VSTEP READING
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
VSTEP READING FULL TEST 1
Time permitted: 60 minutes
Number of questions: 40
_________________________________________________________________________
Directions: In this section you will read FOUR different passages. Each one is followed by 10
questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D, to each
question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that
corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage
on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the
answer sheet.
PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10
A TOUR UNDER PARIS
The great avenues are quiet, the shops are closed. There’s the smell of fresh bread from a bakery
somewhere. It would be hard to say which time of the day in Paris I prefer but this is probably it.
Soon the streets will be full of people and traffic. As with most other cities, you see the real Paris
when the city wakes up.
There is, however, another part of Paris which is silent and free from people 24 hours a day. Under
the city are hundreds of kilometres of tunnels. There are sewers and old subways but there are also
spaces of all kinds: canals and catacombs, wine cellars which have been made into nightclubs and
galleries. During the 19th century, the Parisians needed more stone for buildings above the ground
so they dug tunnels beneath the city. After that, many farmers grew mushrooms in them. During
World War II, the French Resistance fighters also used them. Since the 1970s, many groups of
young people spend days and nights below the city in these tunnels. It’s a place for parties, theatre
performances, art galleries – anything goes here!
Everywhere you go under Paris, there is history and legend. Historians and novelists often refer to
them in their books. For example, Victor Hugo mentions the tunnels in his famous novel Les
Miserables and in the story and musical The Phantom of the Opera there is a pond beneath the old
opera house. Most people think this is myth but in fact there is an underground pond here with fish.
A ‘normal’ tourist can visit parts of Paris beneath the ground. For example, there are the catacombs
beneath the Montparnasse district. Here you can see the bones and skeletons of about six millions
Parisians. The bodies came from cemeteries above the ground two centuries ago when the city
needed more space.
However, it’s illegal to enter other parts of the tunnels and police often search the area. It’s also very
dangerous because some of the tunnels might collapse. Nevertheless, there are people who will take
you to visit them. I have found two ‘unofficial’ tour guides – Dominique and Yopie (not their real
names). They take me through many tunnels and after a couple of hours we arrive at a room which
isn’t on any map. Yopie and some of his friends built it. The room is comfortable and clean with a
table and chairs and a bed. Yopie tells me there are many other
places like this. ‘Many people come down here to party, some people to paint … We do what we
want here.’
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VSTEP READING
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
1. In paragraph 1, what time of the day does the author describe?
A. Early in the morning
B. Mid-day
C. In the evening
D. Late at night
2. According to the passage, what are under Paris?
A. Tunnels
B. Sewers and old subways
C. Canals, catacombs, and wine cellars
D. Night clubs and galleries
3. What does the word “Parisians” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. People living in Paris
B. Builders working in Paris
C. Rich people in Paris
D. French people
4. Why were the tunnels built during the 19th century?
A. Because they wanted to make clubs and galleries
B. Because farmers wanted to grow mushrooms
C. Because they needed stones
D. Because they used them in wa
5. According to the passage, when did young people start to use the tunnels?
A. Since the 19th century
B. Since the World War II
C. Since the French Resistance D. Since the 1970s
6. Why does the author mention Victor Hugo?
A. To prove that the tunnels often appear in books
B. To give examples of best French novels
C. To prove that he wrote about the tunnels
D. To prove that the tunnels are under Paris
7. The word “myth” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to….
A. truth.
B. legend
C. fact.
D. example.
8. Are tourist allowed to go underground?
A. Yes, they can go everywhere.
B. Yes, they can visit part of the tunnels.
C. No, never.
D. Yes, but it is illegal.
9. Why does the writer say it’s dangerous in the tunnels?
A. There are criminals down there.
B. The tunnels might fall down on you.
C. You might get lost.
D. The police may arrest you.
10. Why is Dominique and Yopie’s room difficult to find?
A. It is not on the map.
B. It takes two hours to walk there.
C. They never show people where it is
D. There are many other places like it.
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VSTEP READING
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LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
PASSAGE 2 – Questions 11-20
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?
Kai Kensavaong will never again walk along the muddy lanes of Sop On, the village in southern
Laos where she was born. Her old home now lies at the bottom of a reservoir of brown water created
to feed a hydroelectric power plant, the first to be funded by the World Bank for over
twenty years. ‘I’ll never forget that place,’ says the 41-year-old villager. ‘It was my home. I picked
my first bamboo stalks there.’
The World Bank stopped financing hydroelectric dam projects in developing countries twenty years
ago because of criticism that such projects were harming local communities and the environment.
But Nam Theun 2 – a 39-metre high dam on the Mekong River that generates over 1,000 megawatts
of electricity – is the showpiece for the bank’s new policy of supporting sustainable hydropower
projects. For Laos it is part of a longer-term strategy to revitalise the
economy and become the battery of South-East Asia.
In 2010 the dam brought $5.6 million in sales of electricity and it is estimated that during the next 25
years Nam Theun 2 will generate around $2 billion in revenue to Laos, one of Asia’s poorest
countries, since most of the electricity will be exported to its power-hungry neighbour, Thailand.
The government has promised that this money will be spent on reducing poverty and both renewing
and improving the country’s infrastructure.
Seventeen villages in the flooded area have now been rebuilt and the 6,200 people – mostly farmers
– who lived in them have been retrained to make a living from the reservoir. The power company
has promised to double their living standards within five years. According to the World Bank, 87 per
cent of those resettled believe life is much better than before as they now have electricity, sanitation,
clean water, new roads and greater access to schools and health care.
But the old criticisms have not gone away. Environmental and human rights groups warn that the
dam will have a negative impact on water quality and fish and that the local people who were
relocated after the area was flooded may not be able to support themselves economically in future.
As well as the 6,200 villagers already re-housed, activists also point out that there are over 110,000
people in riverside villages downstream from the dam whose lives will have to change because of
the new river ecosystem. They claim that these people will have to deal with issues like flooding,
decline of the fish population and poor water quality. How quickly they will pick up new skills is
uncertain.
But the World Bank says it is responsive to these problems. A 4,100-square kilometre protected
area has been established around the dam to safeguard flora and fauna. It admits though that
rebuilding the lives of the villagers is not a short-term process and everyone is trying to learn and
readjust as they go along.
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VSTEP READING
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
11. What happened to Sop On?
A. It was turned into a reservoir.
B. It was destroyed by a flood.
C. It was abandoned by the villagers.
D. It was bought by the World Bank.
12. Who helped to finance the project?
A. The Laos government
B. The World Bank
C. Villagers of Sop On
D. A hydroelectric company
13. How much electricity will it generate?
A. Over 39,000 megawatt
B. Over 1,000 megawatt
C. Over 20,000 megawatt
D. Over 10,000 megawatt
14. According to the passage, who will use most of the electricity?
A. South East Asia countries
B. Asia
C. Thailand
D. Laos
15. According to paragraph 4, how many people were affected?
A. 2 billion people
B. 6,200 people
C. 87% of Laos’ population
D. 5.6 million people
16. According to the World Bank, how will people’s life change after the
dam?
A. It will be better.
B. They will farm in the flooded area.
C. They can work for the power company. D. They will have new roads.
17. According to environmental and human rights group, what may happen to local
people?
A. They may have better access to school. B. They may not make a living.
C. They may not fish in the reservoir.
D. They may not want to leave their village.
18. What is the attitude of environmental and human rights group towards the
project?
A. They strongly support the project.
B. They criticize the project.
C. They disagree with part of the project. D. They are happy with the project.
19. What does the phrase “these problems” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Flooding, decrease of fish, and poor water quality
B. Poverty of villagers
C. Pollution caused by the dam
D. Lack of new houses for villagers
20. What is the reading passage mainly about?
A. A hydroelectric project and its effects on people’s lives
B. Villagers of Sop On
C. Benefits of the World Bank
D. The development of Lao’s economy
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VSTEP READING
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30
Contrary to popular belief, one does not have to be a trained programmer to work online. Of
course, there are plenty of jobs available for people with high-tech computer skills, but the growth of
new media has opened up a wide range of Internet opportunities requiring only a minimal level of
technical expertise. Probably one of the most well-known online jobs is the job of webmaster.
However, it is hard to define one basic job description for this position. The qualifications and
responsibilities depend on what tasks a particular organization needs a webmaster to perform.
To specify the job description of a webmaster, one needs to identify the hardware and software that
the website webmaster will manage is running on. Different types of hardware and software require
different skill sets to manage them. Another key factor is whether the website will be running
internally (at a firm itself) or externally (renting shared space on the company servers). Finally, the
responsibilities of a webmaster also depend on whether he or she will be working independently, or
whether the firm will provide people to help. All of these factors need to be considered before one
can create an accurate webmaster job description.
Webmaster is one type of internet career inquiring in-depth knowledge of the latest computer
applications. However, there are also online jobs available for which traditional skills remain in high
demand. Content jobs require excellent writing skills and a good sense of web as a “new media.”
The term “new media” is difficult to define because it encompasses a constantly growing set of
new technologies and skills. Specifically, it includes websites, emails, internet telephone, CDROM, DVD, streaming audio and video, interactive multimedia presentations, e-books, digital
music, computer illustration, video games, virtual reality, and computer artistry.
Additionally, many of today’s Internet careers are becoming pair-by-the-job professions. With many
companies having to decrease their number of employees in tough economic times, the outsourcing
and contracting of freelance workers online has become common business practice. The Internet
provides an infinite pool of buyers from around the world with whom freelancers can contract their
services. An added benefit to such online jobs is that freelancers are able to work on projects with
companies outside their own country or residence.
How much can a person make in these kinds of careers? As with many questions related to today’s
evolving technology, there is no simple answer. There are many companies willing to pay people
with technical Internet skills salaries well above $70,000 a year. Generally, webmasters start at
about $30,000 a year, but salaries can vary greatly. Freelance writers working online have been
known to make between $40,000 and $70,000 per year.
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VSTEP READING
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
21. Which of the following means most nearly the same as “contrary” in the first
paragraph?
A. Opposite
B. Agreeing
C. Equal
D. Embarrassing
22. The word “identify” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to….
A. Name.
B. Estimate.
C. Discount.
D. Encounter.
23. The word “them” in paragraph 2 refer to……….
A. companies.
B. new job opportunities.
C. hardware and software.
D. webmasters.
24. According to the reading passage, which of the following is true about webmasters?
A. They never work independently.
B. They require a minimal level of expertise.
C. The duties they perform depend on the organization they work for.
D. They do not support software products.
25. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence in the passage?
A. The term “new media” is hard to state because it covers so much skill and technology.
B. The ever-expanding set of new technology and the knowledge based on that technology
make the exact meaning of “new media” difficult to specify.
C. Because it is constantly growing, the skills for “new media” difficult to specify.
D. Because new technology and the skills for that technology are always encompassing more
fields, the expression “new media” is impossible to specify.
26. What does “it” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Modern technology
B. New media
C. A webmaster’s career
D. The Internet
27. It can be inferred from the passage that…………
A. online workers can work full-time online.
B. only skilled workers make good money.
C. it is easy to become a webmaster.
D. workers with limited computer skills cannot work online.
28. What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To inform people about the tasks and role of a webmaster
B. To inform people about the computer industry
C. To inform people about employment related to the internet
D. To explain why webmasters make a lot of money
29. According to the passage, all of the following are true EXCEPT…….
A. there are online jobs available for workers with minimal computer skills.
B. webmasters must have knowledge of the latest computer applications.
C. online workers cannot free themselves from the office.
D. “new media” is not easy to define.
30. The word “vary” in paragraph 6 could be best replaced by which of the
following?
A. Change
B. Decrease
C. Increase
D. Differ
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VSTEP READING
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LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
PASSAGE 4 – Questions 31-40
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND GLOBAL WARMING
Carbon dioxide and other naturally occurring gases in the earth’s atmosphere create a natural
greenhouse effect by trapping and absorbing solar radiation. These gases act as a blanket and keep
the planet warm enough for life to survive and flourish. The warming of the earth is balanced by
some of the heat escaping from the atmosphere back into space. Without this compensating flow of
heat out of the system, the temperature of the earth’s surface and its atmosphere rise steadily.
Scientists are increasingly concerned about a human – driven greenhouse effect resulting from a rise
in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and other heat – trapping greenhouse gases. The man-made
greenhouse effect is the exhalation of industrial civilization. A major contributing factor is the
burning of large amount of fossil fuels – coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Another is the destruction
of the world’s forests, which reduces the amount of carbon dioxide converted to oxygen by plants.
Emission of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and methane from human activities
will enhance the greenhouse effect, causing the earth’s surface to become warmer. The main
greenhouse gas, water vapor, will increase in response to global warming and further enhance it.
There is agreement within the scientific community that the buildup of greenhouse gases is already
causing the earth’s average surface temperature to rise. This is changing global climate at an
unusually fast rate. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the earth’s temperature
climbed about 1 degree F in the past century, and nine of the ten warmest years on record have
occurred since 1990. A United Nations panel has predicted that average global
temperatures could rise as much as 10.5 degrees F during the next century as heat-trapping gases
from human industry accumulate in the atmosphere.
What are the potential impacts of an enhanced greenhouse effect? According to estimates by an
international committee, North American climatic zones could shift northward by as much as 550
kilometers [340 miles]. Such a change in climate would likely affect all sectors of society. In some
areas, heat and moisture stress would cut crop yields, and traditional farming practices would have
to change. For example, in the North American grain belt, higher temperature and more frequent
drought during the growing season might require farmers to switch from corn to wheat and to use
more water for irrigation.
[A] Global warming may also cause a rise in sea level by melting polar ice caps. A rise in sea level
would accelerate coastal erosion and inundate islands and low–lying coastal plains, some of which
are densely populated. [B] Millions of acres of coastal farmlands would be covered by water. [C]
Furthermore, the warming of seawater will cause the water to expand, thus adding to the potential
danger. [D]
Global warming has already left its fingerprint on the natural world. Two research teams recently
reviewed hundreds of published papers that tracked changes in the range and behavior of plant and
animal species, and they found ample evidence of plants blooming and birds nesting earlier in the
spring. Both teams concluded that rising global temperatures are shifting the ranges of hundreds of
species – thus climatic zones – northward. These studies are hard evidence that the natural world is
already responding dramatically to climate change, even though the change has just begun.
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VSTEP READING
31. According
to the passage, how do carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases affect the
earth-atmosphere system?
A. They collect solar radiation that warms the earth’s surface.
B. They create the conditions for new forms of life to emerge.
C. They cause heat to flow from the atmosphere into space.
D. They decrease the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere.
32. Which
sentence below best expresses the essential information in the bold sentence in
paragraph 2? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out the
essential information.
The man-made greenhouse effect is the exhalation of industrial civilization.
A. The greenhouse effect causes breathing problems in industrial workers.
B. The growth of industry was made possible by the greenhouse effect.
C. Scientists are seeking better ways to manufacture greenhouse gases.
D. Industrial activities result in emissions that cause the greenhouse effect.
33. All
of the following are contributing factors to global warming EXCEPT ….
A. the burning of coal and petroleum.
B. the loss of forest lands.
C. the conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen.
D. the buildup of water vapor in the atmosphere.
34. What
can be inferred from paragraph 3 about global climate change?
A. Climate change will have both positive and negative effects on human society
B. It is difficult to predict the effects of climate change over the next century.
C. International organizations have been studying climate change only since 1990
D. Climate change is likely to continue as long as heat-trapping gases accumulate.
35. According
to paragraph 4, what is one effect that climate change could have on
agriculture in North America?
A. Return to more traditional methods of farming
B. Movement of farms to the northernmost regions
C. Changes in the crops that farmers can grow
D. Less water available for irrigating crops
36. The
word “inundate” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to………..
A. cover
B. reduce.
C. move.
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D. create.
VSTEP READING
37. Why
LỚP VSTEP B1B2C1 CÔ THỦY – THẦY CƯƠNG
LUYỆN THI TRỌNG TÂM – CẤP TỐC – ĐẠT CHỨNG CHỈ
does the author mention fingerprint in paragraph 6?
A. To show that hundreds of fingerprints were examined
B. To introduce conclusive evidence of global warming
C. To describe a method used by two research teams
D. To suggest that people do not cause global warming
38. The
word “they” in paragraph 6 refers to ………
A. teams. B. papers. C. species. D. birds.
39. What
evidence does the author give that climatic zones have shifted northward?
A. Solar radiation escapes from the atmosphere back into space.
B. The water in the ocean expands as it gets warmer.
C. Plants bloom and birds build nests earlier in the spring.
D. Birds no longer pollinate plants or control insect populations.
40. Look
at [A], [B], [C], and [D] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to
the passage.
The combination of melting ice caps with the expansion of water could raise the sea
level several centimeters by the year 2100.
Where would the sentence best fit? Choose the letter that shows where the sentence should be
added.
A. [A]
B. [B]
C. [C]
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D. [D]