Question

[Lê Quỳnh Anh]

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 35 to 42.

Henry is the undisputed star of Dronfield School near Sheffield. Whatever the achievements of other members of the comprehensive school, it is Henry, with his soulful eyes and glossy hair, who has hogged the limelight, appearing on television in Britain and abroad. Yet despite all the public adulation, Henry stirs up no envy or resentment among the 2000 students – in fact, they all adore him. The dog, who first arrived six months ago, is a super dog, who has improved students’ behaviour and encouraged more students to focus on their academic achievement.

Andrew Wainwright, a student at Dronfield School, says there is something magical and calming about being able to interact with Henry during his time at the school’s catch-up classes, and that if he falls behind, that opportunity will be denied. Even doubting staff have finally been won round. Perhaps that is because Henry, who lies on the floor during staff meetings, has also had a calming effect on them.

It was Andrew’s teacher, Wendy Brown and the school counsellor, Julie Smart, who first proposed buying a school dog. “Julie and I were talking one day about how looking after dogs can positively affect children’s conduct,” says Brown. “We did some research and discovered that the presence of pets has been shown to be therapeutic. A number of studies have shown that animals improve recovery after surgery or illness and have a calming influence on people in a lot of settings. Some of my kids can be a handful and some of the children Julie counsels have terrible problems.”

Could the school dog become a craze? Other schools such as the Mulberry Bush, a primary school for children with behavioural problems, have stepped forward to point out they already have one. Rosie Johnston, a Mulberry staff member has been bringing her golden retriever, Muskoka, into school for three years. Apart from being a calming influence, Muskoka even plays his part in literacy lessons. Children at the school can be too shy to read to adults so they read to Muskoka. “Their anxiety about mispronouncing something or getting the words in the wrong order is reduced when they read to him,” says Johnston.

Psychologist Dr Deborah Wells from Queen's University Belfast specialises in animal-human interaction. She believes that the underlying key to the Henry effect is that dogs offer unconditional love and that cheers up adults and children and helps with self-esteem. But traditionalist Chris Woodhead, the former chief inspector of schools says, “I don’t see why a teacher cannot create a positive learning environment through the subject they teach and their personality. Dogs strike me as a bit of a publicity stunt. It’s the kind of sentimental story journalists love.” Despite this sentiment, Henry remains as popular as ever.

(Adapted from “Ready for Advanced” by Roy Norris and Amanda French with Miles Hordern)

The phrase “a handful” in paragraph 3 is probably descriptive of a child who is _______.

A. difficult to control

B. inclined to disagree

C. reluctant to explore

D. impossible to understand

Answer 1

[Dương Hoàn Anh]

Chọn đáp án A

The phrase “a handful” in paragraph 3 is probably descriptive of a child who is _______: Cụm “a handful” trong đoạn 3 dùng để miêu tả một đứa trẻ _______

A. difficult to control: khó kiểm soát

B. inclined to disagree: có xu hướng phản nghịch

C. reluctant to explore: miễn cưỡng khám phá

D. impossible to understand: không thể hiểu

Dẫn chứng (đoạn 3): A number of studies have shown that animals improve recovery after surgery or illness and have a calminig influence on people in a lot of settings. Some of my kinds can be a handful and some of the children Julie councels have terrible problems: Một số nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng động vật có thể cải thiện quá trình phục hội sau phẫu thuật hay bệnh tật và có tác dụng kiềm chế, làm con người bình tĩnh trong rất nhiều hoàn cảnh. Một vài đứa trẻ của tôi (học sinh ở trường bà) rất khó để kiểm soát cảm xúc và một vài đứa trẻ mà Julie tham vấn thì có những vấn đề nghiêm trọng.

Ta có: a handful = a person who is very difficult to deal with or control: một người rất khó để kiểm soát, đối phó

Vậy chọn đáp án đúng là A.

NOTE Nếu không biết nghĩa đặc biệt này của “a handful” thì ta có thể suy ra từ ý “a calming influence”.