MINI TEST (2.12.

2021)

I. Choose the correct asnwer among A,B,C or D to complete each of the following sentences.

1. _____ no two people think exactly alike, there will always be disagreement, but disagreement should
not always be avoided; it can be healthy if handled creatively.

A. There are B. Why C. That D. Because

2. Social scientists believe that _____ from sounds such as grunts and barks made by early ancestors of
human beings.

A. the very slow development of language B. language developed very slowly

C. language which,, was very slow to develop D. language, very slowly developing

3. _____ technically proficient; it also explores psychological questions.

A. Not only is Barbara Astman's artwork B. Not only Barbara Asiman's artwork

C. Barbara Astman’s artwork, which is not only D. Barbara Astman's artwork not only

4. Outbreaks of diseases in trees commonly occur _____ stressed because of drought or other
environmental factors.

A. as forests that become B. in forests become

C. that become forests D. when forests become

5. _____ the evidence is inconclusive, it is thought that at least some seals have an echolocation system
akin to that of bats, porpoises, and shrews.

A. Rather B. Despite C. Although D. Why

6. Maps are made with the help of ____ photography.

A. air B. aeronautics C. aerial D. aeroplane
7. It’s a ____ shame that so little is done nowadays to help the homeless in our large cities.

A. sweeping B. crying C. dying D. pitying

8. Our dog looks very ferocious, but don’t worry, Liz. It’s gentle like ____.

A. a pony B. a lamb C. snowflakes D. a stone

9. I like my new job; the only fly in the ____ is the fact that I have to work every other weekend.

A. fat B. porridge C. soup D. ointment

10. “I like that painting you bought. Did it cost much?” “ No, the artist sold it to me for ____.”

A. close to nothing B. next to anything C. next to nothing D. anything next

11. True learning does not _____ in gathering facts from the teachers; it requires active assimilation

of knowledge.

A. achieve B. consist C. depend D. come

12. The saying that “Misfortunes don’t come ____,” means that Bad things can happen at the same time.
A. soon B. at once C. single D. singly

13. He knows the interviewer already and that will give him an ______ advantage over me.

A. ardent B. significant C. unfair D. considerable

14. We had to ____________ nearly two hours of speeches.

A. sit on B. sit through C. sit down D. sit for

15. The sky darkened and there was a distant ____________ of thunder.
A. clap B. clang C. groan D. flash

16. She lifted it over the fence and set off across the little meadow, _____________ speed and
thoroughly enjoying it.

A. gathering B. collecting C. consuming D. firing

17. He’s so stubborn and stupid. I just couldn’t get ________ him that she can never make money from

gambling.

A. over B. out of C. across to D. out of

18. The two countries met at the conference to iron _______ their differences.
A. on B. out C. over D. into
19. He tried to paper _______ the country’s deep-seated problems.
A. over B. with C. into D. down
20. Linda chats so much; she could talk the hind leg _______ a donkey.
A. up to B. over C. off D. under
II. The following passage contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them.

It is not easy to have a rational discussion with people about the nature of their language. They feel that
the language belongs to them, and they are entitled to hold cut and dry opinions about it. And when
opinions differ, emotions run high. Arguments can easily stem from minor points of usage as from major
education policies. In English, the origin of many popular misconceptions lies in the work of the linguists
of the eighteenth century who first attempted to codify the English grammar. Unfortunately, they worked
under the premise that English grammar is derived from Latin grammar and that the rules of the latter are
to determine the former. It was this fundamentally misunderstanding that resulted in the absurd but time-
honored 'never-end-a-sentence-with-a-preposition' type of rule that many people still cling to. These days,
many people complain that the Internet is the source of much unforgivable distortion of English, and such
the ease and speed of email communication engenders a lazy approach to writing. This is possibly a short-
sighted view: perhaps we should be more broad-minded and view such changes as potential enrichment
other than corruption of the language. Perhaps those who argue it is only the latter are guilty of stick-in-
the-sand mentality which is often not confined to their own language. The American linguist Leonard
Bloomfield tells the story of a doctor who was so firm in his view that the American language Chippewa
had only few hundred words. When Bloomfield tried to dispute the point, the doctor had no thoughts of
losing down. He turned away and refused to listen.

III. Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the brackets.

BLOGGING AND THE MEDIA

 The growing number of weblogs - or blogs, as they are (1- AFFECTION) ___________ known -
on the internet has become a cause for concern among mainstream media organizations. Within a few
years, blogs have developed from (2- PERSON) ___________musing on daily events to full-blown
critical commentaries ___________ which are often well-informed and eloquently expressed. With an
estimated fifty-two million bloggers writing on almost every (3- CONCEIVE) ___________ subjects
each day, cooperate media can no longer ignore them or treat them with disrespect. The ubiquity of blogs
means that they are increasingly (4- INFLUENCE) ___________ as can be seen in the number of news
stories that have been discredited or called into question by bloggers in recent years. For bloggers have a
freedom unavailable to mainstream journalists. They (5- PASS) ___________ both editor and (6-
PUBLISH) ___________, who by their presence (7- INEVITABLE) ___________distort stories by
“tailoring” them to suit their own ends. The material on blogs is raw, unmodified by editors, and often
harsh and direct in its (8- CRITICIZE) ___________of the way news is reported by the media. The
advantages of this for the reading public are obvious. Bloggers act as a kind of media watchdog, able to
check facts and verify or disprove information in a way that journalists are often (9- ABLE)
___________ to, and this is shaking mainstream media out of its (10- COMPLACENT) ___________.

IV. Read the passage carefully and choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that best fits each space.

SMILE POWER
The expression on your face can actually dramatically alter your feelings and perceptions, and it has been
proved that deliberately smiling or frowning can create corresponding emotional responses. The idea was
first (1) _______ by a French physiologist, Israel Waynbaum, in 1906. He believed that different facial
expressions affected the flow of blood to the brain, and that this could create positive or negative feelings.
A happy smile or irrepressible (2) _________ increased the blood flow and contributed to joyful feelings.
However, sad, angry expressions decreased the flow of oxygen-carrying blood, and created a vicious (3)
_________ of gloom and depression by effectively (4) _________ the brain of essential fuel.
Psychologist Robert Zajonc rediscovered this early (5) _________, and suggests that the temperature of
the brain could affect the production and synthesis of neurotransmitters which definitely influence our
moods and energy levels. He argues that an impaired blood flow could not only deprive the brain of
oxygen, but create further chemical imbalance by inhibiting these vital hormonal messages. Zajonc goes
on to propose that our brains remember that smiling is associated with being happy, and that by
deliberately smiling through your tears you can (6)_________ your brain to release uplifting
neurotransmitters - replacing a depressed condition (7) ________ a happier one. People suffering from
psychosomatic (8)_______, depression and anxiety states could (9) _______ from simply exercising their
zygomatic- (10) _____ which pull the corners of the mouth up and back to form a smile several times an
hour.
1. A. given out B. sent for C. handed in D. put forward
2. A. laughter B. sadness C. humour D. depression
3. A. cycle B. spiral C. circle D. vortex
4. A. cutting B. starving C. removing D. eliminating
5. A. result B. subject C. research D. experiment
6. A. allow B. persuade C. let D. decide
7. A. through B. by C. after D. with
8. A. disease B. illness C. infection; sự nhiễm khuẩn D. ailment
9. A. recover B. improve C. benefit D. progress
10. A. muscles B. nerves C. veins D. bones

V. Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and write your answers in
the answer sheet.
Conversations are such common, everyday events that we easily take them for (1)__________ and
assume that they require no special (2)_______________ but at some time or other , most of us have had
problems talking with other people. You may find (3)________unable to get word in edgeways, and feel
foolish and inadequate. Sometimes you have to interrupt rudely, and are (4) __________ feeling that, to
other people, you must seem unpleasantly aggressive. Or (5) __________ been desperate to speak, you
do not know how to stop and risk (6)______ considered boring. Everyone sometimes finds it difficult to
strike up conversations. The importance of being able to start conversations is obvious. To have
relationships, you have to meet people and get to know them. To get to know them, you have to talk to
them. At some point, (7) __________ has to be an opening line, but how do you know what to say?
Conversations often begin (8) __________ one person remarks, ‘Beautiful weather, isn’t it?’ or asks
some other clichéd question. Conversation openers are rarely original – the anxiety of (9) __________ the
first approach is not conducive to creative thought – but this does not matter what does matter is that
these openers are recognized as what they are – attempts at starting a conversation. The (10)________ are
unimportant, the fact that they have been spoken is.

VI. Read the following passage and then choose the best answers to the questions.
While most desert animals will drink water if confronted with it, for many of them the opportunity
never comes. Yet all living things must have water, or they will expire. The herbivores find it in desert
plants. The carnivores slake their thirst with the flesh and blood of living prey. One of the most
remarkable adjustments, however, has been made by the tiny kangaroo rat, who not only lives without
drinking but subsists on a diet of dry seeds containing about 5% free water. Like other animals, he has the
ability to manufacture water in his body by a metabolic conversion of carbohydrates. But he is notable for
the parsimony with which he conserves his small supply by every possible means, expending only
minuscule amounts in his excreta and through evaporation from his respiratory tract.
Investigation into how the kangaroo rat can live without drinking water has involved various
experiments with these small animals. Could kangaroo rats somehow store water in their bodies and
slowly utilize these resources in the long periods when no free water is available from dew or rain? The
simplest way to settle this question was to determine the total water content in the animals to see if it
decreases as they are kept for long periods on a dry diet. If they slowly use up their water, the body
should become increasingly dehydrated, and if they begin with a store of water, this should be evident
from an initial high water content. Results of such experiments with kangaroo rats on dry diets for more
than 7 weeks showed that the rats maintained their body weight. There was no trend toward a decrease in
water content during the long period of water deprivation. When the kangaroo rats were given free
access to water, they did not drink water. 9They did nibble on small pieces of watermelon, but this did not
change appreciably the water content in their bodies, which remained at 66.3 to 67.2 during this period.
This is very close to the water content of dry-fed animals (66.5), and the availability of free water,
therefore, did not lead to any “storage” that could be meaningful as a water reserve. This makes it
reasonable to conclude that physiological storage of water is not a factor in the kangaroo rat’s ability to
live on dry food.
1. What is the topic of this passage?
A. Kangaroo rats B. Water in the desert C. Desert life D. Physiological experiments
2. The word “expire” is closest in meaning to
A. become ill B. die C. shrink D. dehydrate
3. Which of the following is NOT a source of water for the desert animals?
A. Desert plants B. Metabolic conversion of carbohydrates in the body
C. The blood of other animals D. Streams
4. The word “it” refers to
A. water B. the desert C. the opportunity D. a living thing
5. The author states that the kangaroo rat is known for all of the following EXCEPT
A. the economy with which it uses available water B. living without drinking water
C. breathing slowly and infrequently D. manufacturing water internally
6. The word “parsimony” is closest in meaning to
A. intelligence B. desire C. frugality D. skill
7. It is implied by the author that desert animals can exist with little or no water because of
A. less need for water than other animals B. their ability to adjust to the desert environment
C. their ability to eat plants D. many opportunities for them to find water
8. The word “deprivation” is closest in meaning to
A. preservation B. renewal C. examination D. loss
9. According to the passage, the results of the experiments with kangaroo rats showed that
A. kangaroo rats store water for use during dry periods.
B. kangaroo rats took advantage of free access to water.
C. there was no significant change in body weight due to lack of water or accessibility to water.
D. a dry diet seems detrimental to the kangaroo rat’s health.
10. The tone of the passage is
A. critical B. scientific C. optimistic D. negative