Circle the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the options that best complete the letter.

Hi David,

My new life in France is good. I (23) __________ you since we were six, so you can be a great software developer. But you should be willing to spend hours dealing (24) __________ unexpected problems. Besides, you need to be more careful and patient enough to become a (25) __________ software developer.
Let me know your final decision soon.

Michelle

2. A city in Spain has banned cars from the city centre. Discuss the possible advantages and disadvantages.

(Một thành phố ở Tây Ban Nha đã cấm ô tô vào trung tâm thành phố. Thảo luận về những ưu điểm và nhược điểm có thể có.)

A SMALL CITY WITH BIG IDEAS

Pontevedra, located on the northwest coast of Spain, is a small city surrounded by rolling hills. The picturesque old town of Pontevedra comes alive at night and the vibrant atmosphere continues well into the early hours.

So far, it sounds like any Spanish city. But this one is different- I'm standing in the city centre and I can't hear any cars!

The mayor of Pontevedra was determined to preserve the historic centre of the city with its bustling squares, Gothic architecture and quaint backstreets, and limit urban development.

So he banned cars - completely! He transformed the medieval centre into a pedestrian zone. He felt that the historical centre was dead. It was a city in decline, polluted, with a lot of traffic accidents. He got rid of on-street parking and opened underground car parks on the outskirts of the city within walking distance of the centre. With pedestrianisation, the shabby city centre got roundabouts replaced with traffic lights and pavements, drainage systems, public lighting and street furniture were all renovated.

1. Match photos A-C with descriptions 1-3. Use the photo captions to complete the texts.

(Ghép các bức ảnh A-C với phần mô tả 1-3. Sử dụng chú thích ảnh để hoàn thành văn bản.)

1. In the _________ of the future, all appliances will be connected through wireless networking systems. The house and car would use power that is collected through solar panels and stored.

2. ____________ is a housing development where each household has a self-contained house or flat. People have the opportunity to eat together and meet regularly in a large communal house.

3. The ____________ is designed to be twenty-five storeys high. If the concept became reality, it would feature a casino, an art gallery, a park, a shopping centre and accommodation for 80,000 people. It would cost $12 billion to build.

3. Read the article and check your ideas in Exercise 2. Then answer the questions.

(Đọc bài viết và kiểm tra ý tưởng của bạn ở Bài tập 2. Sau đó trả lời các câu hỏi.)

1. Where does Zeki come from?

(Zeki đến từ đâu?)

2. Who taught him to live in the wilderness?

(Ai dạy anh sống nơi hoang dã?)

3. Where is he living at the moment?

(Hiện tại anh ấy đang sống ở đâu?)

4. What is he studying?

(Anh ấy đang học gì?)

5. What is his daily routine?

(Thói quen hàng ngày của anh ấy là gì?)

6. Does he miss his friends?

(Anh ấy có nhớ bạn bè không?)

I am 16 and live alone in the wilderness

I live alone on the Isle of Skye in a tipi almost impossible to find without detailed directions. Mum, a cookbook writer, taught us about possible dangers and how to cope with them, then let us run wild from an early age. (1) __________ I spent so much time with tribes who rely on the land that this became second nature to me. When I gained a place at the School of Adventure Studies on the Isle of Skye last year, I decided to live in a tipi, practising what I preach.

I wake up at 6.00 a.m. and get the fire on straight away using flints and steel. (2) __________. Sometimes I just jump in, especially when there's frost on the ground. When I rush back to the tipi, it's like a sauna. I get my backpack organised, including any food and kit I need for the day, cover the fire to keep it low, but alive and walk thirty minutes to the school. There are twelve of us on the course, of all ages, and we've just finished mountaineering. We're about to start whitewater kayaking.

I've had a few hairy moments. Once I was on the hills when the weather turned bad and I became disoriented, but thanks to Mum's training, I knew I had to keep a cool head. My classmates and I recently had al two-day test in horrible weather. (3) ___________.  However, I'm aware that I need to keep my wits about me and be prepared.

My friends used to love coming to our home and running wild with me, so they are used to the way I live. I hope some of them will visit me soon.

People ask if I miss the Internet, but I never used to use it much, or watch television. I am sociable, but I have always enjoyed my own company. I use my mobile every few weeks to catch up with friends and my mum, who I usually see once a month.

What I'm doing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it makes me happy. (4) __________-. Until then, I'm happiest sitting by the flickering fire, carving a spoon in perfect silence and watching the stars through the open tipi door.

4. Read the article again. Complete gaps 1-4 in the text with sentences A-E. There is one extra sentence.

(Đọc lại bài viết. Hoàn thành các khoảng trống 1-4 trong văn bản bằng các câu A-E. Còn có thêm một câu.)

A A few people were exhausted and had to be taken off the mountain by the leaders, but I felt comfortable in the mountains and enjoyed the challenge.

(Một số người đã kiệt sức và phải được lãnh đạo đưa xuống núi, nhưng tôi cảm thấy thoải mái khi ở trên núi và thích thú với thử thách.)

B We also travelled abroad regularly, visiting remote tribes and cultures, where we lived for weeks as mum studied food and recipes to write about.

(Chúng tôi cũng thường xuyên đi du lịch nước ngoài, thăm các bộ lạc và nền văn hóa xa xôi, nơi chúng tôi sống hàng tuần trong khi mẹ nghiên cứu về các món ăn và công thức nấu ăn để viết về chúng.)

C I'd like to see more people look after the land and not be scared of getting outside, getting wet, learning how to survive. When my studies are over, I'll move the tent back to mum's house.

(Tôi muốn thấy nhiều người hơn nữa chăm sóc đất đai và không sợ ra ngoài, bị ướt, học cách sinh tồn. Khi học xong, tôi sẽ chuyển lều về nhà mẹ.)

D Eating things in nature is not something to play around with - if you make a mistake it can be quite a serious one. I sometimes eat too much of something and I get a stomach ache.

(Ăn những thứ trong tự nhiên không phải là thứ để đùa giỡn - nếu bạn mắc lỗi thì đó có thể là một lỗi khá nghiêm trọng. Đôi khi tôi ăn quá nhiều thứ gì đó và bị đau bụng.)

E There's usually some fire left from the previous day, so the fire is soon blazing while I have cereal for breakfast. I collect wood for later in the day, then I wash at the river.

(Thường còn sót lại một ít lửa từ hôm trước nên lửa sẽ sớm bùng lên trong khi tôi ăn ngũ cốc cho bữa sáng. Tôi kiếm củi để dùng trong ngày, sau đó tôi tắm rửa ở sông.)

2. Read and listen to Part 1 of a vlog post. Why does the vlogger want to tidy her room?

(Đọc và nghe Phần 1 của một bài đăng vlog. Tại sao vlogger muốn dọn phòng của cô ấy?)

Part 1

Welcome fellow teens to my video blog. Today's vlog is called 'How to tidy your room in ten minutes!" I'm sure all of you know what I'm talking about- your room's a total nightmare. It looks as if a bomb has exploded. There's loads of dirty washing-in fact the whole floor is covered. There's no space anywhere. You have plenty of clothes, but you don't wear half of them because you can't find them. Most of them are in a pile because there are not enough drawers to put them in. You've had a number of opportunities to tidy your room but you haven't, and now the very cool new friend you like is coming round. Very few of your friends know what a slob you are and you want to keep it like that. You don't have much time, so here are a few speed-cleaning tips.

1. Read a review of the Hobbiton movie set and answer the questions.

(Đọc bài phê bình về bộ phim Hobbiton và trả lời các câu hỏi.)

• Where is it located? (Nó nằm ở đâu?)

• What did the tourists think of it? (Du khách nghĩ gì về nó?)

• Would you like to go there? (Bạn muốn đến đó?)

A hobbit fan's PARADISE

If you're a fan of The Hobbit movies, you'll love this Hobbiton tour. I was on a family holiday with my parents and my sister in New Zealand. The whole family are fans of The Hobbit movies and we've seen every one of them, so we went to visit the Hobbiton movie set which is located on a sheep farm. It's a popular tourist spot-all the tourists take hundreds of photos, and so did we! There are forty-four Hobbit holes, and I think we visited all of them. Each Hobbit hole is different and has a round brightly painted door. A team of four gardeners keep the village looking neat and tidy. There were two places to eat and drink: The Shire's Rest Café and The Green Dragon Inn, and we stopped at both places! In fact, the tour ended at the Green Dragon Inn. It was exactly like in the film and the whole time we were there, we were expecting Bilbo Baggins to walk in! My sister and I had had ginger lemonade. There were other drinks like tea and hot chocolate, but we were really thirsty. Mum and Dad had tea and cookies. Mum was so hungry that she wanted another cookie but we didn't have time.

1. Read VIỆT NAM TODAY. How similar or different do you think the situation in your country is?

(Hãy đọc VIỆT NAM HÔM NAY. Bạn nghĩ tình hình ở nước bạn giống hay khác nhau như thế nào?)

VIỆT NAM TODAY

Dormitories (Dorms)

• Most Vietnamese universities provide accommodation for first-year students in university-owned dorms, on or near the campus.

• There is often a supervisor, whose job is to maintain order and support students with everyday issues.

• Rooms in these dorms are generally small, and in most cases, bills are included in the rental price.

• Between 2022 and 2023, the average cost of renting a room in dorms in Việt Nam was about 400,000 - 800,000 VND per month.

Tạm dịch:

VIỆT NAM HÔM NAY

Ký túc xá (Ký túc xá)

• Hầu hết các trường đại học ở Việt Nam đều cung cấp chỗ ở cho sinh viên năm thứ nhất trong ký túc xá của trường, trong hoặc gần khuôn viên trường.

• Thường có một người giám sát, công việc của họ là duy trì trật tự và hỗ trợ học sinh trong các vấn đề hàng ngày.

• Phòng ở những ký túc xá này thường nhỏ và trong hầu hết các trường hợp, hóa đơn đã được bao gồm trong giá thuê.

• Từ năm 2022 đến năm 2023, giá thuê phòng ký túc xá trung bình ở Việt Nam khoảng 400.000 - 800.000 đồng/tháng.

2. Read the comments made by first-year university students. Decide if they refer to advantages or disadvantages of living in dorms. Then compare with a partner.

(Đọc nhận xét của sinh viên đại học năm thứ nhất. Quyết định xem họ có đề cập đến lợi thế hay bất lợi của việc sống trong ký túc xá hay không. Sau đó so sánh với một đối tác.)

1 Freedom! (Tự do!)

2 It's impossible to get any studying done.

(Không thể nào học xong được.)

3 I'm exhausted. There are parties every night.

(Tôi kiệt sức rồi. Có những bữa tiệc mỗi đêm.)

4 There's a supervisor we can talk to if we have any problems.

(Có người giám sát mà chúng tôi có thể trao đổi nếu có vấn đề gì.)

5 Rules, rules, rules! Keep quiet, clean up, no visitors.

(Quy tắc, quy tắc, quy tắc! Giữ im lặng, dọn dẹp, không có khách.)

6 We all help each other out. I've made so many new friends.

(Tất cả chúng tôi đều giúp đỡ lẫn nhau. Tôi đã có thêm rất nhiều bạn mới.)

3. Read the essay on living in dorms. In pairs, decide which advantages and disadvantages from Exercise 2 the author mentions. Which one is NOT included?

(Đọc bài viết về cuộc sống ở ký túc xá. Làm việc theo cặp, quyết định những ưu điểm và nhược điểm từ Bài tập 2 mà tác giả đề cập đến. Cái nào KHÔNG được bao gồm?)

It is very common for young people beginning university to choose to live together with other students in dorms. Although there are several potential downsides to this communal way of living, there are also numerous benefits.

One of the most convincing arguments for dorms is that they allow students to experience independent living in a safe place with a strong sense of community. Having never lived alone, most new students appreciate this supportive environment. In the same way, the presence of an official supervisor is likely to be reassuring for students and their parents. Yet another plus is that dorms are usually very convenient because they are located on or close to university campuses. This allows residents to save time and money.

Despite these clear advantages, there are also considerable drawbacks. The first downside is that the rooms tend to be very small and bathrooms may sometimes have to be shared. Being full of young people, dorms can also be very noisy. This can make them difficult places to study in. Likewise, parties and late nights are common, and can interfere with students' academic progress.

All things considered, there are pros and cons to living in dorms. Certainly, residents need to be self-disciplined in order to successfully balance study and social life. Personally, I imagine the benefits of living closely with other students outweigh the drawbacks.

Tạm dịch:

Việc những người trẻ mới bắt đầu học đại học chọn sống cùng với các sinh viên khác trong ký túc xá là điều rất bình thường. Mặc dù có một số nhược điểm tiềm tàng đối với lối sống chung này nhưng cũng có rất nhiều lợi ích.

Một trong những lập luận thuyết phục nhất về ký túc xá là chúng cho phép sinh viên trải nghiệm cuộc sống độc lập ở một nơi an toàn với ý thức cộng đồng mạnh mẽ. Chưa bao giờ sống một mình, hầu hết sinh viên mới đều đánh giá cao môi trường hỗ trợ này. Tương tự như vậy, sự hiện diện của một người giám sát chính thức có thể sẽ khiến học sinh và phụ huynh của họ yên tâm. Một điểm cộng nữa là ký túc xá thường rất thuận tiện vì nằm trong hoặc gần khuôn viên trường đại học. Điều này giúp cư dân tiết kiệm thời gian và chi phí.

Bên cạnh những ưu điểm rõ ràng này, cũng có những hạn chế đáng kể. Nhược điểm đầu tiên là các phòng có xu hướng rất nhỏ và đôi khi có thể phải dùng chung phòng tắm. Vì đông người trẻ nên ký túc xá cũng có thể rất ồn ào. Điều này có thể khiến nơi đây trở thành nơi học tập khó khăn. Tương tự như vậy, các bữa tiệc và đêm khuya thường xuyên xảy ra và có thể cản trở tiến độ học tập của học sinh.

Xét cho cùng thì việc sống trong ký túc xá đều có những ưu và nhược điểm. Chắc chắn, cư dân cần phải tự giác kỷ luật để cân bằng thành công việc học tập và đời sống xã hội. Cá nhân tôi cho rằng lợi ích của việc sống gần gũi với các sinh viên khác sẽ lớn hơn những hạn chế.

4. Discuss the questions.

(Thảo luận các câu hỏi.)

1 What is the author's opinion of dorms?

(Quan điểm của tác giả về ký túc xá là gì?)

2 Would you like to live in this type of student accommodation? Why?/Why not?

(Bạn có muốn sống trong loại nhà trọ sinh viên này không? Tại sao tại sao không?)

4. Read the text and answer the questions.

(Đọc đoạn văn và trả lời các câu hỏi.)

In recent years, more people are moving to big cities in search of better job opportunities and a higher standard of living. However, there are several drawbacks to this trend.

One of the most obvious disadvantages of urbanization is the pressure on city infrastructure. As cities grow, their roads and public transport systems can experience congestion and delays. In addition, a large number of vehicles and industrial activities can result in increased pollution levels, which can cause negative health problems for urban residents. Another possible drawback of urbanization is social problems such as the gap between the rich and the poor. Housing can become unaffordable for lower-income families and cause them to live in slums or poor-condition residential areas while other higher-income families live in high-quality living spaces.

Urbanization can also have negative impacts on mental health. The hustles and bustles in cities can be uncomfortable for some people, which may lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. In addition, the cities may lack green spaces and natural environments for citizens to relax and unwind. Finally, urbanization can potentially result in the loss of historic and cultural i ural identity. As cities grow and modernize, there would be more demand for housing and some historic and cultural places of a city might be destroyed to make room for new housing plans.

1. What is the first downside of urbanization?

(Nhược điểm đầu tiên của đô thị hóa là gì?)

2. Why does urbanization result in the widening gap between the rich and the poor?

(Tại sao đô thị hóa lại làm gia tăng khoảng cách giàu nghèo?)

3. How does urbanization affect residents' mental health?

(Đô thị hóa ảnh hưởng đến sức khỏe tâm thần của người dân như thế nào?)

4. What may happen to the historic and cultural places in big cities due to urbanization?

(Điều gì có thể xảy ra với các địa điểm lịch sử, văn hóa ở các thành phố lớn do đô thị hóa?)

1. Complete the text with townscape and landscape features in the box.

(Hoàn thành bài khóa với bằng cách điền các đặc điểm về cảnh quan thị trấn và phong cảnh trong hộp.)

My Everyday Blog

I just had to write today about the latest urban development plans. Have you read them? They want to knockdown some 200-year-old houses and use the land to build ... yes, you guessed! A (1) housing estate with 100 modern homes. I know there’s a shortage of housing in our town, but it's not as if they're getting rid of a (2) _____ with houses in a terrible condition - these are beautiful old buildings! And what about the old

school? Surely that's a (3) _____? It should be turned into a museum, not destroyed!

Luckily, it's not all bad news. At the moment, the river is a real mess, but the council are finally going to clean it up. After they've removed all the rubbish, it will be a (4) _____ again, not a slow, dirty one. They're going to build a new pedestrian (5) _____ over the water so people can cross the river easily and a (6) _____ that will serve international food and be family-friendly. They're also building a new (7) _____ with over fifty shops, mostly for clothes.

So what do you think? Comment below!

These new houses will spoil the area completely. There’s a (8) _____ from the top of the hill looking down over the town at the moment, which people come from all over to see...but soon it’ll just be rows of houses.

I think they should build the development on the other side of town.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I've heard they want to build a (9) _____ so boats can go right through the town centre. Is that true? I hope not! We don't live in Venice!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The shopping centre is a terrible idea. Now everyone goes to the shops round the old (10) _____, and we have a busy town centre. If people start to shop by the river instead, many places in the centre may end up closing, which would be a disaster!

 Read the extracts from city guides and choose the correct answers A - C.

(Đọc các đoạn trích sau từ hướng dẫn từ thành phố và chọn các đáp án đúng A – C.)

Brazil's cities combine some of South America's most beautiful beaches with vibrant culture and (1) __B__ streets.

Get lost in the quaint little (2) _____ of Seville’s Santo Cruz district.

Many of Amsterdam’s budget hotels are located in the (3) _____ area close to Central Station.

Visit the (4) _____ old town in Lisbon and enjoy its many wonderful buildings.

Bilbao’s centre has undergone huge urban (5) _____ and is now home to the Guggenheim Museum.

For (6) _____ architecture, visit Carcassonne in France. The town is built on a hillside, surrounding an old castle.

Ibiza's (7) _____ nightlife includes some of the largest and most famous nightclubs in the world.

1. A inner                    B. bustling                   C. nightlife

2. A. backstreets          B. cities                       C. nightlife

3. A. square                 B. urban                      C. neighbourhood

4. A. urban                  B. building                  C. picturesque

5. A. scenery               B. development          C. neighbourhood

6. A. medieval             B. shabby                    C. quaint

7. A. delicious             B. charming                C. vibrant

1. Read the text and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

(Đọc bài khóa rồi xác định xem các câu bên dưới là đúng hay sai.)

Tiny houses

Humans have always traditionally lived in tiny homes, such as caves, huts and cabins. However, later bigger started to be seen as better. However, in the last decade or so, there is a growing liny house movement, tiny houses are very small homes and the reasons for choosing them are as diverse as the buildings themselves.

For some people, the choice is purely financial, as they either can’t afford a bigger house or they want to remain debt-free. Most owners therefore do not need a mortgage or only need a small loan to build them, so they are able to spend their money on other things. For many young people this is a huge attraction. I’d just got my first job and money was tight,’ says Lidia. ‘Buying a tiny house was the best option for me since rents were so high.’

Tiny houses are also considerably cheaper to run than the average house, since energy bills are far lower. Although Amanda and Simon struggled to get rid of many of their belongings before moving to their tiny home, they found it had unexpected bonuses. ‘Living more minimally gave us the financial freedom we sought and enabled us to prioritise better and set new personal goals. We grew as individuals,’ they explain.

Another advantage is that, compared to standard houses, tiny homes can be easy to build. You can buy kits online or design your own. Thirteen-year-old Luke did just that-he planned and built his house with the money he earned from doing chores for neighbours and family. It cost $1,500 and is about 1.68 metres wide and three metres long. In the future, he plans to build a mobile tiny home to live in while he studies.

Tiny living might not be for everyone, but it has many attractions. You can live a happier life with more freedom, save money and know you're not doing it at the cost of the environment.

1. People tend to live in tiny houses for similar reasons.

2. Lidia didn't want to rent somewhere to live because it cost too much.

3. For Simon and Amanda, the main benefit of tiny living was having fewer things.

4. Living in a tiny house, owners can have more time for their personal goals.

5. A teenager has designed a tiny home which he paid for with his own money.

2. Choose a word that can replace the words in bold in the text.

(Chọn một từ có thể thay thế các từ in đậm trong bài đọc.)

1. mortgage

A. cash                        B. loan

2. tight

A. small                       B. big

3. considerably

A. much                      B. less

4. minimally

A. simply                    B. to the full

5. prioritise

A. give an example     B. organize