Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the

scholars of the classical and medieval worlds, while during the fifteenth century
the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth
century did silent reading become commonplace (phổ biến).
One should be wary (thận trọng), however, of assuming that silent reading
came about simply because reading aloud was a distraction to others. Examinations
of factors related to the historical development of silent reading have revealed that
it became the usual mode of reading for most adults mainly because the tasks
themselves changed in character.
The last century saw a steady gradual increase in literacy and thus in the
number of readers. As the number of readers increased, the number of potential
listeners declined and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As
reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the flourishing of
reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, railway carriages and
offices, where reading aloud would cause distraction to other readers.
Towards the end of the century, there was still considerable argument over
whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully and over
whether the reading of materials such as newspapers was in some way mentally
weakening. Indeed, this argument remains with us still in education. However,
whatever its virtues, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by
the printed mass media on the one hand and by books and periodicals for a
specialised readership (độc giả đặc biệt) on the other.
By the end of the twentieth century, students were being recommended to
adopt attitudes to books and to use reading skills which were inappropriate, if not
impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural and technological changes in
the century had greatly altered what the term “reading” implied.
Q1: Reading aloud was more common in the medieval world because ______.
A. people relied on reading for entertainment
B. silent reading had not been discovered
C. there were few places available for private reading
D. few people could read to themselves
Q2: The word “commonplace” in the first paragraph mostly means “______”.
A. for everybody’s use B. most preferable
C. attracting attention D. widely used
Q3: The development of silent reading during the last century indicated
______.
A. an increase in the average age of readers
B. an increase in the number of books
C. a change in the nature of reading
D. a change in the status of literate people
Q4: Silent reading, especially in public places, flourished mainly because of
______.
A. the decreasing need to read aloud
B. the development of libraries
C. the increase in literacy
D. the decreasing number of listeners
Q5: It can be inferred that the emergence of the mass media and specialized
reading materials was an indication of ______.
A. a decline of standards of literacy
B. a change in the readers’ interest
C. an alteration in educationalists’ attitudes
D. an improvement of printing techniques
Q6: The phrase “a specialized readership” in paragraph 4 mostly means
“______”.
A. a requirement for readers in a particular area of knowledge
B. a limited number of readers in a particular area of knowledge
C. a reading volume for particular professionals
D. a status for readers specialized in mass media
Q7: The phrase “oral reader” in the last paragraph mostly means “a person
who ______”.
A. is good at public speaking
B. practises reading to an audience
C. takes part in an audition
D. is interested in spoken language
Q8: All might be the factors that affected the continuation of the old shared
literacy culture EXCEPT _____.
A. the inappropriate reading skills
B. the specialized readership
C. the diversity of reading materials
D. the printed mass media
Q9: Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the
passage?
A. Reading aloud was more common in the past than it is today.
B. Not all printed mass media was appropriate for reading aloud.
C. The decline of reading aloud was wholly due to its distracting effect.
D. The change in reading habits was partly due to the social, cultural and
technological changes.
Q10: The writer of this passage is attempting to ______.
A. explain how reading habits have developed
B. change people’s attitudes to reading
 C. show how reading methods have improved
D. encourage the growth of reading

Today computers come ____(1)___ all shapes and sizes.There were still big
computers for companies or universities. There are other special computers for
factories. These large computers tell the fatory machines ___(2)___ to do. But
there are also small ___(3)___ computers to use at home or in an office. There are
even computers in telephones, television ___(4)___, and cars. These computers
have to be small. They are so small that you cannot ___(5)___ see all their parts.
Computers are very useful, but they also can ____(6)___ problems. One kind
of problems is with the computer's memory. It is not perfect so sometimes
computers ___(7)___ important information. Another problem is with the
machinery. Computers are machines, and machines can break down. When the
computers break down, they may ___(8)___ information, ___(9)___ chalk on a
blackboard. Or they may stop doing anything at all. And there is ___(10)____
different kind of problem with computers. Some doctors say they may be bad for
your health. They say you should not work with computers all day.
1. A. at B. in C. under D. with
2. A. everything B. something C. what D. thing
3. A. personal B. private C. individual D. owner’s
4. A. pictures B. outfits C. boxes D. sets
5. A. even B. still C. at all D. almost
6. A. get B. cause C. suffer D. gain
7. A. lose B. miss C. misplace D.misunderstanding
8. A. clean B. erase C. wipe D. scrape
9. A. as B. like C. such as D. for instance
10. A. yet B. other C. more D. another