Chuyên đề đọc hiểu Tiếng Anh nâng cao

CHUYÊN ĐỀ LÀM BÀI ĐỌC HIỂU TIẾNG ANH NÂNG CAO

THEME: IMPROVING READING SKILLS

READING QUESTIONS IN THE FINAL TEST OF THE GCSE

READING 1: (7 questions)

Question 1. Main idea question

Question 2. “Unstated’” question

Question 3. Vocabulary in context question

Question 4. Reference question

Question 5. Vocabulary in context question

Question 6. (implied) detailed question

Question 7. (implied) detailed question

READING 2 (8 questions)

Question 1. Main idea question

Question 2. Vocabulary in context question

Question 3. Reference question

Question 4. “Unstated’ question

Question 5. Vocabulary in context question

Question 6. (implied) detailed question

Question 7. Vocabulary in context question

Question 8: Inferring question 

PART 1:  IMPROVING SCANNING SKILL (READING FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION)

TASK  1: Read the excerpts from sports articles and write the competitor’s name, sport and accomplishment.

Excerpt 1: With only seconds left in the game, striker Rene Lucci came up from behind to score the winning goal. This will surely make him a name to watch in football	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement:
Excerpt 2: The event, held this year in Sydney, Australia, includes participants from over twenty countries, including the US sailing team led by record holder Alan Lock.	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement:
Excerpt 3: The first round for bowling tournament takes place this Saturday. Don Clark’s team, which he helped win last year’s top prize, will lead the round.	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement:
Excerpt 4: Born in 1895, legendary athlete Babe Ruth is one of the most famous players in American baseball history. In the span of his career, he scored 714 home runs.	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement:
Excerpt 5: Other  breakthrough in women’s sport include Ann Meyers, who in 1974 became the first high school student to play for the US national team in baseball.	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement:
Excerpt 6: We met with Antonio Diez, an Argentine water polo player, to discuss how his team won the gold medal at men’s Water Polo World Championship	Competitor’s name: Sport: Achievement

TASK 2: Write the numbers of sentences in exercise 1 that contain the following information. More than one answer may be possible.

Important year
Day of the week
Reference to a country/ nationality
Location
Name of a competition
Education level

TASK  3: Scan the blog posts quickly and complete the chart.

Andy, 21   Practice is going to be tough this year, but I know our team is going to do really well in the competition this spring. It’s difficult waking up at 6 a.m. every weekday to be at the court by 7a.m; especially for practice that lasts an hour and a half , but I really enjoy having a lot of energy throughout the day. My team are terrific as well, and we’ve become great friends. I’m sure we’re going to have the best basketball team in the area.

Beth, 22   I meet my cycling team once a week, but we do our practicing on our own. It’s definitely a team sport with great emphasis on individual performance. That works really well for me, particularly because I can practice whenever I like. These days, I do it for a couple of hours on Monday and Wednesday after my class which ends at 4.p.m. It’s perfect because I can use the bike trails in the park between school and home. The only drawback is that some team-mates don’t meet every week. That’s not good for teamwork.

Paul, 22   I’m really excited about his year’s  polo competition. We’ve been working really hard every weekend to practice for it. I’d like to practice more often but, with everyone’s busy schedule, it’s difficult to meet during the week. But we spend about three hours every Saturday and Sunday on the polo field and that’s enough to get good at it. I have a great time with my horse, too. That’s the best thing about it. If only the field were maintained a little better, I’d have no complaints at all.

 

PLAYER	ANDY	BETH	PAUL
Sport
Practice days
Practice length
Likes
dislikes

TASK 4: Match the phrases with the headlines.

1/ the beginning of a  practice	a) Football fired over disappointed loss
2/ a professional gain	b) Draw forces hockey game into thrilling overtime
3/ location of a major event	c) Wembley Stadium to host national championship game
4/ a type of injury	d) Relay runner suffers broken ankle during race
5/ details of an exciting game	e) Lyle Taylor wins bib in move from Liverpool to Chelsea
6/ a below standard performance	f) Training for Olympic rowing team to start Saturday.

PART 2: DEALING WITH REFERENCE QUESTIONS

These questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage.  Often, the relationship is between a pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers). Sometimes other kinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this).

How to Recognize Reference Questions:

Reference questions look similar to vocabulary questions. In the passage, one word or phrase is highlighted.  Usually the word is a pronoun.  Then you are asked:

The word “x”in the passage refers to:

The four answer choices will be words or phrases from the passage. Only one choice is the word to which the highlighted word refers.

Tips for Reference Questions:

1. If the reference question is about a pronoun, make sure your answer is the same number (singular or plural) and case (first person, second person, third person) as the highlighted pronoun.

2. Substitute your choice for the highlighted word or words in the sentence. Does it violate any grammar rules? Does it make sense?

3.Reference questions ask about the meanings of pronouns and demonstratives such as

- They/ them/ their/ theirs

- It/ its

- he, him/ his

- she/ her/ hers

- which, who, that, and this. 

- Other/ others .

4. Read the question(s) and the options

5.  Find the reference word in the passage

6.  Identify the reference word of the preceding sentence

7.  Match the reference word with the correct answer

The goal of these questions is simple: you need to decide what the pronoun or phrase refers to. You probably already do this automatically when you read; if you don’t, then you probably have trouble understanding the reading passages. Reference questions are one of relatively few question types that very basically test a skill that is necessary to read well.

Pre- reference

• The options  that  stand after the reference items should be eliminated first
• It is advisable that the item that is close to the reference item should be chosen.

Post -reference – choose the reference that is closest .

EXAMPLES OF REFERENCE QUESTIONS

Example 1:

People who want to become university teachers need master's degrees. Getting a master's   degree is a necessity, but if it is gained too early, there may be concerns that the candidate lacks the real-world experience to go with it. In fact, very few schools want to hire novices with little or no classroom experience and even if they are accepted, they are usually ill-paid. One wise solution to the issue is for future postgraduates to start working as teachers before going on to gain their master's degree.

(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2107)

Question 41.   The word “they” in paragraph 3 refers to ____________.

A. postgraduates                   B. novices                     C. schools                      D. teachers

Example 2:

 You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their actions. This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to respond to them. Emotions have evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to others. But does raising the eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as they does in Madagascar? Much research on emotional expressions has centered on such questions.

(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2017)

Question 40: The word “ they” in paragraph 1 refers to ______

A. appropriate responses in particular situations        B. raising eyebrows and rounding the mouth

C. our intentions to others                                          D. research on emotional expressions

Example 3:

In many Asian cultures, for example, children are taught to control emotional responses - especially negative ones- while many American children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly. Another difference can be found when an American person understands a grin as a signal of joy while on a Japanese face, it may mean embarrassment.

(extracted from the first term exam 2016-2017)

Question 44: the word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to __________

A. feeling                                B. difference               C. a grin                      D. face

Example 4:

When they were asked what they thought was a fair division of labor, women with jobs felt that housework should be shared equally between male and female partners. Women who did not work outside the home were satisfied to perform 80% - the majority of the household work – if their husbands did remainder. Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, women become unhappy and anxious, and feel they are unimportant.

(extracted from the second  term exam2016 -2017)

Question 2: The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to__________

A. men                                   B. women                    C. jobs                         D. labour

Example 5:

The civil war broke out 6 years later. Immediately, Barton started war service by helping the soldiers with their needs. At the battle of Bull run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care of the sick and hurt. Barton did this with great empathy and kindness. She acknowledged each soldier as a person . her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many. When the war ended in 1865 , she used 4 years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during the war.

(extracted from the second  term exam 2016-2017)

Question 33: The word ”this” in paragraph 2 refers to________

            A. cooking for soldiers                                                           B. receiving permission

            C. acknowledging each soldier as a person                            D. taking care of the sick and hurt

Example 6:

Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways of communicating without using speech. Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every known culture. The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit. Coded to refer to speech, the potential for communication is very great.

(extracted from the first  term exam 2017-2018)

Question 40. The word "it" in paragraph refers to ________.

A. way                           B. environment            C. function                 D. signal

Example 7:

Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.

(extracted from the first  term exam 2017-2018)

Question 46. The word “they” in line 16 refers to ____________.

A. slices of reality                                            B. similar textbooks

C. boundaries                                                   D. seats

Example 8:

Parents may get another kind of help from the companies they work for. Many companies now let people with children work part-time. That way, parents can spend more time with their children. Some husbands may even stop working for a while to stay with the children. For these men there is a new word: They are called "househusband". In the United States more and more men are becoming househusband every year.

                                                                                         (extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)

Question 20: The word " they" in paragraph 5 refers to _______________

A. parents who work part-time                                                          

B. children who spend more time with fathers than mothers

C. fathers who spend more time with their children              

D. husbands who stop working to stay with the children

Example 9:

 For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals add it to their reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants. The most vulnerable moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fend for itself. Feeding postpones that moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able to cope.

(extracted from the second term exam 2017-2018)

Question 47: The word  “it” in the last paragraph refers to ______

A. feeding                               B. moment                  C. young animal                                  D. size

Example 10:

Different cultures follow their own special customs when a child's baby teeth fall out. In Korea, for example, they have the custom of throwing lost teeth up on the roof of a house. According to tradition, a magpie will come and take the tooth. Later, the magpie will return with a new tooth for the child. In other Asian countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, children follow a similar tradition of throwing their lost teeth onto the roofs of houses.

  (extracted from the actual test 2017 -2018)

Question 29. The word "their" in paragraph 1 refers to ______.

A. houses'

B. roofs'

C. children's

D. countries'

Example 11:

The combination of these human-related effects and natural obstacles such as disease or low birthrates has proven to be too much for some species to overcome. They have no chance of survival without human help.

 (extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )

A. natural obstacles                                                   B. low birthrates

C. some species                                                         D. human-related effects

Example 12:

The pleasure derived from this activity is common to all kinds of reading. But different types of books give us different types of pleasure. First in order of popularity is novel-reading. Novels contain pictures of imaginary people in imaginary situations, and give us an opportunity of escaping into a new world very much like our world and yet different from it. Here we seem to live a new life, and the experience of this new life gives us a thrill of pleasure.

 (extracted from the sample  test 2018 )

Question 31. The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to ______.

A. a new life

B. our world

C. an opportunity

D. a thrill of pleasure

Example 13:

 Another difference is the existence in France of prestigious higher educational institutions known as grandes écoles, which provide advanced professional and technical training. Most of these schools are not affiliated with the universities, although they too recruit their students by giving competitive examinations to candidates. The grandes écoles provide rigorous training in all branches of applied science and technology, and their diplomas have a somewhat higher standing than the ordinary licence.

(extracted from the sample  test 2018)

Question 37: The word ”their” in paragraph 3 refers to _____________

1. schools                  B. universities                         C. examinations                      D. branches       

Example 14:

North Americans are familiar with the many "person on the street" interviews on local television news shows. While such interviews can be highly entertaining, they are not necessarily an accurate indication of public opinion. First, they reflect the opinions of only those people who appear at a certain location. Thus, such samples can be biased in favor of commuters, middle-class shoppers, or factory workers, depending on which area the new people select.

(extracted from the actual IELTS test)                     

Question 6. The word "they" refers to ______.              

A. interviews                      B. opinions                     C. news shows                D. North Americans

Example 15:

Although people commonly associate the word clone with modern scientific advancements, its usage in botany (the study of plants) is far removed from those developments; a clone is, in the world of plants, a completely natural thing, even a common one. Generally speaking, a clone is an individual which is genetically identical to its progenitor, the parent from which the clone was produced. In this type of procreation, only one progenitor is necessary. There are, of course, relatively few animals which reproduce in this way. While certain types of fish, reptiles, and insects (among others) do reproduce asexually, most creatures from the animal kingdom are born from two parent individuals with two discrete sets of genes. In comparison, plants frequently reproduce asexually, creating genetically identical offspring, or clones. The term for this type of procreation is vegetative reproduction, which includes a number of different processes by which various plants multiply.

(extracted from the actual TOEFL  test)

Question 1: The phrase “this type of procreation” refers to

(A) becoming genetically identical                                        (B) reproduction by cloning

(C) birth to a pair of parents                                                   (D) producing individual sets of genes

Example 16:

All workers, like the queen, are female, but the workers are smaller than the queen. The male honeybees are called drones; they do no work and cannot sting. They are developed from unfertilized eggs, and their only job is to impregnate a queen. The queen must be fertilized in order to lay worker eggs. During the season, when less honey is available and the drones is of no further use, the workers block the drones from eating the honey so that they will starve to death.

Question: The word “They” in the last paragraph refers to_________.

A. queens                    B. workers                   C. honeybees               D. drones

Example 17:

People used to know more or less how their children would live. Now things are changing so quickly that they don’t even know what their own lives will be like in a few years’ time. What follows is not science fiction. It is how experts see the future. You are daydreaming behind the steering wheel; is it too dangerous? No! That’s no problem because you have it on automatic pilot, and with its hi-tech computers and cameras, your car “knows” how to get home safe and sound.

Question: What does “its” in line 5 refer to?

A. Your car.                B. Your home.             C. The future.             D. The steering wheel.

PART 3: DEDUCING THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

TYPES OF QUESTIONS

The word “…..” in line 19 is closest in meaning to…

The word “…..” in line 20 could be best replaced by…

In line, the phrase “ …...” could be best replaced by which of the following?

The phrase "the wee hours" in paragraph 3 probably refers to the period of time ______.

TIPS: Steps of guessing unknown vocabulary

- Step 1: Guessing meaning from word formation

- Step 2: Guessing meaning from context

Example 1:

Bees live in a structured environment and social structure within a hive, which is a nest with storage space for the honey. The different types of bees each perform a unique function.

Question: It is stated in paragraph 2 that a hive is_________.

A. a storage space       B. a nest                      C. a type of bee           D. a type of honey

Example 2:

Bees, classified into over 10,000 species, are insects found in almost every part of the world except the northernmost and southernmost regions.

The word “species” in the first sentence probably means_________.

A. enemies                  B. mates                      C. killers                      D. varieties

Example 3

But that is not all. Almost every school in the USA understands that real classroom teaching  experience is a vital part of a teacher's training. Before taking over a class, a person typically needs to complete a training program, including working as a supervised student teacher.

(extracted from the first term test 2016-2017)

The word “vital” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to______ .

A. very useless                      B. very easy                  C. very important        D. very interesting
Example 4:

A recent study shows that an unequal share of household chores is still the norm in many households, despite the fact that many more women now have jobs. In a survey of 1,256 people ages between 18 and 65, men said they contributed an average of 37% of the total housework, while the women estimated their share to be nearly double that, at 70%. This ratio was not affected by whether the woman was working or not.

When they were asked what they thought was a fair division of labor, women with jobs felt that housework should be shared equally between male and female partners. Women who did not work outside the home were satisfied to perform 80% - the majority of the household work – if their husbands did remainder. Research has shown that, if levels increase beyond these percentages, women become unhappy and anxious, and feel they are unimportant.

(extracted from the second  term test 2016-2017)

Question 1:The word remainder in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______ .

A. what is done          B. what is fulfilled           C. what is left          D. what is share

Question 2: The word norm in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______ .

A. changing thing      B. strange thing              C. usual thing           D. unequal thing

Question 3: The word estimated in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______ .

A. wanted                  B. divided                       C. hoped                 D. guessed

Example 5:

The civil war broke out 6 years later. Immediately, Barton started was service by helping the soldiers with their needs. At the battle of Bull Run, Clara Barton received permission from the government to take care of the sick and hurt. Barton did this with great empathy and kindness. She acknowledged each soldier as a person. Her endurance and courage on the battlefield were admired by many. When the war ended in 1865, she used 4 years of her life to assist the government in searching for soldiers who were missing during the war.

(extracted from the second  term test 2016-2017)

Question 1: The phrase broke out in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

A. extended

B. broke down

C. closed

D. began

Question 2: The word acknowledged in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by

A. nursed

B. recognized

C. pleaded

D. believed

Example 6:

Although speech is the most advanced form of communication, there are many ways of communicating without using speech. Signals, signs, symbols, and gestures may be found in every known culture. The basic function of signal is to impinge upon the environment in such a way that it attracts attention, as, for example, the dots and dashes of a telegraph circuit. Coded to refer to speech, the potential for communication is very great. Less adaptable to the codification of words, signs also contain meaning in and of themselves. A stop sign or a barber pole conveys meaning quickly and conveniently.

Symbols are more difficult to describe than either signals or signs because of their intricate relationship with the receiver's cultural perceptions. In some cultures, applauding in a theater provides performers with an auditory symbol of approval. Gestures such as waving and handshaking also communicate certain cultural messages.

(Extracted from the first  term test 2017-2018)

Question 1:The phrase "impinge upon" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.

A. prohibit                      B. affect                     C. vary                      D. improve

Question 2: The word "potential" in paragraph 1 could be replaced by _______.

A. advantage                B. possibility                 C. organization          D. range

Question 3: The word "intricate" in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _______.

A. inefficient                 B. complicated              C. historical               D. uncertain

Example 7:

It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important.

Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or on the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to the people debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist. Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one's entire life.

(Extracted from the first  term test 2017-2018)

Question 1: What does the author probably mean by using the expression “children interrupt their education to go to school” (lines 2) ?

A. Going to several different schools is educationally beneficial.

B. School vacations interrupt the continuity of the school year.

C. Summer school makes the school year too long.              

D. All of life is an education.

Question 2: The word “bounds “in line 4 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A. rules                       B. experience                         C. limits                      D. exceptions

Question 3: The word “chance” in line 9 is closest in meaning to_________________.

A. unexpected             B. unusual                               C. lengthy                   D. lively

Question 4:  The word “an integral” in line 12 is closest in meaning to ____________.

A. an equitable                        B. a profitable                                     C. a pleasant                D. an essential

Example 8:

These days, however, more and more women work outside the home. They do not stay with the children all day. They, too, come home tired in the evening. They do not want to spend the evening cooking dinner and cleaning up. They do not have time to clean the house and do the laundry. So who is going to do the housework now? Who is going to take care of the children?

(Extracted from the second  term test 2017-2018)

Question: The word "laundry" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _____________

A. place where clothes are washed                             B. washing and ironing

C. shopping                                                                 D. cooking and washing up

Example 9:

But not all animal parents, even those that tend their offspring to the point of hatching or birth, feed their young. Most egg-guarding fish do not, for the simple reason that their young are so much smaller than the parents and eat food that is also much smaller than the food eaten by adults. In reptiles, the crocodile mother protects her young after they have hatched and takes them down to the water, where they will find food, but she does not actually feed them. Few insects feed their young after hatching, but some make other arrangement, provisioning their cells and nests with caterpillars and spiders that they have paralyzed with their venom and stored in a state of suspended animation so that their larvae might have a supply of fresh food when they hatch.

                 For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals add it to their reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for descendants. The most vulnerable moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself completely on its own, when it must forage and fend for itself. Feeding postpones that moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able to cope. Young that are fed by their parents become nutritionally independent at a much greater fraction of their full adult size. And in the meantime those young are shielded against the vagaries of fluctuating of difficult-to-find supplies. Once a species does take the step of feeding its young, the young become totally dependent on the extra effort. If both parents are removed, the young generally do not survive.  

(Extracted from the second  term test 2017-2018)

Question 1: The word "tend" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

A. sit on                        B. move                        C. notice                       D. care for

Question 2: The word "provisioning" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

A. supplying                  B. preparing                      C. building                        D. expanding

Question 3: The word "edge" in line 17 is closest in meaning to

A. opportunity              B. advantage                 C. purpose                     D. rest

Question 4: The word "shielded" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

A. raised                                  B. protected                      C. hatched                         D. valued

Example 10:

The idea of giving lost teeth to an angel or fairy is also a tradition in the West. Many children in Western countries count on the Tooth Fairy to leave money or presents in exchange for a tooth. The exact origins of the Tooth Fairy are a mystery, although the story probably began in England or Ireland centuries ago. According to tradition, a child puts a lost tooth under his or her pillow before going to bed. In the wee hours, while the child is sleeping, the Tooth Fairy takes the tooth and leaves something else under the pillow.

(extracted from the actual test 2017-2018)

Question 1: The word "origins" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. countries

B. families

C. beginnings

D. stories

Question 2: The phrase "the wee hours" in paragraph 3 probably refers to the period of time ______.

A. early in the evening

B. soon after midnight

C. late in the morning

D. long before bedtime

Example 11:

The extinction of one species can set off a chain reaction that affects many other species, particularly if the loss occurs near the bottom of the food chain. For example, the extinction of a particular insect or plant might seem inconsequential. Is it the responsibility of humans to save every kind of life form from disappearing, or is extinction an inevitable part of nature, in which the strong survive and the weak perish?

(extracted from the actual test 2017-2018 )

Question 1: The word "inconsequential" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. unimportant

B. unavoidable

C. unexpected

D. unrecognizable

Question 2:The word "perish" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. disappear

B. complete

C. remain

D. develop

Example 12:

The uniformity in curriculum throughout the country leaves each university with little to distinguish itself. Hence, many students prefer to go to Paris, where there are better accommodations and more cultural amenities for them.

The German were the first to stress the importance of universities as research facilities, and they also created a sense of them as emblems of a national mind.

(extracted from the sample  test 2018)

Question 1: The word “uniformity” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. proximity                           B. discrepancy                        C. similarity                D. uniqueness

Question 2: The word “emblems” in the final paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

A. representatives                   B. directions               C. structures                D. delegates

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TOPIC: ENTERTAINMENT

Most of us tend to think of production when we think of mass media industries. After all, it is the output of this production – the papers we read, the cable TV shows we watch – that grab our attention, make us happy or angry, interested or bored. Moreover, most public discussion about mass communication tends to be about production. The latest gossip about that actor will be in what film, the angry comments a mayor makes about the violence on local TV news, the newest CDs by an up-and-coming group – these are the kinds of topics that focus our attention on the making of content, not its distribution or exhibition.

Media executives know, however, that production is only one step in the arduous and risky process of getting a mass media idea to an audience. Distribution is the delivery of the produced material to the point where it will be shown to its intended audience. The activity takes place out of public view. We have already mentioned the NBC acts as a distributor when it disseminates television programming via satellite to TV stations. When Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. delivers its Philadelphia Inquirer to city newsstands, when Twentieth – Century – Fox moves its Musicland stores, they are involved in distribution to exhibitions.

Question 1. In this passage, “arduous” means .

A. difficult                 B. lucrative               C. lengthy                  D. free

Question 2. The passage states that people tend to focus on production because         .

  A. it takes place out of public view

  B. mass media companies do not own production divisions

  C. the output of mass media is intended to grab our attention

  D. companies can function as both producers and distributors

Question 3. In this passage, to “disseminate” means to __ .

A. create                B. send out                C. take in                   D. fertilize

Question 4. This passage states that distribution is .

   A. the first step in mass media production

   B. the most talked-about step in mass media production

   C. /data/image/Icon/pdf.pngat least as important as production

   D. not as important as exhibition

Question 5. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to     .

A. tell an interesting story                                       B. define a concept clearly

C. describe a scene vividly                         D. argue with the reader

ĐÁP ÁN

1. A

2. C

3. B

4. C

5. B

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 1: Đáp án A.

Câu hỏi: Nghĩa của từ "arduous".

Phân tích: vì không có một gợi ý cụ thể nào nên ta xét từng đáp án xem đáp án nào là có lý nhất khi ghép vào bài đọc:

A. difficult (khó khăn): có thể đúng vì quá trình làm nên các sản phẩm truyền thông không phải dễ dàng; bài đọc cho thấy quá trình phân phối có khi phải sử dụng đến những phương pháp khó như dùng đường truyền vệ tinh, mở cửa hang,...

B. lucrative (sinh lợi): có vẻ không liên quan đến nội dung bài vì bài đọc không nhắc gì đến lợi nhuận tạo ra từ quá trình làm ra sản phẩm truyền thông.

C. lengthy (dài dòng): cũng tương tự B vì ta không thấy bài đọc đề cập rõ ràng đến sự nhiêu khê của quá trình này.

D. free (tự do): có vẻ là đáp án ít liên quan nhất.

Như vậy nếu cân nhắc cẩn thận ta thấy A sẽ là đáp án an toàn nhất.

=> Đáp án đúng A.

   Question 2: Đáp án C.

Câu hỏi: Tại sao người ta thường chỉ tập trung vào phân đoạn sản xuất?

Clue: “After all, it is the output of this production – the papers we read, the cable TV shows we watch – that grab our attention": Nói cho cùng thì sản phẩm của quá trình này - tờ báo ta đọc, chương trình TV ta xem - mới là những thứ khiến ta quan tâm.

=> Đáp án đúng C. the output of mass media is intended to grab our attention. Các đáp án khác đều sai với bài đọc hoặc không trả lời được cho câu hỏi trên.

Question 3: Đáp án B.

Câu hỏi: Nghĩa của từ "disseminate"

Clue: “NBC acts as a distributor when it disseminates television programming via satellite to TV stations": Đài NBC đóng vai trò là nhà phân phối khi nó làm gì đó các chương trình truyền hình qua vệ tinh tới TV.

Như vậy có thể dễ dàng đoán được động từ này có liên quan tới việc phân phối.

=> Đáp án đúng B. send out (gửi đi).

Question 4: Đáp án C.

Question 5: Đáp án B.

CẤU TRÚC, TỪ VỰNG ĐIỂN HÌNH

1. Industry (n): công nghiệp, ngành công nghiêp. Eg: The computer industry has been booming: Ngành công nghiệp máy tính đang phát triển rất mạnh mẽ.

2. To grab one’s attention (=to attract one’s attention): thu hút sự chú ý của ai. Eg: You must grab your reader’s attention with your first sentence: Bạn phải thu hút sự chú ý của đọc giả bằng câu đầu tiên.

3. To make a comment: đưa ra bình luận, nhận xét. Eg: I made a comment on her dress, then she broke up with me. Tôi bình luận về cái váy của cô ấy, sau đó cô ấy chia tay với tôi.

4. To focus one’s attention on something (n): tập trung sự chú ý vào cái gì. Eg: He didn’t focus his attention on the safety instructions: Anh ta đã không chú ý tới hướng dẫn sử dụng an toàn.

5. Distribution: sự phân phối. Eg We did not consider the distribution cost; therefore, we are in trouble now:

Chúng tôi đã không cân nhắc chi phí phân phối, vì thế hiện tại chúng tôi đang gặp rắc rối.

6. Intended audience: người xem nhắm tới, người xem mục tiêu (= target audience). Eg: The intended audiences for the TV series are young people aged 13 to 18: Nhóm người xem mà seri TV nhắm tới là thanh niên từ 13 đến 18 tuổi.

7. To disseminate: gieo rắc, phổ biến. Eg: The organization has been trying to disseminate information about the disease: Tổ chức đã và đang cố gắng phổ biến thông tin về dịch bệnh.

8. Risky (adj): nhiều rủi ro. Cấu trúc: To be at risk: gặp rủi ro, rơi vào tình huống rủi ro Eg: It’s risky to buy a car without some good advice: Mua ô tô mà không có tư vấn thì rất rủi ro.

9. Via something qua, theo đường gì. Eg: They went to England via Gibraltar: Họ đến Anh qua Gi – bran – ta.

10. Out of one’s view: Không trong tầm nhìn, ngoài tầm nhìn cùa ai Eg: She turned a corner, and disappeared out of my view: Cô ấy rẽ vào ngõ và biến mất khỏi tầm nhìn của tôi.

Exercise 2: [●○○]

Curious about which digital camera is best for you? Where you can hear reggae music in Toronto? Or what the distance is to Mars? Question-and-answer sites offer an alternative to the ubiquitous search engine: a place to post a question – and then wait for another Internet user to respond.

The idea isn’t new: Usenet newsgroups have let us do this for years. But Q&A sites offer features that enhance and simplify the process. All offer eBay-like feedback, where users rate the helpfulness of experts: over time, these scores become a benchmark score for determining how trustworthy someone’s answers are. Question-and-answer sites also e-mail you when an expert has responded, and they offer personalized page where you can see the questions you’ve asked, the people who have responded, and what they’ve had to say.

Question 1. In this passage, “ubiquitous” means .

   A. difficult                B. new                        C. common                D. expert

Question 2. The organization pattern of the second paragraph of the passage may be best described as                                                                                                                                                                 .

A. cause/effect                                              B. example/ illustrations

C. description                                               D. classification

Question 3. The tone of this passage can best be described as           .

A. negative                 B. hysterical              C. opinionated          D. objective

Question 4. The main idea of this passage is that .

  A. Question-and-answer sites have alternative to search engines.

  B. Usenet newsgroups have been around for years.

  C. The idea of question-and-answer sites is not new.

  D. People have a lot of questions to be answered.

Question 5. The author’s purpose is writing this passage is to           .

A. tell a story             B. give information  C. persuade               D. entertain

ĐÁP ÁN

1. C

2. C

3. D

4. A

5. B

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 1: Đáp án C.

Câu hỏi: Nghĩa của từ "ubiquitous".

Clue: "Question-and-answer sites offer an alternative to the ubiquitous search engine": Các trang web giải đáp thắc mắc sẽ cung cấp một giải pháp thay thế cho công cụ tìm kiếm làm sao đó.

Như vậy giải pháp mới này sẽ khắc phục được một đặc điểm gì đó của công cụ tìm kiếm. Đặc điểm này được miêu tả bởi tính từ "ubiquitous". Ta có vài dự đoán cho nghĩa của nó, ví dụ như lỗi thời, đơn thuần, hoặc thiếu chức năng. Dựa vào các đáp án được cho ta thấy nghĩa "common" (thông thường) là hợp lý nhất so với các đáp án khác.

=> Đáp án đúng C. Question 2: Đáp án C.

Câu hỏi: Đoạn văn thứ 2 được viết theo dạng văn nào?

Câu hỏi này khá dễ để trả lời bởi ta thấy đoạn văn này chỉ đơn giản miêu tả về các tính năng của trang giải đáp thắc mắc (như đánh giá độ tin cậy của câu trả lời, chức năng thông báo khi có trả lời) chứ không hề đề cập đến bất cứ nguyên nhân kết quả (cause/effect) nào, không có ví dụ cụ thể (example) nào và không có phân loại (classification) cái gì cả.

=> Đáp án đúng C. Question 3: Đáp án D.

Câu hỏi: Giọng văn của bài đọc?

Tương tự câu trên, ta không thấy tác giả tỏ ra tiêu cực (negative), quá khích (hysterical) hay khăng khăng giữ ý kiến (opinionated). Tác giả giữ giọng văn trung lập, nhận xét có đi có lại (“the idea isn’t new”), và bình tĩnh giảng giải về một ứng dụng Internet mới.

=> Đáp án đúng D. objective

Question 4: Đáp án A. Question 5: Đáp án B.

=> Đáp án đúng B. give information

CẤU TRÚC, TỪ VỰNG ĐIỂN HÌNH

1. Curious (n): tò mò. Eg: Scientists are always curious about the animals’ world: Các nhà khoa học luôn tò mò về thế giới động vật.

2. Alternative (n): sự lựa chọn giữa hay hoặc nhiều khả năng. Eg: The alternative song in the fight-off round is “Sugar”: Bài hát thứ hai có thể chọn cho vòng đối đầu là “Sugar”.

3. Question – and – answer (Q&A): mục hỏi đáp, giải đáp thắc mắc, câu hỏi. Eg: I always love the Q&A sessions. Tôi luôn yêu thích các buổi giải đáp thắc mắc.

4. To let somebody do something:  để ai đó làm gì. Eg: I just needed you to let me go out for two hours:

Con chỉ cần bố mẹ cho con ra ngoài hai tiếng thôi mà.

5. To enhance: tăng cường, nâng cao. Eg Those years of trying so hard had enhanced my credibility:

Những năm tháng cố gắng rất nhiều đó đã nâng cao uy tín của tôi.

6. To simplify: đơn giản hóa. Eg: Can you help me simplify these questions? Anh có thể giúp tôi đơn giản hóa những câu hỏi này được không?

7. To give feedback: phản hồi thông tin. Eg: We need customers to constantly give feedback: Chúng tôi cần khác hàng liên tục phản hồi thông tin.

8. Benchmark (n): mốc chuẩn, chuẩn Eg: Her outstanding performances set a new benchmark for singers throughout the world: Sự trình diễn tuyệt vời của cô ấy là chuẩn mực mới cho các ca sỹ trên toàn thế giới.

9. Trustworthy (adj) đáng tin cậy, xứng đáng với sự tin cậy. Eg: He showed us signs of a trustworthy person: Anh ta cho chúng tôi thấy dấu hiệu của một người đáng tin cậy.

10. To personalized: cá nhân hóa , được biến thành chuyện riêng tư Eg: I don’t like to personalize issues: Tôi không thích biến các vấn đề thành chuyện cá nhân.

Exercise 3: [●○○]

When we were in England last year, I went fishing with my friend, Peter. Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of the lake when we had an unpleasant surprise. We saw a duck come along with three ducklings padding cheerfully behind her. As we watched them, there was a sudden swirl in the water. We caught a glimpse of the vicious jaws of a pike – a fish which is rather like a freshwater shark – and one of the ducklings was dragged below the surface.

This incident made Peter furious. He vowed to catch the pike. On three successive mornings we returned to the vicinity and used several different kinds of bait. On the third day Peter was lucky. Using an artificial frog as bait, he managed to hook the monster. There was a desperate fight but Peter was determined to capture the pike and succeeded. When he had got it ashore and killed it, he wieghed the fish and found that it scaled nearly thirty pounds

– a record for that district.

Question 1.Why do you think Peter was sitting quietly by the lake?

A. He was watching the ducks.                   C. He was waiting for the pike to appear.

B. He wasn’t very talkative.                        D. He was fishing

Question 2. To what does surprise in line 3 probably refer?

A. to the duck.          B. to the ducklings.  C. to the action of the pike.             D. to the time of the day.

Question 3. What were Peter’s feelings about the incident two days later?

A. He caught and killed the pike.                            C. He vowed that he would catch the remaining ducklings

B. He remained determined to catch the pike.    D. He caught a frog and used it as bait for the pike.

Question 4. How much was the pike worth?

A. about thirty pounds.                                            B. about two hundred and forty dollars.

C. the passage contains no information on this point.  D. the passage says that the fish scaled nearly thirty pound.

Question 5. Which of the following titles best sums up the whole passage?

A. Mysterious disappearance of ducklings.        C. Record pike caught by an angry fisherman.

B. Revenge on a duck.                                  D. Huge pike caught by fisherman after desperate struggle at sea.

ĐÁP ÁN

1. D

2. C

3. B

4. C

5. C

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

  Question 1: Đáp án D.

Key words: sitting quietly by the lake

Câu hỏi: Tại sao bạn nghĩ Peter lại ngồi lặng lẽ bên hồ?

Clue: “When we were in England last year, I went fishing with my friend, Peter. Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of the lake…”: Khi chúng tôi ở Anh vào năm ngoái, tôi đi câu cá cùng bạn tôi là Peter. Sáng sớm chúng tôi ngồi yên lặng bên bờ hồ…

Phân tích: Peter ngồi yên lặng là để câu cá. Vậy chọn đáp án D. He was fishing. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

A. He was watching the duck: Anh ta đang ngắm con vịt: Sai, trước khi con vịt xuất hiện anh ta đã ngồi im lặng để câu cá rồi.

C. He was waiting for the pike to appear: Anh ta chờ con cá chó xuất hiện: Sai, vì là ngày đầu tiên khi câu chuyện chưa xảy ra nên anh ta chưa biết có sự tồn tại của con cá chó dưới hồ

B. He wasn’t very talkative: Anh ta nói không nhiều lắm: Không có thông tin

Question 2: Đáp án C

Key words: surprise, line 3

Câu hỏi: Từ “surprise” ở dòng 3 là nhắc tới cái gì??

Clue: “Early in the morning we were sitting quietly by the side of the lake when we had an unpleasant surprise… As we watched them, there was a sudden swirl in the water. We caught a glimpse of the vicious jaws of a pike… and one of the ducklings was dragged below the surface”: Sáng sớm chúng tôi đang ngồi yên lặng bên bờ hồ thì chúng tôi gặp một bất ngờ không mấy dễ chịu.. Khi chúng tôi đang ngắm những con vịt thì có một dòng xoáy bất ngờ dưới nước. Chúng tôi thoáng thấy hàm của một con cá chó… và một trong số những con vịt bị lôi xuống dưới mặt nước.

Phân tích: Ta cần phải tìm hiểu cả chuỗi sự kiện theo sau câu đầu của clue để làm được câu hỏi này. Sự ngạc nhiên gây ra không phải chỉ bởi con vịt, lũ vịt mà là việc chúng bị lôi xuống hồ. Vậy nên hành động lôi con vịt của con cá chó là hành động làm tác giả ngạc nhiên. Ta chọn đáp án C. to the action of the pike. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

Question 3: Đáp án B.

Key words: Peter’s feelings, two days later

Câu hỏi: Cảm giác của Peter về sự cố 2 ngày sau ra sao?

Clue: “He vowed to catch the pike. On three successive mornings we returned to the vicinity and used several different kinds of bait. On the third day Peter was lucky. Using an artificial frog as bait, he managed to hook the monster”: Anh ta thề sẽ bắt được con cá chó. Ba buổi sáng liên tiếp sau đó chúng tôi trở về chỗ cũ và sử dụng các loại mồi khác nhau. Vào ngày thứ ba, Peter đã may mắn. Anh ta đã bắt được con quái thú nhờ sử dụng một con ếch nhân tạo làm mồi.

Phân tích: “Successive” là liên tiếp, liên tục. Ba ngày liên tục sau đó Peter vẫn cố bắt con cá. Do vậy, hai ngày sau khi sự cố xảy ra có thể thấy Peter đã thề và rất quyết tâm bắt được con vật này. Vậy chọn đáp án B. He remained determined to catch the pike: Anh ta vẫn rất quyết tâm bắt được con cá chó. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

A. He caught and killed the pike: Anh ta bắt và giết chết con cá chó

C. He vowed that he would catch the remaining ducklings: Anh ta thề sẽ mắt được số vịt còn lại: Sai, anh ta thề sẽ bắt được con cá chó

D. He caught a frog and used it as bait for the pike: Anh ta bắt được một con cóc và sử dụng nó làm mồi bắt con cá chó: Sai, con ếch dùng để làm mồi là một con ếch giả.

Vậy chọn đáp án B.

CẤU TRÚC, TỪ VỰNG ĐIỂN HÌNH

1. By the side of the lake (n): bên hồ. Eg: We went out for a walk by the side of the lake: Chúng tôi đi dạo bên bờ hồ.

2. An unpleasant surprise: bất ngờ khó chịu. Eg: I worked all day and came home to see an unpleasant surprise: Tôi đã làm việc cả ngày và về nhà với một bất ngờ khó chịu.

3. To come along with: đi cùng với, cùng với. Eg: His wife, coming along with their three children, visited his office. Vợ ông ta, đi cùng với ba đứa con của họ, đến thăm văn phòng của ông ấy.

4. To catch/catch a glimpse of: thoáng thấy, thấy lướt qua. Eg: I only caught a glimpse of her once but I would recognize her if I saw her again: Tôi mới thoáng thấy cô ta một lần nhưng tôi sẽ nhận ra cô ấy nếu tôi gặp lại.

5. Incident (n): sự cố, sự việc xảy ra. Eg A youth was badly injured in a shooting incident: Một người trẻ đã bị thương nặng trong một sự cố bắn súng.

6. To vow to do something: tuyên thệ, thề làm gì. Eg: After the terrible dinner, I vowed to practice cooking much harder.  Sau bữa tối khủng khiếp đó, tôi đã thề tập nấu ăn chăm chỉ hơn.

7. Successive (adj): liên tục, liên tiếp. Eg: That cowboy won the contest for the third successive year: Chàng cao bồi kia đã chiến thắng cuộc thi này lần thứ ba liên tiếp.

8. To managed to do something (n): xoay sở và giải quyết được Eg: The two thieves managed to break the lock after five minutes: Hai tên trộm đã xoay sở bẻ được cái khóa sau năm phút.

9. To be determined to do something: quyết tâm làm gì. Eg: The new employee is determined to finish the work today: Người nhân viên mới quyết tâm hoàn thành công việc trong hôm nay.

10. Desperate (adj): tuyệt vọng, chán chường Eg: He was so desperate after finding out he had been fired: Anh ấy đã rất tuyệt vọng sau khi phát hiện ra mình bị đuổi việc.

Exercise 4: [●●○]

Animation traditionally is done by hand-drawing or painting successive frame of an object, each slightly different than the proceeding frame. In computer animation, although the computer may be the one to draw the different frames, in most cases the artist will draw the beginning and ending frames and the computer will produce the drawings between the first and the last drawing. This is generally referred to as computer-assisted animation, because the computer is more of a helper than an originator.

In full computer animation, complex mathematical formulas are used to produce the final sequences of pictures. These formulas operate on extensive databases of numbers that defines the objects in the pictures as they exist in mathematical space. The database consists of endpoints, and color and intensity information. Highly trained professionals are needed to produce such effects because animation that obtains high degrees of realism involves computer techniques from three-dimensional transformation, shading, and curvatures.

High-tech computer animation for film involves very expensive computer systems along with special color terminals or frame buffers. The frame buffer is nothing more than a giant image memory for viewing a single frame. It temporarily holds the image for display on the screen.

A camera can be used to film directly from the computer’s display screen, but for the highest quality images possible, expensive film recorders are used. The computer computers the positions and colors for the figures in the picture, and sends this information to the recorder, which captures it on film. Sometimes, however, the images are stored on a large magnetic disk before being sent to the recorder. Once this process is completed, it is replaced for the next frame. When the entire sequence has been recorded on the film, the film must be developed before the animation can be viewed. If the entire sequence does not seem right, the motions must be corrected, recomputed, redisplayed, and rerecorded. This approach can be very expensive and time – consuming. Often, computer-animation companies first do motion tests with simple computer-generated line drawings before selling their computers to the task of calculating the high-resolution, realistic-looking images.

Question 1:  What aspect of computer animation does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The production procession  B. The equipment needed  C. The high cost D. The role of the artist

Question 2:   According to the passage, in computer-assisted animation the role of the computer is to draw the             .

A. first frame             B. middle frames      C. last frame              D. entire sequences of frames

Question 3:  The word “they” in the second paragraph refers to       .

A. formulas                        B. objects                       C. numbers                    D. database

Question 4:  According to the passage, the frame buffers mentioned in the third paragraph are used to                                                                                                                                                                    .

A. add color to the images                           B. expose several frames at the same time

C. store individual images                          D. create new frames

Question 5: According to the passage, the positions and colors of the figures in high-tech animation are determined by .

A. drawing several versions                                               B. enlarging one frame at a lime

C. analyzing the sequence from different angles             D. using computer calculations

Question 6:  The word “captures” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to          .

A. separates                        B. registers                     C. describes                   D. numbers

Question 7:  The word “Once” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to    .

A. before                             B. since                          C. after                           D. while

Question 8:  According to the passage, how do computer-animation companies often test motion?

A. They experiment with computer-generated line drawings.

B. They hand-draw successive frames.

C. They calculate high-resolutions images.

D. They develop extensive mathematical formulas.

Question 9:  The word “task” in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to      .

A. possibility                     B. position                     C. time                            D. job

Question 10:  Which of the following statement is supported by the passage?

A. Computers have reduced the costs of animation.

B. In the future, traditional artists will no longer be needed.

C. Artists are unable to produce drawings as high in quality as computer drawings.

D. Animation involves a wide range of technical and artistic skills.

ĐÁP ÁN

1. A

2. B

3. B

4. C

5. D

6. B

7. C

8. A

9. A

10. D

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 3: Đáp án B.

Key words: they, second paragraph

Câu hỏi: Từ “they” ở đoạn thứ hai là chỉ cái gì?

Clue: “These formulas operate on extensive databases of numbers that defines the objects in the pictures as they exist in mathematical space”: Những công thức này vận hành trên một cơ sở dữ liệu lớn các con số xác định vật trong bức ảnh khi chúng tồn tại trong không gian toán học.

Phân tích: “They” ở đây chính là vật có thể tồn tại được dưới dạng toán học hoặc không. Chỉ có các vật là vừa tồn tại trên bức hình, dưới dạng toán học và hữu hình ngoài đời thực. Vậy chọn đáp án B. objects: vật. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp

A. formulas: công thức     C. numbers: các con số      D. database: cơ sở dữ liệu

Question 4: Đáp án C.

Keywords: frame buffers, third paragraph, used to

Câu hỏi: Theo bài văn, các khung hình đệm ở đoạn thứ ba được sử dụng để làm gì?

  Clue: The frame buffer is nothing more than a giant image memory for viewing a single frame. It  temporarily holds the image for display on the screen”: Các khung hình đệm chỉ là một bộ nhớ ảnh khổng lồ để xem từng khung hình một.Nó tạm thời chứa những bức ảnh để hiển thị trên màn hình.

Phân tích: Vì được nhắc tới như một bộ nhớ nên khung hình đệm có chứ năng lưu trữ và chỉ lưu trữ để xem từng khung hình. Vậy chọn đáp án C store individual images: lưu trữ những bức ảnh riêng lẻ. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

add color to the images: thêm màu vào các tấm ảnh: Không có thông tin

expose several frames at the same time: mở vài khung ảnh cùng lúc: Sai, khung hình đệm chỉ mở được một khung hình một.

D. create new frames: tạo ra các khung hình mới: Không có thông tin

Question 5: Đáp án D.

Key words: positions, colors, figures in high-tech animation

Câu hỏi: Theo bài văn, vị trí và màu của nhân vật hoạt hình kỹ thuật cao được quyết định bởi cái gì?

Clue: “The computer computers the positions and colors for the figures in the picture, and sends this information to the recorder, which captures it on film”: Máy tính tính toán vị trí và màu sắc của nhân vật trên bức tranh và gửi thông tin này đến bộ thu để thu lại trên phim.

Phân tích: Vị trí và màu sắc của nhân vật bị điều chỉnh bởi máy tính, nghĩa là do máy tính quyết định. Vậy chọn đáp án D using computer calculations: sử dụng máy tính để tính toán. Các đáp án khác không có thông tin.

1. drawing several versions: vẽ vài phiên bản
2. enlarging one frame at a lime: phóng to một khung hình
3. analyzing the sequence from different angles: phân tích chuỗi từ nhiều góc độ

Question 6: Đáp án A.

Key words: fourth paragraph, capture

Câu hỏi: Từ “capture” ở đoạn thứ tư gần nghĩa với từ nào nhất?

Clue: Như clue câu 5

Phân tích: “Capture” ở đây là công việc làm gì đó với thông tin từ máy thu để làm thành phim. Chọn B. registers:

ghi lại. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp

A. separates: phân chia  C. describes: miêu tả     D. numbers: đánh số

Vậy chọn đáp án B. Question 7: Đáp án C.

Key words: once, fourth paragraph

Câu hỏi: Từ “once” trong đoạn 4 gần nghĩa nhất với từ nào?

Clue: “Once this process is completed, it is replaced for the next frame”: Ngay khi quá trình này được hoàn thành thì nó sẽ bị thay thế bởi khung hình tiếp theo.

Phân tích: “Once” là ngay khi chuyện gì xảy ra thì chuyện khác sẽ theo đó xảy ra, chọn đáp án C. after: sau đó.

Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

A. before: trước kia              B. since: kể từ đó                  D. while: một lúc

Đáp án C là đáp án đúng

Question 8: Đáp án A.

Key words: computer-animation companies, test motion

Câu hỏi:  Theo đoạn văn, làm thế nào các công ty hoạt hình máy tính kiểm tra chuyển động?

Clue: “Often, computer – animation companies first do motion tests with simple computer-generated line drawings before selling their computers…”: Thường thường, các công ty hoạt hình máy tính lúc đầu làm kiểm tra chuyển động với những bản vẽ do máy tính tạo ra trước khi bán máy tính của họ…

Ta chọn đáp án A. They experiment with computer-generated line drawings: Họ thí nghiệm với những bản vẽ do máy tính tạo ra. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

B. They hand-draw successive frames: Họ vẽ tay những khung hình liên tiếp

C. They calculate high-resolutions images: Họ tính toán những bức ảnh có độ phân giải cao

D. They develop extensive mathematical formulas: Họ phát triển công thức toán mở rộng

Vậy chọn đáp án A. Question 9: Đáp án A.

Keywords: task, fourth paragraph

Câu hỏi: Từ “task” trong đoạn 4 gần nghĩa nhất với từ nào?

Clue: the task of calculating the high-resolution, realistic-looking images”: … nhiệm vụ tính toán độ phân giải, những bức ảnh trông giống thật.

Phân tích: Ta thay thế các từ ở các đáp án vào ngữ cảnh thì đáp án A. possibility: khả năng là đáp án thích hợp nhất. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

B. position: vị trí                  C. time: thời gian                 D. job: công việc

Question 10: Đáp án D. Keywords: supported, statement

Câu hỏi: Câu nói được bài văn hỗ trợ?

Phân tích: Bài văn cho thấy việc làm hoạt hình bằng máy tính rất phức tạp đòi hỏi kỹ thuật máy tính tốt. Ngoài ra chuyên môn về nghệ thuật cũng là yếu tố quan trọng mà máy tính không thể thay thế. Vậy chọn đáp án D. Animation involves a wide range of technical and artistic skills: Hoạt hình cần có một loạt các kỹ năng kỹ thuật và nghệ thuật. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

A. Computers have reduced the costs of animation: Máy tính đã làm giảm chi phí hoạt hình

B. In the future, traditional artists will no longer be needed: Trong tương lai, những họa sỹ truyền thống sẽ không còn cần thiết

C. Artists are unable to produce drawings as high in quality as computer drawings: Những họa sỹ không thể sản xuất ra những bức vẽ ở chất lượng cao như máy tính

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

1. To proceed: tiếp diễn, tiến lên, tiến đến. Eg: The story proceeds as follow: Câu chuyện tiếp diễn như sau.

2. Originator (n): người sáng tạo, khởi đầu. Eg: We would like to learn about the originators of science:

Chúng tôi muốn tìm hiểu về những người sáng tại khoa học.

3. Sequence (n): chuỗi gồm nhiều sự kiện. Eg: The first chapter describes the strange sequence of events that led to his death. Chương đầu tiên miêu tả chuỗi sự kiện kì lạ dẫn đến cái chết của ông ta.

4. Intensity (n): cường độ, độ mạnh, sự mãnh liệt. Eg: The intensity of their relationship caused a problem: Sự mãnh liệt trong mỗi quan hệ của họ đã gây ra vấn đề.

5. Curvatures (n): đường cong, độ cong, sự uốn vẹo. Eg It took him three hours to draw the curvature of the Earth’s surface: Anh ấy mất ba tiếng để vẽ đường cong của bề mặt trái đất.

6. To display: hiên thị, trưng bày. Eg: Family photographs were displayed on the wall: Những bức ảnh gia đình được trưng bày trên tường.

7. To store something: lưu giữ, chứa cái gì. Eg: I have no memory left in my computer to store his files:

Tôi không còn bộ nhớ trong máy tính để chứa dữ liệu của anh ấy nữa.

8. Magnetic (adj): thuộc về nam châm, từ tính Eg: We study about magnetic force in Physics: Chúng tôi học về lực từ trong môn Vật lý.

9. To approach something: tiếp cận. Eg: The team found a new way to approach the ship: Đội đã tìm thấy phương hướng mới để tiếp cận con tàu.

10. Time - consuming: tốn thời gian, mất thời gian Eg: Washing clothes without the help of machines is time - consuming: Giặt đồ mà không có sự trợ giúp của máy móc thì rất tốn thời gian.

Exercise 5: [●●○]

Basic to any understanding of Canada in the 20 years after the Second World War is the country’s impressive population growth. For every three Canadians in 1945, there were over five in 1966. In September 1966 Canada’s population passed the 20 million mark. Most of this surging growth came from natural increase. The depression of the 1930s and the war had held back marriages, and the catching-up process began after 1945. The baby boom continued through the decade of the 1950s, producing a population increase of nearly fifteen percent in the five years from 1951 to 1956. This rate of increase had been exceeded only once before in Canada’s history, in the decade before 1911, when the prairies were being settled. Undoubtedly, the good economic conditions of the 1950s supported a growth in the population, but the expansion also derived from a trend toward earlier marriages and an increase in the average size of families. In 1957 the Canadian birth rate stood at 28 per thousand, one of the highest in the world.

After the peak year of 1957, the birth rate in Canada began to decline. It continued falling until in 1966 it stood at the lowest level in 25 years. Partly this decline reflected the low level of births during the depression and the war, but it was also caused by changes in Canadian society. Young people were staying at school longer, more women were working; young married couples were buying automobiles or houses before starting families; rising living standards were cutting down the size of families. It appeared that Canada was once more falling in step with the trend toward smaller families that had occurred all through the Western world since the time of the Industrial Revolution.

Although the growth in Canada’s population had slowed down by 1966 (the increase in the first half of the 1960s was only nine percent), another large population wave was coming over the horizon. It would be composed of the children who were born during the period of the high birth rate prior to 1957.

Question 1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Educational changes in Canadian society         B. Canada during the Second World War

C. Population trends in postwar Canada                D. Standards of living in Canada

Question 2. The word “five” in bold refers to

A. Canadians            B. years                      C. decades                 D. marriages

Question 3. The word “surging” in bold is closest in meaning to

A. new                        B. extra          C. accelerating          D. surprising

Question 4. The author suggests that in Canada during the 1950’s

A. the urban population decreased rapidly           B. fewer people married

C. economic conditions were poor                        D. the birth rate was very high

Question 5. The word “trend” in bold is closest in meaning to

A. tendency               B. aim                         C. growth                   D. directive

Question 6. The word “peak” in bold is closest in meaning to

A. pointed                             B. dismal                   C. mountain              D. maximum

Question 7. The author mention all of the following as causes of declines in population growth after 1957 EXCEPT

A. people being better educated                             B. people getting married earlier

C. better standards of living                                    D. couples buying houses

Question 8. It can be inferred from the passage that before the Industrial Revolution

A. families were larger                                            B. population statistics were unreliable

C. the population grew steadily                             D. economic conditions were bad

Question 9. The word “it” in bold refers to

A. horizon                             B. population wave        C. nine percent  D. first half

Question 10. The phrase “prior to” in bold is closest in meaning to

A. behind                               B. since          C. during                    D. preceding

ĐÁP ÁN

1. C

2. A

3. C

4. D

5. A

6. D

7. B

8. A

9. B

10. D

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Exercise 11: The Soloist [●●●]

An idea came to me, and I turned off the lights in the studio. In the dark ness, I put the cello's spike into a loose spot on the carpet, tightened the bow and drew it across the open strings. I took off my shirt and tried it again; it was the first time in my life I'd felt the instrument against my bare chest. I could fell the vibration of the strings travel through the body of the instrument to my own body. I'd never thought about that; music scholars always   talk about the resonating properties of various instruments, but surely the performer's own body must have some effect on the sound. As I dug into the notes I imagined that my own chest and lung were extensions of the sound box; I seemed to be able to alter the sound by the way I sat, and by varying the muscular tension in my upper body.

After improvising for a while, I started playing the D minor Bach suite, still in the darkness. Strangely freed of the task of finding the right phrasing, the right intonation, the right bowing, I heard the music through my skin. For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else, and slowly, joyfully, gratefully, I started to hear again. The note sang out, first like a trickle, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of the desert. After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me, cleaning her paws and purring loudly. I had an audience again, humble as it was.

So that's what I do now with the cello. At least once a day I find time to tune it, close my eyes, and listen. It’s probably not going to lead to the kind of come back I'd fantasized about for so long – years of playing badly have left scars on my technique, and, practically speaking, classical musicians returning from obscurity are almost impossible to promote – but might eventually try giving a recital if I feel up to it. Or better yet, I may pay for Dr. Polk if our date at the concert goes well. Occasionally I fell a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on the great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now. I take solace on the fact that, unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now. I fell relaxed and expansive when I play, as if I could stretch out my arms and reach from one end of the apartment to the other. A feeling of the completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up.

Question 1. What is the passage mainly about?

A. A musician's feelings when he plays the cello

B. A musician's desire to return to his former profession

C. A musician finding joy in playing music again

D. A musician playing the cello for his cat

Question 2. According to paragraph 1, what relationship does the cellist experience between his body and the music?

A. His body affects the sound.

B. His body improves the sounds.

C. His body becomes tense as he plays.

D. His body stops the vibrations as he plays.

Question 3. Based on the information in paragraph 1, what can be inferred about the effect of a performer's body on musical sound?

A. The cellist had not read about it before.

B. The cellist thought scholars had talked about it.

C. The cellist had previously written about it.

D. The cellist had experienced it before.

Question 4. In paragraph 1, what does the world it refer to in the sentence, "I took off my shirt and tried it again."?

A. Drawing the bow across the strings

B. Turing off the lights in the studio

C. Talking of the shirt

D. Tightening the bow

Question 5. In paragraph 2 the author's primary purpose is

A. to explain the cellist's feelings of playing before an audience

B. to describe the sound when the cellist plays next to his skin

C. to identify specific pieces of music that the cellist plays

D. to describe the cellist's experience of playing next to his skin

Question 6. All of following are mentioned in paragraph 2 as part of the cellist's new way of playing EXCEPT

A. playing the instrument in the dark

B. thinking of how the music sounded to others

C. "hearing" music through his bare skin

D. not worrying about finding the right phrasing

Question 7 What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the cellist?

A. He had away enjoyed playing for himself

B. He had continually performed over the years

C. Previously, he had never played before an audience

D. Previously, he only wanted to play for an audience

Question 8. Based on the information in paragraph 3, what can be inferred about the cellist's attitude toward playing?

A. He feels optimistic.

B. He is discouraged.

C. He feels nervous.

D. He is reluctant.

Question 9. The word blink off in paragraph 3 in closest in meaning to

A. wink

B. flicker

C. twinkle

D. turn off

Question 10. How long did it take the author to play music with his shirt off in the darkness for the first time?

A. Once a day

B. A night

C. Exactly one hour

D. About an hour

ĐÁP ÁN

1. C

2. A

3. A

4. A

5. B

6. B

7. B

8. A

9. D

10. D

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 1: Đáp án C.

Ta làm câu hỏi sau khi đã hoàn thành các câu hỏi khác.

Key words: mainly discuss

Question 4: Đáp án A.

Keywords: paragraph 1, it, "I took off my shirt and tried it again."

Câu hỏi: Ở đoạn 1, từ “it” trong câu "I took off my shirt and tried it again" nói đến cái gì ?

Clue: “In the dark ness, I put the cello's spike into a loose spot on the carpet, tightened the bow and drew it across the open strings. I took off my shirt and tried it again”: Trong bóng tối, tôi đặt chân đàn xen-lô lên một lỗ hổng của thảm, căng cây vĩ và kéo qua các dây đàn. Tôi cởi áo ra và thử lại.

Phân tích: Thử lại ở đây là thử lại việc chơi đàn khi không mặc áo, nghĩa là kéo cây vĩ qua các dây. Vậy chọn đáp án A. Drawing the bow across the strings. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

B. Turing off the lights in the studio: Tắt các đèn ở studio đi: Không hợp lý.

C. Talking of the shirt: Nói chuyện với chiếc áo: Không có thông tin

D. Tightening the bow: Căng cây vĩ: Cây vĩ đã được căng trước đó và cũng không cần phải cởi áo mới căng được.

Question 5: Đáp án B.

Key words: paragraph 2 , author's primary purpose

Câu hỏi: Mục đích chính của tác giả ở đoạn 2 là gì?

Clue: “I started playing the D minor Bach suite, still in the darkness… For the first time…The note sang out, first like a trickle, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of the desert”: Tôi bắt đầu chơi tổ khúc của Bach ở âm rê thứ, vẫn trong bóng tối… Lần đầu tiên… Các nốt vang lên, đầu tiên như một giọt nước, sau đó giống như một thác nước mát lạnh òa lên từ một cái hố giữa sa mạc.

Phân tích: Đoạn văn là miêu tả âm thanh của bản nhạc mà tác giả lần đầu tiên cởi áo chơi trong bóng tối. Vậy chọn đáp án B. to describe the sound when the cellist plays next to his skin: để miêu tả âm thanh khi nhạc sĩ chơi đàn sát cơ thể mình. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

A. to explain the cellist's feelings of playing before an audience: Để giải thích cảm xúc của nhạc sĩ xen-lô khi chơi trước một thính giả: Sai, những cảm xúc ông có là trước khi phát hiện ra một thính giả đang lắng nghe.

C. to identify specific pieces of music that the cellist plays: để xác định cụ thể những bản nhạc cụ thể mà tác giả chơi:

Sai, tác giả chỉ chơi một tổ khúc của Bach ở hợp âm rê thứ

D. to describe the cellist's experience of playing next to his skin: để miêu tả kinh nghiệm chơi đàn sát da thịt của nhạc sỹ xen-lô: Sai, đây là lần đầu tiên ông ta chơi theo cách thức như vậy.

Question 6: Đáp án B.

Key words: paragraph 2, part of the cellist's new way of playing, EXCEPT

Câu hỏi: Tất cả những điều sau được nhắc tới ở đoạn 2 như một phần của cách chơi nhạc mới của nghệ sỹ vĩ cẩm NGOẠI TRỪ điều gì?

Clue: “I started playing the D minor Bach suite, still in the darkness. Strangely freed of the task of finding the right phrasing, the right intonation, the right bowing, I heard the music through my skin. For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else…” Tôi bắt đầu chơi tổ khúc của Bach ở âm rê thứ, vẫn trong bóng tối. Lạ lẫm thay không còn ràng buộc nhiệm vụ tìm quãng đúng, nhạc điệu đúng, cách kéo đàn cho đúng, tôi đã lắng nghe âm nhạc qua làn da.

Phân tích: Những chi tiết được đề cập đến là: chơi nhạc trong bóng tối, nghe nhạc qua làn da trần, không quan tâm đến việc tìm quãng đúng. Riêng đáp án B. thinking of how the music sounded to others: bận tâm người khác nghe nhạc mình thế nào là không có thông tin.

Vậy chọn đáp án B. Question 7: Đáp án B.

Key words: inferred, paragraph 3, the cellist

Câu hỏi: Có thể suy ra được điều gì về người chơi xen-lô ở đoạn 3?

Clue: “It’s probably not going to lead to the kind of come back I'd fantasized about for so long – years of playing badly have left scars on my technique, and, practically speaking, classical musicians returning from obscurity are almost impossible to promote …”: Có lẽ điều này không sẽ không dẫn tôi đến màn quay trở lại mà tôi hằng mơ tưởng – hàng năm chơi tệ đã để lại vết sẹo trong kỹ thuật của tôi và thực lòng mà nói, những người nhạc sỹ cổ điển quay trở lại từ sự tăm tối khó hiểu thì gần như không thể nào quảng bá hình ảnh được…

Phân tích: Xét các đáp án?

A. He had away enjoyed playing for himself: Ông ấy luôn thích thú chơi nhạc cho chính mình: Sai, trước đây ông không chơi nhạc cho chính mình. “…unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now”: Không như cảm giác tôi thấy trước đây, giờ tôi có thể chơi nhạc cho chính mình.

B. He had continually performed over the years: Ông ấy đã liên tục biểu diễn qua các năm: Đúng. Tham khảo clue.

C. Previously, he had never played before an audience: Trước đây, ông chưa từng chơi trước một thính giả nào: Có phần vô lý vì theo thông tin ở câu cuối đoạn 2 ông nói “I had an audience again: Tôi lại có thính giả. Đáp án sai.

D. Previously, he only wanted to play for an audience: Trước đây, ông chỉ muốn chơi cho thính giả: Sai. Không có thông tin

Đáp án B là đáp án đúng

Question 8: Đáp án A.

Key words: paragraph 3, inferred,  the cellist's attitude

Câu hỏi:  Có thể suy ra được điều gì ở đoạn 3 về thái độ chơi nhạc của tác giả?

Clue: “I fell relaxed and expansive when I play... A feeling of the completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up”: Tôi cảm thấy thư thái và chan hòa… Một cảm xúc về sự hoàn thiện và tự trọng vây lấy tôi và nâng tôi lên. Phân tích: Có thể thấy ở đoạn cuối bài này, cảm xúc của tác giả rất tốt, ông như đã tìm thấy điều gì từ cách chơi mới mẻ kia. Ta chọn đáp án A. He feels optimistic: Ông cảm thấy rất tích cực. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

B. He is discouraged: Ông cảm thấy nhụt chí

C. He feels nervous: Ông thấy lo lắng

D. He is reluctant: Ông thấy miễn cưỡng

Vậy chọn đáp án A. Question 9: Đáp án D.

Keywords: blink off, paragraph 3 

Câu hỏi: Từ “blink off” trong đoạn 3 gần nghĩa nhất với từ nào?

Clue: “Occasionally I fell a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on the great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now”: Thỉnh thoảng tôi cảm thấy một nỗi mong chờ nhói lên, và tôi ước tôi có thể biểu diễn chỉ một buổi hòa nhạc nữa trên sân khấu lớn trước khi những chiếc đèn biểu diễn tắt đi, nhưng giờ nỗi mong chờ đó đã qua nhanh hơn rồi.

Phân tích: Ta đặt các đáp án vào trong câu để xét độ phù hợp:

A. wink: nháy mắt: Sai, đây là hành động của con người.

B. flicker: nhấp nháy: Không hợp lý

C. twinkle: lấp lánh: Không hợp lý

D. turn off: tắt đi: Đúng Vậy chọn đáp án D. Question 10: Đáp án D.

Keywords: representative, last paragraph

Câu hỏi: Tác giả mất bao lâu để chơi nhạc lần đầu tiên không mặc áo trong bóng tối?

Clue: “After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me…”: Sau một tiếng hoặc tầm đó tôi nhìn lên và trong bóng tối nhìn thấy bóng một con mèo ngồi trên sàn trước mặt tôi…

Phân tích: Câu trả lời là “một tiếng hoặc tầm đó. Chọn đáp án D. about an hour: khoảng một tiếng. Các đáp án khác không đúng:

A. Once a day: mỗi lần một ngày: Không hợp lý, đây là câu trả lời cho một câu hỏi tần suất “How often”. Câu hỏi đề bài ra là “How long”: bao lâu

B. A night: một đêm: Không có thông tin

C. Exactly one hour: chính xác một tiếng: tác giả nói “or so” tức là ông cũng không chắc chắn về số thời gian mình đã chơi và chỉ ước lượng rơi vào 1 tiếng.

Vậy chọn đáp án D.

CẤU TRÚC, TỪ VỰNG ĐIỂN HÌNH

1. Loose (adj): lỏng. Eg: My watch was a little bit loose so I dropped it on my way home: Đồng hồ của tôi hơi lỏng nên tôi đánh rơi nó trên đường về nhà.

2. To travel through: truyền qua, đi qua. Eg: A strange train of thoughts traveled through my mind: Một dòng suy nghĩ lạ đi qua tâm trí tôi.

3. Scholar (n) học giả, nhà nghiên cứu. Eg: Dr. Miles was a distinguished scholar of Russian history:

Tiến sĩ Miles là một nhà học giả xuất chúng trong lịch sử Nga.

4. To dig into something: nghiên cứu, tìm tòi. Eg: I dug into the books all night, and I passed the test:

Tôi đã nghiên cứu mấy cuốn sách cả đêm và qua được kỳ thi.

5. To be free of something (n): không bị ràng buộc bởi cái gì. Eg I'd like to free myself of some of the responsibilities of this job: Tôi rất muốn không bị ràng buộc bản thân bởi một số trách nhiệm của công việc này.

6. To leave scar on: để lại nỗi đau tinh thần, tâm trí, gây khiếm khuyết. Eg: His childhood years left a deep psychological scar: Tuổi thơ ấu để lại chấn thương tâm lý sâu sắc cho anh ấy.

7. Practically speaking: thực tế mà nói, thực ra. Eg: Practically speaking, he’s not that funny: Thật ra anh ta không hài hước thế đâu.

8. To feel up to something: cảm thấy đủ sức hoặc đã sẵn sàng làm gì Eg: I don’t feel up to jogging today : Tôi thấy không khỏe để đi bộ hôm nay.

9. As if/as though + mệnh đề với động từ lùi một thì: cứ như thể. Eg: He behaved as if nothing had happened: Anh ta cư xử như thể chưa có chuyện gì xảy ra.

10. To fantasize about something: mơ mộng, mộng tưởng về Eg: He fantasized about winning the Nobel Prize: Anh ấy mơ mộng chiến thắng giải No-ben.

Exercise 12: The Opening of Japan [●●●]

The Japan of the mid-nineteenth century was a shadow of the modern economic juggernaut that is now one of the world's leading traders. For hundreds of years, Japan had been secluded from the outside world by the strict policies of the rulers of Japan, the Tokugawa shoguns. With the exception of one Dutch ship per year at the port of the Nagasaki, the Japanese refused to deal with foreign ships or nations. Sailors shipwrecked on the Japanese islands were treated harshly and often imprisoned. Passing vessels were refused food, water, and other provisions. With a goal to right these wrongs and to open Japan to trade, in 1853, the United States sent its most capable man, Admiral Matthew Perry, and four warships to open Japan to the rest of the world. The consequences of those actions are still being felt today.

In the seventeenth century, the Japanese had opened their doors briefly to the Dutch and allowed a trading station and Christian enclave in Nagasaki. Guns were imported as part of this trade, and they were one of the reasons for a great upheaval that engulfed Japan for many decades, as a civil war raged between powerful shoguns, or warlords. Finally, Tokugawa emerged as the victor and claimed the lordship of Japan. During these upheavals, the emperor and his family had stood by wielding no power and existed merely as a figurehead. Soon after the civil war, the Japanese abandoned the use of guns and the art of the gun making. When Admiral Perry and his fleet arrived in 1853, they were defenseless against his awesome firepower.

Perry had three main purposes when he arrived in Japan: open the country to American trade, get an agreement to use Japan as a coaling and provisioning station for American vessels, and provide guarantees that Japan would aid shipwrecked American sailors. He wished to deal only with the highest officials and rebuffed Japanese attempts to foster lower-level emissaries on him. He sailed away to examine further the coast of Taiwan as a possible coaling station but returned to Japan the following spring in March 1854. This time, under threat of naval bombardment, the Japanese relented and finally signed the Treaty of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854. In addition to the three main items, the Japanese agreed to allow an American consulate to be established. At first, only Nagasaki was open to American trade, but the treaty stipulated that, after five years, other ports would be opened.

            The consequences of these events were far reaching for Japan and the world. Within a few years, foreign currency began to flow to Japan, which upset its economy and caused rising inflation. This was a precursor to the fall of the Tokugawa shoguns and the return of the emperor as the leader of Japanese affairs in 1868. The Emperor Meiji then set a clear path for his nation, not wanting Japan to be under the heel of the foreigners who now clamored at the heel of the foreigners of his land. Meiji sent sailors to England to learn how to build ships and fight a modern naval war, invited German army officers to train his soldiers, and made deals with many companies to modernize Japan's industry, transportation, and communications. In fact, the efforts were so successful that, by the 1980s, the world began to view Japan as one of the great powers, more so after it defeated both China and Russia on land and at sea in two local wars. The Russian defeat was even more astonishing since the Europeans were unused to losing to those they considered their inferiors.

Japan's rapid industrialized and militarization had dreadful consequences for Asia, as Meiji's grandson Hirohito led the nation down the path to world war, which ultimately saw the destruction of much of Japan. The shock of this defeat still echoes through Japanese history, as does the arrival of Perry and his warships so long ago. His efforts opened Japan to the world. Unknowingly, he unleashed a powerful force, with the Japanese not willing to be subjugated to foreign domination. In the long run, Japan has become part of the global culture and has offered more to the world than could have ever been imagined when Perry's ships first dropped anchor on that fateful day in the pest.

Question 1. The world “secluded” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. removed

B. hidden

C. isolated

D. reserved

Question 2. According to paragraph 1, all of the following are correct about Japan's dealings with foreigners in the mid-nineteenth century EXCEPT:

A. No ships were allowed to visit Japan.

B. Shipwrecked sailors were badly treateD.

C. Ships in need were not helped by Japan.

D. They had a very limited foreign trade.

Question 3. According to paragraph 2, during the Tokugawa shogun period, the Japanese emperor

A. was a symbol and not the real ruler of Japan

B. shared power with the shoguns but was secondary

C. did not challenge the power of the shoguns

D. was quite unknown to the Japanese people

Question 4. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that the Japanese abandoned gun making because guns

A. were the products of foreigners and thus forbidden

B. were blamed for helping cause the long civil war

C. went against the Japanese idea of a warrior

D. were difficult and expensive to make in Japan

Question 5. The word “they” in the passage refers to

A. powerful shoguns

B. the emperor and his family

C. the Japanese

D. Admiral Perry and his fleet

Question 6. According to paragraph 3, Admiral Perry's mission to Japan eventually

A. achieved exactly what he wanted

B. failed to achieve any concrete objectives

C. achieved some but not all of his objectives

achieved more than he had expected

Question 7. According to paragraph 3, the Treaty of Kanagawa was agreed to by the Japanese

A. because they wanted to have relations with American

B. against wishes under the threat of force of arms

C. in order to gain an advantage over the Americans

D. because the realized they could not be secluded forever

Question 8. The word “relented” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. resisted

B. yielded

C. improved

D. decided

Question 9. According to paragraph 4, in order to modernize Japan, Emperor Meiji relied on

A. the expertise of his own people

B. educating his people in new skills

C. experts from outside of Japan

D. the capital from trade links

Question 10. The word “domination” in the passage is closest in meaning to

A. control

B. law

C. dogma

D. monopoly

ĐÁP ÁN

1. C

2. A

3. A

4. B

5. C

6. D

7. B

8. B

9. C

10. A

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 5: Đáp án D.

Key words: they

Clue: “Soon after the civil war, the Japanese abandoned the use of guns and the art of the gun making. When Admiral Perry and his fleet arrived in 1853, they were defenseless against his awesome firepower”: Sớm sau khi nội chiến kết thúc, người Nhật từ bỏ sử dụng súng và nghệ thuật chế tạo súng. Khi đô đốc Perry và hạm đội của ông ta đến Nhật vào năm 1853, họ đã không thể tự vệ chống lại hỏa lực khiếp sợ của ông ta”

Phân tích: Từ câu có chứa “they” chiếu lên câu trước đó, tìm danh từ chỉ người có khả năng sợ hãi trước uy lực của hạm đội Mỹ. Ta tìm được từ “the Japanses”: người Nhật Bản. Do đó, chọn đáp án C. the Japanese. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

Question 6: Đáp án D.

Key words: Admiral Perry's mission, paragraph 3, eventually

Clue: “Perry had three main purposes when he arrived in Japan… In addition to the three main items, the Japanese agreed to allow an American consulate to be established”: Perry có ba mục tiêu khi ông ta đến Nhật Bản… Ngoài ba mục chính, Nhật Bản đồng ý cho phép một tòa lãnh sự Mỹ được thành lập.

Phân tích: Dựa vào Clue thấy rằng Perry đã đạt được thêm ngoài những mục tiêu ông ta mong chờ. Chọn đáp án D. achieved more than he had expected: đạt được nhiều hơn kì vọng. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

A. achieved exactly what he wanted: đạt được chính xác những gì ông ta muốn

B. failed to achieve any concrete objectives: không đạt được bất cứ mục tiêu cụ thể nào

C. achieved some but not all of his objectives: đạt được một vài mục tiêu nhưng không phải tất cả

Đáp án D là đáp án đúng

Question 7: Đáp án B.

Key words: paragraph 3, Treaty of Kanagawa

Câu hỏi: Đoạn 3 nói gì về việc người Nhật Bản đồng ý ký Hiệp ước Kanagawa

Clue: “This time, under threat of naval bombardment, the Japanese relented and finally signed the Treaty of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854”: … Lần này, dưới đe dọa bắn phá hải quân, người Nhật dịu lại và cuối cùng đã ký hiệp ước Kanagawa vào 31 tháng 3 năm 1854.

Phân tích: Do bị đe dọa vũ lực mà người Nhật mới đồng ý thỏa hiệp. Do vậy hiệp ước này trái với ý muốn của họ. Ta chọn đáp án B. against wishes under the threat of force of arms: đi ngược lại ý muốn dưới sự đe dọa của lực lượng vũ trang. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp

A. because they wanted to have relations with American: vì họ muốn tạo quan hệ với Mỹ: Không có thông tin

C. in order to gain an advantage over the Americans: nhằm trục lợi từ người Mỹ: Không có thông tin

D. because the realized they could not be secluded forever: bởi họ nhận ra họ không thể bị cách ly mãi mãi: Không có thông tin

Đáp án B là đáp án đúng Question 8: Đáp án B. Key words: relented Clue: Như ở câu 7

Phân tích: Vì Nhật Bản cuối cùng cũng ký nên ta thấy “relented” mang nghĩa khuất phục, rút lui. Vậy chọn đáp án B. yielded: từ bỏ, bỏ cuộc. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp

A. resisted: chống cự                                               C. improved: cải tiến, tiến bộ       D. decided: quyết định

Question 9: Đáp án C.

Keywords: paragraph 4, modernize Japan, Emperor Meiji

Clue: “The Emperor Meiji then set a clear path for his nation, not wanting Japan to be under the heel of the foreigners who now clamored at the heel of the foreigners of his land. Meiji sent sailors to England to learn how to build ships and fight a modern naval war, invited German army officers to train his soldiers, and made deals with many companies to modernize Japan's industry, transportation, and communications” Nhật Hoàng Minh Trị sau đó vạch ra con đường rõ ràng cho Nhật Bản, không muốn đất nước bị thống trị bởi người nước ngoài. Minh Trị đưa thủy thủ sang Anh để học cách xây dựng tàu và chiến đấu với trong cuộc chiến tranh hải quân hiện đại, mời các sỹ quan quân đội người Đức sang huấn luyện binh lính của ông ta và giao dịch với nhiều công ty nhằm hiện đại hóa nền công nghiệp, giao thông và thông tin của Nhật Bản.

Phân tích: Minh Trị đã nỗ lực nhằm hiện đại hóa Nhật Bản, trong đó có việc ông mời chuyên gia nước ngoài sang đào tạo người của mình. Vậy chọn đáp án C. experts from outside of Japan. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

A. the expertise of his own people: năng lực chuyên của chính người của ông ta

B. educating his people in new skills: dạy người của ông những kỹ năng mới

D. the capital from trade links: nguồn vốn từ các mối thương mại

Question 10: Đáp án A. Keywords: domination

Clue: “Unknowingly, he unleashed a powerful force, with the Japanese not willing to be subjugated to foreign domination”: Không hề biết trước, ông ta đã giải phóng một lực lượng mạnh mẽ, người Nhật cũng không sẵn sàng khuất phục trước thống trị của người nước ngoài.

Phân tích: “domination” : thống trị gần nghĩa với “control”: kiểm soát. Vậy chọn đáp án A. control. `Các đáp án khác không phù hợp:

B. law: luật    C. dogma: giáo lý     D. monopoly: độc quyền

CẤU TRÚC, TỪ VỰNG ĐIỂN HÌNH

1. To refuse to do something (n): từ chối Eg: She refused to do yoga with me: Cô ấy từ chối tập yoga với tôi

2. To rage: nổi lên, nổi cơn thịnh nộ Eg: The storm raged outside: Cơn bão nổi lên ngoài kia.

3. Coaling station: Trạm cung cấp than. Provisioning station: Trạm cung cấp lương thực

4. To rebuff từ chối dứt khoát Eg: She rebuffed all suggestions that she should resign: Cô ấy từ chối dứt khoát những ý kiến cho rằng cô ấy nên từ chức.

5. Far – reaching (adj): sâu rộng Eg: The new project will have far – reaching benefits. Dự án mới sẽ có lợi ích sâu rộng.

6. To be under the heel of: bị kiểm soát hoàn toàn Eg: This country will never accept to be under the heel of a foreign power: Đất nước này sẽ không bao giờ chấp nhận bị thống trị bởi lực lượng nước ngoài.

7. To make deal with: thỏa thuận. Eg: We made a deal to share our lunches everyday: Chúng tôi đã thỏa thuận chia sẻ bữa trưa cho nhau mỗi ngày.

8. To echo through: để lại tiếng vang, dội lại Eg: The ideas of Plato have echoed through the ages: Những ý tưởng của Plato để lại tiếng vang qua nhiều thế kỷ.

9. Unknowing: không biết. Eg: He took pictures of his unknowing victims: Anh ta chụp ảnh những nạn nhân không biết thông tin

10. Fateful (adj): định mệnh. Eg: He made a fateful decision to leave for Japan: Anh ta đã ra một quyết định định mệnh rời đến Nhật Bản.

Exercise 13: The Illusion of Film [●●●]

THE ILLUSION OF FILM

Film is an illusion because the moving pictures seen on the screen are not moving at all. A film is actually a series of tiny still pictures, or flames. They appear to be moving because the retina of the human eye retains the impression of an object for a split second after that object has actually disappeared. This principle is known as the persistence of vision. When we look at a single frame of film, the image persists in the brain's visual center for a fraction of a second. Then, the next frame comes along and the brain has to catch up with the new image. Thus, our eyes and brain trick us into thinking that we see a smoothly moving image rather than a series of still ones.

Another illusion of film is known collectively as special effects, the tricks and techniques that filmmakers use when makeup, costume, and stunts are still not enough to make a scene convincing. Special effects artists apply science to filmmaking, showing us things that no plain camera could ever photograph. Even since the introduction of computer graphics in recent decades, the films of today still rely on some special effects that have existed since the early years of cinema.

One category of special effects is called optical or visual effects, tricks made with the camera. One of the pioneers of optical effects was the French filmmaker Georges Méliès, who invented a technique called stop-motion photography. With this technique, a scene is filmed, the camera is stopped, the scene is changed in some way, and then the camera rolls again. Stop motion photography can create th.e illusion of an actor disappearing on screen. In one short film, an actor's clothes keep returning to his body as he tries to get undressed. Méliès also invented a technique known as split screen. By putting a card over the camera lens, he prevented half of the frame of film from being exposed. He filmed a scene on the uncovered half of the frame and then backed up the same strip of film in his camera. For the second shot, he covered the exposed half and took another series of pictures on the half that had been covered the first time. With the technique of split screen, it is possible to achieve illusions such as having the same actor play twins.

Mechanical effects are another category of special effects. Mechanical effects are objects or devices used during the filming to create an illusion, such as feathers or plastic chips to simulate snow, and wires to create the illusion that people are flying. Many sound effects are mechanical effects. Wood blocks create a horse's hoofbeats, and a vibrating sheet of metal sounds like thunder. During the silent film era, the music machine called the Kinematophone was popular because it could produce the sounds of sirens, sleigh bells, gunfire, baby cries, and kisses-all at the press of a key.

Other mechanical effects are puppets, robots of all sizes, and tiny copies of buildings or cities. To reduce the cost of studio sets or location photography, special-effects technicians create painted or projected backgrounds, which replace the set or add to it. For example, in a long shot of a town, the set might be only a few feet high, and the remainder of the town is painted onto a sheet of glass positioned in fiont of the camera during filming. In a 1916 silent film called The Flying Torpedo, mechanical effects created the appearance of an enemy invasion of the California seacoast. Technicians threw small contact-rigged explosives into toy cities, scattering the tiny buildings into the air. An artist painted a row of battleships on a board that was only six feet long. Carpenters drilled small holes in the ships, which were filled with small charges of flash powder to simulate guns. An electrician wired the charges so they could be fired on cue from a small battery. For audiences of the time, the effect was of a real fleet of ships firing on the California coast.

Sometimes optical and mechanical effects are used together. For the original 1933 version of King Kong, the filmmakers wanted to show the giant ape climbing the Empire State Building in New York City. To show Kong's climb, the special-effects technicians built a tiny movable model of the ape and a proportionately small model of the Empire State Building. Then, stop-motion photography was used to create the illusion that Kong was moving up the building.

Question 1. Why does the author discuss the principle of persistence of vision in paragraph 1?

A. To introduce a discussion of human vision

B. To explain how we remember images

C. To support the idea that film is an illusion

D. To compare two types of special effects

Question 2. The phrase “catch up with” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

A. hurry to process

B. put aside

C. search for

D. obtain from memory

Question 3. The author primarily defines special effects as

A. phenomena that cannot be explained logically B.techniques and devices to create illusions in film C.sounds and images that cause an emotional response D.methods used by filmmakers of the silent film era

Question 4. The word rolls in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

A. changes

B. operates

C. breaks

D. reverses

Question 5. The word simulate in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

A. make it easier to film

B. put on top of

C. improve the texture of

D. create the appearance of

Question 6. It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that silent films

A. were projected by a machine called the Kinematophone

B. relied more on special effects than on acting ability

C. used sound effects to make scenes more convincing

D. are still very popular with movie audiences today

Question 7. All of the following would necessarily involve mechanical effects EXCEPT

A. using wires to make objects fly

B. filming each half of a frame separately

C. hitting a sheet of metal to create thunder

D. building a small model of a town

Question 8. Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 5?

A. The most effective way to lower the cost of a film is to replace location photograph3 with studio sets or backgrounds.

B. Special effects technicians build painted or projected backgrounds that appear more realistic than location photography.

C. One way to reduce costs is to repaint old studio sets and use them again; this also adds to the number of available sets.

D. Painted and projected backgrounds are special effects that improve or replace sets, thus making filming less expensive.

Question 9. The word which in paragraph 5 refers to

A. carpenters

B. holes

C. ships

D. guns

Question 10. What point does the author make in paragraph 6 about the 1933 film King Kong?

A. The film combined two different types of special effects.

B. The filmmakers trained a giant ape to climb up a building.

C. Stop-motion photography was invented during the filming.

D. King Kong remains very popular with audiences today.

ĐÁP ÁN

1. C

2. A

3. B

4. B

5. D

6. C

7. B

8. D

9. B

10. A

GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT

Question 1: Đáp án B.

Key words: paragraph 1, persistence of vision

Clue: Topic sentence của đoạn: “Film is an illusion because the moving pictures seen on the screen are not moving at all… They appear to be moving because… ”: Phim là một ảo ảnh bởi những hình ảnh chuyển động trong phim trên màn hình không hề chuyển động chút nào... Những bức hình trông có vẻ như đang chuyển động

bởi…

Phân tích: Dựa vào câu chủ đề, ta thấy mục đích của tác giả là hỗ trợ ý tưởng phim là một ảo ảnh. Những câu trong đoạn cũng phải hỗ trợ làm rõ câu chủ đề. Vậy chọn đáp án C To support the idea that film is an illusion: Để hỗ trợ ý tưởng phim là một ảo ảnh. Các đáp án còn lại không phù hợp:

A To introduce a discussion of human vision: Để giới thiệu một bài viết về thị lực của người B To explain how we remember images: Để giải thích cách thức chúng ta ghi nhớ hình ảnh D To compare two types of special effects: Để so sánh hai loại hiệu ứng đặc biệt

Question 2: Đáp án D.

Key words: catch up with, paragraph 1

Clue: “: ... the image persists in the brain's visual center for a fraction of a second. Then, the next frame comes along and the brain has to catch up with the new image”: Hình ảnh tồn đọng lại trong trung tâm thị lực của não bộ trong tích tắc. Sau đó, khung hình tiếp theo xuất hiện và não phải bắt theo hình ảnh mới.

Xét các đáp án khi đứng trong câu:

A．hurry to process: nhanh chóng xử lý: Câu trả lời hợp lý

B．put aside: để sang bên: Hình ảnh mới vừa xuất hiện chưa thể để sang bên trong tích tắc C．search for: tìm kiếm: Hình ảnh trên phim xuất hiện trên màn ảnh, ta không cần tìm kiếm chúng D．obtain from memory: lấy từ trí nhớ: Hình ảnh mới chưa có trong trí nhớ

Vậy chọn đáp án A. hurry to process

Question 3: Đáp án B.

Key words: special effects, define

Clue: Câu này hỏi về định nghĩa của hiệu ứng đặc biệt: “Another illusion of film is known collectively as special effects, the tricks and techniques that filmmakers use …”: Một ảo ảnh khác của phim được biết đến là hiệu ứng đặc biệt, một mẹo và kỹ thuật mà các nhà làm phim sử dụng…

Chọn đáp án   B．techniques and devices to create illusions in film: kỹ thuật và thiết bị tạo ra ảo ảnh phim. Các đáp

án khác không có thông tin.

A．phenomena that cannot be explained logically: hiện tượng không thể giải thích một cách logic C．sounds and images that cause an emotional response: âm thanh và hình ảnh gây ra phản ứng cảm xúc D．methods used by filmmakers of the silent film era:

Question 4: Đáp án B.

Key words: paragraph 3, roll

Clue: “...a scene is filmed, the camera is stopped...and then the camera rolls again”: … một cảnh được quay, máy quay dừng lại… và rồi máy quay lại chạy.

Phân tích: “Roll” trong bối cảnh này mang nghĩa “operate”: chạy, vận hành. Chọn đáp án B. Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

A．changes: thay đổi          C．breaks: ngắt          D．reverses: đảo ngược

Question 5: Đáp án D.

Key words: simulate, paragraph 4

Clue: “... create an illusion...; ...feathers or plastic chips to simulate snow, and wires to create the illusion that people are flying”: … tạo ra một ảo ảnh…; … những chiếc long vũ hoặc những mảnh nhựa, để mô phỏng tuyết, và dây để tạo ra ảo ảnh người đang bay.

“Simulate” có nghĩa là mô phỏng, trong bối cảnh này mang nghĩa “create the appearance of”: tạo ra hình ảnh Các đáp án khác không phù hợp.

A．make it easier to film: giúp quay phim dễ hơn

B．put on top of: đặt lên trên

C．improve the texture of: cải thiện bối cảnh Vậy chọn đáp án D. create the appearance of Question 6: Đáp án C.

Key words: inferred, paragraph 4,  silent films

Clue: “During the silent film era, the music machine called the Kinematophone was popular because it could produce the sounds”: Trong kỷ nguyên phim câm, chiếc máy tạo nhạc với cái tên Kinematophone rất phổ biến bởi nó có thể tạo ra các âm thanh…

Phân tích: Xét các đáp án:

A．were projected by a machine called the Kinematophone: được chiếu bởi một chiếc máy gọi là Kinematophone: Sai vì chiếc máy này xử lý âm nhạc, không xử lý hình ảnh

Exercise 15: Children and advertising [●●●]

Young children are trusting of commercial advertisements in the media, and advertisers have sometimes been accused of taking advantage of this trusting outlook. The Independent Television Commission, regulator of television advertising in the United Kingdom, has criticized advertisers for "misleadingness' – creating a wrong impression either intentionally or unintentionally – in an effort to control advertisers' use of techniques that make it difficult for children to judge the true size, action, performance, or construction of a toy.

General concern about misleading tactics that advertisers employ is centered on the use of exaggeration. Consumer protection groups and parents believe that children are largely ill-equipped to recognize such techniques and that often exaggeration is used at the expense of product information. Claims such as "the best” or "better than" can be subjective and misleading; even adults may be unsure as to their meaning. They represent the advertiser's opinions about the qualities of their products or brand and, as a consequence, are difficult to verify. Advertisers sometimes offset or counterbalance an exaggerated claim with a disclaimer-a qualification or condition on the claim. For example, the claim that breakfast cereal has a health benefit may be accompanied by the disclaimer when   part of a nutritionally balanced breakfast. However, research has shown that children often have difficulty understanding disclaimers: children may interpret the phrase 'when part of a nutritionally balanced breakfast" to mean that the cereal is required as a necessary part of a balanced breakfast. The author George Comstock suggested that less than a quarter of children between the ages of six and eight years old understood standard disclaimers used in many toy advertisements and that disclaimers are more readily comprehended when presented in both audio and visual formats. Nevertheless, disclaimers are mainly presented in audio format only.

Fantasy is one of the more common techniques in advertising that could possibly mislead a  young  audience. Child-oriented advertisements are more likely to include magic and fantasy than advertisements aimed at adults. In a content analysis of Canadian television, the author Stephen Kline observed that nearly all commercials for character toys featured fantasy play. Children have strong imaginations and the use of fantasy brings their ideas to life, but children may not be adept enough to realize that what they are viewing is unreal. Fantasy situations and settings are frequently used to attract children's attention, particularly in food advertising. Advertisements for breakfast cereals have, for many years, been found to be especially fond of fantasy techniques, with almost nine out of ten including such content. Generally, there is uncertainty as to whether very young children can distinguish between fantasy and reality in advertising. Certainly, rational appeals in advertising aimed at children are limited, as most advertisements use emotional and indirect appeals to psychological states or associations.

The use of celebrities such as singers and movie stars is common in advertising. The intention is for the positively perceived attributes of the celebrity to be transferred to the advertised product and for the two to become automatically linked in the audience's mind. In children's advertising, the celebrities are often animated figures from popular cartoons. In the recent past, the role of celebrities in advertising to children has often been conflated with the concept of host selling. Host selling involves blending advertisements with regular programming in a way that makes it difficult to distinguish one from the other. Host selling occurs, for example, when a children's show about a cartoon lion contains an ad in which the same lion promotes a breakfast cereal. The psychologist Dale Kunkel showed that the practice of host selling reduced children's ability to distinguish between advertising and program material. It was also found that older children responded more positively to products in host selling advertisements.

Regarding the appearance of celebrities in advertisements that do not involve host selling, the evidence is mixed. Researcher Charles Atkin found that children believe that the characters used to advertise breakfast cereals are knowledgeable about cereals, and children accept such characters as credible sources of nutritional information. This finding was even more marked for heavy viewers of television. In addition, children feel validated in their choice of a product when a celebrity endorses that product. A study of children in Hong Kong, however, found that the presence of celebrities in advertisements could negatively affect the children's perceptions of a product if the children did not like the celebrity in question.

Question 1 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as being a difficult judgment for children to make about advertised toys?

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