Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer.

The advent of the Internet may be one of the most important technological developments in recent years. Never before have so many people had access to so many different sources of information. For all of the Internet’s advantages, however, people are currently becoming aware of some of its drawbacks and are looking for creative solutions. Among the current problems, which include a general lack of reliability and numerous security concerns, the most crucial is speed.

First of all, the Internet has grown very quickly. In 1990, only a few academics had ever heard of the Internet. In 1996, over 50 million people used it. Every year, the number of people with access to the Internet doubles. The rapid growth has been a problem. The computer systems which run the Internet have not been able to keep up with the demand. Also, sometimes, a request for information must pass through many routing computers before the information can be obtained. A request for information made in Paris might have to go through computers in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo in order to obtain the required information. Consequently, the service is often slow and unpredictable. Service also tends to be worse when the Internet is busiest - during the business day of the Western Hemisphere - which is also when companies need its service the most.

Some people are trying to harness the power of networked computers in such a way as to avoid this problem. In 1995, a group of American universities banded together to form what has come to be known as Internet II. Internet II is a smaller, more specialized system intended for academic use. Since it is more specialized, fewer users are allowed access. Consequently, the time required to receive information has decreased.

Businesses are beginning to explore a possible analogue to the Internet II. Many businesses are creating their own “Intranets”. These are systems that can only be used by the members of the same company. In theory, fewer users should translate into a faster system. Intranets are very useful for large national and international companies whose branches need to share information. Another benefit of an Intranet is an increased amount of security. Since only company employees have access to the information on the Intranet, their information is protected from competitors. While there is little doubt that the Internet will eventually be a fast and reliable service, industry and the academic community have taken their own steps toward making more practical global networks.

The word “harness" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. block

B. steal

C. utilize

D. disguise

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

WHY I DISLIKE COMPUTERS

Almost everyone says that computers are wonderful and that they are (35) ______ our lives for the better by making everything faster and more reliable, but I am not so sure that this is the (36) ________

The other day I was standing in a large department store waiting to pay for a couple of films for my camera (37) _______ the assistant announced that the computer which controlled the till (38) _______ working. I did not think this was a big problem and I (39)________ to find another counter, but of course, all the machines are part of the same system. So there we were: a shop full of customers, money at the ready, waiting to (40) _______ our purchases, but it was quite clear that none of the assistants knew what to do. They were not allowed to take our money and give to customers a written (41) ______,because the sales wouldn‟t then have been recorded on the computer system. In the end, (42) _______many other people, I left my shopping on the counter and walked out .Don't you think so that's ridiculous? It (43) ________ never have happened before computers, and that, for me, is the problem: we are beginning to depend on these machines so completely that we (44) _______ cannot manage without them anymore.

Điền vào ô 44

A. justly 

B. merely 

C. only 

D. simply

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.

He failed his driving test the first time. As a result, he took it again.

A. He failed his driving test the first time and so he therefore took it again

B. He failed his driving test the first time and he therefore took it again

C. He failed his driving test the first time which he took it again

D. Failing his driving test the first time and he therefore took it again

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction (from 30 to 34)

The Southeast Asian Games, also knowing (A) as the SEA Games, is a biennial (B) multisport event involving (C) participants from the current eleven countries of Southeast Asia. (D)

A. knowing

B. biennial

C. involving

D. of Southeast Asia

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Thousands are going starving because of the failure of this year’s harvest

A. hungry

B. poor

C. rich

D. full

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 20 to 25.

FIRST TIME IN THE AIR

When John Mills was going to fly in an aeroplane for the first time, he was frightened. He did not like the idea of being thousands of feet up in the air. “ I also didn't like the fact that I wouldn't be in control,” says John.

“I'm a terrible passenger in the car. When somebody else is driving, I tell them what to so. It drives everybody crazy.”

However John couldn't avoid flying any longer. It was the only way he could visit his grandchildren in Canada.

“I had made up my mind that I was going to do it, I couldn't let my son, his wife and their three children travel all the way here to visit me. It would be so expensive for them and I know Tom's business isn't doing so well at the moment – it would also be tiring for the children – it's a nine-hour flight!” he says.

To get ready for the flight John did lots of reading about aeroplanes. When he booked his seat, he was told that he would be flying on a Boeing 747, which is better known as a jumbo jet. “I needed to know as much as possible before getting in that plane. I suppose it was a way of making myself feel better. The Boeing 747 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world at the moment. The first one flew on February 9th 1969 in the USA. It can carry up to 524 passengers and 3.400 pieces of luggage. The fuel for aeroplanes is kept in the wings and the 747 is wings are so big that they can carry enough fuel for an average car to be able to travel 16,000 kilometres a year for 70 years. Isn't that unbelievable? Even though I had discovered all this very interesting information about the jumbo, when I saw it for the first time, just before I was going to travel to Canada, I still couldn't believe that something so enormous was going to get up in the air and fly. I was even more impressed when I saw how big it was inside with hundreds of people!”

The biggest surprise of all for John was the flight itself. “The take-off itself was much smoother than I expected although I was still quite scared until we were in the air. In the end, I managed to relax, enjoy the food and watch one of the movies and the view from the window was spectacular. I even managed to sleep for a while! Of course,” continues John, “the best reward of all was when I arrived in Canada and saw my son and his family, particularly my beautiful grandchildren. Suddenly, I felt so silly about all the years when I couldn't even think of getting on a plane. I had let my fear of living stop me from seeing the people I love most in the world. I can visit my son and family as often as I like now!”

Question:Why did John Mills fly in an aeroplane?

A. He wanted to go on holiday

B. He wanted to try it.

C. He wanted to see his family.

D. He had to travel on business.

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

WHY I DISLIKE COMPUTERS

Almost everyone says that computers are wonderful and that they are (35) ______ our lives for the better by making everything faster and more reliable, but I am not so sure that this is the (36) ________

The other day I was standing in a large department store waiting to pay for a couple of films for my camera (37) _______ the assistant announced that the computer which controlled the till (38) _______ working. I did not think this was a big problem and I (39)________ to find another counter, but of course, all the machines are part of the same system. So there we were: a shop full of customers, money at the ready, waiting to (40) _______ our purchases, but it was quite clear that none of the assistants knew what to do. They were not allowed to take our money and give to customers a written (41) ______,because the sales wouldn‟t then have been recorded on the computer system. In the end, (42) _______many other people, I left my shopping on the counter and walked out .Don't you think so that's ridiculous? It (43) ________ never have happened before computers, and that, for me, is the problem: we are beginning to depend on these machines so completely that we (44) _______ cannot manage without them anymore.

Điền vào ô 38

A. had stopped 

B. has stopped 

C. stopped 

D. would stop

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Unselfishness is the very essence of friendship

A. important part

B. difficult part

C. romantic part

D. interesting part