VOCABULARY

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions.

PASSAGE 1

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the questions.

We often hear of the harm of social media on teens, especially on their mental health. Our latest research on young girls and young boys, however, has revealed that social media is not always negative for young people. In some cases, we found that it can positively influence their health and well-being.

For our study, we explored how teenagers use social media, and how they think it impacts their health and well-being. To do this, we interviewed eighty-four participants from the United Kingdom. First, the teenagers shared examples of health-related posts that they used on social media. For example, they shared some posts about smoothie recipes, a workout, or a celebrity’s post. Second, they discussed the types of social media posts to which they paid no attention. Then, we asked them about how they used social media as part of their daily lives, and how they thought it affected their health.

The results showed that social media often had a positive influence on the young people’s motivation to be physically active. It also helped them make better diet choices. The teenagers learn about different apps they could use to be physically active or track their progress. Moreover, the findings showed that boys and girls interacted with social media differently about health. Boys tended to access health-related information to help them look muscular but not too slim. They also used social media to chat with friends. The girls said that they were wary of fat shaming, and were on constant alert of such posts. They faced the pressure to be skinny. The girls also used social media to find support from friends. They reported that likes, comments, and views on their social media posts also helped them stay motivated to exercise. In addition, the findings revealed that the girls thought carefully about the content they were engaging with online. For instance, they often ignored content that may lead to harm such as images or videos that presented unrealistic workouts or expectations for their bodies.

Overall, while the risks should certainly not be overlooked, our findings show that social media can actually be positive for young people’s health and well-being. We also know from other research that a benefit of social media is that it provides real-time, low-cost information, and support from peers. Empowering young people to use social media safely and responsibly may thus help them continue to have healthy lifestyles.

PASSAGE 2

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the questions.

When was the last time you felt excited about something? Perhaps it was when you got a raise at work, or when you purchased a new car. Maybe it was during a vacation you took with your family. These examples all have one thing in common: They don’t happen very often. If it takes a big event to cause you to become excited about something in your life, you’re unfortunately missing the chance to appreciate it day in and day out. Perhaps you feel there aren’t many things going on to be appreciative for at the moment. In fact, we all can easily find something positive that’s happening in our lives right now if we try to recognize them.

What if just getting your favorite fast-food meal, or taking in the joy we feel when we are around friends was something we gave real value to and fully appreciated? If that were the case, our lives would be much more satisfying and joyous. It could also make a big difference in the way we model behavior for children. By making something fun and sharing with kids big experiences of the moment, we can help them see the value in everyday pleasures. Think of how excited we were as children when we got an ice-cream cone on a hot day or the excitement of a personal accomplishment like an “A” on a test at school. These are the kinds of feelings we can continue to generate on a daily basis if we recognize the value of appreciating what we have as opposed to focusing on what we don’t have.

We can model a sense of appreciation for our children every day. It’s as simple as taking a moment to appreciate a meal we enjoy or a movie we’ve wanted to see, or just appreciating a walk in the park or the positive energy of sharing good times with friends. These may seem like small things to truly appreciate, but they’re not. They’re the little things that create joy and satisfaction throughout our lives.

Think of it this way: If we judge happiness that happens in our life by big events, then we only get to be happy for a relatively small percentage of the time. If we can find joy in the little things and truly appreciate all of the positive aspects of our lives, then we can be happy for a much larger percentage of our days. This, in turn, models appreciation to children to help them grow into adulthood experiencing joy and positiveness for a larger percentage of their own lives. That would be something we could appreciate as well.

(Adapted from www.psychologytoday.com)

WORD FORMATION

Complete the text below with the correct form of the words in capitals.

Lake Mungo is a dry lake in the far west of New South Wales, about 760 kilometres west of Sydney. About 50,000 years ago, Lake Mungo held a (28) _____ volume of water. The water (29) _____ at the end of the ice age and the lake has been dry for more than 10,000 years. Today, as a result of sand dune (30) _____, some evidence of a region once home to ancient people and giant (31) _____ animals is exposed. Indigenous Australians belong to the oldest continuous culture on earth. Nowadays, the Paakantji, Mutthi Mutthi, and Ngiyampaa people that live adjacent to Lake Mungo still have strong ties to the land. Lake Mungo is also home to the earliest modern human remains found in Australia, and possibly the world. Mungo Man had been (32) _____ and covered with red ochre. Mungo Lady was cremated more than 40,000 years ago. It is also one of the richest fossil footprint sites ever found.

Đáp án: (28)

Câu 29. The water (APPEAR) _________ at the end of the ice age and the lake has been dry for more than 10,000 years.

Đáp án: (29)

Câu 30. Today, as a result of sand dune (ERODE) _________ , some evidence of a region once home to ancient people is exposed.

Đáp án: (30)

Câu 31. ...and giant (HISTORY) _________ animals is exposed.

Đáp án: (31)

Câu 32. Mungo Man had been (TOMB) _________ and covered with red ochre.

Đáp án: (32)

Câu 33. Write a paragraph (of approximately 150 words) to answer the following question: What are the advantages of sharing housework in the family?

Đáp án: (33)