spaceships in star wars ever moved- only the camera did.
The star-field backdrop in space was by punching holes in black Plexglas. More than
75 models were constructed, with astonishing detail work. On the rebel blockade
runner artists built a tiny cockpit, all done to scale. The miniaturized laser canons were
fully motorized to swivel and tilt by the remote control. The light sabers were four-
sided blades coated reflective aluminum, attached to a small motor. When retated,
they created a flashing light later enhanced by animation.
1. The word “some” in line 2 refers to A. American film B. Direction C. Movies D. Special effects
2. In line 8, “ this system” refers to
A. The creation of an illusion B. Screen movement
C. Panning and tilting around a model
D. A special computerized camera
3. The word “ it” in line 9 refers to A. Model B. Camera C. Focus D. System
4. The word “ they” in line 19 refers to A. miniaturized laser canons B. artists C. four-sided blades
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 24 D. seventy-five models
Exercise 5: read the following passage and choose the right answer for each of the reference words.
Planes are subjected to drag forces because an object moving forward through the air
is hampered by it to greater or lesser extent, since the air or any gas has friction. A
plane in subsonic flight is preceded by the pressure waves it creates as it makes its
way through the air. These pressure waves push away the air in front of the plane so
there is less drag than would otherwise be the case. But when a plane reaches sonic
speed, or the speed of sound, the pressure waves no longer precede the plane. They no
longer push away any of the air in front of the craft, so the drag forces become much
greater. The large rise in drag as the plane approaches Mach 1, or the speed of sound,
is referred to as the sonic barrier.
Even a conventional subsonic plane travelling at the speed below Mach 1 can
encounter an extreme rise in drag. This is because the pressure over the wing is
decreased as the wing moves through the air. This results from the increase in the
speed of the air stream over the wing in accordance with the law of physics called Bernoulli’s principle.
1. The word “ it” in line 2 refers to A. Drag force B. An object C. The air D. A plane
2. The word “ it” in line 3 refers to A. a plane in subsonic flight B. a pressure wave C. air or any gas D. drag force
3. in line 7, the word “ they” refers to
A. planes reaching sonic speed Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 25 B. pressure waves C. drag forces
D. conventional subsonic planes
4. To which of the following does the word “ this” in line 11 refer?
A. A decrease in pressure over the wing
B. An increase in the speed of the air stream over the wing
C. Pressure waves preceding the plane
D. A rise in drag encountered by a subsonic plane
5. In line 12, the word “this” refers to A. An extreme rise in drag
B. A decrease in pressure over the wing
C. An increase in the speed of the air stream over the wing
D. Pressure waves preceding the plane
Exercise 6: read the following passage and choose the right answer for each of the reference words
On a drop shot, a tennis player “drop” the ball just over the net, hoping that his or her
opponent won’t get to it at all or will just barely reach it, thus making a weak return.
The drop shot works well in a number of situations. It can be used to tire an opponent,
to bring a baseline player to the net, win points outright when an opponent is slow in
moving forward or is out of position, or to substitute for the approach shot
A perfect situation for a drop shot occurs when a player’s opponent is far out of court
and hits well to inside of the service line. A good drop shot is a sure winner, but a bad
one is equally certain disaster. The opponent who gets to the ball early has been
handed the net position, which is a distinct advantage for the net rusher who will
usually win the point in short order
There are two types of drop shots, each requiring a distinct stroke. The first is used to
drop slow balls descending from the peak of the bounce. The second is used on rising
balls. These shots require excellent timing and a simple stroke, such as the swing on waist high volleyballs.
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 26
1. The word “ it” in line 2 refer to A. His or her opponent B. The ball C. The net D. A weak return
2. In line 10, the word” one” refers to A. A disaster B. A sure winner C. The service line D. A drop shot
3. The word “who” in line 11 refers to A. The net rusher B. The net position C. The advantage D. The opponent
4. In line 13 the word “ which” refers to A. The opponent B. A distinct advantage C. The net position D. The winning point
5. In line 18 the phrase “these shots” refers to
A. The shots requiring a distinct stroke
B. The shots used to drop slow balls
C. The shots used on rising balls
D. The shots requiring a simple and timing stroke
Exercise 7: read the following passage and choose the right answer for each of the reference words
Design is the arrangement of materials to produce certain effects. Design plays a role
in visual arts in the creation of commercial products as well. Designers are concerned
with the direction of lines, the size of shapes and the shading of colours. They arrange Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 27
these patterns in a way that they are satisfying to viewers. There are various elements
involved in creating a pleasing design
Harmony, or balance, can be obtained in a number of ways. It may be either
symmetrical (in balance) or asymmetrical (out of balance, but still pleasing to the
eye). Or a small area, ay balance a large area if it has importance to the eye (because
of colour and treatment) that equals that of a large area
Contrast is the opposite of harmony. The colours red and orange harmonize. Since
orange contains red. A circle and oval harmonize, as they are both made up of curved
lines. But a short line does not harmonize a long line. It is in contrast.
Unity occurs when all the elements in a design combine to form a consistent whole.
Unity resembles balance. A design has balance if its masses are balanced, of if its
tones or colours harmonize. But unity differs from balance because it implies that
balance elements work together to form harmony in the design as a whole.
1. The word “they” in line 4 refers to A. Designers B. Lines, shapes and colours C. Directions, size and shape D. Visual artists
2. The word “ that” in line 9 is used as a referent to A. Colour B. Area C. Importance D. Balance
3. The word “ it” in line 12 is used as a referent to A. A circle B. The colour red C. A long line D. A short line
4. In line 15 the word “it” refers to
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 28 A. Unity B. Balance C. A design D. A consistent whole
DEALING WITH UNFAMILIAR WORDS
A limited vocabulary may be the single most difficult problem developing readers face
It is not necessary to understand every word in the passage. However, you must
know over 50% of the words if you want to understand the main points of the passage.
A vocabulary development program will probably help you to know the vast majority
of words in the reading passage, but you will not able to know every word. When
readers face with unknown words, they often panic, and believe that they will not able
to answer the questions. It is true that you often do not need to understand every word
to carry out the required tasks.
Techniques for dealing with unknown words in reading texts: - Ignore them
- Look for the meaning given somewhere in the sentence or in the
previous and following sentences
- Guess their meaning from the context
Ignore unfamiliar words
For example, look at this exercise. Read the paragraph about obesity and answer the questions
Obesity is a medical disorder that affects approximately 20-30% of the population of
the United States of America. It is an excessive accumulation of body fat that results
from the storage of excess food energy calories in the body’s fat cells.
1. The most American people suffer from obesity. True, false, or not given? Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 29
2. This paragraph presents…. a. Some examples of obesity b. A definition of obesity
c. The different types of obesity d. The treatment of obesity
When reading this passage, a student may find many unknown words and underline
them. However, both questions can be answered without knowing the meaning of the
italic words. It is even unnecessary to know the meaning of the word “obesity”
Looking for the meaning of unfamiliar words given somewhere in the sentences.
Sometimes a sentence gives a definition of a new vocabulary item or information
about it. This information may be in parentheses ( ), after a dash (-), or after a comma (,)
Example: there were sixty one identical cats in the classroom, each one exactly like
the one on the board. (What does identical mean? It means “exactly like”)
Sometimes the meaning or a clue to the meaning of a new vocabulary item is in
another sentence or sentence part.
Example: a teacher from western country recently visited elementary school in an
Asian country. In one class, she watched sixty young children. (what is an elementary
school? It’s a school for children).
Guessing the meaning of unknown words from the context
If it seems necessary to understand the meaning of a particular unfamiliar word you
will have to guess. You can not look up every word you don’t know in a dictionary
since it is boring and time-consuming, especially when you read long passage and
more importantly, it is forbidden when you take a test. Now let’s focus on how to use
context to guess the meaning for a word.
In ordinary reading, there are a number of cues that can help you to determine the meaning if an unknown word.
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 30 Synonyms:
The first state to institute compulsory was Massachusetts, which made is mandatory
for students to attend school twelve weeks a year.
The word mandatory is synonym of the word compulsory Example:
Many gardeners use some kind of mulch , such as chopped leaves, peat moss, grass
clippings, pine needles, or wood chips, in order to stop the growth of weeds and hold in moisture.
From the example given, it is clear that mulch is a plant matter Contrast
In the 1820s, the southern states supported improvements in the national
transportation system, but the northern states disagreed with the idea, and that the
word balked must mean objected or refused General context
In the desert, vegetarian is so scanty as to be incapable of supporting any large human population
As is generally known desert contain little vegetation , so clearly scanty must mean scare or barely sufficient.
Procedures for guessing meaning from context
Step 1: look at the unknown word and decide its part of speech . is it a noun, a verb, an adjective or adverb.
Step 2: look at the clause or sentence containing the unknown word
If the unknown word is a noun, what adjective describe it? What verb is near it? That
is, what does this noun do, and what is done to it? Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 31
If the unknown word is a verb, what noun does it go with? Is it modified by an adverb?
It it as an adjective, what noun does it go with?
If it is an adverb, what verb is it modifying?
Step 3: look at the relationship between the sentence containing the unknown word and other sentences
For example, is there a contract, or an effect, being described? Sometimes this
relationship will be signaled by a conjunction like but, because, if, when, or by
adverb like however or as a result, often there will be no signal.
The possible types of relationship include cause and effect, contrast, inclusion,
time, exemplification, and summary punctuation may also serve as a clue.
Semicolons often signal a list of inclusion relationships; dashes may signal
restatement. Reference words like “this” “that”, and “such” also provide useful information
Step 4: use the knowledge you have gained from step 1-3 to guess the meaning the word
Step 5: check that your guess is correct
See that the part od speech of your guess is the same as the part of speech of
the unknown word. If it is not the same, then something wrong wit your guess.
Replace the unknown word with your guess. If the sentence makes sence, your guess is probably correct.
Remember, you won’t always be able to guess the meaning of a word from context
using these producers, but sometimes you can.
Exercise 1: find the meaning of the underlined words in the sentence.
1. A children’s art lesson produced a room full of unique pictures, each one
completely different from the other.
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 32
2. The instructor also teachers the culture (the ideas and beliefs of society)
3. People highly value individualism- the differences among people
4. Most Asian societies value discipline, or self-control
5. All insects are invertebrate, that is, they have no backbone.
6. The teacher drew a big circle on the black board, and the children copied it.
Then she drew a smaller circle, and the class drew it in the same way
7. The teaching methods were very different from the ways of teaching in her county.
8. Students memorize information; they learn and remember basis rules and facts.
9. They work individually and find answers themselves.
10. Each education system is a mirror that reflects the value of the society. In the
orient, it shows society’s beliefs in group goals rather than individualism.
11. People in western cultures value individualism highly. Teachers place a lot of
importance on the qualities that make each person special
12. The word filibuster comes from the Dutch freebooter, or pirate.
13. The flu, influenza, is probably the most common cause of absenteeism.
Exercise 2: find the meaning of the underlined words in the sentence.
A. Some doctors recently carried out several experiments to evaluate the
effectiveness of different analgesics. They did every experiment with three groups
of people. One group took one of the pain-killing drugs which were being tested,
another took no drug and the third took a placebo that is a pill containing only
sugar. The doctors then caused the subjects to feel a certain amount of pain by
typing a band tightly around their arms. The doctors were interested in the length
of time that the people in the experiments could tolerate the pain, when the
doctors compared the period of time that the people were able to stand the pain,
they found that there were no significant variations among the periods of
tolerance of the group which took a placebo or no drug. However there were
important differences among the times of the group which took the different drugs.
In fact, the some of subjects who took the drugs tolerated the pain for less time
than those who took no drug or a placebo. In other words, some analgesics seemed Giáo trình luyện thi
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to diminish the time that the people could tolerate the pain- a strange finding.
Since the purpose of the analgesics is to increase the period of tolerance, not to
reduce it, this result obviously calls into question the effectiveness of some pain- killing drugs.
B. Is there any restriction on human lifespan? At the moment nobody lives
longer than 120 years, but scientists think this is feasible to raise this limit.
Experiments have show that it is possible to prolong lifespan. But do people
really want to extend their lives? They may not want to live longer it the
additional years are spent in poor health. As people age, senses such as
their sight and hearing deteriorate and their general health becomes worse.
However, people can take action to promote good health: for example, they
can take exercise and eat a sensible diet. It they try to improve their health
in this way, they have better chance of enjoying any extra period of life.
Exercise 3: guess the meaning of the words in italics
1. Lazy peter disposed of, got rid of, three bags of money
2. Seeing the bag of money was such a surprise the farmer stood with his
mouth open in astonishment
3. The farmer offered a thousand pesos, Spanish coins, for the hat
4. Today, pranks and jokes like this are common ,and many are spread using e-mail
5. My expenses foe every semester are 15000$
6. Undergraduate tuition at a public university can cost between 2000$ and 10000$ a year.
7. Today, a dog and or cat owner can make from 200$ to 400$ per day. Of
course, the talent agency gets part of that fee.
8. In japan, on the second Monday in January, twenty- year olds celebrate by
first going to a shrine to pray with their families. Exercise 4:
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 34
a. Underline the context clues that help you guess the meaning of the boldfaced words.
1. After 24 hours without sleep, Gardner had trouble reading and watching
TV. The words and pictures were too blurry
2. By the fourth day, Gardner was hallucinating. Foe example, when he
saw a street sign, he thought it was a person
3. Over the next few days, Gardner’s speech became so slurred that
people could not understand him
b. Use the context to guess the general meaning of the boldfaced words.
1. several people fainted because it was so hot in the room a. lost consciousness b. were happy c. had fun
2. I feel like I am suffocating because there are so many people in the room a. Am able to breathe b. Am not able to breathe c. Am able to relax
3. I ran to my class because I didn’t want to be tardy again a. Early b. Late c. On time
4. The ground was soggy because it rained all night a. Wet b. Dry c. Hot
5. I could not make out his face because it was so dark a. Hear b. Feel Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 35 c. See
6. Having just learnt to drive, and hardly ever having the opportunity to
use the car, I readily accepted. a. Quickly b. Quietly c. Sadly
7. My protests, my apologies, and the rest of my utterances were useless a. Friends b. Clothes c. Words
8. Because I had a few hours to spare, I decide to catch a couple of movies
at the theater near the garage a. Find b. watch c. ignore
9. We went to a trattoria after work. I ordered pasta and he had salad. a. A place to work b. A place to eat c. A place to rest
10. I was 16 when one morning, my father told me I could drive him into a
remote village called mijas, about miles away, on the condition that take
the car in to be serviced at a nearby garage. a. Building b. Restaurant c. Repaired shop
11. Samuel latham Mitchell helped found Rutgers medical college in New
Jersey in 1826. And he produced several important works in chemistry and geology a. Books b. Accomplishments c. Factories
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 36
12. Future design and manufacture were originally the work of individuals,
but by the eighteenth century, many furniture makers had teams of
craftsmen to help the, carry out their plans a. Transport b. Obey c. Implement
13. A public library is a resource the entire community can draw on a. Illustrate b. Approach c. utilise
14. Every atlas has its own legend a. Mythical story b. Famous person c. Explanation of symbols
15. The planet mercury is visible to the naked eye but is not the easiest planet to spot. a. Unclothed b. Unaided c. Unarmed
Exercise 5: choose the right meaning of the underlined words in the following sentences:
1. People should educate children with something curious. a. Thrilling b. Productive c. Appealing d. Odd
2. Light can distort the shape of objects when it goes through water. a. Deform b. Shift c. Hide Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 37 d. Highlight
3. When the gas leaked, hazardous chemicals spread through the city a. Futile b. Dangerous c. Gigantic d. Arbitrary
4. The painter used such a vibrant color in his work that people were amazed a. Critical b. Intriguing c. Unacceptable d. Brilliant
5. The early settlers had such a rudimentary farming method that they needed more technology a. Basic b. Elaborate c. Advanced d. Numerous
6. The country was very prosperous during the Roman Empire a. Flawed b. Thriving c. Courageous d. Prominent
7. Rigid pavements are made of concrete which is composed of coarse materials. a. Embedded b. Far-sighted c. Stiff d. Complex
8. Humans have memories that are enduring for the rest of their lives a. Restricted b. Thriving c. Lasting
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 38 d. Intact
9. The unique way of thinking is well reflected in his work of art. a. Influenced b. Mirrored c. Released d. Accelerated
10. Diverse kinds of forms can be categorized into concept a. Recognized b. Different c. Acknowledge d. Dramatic
11. Solar energy is of prime importance to maintain life on earth a. Chief b. Dubious c. Critical d. Superficial
12. The building is believed to be the most impressive and unique style of its time a. Imposing b. Sporadic c. Influential d. Versatile
13. As all the files that contained the valuable resources were eliminated in the
storage system, new information is necessary a. Exuded b. Released c. Exaggerated d. Deleted
14. China has an immense domestic market for consuming goods a. Massive b. Successful c. Prominent Giáo trình luyện thi
B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 39 d. Significant
15. A person who has a good hearing can distinguish the tones of different voices a. Divert b. Discriminate c. Conceal d. dissuade
Giáo trình luyện thi B1 VSTEP - Phần đọc hiểu Page 40