Ca Tru was also called “Hat A Dao” or “Hat Noi”. Originally, attractive young female singers entertained men in a relaxed environment, sometimes serving drinks and snacks. Men might have visited a “Hat A Dao” in with friends to celebrate a successful business deal or the birth of a son.

Ca Tru flourished in the 15th century in northern Vietnam when it was popular with the royal palace and a favourite hobby of aristocrats and scholars.

Later, it was performed in communal houses, inns, and private homes, and gained its high popularity.

These performances were mostly for men. When men entered a Ca Tru inn, they purchased bamboo tally cards. In Chinese Vietnamese, “tru” means “card”, and “ca” means “song” in Vietnamese, so the name Ca Tru means tally card songs. The tallies were given to the singers in appreciation for the performance. After the performance each singer received payment in proportion to the number of cards received.

Ca Tru requires at least three performers. The singer is always a woman and plays the “phach”, an instrument made of wood or bamboo that is beaten with two wooden sticks. A musician accompanies the singer on the “dan day”, a long-necked lute with three silk strings and 10 frets. There is also a drummer or “trong chau”. The drummer shows his approval of the singer or the songs depending on how he hits the drum. If he likes a song, he might hit the side of the drum twice. The “dan day” player must follow the rhythm of the “phach”. His instrument, the “dan day”, is only used in Ca Tru and is now made almost exclusively for sale to tourists.

Question: All of the following are true about Ca Tru EXCEPT that___

A. it flourished in the 15^th century in northern Vietnam

B. the “dan day” is now only used as a souvenir for tourists

C. the meaning of Ca Tru partly originated from Chinese Vietnamese

D. Ca Tru requires at least three performers

Choose one word in each group that has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.

A. hopeless

B. endles

C. success

D. harmless

Are you a music-lover between the ages of fourteen and eighteen? Would you like to go to a festival with friends of the same age as you? Then this music festival is for you! For most music festivals, you have to be eighteen before you can go without an adult, but the Underage Festival is different. You must be between fourteen and eighteen.

The Underage Festival is a day of music and fun for teenagers. It takes place in Victoria Park, London, in August. It’s a one-day festival - it starts at 11.30 a.m. and the music goes on until 8 p.m.

Sam Kilcoyne is the main organizer of the festival. He started the Underage Festival in 2007 when he was only fifteen years old. It’s a small festival with 10,000 people but the best thing about it is that there are no adults! Parents can wait for their children outside the gate, but they can’t come in to the festival.

But parents don't need to worry! The organization is great and it's a safe and peaceful festival. You can’t bring food or drink into the festival, but there are lots of restaurant tents with a variety of food and drink - from pizzas to burgers and Chinese to Mexican. We recommend the pizza tent. On the festival website, there's a page for parents with all the information they need.

There's a big variety of music, everything from indie to hip hop, electronic to heavy metal. There’s even a silent disco where everyone wears headphones. There are six stages. The main stage is outside and the other five are in huge tents. Sometimes, it feels a little crowded in the tents, but the big names usually play on the main stage. Sometimes it’s difficult to choose which band to watch because they only play for thirty minutes. But in general, the music is fantastic and the teenagers are happy.

Question: Where can parents find information about the festival?

A.  outside the gate

B. from Sam Kilcoyne, the organizer

C.  from their teenage children

D. on the festival website