tài liệu thi công chức anh văn 2014 reading comprehension

The legal limit for driving after drinking alcohol is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, when tested.. Some people reach their limit after only three standard drinks.I

III Reading comprehension:

we help reduce this form of pollution

A layer of carbon dioxide and other gases traps heat and keeps the earth at the righttemperature This is called the greenhouse effect By burning fossil fuels we are producingtoo much carbon dioxide, which is causing temperatures to rise gradually This globalwarming could lead to dramatic changes in climate

A layer of a gas called zone protects the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.Certain chemicals used in industry, such as CFCs, have caused a hole to develop in theozone layer The increased levels of ultraviolet radiation damage plants and sea life, andincrease the risk of skin cancer

Most of the energy we use to heat and light buildings, run machines, etc is made byburning fossil fuels This will eventually run out, so we need to use more alternative sources

of energy, such as wind and solar power that are renewable and do not pollute the air Weshould also avoid wasting energy by using less electricity and water and insulating ourhouses

We are destroying our forests, which produce oxygen and provide habitats foranimals and birds Deforestation also allows rain to wash away the soil, making the landuseless for growing things We pollute water by dumping waste from factories and houses,and by accidentally spilling chemicals and oil Chemical fertilizers damage rivers and lakes

by causing a layer of tiny plants, called algae, to cover the surface of the water Organicfarming does not harm the water supply

Burying rubbish in landfills can let harmful chemicals leak through the ground intorivers, and it uses a lot of land Burning rubbish adds to global warming By sorting outrubbish for recycling, we can cut down on waste

1 The passage is mainly about Environmental problems.

A Man and Nature

B How we should use the exciting sources of energy

C Environmental problems

D Rubbish recycling

2 Acid rain is caused by gases emitted from car exhausts and factories.

A gases emitted from car exhausts and factories.

B The burning of rubbish

C The burying of rubbish

D Ultraviolet radiation

3 Skin cancer may be caused by Ultraviolet radiation.

A the global warming

B Acid rain

C Air pollution

D Ultraviolet radiation.

4 We should use more alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar power

because they Will not run out and do not pollute the air.

A are cheaper

B Will not run out and do not pollute the air.

C Are easier to get

D Can be recycled

5 If we destroy forests, Wildlife and farming will be affected.

A animals and birds will have no place to live

B Rivers and lakes will be polluted

C Wildlife and farming will be affected.

D Our wood supply will run out

Passage 2:

In his book “The Making of the President”, 1960, Theodore White made someinsightful observations about the television debates between Kennedy and Nixon .Hecontended that the debates had to be analyzed within the context of the explosion in the field

of the communications During the previous debate, Americans had purchased televisionsets at a phenomenal rate By the evening of the debate, 88 percent of all American familiesowned a television set, and a very large percentage turned into the debate

The format was really less like a debate than like a press conference Each candidatewas allowed an opening statement of eight minutes, and then two and a half minutes to

respond to each question proposed by a panel There was no provision for dialogue betweenthe candidates As White observed, despite this format, Nixon proceeded as though he was

in a personal debates with Kennedy, trying to score points from the reporters on the panel

In contrast, Kennedy spoke directly to the television viewers, concentrating on creating adynamic and appealing image in order to influence them

Later Kennedy claimed that the debate were the single most important factor in theelection In White’s view the debates did change the direction of the campaign Fromresearch studies, Including Gallup Poll, it appeared that Kennedy had gained at least 2million votes as a result of the televised programs When you consider that Kennedy won by

a little more than 100,000 votes, the debates had to have made the difference It has beenclear to candidates since then that television debates are a very powerful tool

6 What is the author’s main point?

A Television should be removed from politics

B The Gallup Poll was an accurate predictor of the 1960 election

C Kennedy’s style in the TV debate affected the outcome of the election

D Eight-eight percent of all Americans owned televisions in 1960

7 How many votes did Kennedy gain as a result of the debate?

8 The author mentions all the following as characteristics of the debate except:

A A large television audience

B A dialogue between the candidates

C An opening statement by each candidate

D Questions by a panel of reporters

9 The word “dynamic” in line 16 is closest in meaning to

The legal limit for driving after drinking alcohol is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, when tested But there is no sure way of telling how much you can drinkbefore you reach this limit It varies with person depending on your weight, your sex, if you’ve just eaten and what sort of drinks you’ve had Some people reach their limit after only three standard drinks.

In fact, your driving ability can be affected by just one or two drinks Even if you’re below the legal limit, you could be still taken to court if a police officer thinks your driving has been affected by alcohol

It takes about an hour for the body to get rid of the alcohol in one standard drink So,

if you have a heavy drinking session in the evening you might find that your driving ability

is still affected the next morning, or you could even find that you’re still over the legal limit

In addition, if you’ve had a few drinks at lunchtime, another one or two drinks in the early evening may well put you over the legal limit

In the test with professional drivers, the more alcohol drinks they had had the more certain they were that they could drive a test course through a set of movable posts… and the less able they were to do it!

So the only way to be sure you’re safe is not to drink at all

Alcohol is a major cause of road traffic accidents One in three of the drivers killed inroad accidents have levels of alcohol which are over the legal limit, and road accidents after drinking are the biggest cause of death among young men More than half of the people stopped by the police to take a breathalyzer test have a blood alcohol concentration of more than the legal limit

It is important to remember that driving after you’ve been drinking doesn’t just affectyou If you’re involved in an accident in affects a lot of other people as well, not least the person you might kill or injure

1 The amount of alcohol a person can drink before reaching the legal limit is

a 800 mg of pure alcohol,

b approximately three standard drinks

c Different for different people.

d Exactly proportional to body weight

2 When might you be taken to court by the police for drinking and driving?

a When you have driven a vehicle after drinking any alcohol at all

b When you have drunk at least three drinks before driving.

c Only when tests show that you have 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood

d When the police think that you have been drinking from the way you are driving.

3 When you have been drinking heavily in the evening, the next day you might be

a still drunk until lunchtime

b unable to drive until the evening

c Over the legal limit in the morning.

d unable to drive all day

4 Alcohol is a major cause of road accidents in that

a most drivers who die in these accidents have been drinking

b More young men die in drink-related accidents than in any other way.

c Drinking affects people’s eye-sight

d One in three drivers drink heavily

5 What does this article urge you to remember particularly about driving after drinking?

a You may be taken to court by the police

b You are putting yourself in danger

c You may hurt another road-user

d You put many other people at risk.

Passage 2:

Computer programmer David Jones earns £ 35,000 a year by designing newcomputer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a cheque card Instead,

he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18

The 16-year-old boy works for a small firm in Liverpool, where the problem of mostyoung people of his age is finding a job David’s firm releases two new games for theexpanding home computer market each month

But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money Despite his salary,earned by investing new programs within tight schedules, with bonus payments and profitsharing, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage, or obtain credit cards

He lives with his parents in their council house in Liverpool, where his father is a busdriver His company has to pay £ 150 a month in taxi fares to get him the five miles to workand back every day because David cannot drive.

David got his job with the Liverpool based company four months ago, a year afterleaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop “I got the jobbecause the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs”, he said “Isuppose £ 35,000 sounds a lot but actually that’s being pessimistic I hope it will come tomore than that this year” He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and giveshis mother £20 a week But, most of his spare time is spent working

“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school,” he said “But I hadbeen studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time I knew what Iwanted to do and never considered staying on at school Most people in this business arefairly young, anyway.”

David added: “I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is apossibility You never know when the market might disappear:

6 Why is David different from other young people of his age?

A He earns an extremely high salary

B He is not unemployed

C He doesn’t go out much

D He lives at home with his parents

7 David’s greatest problem is ………

A making the banks treat him as an adult

B investing computer games

C spending his salary

D learning to drive

8 He was employed by the company because ………

A he had worked in a computer shop

B he had written some computer programs

C he works very hard

D he had learnt to use computers at school

9 He left school after taking O-levels because ………

A he did not enjoy school

B he wanted to work with computers and staying at school did not help him

C he was afraid of getting too old to start computing

D he wanted to earn a lot of money

10 Why does David think he might retire early?

A You have to be young to write computer programs

B He wants to stop working when he is a millionaire

C He thinks computer games might not always sell so well

D He thinks his firm might go bankrupt

Passage 1:

Unlike the eye, the ear has no lid; therefore noise penetrates without protection Loudnoises instinctively signal danger to any organism with a hearing mechanism, includinghuman beings In response, heartbeat and respiration accelerate In fact, there is a generalincrease in functioning brought about by the flow of adrenaline released in response to fear

Because noise is unavoidable in a complex, industrial society, we are constantlyresponding in the same ways that we could respond to danger Recently, researchers haveconcluded that noise and our response may be much more than an annoyance It may be aserious threat to physical and psychological health and well-being, causing damage not onlythe ear and brain but also to the heart and stomach We have long known that hearing loss isAmerica’s number one nonfatal health problem, but now we are learning that some of uswith heart disease and ulcers may be victims of noise as well

1 According to the passage, people response to loud noises in the same ways that theyresponse to

A noise may pose a serious threat to our physical and psychological health

B Loud noises signal danger

C Hearing loss is America’s number nonfatal health problem

D The ear is not like the eye

4 Noise is

A not a serious problem today

B America’s number one problem

C an unavoidable problem in an industrial society

D a complex problem

5 What was the topic of the paragraph that preceded this passage?

Passage 2

Let children learn to judge their own work A child learning to talk does not learn bybeing corrected at the same time: if corrected too much, he will stop talking He notices athousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language thosearound him use Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like otherpeople In the same way the children learn to do all the other thing s They learn to dowithout being taught – to – talk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle – compare their ownperformances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the necessary changes.But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistake himself, let alonecorrect them We do it all for him We act as if we thought that he would never notice amistake unless it was pointed out for him or correct it unless he was made to Soon hebecame dependent on teachers Let him do it himself Let him work out, with the help ofother children if he wants it What this word says, what the answer is to that problem,whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not

If it is the matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give himthe answer book Let him correct his own papers Why should we teachers waste time onsuch routine work? Our job should be to help children when he tells us that he can’t find theway to get the right answer Let’s end all this nonsense of grades exams, marks Let usthrow them all out, and let children learn what all educated people must someday learn, how

to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know

Let them get on this job in the same way that seems most sensible to them, with ourhelp as school and used for the rest of one’s life is nonsense in a word as complicated andrapidly changing as ours Anxious parents and teacher say, “but suppose they fail to learnsomething essential, something they will need to get on in the world?” don’t worry, if it isessential, they will go out into the world and learn it.

6 What does author think is the best way for children to learn things?

A By copying what other people do

B By making mistakes and having them corrected.

C By asking questions

D By answering questions

7 What does the author think teachers should NOT do?

A They give children correct answer

B They point out children’s mistakes for them.

C They allow children to mark their own work,

D They encourage children to copy from one another

8 The passage suggests that learning to speak and to ride a bicycle is………

A not really an important skill

B more important than other skills

C basically different from learning to do other things

D basically the same as learning other skills.

9 Exams grades, marks should be abolished because children’s progress should only beestimated by ………

A educated persons

B the children themselves

C teachers

D parents

10 The author fears that children will grow up into adults who are ………

A too dependent on others

B too critical of themselves

C unable to think for themselves

D unable to use basic skills

Passage 1:

TRAVELING BY AIR

Air travel is the most common way in which people travel long distance.International airports are so busy that airplanes are taking off and landing every fewminutes They can carry as many as 500 passengers at a time Flying is the fastest way tofar-off destinations

The very first human flight was made in a balloon built by two French brothers, in

1783 It was able to fly because it contained hot air, which is lighter than cold air Theballoon floated up into the sky just as a piece of paper is blown upwards by the wind Thewind blows balloons, and so they cannot be steered in any one direction Because of this,airships were invented in the mid-1800s There were balloon with engines so that flyingdirection could be controlled Unfortunately, many of these airships caught fire during theflight As a result, they were never used again after the 1930s

It is strange to think that at the beginning of this century, no one had ever flown in anaero plane However a few brave people were making their test flights in gliders A Germaninventor designed the hang-glider in the 1890s His experiments helped to show that aircraftwith wings could be controlled in the air

A few years later, two American brothers built the first aero plane This was, in fact,

a glider fixed with a small engine It was called Flyer I, and had his flight in 1903.Unfortunately, it never flew for longer than a minute Their aero planes improved quickly,however, in 1908, Flyer III flew more than 100 kilometers The next year, a Frenchmanflew from France to England The aero plane he designed formed the shape of the aeroplane that is used today

1 Traveling by air is

A more expensive than traveling by land or by sea

B the fastest way of traveling long distances

C the least common way for people to travel

D the best way to travel to places nearby

2 Balloons were able to stay up in the air because they _

A were filled with cold air B used the wind’s strength

C were lighter than hot air D were filled with hot air

3 The difference between airships and balloons is that airships _.

A had an engine B didn’t catch fire

C used the wind D were safer

4 When using a hang glider in the air, the person would

A sit on top of it B lie across the wings

C stand on top of it D hang underneath it

5 On its first flight, Flyer I stayed in the air for

A just over one kilometer B about one minute

C more than 100 kilometers D over 100 minutes

Passage 2:

Many thousands of children have accidents in their homes As a result, some childrendie The most common accidents are with the fire and hot water Small children often touchpots of boiling water on the stove The pot falls over and the hot water falls on the childrenand burns them Some children like to play with fire They enjoy striking matches orthrowing things on fire to make it burn brightly If the fire gets too big, it gets out of control.Then the house catches fire It is very dangerous to play with matches When a child strikes

a match, the flame soon burns near his fingers Then he drops the match on the floor Manyhouses catch fire in this way Some kinds of clothing burn very easily Many children havebeen badly burned because they have stood too near a fire and their clothing has suddenlycaught fire

Although fire and hot water cause most accidents in the homes, many children cutthemselves with knives Others get an electric shock Some children are made very ill fromtaking their parents’ medicine Many small children have to go to hospital every yearbecause they thought a box of medicine was a box of sweets

There is only one good way to see to it that (to make sure that) accidents do nothappen in the home Do not touch anything that is dangerous

6 What causes most accidents?

A Fire and matches B Fire and hot water

C Pots of boiling water and fat D Big fire which get out of control

7 What do children often do with lighted matches?

A Throwing things on the matches to make them burn brighter