Rèn luyện kĩ năng đọc hiểu Tiếng Anh thi THPTQG 2023

A Brave Rat
A rat named Magawa has been given a (1) __________ award for bravery for his sniffing out
dozens of landmines in Cambodia. This special medal was given to him by the People's
Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)–a charity based in the United Kingdom. Magawa is an
African Giant Pouched Rat used in a mine-clearing programme and served for a periodof 7
years, during (2) ___________ he helped to detect an impressive total of 39 landmines and 28
unexploded devices, which makes him more successful than (3) ___________ other rat on the
battlefield.
And (4) __________, 141,000 square meters of land were cleared. Speaking about Magawa’s
achievement, the chairman of PDSA said: "This is the very first time in our 77-year history of
honouring animals that we have presented a medal to a rat." Reporters tried to interview
Magawa but he was (5) ____________ for comment.
(Adapted from breakingnewsenglish.com)
1: A. celebrated

B. discernible

C. distinguished

D. noteworthy

2: A. where

B. whom

C. which

3: A. few

B. any

C. some

4: A. even so

B. for example

C. nonetheless

D. as a result

5: A. irresponsive

B. unavailable

C. inaccessible

D. unapproachable

D. when
D. lots

CHILDHOOD AMNESIA
Take some time to relax and think back about your early years as a child. What comes to mind?
If you're like most children, you probably have only a few special memories that stick in your
mind from between the ages of three and seven. This phenomenon is called 'childhood
amnesia', and experts have studied and develop theories about it from as early as the late 18th
century.
Early researchers believed that childhood amnesia occurs because young children did not have
fully-developed structures in their brains to allow them to retain the information they receive.
Over time, however, it became clear that children could indeed clearly remember many things

from a young age, such as who their parents are, where they live, etc. Remembering basic facts
like this is known as semantic memory.
With more careful research, experts now believe childhood amnesia is caused by the lack of
episodic memory, which is memory of the details of a specific event, in young children. And the
most widely accepted explanation for this is that the hippocampus, the part of the brain that


combines pieces of information contained in many different brain regions to create episodic
memories, does not begin to develop and to fully function until sometime between the ages of
two and four. Without it, children can only rely on only semantic memory until they are old
enough.
Although it would be great to have memories from our earliest days, researchers say childhood
amnesia is not a bad thing at all. They believe that having a lot of episodic memories could
distract or overload the brain at an early age, when what we need to do is to store the most
basic information about the world and people around us.
(Adapted from wonderopolis.org)
Question 6: What is the passage mainly about?
A. How our brain creates new memories
B. What makes us forgetful when we are kids
C. Why we don’t remember our childhood well
D. The reason why children cannot remember things
Question 7: The word “retain” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to __________.
A. restrict

B. grasp

C. acquire

D. store

Question 8: In paragraph 3, what do we learn about episodic memory?
A. It is considered by experts as the cause of childhood amnesia.
B. It is still not fully developed when we are at a young age.
C. It is a combination of information stored in the hippocampus.
D. It is created by many different regions in the human brain.
Question 9: The word “it” in paragraph 3 refers to ___________.
A. explanation

B. hippocampus

C. brain

Question 10: Which of the following is NOT mentioned the passage?
A. Childhood amnesia has been researched from the late 1700s.
B. Young children can still remember basic information well.
C. The hippocampus develops once we reach the age of two.
D. Childhood amnesia is actually helpful to young children.

D. information


Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct answer to each of the questions
Most of us hate having tough conversations, especially those who are scared of disagreements.
However, avoiding or delaying difficult talks with others can hurt relationships and create
negative outcomes in the long run. It may not feel natural at first, but you can still learn to dive
into tough talks by adjusting your thoughts.
First, begin from curiosity and respect, and stop worrying about being liked. While it’s natural
to want to be liked, it is more important to enter the conversation with an open attitude and a
true desire to learn. Even when a conversation is difficult, it can still remain mutually

supportive – treat the other person’s point of view with genuine respect and interest, and they
will likely do the same, and this will form the foundation for effective communication.
People who are afraid of conflict often spend a huge amount of time mentally rewording their
thoughts. However, thinking too much about what to say can create unnecessary pressure.
Instead, focus on listening. For example, if a team member is not performing well, approach
them with questions like “Can you tell me about the challenges you’re facing?” Then, listen
and gather as much detail as possible. Your genuine attention will encourage them to
elaborate on their thoughts. In addition, you can repeat what they said to confirm that you
understand them correctly and ask follow-up questions, but only if appropriate, to learn more
about their perspective.
Another important thing: Never delay. Instead of putting off a conversation for "the near
future", tackle it as soon as you can. Of course, it is helpful to plan the general outline of what
you want to convey and the outcome you desire from the conversation in advance, but
remember: the essential step that truly leads to change is having it and figure out how to move
on from there. After endlessly practicing conversations in your head, actually engaging in a
two-way conversation instead of waiting can be very refreshing and productive.
Finally, always expect a positive outcome. You’ll always have a hard time if you keep going into
a conflict telling yourself, “This is going to be an absolute debacle in the end”. Instead, focus on
the long-term gains that the conversation will create for the relationship. When your attention
is focused on positive results and benefits, it will make your thinking process and inner
dialogue more constructive. As a result, you will grow more comfortable while resolving any
difficult situation.
(Adapted from hbr.org)
Question 11: Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Mindset Changes You Can Make To Ease Difficult Talks


B. Avoid These Mistakes If You Want To Resolve Conflicts
C. What Are The Characteristics Of A Successful Discussion?
D. Tough Talks Made Easy: The Great Importance of Listening

Question 12: In paragraph 2, what do we learn about curiosity and respect in a difficult
conversation?
A. People usually regard curiosity and respect as unimportant when engaging in conversations.
B. curiosity and respect help you worry less about whether you are liked while communicating.
C. Both sides can express curiosity and respect towards each other, even in a tough
conversation.
D. Conversations will always be successful if at least one side tries to show curiosity and
respect.
Question 13: The word “elaborate” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ___________.
A. enlarge

B. improve

C. extend

D. increase

Question 14: The word “it” in paragraph 4 refers to __________.
A. outcome

B. conversation

C. step

D. change

Question 15: Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. Learning to have difficult conversations is an uncomfortable but quick process.
B. Many people are stressed whenever they have to plan what they say during tough talks.
C. Difficult talks are mostly delayed when those involved want more time to plan.

D. Your will be more constructive when expecting good results from tough conversations.
Question 16: Which of the following can most likely be inferred from the passage?
A. Only those scared of conflicts worry about being liked in tough conversations.
B. Asking follow-up questions is only considered appropriate in very few cases.
C. The more you delay a tough conversation, the worse the problem becomes.
D. Hoping for good results is the best way to calm yourself before hard talks.
Question 17: The phrase “debacle” in paragraph 5 can be best replaced by ___________.
A. downside

B. accident

C. failure

D. confusion