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ĐỀ SỐ 4. BÀI ĐỌC
Questions 1-5: Read the passage carefully.
Stadiums are among the oldest forms of urban architecture: vast stadiums where the
public could watch sporting events were at the centre of western city life as far back as the
ancient Greek and Roman Empires, well before the construction of the great medieval
cathedrals and the grand 19th- and 20th-century railway stations which dominated urban
skylines in later eras. Today, however, stadiums are regarded with growing scepticism.
Construction costs can soar above £1 billion, and stadiums finished for major events such
as the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup have notably fallen into disuse and
disrepair. But this need not be the case. History shows that stadiums can drive urban
development and adapt to the culture of every age. Even today, architects and planners
are finding new ways to adapt the mono-functional sports arenas which became
emblematic of modernisation during the 20th century.
There are many similarities between modern stadiums and the ancient amphitheatres
intended for games. But some of the flexibility was lost at the beginning of the 20th
century, as stadiums were developed using new products such as steel and reinforced
concrete, and made use of bright lights for night-time matches. Many such stadiums are
situated in suburban areas, designed for sporting use only and surrounded by parking
lots. These factors mean that they may not be as accessible to the general public, require
more energy to run and contribute to urban heat.
But many of today’s most innovative architects see scope for the stadium to help
improve the city. Among the current strategies, two seem to be having particular success:
the stadium as an urban hub, and as a power plant. There’s a growing trend for stadiums
to be equipped with public spaces and services that serve a function beyond sport, such
as hotels, retail outlets, conference centres, restaurants and bars, children’s playgrounds
and green space. Creating mixed-use developments such as this reinforces compactness
and multi-functionality, making more efficient use of land and helping to regenerate
urban spaces. This opens the space up to families and a wider cross-section of society,
instead of catering only to sportspeople and supporters. There have been many examples
of this in the UK: the mixed-use facilities at Wembley and Old Trafford have become a
blueprint for many other stadiums in the world.
The phenomenon of stadiums as power stations has arisen from the idea that energy
problems can be overcome by integrating interconnected buildings by means of a smart
grid, which is an electricity supply network that uses digital communications technology
to detect and react to local changes in usage, without significant energy losses. Stadiums
are ideal for these purposes, because their canopies have a large surface area for fitting
photovoltaic panels and rise high enough (more than 40 metres) to make use of micro
wind turbines.
Sporting arenas have always been central to the life and culture of cities. In every era,
the stadium has acquired new value and uses: from military fortress to residential village,
public space to theatre and most recently a field for experimentation in advanced
engineering. The stadium of today now brings together multiple functions, thus helping
cities to create a sustainable future.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 1: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. The origin of the stadium.
B. Challenges and opportunities when the stadium has grown.

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C. Comparing current and past stadiums.

D. Stadium: past, present, and future.
Câu 2: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, who or what does the word “they” refer to?
A. Factors. B. Stadiums. C. Parking lots. D. Suburban areas
Câu 3: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, when comparing twentieth-century stadiums
to ancient amphitheaters, which negative feature does the writer mention?
A. They are less imaginatively designed.
B. They are less spacious.
C. They are made of less durable materials.
D. They are less versatile.
Câu 4: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, what is the word “ancient” closest in meaning to?
A. antique. B. absent. C. present. D. inclement
Câu 5: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, Which advantage of modern stadium design
does the writer mention?
A. Offering improved amenities for the enjoyment of sports events.
B. Facilitating research into solar and wind energy solutions.
C. Providing a suitable site for the installation of renewable power generators.
D. Enabling local residents to reduce their consumption of electricity.
Questions 6-10: Read the passage carefully.
Across cultures, wisdom has been considered one of the most revered human qualities.
Although the truly wise may seem few and far between, empirical research examining
wisdom suggests that it isn’t an exceptional trait possessed by a small handful of bearded
philosophers after all — in fact, the latest studies suggest that most of us have the ability
to make wise decisions, given the right context. It seems that it’s not so much that some
people simply possess wisdom and others lack it, but that our ability to reason wisely
depends on a variety of external factors. ‘It is impossible to characterize thought processes
attributed to wisdom without considering the role of contextual factors,’ explains
Grossmann. ‘In other words, wisdom is not solely an “inner quality” but rather unfolds
as a function of situations people happen to be in. Some situations are more likely to
promote wisdom than others.’
Coming up with a definition of wisdom is challenging, but Grossmann and his
colleagues have identified four key characteristics as part of a framework of wise
reasoning. One is intellectual humility or recognition of the limits of our own knowledge,
and another is appreciation of perspectives wider than the issue at hand. Sensitivity to the
possibility of change in social relations is also key, along with compromise or integration
of different attitudes and beliefs. Grossmann and his colleagues have also found that one
of the most reliable ways to support wisdom in our own day-to-day decisions is to look
at scenarios from a third-party perspective, as though giving advice to a friend. Research
suggests that when adopting a first-person viewpoint we focus on ‘the focal features of
the environment’ and when we adopt a third-person, ‘observer’ viewpoint we reason
more broadly and focus more on interpersonal and moral ideals such as justice and
impartiality. Looking at problems from this more expansive viewpoint appears to foster
cognitive processes related to wise decisions.
We might associate wisdom with intelligence or particular personality traits, but
research shows only a small positive relationship between wise thinking and crystallized
intelligence and the personality traits of openness and agreeableness. ‘It is remarkable
how much people can vary in their wisdom from one situation to the next, and how much
stronger such contextual effects are for understanding the relationship between wise

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judgment and its social and affective outcomes as compared to the generalized “traits”,’
Grossmann explains. ‘That is, knowing how wisely a person behaves in a given situation
is more informative for understanding their emotions or likelihood to forgive [or] retaliate
as compared to knowing whether the person may be wise “in general”.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 6: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. How to make wise decisions. B. Ability to make wise decisions.
C. Why we have to make wise decisions. D. Aspects of wisdom.
Câu 7: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, who or what does the word “it” refers to?
A. Ability. B. Wisdom. C. Reason. D. External factor
Câu 8: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the first paragraph, Grossmann claims that the level of
wisdom an individual shows…
A. Can be greater than they think it is.
B. Will be different in different circumstances.
C. May be determined by particular aspects of their personality.
D. Should develop over time as a result of their life experiences.
Câu 9: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, what is the word “justice” closest in meaning to?
A. corruption. B. dishonesty. C. refusal. D. fairness
Câu 10: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is described in the second paragraph?
A. A difficulty encountered when attempting to reason wisely.
B. An example of the type of person who is likely to reason wisely.
C. A controversial view about the benefits of reasoning wisely.
D. A recommended strategy that can help people to reason wisely
Questions 11-15: Read the passage carefully.
Ogilvie, who discovered the inventories in the archives of two German communities
30 years ago, believes they may hold the answer to a conundrum that has long puzzled
economists: the lack of evidence for a causal link between education and a country’s
economic growth. As Ogilvie explains, ‘Education helps us to work more productively,
invent better technology, and earn more. surely it must be critical for economic growth?
But, if you look back through history, there’s no evidence that having a high literacy rate
made a country industrialise earlier.’ Between 1600 and 1900, England had only mediocre
literacy rates by European standards, yet its economy grew fast and it was the first country
to industrialise. During this period, Germany and Scandinavia had excellent literacy rates,
but their economies grew slowly and they industrialised late. ‘Modern cross-country
analyses have also struggled to find evidence that education causes economic growth,
even though there is plenty of evidence that growth increases education,’ she adds.
Previous studies usually had just one way of linking education with economic growth
- the presence of schools and printing presses, perhaps, or school enrolment, or the ability
to sign names. According to Ogilvie, the database provides multiple indicators for the
same individuals, making it possible to analyse links between literacy, numeracy, wealth,
and industriousness, for individual women and men over the long term.
Ogilvie hopes to start finding answers to these questions over the next few years. One
thing is already clear, she says: the relationship between education and economic growth
is far from straightforward. ‘German-speaking central Europe is an excellent laboratory
for testing theories of economic growth,’ she explains. Between 1600 and 1900, literacy
rates and book ownership were high and yet the region remained poor. It was also the
case that local guilds and merchant associations were extremely powerful and legislated

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against anything that undermined their monopolies. In villages throughout the region,
guilds blocked labour migration and resisted changes that might reduce their influence.
‘Early findings suggest that the potential benefits of education for the economy can be
held back by other barriers, and this has implications for today,’ says Ogilvie. ‘Huge
amounts are spent improving education in developing countries, but this spending can
fail to deliver economic growth if restrictions block people - especially women and the
poor - from using their education in economically productive ways. If economic
institutions are poorly set up, for instance, education can’t lead to growth.’
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 11: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. The growth of the economy.
B. The importance of education.
C. The negative impacts on education when the economy has grown.
D. Does education fuel economic growth?
Câu 12: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, who or what does the word “they” refer to?
A. The economies of Germany and Scandinavia. B. Economies.
C. Germany and Scandinavia. D. Literacy rates.
Câu 13: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, Which of the following statement does the writer make
about literacy rates?
A. A very little research has been done into the link between high literacy rates and
improved earnings.
B. Literacy rates in Germany between 1600 and 1900 were very good.
C. There is strong evidence that high literacy rates in the modern world result in economic
growth.
D. England is a good example of how high literacy rates helped a country industrialise.
Câu 14: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 4, what is the word “barriers” closest in meaning to?
A. obstacles. B. advantages. C. options. D. influences
Câu 15: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, Which of the following statements does the
writer make in Section F about guilds in German-speaking Central Europe between 1600
and 1900?
A. They helped young people to learn a skill.
B. They kept better records than guilds in other parts of the world.
C. They predominantly consisted of wealthy merchants.
D. They were opposed to people moving to an area for work.
Questions 16-20: Read the passage carefully.
The sense of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours affect us on a physical,
psychological and social level. For the most part, however, we breathe in the aromas
which surround us without being consciously aware of their importance to us. It is only
when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we begin to realise the essential
role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well-being.
In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most
undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which
smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense
of smell is feeble and undeveloped. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans
are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably
acute. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to perceive odours which
are present only in extremely small quantities.

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Smell, however, is a highly elusive phenomenon. Odours, unlike colours, for instance,
cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist.
‘It smells like.,’ we have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our
olfactory experience. Nor can odours be recorded: there is no effective way to either
capture or store them over time. In the realm of olfaction, we must make do with
descriptions and recollections. This has implications for olfactory research.
Most of the research on smell undertaken to date has been of a physical scientific
nature. Significant advances have been made in the understanding of the biological and
chemical nature of olfaction, but many fundamental questions have yet to be answered.
Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – one responding to
odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air. Other unanswered
questions are whether the nose is the only part of the body affected by odours, and how
smells can be measured objectively given the nonphysical components. Questions like
these mean that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly
important role for researchers.
However, smell is not simply a biological and psychological phenomenon. Smell is
cultural, hence it is a social and historical phenomenon. Odours are invested with cultural
values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly
acceptable in others. Therefore, our sense of smell is a means of, and model for, interacting
with the world. Different smells can provide us with intimate and emotionally charged
experiences and the value that we attach to these experiences is interiorised by the
members of society in a deeply personal way. Importantly, our commonly held feelings
about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures. The study of the cultural history
of smell is, therefore, in a very real sense, an investigation into the essence of human
culture.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 16: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. Why our sense of smell is not appreciated.
B. The difficulties of talking about smells.
C. The interpretation of smells as a factor in defining groups.
D. The meaning and power of smell.
Câu 17: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, who or what does the word “they” refer to?
A. The olfactory powers of humans. B. Humans.
C. Animals. D. Certain animals
Câu 18: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the first paragraph, When do we become aware of the
importance of smell?
A. When we discover a new smell.
B. When we experience a powerful smell.
C. When our ability to smell is damaged.
D. When we are surrounded by odours.
Câu 19: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 5, what is the word “offensive” closest in meaning to?
A. unpleasant. B. aggressive. C. harmless. D. inclement
Câu 20: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the writer doing in paragraph second?
A. Supporting other researchs. B. Making a proposal.
C. Rejecting a common belief. D. Describing limitations.
Questions 21-25: Read the passage carefully.

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Look around on your next plane trip. The iPad is the new pacifier for babies and
toddlers. Younger school-aged children read stories on smartphones; older kids don’t
read at all, but hunch over video games. Parents and other passengers read on tablets or
skim a flotilla of email and news feeds. Unbeknown to most of us, an invisible, game-
changing transformation links everyone in this picture: the neuronal circuit that underlies
the brain’s ability to read is subtly, rapidly changing and this has implications for
everyone from the pre-reading toddler to the expert adult.
This is not a simple, binary issue of print versus digital reading and technological
innovation. As MIT scholar Sherry Turkle has written, we do not err as a society when we
innovate but when we ignore what we disrupt or diminish while innovating. In this hinge
moment between print and digital cultures, society needs to confront what is diminishing
in the expert reading circuit, what our children and older students are not developing,
and what we can do about it.
Ziming Liu from San Jose State University has conducted a series of studies which
indicate that the ‘new norm’ in reading is skimming, involving word-spotting and
browsing through the text. Many readers now use a pattern when reading in which they
sample the first line and then word- spot through the rest of the text. When the reading
brain skims like this, it reduces time allocated to deep reading processes. In other words,
we don’t have time to grasp complexity, to understand another’s feelings, to perceive
beauty, and to create thoughts of the reader’s own.
The possibility that critical analysis, empathy and other deep reading processes could
become the unintended ‘collateral damage’ of our digital culture is not a straightforward
binary issue about print versus digital reading. It is about how we all have begun to read
on various mediums and how that changes not only what we read, but also the purposes
for which we read. Nor is it only about the young. The subtle atrophy of critical analysis
and empathy affects us all equally. It affects our ability to navigate a constant
bombardment of information. It incentivizes a retreat to the most familiar stores of
unchecked information, which require and receive no analysis, leaving us susceptible to
false information and irrational ideas.
There’s an old rule in neuroscience that does not alter with age: use it or lose it. It is a
very hopeful principle when applied to critical thought in the reading brain because it
implies choice. The story of the changing reading brain is hardly finished. We possess
both the science and the technology to identify and redress the changes in how we read
before they become entrenched. If we work to understand exactly what we will lose,
alongside the extraordinary new capacities that the digital world has brought us, there is
as much reason for excitement as caution.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 21: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. Our use of technology is having a hidden effect on us.
B. Technology can be used to help youngsters to read.
C. Changes in reading habits.
D. Playing games is a more popular use of technology than reading.
Câu 22: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 5, who or what does the word “it” refer to?
A. “Use or lose” principle. B. Old rule.
C. Reading brain. D. Critical thought.
Câu 23: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, what main point does Sherry Turkle make
about innovation?
A. Technological innovation has led to a reduction in print reading.

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B. We should pay attention to what might be lost when innovation occurs.

C. There is a difference between developing products and developing ideas.
D. We should encourage more young people to become involved in innovation.
Câu 24: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, what is the word “innovate” closest in meaning to?
A. restore. B. reform. C. revise. D. reimburse
Câu 25: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, what is the new trend in reading?
A. Deep reading. B. Print reading.
C. Digital reading. D. Skimming.
Questions 26-30: Read the passage carefully.
A million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute and the number
will jump another 20% by 2021, creating an environmental crisis some campaigners
predict will be as serious as climate change. The demand, equivalent to about 20,000
bottles being bought every second, is driven by an apparently insatiable desire for bottled
water and the spread of a western, urbanised culture to China and the Asia Pacific region.
Most plastic bottles, which are used for soft drinks and water, are made from Pet
plastic, which is highly recyclable. But as their use grows rapidly across the globe, efforts
to collect and recycle the bottles to keep them from polluting the oceans, are failing to keep
up. For instance, fewer than half of the bottles bought in 2016 were collected for recycling
and just 7% of those collected were turned into new bottles. Instead most plastic bottles
produced end up in rubbish dumps or in the ocean.
Whilst the production of single use plastics has grown dramatically over the last 20
years, the systems to contain, control, reuse and recycle them just haven’t kept pace. In
the UK 38.5 million plastic bottles are used every day – only just over half make it to
recycling, while more than 16 million are put into rubbish dumps, burnt or leak into the
environment and oceans each day. “Plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years
and grow by 4 times that by 2050 so the time to act is now,” according to
environmentalists. There has been growing concern about the impact of plastics pollution
in oceans around the world. Last month scientists found nearly 18 tonnes of plastic on one
of the world’s most remote islands, an uninhabited place in the South Pacific.
Plastic drinking bottles could be made out of 100% recycled plastic, known as RPet –
and campaigners are pressing big drinks companies to radically increase the amount of
recycled plastic in their bottles. But brands are hostile to using RPet for cosmetic reasons
because they want their products in shiny, clear plastic. The industry is also resisting any
taxes or charges to reduce demand for single-use plastic bottles – like the 5p charge on
plastic bags that is credited with reducing plastic bag use by 80%.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 26: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. The convenience of plastic bottles.
B. The world’s desire for plastic is dangerous.
C. How to reduce plastic bottles.
D. How to produce plastic drinking bottles.
Câu 27: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 4, who or what does the word “they” refer to?
A. Campaigners. B. Plastic drinking bottles.
C. Big drinks companies. D. Recycled plastic bottles
Câu 28: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, every second, how many
plastic bottles are purchased approximately on the planet?
A. twelve thousand. B. twenty thousand.

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C. fifteen million. D. thirty-eight million

Câu 29: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, what is the word “equivalent” closest in meaning to?
A. approximate. B. precise. C. probable. D. potential
Câu 30: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, What is RPet?
A. A major drinks company.
B. An expert in plastic bottle production.
C. Bottles made out of high recyclable material.
D. Bottles made out of 100% recycled plastic.
Questions 31-35: Read the passage carefully.
Travel has existed since the beginning of time, when primitive man set out, often
traversing great distances in search of game, which provided the food and clothing
necessary for his survival. Throughout the course of history, people have travelled for
purposes of trade, religious conviction, economic gain, war, migration and other equally
compelling motivations. In the Roman era, wealthy aristocrats and high government
officials also travelled for pleasure. Seaside resorts located at Pompeii and Herculaneum
afforded citizens the opportunity to escape to their vacation villas in order to avoid the
summer heat of Rome. Travel, except during the Dark Ages, has continued to grow and,
throughout recorded history, has played a vital role in the development of civilisations
and their economies.
Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century
phenomenon. Historians suggest that the advent of mass tourism began in England
during the industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and the availability of
relatively inexpensive transportation. The creation of the commercial airline industry
following the Second World War and the subsequent development of the jet aircraft in the
1950s signalled the rapid growth and expansion of international travel. This growth led to
the development of a major new industry: tourism. In turn, international tourism became
the concern of a number of world governments since it not only provided new
employment opportunities but also produced a means of earning foreign exchange.
Tourism today has grown significantly in both economic and social importance. In
most industrialised countries over the past few years the fastest growth has been seen in
the area of services. One of the largest segments of the service industry, although largely
unrecognised as an entity in some of these countries, is travel and tourism. According to
the World Travel and Tourism Council (1992), Travel and tourism is the largest industry
in the world on virtually any economic measure including value-added capital
investment, employment and tax contributions. In 1992 ‘the industry’s gross output was
estimated to be $3.5 trillion, over 12 per cent of all consumer spending. The travel and
tourism industry is the world’s largest employer the almost 130 million jobs, or almost 7
per cent of all employees. This industry is the world’s leading industrial contributor,
producing over 6 per cent of the world’s national product and accounting for capital
investment in excess of $422 billion in direct indirect and personal taxes each year. Thus,
tourism has a profound impact both on the world economy and, because of the educative
effect of travel and the effects on employment, on society itself.
However, the major problems of the travel and tourism industry that have hidden, or
obscured, its economic impact are the diversity and fragmentation of the industry itself.
The travel industry includes: hotels, motels and other types of accommodation;
restaurants and other food services; transportation services and facilities; amusements,
attractions and other leisure facilities; gift shops and a large number of other enterprises.
Since many of these businesses also serve local residents, the impact of spending by
visitors can easily be overlooked or underestimated. In addition, Meis (1992) points out

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that the tourism industry involves concepts that have remained amorphous to both
analysts and decision makers. Moreover, in all nations this problem has made it difficult
for the industry to develop any type of reliable or credible tourism information base in
order to estimate the contribution it makes to regional, national and global economies.
However, the nature of this very diversity makes travel and tourism ideal vehicles for
economic development in a wide variety of countries, regions or communities.
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 31: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. The development of mass tourism.
B. The history of Tourism.
C. Difficulty in recognising the economic effects of tourism.
D. The Context, Meaning and Scope of Tourism.
Câu 32: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, who or what does the word “it” refer to?
A. Tourism B. Phenomenon C. Mass tourism D. Industrial revolution
Câu 33: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. The largest employment figures in the world are found in the travel and tourism
industry.
B. Tourism contributes over six per cent of the Australian gross national product.
C. Tourism has a social impact because it promotes recreation.
D. Visitor spending is always greater than the spending of residents in tourist areas.
Câu 34: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 4, what is the word “impact” closest in meaning to?
A. resonance B. affect C. avoidance D. stillness
Câu 35: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the main feature of the travel and tourism industry that makes
its economic significance difficult to ascertain?
A. Credible tourism information B. Concepts that have remained amorphous
C. Local residents D. Fragmentation
Questions 36-40: Read the passage carefully.
Since the world became industrialized, the number of animal species that have either
become extinct or have neared extinction has increased. Bengal tigers, for instance, which
once roamed the jungles in vast numbers, now number only about 2,300. By the year 2025,
it is estimated that they will become extinct.
What is alarming about the case of the Bengal tiger is that this extinction will have been
caused almost entirely by poachers who, according to some sources, are not always
interested in material gain but in personal gratification. This is an example of the
callousness that is contributing to the problem of extinction. Animals such as the Bengal
tiger, as well as other endangered species, are valuable parts of the world’s ecosystem.
International laws protecting these animals must be enacted to ensure their survival and
the survival of our planet.
Countries around the world have begun to deal with the problem in various ways.
Some countries, in an effort to circumvent the problem, have allocated large amounts of
land to animal reserves. They then charge admission prices to help defray the costs of
maintaining the parks, and they often must also depend on world organizations for
support. This money enables them to invest in equipment and patrols to protect the
animals. Another response to the increase in animal extinction is an international boycott
of products made from endangered species. This has had some effect, but by itself it will
not prevent animals from being hunted and killed
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.

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Câu 36: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?

A. Endangered species. B. Problems with industrialization.
C. The Bengal tiger. D. International boycotts.
Câu 37: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, who or what does the word “they” refer to?
A. Extinct animals. B. The jungles. C. Animal species. D. Bengal tigers
Câu 38: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, what have some countries done to save
endangered species?
A. New laws are now in place to protect animals.
B. They have built more parks.
C. They have begun an international boycott of products made from species.
D. They have allocated large amounts of land to animal reserves.
Câu 39: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 3, what is the word “circumvent” closest in meaning to?
A. increase. B. avoid. C. encourage. D. permit
Câu 40: [EMPIRE TEAM] Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude?
A. Interested. B. Worried. C. Vindictive. D. Sympathetic
Questions 41-45: Read the passage carefully.
Reality television is a genre of television programming which, it is claimed, presents
unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and features
ordinary people rather than professional actors. It could be described as a form of artificial
or "heightened" documentary. Although the genre has existed in some form or another
since the early years of television, the current explosion of popularity dates from around
2000.
Reality television covers a wide range of television programming formats, from game
or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning programmes produced in
Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (a modern example is Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or
voyeurism- focused productions such as Big Brother.
Critics say that the term "reality television" is somewhat of a misnomer and that such
shows frequently portray a modified and highly influenced form of reality, with
participants put in exotic locations or abnormal situations, sometimes coached to act in
certain ways by off-screen handlers, and with events on screen manipulated through
editing and other post-production techniques.
Some commentators have said that the name "reality television" is an inaccurate
description for several styles of program included in the genre. In competition-based
programs such as Big Brother and Survivor, and other special-living-environment shows
like The Real World, the producers design the format of the show and control the day-to-
day activities and the environment, creating a completely fabricated world in which the
competition plays out. Producers specifically select the participants, and use carefully
designed scenarios, challenges, events, and settings to encourage particular behaviours
and conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and other reality shows, has agreed with
this assessment, and avoids the word "reality" to describe his shows; he has said, "I tell
good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is an unscripted drama."
Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.
Câu 41: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. Introduction to television.
B. Types of television programming.
C. Comparing genres of television programming.
D. Reality television.

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Câu 42: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, who or what does the word “it” refer to?
A. Humorous situation. B. Unscripted dramatic situation.
C. Reality television. D. Actual event.
Câu 43: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, why have some commentators criticised
reality television?
A. Because it is demeaning. B. Because it uses exotic locations.
C. Because of the inaccurate name. D. Because it shows reality.
Câu 44: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, what is the word “demeaning” closest in meaning to?
A. humiliating. B. despising. C. valueless. D. diminishing
Câu 45: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. Reality television has been popular since well before 2000.
B. Reality television has only been popular since 2000.
C. Reality television has always been this popular.
D. Reality television has been popular since approximately 2000.
Questions 46-50: Read the passage carefully.
Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These
people, from the dim mists of prehistory have been wall-conscious; from the Neolithic
period – when ramparts of pounded earth were used - to the Communist Revolution,
walls were an essential part of any village. Not only towns and villages; the houses and
the temples within them were somehow walled, and the houses also had no windows
overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering around a huge maze. The
name for “city” in Chinese (ch’eng) means wall, and over these walled cities, villages,
houses and temples presides the god of walls and mounts, whose duties were, and still
are, to protect and be responsible for the welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and
extremely laborious task such as constructing a wall, which was supposed to run
throughout the country, must not have seemed such an absurdity.
However, it is indeed a common mistake to perceive the Great Wall as a single
architectural structure, and it would also be erroneous to assume that it was built during
a single dynasty. For the building of the wall spanned the various dynasties, and each of
these dynasties somehow contributed to the refurbishing and the construction of a wall,
whose foundations had been laid many centuries ago. It was during the fourth and third
century B.C. that each warring state started building walls to protect their kingdoms, both
against one another and against the northern nomads. Especially three of these states: the
Ch’in, the Chao and the Yen, corresponding respectively to the modern provinces of
Shensi, Shanzi and Hopei, over and above building walls that surrounded their kingdoms,
also laid the foundations on which Ch’in Shih Huang Di would build his first continuous
Great Wall.
The role that the Great Wall played in the growth of Chinese economy was an
important one. Throughout the centuries many settlements were established along the
new border. The garrison troops were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops
on it, roads and canals were built, to mention just a few of the works carried out. All these
undertakings greatly helped to increase the country’s trade and cultural exchanges with
many remote areas and also with the southern, central and western parts of Asia – the
formation of the Silk Route. Builders, garrisons, artisans, farmers and peasants left behind
a trail of objects, including inscribed tablets, household articles, and written work, which
have become extremely valuable archaeological evidence to the study of defence
institutions of the Great Wall and the everyday life of these people who lived and died
along the wall.

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Choose an option (A, B, C, D) that best answers each question.

Câu 46: [EMPIRE TEAM] What is the passage mainly about?
A. The history of the Great Wall of China.
B. The mysteries behind the Great Wall of China.
C. The introduction about the Great Wall of China.
D. The Great Wall of China's contribution to the development of the Chinese economy.
Câu 47: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 2, who or what does the word “it” refer to?
A. The common mistake. B. The Great Wall.
C. The single architectural structure. D. The single dynasty.
Câu 48: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, what was true about The Grate Wall of
China?
A. The Grate Wall of China was built in a single dynasty.
B. The Great Wall of China was refurbished in the fourth and third centuries BC.
C. The Great Wall of China used existing foundations.
D. The Great Wall of China was built by the Ch’in, the Chao and the Yen.
Câu 49: [EMPIRE TEAM] In paragraph 1, what is the word “overlooking” closest in meaning to?
A. inspect. B. looking out. C. ignoring. D. neglecting
Câu 50: [EMPIRE TEAM] According to the passage, why did Chinese cities resemble a maze?
A. Because they were walled.
B. Because the houses have no external windows.
C. Because the name for cities means 'wall'.
D. Because walls have always been important there.

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