Đề thi Vstep - B2

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1. TEST 5 PART 1: 1. What time is it? Speaker 1: Have you got the right time? I think my watch is wrong. Speaker 2: Ah it’s half past two. Speaker 1: My watch is 20 past Speaker 2: well, it’s 10 minute slow then 2. What’s Michelle going to read? Speaker 1: Can I read your newspaper, Michelle? Speaker 2: Didn’t you bring a book with you? Speaker 1: Yes, but it’s not very interesting Speaker 2: Oh. Here you are. I’ll read a letter from John. 3. How much did the tickets cost? Speaker 1: Oh hi. Did you have a good time at the theatre last night? Speaker 2: Well. The play was excellent but the tickets cost 90 dollars each. Speaker 1: That’s not too bad if the play was good. Speaker 2; No. Perhaps you’re right. 4. What is the man going to buy? Speaker 1: Is everything ready for the holiday? Speaker 2: I’m just going shopping. I must get those pills I take when I feel travel sick. Do we need anything else from the chemist? We forgot the toothpaste last time. Speaker 1: I’ve got that. I haven’t got any sunglasses but I can borrow yours, can’t I. And I get something to read at the airport. Speaker 2: Right 5. Which dress is Kate talking about? Speaker 1: Oh mom. This dress is still dirty. Speaker 2: It can’t be, Kate. I have washed it. Speaker 1: But it is. The mark on the collar has gone but it’s still a small one here. Look. It’s in front, just below the button. It’s where I spilled some coke last week. 6. When will Jane meet them?
2. Hi. It’s Pete here. John left you a message to say he can’t meet you at 8 o’clock as plan because her bus doesn’t get into late 15. And it will take 30 minutes to get from the center of town. I told to the tables actually book at 8:45 so that would be fine. And we’ll see her then. 7. Which morning activity is for beginners? At 10am tomorrow morning, there will be swimming lessons at both intermediate and beginner levels. Then there will be volleyball practice at 11:30 for all those of you who are already in one of the teams. Also in the morning, for those of you who already know how to sail, there’s a chance to do some practice on your own. There will be lessons in both sailing and windsurfing for beginners after lunch. 8. Which painting does the woman decide to buy? They’re all nice but you see a lot flowers everywhere these days, don’t you? So that wouldn’t be my choice. The thing with animals actually although I did quite like the one with horses so it looks like it has to be the one with the boat. It will be a change from that bowl of food I have had on the wall all these years anyway. PART 2 Conversation 1: Matthew: Bye, Mum, see you later. Mother: How are you getting to college? It’s already five to nine. You’ve missed the bus. Are you going to walk? Matthew: No, I’m borrowing your car, remember? Mother: Oh, Matthew. (Q1) I need it today. If you want to borrow the car you need to ask me several days before. Sorry, you’re going to have to walk. It just isn’t convenient today. Matthew: But I did ask you. We talked about it last week. Don’t you remember? (Q2) I’ve promised to help Alan move all his books and things after my lecture today. He’s moving to a new flat and his car’s broken down. I’ve got to help him move his things. He can’t stay in the old flat after today. I promised him. Mother: All right, all right. Of course, you must keep your promise. I remember now, you did tell me. (Q3) But I thought you said next Wednesday. You said the 9th and that’s next week when I’m in Birmingham for a meeting so I shan’t need the car. Matthew: I didn’t ask for it next Wednesday! I’ve got an exam next Wednesday! I can’t help Alan when I’m doing an exam, can’t I? Mother: No, I suppose not. Well, I expect you’re right. (Q4) I didn’t write it down so it’s my fault. Next time we must both write it down. And make sure we write down the same date. Matthew: OK, so can I have it today? I need to go or I’ll miss my lecture.
3. Mother: Well, what am I supposed to do? I need to be at work in half an hour. Matthew: I’ll give you a lift there on my way to college. How about that? Mother: I suppose I haven’t got much choice. Come on, then. Conversation 2 Presenter: OK, now we come to our regular spot on extreme sports, and this week our fearless reporter Tom Walker has been trying out something called indoor skydiving. And he’s with me now. Tom, what’s this all about? Reporter: Well, it’s the same as skydiving- jumping from an aeroplane and freefalling through the air without opening your parachute for some time – except that you do it (Q5) in an indoor wind tunnel. And there’s no plane, and no parachute, and, so I was told, no danger! So it gives you a taste of doing an extreme sport, but it isn’t quite so extreme. Presenter: Right, now where did you do it? Reporter: I did it in a vertical wind tunnel (Q6) at an adventure sports center called Runaway. Presenter: What exactly is a vertical wind tunnel? Reporter: Well, it’s a tunnel that gets filled with air. The air is provided by four enormous industrial fans of a kind that usually provide air for underground systems. These fans produce a column of air that rushes through the tunnel from below at more than 160 kilometers per hour. When you’re in the tunnel, (Q7) you float on this air. The machine has been described as being like an enormous hairdryer. It allows you to fly as if you had fallen from a plane, but you are only two meters off the ground. Presenter: And it’s completely safe is it? Reporter: Yes. There are bars across the top of the tunnel to stop you flying off up and out of the tunnel. The tunnel is four meters wide and has glass walls. The only small problem you might have is that you keep bashing into these walls. (Q8) But you’re not really going to hurt yourself a lot by doing this – the only injuries you are likely to get are sore elbows and knees. In fact, it’s so safe that the center is open to anyone over the age of four. In America, where the idea was invented by the military in 1994, pensioners in their eighties regularly have a go. Conversation 3 PAM: HI Jun. As you know, I’ve asked you here today to discuss the future of our Self- Access Center. (Q9) We have to decide what we want to do about this very important resource for our English language students. So, can you tell me what the students think about this? JUN: Well, from the students’ point of view, we would like to keep it. The majority of students say that they enjoy using it because it provides a variation on the classroom routine and they see it as a pretty major component of their course, but we would like to see some
4. improvements to the equipment, particularly the computers; (Q10) there aren’t enough for one each at the moment and we always have to share. PAM: Well, yes, the teachers agree that it is a very valuable recourse but one thing we have noticed is that a lot of student are using it to check their personal emails. We don’t want to stop you students using it, but we think the (Q11) computers should be used as a learning resource, not for emails. Some of us also think that we could benefit a lot more by relocating the Self-Access Center to the main University library building. How do you think the students would feel about that, Jun? JUN: Well, the library is big enough to incorporate the Self-Access Center, but it wouldn’t be like a class activity anymore. Our main worry would be not being able to go to a teacher for advice. I’m sure there would be plenty of things to do but we really need teachers to help us choose the best activities. PAM: Well, there would still be a teacher present and he or she would guide the activities of the students, we wouldn’t just leave them to get on with it. JUN: Yes, but I think the students would be much happier keeping the existing set-up; they really like going to the Self-Access Center with their teacher and staying together as a group to do activities. (Q12) If we could just improve the resources and facilities, I think it would be fine. PART 3 Talk/Lecture 1: Dolls have always fascinated me, and that’s why, five years ago, I was delighted to be offered the job of running a doll museum. Dolls have existed for thousands of years, and the earliest dolls we know about we found in graves in ancient Egypt. I only wish we could get one or two for our museum. But we haven’t unfortunately got anything as old as that in the museum. All the same, we have got examples from Europe from the twelfth century, but my favorite early dolls are actually from the seventeenth century. They interest me not just because they are early, or fairly early, but also because of the clothes they are wearing. They have their original clothes, and from them we know what the owners wore, since dolls in those days were always dressed like their owners. They were made of the only material readily available for things like this at the time: solid wood and they were painted in great detail. In fact, on the best examples, like the ones in the museum, the detail includes the seventeenth- century make- up. Dolls like these were very expensive then, and only the very rich could afford them. These days, they’re popular with collectors and if you want one today, you have to pay anything up to ten thousand pounds for a doll in perfect condition from this time! By the way, what makes them so valuable is that, as far as a collector is concerned, a doll is only worth collecting if it is in perfect condition, and that means having the original clothes. Doll collecting has become very fashionable since the museum opened, with people interested in dolls from every period, including later dolls. There’s great interest in nineteenth- century examples, when dolls were no longer made of wood, but began to have
5. soft bodies and real hair. They were very delicate and few have survived, meaning such a doll would be worth about two thousand pounds, perhaps a bit more. Later, in the nineteenth century, you could often take off the doll’s hair. If you can, you can often see the maker’s name underneath, and of course the right one increases a doll’s value. There was a really big change in dolls at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the museum we have one of the earliest examples, from about 1909, of a doll that’s a model of a baby. Previously all dolls, the earliest ones, were little adults. Talk/Lecture 2 Hello. I’m Stephen Mills. I will travel with you to the Tiger Tour in India, but I’m not your guide. I work as an artist and I’m going to take some photographs of tigers so that I can use them when I paint some pictures later. An expert guide will join the group when we arrive in India, but I’m leading the group until then. We leave London on the 6th of November, arriving in India the following day. It’s a good time of year to visit the wildlife park where the tigers live. The rainy season finishes in October. And later in the year, the park gets more crowded and the tigers become shy. We’ll spend ten days in the wildlife park. There are twenty other types of animals and three hundred types of bird to see as well as tigers. There are eighteen of us altogether and everything is organized for your comfort by the tour company. For example, although we’re in the jungle, we won’t have to sleep in tents! The hotels where we’ll stay are all very comfortable. To be sure of seeing tigers, we’ll stay in two different parts of the wildlife park. We’ll spend three days in the north, where we’ll travel around in an open truck, and the rest of the time in the south, where we’ll travel around on elephants. That should be fun! On the way back to London, we have dinner and one night’s bed and breakfast in the Indian capital, Delhi. There you can either go sightseeing or go shopping, whichever you prefer. But please note that lunch is not provided on our day of departure, as the plane leaves at two in the afternoon. Now, if there are any questions Talk/Lecture 3: Announcer: For the second in our series about locally- run businesses, we meet Simon Winridge, co- founder of the hugely- successfully Winridge Forest Railway Park, Welcome, Simon. Now, perhaps you can begin by telling us a little bit about how it all started. Man: Well, during the 1970s, my wife, Liz and I had just acquired 80 acres of sheep- farming land, and we decided to settle down and have children. Pretty soon we had a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Duncan. The place was wonderful for the kids: they particularly loved trains and gradually built up an enormous network of miniature railway track. I began to
6. develop larger- scale models of locomotives but we didn’t think anything more of it until I went on a trip to a theme park near Birmingham and decided we could do a much better job! So we set up a small one ourselves based on the miniature railway and we opened to the public for just a month that year, 1984- in July- our driest month- because our children said they didn’t want our guests to have a miserable, wet visit. I dealt with Park business and Liz carried on with the farm work. It soon became clear that we were onto a winner. We began to extend the railway track and lay it among more interesting landscape by planting trees, which in turn attracted more wildlife, and by making cuttings through the rock. Nowadays, we’re open all year round and we’re pleased to say that Winridge is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the area- with 50.000 visitors a year- a million and a half people have been through our doors since we opened.
7. TEST 6 PART 1: 1. How will Mary travel to Scotland? Speaker 1: Are you taking the train to Scotland tomorrow, Mary? Speaker 2: No. I’m driving there. It’s cheaper. Speaker 1: Why don’t you go by coach? Speaker 2: Oh no. It takes 7 hours 2. Where are the shoes? Speaker 1: Mom. Have you seen my brown shoes? Speaker 2: Yes. They’re under the table. Speaker 1: No. They’re not. I left them on the chair this morning. But they’re not there now. Speaker 2: There they are, under the window. 3. When will the football match start next week? Speaker 1: Does the football match start at 12:15 every week? Speaker 2: No. It was early this week. It usually begins at 2 o’clock. Speaker 1: So it will be the usual time next week. Speaker 2: Yes. 4. What is Sarah’s mother doing? Speaker 1: When can we go out, Mom? Speaker 2: In about half an hour, Sarah when I finish doing the washing up 5. What luggage is the man taking on holiday? Speaker 1: I thought you only took two suitcases on holiday with you. Speaker 2: Well. I was. But I decided to take my overnight bag as well. I couldn’t get everything into two suitcases and there’s no way I could carry a third 6. Where will the woman go first after work? Speaker 1: Are you and Sarah going straight to the restaurant from work tonight? Speaker 2: Actually I’m leaving work early because I need to do some shopping in the market and I’m going to meet Sarah after that outside the cinema. She doesn’t know where the restaurant is, you see. You’re playing tennis after work, aren’t you? Speaker 1: Yes. So see you at the restaurant. 7. What can festival visitors see every day?
8. The art centre in London is holding a festival of Irish culture from 4th to 12th of April. An exhibition of paintings is open daily and on some weekday evenings. The theatre has special events including plays and films. At the weekend, concert of Irish music will take place in the town hall 8. What souvenir will the boy’s mother bring? Speaker 1: What color of T-shirt shall I bring you from New York, Fred? Speaker 2: I prefer black but actually a baseball cap would be a good idea. Speaker 1: What about another model car for your collection. I can get you a New York taxi. Speaker 2: Great. I really like the sports car you bought me last time. PART 2: Conversation 1: Presenter: In today’s programme, David Green has come along to tell us all about Waterside Shopping Center near Northport. Good morning, David. David: Good morning. Well, I visited Waterside last week and I think it has something for everyone and I would recommend it for a day out. It’s taken three years to build and (Q1) finally opened three weeks ago, two months later than planned. Firstly, getting there; there are (Q2) organized coach trips from most towns in the area but they leave early and come home very late, so I drove. There are 12,000 free parking spaces, so parking is no problem. You can also get there by train, but the station is 15 minutes from Waterside by bus, and the buses are really crowded so you sometimes have a long wait. Presenter: And what about opening times? David: Well, one thing to remember is that the shops don’t open till 10.00 in the morning except on Saturday when they open at 9.00. So don’t get there too early on a weekday. (Q3) They close at 8 o’clock every day except Friday when they’re open until 9 pm. Presenter: Can you tell us some more about the facilities at the shopping center? David: Yes, it’s arranged on three levels. You’ll find all your favourites here. In fact if you want to buy a pair of shoes there are 15 different shops to choose from on level one and two. When you run out of money there are seven different banks, but collect your money before you get to the third level as there aren’t any banks up there. On that level, however, there are several restaurants as well as cinema with seven screens. And don’t get lost like I did, go to the information desk on the first level and get a map. Presenter: What else can you do at Waterside? David: Before you go back to your car or the bus – and (Q4) in fact it might be better to do this before you go shopping and have too much to carry – go and see the lake. Take a walk or have a go at fishing, sailing or wind surfing if you have time. Or you can rest your tired feet and watch the birds and ducks, but you are asked not to feed them.
9. Conversation 2: Interviewer: OK, now I understand that the Park is involved in one or two projects at the moment. Wildlife park representative: That’s right. Since 1994, we’ve been working with various partners to raise money and help co-ordinate something called Project Life Lion. This project involves sending teams to villages which border the Serengeti National Park in East Africa to vaccinate domestic dogs against canine distemper virus (CDV) and rabies. In 1994 over one third of the Serengeti lions died (Q5) as a result of CDV, which had passed from domestic dogs to the wild animal population. In addition to that, we are currently taking part in the Atlantic Rainforest Project and supporting the Community Conservation Project. Interviewer: So you’re obviously concerned about environmental issues. Wildlife park representative: Yes, the Park continuously monitors its environmental impact. To do that, we have our own independently-written Environmental Management System, which is now being used as a model by other organizations across the UK so that they can establish their own. Interviewer: Now, apart from the day-to-day business of visitors to the Park, you also put on events, don’t you? Wildlife park representative: Yes, the Park is a venue for all manner of corporate events, such as (Q6) product launches, team-building, special events, barbecues - the list is endless. And we play host to many charity and fund-raising events each year. For them, (Q8) we are happy to help with discounted tickets and competition prizes. Interviewer: Now, tell me about the Center for Television and Radio Training. I gather you’re connected with that. Wildlife park representative: Yes, it’s our sister’s company. (Q7) If you’ve always dreamed of being a radio presenter, we offer you the opportunity to take the first steps. Conversation 3: Man: Hello? Woman: Hi. It’s Laura Carlton here. We’ve just arrived at the holiday flat, but I can’t get the hot water and heating to work. Man: Oh right! That’s easy. Don’t worry. In the upstairs cupboard, you’ll find the water heater. (Q9) You’ll see three main controls on the left at the bottom of the heater. The first one – the round one on the far left – is the most important one for the heating and hot water. It’s the main control switch. Make sure it’s in the ‘on’ position. The switch itself doesn’t light up, but the little square below will be black if (Q10) the switch is ‘off’. That’s probably what’s happened – it’s got switched off by mistake. The middle one of these three controls – you’ll see it’s slightly larger than the first one – controls the radiators. If you feel cold while you’re there and need the radiators on, this needs to be turned to
10. maximum. The last of the three controls – the one on the right – is usually on about a number four setting which for the water in the taps is usually quite hot enough. Below the heating controls in the middle is a small round plastic button. If there isn’t enough water in the pipes, (Q11) sometimes the heater goes out. If this happens you’ll need to press this button to reset the heater. Hold it in for about five seconds and the heater should come on again. Then there’s a little square indicator under the third knob that’s a kind of alarm light. It’ll flash if you need to reset the heater. Woman: (Q12) It sounds complicated Man: I’m sure you won’t have any problem with it. There should be some more instructions on the side of the heater. Call me back if you can’t make it work. Woman: Okay PART 3: Talk 1: Right, everyone- about the trip to the Jubilee Arts Centre next Wednesday. As you know, we have tickets for the Centre’s two theatres and the concert hall. Those of you with concert tickets will hear piano music by Chopin and Schumann. Those with tickets for the main theatre will see Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, while people going to the smaller theatre will see The Wild Duck by Ibsen. Although all the theatre and concert tickets have gone, if anyone else would like to join us on the trip I can get tickets for the Arts Centre cinema to see the Australian comedy film, Spider and Rose. The shows begin at half past seven, but we’ll leave early so you can spend time looking around the Arts Centre. The couch will leave here at 3:30 and arrive at the Arts Centre at about a quarter to five. Let me tell you what you can do there. The Centre has a lot of art- lovers. In the Art Gallery there’s an exhibition of the history of Russian ballet. It has dresses and shoes worn by famous dancers and photos of past performances. With your student card, you can get in very cheaply. There are also some interesting free exhibitions. On the ground floor you can see prize- winning paintings from children’s competition, and gold jewellery made by Scottish artists. On the first floor there’s an exhibition of South American photographs, and there’s no charge for that either. I know some of you hope to do some shopping. The Centre has a bookshop on the first floor and there’s a souvenir shop by the ticket office. If you’re more interested in clothes and shoes there's a large shopping centre five minutes’ walk from the Arts Centre. You’ll probably want to eat before the show. The Balcony Restaurant has a menu with a wide range of meals and waiter service, but it is rather expensive. Or there’s the Fountain Restaurant whose special three- course dinner is good value for money. There’s also Charlie’s coffee bar which serves coffee, sandwiches and cakes. You can get fruit juices and ice cream from the cinema kiosk. After the shows the coach will pick us up at the Bridge Street exit. Everyone should be there by twenty past ten. The two plays will finish at around 10.10 or 10.15. I’m afraid concert- goers will have to wait, as the concert finishes earlier, at ten to ten.
11. Talk 2: Announcer: And now for a few tips of you who are going to go walking this summer. Let’s look first of all at the type of bag that you should take with you. Rod Smith works in a shop that sells camping equipment and he feels he has a bag for every type of walking holiday. Rod, does it really make a difference what type of bag you use? Rod: Yes, Jill, it certainly does. Bags come in every shape, colour and size now so it makes sense to pick one that is right for your needs. A backpack, for example, could quite rapidly ruin an otherwise good walking holiday if it doesn’t fit your back. In fact the fit is critical but the choice is so large now that it’s difficult to know how to make the right one. So- here are a few things to look for. First of all size. A bag that holds thirty- five litres and has three outside pockets should be plenty big enough for a day- trip. For a four to five- day walking tour I would recommend a bag that holds seventy litres for a man and fifty to sixty litres for a woman. That’s along with a tent and a sleeping bag. An upright bag- that’s one that closes at the top- is better if you intend to climb a lot of hills. What about the contents? Well, in order to really avoid the inconvenience of broken containers or crushed clothes, I suggest you go for a bag with a solid bottom. The best ones- but these are probably the most expensive- have a leather base that is particularly resistant to wear and tear. A bag that has two compartments inside will allow you to find things more easily and separate out items such as creams that could leak in hot weather. Extra pockets on the outside of the bag are also useful if you want to carry any tools for climbing that are sharp or get dirty when you use them. When you have to think about carrying your bag. If it’s a backpack, a wide cushioned belt will ease the strain on your back and hops and leave you with more energy for your walking activities. Shoulder straps also help lighten the load and these should be easy to adjust. There are many different types of strap on the market that can be adjusted in various different ways. Try several and compare them. It’s also a good idea to make sure there’s a horizontal bar that goes across your shoulders and stops the straps from falling off. Well, if you choose your bag carefully and think about some of the things I’ve mentioned, you shouldn’t waste your money. Finally, make sure there are plenty of air holes in the padded part of your bag that touches your body. These are essential to allow sweat to escape and to make your walking or climbing holiday a comfortable one. Talk 3: Thank you all for coming to my talk this evening. It’s nice to see so many people in the audience. For those of you who don’t know very much about PS Camping let me start by giving some background information about the company.
12. The company started twenty- five years ago. It actually opened as a retail chain selling camping equipment, and then twenty years ago, it bought a small number of campsites in the UK, and began offering camping holidays. The company grew rapidly and has been providing holidays in continental Europe for the last fifteen years. If you book a camping holiday with us, you’ll have a choice of over hundred sites. In Italy we now have some 64 sites that we either own, or have exclusive use of. France is where we have a number of sites in Northern Spain, particularly in the mountainous region of Picos de Europa. We’ve upgraded all these Spanish sites, and improved them considerably from their original three- star rating. We believe holidays after superb facilities for the whole family. Parents who want their children to be fully occupied for all or part of the day can take advantage of our children’s activities. These are organized by our well- qualified and enthusiastic staff. Each day kicks off with a sports match, perhaps football, or volleyball, followed by an hour of drama for everyone. This may include singing or dancing, mime or other activities. In the afternoon, there’s a different art activity for each day of the week including a poster competition or modal making. What’s more, our sites are truly child- friendly, and, with this in mind, we operate a no- noise rule in the evenings. Children’s evening activities usually finished at 9:30, or occasionally 10, and from 10:30 holiday- makers are expected to be quiet in the areas where there are tents. We want nothing to go wrong on a PS Camping holiday, but if it does, we also want all customers to be insured. If you haven’t organized an annual insurance policy of your own you’ll need to take out the low- cost cover we offer and we require that you arrange this when you make your holiday reservation. There are many advantages to choosing PS Camping, and to recommending it to others. As a regular customer, you’ll be kept informed of special offers, and your friends can benefit from ten percent off their holidays, or book a luxury tent for the price of a standard one. In return, we’ll send you a thank- you present, which you can choose from a list of high- quality items. TEST 7 PART 1: 1. Which box of chocolates do they buy? Speaker 1: Which box of chocolate should we get Mom for her birthday? Speaker 2: Those round boxes with the flowers are nice. Speaker 1: yes. But that square box is cheaper. Speaker 2: But it’s mom’s birthday. Let’s get the big round one. We’ve got enough money. Speaker 1: Ok 2. When is Wendy’s birthday?
13. Speaker 1: Wendy, You’re 21 on Saturday, aren’t you? Speaker 2: No. My birthday is on May 18th Speaker 1: Well, Saturday isn’t 18th? Speaker 2: No, it’s not. It’s the 16th 3. How much petrol does the woman want? Speaker 1: Could you put 30 litres of petrol in my car please? Speaker 2: Did you say 13 litres? Speaker 1: No, 30 litres. Filling up please. 4. What time is the woman’s hair appointment? Speaker 1: I’d like to make an appointment to have my hair cut, please. This Friday or Saturday in the morning if you manage it. Speaker 2: Let me see. We can do Friday. At 10 or 11:30 then on Saturday, there’s 9:30 or 12 o’clock Speaker 1: I’ll take the earlier one on Saturday, please. 5. Where is the TV guide? Speaker 1: Have you seen the TV guide? Speaker 2: Isn’t it on the top of the television? I had it while I was watching a film last night. Speaker 1: I expect to have left by the chair then. Here it is, under the cushion when nobody can find it. You should put it back in its place by the telephone then we all know where it is 6. What does the man decide to take Tracy? Speaker 1: I’m going to see Tracy in hospital. But I can’t think of what to take her. People always take flowers. Speaker 2: So she has lots already for sure. I always think it’s nice to have something to read myself but as Tracy got her Walkman with her. What about something to listen to? Speaker 1: What a good idea. It’s better than taking sweets certainly because I know she’s on special diet while she’s in hospital. 7. Which sport has the man just started? Speaker 1: Hi. How was your holiday? Speaker 2: Great. Really good windsurfing and sailing. You know how much I enjoy them and horse riding. I really want to go again. Now I’ve tried it. And the swimming pool was wonderful, too, much warmer than the one I usually swim in. Holidays are just too short. 8. What was damaged in the storm?
14. Speaker 1: Was the roof of your house alright after the storm, Anna? I saw a workman there with a ladder today. Speaker 2: I had the roof repaired recently so that wasn’t a problem. The workman was putting some new glass in an upstairs window. I think a branch from a tree broke it when it fell off in the wind. I was quite lucky it didn’t damage my car which was parked right under the tree. PART 2: Conversation 1: Louise: John John: Oh Louise. Hi. Louise: I’ve just arrived for my singing lesson with Mrs Thompson. What are you doing here? John: (Q1) I’ve come for a singing lesson too. Louise: Well, if it’s a secret I won’t tell anyone John: It’s OK, Louise. I’m going to be in a musical show, so everyone will know soon. Louise: Really! But can you actually sing then? John: Well, I was taught to sing at school you know, but now I’m in the show I thought I’d better have a few more lessons. Louise: Good idea. What do you think of Mrs Thompson? She’s really strict, isn’t she? John: She is, but I think if you want to sing properly, then (Q2) she’s the best teacher. You don’t have to like her to see that she’s really brilliant. Louise: Oh, I suppose so, it’s just that she makes me feel so nervous. How did you get chosen for the show? John: Well, I went to see a few musical shows before Christmas. I don’t know why, because I’d never really liked them before, and I thought I’d like to do that so I tried for a part in the show at The Regent Theatre and got it. Louise: Well done so have you actually done a show yet? John: Yes, (Q3) we’ve done a practice show just for family and friends. Louise: So, how did you feel? John: Well, when we’d finished I wanted to cry because I was so delighted that I’d actually got through it without making any big mistakes. Louise: But did people like it? John: Yes they did, and it was great to have an audience. Louise: I would love to be able to sing and have everybody listen and clap
15. John: It’s quite hard to do a musical show, actually. You have to dance as well as sing. It’s hard work to get it right Louise: Oh, (Q4) I wouldn’t be keen on that. I’m only a singer really. When does the show open? John: On the 9th of October. Would you like a couple of free tickets? Louise: Oh yes! Thanks! Conversation 2: Interviewer: I’m talking to Jackie Gould, who’s a very proud mother. Both of her daughters – Olivia, aged 12, and Alicia, seven – are currently appearing on the stage of the world-famous London Palladium theatre, in the musical The Sound of Music. Olivia and Alicia survived six auditions to be (Q5) picked from 1.000 hopefuls for the group of seven children playing the Von Trapp family in the show. So how did it all come about? Jackie: Well, until last year, the idea of them appearing at the London Palladium would have been unthinkable for our family. Things started to happen when Olivia auditioned for a production of the show Annie at the local theatre. She auditioned for the chorus and, (Q6) by chance, got the leading role instead. Interviewer: That’s a very big role, the leading one in Annie, isn’t it? Jackie: Yes, for Annie, Olivia had to learn more than 200 lines. She was on stage for most the two-hour show. It was a big script, and (Q7) I decided that we’d do ten pages a night. After memorizing it, I gave her a random line. She would have to tell me what the next line was. She picked it all up even better than her homework. Interviewer: And she did well in the part, presumably? Jackie: She was great in the part. (Q8) Everyone was astonished by her performance, including us. She had always been very shy, and she suddenly came out of her shell. We found that she could really sing. A member of the stage management team for the show was taking over a local agency and asked her to sign up. So then she had an agent to represent her and try to get roles for her. Interviewer: OK, so what happened next? Jackie: Well, Olivia was turned down for a part in the musical Mary Poppins. She reached the last ten for the role of Jane Banks. She didn’t get the part and was distraught. But she quickly picked herself up and then we took both children to the Palladium auditions for The Sound of Music. Conversation 3: Paul: Hello, Kira, how are you? Kira: Fine thanks, Paul, how are you? Paul: Well, thanks. It’s good to see you. It must be twelve months since you did our course?
16. Kira: That’s right. It’s nice to come back and say hello. Paul: What course did you enroll in? Kira: Actually, (Q9) I went straight into third year Pharmacy. They credited me with two years, which probably (Q10) made it more difficult for me. Paul: On the other hand, you were lucky to be granted credits. Is that why you chose the course? Kira: Yes. And, as I’d already finished a course in it in my country. I thought it would be easier if I studied something I already knew. Paul: I didn’t realise you went into third year. I thought you started in first year. No wonder it was so hard! And what do you think is one of the big differences between studying at a university here and studying in your country? Kira: Well, I’ve found it very difficult to write assignments, because I wasn’t familiar with that aspect of the system here. (Q11) The main problem is that the lecturers expect you to be critical. That made me feel really terrible. I thought ‘How can I possibly do it? How can I comment on someone else’s research when they probably spent five years doing it?’ I think a lot of people who come from overseas countries have similar problems. But after a while it became easier for me. People expect you to have problems with the process of reading and writing but, in fact, it is more a question of altering your viewpoint towards academic study. Paul: how was the content of the lectures? Was it easy for you? Kira: I didn’t really have many problems understanding lectures. The content was very similar to what I’d studied before. Paul: And what about the lecturers themselves? Are they essentially the same as lecturers in your country? Kira: (Q12) Well actually, no. Here, they’re much easier to approach. After every lecture you can go and ask them something you didn’t understand. Or you can make an appointment and talk to them about anything in the course. PART 3 Talk 1: If you want to take an undergraduate course of study, you require a letter of recommendation from your principle and copies of your school records and exam results. You must of course demonstrate ability to communicate effectively in English. Different majors require different abilities in English. Undergraduate courses in science often require you to do a foundation year before you start the course so that you achieve the requisite knowledge before you begin the courses. Degrees generally last three years, though the first year doesn’t count towards your final marks. Application is always via UCAS, an organization that handles all undergraduate students. Postgraduate application is via direct application to universities. They will require a minimum pass in your degree, certainly above average and as with undergraduate courses require a minimum level in your English ability. Most Master courses take one year, but some take two, so be sure to
17. take this into account when choosing. There are two systems of ranking: for universities overall achievement and for each of their separate departments. Other kinds of information are available, like graduate employment statistics. Generally British universities are generally respected globally and there is an international ranking system that lists all the top universities in the world for you to check where your university places. Talk 2: My name is Dan Pearman and I’d like to talk about the work of Pedal Power, a small charity based mainly in the UK. I’ll be giving our contact details at the end, if anyone would like to find out more about how to support us. But first, how the charity began. I got the idea of exporting bicycles to developing countries while I was in Ecuador. I went there in 1993 just after graduating from university. After 3 years of studying, I wanted adventure. I loved travelling, so I decided to join a voluntary organization and was sent to Ecuador to carry out land surveys. The project came to an end after 5 years and when I returned to the UK in 1998, I started planning Pedal Power. Where I lived in Ecuador was a very rural area. My neighbor had the only bicycle in the village, whereas everyone else walked everywhere. My neighbour’s business was unusually successful, and for years I couldn’t understand why. Then I realized having a bike means he could get where he wanted to go without much trouble. Other local carpenters could only accept jobs in a three-kilometre radious, so no matter how skilled they were, they could never do as many jobs as my neighbour. At Pedal Power, we collect second-hand bikes in the UK and send them to some of the poorest regions in the world. When we distribute bikes overseas we don’t give them away for free. We’d like to, but long term that doesn’t really help the local economy. The demand for bikes is enormous which makes them very expensive locally. So we sell them for 5 % of the normal price. But in order to continue operating we need to have a constant supply of bikes which we send out every six months. One example of a town that’s received bicycles from Pedal Power is Rivas. It was the first place I sent a full container of bicycles to. Most people there now own a bicycle. The local economy has developed so much, you couldn’t recognize it as the same place. In fact, there are more bikes than on the streets of Amsterdam, if you’ve ever been there. But Pedal Power still needs your help. You may have read about some of our recent problems in the British medal. In August 2000 we simple ran out of money. We had containers of bikes ready to send, but no money to pay the bills. It was a terrible situation. We managed to ensure the bikes went out on time, but the other problems carried on for several months. Talk 3: ANNOUNCER: Today’s Health Counsel is presented by Paula Clayburg, who is the chief Counsellor at Liverpool’s famous pain clinic. The Wilton Clinic Paula .
18. PAULA CLAYBURG: Do you know what Prince Charles, Steve Ballesteros and Elizabeth Taylor have in common? They all suffer from chronic back pain. In fact, bad backs are one of the most common health problems today, affecting people in all walks of life. The most recent available figures show that about a quarter of a million people are incapacitated with back pain every day. And many sufferers don’t know the cause of the solution to their problem. The majority of our patients at the clinic tend to be women. They are especially vulnerable because of pregnancy but also because of osteoporosis, which I personally believe to be the major cause of problems for women. I have many women patients who say they have completely given up exercise because the pain makes them so miserable. But of course that starts up a vicious circle. Bed rest, giving up exercise and pain killers are traditional responses to back pain but, although there are many excellent drugs on the market, at our clinic we are beginning to realise the unique benefits of relaxation therapy. Other specialists in the field make a strong case for certain types of exercise, but in our experience they are easily mishandled and can lead to more harm than good. Now, let’s look at some of the reasons why back pain is developing into such a unique menace. In general, the body is pretty good at self-repaired. A strain or a blow to a limb, though painful at the time, generally resolves itself. But the body’s response to back injury can be very counter-productive. When pain strikes, we attempt to keep the back as immobile as possible, which makes the muscles tense up. Research shows that they often go into spasm, which causes further twisting of the spine. A vicious circle is underway. The second mistake we often make when stricken with extreme back pain is to go to bed and stay there. Although at the clinic we recognise that a short rest in bed can be helpful up to two days any longer makes our back muscles become weaker and unable to hold up our spine. The pain therefore becomes worse. Another problem is being overweight. Anyone a stone or more over-weight who already has back pain is not doing himself any favor though it won’t actually set it off in the first place, the weight will increase the strain and make things worse. The British diet could be partially to blame for the increase in back pain .
19. KEY TEST 1 LISTENING 1B 2C 3C 4C 5C 6B 7C 8A 9A 10B 11C 12D 13A 14B 15C 16D 17A 18B 19C 20D 21B 22C 23C 24A 25B 26D 27C 28B 29A 30D 31B 32D 33D 34D 35C READNG 1B 2A 3B 4B 5B 6B 7C 8D 9C 10B 11A 12D 13A 14B 1C 16A 17D 18C 19A 20D 21A 22C 23D 24B 25C 26D 27B 28A 29C 30D 31A 32B 33A 34B 35A 36C 37D 38C 39D 40B WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You had arranged to meet a friend next week, but you have realized that you will not be able to go Write a letter to your friend. In your letter: Cancel the meeting with your friend and apologize Explain why you cannot be able to meet your friend Suggest where and when you could see each other instead Write an email responding to your friend. You should write at least 120 words. You are not allowed to include your name. C1 Dear John, Hope you and Nancy both are doing well, extremely sorry John. I can't come and see you in Glasgow City centre next week. You know what, suddenly, my company announced that it has acquired an Indian international company to expand their software services business all over Asia, and now I’ve been asked to fly to India to lead the onsite transition team to provide the transition to an offshore team in India. This will be a great opportunity
20. to learn and showcase my leadership skills to the company management, perhaps, which could also help for my next promotion that is under their review for a while now. John, I’ll fly back from India a week before Christmas and over the same weekend I’m visiting my Aunt’s house in Edinburgh as she is hosting a Christmas party for our entire family and friends. I’d be really glad if you and Nancy could join us there and we all can hang out there with Paul and Sharin as they will also be joining there. Don’t worry about your accommodation, I’ve already spoken to my Aunt, and she promised me that she’ll take care of it. Hope to see you soon there, until then, take care of yourself. Regards, Charlie B2 Dear John, I am writing this email to tell you that I can’t meet you in Hanoi next Sunday as plan as I have an urgent meeting with the manager on that day to solve some problems in my company. Because a lot of work must be done so I think we can’t finish our work before 5pm. I am so sorry for that. It’s a long time I haven’t seen you. I really want to see you and your family. We have a lot of things to talk about. Next month I am having a holiday in Nha Trang with my company. I will stay there for five days, from 1st to 5th, July. It would be great if I can see you there in Nha Trang then. Can I see you on the fourth of July? Is it OK if I can see you in the evening and have dinner with you on Nha Trang beach? Please let me know as soon as possible. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Love B1 Dear John, How are you? I wish everything is going well with you.
21. I am writing this email to tell you that I can’t meet you on Friday next week. On that day, I have an important exam in the morning and in the afternoon I have a meeting with my teacher at school. I have a lot of work to do there. Can I see you on Sunday morning next week? I really want to see you and talk with you. My parents are excited to see you, too. I can pick you up at the station. Then we go home and have lunch with my family. In the evening we can hang out round Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s so interesting. Please let me know your decision as soon as possible Love TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. There is a big number of people who wish to live in big cities. Write an essay to an educated reader to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in big cities. Include reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer. You should write at least 250 words. Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar. C1 It is the fact that, there is an increasing number of people who rush to big cities to live and work while others decide to move to the countryside nowadays. In this essay, I am going to discuss the good things and bad things we have in big cities On the one hand, living in such a big city has a lot of advantages. There is a big offer how to spend free time. There are a lot of theatres, concerts and other ways of entertainment. There is always a lot to do and visit! There are a lot of possibilities of shopping. In various shopping centres and galleries, you can buy whatever you want. In addition, there are a lot of working places in a city. Many big international
22. companies have their locations in the cities, so it is much easier to find a job in a big city. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of living in a big city. Cities are very crowded with people and plenty of vehicles such as buses, cars, motorbikes and so on. Traffic jams are common seen at peak hours, which not only wastes time but annoys people. In addition, pollution in cities is another big problem. The air is filled with smoke and dirt from various kinds of vehicles while there are almost no trees. What we can see here are tall buildings. What’s more? The noise is nonstop from early morning till midnight. Crime and unemployment rates are also considered much higher than those in the countryside. To sum up, there are both benefits and drawbacks of living in big cities. The decision whether to live in big cities or in the countryside depends on our priorities. Personally, I believe that living here is more beneficial for me as I have a good job in a foreign company and my children can study in the best school in the country. B2 It is the fact that more and more people are becoming interested in living in big cities. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages of living there. On the one hand, living in a big city has some certain benefits. Firstly, people can get good jobs easily as there are a lot of big companies, factories, as well as services there. It is the reason why a lot of people rush to big cities to work. Secondly, there are many kinds of entertainment for people to enjoy and relax in free time. They can go to the cinemas, theatres, shopping centres, where they can buy everything. Life will be boring if we do not have those things. Finally, education and health care in cities are much better than in the countryside. Children have chance to learn at good schools. On the other hand, however, there are some disadvantages of living in a big city. Firstly, it is crowded. There is not enough space for people to live in. People have to live in small houses or rent a small flats. Secondly, it is dirty and noisy. Smoke and dirt from cars, motorbikes and factories is everywhere while there are almost no trees. This can badly affect people’s health. To sum up, living in big cities has both good and bad things. If you need a place which is clean, quiet and spacious, then you should live in the countryside. But if you wish to find good jobs and better services, big cities are good choice. B1 It is the fact that more and more people are becoming interested in living in big cities. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages of living there. On the one hand, living in big cities, we can find good jobs and make more money. There are many big companies and factories for us to choose. We can go to good
23. schools to learn and go to the cinema or the theatre to watch films or relax. We can also go to big shopping centres to buy things. There is everything here in big cities. However, it is dirty, noisy in big cities. We do not have enough houses to live. We have to live in small houses or we have to rent a small flat. It is not comfortable. There are a lot of people and cars, motorbikes, buses so it is very noisy, from morning to midnight. To sum up, there are both advantages and disadvantages of living in big cities. SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL INTERACTION Let’s talk about: Games and Sports 1. Which indoor games do you play regularly? I often play table tennis, do yoga, and dance 2. Which indoor games are common in your hometown? People in my hometown often do Yoga and Gym 3. Do you take part in any outdoor sports regularly? (Which?) Yes. I play badminton with my husband in the park near my house every day Now, let’s talk about: Keeping Fit 4. How often do you do any exercise? Every morning, it’s really good for our health 5. Do you prefer to exercise alone or in a class? Why? I like to exercise in a class. It would be fun if we do exercise with friends 6. What do you think is the best type of exercise? Why? It must be yoga as it not only improve our health but also prevent diseases PART 2: SOLUTION DISCUSSION Should we learn English in a foreign English centre or in a Vietnamese center? - Learning English in a foreign centre is much better as we can learn with native speakers. They speak English perfectly. They have good method of teaching and they know how to inspire students to learn English. PART 3: TOPIC Describe a person who has strong influence on you
24. It must be my mother. She is 60 years old. She is a farmer but she is so important to me. She taught me how to speak, how to walk, how to behave and how to enjoy life. Whenever I need help, she is willing to help me. She is my everything
25. TEST 2 LISTENING 1A 2B 3B 4B 5C 6A 7B 8A 9B 10B 11C 12D 13A 14B 15C 16D 17B 18D 19A 20A 21C 22B 23C 24A 25D 26A 27B 28D 29D 30C 31D 32B 33A 34A 35C READING 1D 2A 3D 4B 5C 6B 7A 8D 9C 10C 11A 12B 13D 14A 15D 16C 17A 18B 19C 20D 21A 22C 23A 24B 25B 26D 27B 28C 29D 30B 31D 32B 33D 34B 35C 36A 37C 38A 39B 40D WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Your friend, Jane has written you a letter. Part of it says “What’s your favorite day of the week? I’d love to hear all about it” Write an email responding to your friend. You should write at least 120 words. You are not allowed to include your name. C1, B2 Dear Jane, Thanks for your letter and it was great to hear from you. You asked me to tell you about my favourite day of the week. Well, it’s definitely Friday. One reason I like Friday is because I have my favourite subjects at school: Physical Education or PE and Chemistry. Chemistry’s great because we do experiments in the science lab and our teacher, Mr King, is so funny. In PE, we usually play basketball, which is my favourite sport. We also have French on Friday, which is actually my least favourite subject, but after that we have ICT which is much more interesting. At the moment I am creating a webpage for our basketball team. After school I hang out with my friends, and then in the evening I play football at the sports centre. On Friday nights we sometimes go to someone’s house for a party or watch a DVD. We can relax a bit on Friday evenings because there’s no school on Saturday.
26. Tell me about your favourite day in your next letter. Hope to hear from you soon. Love B1 Dear Jane, It’s amazing to get your letter. How are things? I hope they are all fine. I am going to tell you my favorite day of the week. I like Sunday most because I don’t have to go school and I can do a lot of things I like. In the morning, I get up at about 6 o’clock and then I go to the park near my house to have some exercise there. I usually play badminton with my friends. It’s relaxing and good for my health. Then I go home and have a bath. I have breakfast with bread and a cup of coffee, sometimes I go out and have Pho, a traditional Vietnamese dish. After breakfast I often go shopping with my best friend, Phuong. We buy things and eat at a shopping center. In the afternoon, I go swimming. This is my favourite sport. I really like being in water. In the evening, I go to the cinema with my family. Sometimes we go to a restaurant and eat there. In the evening, I do my homework and go to bed. That is my favourite day of the week. Tell me about your favorite day in your next letter. I look forward to hearing from you. Love TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Nowadays online shopping becomes more popular than in-store shopping. Is it a positive or a negative development? Give your reasons and examples. Write an essay to an educated reader to discuss the effect of online shopping. Include reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer. You should write at least 250 words. Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task Fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar. C1
27. There is no denying the fact that online shopping has become more popular than in- store shopping. However, this trend has both positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, the huge popularity of online shopping can be attributed to the fact that it makes shopping easier. It saves both time and money. Buyers no longer have to drive all the way to shops to buy things. Also, online stores tend to offer attractive prices. This allows shoppers to be able to buy items at deeply discounted prices. In addition, online shopping makes it easy to buy things from any part of the world. Even if an item is not available in your country, you can buy it from online stores. On the other hand, however, the ease of online shopping has made many people compulsive shoppers. Most of us spend lots of time on the internet every day. The fact that online shopping encourages us to buy things that we do not need or use cannot be denied. This can lead to debts. Also, there are security concerns. When you buy things online, you run a small risk of getting your financial information exploited by hackers. To conclude, online shopping has several advantages and disadvantages. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Of course, the shopper has to exercise some common sense and keep their device free of malware if they want to enjoy the benefits of online shopping. B2 We cannot deny that more and more people are becoming interested in online shopping. However, there are both good and bad things of online shopping. On the one hand, online shopping helps us save a lot of time and money. We do not have to spend much time to go to stores and look for the things we want. We can stay at home, turn on the computer and go online. There are thousands of things available for us to choose. And it may take only a few minutes to find the things we want before we order and wait for the thing to arrive. Also we do not have to spend any money on travelling to the shops. Online shoppers can often get good deals, it means they can buy things at lower price in comparison with buying things from the in-store shops. Moreover, it is easy to compare prices online. These can help us save a big amount of money. On the other hand, however, online shopping can worry us. We may buy things we do not really need or the things we get may be different from things we order. Sometimes we may get wrong color, wrong size and the quality is not as good as they advertised. In addition, we may lose money when we buy things online. The information related to our account may be stolen and someone can easily get our money from the account.
28. To sum up, online shopping can have both good and bad effects on the development of the society. Personally, I believe that we can avoid troubles if we are wiser and more careful. B1 We cannot deny that more and more people are becoming interested in online shopping. However, there are both good and bad things of online shopping. On the one hand, online shopping helps us save a lot of time and money. We do not have to go to shops to buy things. We can stay at home and buy a lot of things. We just have to turn on the computer, look for things online and then we order then we wait, someone can bring the things to your house. This can help us save money because we do not spend money on travelling to shops. On the other hand, however, online shopping has disadvantages. Firstly, We may buy bad things. They are not as good as we think. And we may lose money because we have to give someone our information of the account. And if we buy too many things online, we can spend too much money. To sum up, online shopping has both good and bad things SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL INTERACTION Let’s talk about your hometown 1. When is the best time to come to your hometown? Why? It is in spring as you can see flowers everywhere and the weather is pleasant 2. What do you like best about your hometown? I like the people best because they are friendly, kind and hardworking. 3. Do you think your hometown is the best place to grow up? Why/ Why not? Certainly. It is peaceful and full of love from my family and friends Now, let’s talk about your best friend. 4. What does your best friend look like? She is small with long hair and brown eyes 5. How did you meet your best friend? When I was 10, I moved to HCM City to live. She was my neighbor 6. In your opinion, what is the best quality of a good friend? He or she must be honest, sociable and reliable
29. PART 2: SOLUTION DISCUSSION Your friends are going to have a party. Where and when should they have the party? I am going to talk about ABC restaurant. It is located downtown. It is spacious, clean and beautiful. Furthermore, the food is tasty and diverse. The service is good and the price is reasonable. PART 3: TOPIC Describe an activity you like to do in your free time In my free time, I often play sports. I play football with my friends at the weekend. We play at the stadium near my house. It not only improves my health but also helps me relax
30. TEST 3 LISTENING 1B 2A 3C 4C 5C 6A 7B 8B 9D 10C 11D 12B 13A 14B 15A 16B 17D 18A 19B 20A 21B 22B 23C 24C 25A 26C 27A 28D 29C 30B 31B 32B 33B 34A 35B READING 1B 2C 3D 4C 5B 6B 7C 8D 9B 10A 11D 12C 13A 14C 15D 16A 17D 18C 19B 20B 21C 22B 23C 24A 25C 26A 27D 28D 29C 30D 31B 32B 33D 34D 35A 36B 37A 38A 39D 40C WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write a letter to one of your friend to tell her about the holiday you are having. In your letter you should say Where you are going Why you want to go there The people you are going with You should write at least 120 words. You do not need to include your name or address. C1 Dear Claire, Thank you a lot for your last letter. It was a nice surprise to hear from you. I'm sorry I haven't written to you earlier but I had to organize some things concerning my trip. As you probably remember I've always wanted to visit some unusual places. And now, at last, off I went! But you'd never guess where I've chosen to spend my holiday. It's Antarctica! You would never think of it, would you? I'm so excited about the whole event!
31. The people I travel with are incredible. It's their fourteenth expedition there. They know every path in the snow by heart and they are very helpful. They share their knowledge and experience with me. Would you believe that here everything is different? You even need to set your tent in a special way. It's all very challenging. Tomorrow we plan to move further North so I may not be able to stay in touch for a while. Anyway, I'd like to meet you when I get back. Hope you are enjoying your holiday. Do write back soon. Love, B2 Dear Claire, It’s amazing to get your letter. How are things? I hope everything will be fine. I am going to tell you the holiday I am having next week. I am going to Halong Bay. It is a popular holiday destination in Vietnam. It is very beautiful and famous. It is one of the seven wonders of the world. Here we can go sightseeing, swim in the sea, and enjoy seafood. Every year, millions of people come here to enjoy their holiday. The weather in Halong Bay is quite pleasant and the food here is so tasty and cheap. People often buy a lot of seafood before they come home. The people in Halong Bay are friendly, kind, and hardworking. I am going with my family: my parents, my husband and my children. We have prepared everything for the holiday. I hope to have a nice trip. Halong Bay is worth visiting. I hope that you can come and see it. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon. Love B1 Dear Claire, It’s amazing to get your letter. How are things? I hope everything will be fine.
32. I am going to tell you about the holiday I am having next week. I am going to Halong Bay. It is a popular place in Vietnam. A lot of people come here on holiday. It is very beautiful and famous. Here we can swim in the sea, eat seafood, play sports on the sand, and visit many beautiful places. The weather in Halong bay is very nice. It is not hot or cold. The food is good and cheap. People often buy a lot of seafood before they go home. The people are friendly and kind. They often help people. I am going to Halong Bay with my family: my parents, my wife and my sons. They like Halong very much. I hope to have a nice holiday. Tell me about your holiday in your next letter. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon. Love TASK 2 You should spend 40 minutes on this task. Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. Write an essay to an educated reader to show your opinion. Include reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer. You should write at least 250 words. C1 We cannot deny that traveling is becoming a more and more important part of our life. It is a way of enjoying life. Some people like to travel alone while others find it more interesting to have a partner. Personally, I believe that traveling with a companion is superior choice. First of all, having a companion during a trip can be useful for anyone in emergency situations. No one knows what is going to happen during a trip and if something bad happens, an individual will demand for help. One of my friends had an accident last year while he was traveling alone. He said that if he had someone nearby, he could reach the hospital sooner. Another point which is equally significant is that sharing the information with a friend during the trip, can broaden our knowledge. You can learn some information from your partner. For example, last month I went to a trip with my friend, John to the Isfahan City. I knew about the roads to this city, but I didn't know anything about monuments
33. there. John told me many things about places and monuments in this city, such as Menarjonban and Siosepol. Last but not least, traveling with a partner can save money for you. It is obvious that traveling to a new place will consume a big amount of money. Sharing the costs in some circumstances can benefit both the traveler and his or her companion. It is obvious that sharing a hotel room can help people save half of the money To sum up, travelling with a partner is not only economical but also useful in emergency situation. Therefore, it is wiser to find someone who can travel with you. B2 We cannot deny that traveling is becoming a more and more important part of our life. Some people like to travel alone while others find it more interesting to have a partner. Personally, I believe that traveling with a companion is much better. Firstly, travelling with someone can help people save a lot of money. It is the fact that travel agencies often offer good deals for groups of people. People can share hotel rooms, food, travelling fee, or tickets. This can help people save money for other necessary things. This is the reason why very few people travel alone. Secondly, travelling with a companion is fun. During the trip, people experience a lot of new things, meet many new people and they have desire to share these things with someone. People can go sightseeing, and enjoy the beauty of the nature together, it would be much more interesting Finally, people can avoid a lot of problems when they have someone nearby. Let’s imagine when you fall from the rock, if no one know, and you cannot walk to the hospital by yourself, how can you save your life? Or when you are tired or ill during the holiday, and you may need help from your partner. To sum up, travelling with a companion is not only economical, fun but also useful. B1 It is the fact that more and more people are becoming interested in travelling. Some people want to travel alone while others want to travel with a partner. Personally, I often travel with my family or friends. Firstly, people can save a lot of money. If people go in groups, they often get lower price for the trip. People can share the room, the food, and the tickets. Secondly, people feel happier when they are with family or friends. They can do a lot of things together. They can talk about many new things, new places, and new people.
34. Finally, people can help each other when they go with other people. If you are ill or tired, your friend can help you bring things or buy medicine for you. Or if you fall from the rock, your friend can take you to the hospital. To sum up, travelling with a companion is much better. SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL INTERACTION Let’s talk about birthday 1. When is your birthday? It is June the first 2. What do you usually do on your birthday? I have a small party with friends from my class 3. What is your favourite family celebration? Why? Now, let’s talk about public transportation 4. What is the best way to travel in your town/city? It must be motorbikes because it is crowded in my city. There are a lot of traffic jams and the streets are narrow 5. What is your favourite mean of transportation? It is motorbike because it is fast and convenient. I can’t suffer from being carsick 6. Do you think people should use public transportation more? Why? Why not? Yes. It helps reduce traffic jams PART 2: SOLUTION DISCUSSION You have just received a sum of money from your father as a birthday present. How would you use the money? There are THREE options for you to choose: - To buy a laptop for your study. - To buy a fashionable smart phone. - To save up for future. Explain the option you have chosen.
35. - I would buy a laptop for my study as it is very necessary. I need it for my study and for my work. I don’t need a fashionable smart phone. PART 3: TOPIC Describe one of your friends You should say 4. Who the person is 5. What does she look like? 6. What do you often do together? I am going to tell you about my best friend. She is Mai, 30 years old. She is married and has two children. She is a teacher for a high school in Hanoi. She is small but pretty and intelligent. In free time, we often go shopping and read books. She is a kind of person who is willing to help other people. I really like her
36. TEST 4 LISTENING 1C 2B 3A 4A 5C 6A 7C 8C 9D 10D 11B 12C 13A 14B 15C 16B 17D 18C 19A 20A 21C 22D 23D 24A 25A 26C 27D 28A 29D 30-D 31C 32A 33B 34B 35B READING 1B 2C 3A 4A 5D 6D 7C 8D 9B 10A 11D 12A 13B 14C 15D 16A 17C 18B 19D 20D 21C 22A 23D 24C 25C 26B 27D 28B 29D 30A 31B 32B 33B 34C 35C 36A 37D 38D 39A 40D WRITING TASK 1 You have recently started work in a new company. Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter explain why you changed jobs describe your new job tell him/her your other news C1 Dear Tom I’m just writing to let you know I quit my old job and found something new. I was really fed up with being a brain surgeon because it wasn’t really much of a challenge anymore. You know me; if I’m not learning new tricks, I get bored too easily and have to find something new.
37. I’m now teaching English as a foreign language in Vietnam and it suits me down to the ground. I teach two adult classes and a kindergarten class, which is not only challenging but also rewarding too. Can you believe it? I also have some other amazing news- I’m getting married. She was one of my first ever students and I guess it was love at first sight for both of us. Make sure you keep the first weekend in July free, so you can come and celebrate with us. Keep in touch Chris B2 Dear Tom, How are you? It’s a long time I haven’t seen you. I have been very busy lately. I am writing this letter to tell you about my new job. You know I worked as a teacher of English for 5 years. I really love children but the job is boring. Every day I do the same things, meet the same people. What’s more? The salary is so low while the living cost in big cities is so high. It is not enough for my accommodation, food, and other necessary things. Then I decided to quit this job. I applied for a job in a travel agency in Hanoi and luckily they offered me an interesting job, a tour guide. I started my new job last week. On the first days, I have to take a training course about travelling. It is very necessary and useful. Then I can start my work. Every day, I travel with tourists, help them organize the tour, and help them understand about the new places. I feel very happy because I have chance to travel round the country. I am having a holiday in England by the end of this year. And it would be great if I can see you there.I look forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon. Love B1 Dear Tom, How are you? I wish you are fine.
38. I changed my job. I don’t want to be a teacher any more. It is boring and I can’t earn much money. I don’t have enough money for the room, the food, clothes and other things. I love children and I want to help them but I had to change my job. Now I am a tour guide. I work for a big company in Hanoi. I started my new job last week. It is interesting because I can meet many new people and I can go to many new places in Vietnam. I can get a lot of money. I think I can buy a car after a year. My parents are very happy because I can do the job that I like. The company is near my house so it is very convenient and I can save a lot of time and money. Every day, I help tourists understand more about the places. If I have enough money, I will go to England to meet you next year. I can go to visit Big Ben. Can you see me then? I look forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task Write about the following topic: In order to solve traffic problems, government should tax private car owners heavily and use the money to improve public transportation. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge C1 Traffic congestion in many cities around the world is a big problem. One possible solution to this problem is to impose heavy taxes on car drivers and use this money to make public transport better. This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of such a measure. One of the first benefits of such a measure is that the heavy taxes would discourage car owners from using their cars because it would become very expensive to drive. This would mean that they would begin to make use of public transport instead, thus reducing traffic problems and pollution as well. Another benefit would be that much more use would be made of public transport if it was improved. It is often the case that public transport in cities is very poor. For example, we often see old buses and trains
39. that people would rather not use. High taxes would generate enough money to make the necessary changes. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to such a solution. First and foremost, this would be a heavy burden on the car drivers. At present, taxes are already high for a lot of people, and so further taxes would only mean less money at the end of the month for most people who may have no choice but to drive every day. In addition, this type of tax would likely be set at a fixed amount. This would mean that it would hit those with less money harder, whilst the rich could likely afford it. It is therefore not a fair tax. To conclude, this solution is worth considering to improve the current situation, but there are advantages and disadvantages of introducing such a policy.
40. TEST 5 LISTENING 1C 2B 3B 4C 5C 6C 7B 8A 9C 10C 11C 12D 13A 14C 15B 16B 17B 18D 19C 20B 21D 22B 23A 24D 25B 26A 27C 28C 29D 30D 31C 32A 33D 34A 35B READING 1B 2C 3A 4C 5B 6D 7A 8C 9C 10B 11C 12C 13C 14B 15C 16C 17B 18C 19D 20A 21D 22C 23B 24B 25A 26D 27C 28A 29B 30D 31B 32C 33B 34B 35C 36A 37D 38A 39D 40D WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You recently received an email from your English-speaking friend, Pat, he said that he is going to have a holiday. Write a letter to Pat, and invite him to your city and stay with you during his holiday You should write at least 120 words. You are not allowed to include your name. C1 Dear Pat, I hope you are well. Are you looking forward to the summer holiday? Thank you for your previous letter, it’s always great to hear the news from back home. I’m writing to you because I want to invite you to come to my city during the holiday season. We could visit the art and history museums or spend days at the park or wander around the shopping center if the weather is bad. My friends would love to spend more time with you too, we could hang out with them in that cafe you like or go on a day trip to the beach. What do you think? I think it would be amazing to spend a couple of weeks with you here in the city! We would have so much fun! I know how much you love the city and it wouldn’t be expensive as you can stay with me in the apartment.
41. Let me know what you think. If you decide to come, we can start planning what we will do while you’re here. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully I’ll see you soon! Kind regards, B2 Dear Pat, It’s amazing to get your email. How are you? I hope you are fine. It’s wonderful that you are going to have a holiday. I am writing this email to invite you to come to Hanoi, my city, and stay with my family on your holiday. Hanoi is very nice this time. The weather is so pleasant and the food is wonderful. I am sure you will like it. There are a lot of things to see and do here, too. We can visit Van Mieu, the first school in Vietnam and HCM museum, where you can get to know more about the life of the greatest leader of Vietnam. In the evening, we can hang out round Hoan Kiem lake and enjoy the beauty of the lake. If you want to go shopping, there are some big shopping malls near my house. There are everything that you can buy. You can stay here as long as you want. Please let me know your decision as soon as possible. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon. Love B1 Dear Pat, It’s amazing to get your email. How are you? I hope you are fine. You said that you are going to have a holiday so I want to invite you to my city. Hanoi is small but very beautiful. The weather is nice. The food is good and the people are friendly and kind. Here we can visit Van Mieu, HCM museum. We can walk around
42. Hoan Kiem Lake, it is very big, clean and beautiful. A lot of people come here to in the morning to do exercise. We can also go to the cinema to see very interesting films. We can go shopping in the shopping centre. You can buy a lot of things and relax there. My parents are very happy to see you. They say you can stay with my family during your holiday. Please let me know if you can come in your next email. I look forward to hearing from you. Write to me soon. Love TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task Write about the following topic: Smoking not only harms the smoker, but also those who are nearby. Therefore, smoking should be banned in public places. To what extent, do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge C1 Medical studies have shown that smoking not only leads to health problems for the smoker, but also for people close by. As a result of this, many believe that smoking should not be allowed in public places. Although there are arguments on both sides, I strongly agree that a ban is the most appropriate course of action. Opponents of such a ban argue against it for several reasons. Firstly, they say that passive smokers make the choice to breathe in other people’s smoke by going to places where it is allowed. If they would prefer not to smoke passively, then they do not need to visit places where smoking is permitted. In addition, they believe a ban would possibly drive many bars and pubs out of business as smokers would not go there
43. anymore. They also argue it is a matter of freedom of choice. Smoking is not against the law, so individuals should have the freedom to smoke where they wish. However, there are more convincing arguments in favour of a ban. First and foremost, it has been proven that tobacco consists of carcinogenic compounds which cause serious harm to a person’s health, not only the smoker. Anyone around them can develop cancers of the lungs, mouth and throat, and other sites in the body. It is simply not fair to impose this upon another person. It is also the case that people’s health is more important than businesses. In any case, pubs and restaurants could adapt to a ban by, for example, allowing smoking areas. In conclusion, it is clear that it should be made illegal to smoke in public places. This would improve the health of thousands of people, and that is most definitely a positive development. B2 We cannot deny that smoking seriously affects people’s health. Some people say that it should be banned in public places. Personally, I agree with this idea. Firstly, smoking not only badly affects smokers but also the surrounding people. It is the main cause of many dangerous diseases, especially cancer. Every year, many people die of these diseases. In each cigarette, there are thousands of toxic chemicals that harm our body. If we want to improve our health, then give up smoking. Secondly, smoking wastes a lot of money and time. Every day, smokers have to spend a lot of money buying cigarette and treating diseases related to smoking. Finally, smoking pollutes the air. And smokers smoke in the open air, they may breathe out smoke that can pollute the air. And non-smokers may breathe in this air. To sum up, smoking not only harm our health, waste money, but also pollute the air. It is high time we should ban smoking in public places. B1
44. We cannot deny that smoking is not good for our health. Some people say that smoking should be banned in public places. I strongly agree with this idea. Firstly, smoking is the main cause of many diseases. Every year, thousands of people die because they smoke. People can get lung cancer or other diseases. Smoking can affect both smokers and non-smokers. Secondly, people spend too much money on smoking because cigarette is expensive. Finally, smoking can make the air dirty. Smokers give out dirty and smelly smoke into the air. To sum up, we should ban smoking in public places. SPEAKING PART I: SOCIAL INTERACTION Let’s talk about music. 1. Do you like music? If yes, what kind of music do you like best? Why? If no, why not? Yes, of course. I like pop music. It is popular and interesting 2. What is the most popular kind of music in your country? It is pop music 3. How is music good or not good for people? It is very good for people. It helps us relax Now, let’s talk about English as a school subject. 4. Did you learn English at secondary school? No. I didn’t learn until high school 5. What do you think about how English is taught at school now? It is not very effective as there are too many students in each class 6. In what ways has children’s English much improved nowadays? Children can speak English better than before PART 2: SOLUTION DISCUSSION If you have money to buy a car and a motorbike, which would you buy? Why? - I would buy a car as it is very convenient. I can go with my whole family and I can go for a long distance in any kind of weather PART 3: TOPIC
45. Describe your favourite TV program You should say 1. What program it is? 2. What is it about? 3. Why do you like this program My favorite TV program is “Who is the millionaire?”. It is a game show, shown on VTV3. There are about 15 questions about every field in our life. The player can get 150 million Vietnam Dong if they can answer all these questions. This program is relaxing and useful as we can learn a lot of things from this program.
46. TEST 6 LISTENING 1B 2A 3C 4C 5A 6B 7B 8C 9B 10D 11C 12C 13B 14C 15A 16C 17B 18C 19C 20A 21D 22C 23A 24D 25C 26A 27A 28C 29B 30B 31A 32B 33D 34C 35A READING 1C 2D 3A 4A 5B 6A 7C 8D 9C 10B 11B 12D 13D 14B 15A 16B 17A 18D 19C 20D 21A 22C 23C 24A 25A 26C 27D 28C 29A 30D 31D 32C 33A 34A 35B 36C 37A 38D 39D 40D WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write a letter to your manager asking for a training course, which you would like to attend. In your letter explain • What the course is, • Why it is required for your job, • How you will manage work while the course You should write at least 120 words. You are not allowed to include your name. C1 Dear Mr. John, I am the receptionist, James Smith, who is working under your supervision. I am writing this letter regarding my requirement of a training course to learn the ‘French’ language for the improvement in job performance. I am going to tell you about my necessity for the knowledge of this non-native language. From the last two months, the number of customers from the ‘Quebec’, which is the provenience of Canada, and ‘France’, are gradually increasing day by day in our restaurant. Also, they do not have good skills in the English language and my level of this foreign language is not appropriate for better communication with them. So, I need to brush up my expertise in this overseas way of communication. Thus, this is the reason the tuition is required for me in this subject. Finally, I would like to join the classes at the weekend because it will not put any kind of impact on my work and the duties will be performed with the same efficiency as now. Therefore, I would be greatly appreciated if you could arrange this education at
47. end of the week. Moreover, there are many tutors available in the market for this curriculum. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully, James Smith. B2 Dear Mr. John, I am Susan Smith, from Sales Department. I am writing this letter to ask you for a training course and I hope that you can help me. I want to take part in an English communicative course. It is really necessary for my job. You know, the number of customers from English speaking countries is increasing these days and no one in our department can speak English well enough to be able to work with them. We have to hire a person to help us translate into Vietnamese, which wastes quite a lot of money. Moreover, if we can speak English well, we can develop our business more. We can expand our business into England and America. I am going to learn on Saturday and Sunday, which does not affect our work. However, the fee is quite high while I do not have enough money. Is it possible that you can pay the fee for me? I would be very grateful. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you. B1 Dear Mr. John, I am Susan Smith. I am writing this email to tell you that I want to take a course. I want to learn English for about two months. I need it for my job because I have to speak English with a lot of people every day. I can do the work better if my English is good. No one in our company can speak English well, which is not good at all. We can develop our business more in some English speaking countries lick America or England. We can earn more money. I am going to learn at the end of the week, on Saturday and Sunday for about two months. I am going to start the course next month. I can manage my work well because the learning does not affect my work. However, I need money to pay for the course. So can you please pay the fee for me? I hope that you can help me. Please let me know your decision soon.
48. Thank you. TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task Write about the following topic: Nowadays many people have access to computers on a wide basis and a large number of children play computer games. What are the positive and negative impacts of playing computer games and what can be done to minimize the bad effects? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge C1 Access to computers has increased significantly over recent decades, and the number of children playing games on computers has increased too. This essay will consider the positive and negative impacts of this and discuss ways to avoid the potential negative effects. With regards to the positive effects, playing computer games can develop children’s cognitive skills. Many popular games require abstract and high level thinking skills in order to win, skills that may not be taught at school. For example, children need to follow instructions, solve complex problems and use logic in many of the games that are currently popular. Such experience will be beneficial to a child’s progression into an adult. However, concerns have been raised about the prolific use of computer games by children, much of this related to the violence they contain. The problem is that in many of the games children are rewarded for being more violent, and this violence is repeated again and again. For instance, many games involve children helping their character to kill, kick, stab and shoot. This may lead to increased aggressive feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. In order to minimize these negative impacts, parents need to take certain steps. Firstly, some video games are rated according their content, so parents must check this and ensure their children are not allowed to have access to games that are unsuitable. Parents can also set limits on the length of time games are played. Finally, parents should also take an active interest in the games their children are playing so they can find out how they feel about what they are observing.
49. To sum up, there are benefits of computer games, but there are disadvantages too. However, if parents take adequate precautions, the severity of these negative impacts can be avoided. B2 We cannot deny that computers have helped us so much, they play an important part in our life. However, the number of children play computer games are increasing. There are both positive and negative impacts of playing computer games. On the one hand, computer games can help children relax after long working hours. Moreover, children can learn a lot of computer skills that can be useful for their future work. Playing games also help children learn how to solve problems through many kinds of games. These games require not only intelligence but also various skills such as finger and eye movements, an overview analysis and so on. On the other hand, however, playing computer games too much can extremely harm children’s health, especially their eyes and back as they have to sit at the table for long time and highly concentrate on the screen. Some children even skip their meals just because they do not want to stop the games or they just have something quickly. As a result, many children become overweight and their eyes are shortsighted. Some even have problems with their stomach. To minimize the negative influences of computer games, parents should take a close look at what games their children are playing. They can allow them what game to play and when or how long they can play the game. To sum up, computer games have both good and bad things but we can minimize the negative impacts it we wish. B1 It is the fact that more and more children play computer games. There are both good and bad things of playing games. On the one hand, when playing computer games, children can learn a lot of things. They learn computer skills and English. Their hands and eyes become quicker. On the other hand, however, playing games too much is not good for children’s health. Because they have to sit and look at the screen for long hours, their eyes and back will hurt. Some children do not even eat anything when they play games because they do not want to stop.
50. To minimize the bad effects, parents should advise their children what games they can play and how long they should play. To sum up, playing computer games has both good and bad effects. However, we can limit the bad effects if we want. SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL INTERACTION 1. Where are you from? I am from Hai Phong City 2. How far is it from your hometown? It is about 70 kilometres from here 3. What do you like about your hometown? I like the food and the people. We have seafood which is tasty and cheap The people are friendly and helpful. They are willing to help you when you need PART 2: SOLUTION You and your friends are planning to have a party. Where and when should you have the party? PART 3: TOPIC Describe a means of public transport You should say 5. What means of public transport it is 6. Where is it popular? 7. What do you like and dislike about it? Buses are very popular in big cities. People use buses to go to work or school. They are cheap, safe and convenient. However, they are dirty, noisy and smelly. Sometimes, it takes a lot of time to wait for the bus
51. TEST 7 LISTENING 1B 2B 3B 4A 5C 6B 7C 8B 9C 10C 11B 12A 13B 14C 15C 16B 17C 18C 19B 20D 21D 22B 23B 24A 25D 26C 27C 28A 29C 30A 31B 32B 33C 34A 35B READING 1D 2B 3C 4D 5B 6C 7B 8C 9D 10A 11D 12D 13B 14C 15A 16D 17A 18A 19C 20A 21C 22A 23A 24D 25A 26B 27C 28C 29A 30D 31D 32B 33A 34B 35C 36C 37D 38A 39D 40B WRITING TASK 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. You recently went to eat in a restaurant and you were not satisfied with the food as well as the service there. Write a letter to the manager of the restaurant to complain about what you have experienced You should write at least 120 words. You are not allowed to include your name. C1, B2 Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to complain about a meal we had in your restaurant yesterday. We had booked a table for six but when we arrived there were no free tables and we had to wait for more than 45 minutes to sit down. From the menu of 12 dishes, only four were available and their quality was poor. The fish, in particular, tasted awful and the waiter was rude when we told him about this. We have eaten in your restaurant several times in the past but this is the first time we have receive such bad treatment. I am not asking for a refund but I would like you to improve the quality of your dishes and service. Yours faithfully,
52. B1 Dear Sir/Madam, I am John Smith, from Chicago. I am writing this email to complain about the food and the service in your restaurant. Yesterday, I went to your restaurant to eat dinner with my friends. We had fish, chicken, salad, and some vegetables. We had to wait for the food for about 45 minutes. We were hungry and tired. When the food was on the table, it was terrible. The fish was salty and the vegetables are dirty. What’s more? The table and chairs were dirty. No one cleaned them before we sat down. In addition, the waiter was not polite when we complained. When we finished the meal, we looked at the bill. Oh, the food was too expensive. We were not happy at all. I would like to ask for the refund. I hope you can improve your restaurant more. I look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me at 0978687908 or via Johnsmith@gmail.com. Thank you TASK 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Organized tours to remote community and other countries are increasingly popular. Is it a positive or negative development for local people and the local environment? Write an essay to an educated reader to discuss the effects of tourism. Include reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer. You should write at least 250 words. Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and Grammar. C1 It is true that tours to remote and exotic places on the earth have gained in popularity in recent years. While this has several benefits for the local community, I believe that overall the negative consequences are more significant. Admittedly, the growth of the tourism industry has brought enormous benefits to local people. More tourists means greater demand for food, accommodation and services, all of which create job opportunities and help to alleviate unemployment in the area. The development of tourism also has ripple effects on local infrastructure, with more roads and bridges being built to meet the need of tourists. This can be seen in the case of Ha Long, a coastal city and also a tourist destination in Vietnam.
53. The biggest disadvantage of the trend is, however, its adverse effects on the pristine environment and creatures living there. Forests may be cut down to make way for resorts and hotels; marine life might be threatened due to water pollution, and birds have to find other places to inhabit. In some places, waste from the hotel industry is becoming an environmental problem that concerns many people, not just environmentalists. In conclusion, although the growth of tourism to remote areas and exotic countries is beneficial to some extent, it is more likely to have harmful impacts on local people and the environment. B2 We cannot deny that tourism play an important part in our life. It has brought countries a lot of benefits. However, beside these benefits, tourism has some negative effects on local communities. On the one hand, tourism is beneficial for the local communities. It creates good jobs for local people and helps them improve their life. They can do business and earn more money. In other words, the development of tourism can boost the economy. Tourism also helps local communities improve traffic system to meet the demand of the tourists. More roads are widened and refaced. On the other hand, however, tourism destroys the environment. A big number of trees are cut down to build some resorts. More visitors mean more rubbish. People throw rubbish everywhere, which pollutes the air and water. This can seriously affect people’s health. In addition, the number of people who are related to social evils such as robbery, drug addiction, prostitution and so on, in these areas is much higher than other places. This can threaten local people’s life. To sum up, the development can bring both good and bad effects to local communities. Personally, I believe that its benefits can outweigh the drawbacks. B1 We cannot deny that tourism play an important part in our life. However, it can have both good and bad effects on local communities. On the one hand, the development is good for local people. People can get good jobs and so they can make more money and so they can improve their life. They can also improve the traffic. People build and widen more roads. On the other hand, however, tourism is not good for the environment. When more people come to the place, they throw a lot of things everywhere and make the air and water become dirty and smelly. This can badly affect people’s health.
54. To sum up, tourism is good and bad for the local communities. I myself think that tourism is more beneficial. SPEAKING PART 1: SOCIAL INTERACTION 1. What season do you like best? Why? I autumn most because the weather is so pleasant 2. Do you play sports? Yes, of course. I often play football 3. How often do you play sports? I play sports every day, after work 4. Why do you like sports? It is not only relaxing but also good for my health PART 2: SOLUTION One of your foreign friends wants to get to know one festival in Vietnam. Tell her one I am going to talk about Tet. It is the biggest festival in Vietnam. It is on the first days of the year. It is very important. All Vietnamese people come home and have Tet with their family. People often make Chung cake, clean and decorate the house. Children are the happiest because they have new clothes, eat good food and get a lot of lucky money. PART 3: TOPIC Describe the most famous building You should say 1. What building it is? 2. Where is it? 3. What is special about it? I am talking about the White House. It is located in Washing DC, the USA. It is painted white and it is the place where American presidents and their family live. It is equipped with the best facilities