Câu hỏi: It is often said that books are always a good friends and reading is an active mental process. Unlike TV, books make you use your brain. By reading, you think more and become smarter. Reading improves concentration and focus. Reading books takes brain power. It requires you to focus on what you are reading for long periods. Unlike magazines, Internet posts or e-Mails that might contain small pieces of information. Books tell the whole story. Since you must concentrate in order to read, you will get better at concentration. Many studies show if you do not use your memory; you lose it. Reading helps you stretch your memory muscles. Reading requires remembering details, facts and figures and in literature, plot lines, themes and characters. Reading is a good way to improve your vocabulary. Do you remember that when you were at elementary school you learned how to infer the meaning of one word by reading the context of the other words in the sentence? While reading books, especially challenging ones, you will find yourself exposed to many new words. Reading is a fundamental skill builder. Every good course has a matching book to go with it. Why? Because books help clarify difficult subjects. Books provide information that goes deeper than just classroom discussions. By reading more books you become better informed and more of an expert on the topics you read about. This expertise translates into higher self-esteem. Since you are so well-read, people look to you for answers. Your feelings about yourself can only get better. Books give you knowledge of other cultures and places. The more information you have got, the richer your knowledge is. Books can expand your horizons by letting you see what other cities and countries have to offer before you visit them.

A. TV

B. friendship

C. brain

D. muscles

Câu 1: According to the passage, which of the following is NOT an ingredient of a hot toddy?

A. liquor

B. lemon juice

C. garlic

D. honey

Câu 2: On Monday, May 12, 2008 a violent earthquake, measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale, happened in southwestern China's Sichuan Province. Hundreds of aftershocks followed in the area. The earthquake destroyed thousands buildings, roads, schools and hospitals, as well as infrastructure like communication networks and electrical towers. Thousands of people died or are missing, and more than 45 million people were affected by the earthquake, which has been the worst natural disaster to hit China for 30 years. The American Red Cross has contributed $20 million to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross Society of China. These funds will be used to assist survivors through the purchase and distribution of relief supplies, coordination of logistics and transportation of disaster workers to the hardest hit areas. The American Red Cross has also sent relief experts to the affected area to help monitor and coordinate the response efforts. On June 6, the American Red Cross co-hosted a forum to address the U.S. response and recovery efforts following the earthquake. More than 30 representatives from humanitarian organizations, the business companies and the government participated in the event. More than 35,000 staff and volunteers with the Red Cross Society of China responded to the disaster by distributing food, water, tents and other essential items. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are providing 100,000 tents to help those in need. The Red Cross Society of China is a very strong organization with extensive experience responding to disasters. The American Red Cross has long history of working with the Red Cross Society of China, going to back to famines in 1906 and including severe storms earlier this year. There has been a close contact between the Red Cross Society of China and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and they have been ready to provide additional support such as disaster workers, relief supplies or financial assistance. Concerned family and friends in the United States may have difficulty contacting their loved ones because telecommunication has been out of work by this disaster. If they are trying to reach relatives living in China or those who are citizens of China, the American Red Cross suggests them keep calling or try contacting other family members who live nearby.

A. left no aftershocks

B. destroyed everything except communication networks

C. caused no human loss

D. had effects on more than 45 million people 

Câu 3: Reading, as you know, is a continuous and never ending process. If you do very little reading, or if you read only material that offers no challenge to your comprehension, your reading will be of very little use. Once we reach a certain age, or once our formal schooling is completed, many of us become so restricted in our choice of reading that we rarely read any new type of reading experience. We tend to read only books in our professional or business field, or only inspirational books, or only our favorite newspapers every morning, or only one magazine for which we have developed a preference. And the trouble starts here. You should neither read only for entertainment nor only for information but you should also read for intellectual growth, for mental stimulation, for enriching your background of knowledge, for wisdom, and for broader outlook and mature understanding. What kind of books should you read to continue your intellectual growth, to gain a background for opinion and for judgment? The answer is simple one: Read books in fields you have little or no acquaintance with, books that will open for you new horizons of learning, books that will help you explore new areas of knowledge and experience, books that will make the world and people more understandable to you. Sadly, more and more people today are giving up the printed word in favor of being entertained and informed by watching TV, a popular entertainment device present at almost homes. More and more children are being subjected to TV programming, perhaps as a babysitter. More than two hours of TV time per day are now a part of children development, generating physiological and mental problems that are of growing concern among experts. 

A. completely stops when we finish our schooling

B. is an endless process

C. is of little use

D. should be done a little

Câu 4: Which is not TRUE about the Red Cross Society of China?

A. It is a strong organization.

B. It gets on well with the American Red Cross. 

C. It supplied the earthquake victims a lot of things except tents. 

D. It has extensive experience responding to disasters. 

Câu 5: According to the passage, ethnic conflicts….....

A. are on the decline 

B. occur only occasionally

C. serve to resolve differences 

D. have their roots in childhood rivalries

Câu 6: According to the passage, why do many people never seem to have enough time to accomplish things? 

A. They do not prioritize tasks

B. They get tied down by one difficult problem

C. They fail to deal with trivial matters. 

D. They do not seek the advice of time management experts