Live ngày 25/9 – Chữa đề Vstep Reading Part 1+2

A. For 20 years, Dang Thi Nhan, 67, has been waking up about 30 minutes earlier each day to bake cakes or prepare tea for two retired doctors in a clinic near her house in Ha Noi’s Giap Bat Ward. That is all Nhan can offer as thanks to doctors who provide free health checks for herself, her paralysed (bại liệt) husband and their 43-year-old disabled (khuyết tật) son. “If one day they cannot take care of themselves and need someone to look after, I will do it voluntarily till the day they are gone,” Nhan said.

1. How old was Dang Thi Nhan when she first started to bake cakes or prepare tea for the two doctors?

A. 20

B. 67

C. 43

D. 47 (Giải thích: 67 – 20 = 47 tuổi)

2. The word “they” in paragraph A refers to ……

A. two doctors

B. husband and son

C. health checks (LOẠI)

D. cakes (LOẠI)

B. The small clinic, situated on Kim Dong Street, has become familiar to many people in Ha Noi. It was established in 1992 by Dr Truong Thi Hoi To, 84, a former principal of Nam Dinh Medical College, Le Thi Soc, 87, a retired nurse from Saint Paul Municipal Hospital, and Le Thanh Thuoc, the late deputy director of the Viet Nam National Cancer Hospital, who died last year. The clinic used to open every Monday and Thursday. However, after doctor Thuoc died and due to the deteriorating health (= bad health condition) of the two other medics, the clinic now only opens on Monday mornings at 8 am. Patients not only receive health checks, but they also receive free medicine. [1]

3. The word “late” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to ……

A. last-minute

B. behind

C. delayed

D. deceased (mất, qua đời) — (the late + chức vụ = cố…)

5. Who probably did not work in a hospital before retirement?

A. Le Thi Soc

B. Le Thanh Thuoc

C. Truong Thi Hoi To (Hiệu trưởng trường Y Nam Định)

D. All of them

C. Since 2014, the clinic has treated about 8,500 patients, according to Giap Bat ward’s Red Cross Association. On its first days, the clinic faced numerous difficulties due to lack of money. Mrs. To, founder of the clinic, had to spend her own pension and encourage her children and relatives to donate money to purchase medical equipment and medicine. The clinic also had to relocate seven times as To and her co-workers could not afford high rents. Despite these difficulties, they never thought of giving up. “Being able to help my patients brings me unspeakable joy. This is also my life target. It warms my heart to see the happy faces of the patients,” To said. [2]

4. The word “its” in paragraph C refers to ……

A. Red Cross Association

B. the clinic

C. medicine

D. pension

6. In which lines does the author mention about the bad health condition of the doctors at the clinic?

A. line 5

B. line 13

C. line 23 (dòng bôi vàng ở đoạn B – deteriorating health)

D. line 28

7. The word “donate” in paragraph C could be best replaced by ……

A. give

B. take

C. keep

D. get

D. Tran Thi Toan, 64, a patient from Nam Dinh Province, now works as a servant (người giúp việc) in Ha Noi. She is grateful to doctor To and nurse Soc not just for the free treatment, but for their caring manner. Toan said: “They give me meticulous treatment and clear, detailed instruction as well as advise me on a healthy and happy lifestyle”. Toan feels shy about her job, so the doctors’ care and compassionate attitude have become her inspiration in life. [3]

8. What has helped Mrs. Tran Thi Toan gain confidence in her life?

A. her job as a servant

B. her gratitude to all doctors

C. her healthy and happy lifestyle

D. doctors’ caring manner and free treatment at clinic

E. To the doctors, the most precious thing they receive from their patients is confidence in their skills, which can only be achieved through ethics and medical excellence. “The success of a doctor does not lie in how much money they earn, but how many people they help”, Soc said. Sharing Soc’s opinion, To said that “Medical practitioners should not consider their profession as a tool to get rich. They should not benefit from their patients’ pain. Patients come first, not money.” [4]

9. In which space (marked [1], [2], [3], [4] in the passage) will the following sentence fit?
“They treat me as a close member of their family. There is no discrimination (phân biệt đối xử) between the rich and the poor. Everyone is treated (đối xử, chữa trị) equally (bình đẳng).” She added.

A. [1]

B. [2]

C. [3] (Sau lời nhận xét của bệnh nhân Toan ở đoạn D)

D. [4]

10. The paragraph E indicates Mrs. Soc’s opinion that a doctor is successful if ……

A. he/ she earns a lot of money

B. he/ she is confident in his/her skills

C. he/ she helps a lot of patients

D. he/ she benefits from their patients’ pain

A. We hear it all the time: People who are over 50 take longer to find jobs than younger people. Connie Wanberg, a professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, had long heard gloom-and-doom stories to that effect, but she wondered how strong the data was to support them.

11. The word “gloom-and-doom” in the first paragraph could be best replaced by ……

A. hopeless

B. interesting

C. cheerful

D. strange

B. Very, as it turned out. According to a study by Professor Wanberg and others, job seekers over 50 were unemployed 5.8 weeks longer than those from the ages of 30 to 49. That number rose to 10.6 weeks when the comparison group was from 20 to 29. Professor Wanberg and three other researchers — Darla J. Hamann, Ruth Kanfer and Zhen Zhang — arrived at those numbers by analysing and synthesising hundreds of studies by economists, sociologists and psychologists.

C. But it is important not to jump to conclusions about the cause, Professor Wanberg said. “It’s not very unusual for everybody to think that the reason for the difficulty in finding jobs at 50s is discrimination,” she said. That can sometimes be the case, but the reality is that the behaviour required to find work does not play to many older people’s strengths. Once they become aware of this, they can act to compensate.

12. According to the study, which age group has the least (ít nhất) unemployed time (thời gian thất nghiệp)?

A. less than 20 (LOẠI)

B. from 20 to 29

C. from 30 to 49

D. over 50

13. In paragraph C, what best paraphrases the sentence “It’s not very unusual for everybody to think that the reason for the difficulty in finding jobs at 50s is discrimination”?

A. People do not usually think about the cause of discrimination in finding jobs at 50s. (LOẠI)

B. People do not usually think that discrimination is the reason for the difficulty at 50s. (LOẠI)

C. People commonly believe that finding jobs at 50s causes discrimination. (THIẾU DIFFICULTY, SAI VỀ NGHĨA)

D. People commonly believe that discrimination makes finding jobs at 50s difficult.

D. In their study (NGHIÊN CỨU), the researchers found that older people on average had smaller social networks than younger people, Professor Wanberg said. This is not necessarily bad — as we age, many of us find that the quality of our relationships is more important than the quantity. But in the job search process, the number of connections we maintain in our professional and personal networks is often critical.

E. As people age, they also tend to stay in the same job longer, consistent with a pattern of wanting to put down roots. During that time, the skills people have learned and the job search strategies they once used may become outdated — especially as technology evolves ever more quickly.

14. The word “their” in paragraph D refers to ……

A. the researchers

B. older people

C. social networks

D. younger people

15. The word “critical” in paragraph D could be best replaced by ……

A. huge

B. demanding

C. trivial

D. important

17. The word “these drawbacks” in paragraph F refers to ……

A. outdated skills and job search strategies

B. small numbers of connection networks

C. lost social circles with co-workers and clients

D. low quality and small quantity of relationships

F. The cure for these drawbacks is fairly straightforward. Once you hit your early 40s, even if you are not looking for a job, work to learn new skills and stretch yourself, Professor Wanberg said. Also, keep your networks strong by staying in touch with former colleagues and classmates, along with current co-workers and clients whom you don’t see regularly, she said.

G. Finding a job after 50 doesn’t have to be as discouraging as it is often portrayed to be, Professor Wanberg said. Just recognize that some of the obstacles you face are inherent to the ageing process, she said. She stressed that her findings reflected only averages and that individual behaviour varies greatly. Certainly, many older people maintain wide social circles and often learn skills. But in general, older job seekers must take more steps to find employment than younger ones, she said.

H. Once older workers do find a new employer, they can use their knowledge, wisdom and emotional intelligence — qualities that older people often possess in abundance — to thrive in their new positions.

16. What advice does Professor Wanberg give to over 50 year-old job seekers when they are still at early 40s?

A. maintaining small but strong social networks

B. becoming aware of their strengths

C. learning new skills and keeping wide social circles

D. staying in the same job longer.

18. What of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A. Finding a job after 50 is not at all hopeless

B. Older people hardly learn new skills and maintain wide social networks (Sai so với đoạn G)

C. Older people often have many good qualities

D. Findings of the study does not hold true for all older people.

19. Which of the following would best describe Professor Wanberg’s attitude towards finding a job after 50?

A. hopeless

B. frustrated

C. optimistic

D. discouraging

20. What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To report the difficulties of finding jobs at 50s

B. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of 50 year-old job seekers.

C. To warn people against skipping jobs at later ages.

D. To raise awareness on the importance of maintaining social connections and learning new skills at early stages.

A. When I was just fifteen, my father purchased an old hostel in the country where we lived and decided to turn it into a luxury hotel. At the early stages of the hotel, he experimented with everything. None of us had ever worked in a hotel before, but my dad had a vision of what guests wanted. His standards were extremely high and he believed that to reach those standards the most important thing was work.

21. The word “it” in line 2, paragraph A refers to ……

A. an old hostel

B. the country

C. a luxury hotel

D. Mary’s first job

22. What did the people working at the hotel have in common?

A. They knew what the guests expected

B. They shared all the jobs.

C. They lacked experience. (“None of us had ever worked in a hotel before”)

D. They enjoyed the work.

B. For a month that summer I worked as a waitress at breakfast and dinner. As part of the job I had to lay the tables in the dining room beforehand and clean up afterwards. This gave me the middle of the day free for studying because my school report predictably had not lived up to my father’s high expectations.

C. Like all the other waitresses, I was equipped with a neat uniform and told to treat the guests as though they were special visitors in my own home. Although I felt more like a stranger in theirs, I did not express my feelings. Instead I concentrated on doing the job as well as, if not better than, the older girls.

23. Mary’s working day was organised in order to give her ……

A. time for her school work.

B. working experience.

C. time at midday to relax.

D. time to have lunch with her father.

24. In paragraph B, what best paraphrases the sentence “my school report predictably had not lived up to my father’s high expectations”?

A. The school made a report about my expectations to my father.

B. My father has not satisfied with my results at school.

C. The report from school is highly predictable to my father.

D. My father expects to receive the school report soon.

D. In the kitchen I learned how to deal with Gordon, the chef, who I found rather daunting. He had an impressive chef’s hat and a terrifying ability to lose his temper and get violent for no clear reason. I avoided close contact with him and always grabbed the dishes he gave me with a cold look on my face. Then, as I walked from the kitchen to the dining room, my cold expression used to change into a charming smile.

E. I found waiting at breakfast was more enjoyable than at dinner. The guests came wandering into the dining room from seven-thirty onwards, staring with pleasure at the view of the sea and the islands through the dining room window. I always made sure that everyone got their order quickly and I enjoyed getting on well with the people at each table. In the evenings it was funny how differently people behaved; they talked with louder, less friendly voices, and did not always return my smile. However, that all changed when Dad created a special role for me which improved my status considerably.

25. What does the writer mean by “daunting” in line 2, paragraph D?

A. disgusting

B. frightening

C. interesting

D. strange

26. What did Mary do while she walked from the kitchen to the dining room?

A. She smiled at Gordon in a friendly way.

B. She avoided touching Gordon.

C. She checked the food Gordon gave her.

D. She started to look more friendly.

27. Why did Mary enjoy serving breakfasts more than dinners?

A. She enjoyed the view from the dining room while working.

B. She had a better relationship with the guests.

C. The guests were more punctual than at dinner.

D. She worked more efficiently at breakfast.

28. How did Mary’s father improve her position in the hotel?

A. He put her in charge of the restaurant.

B. He asked her to provide entertainment for the guests.

C. He made her responsible for part of dinner. (Mary’s Sweet Trolley)

D. He gave her a special uniform.

F. I started by making simple cakes for guests’ picnics and soon progressed to more elaborate cakes for afternoon teas. I found that recipes were easy to follow and it was amusing to improvise. This led to a nightly event known as Mary’s Sweet Trolley. I used to enter the dining room every evening pushing a trolley carrying an extraordinary collection of puddings, cakes and other desserts. Most of them were of my own invention, I had cooked them all myself, and some were undeniably strange.

29. What was special about the food on Mary’s Sweet Trolley?

A. Mary made it following traditional recipes.

B. Mary made the same food for picnics.

C. Mary and Gordon made it together.

D. Mary made most of it without following recipes.

30. What impression does Mary give of her job throughout the passage?

A. It brought her closer to her father.

B. It was sometimes uncomfortable.

C. It was always enjoyable.

D. It was quite easy to do.

A. Potash (the old name for potassium carbonate) is one of the two alkalis (the other being soda, sodium carbonate) that were used from remote antiquity in the making of glass, and from the early Middle Ages in the making of soap: the former being the product of heating a mixture of alkali and sand, the latter a product of alkali and vegetable oil. Their importance in the communities of colonial North America need hardly be stressed.

31. What aspect of potash does the passage mainly discuss?

A. How it was made

B. Its value as a product for export

C. How it differs from other alkalis

D. Its importance in colonial North America

32. All of the following statements are true of both potash and soda EXCEPT ……

A. They are alkalis

B. They are made from sea plants (Soda làm từ cây biển, Potash làm từ thực vật đất liền)

C. They are used in making soap

D. They are used in making glass

33. The phrase “the latter” in paragraph A refers to ……

A. alkali

B. glass

C. sand

D. soap (the former = glass, the latter = soap)

34. The word “stressed” in paragraph A could be best replaced by ……

A. defined

B. emphasised

C. adjusted

D. mentioned

B. Potash and soda are not interchangeable for all purposes, but for glass-or soap-making either would do. Soda was obtained largely from the ashes of certain Mediterranean sea plants, potash from those of inland vegetation. Hence potash was more familiar to the early European settlers of the North American continent.

C. The settlement at Jamestown in Virginia was in many ways a microcosm of the economy of colonial North America, and potash was one of its first concerns. It was required for the glassworks, the first factory in the British colonies, and was produced in sufficient quantity to permit the inclusion of potash in the first cargo shipped out of Jamestown. The second ship to arrive in the settlement from England included among its passengers experts in potash making.

35. The word “interchangeable” in paragraph B is closest in meaning to ……

A. convenient

B. identifiable

C. equivalent

D. advantageous

36. It can be inferred from the passage that potash was more common than soda in colonial North America because ……

A. the materials needed for making soda were not readily available

B. making potash required less time than making soda

C. potash was better than soda for making glass and soap

D. the colonial glassworks found soda more difficult to use

D. The method of making potash was simple enough. Logs were piled up and burned in the open, and the ashes collected. The ashes were placed in a barrel with holes in the bottom, and water was poured over them. The solution draining from the barrel was boiled down in iron kettles. The resulting mass was further heated to fuse the mass into what was called potash.

E. In North America, potash making quickly became an adjunct to the clearing of land for agriculture, for it was estimated that as much as half the cost of clearing land could be recovered by the sale of potash. Some potash was exported from Maine and New Hampshire in the seventeenth century, but the market turned out to be mainly domestic, consisting mostly of shipments from the northern to the southern colonies. For despite the beginning of the trade at Jamestown and such encouragements as a series of acts to encourage the making of potash, beginning in 1707 in South Carolina, the softwoods in the South proved to be poor sources of the substance.

37. According to paragraph D, all of the following were needed for making potash EXCEPT ……

A. wood

B. fire

C. sand (Cát dùng để làm thủy tinh, không dùng làm potash)

D. water

38. The word “adjunct” in paragraph E is closest in meaning to ……

A. addition

B. answer

C. problem

D. possibility

39. According to the passage, a major benefit of making potash was that ……

A. it could be exported to Europe in exchange for other goods

B. it helped finance the creation of farms (bù đắp chi phí khai hoang đất nông nghiệp)

C. it could be made with a variety of materials

D. stimulated the development of new ways of glassmaking

40. According to paragraph E, the softwoods in the South posed which of the following problems for southern settlers?

A. The softwoods were not very plentiful.

B. The softwoods could not be used to build houses.

C. The softwoods were not very marketable.

D. The softwoods were not very useful for making potash.