WORD ROOTS INTRODUCTION without; not a- Put a- in front of a common word and it usually indicates that something is not true. If you are apolitical, then you are not a political person. If you are amoral, then you are not concerned with the morality of a situation. Don’t get too carried away with a-, though. This prefix works only if it is placed in front of another root. (An apple is not a fruit that is without pple, for example.) an-, ana- against Just like a-, the prefixes an- and ana- usually indicate a negative relationship within the word. Anaerobic exercise means “without air. An anagram is a word whose letters have been scrambled, i.e., against the usual order. anti- against; opposite This is yet another negative prefix. The possibilities are endless: If you are antiauthority, you are opposed to authority figures. An anticancer drug fights cancer, while an antidepressant helps to combat (oppose) depression. In late 18th-century America, an Anti-Federalist was opposed to excessive federal power. You get the idea. (Please note that anti- is not the same as ante-, which means “before.”) auto- self Why is it called an automatic dishwasher? Because it washes dishes by itself (after you load the machine, of course). How did the automobile get its name? A hundred years ago, it was remarkable to see a vehicle that moved by itself (as opposed to a horse-drawn cart). Your autograph is your own self’s unique handwriting. An autobiography is a biography that you write about yourself. co-, con- with; together Co- at the beginning of a word means “with” or “together.” Coauthors collaborate on a book together. Coworkers work together. contra de- against When you contradict someone, you say something against his or her point of view. A contrary opinion is one not in agreement with (or that goes against) the majority. Controversy occurs when two or more people disagree. reduce; remove When you deduct money from your bank account, you remove it. Deceleration is the opposite of acceleration. You are reducing your speed. ex- To dethrone a king is to remove him from the throne. When you debug your computer, you remove the “bugs,” i.e., viruses or glitches. The exterior of your house is the outer portion. To exhale is to breathe out. Archaeologists excavate a site by digging out the dirt that surrounds an artifact. The ex-Congressman left, or came out, of Congress. He is no longer in office. out im-, in- not; without Lots of words start with im- and in-, and they are almost all negative in meaning. Impossible means “not possible.” Inappropriate means “not appropriate.” magna great; large To call something magnificent suggests that it is a great achievement. To magnify is to make something larger. A magnate is a great or powerful person, especially in business. mis- bad; wrong; hate Mis- is another negative prefix. When your little brother misbehaves, he behaves badly. If a book contains a misprint, the words were printed in the wrong way. morph- shape When things morph, they change shape. Morph- can also be combined with other roots to form new words. Metamorphosis occurs when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. It changes shape. non- not; without English is full of negative roots. Non- is yet another of these pessimistic characters. Nonsense is an idea that does not make any sense. Nonfiction is a type of writing that does not contain any fictional elements; it is real. Something that is nondescript has no real description; it is difficult to describe. post pre after To postpone an activity is to plan to complete it after its originally targeted deadline. The post-game show happens after the football game has ended. A postmortem is a medical examination of a body after its death. (What is mort-? You guessed it: death.) before To prepare is to get ready for something before it happens. A prediction is a statement about the future before it happens. re- The Constitutional Preamble is the beginning of America’s founding document. It comes before the Bill of Rights. again If your teacher tells you to redo your homework, you need to do it again. When you refresh the page in your web browser, the page loads again. A rebound in basketball allows the player to grab the ball again, after it bounces off the backboard. sub under The city subway runs under the streets and buildings above (literally, “under the way”). A submarine travels under the surface of the ocean. (Marine means “relating to the sea or ocean.”) If your schoolwork is substandard, it is below the usual standards of excellence. super Superman, with his X-ray vision and superhuman strength is above (“higher than”) that of mere mortals. The Super Bowl is the best and most competitive football game of the season. Supersonic airplanes can travel faster than the speed of sound. (Son- means “sound.”) trans higher; better across To transfer is to move across something. The Transcontinental Railroad of the 19th century allowed passengers to travel across the entire continent on a train. To transmit sound is to move it from one place to another. CHỮA MỘT SỐ CÂU SAI TRONG ĐỀ 2 Question 1. Question 2. Question 3. Question 4. Question 5. Question 6. A. dependent B. chemical C. humorous D. wonderful The people in my village _________ their living by growing and selling vegetables. A. take B. earn C. do D. work He is always busy. He has ________ time to relax. A. much B. a little C. little D. a lot of Mrs. Hoa has ____________________ A. straight long black hair B. long black straight hair C. long hair straight black D. long straight black hair You will have to work hard if you want to___________. A. success B. succeed C. successful D. successfully His school is located in the mountainous area. A. lain B. stood C. situated D. stayed Horton At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns. Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites. There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark’s. It’s not as academically brilliant as other schools in the area, but it is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages. Question 7. Which of the following is the best description of Horton? A. A quiet, country town which has a number of good leisure facilities. B. A friendly, historic town which is a great place to live, work and take a holiday C. A busy, industrial town which has good links to neighbouring cities D. A dirty, unpopular town which has little to offer visitors or residents These days, there are many students who do not attend physical schools but instead, stay home, where they are homeschooled. While these students (21)__________study at their homes, they sometimes visit their local schools. One reason for this concerns athletics. In many American states, homeschooled students are permitted to play on their local school’s athletic teams. This is good news for the schools because a lot of homeschoolers are (22)__________athletes. The students who attend actual schools are mostly accepting of the homeschoolers. They usually have no problems with them and are often simply(23)__________about what it is like not to go to school. So they tend to bombard the homeschoolers with numerous questions. The homeschoolers(24)__________by mingling with the students at school. Some of them rarely spend time (25)__________, so it helps them develop their social skills if they can hang out and play sports with other kids. Question 26. A. primarily B. solely C. relatively D. cautiously Question 27. A. exception B. exceptions C. exceptional D. exceptionally Question 28. A. upset B. curious C. worried D. hostile Question 29. A. benefit B. benefited C. benefiting D. will have benefited Question 30. A. for individuals of their age B. of the individuals who have aged C. with other individual’s at their age D. by individuals that age Question 8. Human population, far from being randomly scattered across the continents, appear to be distributed in circular patterns. A. from being C. appear B. randomly D. to be distributed A FEW/ FEW/ A LITTLE/ LITTLE Few, a few: dùng với danh từ đếm được Little, a little: dùng với danh từ không đếm được. Ngoài ra, khi có “a” ý nghĩa của cụm từ sẽ trở nên tích cực hơn. Cụ thể: Few, little: rất ít, hầu như không có, không đủ dùng, không nhiều như mong đợi. a few, a little: chỉ có một ít, một vài thôi nhưng vẫn đủ dùng, nhiều hơn mong đợi, vẫn hơn là không có. OSAShCOMP BÀI READING TEST 4: Although they are an inexpensive supplier of vitamins, minerals, and high- quality protein, eggs also contain a high level of blood cholesterol, one of the major causes of heart diseases. One egg yolk, in fact, contains a little more than two- thirds of the suggested daily cholesterol limit. This knowledge has driven egg sales to plummet in recent years, which in turn has brought about the development of several alternatives to eating regular eggs. One alternative is to eat substitute eggs. These eggs substitutes are not really eggs, but they look somewhat like eggs when they are cooked. They have the advantage of having low cholesterol rates, and they can be scrambled or used in banking. One disadvantage, however, is that they are not good for frying, poaching, or boiling. A second alternative to regular eggs is a new type of egg, sometimes called "designer" eggs. These eggs are produced by hens that are fed low- flat diets consisting of ingredients such as canola oil, flax, and rice bran. In spite of their diet, however, these hens produce eggs that contain the same amount of cholesterol as regular eggs. Yet, the producers of these eggs claim that eating their eggs will not raise the blood cholesterol in humans. Eggs producers claim that their product has been portrayed unfairly. They cite scientific studies to back up their claim. And, in fact, studies on the relationship between eggs and human cholesterol levels have brought mixed results. It may be that is not the type of eggs that is the main determinant of cholesterol but the person who is eating the eggs. Some people may be more sensitive to cholesterol derived from food than other people. In fact, there is evidence that certainly dietary fats stimulate the body's production of blood cholesterol. Consequently, while it still makes sense to limit one's intake of eggs, even designer eggs, it seems that doing this without regulating dietary fat will probably not help reduce the blood cholesterol level. What is the main purpose of the passage? A. To introduce the idea that dietary fat increases the blood cholesterol level. B. To make people how about the relationship between eggs and cholesterol, C. To persuade people that eggs are unhealthy and should not be eaten. D. To convince people to eat "designer" eggs and egg substitutes. Question 2. What has been the cause for changes in the sale of eggs? A. Increasing price B. Decreased production C. Dietary changes in hens D. Concerns about cholesterol Question 3. What is meant by the phrase "mixed results"? A. The results are blended. B. The results are a composite of things. C. The results are inconclusive. D. The results are mingled together. Question 4. Which of the following could best replace the word "somewhat"? A. in fact B. a little C. indefinitely D. a lot Question 5. According to the passage, one yolk contains approximately what fraction of the suggested daily limit for human consumption of cholesterol? A. 3/4 B. 2/3 C. 1/2 D. 1/3 Question 1.