I. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow. ____________________________ Playing football on the beach, samba dancing at night, relaxing with a delicious ice-cold fruit juice in an outdoor café, meeting sociable, hospitable people: this is what I think of when I remember the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro. ____________________________ Rio is called "The Marvellous City" for a good reason. It is in an extraordinary location in Guanabara Bay, surrounded by spectacular mountains and by impressive sandy beaches facing south onto the Atlantic. The views almost everywhere in the city are breathtaking. ____________________________ There is something to do in Rio 24/7. In the morning, you can visit the centre with its museums and picturesque, historic churches or go up Mount Christ with Corcovado to see the eye-catching statue of Christ with its stunning views. In the afternoon, you can relax on the beach and watch the world go by or join in a football game with the welcoming, good-natured locals. Or you can go to the striking Maracana Stadium to watch the professionals play. At night, there is music and dancing everywhere. Even if you are not a brilliant samba dancer, you will have an amazing time. ____________________________ Of course, Rio does have problems. There are enormous areas of depressing slums on the hills around the city and violent crime can be a problem, though the situation has improved recently. However, for me Rio is one of the most fascinating places in the world and Cariocas the warmest people, so I cannot wait to go back!
Task 1. Match the paragraphs (1-4) with the subheadings (A-D), and write the answer in each blank.
A. The city's landscape B. opinion of the city C. Memories of Rio D. What to do in Rio
Task 2. Match the adjectives in italic in the passage with the meaning (A-C). Write the answers in each group.
A. Very attractive to look at: _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
B. Fantastic or very good: ____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
C. Friendly and pleasant: ____________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
Task 3. Which of the adjectives do we use to describe people and which to describe food? Write the answers in each group. A. People: ________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
B. Food: _________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________
II. Read the text, and identify whether the statements are true (T), false (F), or not given (NG).
City is often described as a large and a highly populated area. Therefore, city life is living in a large a large populated, technologically advanced area. According to World Health Organization, 54% of the world's population lived in urban areas by 2014. A city is technologically more advanced and complex than the countryside. Therefore, there are many advantages in living in a city. Technology makes our lives easy in a city. Cities have many facilities like high-quality hospitals, educational institutes, banks, shops and other business institutes. This makes our life easy as we can access the facilities provided these institutes and organizations without delay. Moreover, many employment opportunities are available in the city as many majorbusiness institutes, factories are located here. City life also gives us access to developed infrastructure facilities, like water, electricity, telecommunication and transportation facilities. However, we can also notice a difference in the behavior of the people living in the city. City dwellers tend to be busier, ambitious and distant compared to the village folk.
T F
1. The majority of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2014.
2. Modern facilities in the city make life easier
3. A city is culturally more advanced and complex than the countryside.
4. Cities provide access to the modem facilities but they are often delayed.
5. The environment is polluted with dirt, smoke, garbage. and carbon dioxide from factories.
6. Infrastructure facilities include high-quality hospitals, educational institutes, banks, shops and other business institutes.
7. There is a variety of employment opportunities in a city.
8. People in the city and in the countryside have different attitudes toward life.
III.Read the text, and identify whether the statements are true (T), false (F), or not given (NG).
The Statue of Jesus Christ in Vung Tau The enormous 28-metre figure of Jesus gazing across the East Sea with outstretched arms is located at the southern end of Small Mountain. Built in 1971, this giant Jesus rests on a 10 metre-high platform. The interior of the statue is hollow and contains a spiral staircase of 129 steps, ascending from the foot of the statue to its neck. The two shoulders of the figure the balconies, each able to accommodate up to six people, which offer a splendid view of surrounding landscape. This is the largest sculpture in Southern Viet Nam. Recent construction of a pathway has made the 30-minute hike up the mountain more pleasant and the panoramic view along the way is magnificent.
T F
1. The Statue faces towards the East Sea.
2. People can climb up inside the statue to its highest point.
3. People can stand on the balconies inside the shoulders of the statue to view the whole city of Vung Tau.
4. Recent construction of a pathway has made the view of the surrounding landscape more splendid.
5. The statue is thirty-eight metres high from the ground.
6. Only a small number of people can climb up the staircase at the same time.
7. This is the largest sculpture in Viet Nam.
8. It may take you thirty minutes to walk from the ground to the top of the mountain.
IV.Read the passage, and answer the questions.
City Life or Country Life? Which place is the better - the city or the country? Two American teenagers talk about where they live. Leo, 16: I live in New York and it’s great. There are huge shopping centres and interesting places to go. My mum loves all the art galleries and museums, but I like Central Park where I go skateboarding. It's big enough to get away from the noise and traffic. The country isn't for me. It isn’t exciting enough for people of my age. Most people don't live close enough to their friends to have enough a good social life. It's too quiet and too boring. City life is the best. Amelie, 14: I live on a ranch in the country, in Colorado. In the summer, we go hiking in the mountains, and in the winter I go snowboarding. I really like it because it's relaxing and quiet. I can’t imagine life in the city. It isn't safe enough to walk around alone and it’s too dangerous to cycle in the streets because of the traffic. Overall, I think the city is too noisy, too dirty, too crowded and too expensive. I prefer country life!
1. What does Leo like about New York? _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. What doesn't he like about the country? _______________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does Amelie like doing in the summer? _______________________________________________________________________________________
4. What does she like doing in the winter? _______________________________________________________________________________________
5. What doesn't she like about the city? _______________________________________________________________________________________
V. Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.
One of the World's Best Cities With a population of about 2.6 million people, Vancouver is the largest city in Western Canada. Vancouver is in the southwest of Canada, and it is only a few hours of driving away from the American border. Vancouver is popular because it combines so many things. It is a huge, modern city. On the other hand, it is also one of North America's most beautiful areas. The natural beauty around Vancouver is famous all around the world. Vancouver is right next to the Rocky Mountains, so it is wonderful for skiing and snowboarding. There aren't the only winter sports you can do there. If you can name a winter sport, then you probably do that sport in Vancouver. After all, the 2010 Winter Olympic were there. Vancouver is also great for hiking, jogging, and skateboarding. It even has beaches. The beaches aren’t the best and in the world, but they are clean and pretty. Another place that you have to visit in Vancouver is Stanley Park. This is a public park that is a stone's throw from downtown. However, the park is completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. The nature in Stanley Park is beautiful. It is close to downtown, it feels like it is 100 kilometres away. The park also has playgrounds, gardens, beaches, tennis courts, and even an aquarium. Vancouver is something for everybody. It is no wonder that people think it is one of the world's best cities.
1. What does the passage say about Vancouver's beaches?
A. They are the world's best beaches. B. They are terrible beaches. C. They are pretty good beaches. D. Nobody goes to those beaches.
2. Which of the following is not near Vancouver?
A. The Rocky Mountains B. The American border C. The Pacific Ocean D. The Atlantic Ocean
3. What does the sentence "It is close to downtown, but it feels like it is 100 kilometres away" in paragraph 4 mean?
A. Stanley Park is 100 kilometres long. B. Stanley Park is close to downtown, but it feels like a very different place. C. Stanley Park is far from downtown, but it feels like it is very close. D. Stanley Park is more than 100 years old.
4. Which of the following is NOT popular in Vancouver?
A. football B. winter sports C. skateboarding D. jogging
5. What could replace the phrase "a stone's throw" in paragraph 4?
A. an act of throwing a stone B. a little bit long distance C. moving very quickly D. a short distance
Read the following passage and choose the best answers.
Philadelphia is a city known for many things. It is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and it was also the first capital of the United States. But one fact about Philadelphia is not so well-known: it is home to nearly 3,000 murals painted on the sides of homes and buildings around the city. In fact, it is said that Philadelphia has more murals than any other city in the world, with the exception of Rome. How did this come to be?
More than 20 years ago, a New Jersey artist named Jane Golden started a program pairing troubled youth with artists to paint murals on a few buildings around the city. From this small project, something magical happened. The young people involved helped to create magnificent pieces of art, but there were other, perhaps more important benefits. The young people learned to collaborate and get along with many different kinds of people during the various steps required to paint and design a mural. They learned to be responsible, because they needed to follow a schedule to make sure the murals were completed. They also learned to take pride in their community. Take a walk around some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Philadelphia, full of broken windows and littered front steps, and you will find beautiful works of art on the sides and fronts of buildings.
Special buses take tourists to different parts of the city to see the various murals, which range from huge portraits of historical heroes, to cityscapes, to scenes depicting the diverse ethnic groups that call Philadelphia home.
As a result of its success, the mural program created by Jane Golden has now become the nation’s largest public art program and a model for other cities throughout the country seeking to help troubled youth.
1. The main focus of the passage is
A an art program designed to help troubled youth.
B the many tourists who come to Philadelphia to see murals.
C the reasons why Philadelphia is a unique city.
D how Jane Golden came up with the idea to start a mural program.
2. As used in paragraph 1, the phrase “it is said” suggests that the author is
A knowingly misleading the reader. B using a quote from someone else.
C referring to something that is widely believed, but may be untrue.
D referring to something that he or she does not personally believe.
3. Based on information in the passage, the author most likely believes that
A there are too many murals in Philadelphia.
B the mural program was an inspirational idea.
C all troubled youth should learn how to paint.
D every city in the country should adopt the mural program.
4. According to the information in the passage, the author believes the two best reasons for other cities to adopt the mural program are to
A beautify their city and draw tourists.
B help troubled youth and beautify their city.
C have as many murals as Philadelphia and help troubled youth.
D draw tourists and surpass Philadelphia in terms of number of murals.
1 A
2 C
3 B
4 B