Câu hỏi trắc nghiệm chuyên đề kỹ năng đọc hiểu tiếng Anh

V ĨN H B Á

(Giáo viên Chuyến A nh - Trường Quốc học Huế)

CÂU HỎI TRẮC NGHIỆM

Chuyên ñ

KĨ NĂNG ðỌC HIỂU
(ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS)

TÀI LIỆU ÔN THI ðẠI HỌC

(Tái bản lần thứ nhất)

NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ðẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI


SACBTHAM KHẢO

'

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- ~Coạiiêctìonis ihileadm g, nxb Oxford University Press, 1-98T
Mosaic - A Reading Skills Book, Brenda. WegmanandMDaPnj-ik
Kbezevic, nxb Randon House, Nev/York, 1985
- Read All About It 1&2, Lori Howard, nxb Oxford University Press, 2000;

- The Guardian Weekly, onestopenglish.com
- Reading Comprehension Skills & Strategies Level 7&8, nxb Saddleback
Educational Publishing, 2002
- Reading Comprehension Success, nxb Learning Express, New York, 2009
- Reading Extra, Liz Driscoll, nxb Cambridge University Press
- Advanced Reading Power, Beatrice s. Milulecky and Linda Jeffries, nxb
Pearson Longman, 2007.
- Reading Skills for First Certificate, Malcolm Mann and Taylore-Knowles,
nxb MacMillan
- W hat A W orld 1&2, Milada Broukal, nxb Longman, 2007
- Comprehension 1&2, D’Arcy Adrian and Lewis Lansford, nxb Longman
- Reading Advanced, Rod Ellis & Brian Tomlinson, nxb Oxford University
Press, 1997
- The Glencoe Reader, nxb McGrawHill, 2004
- Longman Preparation Series for the TOEĨC Test, Lin Louheed
- The Heinỉe&Heinỉe TOEFL Test Assistant - Reading, Milada Broukal,
nxb Glendale Community College
- TOEFL Practice Tests 1999-2000, Educational Testing Service,
http://\vww.toef].org
- Building Reading Skills for the TOEFL iBT, 2007
- Advanced E xpert CAE, của Jane Bell vả Roger Gower, nxb Pearson
Longman, 2008
- CAE Result, cùa Kathy Gude and Mary Stephens, nxb Oxford University
Press, 2008
- CAE Practice Test Plus, của Alan Stanton và Susan Morris, nxb Longman,
Ỉ999
- C am bridge CAE Course, của Mary Spratt & Linda B. Taylor, Cambridge
University Press, 1997
- Chuyên San English Language Studies, nxb English Foreign Language
Exam, Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ, các năm từ 2004 ñến 2008

- Các ñề luyện thi tiếng Anh tốt nghiệp phổ thơng tồn Nga (Russian State
Exams) các năm từ 2003 đến 2010.


L Ờ I N Ó I ðẰU
Phẩn “ðọc và Hiểu Văn” là phần khơng thể thiếu trong mọi đề thi Tiếng Anh các cấp.
Dù chì chiếm một tỉ iặ điểm khơng lớn, nhưng phần này khiến cho thí sinh mất nhiều
thời gian suy nghĩ và dề làm cho thí sinh e sợ nếu gặp phải một bãi vãn khó hiểu. Mức
độ khó cùa 'bài văn thể hiện ờ các chỗ: đề tài bàn đến có thể khơng nằm trong kinh
nghiệm sống cùa lứa tuổi học sinh, từ vựng và cấu trúc nàm ngồi vốn hiểu biết, và
cách thức đặt câu hỏi !ắt léo, ñánh bẫy.
Tập sách này là tập hợp những bài văn thuộc các ñề tài nằm trong phạm vi kiến thức
phổ thông. Cách hành vãn của từng bài có thể đơn giàn mà-cũng có thế phức tạp, nhưng
khơng đến độ q rối rắm.
:

Câu hị ì trắc nghiệm dưới mỗi bài đọc thường gồm các loại sau:
li Câu hịi về ý chính: u cầu người đọc phải tóm tắt ñược chủ ñề cơ bản hoặc mục
ñích cùa tác giã, với các dạng mờ ñẩu như sau:
+ What is the main topic of this passage?
+ The best title for the passage is...
+ The main topic for this passage is...
+ What does the author mainly discuss?
+ The main idea of this passage is...

ðể chọn ñược câu trả lời ñúng, học sinh nên:
(1) Lưu ý đến câu chù điểm (thirịng nằm ờ ñẩu mỗi ñoạn văn).
(2) Lưu ý giọng vãn cùa tác già.
(3) ðọc !ưởt qua tồn bài, đặc biệt là câu chù ñiểm, ñể tim những từ ngữ mấu chốt (key
vocabulary) có thể biểu thị thái độ cùa tác giả đối với ñề tài.

(4) ðọc kỹ bài ñể chọn câu trả !ời. Lưu ý rằng chỉ câu chủ điểmkhơng thơichưa đủ
thơng tin để xác định ý chính của bài. Ý chính chĩ cỏ thểđược khái qt hóa sau
khi đọc kỹ tồn bài và theo dõi thái ñộ cùa tác già.
2. Câu hỏi về sự kiện. Loại câu hỏi này yêu cầu học sinhphải trà lời bằng cácthông
tin cụ thể về bài văn.
Câu hịi về sự kiện có dạng là một câu bỏ lừng và bên dưới là 4
có một chọn lựa hồn thành câu bị lừng đúng ý bài vãn.

chọn

lựa, trongđó chỉ

Phần mở đầu của loại câu hịi này thường có dạng sau:
+ According to the article,....
+ The passage states that...
+ The author indicates that...

ðe chọn ñúng câu trả lời cho loại câu hịi này, học sinh cần:
(1) Xác định từ/cụm từ mấu chốt trong câu hòi.
(2) Lướt qua bài văn ñể tìm từ/cụm từ mấu chổt này, hoặc các từ liên quan ñên từ mâu
chốt này.
(3) Sau khi xác ñịnh ñược vị tri của từ/cụm từ mâu chôt trongbài văn,.ñọc kĩ phân bài
văn có chứa cụm từ này đề chọn câu trà lời.
3


Câu hỏi về sự kiện hầu như ln ỉn được hòi theo thứ tự xuất hiện của các sự kiện
trong bài văn. Do đó, cẵu hỏi sự kiện đẩu tiên sẽ nằm gần đầu bài vãn hơn là câu hịi sự
kiện cuối cùng. Hiểu ñược ñiêu này sẽ giúp học sinh làm bài nhanh han vì nêu đang
tìm câu trả lời cho câu hòi số 1, học sinh chỉ cần tìm thơng tin ở đàu bài văn. Trái lại,

nếu đang trả lời câu 5 chẳng hạn, học sinh sẽ nhìn vào phần cuối bài ñọc.

3. Các câu hỏi sự kiện phù ñịnh: ñưa ra 3 phát biều ñúng và một phát biểu sai. Học
sinh phải loại trừ ñược 3 phát biểu đúng, phát biểu sai cịn lại chính là câu phải
chọn để trả lời.
Các câu hịi sự kiện phù định thường có dạng như sau:
+ According to the passage, ali of the following are true EXCEPT...
+ The author mentions aii of the following EXCEPT...

ðê trà !ời các câu hỏi sự kiện phủ ñịnh, học sinh phải:
(1) ðọc kĩ các chọn lựa để xác định vị trí của thơng tin trong bài văn.
(2) ðọc lướt qua bài văn ñể loại trừ 3 chọn lựa có thơng tin khớp với thơng tin trong
bài văn.
(3) Chọn lựa cịn sót lại chính [à câu trã lịi đúng.
4. Câu hỏi suy luận: Thơng tin để trả lịi loại câu hịi này đơi khi khơng được phát
biểu rõ ràng trong bài văn. Học sinh phải suy luận cãn cứ trên nhừng thơng tin
khác, hoặc phải “đọc giừa hai hàng chữ” (read between the lines) mới thấy ý ẩn
tàng của tác giả.
Những câu hòi loại này thường ñược iập văn như sau:
+ While not directly stated, we can infer from the passage that...
+ According to the passage, the author implies that...
+ It can be inferred from paragraph 6 that ...
+ Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

5. Câu hỏi về ngữ nghĩa: Loại câu hòi nảy trác nghiệm vốn từ vựng của học sinh. '
Học sinh phải chọn trong 4 từ cho sẵn một từ ñồng nghĩa với từ dùng trong bài văn.
Các câu hịi ngừ nghĩa thường có dạng như sau;
+ The word “subsequent” in line 19 is closest in meaning to ...
+ The word “varied” in line 2 couid best be replaced'by ...
+ The word “their” in line 20 refers to ...

+ In line 5, the phrase “giant patriarchs” could best be replaced by which of the following?

Hy vọng sau khi kiên trì rèn luyện với các bài tập trong sách này, học sinh sẽ nắm ñược
kĩ năng làm bài và ñạt ñược ñiểm tối ña cho phẩn câu hòi ñọc hiểu văn.
Tập sách này cũng cỏ thể là nguồn tư liệu có ích cho các đồng nghiệp trong việc soạn
bài kiểm tra.
Ngưòi sưu tập và tuyển chọn
Vĩnh Bá


1

THE FAMOUS CUP

It’s only 36 centim eters tall, b u t to fans th ro ugho ut th e world, it
represen ts th e highest achievem ent in football. Every four years, team s
from all over the globe compete to take hom e the FIFA World Cup Tro- phy, yet nobody ever does.
Do you know why? Nobody ever tak es it hom e because the 18-carat
gold trophy is •kept, u n d e r ĩố c k ' anto u rn am e n t receive only a replica. This is to protect the valuable prize
from thieves, who have stolen the World Cup trophy twice in its 75-year
history.
The little trophy h a s certainly had a troubled existence. The original
trophy w as m ade by a French sculptor, Abel LaFleur, and w as called
the “Ju le s Rjmet Clip.” in honor of th e founder of the World C up tou r-^
n a m e n t. Sometime durin g the first three World Cup events (1930, ’34
and ’38), the nam e changed to simply the ‘W orld C up.” Then during
World W ar II, not m uch w as seen or heard of the trophy. It w as being
kept hidden in a shoe box u n d er the bed of Dr. Ottorino B arassi, the
Italian vice-president o f‘FIFA, to prevent it from falling into the h an d s

of the Nazi army.
Although th e trophy m ade :it -safely through the w ar, it d id n’t fare so
well du ring the tu rb u le n t 1960s. In 1966, the Cup w as stolen during a
public showing of th e trophy prior to the World Cup tou rn am ent in
England. Luckily, it w as found a sh ort time later none the worse for
w ear in a tra s h container, by a little dog nam ed Pickles.
fe^F our years later, Brazil earned perm an ent possession of the original
trophy by w inning its third World C up title. Unfortunately, the trophy
was stolen a second time, in 19837 and w as never recovered. The B razilian Football A ssociation had to have a duplicate trophy made.
After the first trophy becam e th e possession of Brazil’s football asso ciation, a new World C up Trophy for FIFA w as designed by a n Italian
artist, Silvio Gaz&zniga, in 1974. This trophy ca n n o t be won outright,
b u t rem ain s in the possession of FIFA, an d rest assu red they are keeping a close eye on it. Today, World Cup w inners are aw arded a replica
of the trophy th a t is gold-plated, rath er th a n solid gold like the real
one.
Gazazniga’s World C up trophy weighs alm ost five kilogram s. Its base
contain s two layers olTa’sem i-precious stone called m alachite, and h a s
room for 17 sm all plaques bearing the n am es of the w inning team s enough space to h onor all the World Cup cham pions u p to the year
] 2038. After th at, a new trophy will have to be made.
x”
5


(^d )ị H o w m uch m oney is the trophy w orth?
3. The first trophy w as nam ed th e “J u le s Rimet C up” b ecause Rimet
A. m ade the trophy
B. w as a fam ous player.
c. scored the final goal in 1930
(^rx)came up w ith the idea of the World Cup
W hich is tru e abo ut Gazazniga’s World Cup trophy?
A. It is m ade of gold a n d silver.

B. It is a replica of the first trophy,
c . It is in a m useum in Brazil
^Dylt will only be used u n til 2038.
5.

In w hich year did Brazil win the World Cup cham pionship for the
th ird tim e?
1970
B. 1974
c. 1986
D . 2002

GLOSSARY
- trophy chiểc cúp (làm giải thưởng)

- 18-carat gold vàng 18 ca-ra
- to be kept under l.ock and key ñược
cất giữ cẩn thận

- FIFA [Federation Internationale de
Football Association] Liên đồn
Quốc tế Các Hiệp hội Bóng đá

- replica bản sao
- troubled (adj) nhiều rắc rối
- sculptor nhà ñiêu khắc
- founder người sáng lập
- vice-president phó chù tịch
- Nazi ðức ..Quốc Xã

- to make it safely through the war
an toàn qua ñửợc cuộc chiến tranh

- to fare well tiến triển tot ñẹp, ăn nên
làm ra

- turbulent (adj) nhiều biến ñộng
- prior to (prep) (xảy ra) trước

6

- none the worse for wear/CỊn ngun
vẹn, chƯa suy suyển gì

- trash container thùng rác
- to earn permanent possession ọ f,
;’sth ñược quyền sở hữu cái gì trọn đời
- title đanh hiệu
- to recover thu hồi, lấy iại
- duplicate bản sao
- outright (adv) ngay tức thỉ
- rest assured xin hãy yên tâm rằng

- to keep a dose eye on sth canh giữ
cẩn thận

-

solid gold vàng rịng, vàng khơi
base cái đế

layer lớp mịng
semi-precious stone đá bán q
malachite [tên một loại đá]
plaque tấm tóm loại
to honor vinh danh, tôn vinh


•í&ÌQạ

2

'vẴ ^.TTi

GOAL: ENDING CHILD LABOR

, r

Carefully guiding a needle th a t’s longer th a n h is tiny fingers, a
young boy in P ak istan stitches together the leather pieces of a soccer
ball. He sits crouched in the corner of a hot, airless shed for 12 h ours.
For h is long day's work, he will eajTi 60 cents.
\
The boy is one of more th a n 200 million children/w ho work a t hard,
som etim es dan gerous jobs all over the world. Child labor exists in twoth ird s of the w orld’s nations. From Indonesia to G uatem ala, poor chil-

for firecrackers in C hina and knot the th re ad s'fo r carp ets in India, all
for pennies a ñay. Sometim es they are sold a s slave s.
In a speech to the Child Labor Coalition when he w as U.S. Secretary
of Labor, Robert Reich expressed gratitude for the organization’s work
to end a b n sp- nfLnhi 1H labor. “Yon tu rned u p .th e h eat, an d you got results. He also congratulated Craig Kielburger, th en 13, of C anada, who

traveled the world for a year fighting for k id s’ rights. Craig believes kids
can m ake a difference. He offers this advice, “Write letters to com panies
and governm ent officials. P ut pressure on leaders to m ake ch anges and
to stop th e m isu se of children .”
£ -N.
One solution to the child-lab.or jp r oblem in -poor qm intrips is edu cation. “The futu re of these countries,” Secretary Reich declared, “depend s on a work force th a t is educated. We are prepared to help build
schools.”
E ducation h a s helped to m ake the world a brighter place for one
youth, Aghan of India. W hen he w as nine, Aghan w as kidnapped from
his hom e an d sold to a carpet m aker. A ghan’s boss w as very cruel. “I
wa s always crying for my m other,” he recalls. Aghan’s dream w as to
leam to write so th a t he could send letters to His parents. Fortunately,
a group th a t opposes child labor rescued Aghan from the factory. He
w as se n t tQ_gjs h e lte r in New Delhi where he worked h ard to learn to
write.

(6\

a

1. W hat is a n example of dangerous work done by a child?
A. stitching a soccer ball
B. knotting carpet th rea d s
0 mixing gunpow der
( ĩ ^ n o n e o f the above
2. W hen voung children are forced to w o rk , _____
A. they never see their families.
B. they work b u t never 'get paid.
(c ^th ey are pu nish ed if they do not work hard.
D. they are always sold as slaves.

7


' CHiM'labor is m o'st'cam m on m \____
A>jcòủỉầtrtès tiaat’makef firecrackers.
'
trie s . 1*■V
^ _--„ ^ .poor
^- .cmiẼt
_
w- %
%
'■- .
ccran ữies thát-hảye. slavery: \ J
D. cơuntriẹs-tỉíat m ake carpets. ■

~V ,
T

„

>i
- 'v f-

The c h ild re n ‘wKo w ork are o fte n _____ .
A. treated well
Bw paid generously
(Q jm isused
D. all o f the above

' ' 1
•y-'- *?v
:-

W hen children are used to work for un fair wages in poor working
conditions, it is best described a s _____ .
Q i\a n ab u se of working children.
B. h ard work.
*
c . a poor w orking environm ent.
D. unfair labo r practices.
According to the article, children who work u n d e r poor conditions
A. s ta rt to work only after age 13.
B. sta rt to work only after age 12.
c. m ake only 60 cen ts an hour.
(DT)may m ake only 60 cen ts a day.
According to the article, w hat is the best way to keep m any children
from falling victim to the ab u se of child labor in th e future?
(A^; Help poor countries educate th eir children. ■
B. Refuse to buy p ro ducts m ade in co untries th a t ab u se child labor.
c. Rescue each child.
ð. none o f the above
Why do families allow young children to go to work?
A. They d o n ’t know how bad it is.
B. The grow nups d o n ’t w ant to work.
(^CjThe families are very poor and need the income.
D. The children are paid a lot of money.
How do you know Aghan w as no t happy m aking ca rp ets away from
h is family?

A. He dream ed of learning to write.
B. He w as rescued.
(^} He cried for h is m other.
D. He lives in a shelter.


10. Ijdl New Delhi, Aghan
A.W orked for a group th a t is opposed to child labor.
(Bp received an education,
c . lived w ith his family.
D. m ade carpets.
GLOSSARY
- child labor tình trạng lao động trẻ em

- to stitch khâu bằng kim
- leather da thuộc
- crouched (adj) lom khom, cúi gập
người

- airless (adj) thiếu khơng khí, ngột ngạt
- shed nhà kho

- Secretary of Labor Bộ Trưởng Lao
ðộng Mỹ

-

gratitude lòng biết ơn
abuse sự lạm dụng
to congratulate chúc mừng

to fight for kids' rights ñấu tranh cho
quyền của trẻ-em

- to put pressure on sfrgay sức ép đối
với

- firecrackers pháo
- to knot the threads, thắt gút các sợi
. chi
- carpet tấm thảm
- slave nô lệ
- Child Labor Coalition Liên Minh Chống
Lao ðộng Trẻ Em

- to misuse sử dụng sai mục đích
- work force lực lượng lao động

- to kidnap bắt cóc
- cruel (adj) ñộc ác
- toopposèsth chống [ại cái gì
- to rescue giai cứu
- shelter chỗ ờ, chỗ trú thân

W ikipedia is an encyclopaedia th a t is available on th e Internet and
w hat people love about it is th a t it can be edited by absolutely everybody.
When and how did it start?
It w as founded in 2001 by a guy called Jim m y Wales. It started a s a Ỉ
fancy idea, a kind of a hobby and everybody is su rprised how popular it
h a s becom e an d how m any com puter scientists it h a s attracted, it h as
got a caUecìiorucj^ab-O ut_l, 8_rrìlĩì articles, the m ajority of w hich are in

English; however, one can find som e articles in over 200 languages. If it
w as a b u sin ess, it would earn lots of money.
How is it possible th at articles that can be changed by anyone are
correct?
The W ikipedia is based on wikis - a special software w hich lets everyone modify a webpage and it is true th a t anyone can change the inform ation on the page if they th in k it’s incorrect. But, the W ikipedia h a s a
team of over 13.000 people who are experts in different fields an d who
correct an y in accurate inform ation sen t by people
9


I s i t error-free?

very reliable- an d th a t they -didn't find m any' errors: 3t..;.was 'very good
new s for th e founder a s well a s for all the u sers.
’
Why is it becom ing so popuiar?

th a t it’s fun to be able to add w hat you know tó th e inform ation on the
net. IT specialists believe it h a s a very bright future an d m ost claim it's
the m ost brilliant invention ever.
1. W ikipedia______
A. w as created by a team of com puter scientists,
B. began
began aass aa bbuusin
siness
ess idea,
idea.
c. becam e popular a s soon a s it Ístarted.
( t x \ starte d a s one m a n ’s passion.
W;

■ Wr;ikipedia
. a r e _____
Articles
in
A. m ostly ab o u t science.
(iTi m ostly in English.
c . tran slated into 200 languages.
D. very interesting.
3. W ikipedia rem ains accu rate a s m u ch a s possible b e c a u s e _____
A. all people who w rite for it are experts.
B. it h a s a special type of software program m e.
c ci) there are people who m onitor it for m istakes.
Lh not everybody can change the inform ation.
4. The best advantage of Wikipedia is t h a t _____
fA ^you d o n’t have to pay for it.
B. everyone ca n u se it.
c . it is created by ordinary people.
f ư ỳ is quick an d reliable.
5. The tex t probably com es from
A. a leaflet
ầ ổ '<\
c . a scientific article
GLOSSARY
-

encyclopaedia từ ñiển bách khoa
to edit biên tập, chỉnh sửa
to found thành lập
a fancy idea một ý tưởng ấp ủ sự say
mê

- min = million
- webpage trang web
10

- .
GỀ a speech
( D ) a m agazine article
^
- error-free (adj) khơng có sai sót
- to confirm khẳng định
- to stress nhấn mạnh
- IT = Information Technology công
nghệ thông tin

- passion niềm ñam mê
- to monitor theo dõi ñể xử ỉí


4
In today’s competitive world, w hat responsible p a re n t would not
w an t to give their children the b est possible sta rt in life? For th is re ason, m any p aren ts w ant their children, often a s young as ten m onths
old, to become fam iliar with com puters. They seem to th in k th a t if th eir
children grow up with com puters, they will be b etter equipped to face
the challenges of th e future. -/7 -^
No one h a s proved th a t com puters m ake children m ore creative or
m ore intelligent. The tru th may even be the opposite. E ducational psychologists claim th a t too m uch exposure to com puters, especially for
the very young, may negatively affect norm al brain development. Children gain valuable experience of the world from their interaction with
physical objects. Ten-m onth-old babies may benefit more from bu m p ing th eir h ead s or p u tting various objects in their m o uths th a n they
will from staring at eye-catching cartoons. A four-year-old child can

improve hand-eye coordination and u n d ersta n d cause an d effect better
by experim enting w ith a crayon th a n by moving a curso r aro u n d a
com puter screen. So, as educational psychologists suggest, instead of
governm ent funding going to more an d m ore com puter classes, it m ight
be better to devote resources to m usic and a rt program s.
It is lu d ic ro u s to think th a t children will fall behind if they are not
exposed to com puters "from a n early age. Time is too precious to spend
with a “m ouse”. Now is the time when they should be out- there learning
to ride a bike. There will be time later on for them to start banging
away a t keyboards.

1 . Why do p aren ts w ant their children to learn how to use a com puter
from an early age?
® )B e c a u s e they are afraid their children will become competitive.
B ecause they w ant th eir children to be well prepared for their
future.
c. B ecause th is is w hat all the other p aren ts seem to do.
D. B ecause they believe their children will have difficulty learning
to use one if they don’t s ta rt early.
2.

Children who spend a lot of time on their c o m p u te rs_____
do no t necessarily m ake more progress th a n those who d o n ’t,
tend to like m usic an d a rt more th a n those who d o n ’t.
c. will suffer from b rain dam age.
D. ten d to have m ore accidents th a n those who d on ’t.

3. The a u th o r implies th a t children leạm better ______
A. after they have developed hand-eye coordination.
B. w hen they u se a com puter.

11


c. a s they get older.
^?)when they hold an d feel things aro u n d them .

ef

ỈÍ41 W hat would be an appropriate title for th is passage?

Never too early to s ta rt
Let kids be kids
C om puters in schools
D. More com p uters m ean b righter future
5. W hat is tru e according to the passage?
A. It is b etter for children to take com puter lessons th a n a rt lessons.
P arents should n ot p u t off buying a com puter for th eir children.
c. C om puters seriously h arm children's eyesight.
(D )T h e re is no evidence th a t children who u se co m p uters are more
clever th a n those who do not. „—
7
D. sensible
6 . W hat does the word “ludicrous” m the third p arag rap h (first sen GLOSSARY
tence)
<4 o>
- to (be
A. exposed
ridiculous
to sth phải
B. hu

hứng
m orous
chịu,
- c.
hand-eye
ironic coordination sự phối hợp
phải nếm trải, có cơ hội tiếp xúc với

(exposure)
- interaction with sự tương tác với
- to bump one's head va ñầu
- eye-catching (adj) hấp dẫn, bắt mẳt

giữa tay và mắt

- crayon bút chi màu
- cursor con nháy trên màn
hình
- funding sự tài trợ
- to bang away at sth ñập mạnh vào

5
A m assage is relaxing, an d m akes you feel great, b u t did you know
th a t it’s also good for you? T h at’s w h at doctors are now saying. M assage relieves pain an d anxiety, eases depression a n d speeds u p recovery from m edical problems.
R esearch h a s show n th a t people of all ages benefit from touch. Prem atu re infants who a re held develop J iaster Than th ose left alone, an d
healthy babies who get a lot of physical con tact ciy less an d sleep b etter. R esearchers are n ot su re why th is occurs b u t they have also found
out th a t touch can slow h e a rt rate, lower blood p ressu re an d increase
levels of seraton in, the, brain chem ical th a t is linked to well-beingpjtt
also decreases levels of th e stress horm one cortisol, a n d th is in tu rn
increase s your, r esistance to- il|ọ e^ s^

M assage also 'speeds, u p/ healing. Bone-m arrow tra n sp la n t p atien ts
who were given m assages h ad better neurological function th a n those
who w eren’t. Furtherm ore, m assage reduced pain by 37% in p atien ts
with chronic m uscle aches.
12


C ệ) _
Gavipg->somjeaQS a m assagẹ m ay be_as_good as^get£mg-_one- A study
conducted by the university of Miami found th a t m others suffering
from depression felt better after m assaging th eir infants.. In th a t sam e
study, elderly volunteers who m assaged infants reported feeling less
anxious and depressed.
It even w orks w hen you do it yourself; 43% of headache sufferers reported. getting relief after m assaging their tem ples and neck and sm okers who were tau gh t self-m assage while trying to quit felt less anxiety
and sm oked less.

2Ể1. W hat h a s recently been said abo ut getting a m assage?
ĩt relaxes you.
It m akes you feel good.

ằ

It im proves your physical condition.
D. It requires a special technique.
A* cry less
d sleep
better
they are m assaged.
2. Babies
bom an

before
th eir
tim if
e _____
grow faster if they are held.
develop faster th a n healthy babies if they get a lot of physical
contact.
D. d o n ’t survive if they are not held.

f

3.

The au th o r suggests th a t touch ______
A. increases levels of the stress horm one cortisol.
B. m akes your h eart beat faster.
( ^ ) increases' the feeling of well-being.
D. helps you deal with your feelings.

4. P atients who get m a ssa g e s _____
A. d o n ’t experience m uscle pain.
B avoid having surgery.
^ J
(j3y m ake a quicker recovery.
D. are not better off th a n those who do not.
5.

According to the a rtic le _____
Ạ. m assage h as no effect on smokers.
B. m assage relieves headaches by 43%.

c. sm okers who gave others m assages felt less anxious and
sm oked less.
(p j m assaging yourself is as effective a s being m assaged.

6 . W hat did the study conducted in Miami show ? 1
A. Elderly volunteers who got m assages felt less anxious.
B. M others were depressed after m assaging th eir babies,
c. Babies who got m assages felt better.
QSj Giving a m assage is as beneficial as getting one.
13


?:
•
they do n’t m ạssage th eir

-V

- getting one.

.. , :

, ..........

help s sm okers quit'sm oking.
GLOSSARY
- relaxing(adj) gây cảm giác dễ chịu
-depressed (adj) trầm cảm (depression)
- to is p ẹ ị^ s th UỊầy nhanh cái gì
- premature infant trẻ sinh thiếu tháng

- heart rate nhịp tim

- resistariceto sức ñề kháng ñối với :
~ bone-marrow transplant sự cấy ghép
tùy xương

- neurological (adj) thuộc thần kinh
- chronic (adj) mãn tính

- blood pressure huyết áp

- musde ache sự ñau nhức cơ bắp

- well-being trạng thái mạnh khỏe

- temple thái dương
- self-massage sự tự xoa bóp

6
If we took a look a t how people in Europe com m unicated ju s t one .
h un d red years ago, we would be very surprised to find o u t th a t English
was hardly used outside the U nited Kingdom. The language m ost
comm only used between people of different nationalities, an d p articu larly the aristocracy, w as French. In fact, French w as th e lan gu ag e o f
diplom acy , cu lture and education. However, th a t is not the case
now adays. E nglish h a s replaced French a s the international language
of com m unication. Today there are more people who sp eak E nglish a s a
second language th a n people who speak it a s a first language.
There are m any reason s why English h as become the language of international com m unication. B ritain’s colonization of m any p a rts of the
world had som ething to do with it, but it is m ainly due to A m erica’s rise

to the position of m ajor world power. This helped spread popular
American cultu re throughout the world bringing th e language w ith it.
B ut is it good th at English h a s spread to all p a rts of the world so
quickly? Language specialists seem to be divided over this'i&^ue. There
are those who claim th a t it is im portant to have a language th a t th e
people in our increasingly globalized world have in comm on. According
to others, English is associated w ith a p articular culture an d therefore
prom otes th a t cu ltu re a t the expense of others. L inguists have suggested “E sp eran to”, an artificially put-together language, a s a solution
to international com m unication problem s b u t w ithout success. So,
English will continue being the world language u ntil some o th er la n guage, m aybe C hinese, w hich is the m ost widely-spoken native lan guage in the world, takes over a s the w orld’s internation al language in stead of English.
14


1. According to the passage, a century ag o _____
A. educated people th rou ghout Europe spoke English.
B. foreign travelers to England spoke only French.
< ề French w as m uch m ore popular th an English.
D. only the French aristocracy could speak English.

-

2. W hat is chiefly responsible for the growth in popularity of English?
A. B ritain’s becoming an international power.
B. The F rench losing m any colonies.
Am erica’s becoming powerful.
D. The developm ent of American culture.
3. W hat is m eant by “the language of diplomacy” (lines 5-6)?
A. The language used by ordinary people.
B. The language used by the English an d the French.
The language used by the aristocracy.

The language used by governments.
4. W hat is tru e according to the passage?
A. The experts d on ’t like Esperanto.
E speranto is difficult to learn.
E speranto is not a n a tu ra l language
D. E sp eran to is becom ing more and more popular.
5. Th£ experts' opinion on the spread of English is
(a / split
B. positive
c . negative

(B)i undecided

6 . The a u th o r believes t h a t _____
A. English is easier to learn th a n Chinese.
English will probably be replaced a s an in tern ational language.
C hinese is going to be the next language of internatio nal com m unication.
D. C hinese is growing in popularity am ong non-native speakers.
7. These d a y s _____
French is the language of diplomacy,
m ore non-natives speak English th a n natives.
c . m ore people speak French th a n English.
D. French is a dying language.

8 . W hat would be a good title for this passage?
y O English: Past, Present and F uture
( b ) English a s an International Language
c . English language m eans English culture
D. English: a difficult language to learn

15


GLOSSARY

: > 4

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' ' :jộẹ;đjạ-

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thiệtìtiịi chịngủởi .khăc.

7

' :
:
The term “dyslexia” is used to describe a n u m b er of problem s asso ciated w ith reading, w riting or spelling. S hort-term m em ory, m ath em atics, concentration, personal organization a n d sequencing m ay also be
affected. We do not know exactly w hat cau ses dyslexia, b u t we-ño know
th a t it tend s to ru n in th e family. We also know th a t m ore boys suffer
from dyslexia th a n girls an d th a t dyslexia is m ore com m on in u rb a n
areas th a n in rural.
One of the m ost com m on sign's of dyslexia is "reversals”. People w ith
this kind of problem often confuse letters like “b ” an d “d ” w hen reading
and writing or they som etim es read an d write w ords like “tip ” an d
“w on” a s “pit” and “now”. O ther com m on ch aracteristics are lack of
punctuation, m isspelling, m ixed-up sentence s tru c tu re an d poor
gram m atical construction.
—
People are born with dyslexia, b ut it is only when they begin -to learn

to write th a t it becom es a noticeable problem . For children w ith dyslexia, going to school can be a trau m atic experience. Poor achievem ent
can m ake them feel frustrated an d insecure. They are re lu ctan t to go to
school an d som etim es even skip school altogether. Cheating, stealing
an d experim enting with d rugs can also occur w hen children regard
them selves as failures.
It is a com m on m isconception th a t dyslexic people are of inferior in telligence. Yet Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, T hom as Edison an d
H ans C hristian A ndersen were apparently all dyslexic. There is no total
cure for dyslexia; however, the effects of dyslexia can be lessened w ith
the guidance of skilled specialists an d a lot of determ ination.
1. W hen does it becom e ap p aren t th a t a child m ay be suffering from
dyslexia?
w hen they are bom
\ B j w h e n they begin their education
c. w hen they use symbols instead of words
D. w hen they s ta rt talking
2. According to the passage, dyslexic c h ild re n _____
m ight have behavioral problem s.
B. end u p taking drugs.
16


c. look forward to going to school.
D. do well a t school.
3. The passage states th a t one common characteristic of dyslexics is
th a t they ______
A. have difficulty expressing their feelings.
B. are n ot able to read three-letter words,
c . have difficulty learning the letter “b”.
read w ords backw ards.
4. The p urpose of th is passage is to inform readers t h a t _____

A. Albert E instein w as dyslexic.
B. it is difficult for dyslexics to get professional help.
X c ) dyslexics are as intelligent a s other people.
D. dyslexics are inferior to other people.
5. Who is more likely to be dyslexic?

A. girls
* B. children who live in the country
c . children who are not bright
children whose p a ren ts are dyslexic

6 . How can th e effects of dyslexia be m ade less severe?
by learning to live w ith them
by learning a special skill
w ith professional help and hard work
by learning how to deal w ith failure
7. According to th e passage, w hich of the following is tru e?
A. Dyslexia refers to a specific learning disability.
B. Dyslexic people become famous.
Dyslexia affects only reading an d writing skills
The ca u ses of dyslexia h av en ’t been fully explained.

ế

GLOSSARY
- dyslexia chứng ñọc và viết khó - dyslexic (adj)
- short-term memory trí nhớ ngắn hạn/
trí nhớ sơ cấp

- mixed-up (adj) lộn xộn, rối loạn

- traumatic (adj) gây chấn thương
- frustrated (adj) chán nàn, thất vọng
- insecure (adj) bất an, không yên tâm

- sequencing khà năng [iên kết các sự

- to skip school bỏ học

kiện ...................
- to run ỉri thẹtapiHyxó tính di truyền
- reversal sự ñảo ngược
- misspelling sự ñánh vần sai

- misconception quan niệm sai jam
- inferior (adj) thấp kém
- to lessen làm giảm bớt, làm nhẹ ñi

17


8
'• '■vBacỊcỊn'. Ị853, ị á t ' th e age of':24-V Levi ■S ^ ị i s s ‘ồi^neặ;.ía;.:w est co ast ,
. branch- of his. b ro th er’s dry goods b u sin e ss m; New York; . Oyer th e next
tw enty,y ẹ ^ s ^ ỉle b uilt his .business into a lucrative operation, y:
One of Levi’s custom ers w as a tailor by the nam e of Ja c o b Davis.
Originally from Latvia, Jaco b lived in Reno, Nevada, an d regularly p u rchased bolts of cloth from Levi S tra u ss & Co. Among Ja c o b ’s custom ers
w as a m an who kept ripping the pockets on the p a n ts th a t Jac o b m ade
for him. Ja c o b tried to find a way to strengthen h is cu sto m er’s p a n ts
w hen, one day, it finally occurred to him . He decided to p u t m etal rivets
on the pocket corners an d a t the b ase of the b u tto n fly. It worked and

the p a n ts becam e an in sta n t success.
Jacob knew he h ad discovered som ething new an d w orried th a t
som eone m ight steal his idea. T h at’s why he decided to apply for a p a tent, b u t he did n ’t have the $68 th a t w as required for the paperw ork.
So, he tu rn ed to Levi S trau ss. He wrote him a letter suggesting th a t
they hold th e p aten t together. Being the b u sin essm an th a t he was,
S trau ss agreed im m ediately seeing the potential for th is new product.
So, on May 20, 1873, th e two m en received p a te n t n u m b er 139,121
from the u s P atent an d T radem ark Office an d w ent into b u sin ess together. T hat w as the day blue je a n s were bom . Who would have
th ought back th en th a t denim , th read an d a little m etal w ould becom e
the m ost popular clothing pro du ct in th e world an d it’s all th a n k s to
two m en - Levi S trau ss an d Jaco b Davis.
1. According to the passage, why did Jaco b w rite to Levi?
\ a ) He d idn 't have the necessary fu nds to get a p aten t.
B. Hẹ d id n ’t know how to apply for a p atent,
c. He h ad no one else to tu rn to.
D. He knew Levi h ad the right connections.
2. Which' of the following titles b est sum m arizes the con ten t of the
passage?
A. The Beginning of a Successful P artnership
B. The H istory of J e a n s
tci) How J e a n s Were Invented
D. The Lives of Levi S trau ss an d Jac o b Davis
3. According to the passage, w hat happened in 1853?
A. Levi set u p a bu sin ess w ith his brother,
B. Levi moved to th e w est coast.
c. Levi becam e a successful businessm an.
Levi started working on h is own.
18

4. W hat is tru e about Jac o b Davis?
He w as Levi’s friend.
He w as Levi’s custom er in Latvia.
U l)H e w as Levi’s b u sin ess partner,
D. He w as Levi’s tailor.
5. Why did Ja c p b .p u t m etal rivets on the p an ts he m ade?
Ai because h is custo m ers asked for it
\ 0 ) because he w anted to prevent som ething from happening
c . because it w as fashionable
D. because he w anted to do som ething different

6 . Why did Levi accept J a c o b ’s offer?
{ a ) because he knew it would pay off
B. because his bu sin ess w as in trouble
c . because he w as looking to expand his b u sin ess
D. b ecause Jac o b was a good custom er
^ 7. IgL 1873, Levi an d J a c o b _____ .
( a J founded their first com pany.
■
B. applied for a paten t num ber.
•'& ) m ade th eir first blue jeans.
D. got their first custom ers.
GLOSSARY
-

lucrative (adj) sinh lời, nhiều ĩợỉ nhuận
bolt of cloth cuộn vài, súc vải
to rip làm rách
pants cái quần
rivet con ñinh tán

- patent bằng sáng chế
- paperwork giấy tờ hành chính
- Patent and Trademark Office sở cấp
bằng phát mình và cơng nhận thương
hiệu
.

- base phần phía dưới, phần ñáy

- denim [tên loại vài ñể may quần jeans]

- button fly cửa quần

- thread sợi chỉ
- to pay off (rõt cuộc) mang lại IỢỈ ích

9

PROTECT OUR PLANET WITH CAT!

B ack in the 1960s and 70s, the world was. becom ing m ore aw are of
the destructive effects of in du stry on the environm ent an d people were
startin g to th in k seriously about ways of protecting the envừonm ent.
O ne m an who w as particularly affected by th is subject w as G erard
Morgan-Grenville. As Morgan-Grenville travelled rou n d earning his living as a gardener, he noticed signs of the dam age th a t w as being done
to th e countryside aro u n d him . It w a sn ’t long before M organ-Grenville
decided th a t he h ad to do som ething ab o u t this situation. He felt th a t if
people could be show n a better way of living th en maybe they w ould be
interested enough to try to protect their precious environm ent.

19


Mr Morgan-Grenville decided to set up a project th a t would prove
w hat w as happening to o u r su rrou nd ing s an d w hat' could be done
ab ou t it. So, in 1975, Morgan-Grenville created th e C entre for A lternative Technology (CAT) in a village in Wales.
The m ain aim of CAT is to search for a n ecologically b etter -way of
living by u sing technology th a t does n ot h arm the environm ent. One of
the m ost im p ortan t things CAT did initially w as to explore a n d dem onstrate a wide range of techniques and to point o u t w hich ones h a d the
least destructive resu lts on the world aro u n d u s. It is also very im porta n t for CAT to provide inform ation and advice to people all over B ritain
and all over the world. If m ore a n d m ore individuals are inform ed ab ou t
how m uch dam age o u r m odem lifestyle is doing to th e planet, m aybe
m ore of them would be prepared to look for solutions.
The point ab o u t CAT is th a t by com bining theoretical an d practical
ideas, it h a s show n w ays in w hich people, n a tu re and technology can
exist together successfully. CAT' now covers m any them es, including
energy-saving techniques, good use of land, the correct m an agem ent of
w aste prod ucts, recycling and health a n d food issu es. Visitors to CAT
are able to observe m any new ways of living, all of w hich are ecologically correct a n d u se u p less of our valuable raw m aterials. For exam ple, th e sewage system s a t CAT th a t get rid of all th e w aste from the
kitchens an d bathroom s are organised so a s to be completely environm entally friendly, and m uch of the energy used a t the centre is created
by power from, the su n , wind or rain. In addition, all th e building m eth ods u sed are ecologically ideal an d no chem icals are u sed a t the centre;
for instance, no chem icals are used in gardening or cleaning. Everyth ing is based on th e use of n atu ra l products.
One m ajor global problem is the dam age done to the whole p lanet by
the effects of ind u stiy . Problem s su ch a s global w arm ing, th e holes in
the ozone layer, the d estruction of huge areas of forests, an d pollution
in our atm osphere are all connected to the fact th a t there is an in crease in industry. Now, a t last, this problem is being recognised
worldwide.
People now agree th a t we w ant clean air, p ure drinking w ater, safe
sunlight an d h ealthy food. W hat CAT is trying to do is to dem o nstrate
th a t we can have all those things w ithout the environm ent paying the

price. Slowly, CAT is com m unicating its m essage to cou n tries across
the world. In E urope, several co untries have set up sim ilar ecological
centres to look a t alternative environm entally friendly technology. The
w orkers a t CAT hope th a t one day there will be so m any centres all over
the world th a t governm ents an d m anagers of in d u stry will s ta rt to
change th eir ideas an d will th in k more carefully ab o u t the environm ent. Once th is h ap p en s, the possibilities for protecting o u r beautiful
planet will be endless.
20


1. Mr M organ-Grenville w as worried ab ou t _ _ _
the dam age h is gardening was doing to title countryside,
th e countryside being harm ed,
people protecting the environm ent.
D. w hat h e ’did for a living in the countryside.

ầ

2.

One of the m ain aim s of CAT i s _____ '
A. to use better technology to h arm the environm ent.
B. to u se less technology in the envừonm ent.
to stop using technology th a t does not h arm th e environm ent,
to u se technology th a t causes less dam age to the environm ent.

ế

3. W hich one of the following statem ents is tru e?
\ a ) c a t u ses a m ixture of theory and practice to explain its m essage.

B. CAT only u ses practical solutions to explain its m essage. c. CAT h a s dem onstrated how successful its theories are.
D. CAT believes it would be better if technology d id n ’t exist.
4. Visitors to CAT _____
A. can u se valuable raw m aterials.
•* B. are all ecologically correct.
< c ) can see new ideas in practice.
D. can see valuable raw m aterials. .
5. The increase in in du stry w orldw ide _____
(X ^ has led to an increase in environm ental problem s.
B. is due to the dam age done to the whole planet,
c. is a resu lt of efforts to protect the environm ent.
D. h a s been ca used by problem s like global warm ing.

6 . The w orkers a t CAT are h o p in g ______
A. th a t their m anagers will sta rt to change industry.
( b )th a t th eir ideas will be used ail over the world,
c. th a t o u r beautiful planet will end.
*
th a t it can protect governm ents an d m anagers worldwide.
GLOSSARY
- the Centre for Alternative Technology Trung Tâm sử Dụng công Nghệ
Thay Thế
- initially (adv) lúc ban đầu
- theoretical (adj) thuộc về [í thuyết

- theme chủ ñề
- waste products các chất thải, phế
phẩm
- sewage system hệ thống xử Jí chất
thải

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10

’c

ANUNWELCOME GUEST : .

O f th e óự e In -seven people m the UK who cỉaim to-have seen a ghost,
the m ajority ''are 1women.* T h is m ay' be because woi&ẹÈrhạve fax, more
association w ifevihe-spirit->worldv-W-omen t r u s t their.-erootions an d are
generally b e tte r .able th a n .men to,cope with the unexpected.---..
Housewife Fiona Blair describes hersetf a s very practical-and downto-earth, an d never believed in the idea th a t a house could be h au n ted .
T hat all changed w hen she an d h er family moved into a m an or h ouse
in the MidỊạriắs. Although the surveyor reckoned th a t th e ho use required á., lot -of atten tio n and w as som ew hat dam p, they th o u g h t it w as
stunning. They could ju s t afford it and it would be a good investm ent,
so they took the plunge an d decided to buy it.
Nonetheless, right from the start, Fiona had a strange sense th a t
they were not alone in the house. One of her teenage d au g h ters h ad left
a towel over the back of a chair in the kitchen. Fiona w as in the garden,
and when she re tu rn ed to the house, the towel w as over the kitchen
table like a tablecloth. On other occasions the family would find th a t
objects su c h a s glasses an d vases had been tu rn ed upside-dow n.
This w as only the sta rt of the peculiar happenings. A particularly
strange incident happened on Fiona's birthday. Fiona’s h u sb an d , Mark,
came hom e from work an d w ent into the living room. He im m ediately
came ru sh in g o u t to ask who had bought h e r the beautiful flowers b ut nobody had given Fiona flowers an d h er d au g h ters h ad n ot p u t the
flowers there. It rem ained a m ystery how they had m iraculously a p peared.

Fiona w as curious an d decided to find o ut ab o u t th e h istoiy of the
house. W hat she discovered w as ra th er alarm ing. A pparently a young
girl, servant to a previous generation of ow ners, h ad been found dead
in peculiar circum stances in the attic. Fiona an d h e r family inevitably
began to feel claustrophobic and trapped in th e house, an d eventually
decided th a t they would have to move.
U nfortunately, things were not a s simple as th at. Each tim e they a ttem pted to show the h ouse to potential buyers, Fiona w ould of course
en su re beforehand th a t everything was n ea t an d tidy in order to m ake
a good im pression. B ut by ,the time anyone arrived, the entire house
would be in a com plete m ess, and visitors com plained of an u n p le asa n t
atm osphere. Eventually, after m any m onths, a n A m erican couple
viewed the house, an d decided it had a certain attraction. For som e
reason, the ghost did n ot play its u su a l tricks, an d Fiona w as able to
sell w hat h a d been h er dream hom e.
Now living in a spacious m odem ap artm en t in London, Fiona w ants
to forget it all an d move on w ith h er life. “At one point I th o u g h t I m ight
be going ou t of my m ind, it w as all so frightening. We can alm ost laugh
about it all now, b u t I hope we never experience anything like th a t
again.
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1. Why did the w riter and h er h u sb an d w ant to move into th e house

c . They knew som eone im portant had lived there.
D. They were looking for a house to m odernise.
2. After they moved in, th e y ______
A. began to h e a r strange noises in the attic.
realised th a t the ho use was incredibly cold,
discovered th a t objects were being moved.

D. broke a lot of glasses.

ể

3. W hat happened on Fiona’s birthday?
A. Her d au g h ters bought h er flowers.
There w as an unexplained occurrence.
c . A burglar broke into the living room.
D. M ark forgot to buy a present.
A wix
4. W hat h ad h appened to the servant girl?
She h ad killed h erself in the attic.
B. She w as m urdered by the owners,
c . She had been locked in the attic.
(ũỳ She died in the house.
5. W hat did th e ghost do w hen they decided to sell the house?
' A. It disappeared im mediately.
It m ade people viewing it feel unwelcome,
c . It tidied th e house.
D. It m ade horrible noises.

6 . W hat does “it” {first sentence of the la st paragraph) refer to?
the h ouse she lived in
B. the m odem ap a rtm en t
(c ) th e experience she h ad
D. the sale of the house
GLOSSARY
- spirit 1) tinh thần 2) tâm linh 3) bóng
ma
- down-to-earth (adj) thực tế

- stunning (adj) tuyệt vời, rất hay
- to be turned upside-down bị lật úp
- attic rầm thượng, gác xép

- haunted (adj) (nhà) bị ma ám

- claustrophobic (adj) cảm thãy sự khi ờ

- the Midlands vùng Trung Ngun (ở
Anh)
- surveyor nhân viên địa chính
- to reckon cho là, đốn là

trong khơng gian đóng kín
- to play tricks giở trò chọc phá
- spacious (adj) rộng mênh mơng
- to gị 'oyt of one's mind phát điên
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\À recen t survey ,of-crime: statistics show s :rth a t:we ạrẹ.' all mo re likely
: to be.;bụrglẹd: now ttiah- 20 ;y ears ago' and' thei p o & ^ adíyỈổẹ-íẹveryone to
take a.few sim ple p re c a u tio n s•tị; p rotect their-H om es|::
.
The first fact IS ữ ^ t b u r g l a r s o t h e r .'intruders prefer, easy opportu nities, like a h o u se w hich is- very obviously 1em pty This .is,m uch le s s :
of a challenge th a n a n occupied house, a n d one w hichr is wellprotected. A b u rglar will wonder if it is w orth th e bother.
'.
There are some general tips on how to avoid y our hom e becom ing
an o th er crim e statistic. Avoid leaving signs th a t your h o u se is em pty.

W hen you have to go out, leave a t least one light on a s well a s a radio
or television, a n d do n o t leave any c u rta in s wide open. The sight of
your late st m usic centre or com puter is enough to tem pt any burglar.
Never leave a sp are key in a convenient hiding place. The first place
a bu rglar will look is u n d e r th e doorm at or in a flower pot a n d even
som ew here m ore “im aginative” could soon be uncovered by the intruder. It is m uch safer to leave a key w ith a neighbour you can tru st.
B ut if your h o u se is in a quiet, desolate a rea be aw are th a t th is will be
a b u rg lar’s dream , so d eter any potential crim inal from approaching
your h o use by fitting security lights to th e outside of.your h ouse.
B ut w hat could h ap p e n if, in spite of the aforem entioned _jgecauz;
tions, a burg lar or in tru d er h a s decided to target y our hom e. Windows
are usu ally th e first point of entry for m any in trud ers. D ow nstairs w indows provide easy access while u p sta irs windows can be reached with
a ladder or by clim bing up th e drainpipe. Before going to bed you
should double-check th a t all windows an d sh u tte rs are locked. No m atter how sm all y o u r windows may be, it is surp risin g w hat à narrow gap
a determ ined b u rg lar ca n m anage to get th roug h. For ex tra security, fit
window locks to th e inside of th e window.
W hat ab o u t entry via doors? Your back door and patio doors, w hich
a re easily forced open, should have top quality security locks fitted.
Even though th is is expensive it will be money well spent. Install a b u rglar alarm if you can afford it a s a n o th er line of defence a g a in st in tru d ers.
A sobering fact is th a t n ot all in tru d ers have to b reak a n d e n ter into
a property. Why go to th e trouble of breaking in if you ca n ju s t knock
and be invited in? Beware of bogus officials or w orkm en and , p a rtic u larly if you are elderly, fit a chain an d a n eye hole so you can scru tin ise
callers a t y o u r leisure. W hen you do have callers never let anybody into
your hom e u n le ss you are absolutely su re they are genuine. Ask tò see
a n identity card, for example.
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