Unit 1 LIFE STORIES

UNIT 1

LIFE STORIES
(TIỂU SỬ)

A. VOCABULARY
New words
achievement
/əˈtʃiːvmənt/ (n)

Meaning
thành tích, thành
tựu

Picture

Example
This new album is one of
his greatest achievements.
Album mới này là một
trong những thành tựu
tuyệt vời nhất của anh ấy.

anonymous

ẩn danh, giấu tên

/əˈnɒnɪməs/ (adj)

dedication
/ˌdedɪˈkeɪʃn/ (n)

sự cống hiến, hiến
dâng, tận tụy

For reasons of personal
safety, the customer
wishes to remain
anonymous.
Để đảm bảo an toàn cá
nhân, khách hàng
mong muốn được giấu
tên.
I admire Uncle Ho for his
dedication to our country.
Tôi ngưỡng mộ Bác Hồ
vì sự cống hiến của Bác
cho đất nước chúng ta.

diagnose

chẩn đoán (bệnh)

/ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz/ (v)

He was diagnosed with
lung cancer last year.
Anh ấy bị chẩn đoán mắc
bệnh ung thư phổi vào
năm ngoái.

distinguished
/dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ (adj)

kiệt xuất, lỗi lạc

He had a distinguished
career in medicine.
Ông ấy có một sự nghiệp
lỗi lạc trong ngành y tế.


figure

nhân vật

/ˈfɪɡə(r)/ (n)

She is a famous political
figure in the world.
Bà ấy là một chính trị gia
nổi tiếng trên thế giới.

generosity
/ˌdʒenəˈrɒsəti/ (n)

sự rộng lượng,
tính hào phóng

You shouldn't let other
people take advantage of

your generosity.
Bạn không nên để người
khác lợi dụng lòng tốt của
mình.

hospitalization
/ˌhɒspɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/

sự nhập viện, đưa
vào bệnh viện

Because of the severity of
the accident, the patient
required hospitalization.
Do vụ tai nạn khá nghiêm
trọng, bệnh nhân bắt buộc
phải nhập viện.

có ảnh hưởng lớn

He is the most influential
person in the company.

(n)

influential
/ˌɪnfluˈenʃl/ (adj)

Ồng ấy là người có tầm
ảnh hưởng lớn nhất trong

công ty.

/ˌpɜːsəˈvɪərəns/ (n)

tính kiên trì, sự
bền chí

prosthetic leg

chân giả

perseverance

/prɒsˈθetɪk leg/

to many different places
to explore the world.

(n.p)

reputation
/ˌrepjuˈteɪʃn/ (n)

She showed hard work
and perseverance in the
face of difficulty.
Cô ấy đã thể hiện sự cần
cù và kiên trì khi phải đối
mặt với khó khăn.
After getting used to my

prosthetic leg, I traveled

danh tiếng

Sau khi đã làm quen với
việc mang chân giả, tôi đã
chu du rất nhiều nơi để
khám phá thế giới.
After winning this contest,
she gained a reputation as
a first-class cook.


Sau khi chiến thắng trong
cuộc thi này, cô ấy đã
giành được danh tiếng
của một đầu bếp hạng
nhất.

respectable
/rɪˈspektəbl/ (adj)

đáng kính, đứng
đắn

I think that you'll look
more respectable if you
wear this suit.
Tôi nghĩ là trông anh sẽ
đứng đắn hơn khi mặc

bộ com-lê này.

talented
/ˈtæləntɪd/ (adj)

có tài năng, có
năng khiếu

Lionel Messi is a talented
football player.
Lionel Messi là một cầu
thủ bóng đá tài năng.

waver
/ˈweɪvə(r)/ (V)

dao động, phân
vân

I'm wavering between
buying a house in this city
or moving away.
Tôi đang phân vân giữa
việc mua nhà ở thành phố
này hoặc chuyển đến một
nơi khác.


B. GRAMMAR
I. THE PAST SIMPLE TENSE (THÌ QUÁ KHỨ ĐƠN) VS. THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE (THÌ

QUÁ KHỨ TIẾP DIỄN)
1. The past simple tense (Thì quá khứ đơn)
a. Cấu trúc (Form)
Affirmative (Khẳng định)
S + V(past) (+ O)
They went to the cinema last
night.

Negative (Phủ định)
S + did not/ didn't + V(bareinf) (+ O)
They didn't go to the cinema
last night.

Interrogative (Nghi vấn)
Did + S +V(bare-inf) (+ O)?
Did they go to the cinema last
night?

b. Cách dùng (Use)
- Diễn tả hành động đã xảy ra và kết thúc tại một thời điểm trong quá khứ (finished actions or events)
E.g:
I saw him at the airport yesterday. (Hôm qua tôi đã nhìn thấy anh ấy ở sân bay.)
My aunt sent me a letter two days ago. (Cách đây 2 ngày cô tôi đã gửi thư cho tôi.)
- Diễn tả hành động lặp đi lặp lại trong quá khứ (repeated actions)
E.g:
I played soccer three times a week when I was at school. (Lúc tôi còn đi học thì tôi đã chơi bóng đá 3 lần
một lần.)
She went to Paris twice last year. (Năm ngoái cô ấy đến Pari 2 lần.)
- Diễn tả thói quen trong quá khứ (past habits)

E.g:
She visited her parents every Sunday. (Vào mỗi chủ nhật thì cô ấy đã đến thăm bố mẹ.)
We often went swimming every afternoon. (Vào mỗi buổi chiều thì chúng tôi đã thường đi bơi.)
- Diễn tả tình trạng hay tình huống trong quá khứ
Did you have a car when you were young? (Có phải bạn có ô tô khi bạn còn trẻ không?)
- Diễn tả một chuỗi hành động xảy ra liên tiếp nhau trong quá khứ (sequences of actions)
E.g:
He ran to the car, jumped in and raced off into the night.
c. Các cụm từ thời gian (Time phrases)
Một số cụm từ thời gian được dùng trong thì quá khứ đơn: yesterday, last night/week/month/year, etc.,
two days/ weeks/months, etc. ago, in 2000, at that moment, then, suddenly, when
2. The past continuous tense (Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn)
a. Cấu trúc (Form)
Affirmative (Khẳng định)
S + was/ were + V-ing (+O)
My brother was reading books
at this time last night.

Negative (Phủ định)
S + was/ were + not + V-ing
(+O)
My brother wasn't reading
books at this time last night.

Interrogative (Nghi vấn)
Was/Were + S +V-ing
(+O)?
Was your brother reading
books at this time last night?

b. Cách dùng (Use)
- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra tại một thời điểm cụ thể trong quá khứ (actions in progress at a point of
time in the past)
E.g:
At 9 o'clock yesterday, I was doing the homework. (Vào lúc 9 giờ hôm qua tôi đang làm bài tập về nhà.)
- Diễn tả hành động đang diễn ra trong một khoảng thời gian trong quá khứ (actions in progress over a
period of time)
E.g:
My husband was working hard all day. (Chồng tôi đã làm việc vất vả suốt cả ngày.)
Note: Các cụm từ thời gian như all day, all the morning,... thường được dùng trong trường hợp này
- Diễn tả tình huống/ sự việc tạm thời hoặc đang thay đổi trong quá khứ (temporary or changing
situations in the past)
E.g:
At the time, I was working for a bank in this cit. (a temporary situation)
I was becoming bored with the job, so I decided to change. (a changing situation)
- Diễn tả một hành động đang diễn ra thì một hành động khác xen vào trong quá khứ (an action was in
progress when another action happened/ interrupted it)
E.g:
We were having dinner when someone knocked at/on the door.
(Chúng tôi đang ăn tối thì có ai đó đã gõ cửa.)
- Diễn tả hai hay nhiều hành động xảy ra song song cùng một lúc trong quá khứ (two or more actions in
progress at the same time in the past)
E.g:
While I was cooking dinner, my husband was playing computer games.
(Trong khi tôi đang nấu bữa tối thì chồng tôi đang chơi điện tử.)
- Diễn tả hành động lặp lại nhiều lần trong quá khứ gây ra sự khó chịu, bực mình (mang nghĩa tiêu cực).
Cách dùng này thường đi kèm với trạng từ "always/ constantly".
E.g:
The old man was always complaining about the noise in the area.

Note: Chúng ta không thường dùng thì quá khứ tiếp diễn với các động từ chỉ tình trạng, cảm xúc, sở hữu,
tri giác như: be, cost, belong, own, have, feel, hear, hate, like,...
c. Các cụm từ chỉ thời gian (Time phrases)
Các cụm từ thời gian thường được dùng trong thì này như: while, as, when, meanwhile, at that time, all
the morning/ afternoon/ day, etc.
■ BÀI TẬP VẬN DỤNG CƠ BẢN
Bài 1: Write the words in the correct order.
1. I/ the bus/ caught/ yesterday/ to work/.
⇒
2. it was raining/because/ didn't/ she/ for a walk/ go/.
⇒


3. I got/TV/ when/ watching/ my/ brother/ was/ home/.
⇒
4. break/your arm/you/how/did/?
⇒
5. last summer/ in a beautiful village/ spent/ we/.
⇒
6. last night/ Sally/ what/ was/ wearing/ at the party/?
⇒
7. a loud party/ while/ my neighbors/I/ were having/ to study,/ was trying/.
⇒
8. you/ to the cinema/ last night/ did/ go/?
⇒
Bài 2: Choose the correct answer in the bracket.
1. Last night I
was working)

on my thesis and it took me a while to realise that my phone was ringing. (work/

2. When you

I was in a meeting so I couldn't answer your call. (called/ were calling)

3. David can never agree with Tim. They

. (always argue/ are always arguing)

4. Why did you disagree with me at the meeting?
try/Were you trying)
5. Daisy
6. Tim

to make me look incompetent? (Did you

the buffet while I was seeing to the drinks. (prepared/ was preparing)
home when the accident happened. (walked/ was walking)

7. I to work, even when it rained. (was always walking/ always walked)
8. Kelly

her speech when I walked in. (was finishing/ finished)

Bài 3: Put the verbs into the past simple or past continuous tense.
1. I used my time well while I (wait)
2. I (not/work)

when my boss walked in my office. I was on Facebook.

3. I saw a car crash when I (wait)
4. Tom (have)

7. I (not/call)
8. I (stiIl/sleep)

for the taxi.

long hair and a beard when he was at university.

5. It started raining while I (drive)
6. What (you/do)

for the train - I wrote some emails.

to work.

this time last year?
you at 10 o'clock as arranged because I was having a meeting.
when my husband left for work this morning.

Bài 4: Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct tense, past simple or past continuous. Use the
passive form if necessary.
1. When she heard the phone ring, she
2. My mother

(stop) reading to answer it.

(read), so she didn't see me walking past.

3. When the accident happened, thousands of people

(pass) through the airport.


4. I

(have) English lessons every week from the age of four onwards.

5. They decided to leave the beach because it
was still some light.
6. Kate already

(think) of leaving university before she failed her first year exams?

7. Since your house had a pool, you
8. The disaster

(get) dark and they wanted to get home while there

(swim) every day?

(attract) hundreds of people from the country to the city.

9. Sorry I couldn't come on Monday, I
10. The national park

(work) on my project.

(create) to protect wildlife.

Bài 5: Put the verbs in the brackets in the correct tense.
Last night, while I was doing my homework, Hoa (1. call)
. She said she (2. call)
me on
her cell phone from her biology classroom. I asked her if she (3. wait)
for class, but she said that
the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (4. talk)
to me. I couldn't believe she
(5. make)
a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on.
She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (6. sleep, actually)
in
class. Some of the students (7. talk)
about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her
(8. draw)
a picture of a horse. When Hoa (9. tell)
me she was not satisfied with the
class, I (10. mention)
that my biology professor was quite good and (11. suggest)
that
she switch to my class.
While we were talking, I (12. hear)
her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?"
Suddenly, the line went dead. I (13. hang)
up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner.
As I (14. cut)
vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (15. be)
Hoa, but
this time she wasn't sitting in class.

II.

ARTICLES (MẠOTỪ)

1. Mạo từ xác định "The"

Mạo từ "the" thường được dùng trước danh từ số ít hoặc danh từ số nhiều khi chúng ta nói về những sự
vật, sự việc xác định.
E.g:
The book I read yesterday is on the table.
 Một số quy tắc
Chúng ta dùng "the" trong các trường hợp sau:
- Khi vật thể hay nhóm vật thể là duy nhất hoặc được xem là duy nhất
E.g:
The sun; the world; the atmosphere; the sky; the ground; the sea; the earth;...
- Khi cả người nói và người nghe đều biết đến thứ gì hoặc ai đó được nói tới
E.g:
Could you open the door please? (Cả người nói lẫn người nghe đều biết đó là cái cửa nào)
- Trước một danh từ được xác định bằng cụm từ hay mệnh đề
E.g:
The girl in uniform; The doctor that I met; The place where I waited for you.
- Trước so sánh nhất của tính từ


E.g:
She is the most beautiful girl in this class.
- Trước tên các loại nhạc cụ
E.g:
Can you play the guitar?
I like listening to the piano.

(but) I've just bought a guitar and a piano.
- Trước danh từ số ít đại diện cho một nhóm (tên động vật, thực vật, phát minh, bộ phận cơ thể,...)
E.g:
The dodo is an extinct bird.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
He hit me on the head.
- Trước thập kỷ và thế kỷ
E.g:
The 1800s; The twenties
- Trước cụm từ chỉ thời gian và nơi chốn
E.g:
The morning/afternoon/evening; The future/present/past; The north/south/west/east; The front/back/
middle/top/bottom
- Trước số thứ tự
E.g:
The first/second day; the sixth lesson
- Khi người nói nói đến một danh từ cụ thể
E.g:
Coffee originated in Ethiopia, (general)
The coffee I had this morning was Brazilian.
- Trước tên quốc gia, bang, thành phố, trường học có chứa "of", trước quốc gia có tên số nhiều hoặc có tính
từ trong tên, ngoại trừ Great Britain.
E.g:
The United States of America; The State of Florida; The City of Boston; The University of Texas; The
Netherlands;The Philippines
- Trước tên núi, sông, quần đảo, vịnh, biển, đại dương, tên sách, báo và tên các chiếc tàu.
E.g:
The Thai Binh river; the Times; the Pacific Ocean, the Sahara
- Trước vùng, miền địa lý, nhưng không phải các châu lục
E.g:

The Middle East;The Orient (but) Europe; Asia
- Trước tên các lĩnh vực học thuật khi chúng có chứa "of"
E.g:
The history of the United States


- Trước tên các cuộc chiến tranh
E.g:
The war of Independence; the civil war; the second World War (but World War II)
- Trước một tính từ để tạo nên danh từ chung chỉ nhóm người
E.g:
The rich are not always happy.
The Japanese work very hard.
- Trước danh từ riêng số nhiều để chỉ vợ chồng hay cả họ (cả gia đình)
E.g:
The Smiths always go fishing at the weekend.
2. Mạo từ bất định A/An
- "A" đứng trước một phụ âm hoặc một nguyên âm có phiên âm là phụ âm:
+ a girl; a game; a boat; a book
+ a university /aˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/; a European /aˌjʊərəˈpiːən/; a one-parent family; a year /a jɪə /
- "An" đứng trước một nguyên âm hoặc một âm câm (U, E, O, A, I):
+ an orange; an umbrella; an egg
+ an hour/an ˈaʊər /; an honest child /an ˈɒnɪst tʃaɪld /; an honour/an ˈɑːnər /
- "An" đứng trước các mẫu ký tự đặc biệt đọc như một nguyên âm bắt đầu với A, E, F, H, I, L, M, N, O, R,
S, X:
+ an MP/an ˌem ˈpiː /; an SOS/an ˌes əʊ ˈes /; an X-ray /an ˈeks reɪ /; an MSC /an ˌem es ˈsiː/
 Một số quy tắc
Chúng ta dùng a/an:
- Trước danh từ đếm được số ít với nghĩa là 1
E.g:

We need a microcomputer/chair/pen.
- Giới thiệu vể một ai hay vật gì chung chung, không cụ thể hoặc chưa được đề cập trước đó
E.g:
I saw a snake.
- Khi nói về nghề nghiệp
E.g:
He is an engineer.
- Trong các cụm thành ngữ chỉ số lượng
E.g:
A dozen; a couple; a third; a hundred; a lot of;...
- Mang nghĩa là "per"
E.g:
Three times a year; $ 10 a day
- Trong câu cảm thán với danh từ đếm được số ít
E.g:
What a pretty girl!


- "A" có thể được đặt trước Mr/Mrs/Miss + Surname
E.g:
A Mr. Smith

a Mrs. Smith

a Miss. Smith

A Mr. Smith mang nghĩa một người đàn ông được gọi là Smith và ngụ ý rằng anh ấy là một người lạ với
người nói.
Mr. Smith, không có "a", ngụ ý rằng người nói biết Mr. Smith hoặc biết về sự tồn tại của anh ấy.
■ BÀI TẬP VẬN DỤNG CƠ BẢN

Bài 6: Fill in the blank with the suitable article: a, an, the or x (no article).
1. Are you coming to
2. I bought

party next Sunday?

new TV set yesterday.

3. I think

man over there is very ill. He can't stand on his feet.

4. I watched

video you had sent me.

5. She was wearing

ugly dress when she met him.

6. I am crazy about reading
7. She is

history books.

beautiful girl.

8. Do you want to go to
9. He is

cinema where we first met?

engineer.

10. He thinks that
11. I like

love is what will save us all.
blue T-shirt over there better than

red one.

12. Their car does 150 miles hour.
13. Where's

USB drive I lent you last week?

14. Do you still live in

Ho Chi Minh City?

15. Is your mother working inold office building?
16. Tim's father works as

electrician.

17. The tomatoes are 99 pence

kilo.

18. What do you usually have for
19. Mike has

breakfast?

terrible headache.

20. After this tour you have

whole afternoon free to explore the city.

Bài 7: Fill in the bank with a/an, the or x if it isn't necessary to use any article.
1. He is

very nice man.

2. They are
3.

brave girls.
farmhouses in my village were rather poor.

4. He told me
5. This is
6.

good example.
roof of

7. We are

8. Those were
9. Look at

story of his life.
house was on fire.
students.
interesting books.
top of that tree.


10. I am
11.

good sailor.
frame of that picture is broken.

12. John has become
13. It was

driver.

very long way to go.

14. We stopped at
15.

door of his hut.

cover of my English book is green.

16. Mark and Peter were
17.

last days of my stay in London were the most interesting.

18. She was
19. This
20.

good sportsmen.

good actress.
exception.
banks of

river were very steep.

Bài 8: Correct the following sentences, adding articles where necessary.
1. Do English drink tea or coffee for breakfast?
2. We returned from two-week holiday in Philippines and Indonesia.
3. During the rush hour in Hanoi, it's more convenient to travel by motorbike than to take taxi.
4. We had great time in USA last summer.
5. Tim decided to become soldier so that he could fight for his country.
Bài 9: Complete the text by using A, AN, THE or (x) for "no article" for each blank.
I just received a postcard from (1)
Smiths, a family I met last year. It made me start thinking:
When was (2)
last time I actually sent (3)
letter or (4)
postcard to someone?

It's strange, (5)
postal service has been part of (6)
daily life for (7)
centuries.
And suddenly, within (8)
single generation, (9)
postal system is on its way to becoming
(10)
thing of (11)
past. These days, (12)
few people send (13)
letters.
Today, (14)
email is (15)
far more common way to communicate with (16)
friends and (17)
family. It's also (18)
faster and cheaper way to communicate. When I
send (19)
email to (20)
friend in (21) distant country, (22)
friend will receive (23)
email almost immediately. What's more, I have the ability to attach (24)
photograph, (25)
video, or (26)
MP3. And I don't even have to buy (27)
expensive stamp. But (28)
world is changing quickly. In (29)
decade or two, we might
all be using (30)

totally different kind of technology to communicate.
■ BÀI TẬP TỔNG HỢP NÂNG CAO
Bài 10: Choose the best answer to complete the following sentences.
1. We to the hospital to visit Tom when he

to say that he was fine.

A. were driving - was calling

B. drove-called

C. were driving – called

D. drove-was calling

2. What
A. happen

to you last Sunday?
B. happened

C. was happening D. would happen


3. Last night, we

for you for ages but you never

up.

A. waited - showed

B. would wait - showed

C. were waiting - were showing

D. waited - was showing

4. We

off.

dinner when the light

A. had-went

B. were having-went

C. had been having - went

D. have had - would have go

5. I

out last night but at the last minute I

that I had an English test this morning.

A. was going to go – realized

B. went – realized

C. had gone - would realize

D. would go - have realized

6. Who is

girl over there with Tom?

A. the

B. a

D. ∅

C. an

7. The director needs an assistant with good knowledge of foreign affairs.
A. a
B. the
C. any
D. ∅
8. What
terrible weather! Normally
weather in the UK is not so bad.
A. the-the

B. a-the

9. After a busy day, I went to
A. the - the

B. a - the

10. She has visited
A. the-the

C. ∅-the
bed and had

D. the-a
most beautiful dream ever.
D. ∅ - the

C. a - a

Portugal but she has never been to
B. ∅-the

Netherlands.

C. a – the

D. a – a

Bài 11: Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
1. Last month, when my friend (A) was traveling around London by (B) the car, he crashed (C) the car into
(D) a tree.
2. When she (A) was walking to (B) the library to borrow (C) some books, she (D) was seeing a robbery.

3. (A)The biggest problem with eating too (B) much sugar is (C)that it can cause (D) the diabetes.
4. (A) The most people need (B) to have a healthy diet and (C) do exercise (D) every day.
5. Last night, suddenly my mother (A) was deciding to prevent me from using (B) the Internet so we (C)
ended up having (D) a quarrel.
Bài 12: Fill in the blank with A, AN, THE or (x) for "no article" for each blank.
1. What's
at

longest river in
geography.

2. In 1824, Louis Braille developed
system, known as "Braille" after
countries.

world? Is it

Amazon or

system of writing for
inventor, spread from

3. Because she did not speak
English, she had
she applied for
year-long English course at
4. Tim loves islands. He has been to
Cuba,
Philippines. And
next year, he wants to go to

Nile? I'm terrible

blind. Quickly,
France to dozens of

little chance of advancing her career, so
Cambridge University.
Bali,
Madagascar.

5. Jenifer always says that
patience is
virtue, but she is
I've ever met. Don't you think that's
little ironic?

Bahamas, and
least patient person


6. Every year,
Smiths go camping in
year, they are going to visit Mr. Smith's mother in
7. Wow,

Yellowstone National Park. But
South instead.

cheese is getting so expensive! Look, that cheese costs more than $50

next
pound.