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.

If we believe that clothing has to do with covering the body, and costume with the choice of a particular form of garment for a particular use, then we can say that clothing depends primarily on such physical conditions as climate, health, and textile manufacture, whereas costume reflects social factors such as religious beliefs, aesthetics, personal status, and the wish to be distinguished from or to emulate our fellows.

The ancient Greeks and the Chinese believed that we first covered our bodies for some physical reasons such as protecting ourselves from the elements. Ethnologists and psychologists have invoked psychological reasons: modesty in the case of the ancients, and taboo, magical influence and the desire to please for the moderns.

In early history, costume must have fulfilled a function beyond that of simple utility, perhaps through some magical significance, investing primitive man with the attributes of other creatures. Ornaments identified the wearer with animals, gods, heroes or other men. This identification remains symbolic in more sophisticated societies. We should bear in mind that the theater has its distant origins in sacred performances, and in all periods children at play have worn disguises, so as to adapt gradually to adult life.

Costume helped inspire fear or impose authority. For a chieftain, costume embodied attributes expressing his power, while a warrior’s costume enhanced his physical superiority and suggested he was superhuman. In more recent times, professional or administrative costume has been devised to distinguish the wearer and to express personal or delegated authority; this purpose is seen clearly in the judge’s robes and the police officer’s uniform. Costume denotes power, and since power is usually equated with wealth, costume came to be an expression of social caste and material prosperity. Military uniform denotes rank and is intended to intimidate, to protect the body and to express membership in a group. At the bottom of the scale, there are such compulsory costumes as the convict’s uniform. Finally, costume can possess a religious significance that combines various elements: an actual or symbolic identification with a god, the desire to express this in earthly life, and the desire to enhance the wearer’s position of respect.

The word “investing” in bold in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. endowing

B. wrapping

C. creating

D. frightening

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 35 to 44.

         Reference books are not designed to be read from the first page to the last but rather to be consulted to answer the questions and provide both general and specific pieces of information.

         One of the most (35) ______ used reference books is a dictionary, which provides information about words. It lists meanings and spellings, (36) ______ how a word is pronounced, gives (37) ______ of how it is used, may reveal its origins and also lists synonyms and (38) ______. To help you find the words faster, there are guide words at the top of each page showing the first and last words on that page and of course it (39) ______ to know the alphabet!

         There may be numerous special sections at the back with (40) ______ about famous people and places, lists of dates and scientific names, etc. There is usually a section at the front (41) ______ how to use the dictionary, which includes the special abbreviations or signs.

         An atlas is also a reference book and (42) ______ charts, tables and geographical facts, as well as maps. Political maps locate countries and cities, physical maps show the formation of the land with its mountains and valleys, and economic maps show industries and agriculture. To find a specific place, you need to look in the (43) ______ at the back of the atlas and the exact position on the map. There are numerous map (44) ______ that you need to know in order to be able to read a map-almost like a special language-and these are explained at the front of the atlas.

Điền vào ô 36

A. speaks

B. tells

C. says

D.  gives

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.

A large number of inventions require years of arduous research and development before they are perfected. For instance, Thomas Edison had to make more than 1,000 attempts to invent the incandescent light bulb before he finally succeeded. History is replete with numerous other examples of people trying, yet failing to make inventions before they eventually succeeded. Yet some inventions have come about not through hard work but simply by accident.

In most cases, when someone unintentionally invented something, the inventor was attempting to create something else. For example, in the 1930s, chemist Roy Plunkett was attempting to make a new substance that could be used to refrigerate items. He mixed some chemicals together. Then, he put them into a pressurized container and cooled the mixture. By the time his experiment was complete, he had a new invention. It was not a new substance that could be used for refrigeration though. Instead, he had invented Teflon, which is today most commonly used to make nonstick pots and pans. Similarly, decades earlier, John Pemberton was a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia. He was attempting to create a tonic that people could use whenever they had headaches. While he was not successful in that endeavor, he managed to invent Coca -Cola, the world - famous carbonated soft drink.

Scientists have also made crucial discoveries by accident when they were conducting experiments. In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, an antibiotic, in this manner. He discovered some mold growing in a dish with some bacteria. He noticed that the bacteria seemed to be avoiding the mold. When he investigated further, he determined some of the many useful properties of penicillin, which has saved millions of lives over the past few decades. Likewise, in 1946, scientist Percy Spencer was conducting an experiment with microwaves. He had a candy bar in his pocket, and he noticed that it suddenly melted. He investigated and learned the reason why that had happened. Soon afterward, he built a device that could utilize microwaves to heat food. the microwave oven.

In paragraph 1, the word arduous is closest in meaning to _______.

A. constant

B. tough

C. specific

D. detailed

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions.

She (A) asked why (B) did Mathew look so (C) embarrassing when he (D) saw Carole.

A. asked why

B. did Mathew look 

C. embarrassing

D. saw

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.

If we believe that clothing has to do with covering the body, and costume with the choice of a particular form of garment for a particular use, then we can say that clothing depends primarily on such physical conditions as climate, health, and textile manufacture, whereas costume reflects social factors such as religious beliefs, aesthetics, personal status, and the wish to be distinguished from or to emulate our fellows.

The ancient Greeks and the Chinese believed that we first covered our bodies for some physical reasons such as protecting ourselves from the elements. Ethnologists and psychologists have invoked psychological reasons: modesty in the case of the ancients, and taboo, magical influence and the desire to please for the moderns.

In early history, costume must have fulfilled a function beyond that of simple utility, perhaps through some magical significance, investing primitive man with the attributes of other creatures. Ornaments identified the wearer with animals, gods, heroes or other men. This identification remains symbolic in more sophisticated societies. We should bear in mind that the theater has its distant origins in sacred performances, and in all periods children at play have worn disguises, so as to adapt gradually to adult life.

Costume helped inspire fear or impose authority. For a chieftain, costume embodied attributes expressing his power, while a warrior’s costume enhanced his physical superiority and suggested he was superhuman. In more recent times, professional or administrative costume has been devised to distinguish the wearer and to express personal or delegated authority; this purpose is seen clearly in the judge’s robes and the police officer’s uniform. Costume denotes power, and since power is usually equated with wealth, costume came to be an expression of social caste and material prosperity. Military uniform denotes rank and is intended to intimidate, to protect the body and to express membership in a group. At the bottom of the scale, there are such compulsory costumes as the convict’s uniform. Finally, costume can possess a religious significance that combines various elements: an actual or symbolic identification with a god, the desire to express this in earthly life, and the desire to enhance the wearer’s position of respect.

Which of the following would most likely NOT be reflected in a person’s costume, as it is defined in the passage?

A. Playing in a baseball game

B. Working in a hospital

C. Having a heart condition

D. Participating in a religious ceremony

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.

Money

The ancestor of the monetary system is of course the barter system. A farmer could trade his produce for the fish obtained by a fisherman or the cloth produced by a weaver. Even today the barter system tends to come back into style in places suffering from social breakdown, or as an informal sideline activity in more harmonious lands. However, trying to reach agreement over the relative value of different things tends to be time-consuming and vexing, and so societies tended to converge towards a common medium of exchange. Pacific islanders used shells; Aztecs used cacao beans, the main ingredient of chocolate. Livestock was common among herding cultures; slaves were sometimes used, too, but they were much harder to control than cattle and so not as popular; and many cultures used salt, including the Romans for a time- hence, the modern term "salary". Incidentally, after World War II cigarettes were used as a medium of exchange in many countries then in very poor condition, and it is said that in Italy “penny candy” was commonly used as “small change” even into the 1970s.

The medium that gradually gained widespread acceptance was precious metals such as gold and silver. Coins are said to have been invented by the Lydians, a people of Asia Minor, sometime after 640 BC. They used stamped ingots of "electrum", a naturally occurring amalgam of silver and gold. The scheme was refined by King Croesus, ruler of Lydia from 560 to 546 BCE, who introduced coins of true gold. He is still identified with wealth in the expression "rich as Croesus". The introduction of coinage was a great boon for traders, simplifying transactions and allowing them to be conducted more smoothly over long distances.

[1] Coinage also helped support far-flung empires; the Roman Empire was built on silver and gold coins, as well as military victories. As the empire expanded, the expenditures of the state led to the debasement of the coins, beginning with an act of the Emperor Nero in 64 A.D. By the end of his reign, the silver content of Roman coins had shrunk by 10%. [2] Other emperors followed his example, and over 200 years from the start of the process, the content shrank to 5%. The coins’ buying power fell accordingly.

[3] Coins are still with us, though they are now little more than tokens made of non-precious metals. [4] Few countries still use silver or gold coins as anything other than collector's items.

The author uses Incidentally in paragraph 1 in order to show that the information that follows_________

A. is especially important 

B. explains an effect of previous information 

C. is not essential 

D. contradicts the previous information