TÀI LIỆU LUYỆN THI ĐỌC BÀI THI VSTEP BẬC 2 (A2)

Reading for A2

For internal use only

TÀI LIỆU ÔN TẬP TỔNG HỢP
DÀNH CHO MÔN ĐỌC CỦA BÀI THI VSTEP BẬC 2

ĐẶC ĐIỂM:
-

ĐẦY ĐỦ HƯỚNG DẪN CHO CÁC PHẦN THI
BÀI TẬP XÂY DỰNG KỸ NĂNG HỢP LÝ
MỖI PHẦN THI CÓ 8 “SET” BÀI TẬP THỰC HÀNH
ĐÁP ÁN ĐẦY ĐỦ

1


Reading for A2

For internal use only

PART 1
 Number of questions: 8
 What to do: read a short text and choose the correct option A, B, or C that completes

each space.
 What to be tested: knowledge of grammatical structure and usage, vocabulary

SKILL-BUILDING 1: PRONOUNS & DETERMINERS
Look at the pronouns and determines in the table below. Briefly describe their uses.

I
You
Me
Your
My
Yours
Mine

He
Him
His

She
Her
Hers

It
Its

We
Us
Our
Ours

They This
Them Thes
Their e
Theirs

That

Thos
e

Somethin
g
Someone
Everythin
g
Everyone

Anythin
g
Anyone
Nothing
No one

Choose the correct option for each sentence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Tony gave we/us a lift.
Could you pass me that/those paper?
Do this/these trees belong to you?
Paula wants to help she/her.

Shall we phone they/them now?
Excuse me, but this is me/my seat.
Anna, this/these is my friend. Have you/us two met before?
Peter lives near here. He/His house is just at the end of the street.

Complete the sentences with a pronoun of your choice. Check if the sentence makes sense.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

______ watched _______ favorite actor’s new film.
______ was a good film but I can’t remember ______ name!
______ chairs were very uncomfortable, but ______ were fine.
______ dropped _______ popcorn on for the floor but _____ didn’t drop _____.
______ ate all _____ sweets!

Complete the following sentences with a pronoun beginning some-, any-, no-, or every-.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Can I ask you __something___?
___________ has gone wrong today! It’s been terrible!
___________ has taken my bike, and I’m going to find out who!
There is ________ nicer than a warm bath!
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5.
6.
7.
8.

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Does ________ here have a pen I could borrow?
I feel so unhappy! _______ loves me!
___________, somewhere, wants a phone call from you!
__________ I have is yours!

SKILL-BUILDING 2: MODALS FOR ABILITY AND OBLIGATION
Match the modals to their meanings. An ability is something we can do. An obligation is
something we have to do.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Can you play the guitar? – E
You need to come to the class at 9.30.
You don’t have to bring anything to the lesson.
For the lesson to begin, we must have six people in

the class
5. You needn’t pay today. The deadline is next week.
6. I could play the piano when I was four.

7. I had to buy a book to study in this class.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

past ability
present obligation
past obligation
no obligation
present ability

Choose the correct word to complete the rules.
1. To talk about must in the past, we use had to / needn’t
2. To talk about can in the past, we use could / had to

Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I mustn’t / can’t play an instrument, but I’m a good singer.
You couldn’t / needn’t buy your own guitar. You can use the school’s guitar.

I could / must play the piano when I was younger.
I have to / need book my place on the course by tomorrow.
These days, you can / must download music from the Internet.
You mustn’t / don’t have to buy CDs if you don’t want to.
When my father was young, he needn’t / couldn’t download music.
He must / had to buy records or CDs in a music shop.

SKILL-BUILDING EXERCISE 3: CONJUNCTIONS
Read the speech bubbles and match them to the pictures. Underline all the conjunctions
used in the bubbles.

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1.

2.
3.

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I love this pair of boots because I can wear them with a skirt or
with trousers and a top. I chose them myself and bought them
with my own pocket money. If it’s cold I wear a jacket, or I put
on a warm coat. I don’t like dresses, so I never wear them.

I wear these shorts when I go to the beach for surfing with my
friends and I take a sweater because it’s cold afterwards. I really

like this cap and the sunglasses.
I don’t like wearing these trousers or this shirt and tie but
they’re part of my school uniform. I always put on jeans and a Tshirt when I get home. I’m glad we can wear trainers to school
because I like them.

Now without looking at the speech bubbles again, complete the following sentences with
and, or, but, because, so, when, and if.
1. I don’t like wearing these trousers or this shirt and tie _____ they’re part of my
2.
3.
4.
5.

school uniform.
______ it’s cold, I wear a sweater ______ I put on a coat.
I love this pair of boots _______ I can wear them with a skirt or with trousers.
I don’t like dresses, ____ I never wear them.
I always wear these shorts _____ I go to the beach.

Match the two halves of the sentences.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

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Lisa wasn’t happy because – C
Leo looked great in a suit when
Scott’s socks had holes so
Lisa had a little silver bag and
Scott wore his new jeans but
Leo usually wears shorts or

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

he forgot to take the price off.
swimming shorts at the beach.
she couldn’t wear her best shoes.
his mum bought six new pairs.
he went to his brother’s wedding.
her friend wore a silver belt.

SAMPLE EXAM TASK
Read the article about a girl and a dolphin.
Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
The helpful dolphin
One summer I went to Florida in the USA (0) _A_ holiday. I said goodbye to my family at the
airport in London (1) ____ I flew to Miami. I stayed with my friend Maria. Her grandfather

had a boat and we (2) ____ to go sailing. We had (3) ____ lovely time sailing! One morning I
decided to sit on the sideSTEP-BY-STEP
of the boat. Suddenly,
I fell
off PART
into the1sea. I didn’t know how to
GUIDE
FOR
swim
____
and I began to shout.because
Then, (5)
____
minute
I feltthe
(6) topic
_____is.push
me
1. (4)
Read
thewell
____________________
they
willatell
you what
Ideally,
nearer______________________________.
the boat. (7) ____ was a dolphin and he was trying to help me! Maria heard me
2. Read
each

sentence carefully
andbac
guess
is missing
in each
space.
Very
in I
shout
and her
grandfather
pulled me
on what
the boat.
I (8) ____
now
learnt
to often,
skim and
termslove
of grammar,
will always
dolphins. the following areas will be tested. Can you list some words for each
area?
0.
A. on
B. at
C. in

Conjunctions

1.
A. but
B. or
C. and

Verb
forms
2.
A. wanted
B. wanting
C. want

Articles
3.
A. one
B. a
C. the

Prepositions
4.
A. very
B. such
C. enough

Pronouns
5.
A. before
B. after
C. since


Determiners
6.
A. something
B. anything
C. nothing
words B. I
7. A.Question
Him
C. It
at the options for
8. 3. Look
A. have
B. each
was space carefully
C. and
am try to choose the best one. TIPS:
 If the space is a verb form, think about __________.
 If the space is related to nouns or pronouns, is it ________?
 If the space is a preposition, is it ___________?
 If the space is a conjunction, __________________
 Do not worry if there are words you don’t know. Make use of
.
4. Read the whole text again to see if your choices make sense.

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FURTHER PRACTICE
SET 1
Read the article about Moko the dolphin. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
A DOLPHIN HERO
Early one morning (0) __A____ March 2008, a mother and baby whale got into trouble at
Mahia beach in New Zealand. Malcolm Smith and a team (1) ______ animal workers tried to
push the whales back out to sea, (2) _______ they kept coming back onto (3) ___________
beach. “They were getting tired and I was afraid they were going to die,” said Malcolm. But
then Moko the dolphin (4) ______.
Moko is well known at Mahia beach, (5) _________ she plays with swimmers and pushes
boats along with (6) ________ nose. “She came straight to us and the showed the two
whales how to get away from the beach and out to open sea,” said Malcolm. “It was a
wonderful thing to watch.” No one has (7) ________ heard of a dolphin helping whales like
this before, and (8) ______ agrees that Moko is a very special animal.
0.

A. in

B. on

C. at

1.

A. by

B. to

C. of

2.

A. or

B. so

C. but

3.

A. the

B. a

C. one

4.

A. arrive

B. arriving

C. arrived

5.

A. where

C. who

C. what

6.

A. her

B. their

C. your

7.

A. yet

B. ever

C. since

8.

A. someone

B. everyone

C. anyone

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SET 2
Read the text about the first films. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
THE FIRST FILMS
The brothers Louis and Auguste Lumiere were the first people in (0) __C___ world to make
moving pictures. On December 28th 1895, in Paris, (1) ____ showed a “movie” in a cinema
for the first time using a machine (2) _____ the Cinematographe.
The film was a comedy about a gardener (3) ______ had an accident with some water and
got every wet. (4) ______ thought it was very funny.
In 1907, the first film studios were built in a part (5) ______ Los Angeles known as
Hollywood. During the 1920s, Hollywood (6) ______ the center of the world film industry. In
the beginning, the films had no sound. Instead, (7) _____________ were words on the
screen (8) ____ time to time, telling people the story.
0.

A. a

B. one

C. the

1.

A. they

B. it

C. he

2.

A. called

B. calling

C. calls

3.

A. what

B. where

C. who

4.

A. Someone

B. Anyone

C. Everyone

5.

A. of

B. by

C. from

6.

A. is

B. was

C. be

7.

A. here

B. these

C. there

8.

A. by

B. from

C. after

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SET 3
Read the information about Schnauzer dogs. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each
space.
SCHNAUZER DOGS
There are three sizes (0) ___B_____ Schnauzer dog.
The two smaller sizes first (1) _____ to England over 50 years ago, but the Giant Schnauzer
has not (2) ______ here very long. The name Giant is a good one because the dogs are 65 to
67.5 cm high.
All the dogs (3) _____ long hair, which should be cut quite often. Most smaller Schnauzers
(4) _____ grey in color, (5) ________ the Giant Schnauzer is usually black.
Schnauzers come from Germany, where farmers use the dogs to help (6) ______ with their
sheep, and they are also used (7) ________ the police, because Schnauzer dogs are very
intelligent.
A Schanuzer makes (8) ____ nice family dog. It is friendly and very good with young children.
0.

A. with

B. of

C. in

1.

A. came

B. come

C. comes

2.

A. being

B. be

C. been

3.

A. has

B. have

C. had

4.

A. were

B. is

C. are

5.

A. or

B. if

C. but

6.

A. them

B. him

C. us

7.

A. from

B. by

C. to

8.

A. the

B. a

C. any

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SET 4
Read the information about dinosaurs. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
DINOSAURS
No one has (0) ___A__ seen a dinosaur. The last dinosaur died about 60 million years ago, a
long time (1) ____ there were any people on the earth. (2) ____ knows for sure why they all
died. The nearest living relatives of dinosaurs are birds.
Dinosaurs didn’t all look the same. There were more (3) ____ 5000 kinds. Some were very
small, (4) _____ others were giants. The largest were bigger than any other animals that
ever lived (5) _____ land. The Brontosaurus, for example, was twenty meters long, and it (6)
_______ plants. The Tyrannosaurus Rex was not as (7) _____, but it was stronger. It had
sharp teeth for eating meat. Also, it could run fast (8) ____ it had long black legs.
0.

A. ever

B. never

C. yet

1.

A. that

B. when

C. before

2.

A. Everybody

3.

A. than

B. that

C. as

4.

A. as

B. but

C. or

5.

A. in

B. on

C. at

6.

A. ate

B. eat

C. eats

7.

A. bigger

B. biggest

C. big

8.

A. that

B. because

C. where

B. People

C. Nobody

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SET 5
Read the article about doing homework. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
DOING HOMEWORK
It is a good idea to (0) ___C_____ your homework early. If you can do it (1) _______ your
evening meal, you will have (2) ___ time later to do things that you enjoy, like talking (3)
____ the phone.
It is also better to do homework as soon as possible after the teacher has given it to you.
Then, if the homework is difficult and you (4) _____ time to think about it, you will (5) _____
have time to do it.
Always turn off your mobile phone and the television when you (6) ____ doing your
homework. You will work a lot (7) _____ without them. Make sure you have a quite place to
work, with (8) ______ light and a comfortable chair.
0.

A. starting

B. started

C. start

1.

A. since

B. before

C. until

2.

A. more

B. much

C. most

3.

A. by

B. at

C. on

4.

A. should

B. need

C. must

5.

A. still

B. yet

C. already

6.

A. have

B. are

C. were

7.

A. fastest

B. fast

C. faster

8.

A. enough

B. all

C. many

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SET 6
Read the article about tigers. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
TIGERS
Tigers are the (0) __C__ cats of all. A hundred years ago 100,000 tigers lived across Asia, but
today (1) _____ are only about 6000, with (2) ____ living in zoos around the world.
Tigers usually live in forests but (3) _____ are found in wetter areas. Most of them live (4)
_____ 12 to 18 years, but in zoos they can live (5) _______ they are 25. The coats of (6)
_______ beautiful animals are orange and black but, surprisingly, no two coats are ever the
(7) _____. They look for food at night, and will eat fish and birds as well as larger animals.
Tigers are different from most cats because they like water. They are strong swimmers, and
often go to rivers when the weather gets (8) ______ hot.
0.

A. large

B. larger

C. largest

1.

A. that

B. it

C. there

2.

A. much

B. many

C. any

3.

A. each

B. every

C. some

4.

A. from

B. in

C. through

5.

A. during

B. until

C. above

6.

A. these

B. those

C. this

7.

A. same

B. one

C. other

8.

A. such

B. too

C. enough

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SET 7
Read the article about buildings. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
BUILDINGS
People (0) _C__ always made buildings. We need houses to keep us warm and dry and we
build stadiums (1) ______ we can watch football matches and pop concerts. We use (2)
______ buildings, like museums, to keep beautiful things in.
(3) ______ people work together on a building. The architect decides how the building is
going to look and draws pictures that show people his or her ideas. Engineers make sure the
building will (4) ____ strong and safe. Then, the workers carefully build (5) _____.
The Sydney Opera House is a famous modern building with a lovely roof. But the building is
beautiful from (6) _______ side, not only from the top. There is also a famous roof on the
Olympic Stadium (7) ____ Munich. This interesting building looks like a tent that is (8) _____
of glass.

0.

A. having

B. has

C. have

1.

A. or

B. but

C. so

2.

A. other

B. each

C. another

3.

A. Much

B. More

C. Many

4.

A. be

B. was

C. been

5.

A. them

B. it

C. her

6.

A. some

B. every

C. both

7.

A. in

B. on

C. from

8.

A. made

B. make

C. making

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SET 8
Read the article about postcards. Choose the best word (A, B, or C) for each space.
POSTCARDS
Today, people like to send postcards __B___ their friends and family. These postcards often
(1) ____ pictures of beaches, mountains or castles on them and you (2) ____ write a
message on the back. Many people send postcards (3) _____ they are on holiday because
postcards are cheap and the pictures on them are often (4) ____ than people’s own photos.
Somebody sent the first postcard (5) ____ the end of the nineteenth century. It had a
picture of a town by the sea on it. Later on, postcards had pictures showing something in
the news that week, perhaps an accident (6) _____ an important person’s visit. People liked
to (7) ______ them because they did (8) ______ have pictures in their newspapers then.

0.

A. to

B. by

C. from

1.

A. had

B. has

C. have

2.

A. can

B. shall

C. do

3.

A. until

B. when

C. during

4.

A. best

B. better

C. good

5.

A. at

B. in

C. on

6.

A. also

B. too

C. or

7.

A. see

B. saw

C. seen

8.

A. never

B. not

C. no

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PART 2
 Number of questions: 8
 What to do: match 8 statements with their corresponding signs/notices
 What to be tested: detailed understanding of information, skimming and scanning

skills

SKILL-BUILDING 1: READING SIGNS IN SHOP WINDOWS
Where can you buy these things? Choose the shop from the box.
bakery
1.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

butcher

chemist

supermarket

medicines and toiletries
cakes and bread
meat
clothes, cosmetics and furniture
food and things for the house
presents and birthday cards

gift shop

department store

______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

Complete the sentences using the words from the box.
sale
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

stock

price

reduction

allowed

All the things that a shop sells are the shop’s ___________.
The ________ is the amount of money that you have to pay for something.
If something is ______________, then you can do it.
If there is a _____________, then things in a shop cost less money than normal.
When something sells for less than normal, there is a ___________ in the price.

You go shopping and see these signs in shop windows. What do they mean? Read the signs
and choose your answer.

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TIP: Reading is not something you can do only in the classrooms. You can practice
reading wherever you are! Look for signs or notices in windows as you walk around
town. What signs do you see in shops, restaurants, cafés or hotels? Look up any new
words and write interesting phrases in your notebook!

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SKILL-BUILDING 2: UNDERSTANDING SIGNS ON A TRAIN
You see these signs on the train. What do they mean? Read the signs and choose the best
answer.

Find words in the signs that mean:
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Reading for A2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

For internal use only

suitcases/bags
not looked after
toilet
another/ different
not working/ broken
something that makes a loud noise to warn of danger

l___________________
u___________________
w___________________
a___________________
o___________________
a___________________

SAMPLE EXAM TASK
Part 2. Which notice (A-J) says this (9-16)?
For questions 9-16, write the correct letter on your answer sheet.
9. Phone this number if you want
A.
GET CHEAPER TICKETS
someone to wash your clothes for
WITH A FAMILY RAILCARD
you.
10. You must pay with cash here.
B.
SPECIAL DOG TREATS
11. You cannot take your dogs here.
Buy 1 – Get 1 FREE

12. If you want to know about the
traffic, phone this number.
JANE’S JEANS
No more than 3 pairs
13 You must not take too many
C.
in
the changing room
clothes to try on.
14. You must buy a ticket before you
TRAIN TICKETS HERE
travel on this.
CASH ONLY, PLEASE.
15. Children and parents travel for
D.
less with this.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR
PART 2PETS, BUT THEY ARE
WE LOVE
16. This restaurant has special meals
NOT ALLOWED HERE. SORRY!
for kids.
E.
1. Quickly look through all the notices to understand their _____.
ASK OUR
WAITERS
OUR
GET
A FOR
TRAIN

2. Read each sentence carefully and identify their keyNEVER
words.
Pay ON
attention
to:
F.
WITHOUT
 modal verbs for permission and obligation Under-12s’ menus
A TICKET

comparison structure
Need help with cooking and
imperative
G.
housework? Phone Carol 346623
time phrases
place phrases
H.
3. Look for notices that have a similar language and _________________. Do this





DIAL
4. TIPS:
✆ 2222 for motorway news
I.
 DO NOT match a notice with a sentence
just because

it uses information
✆ 2223
for airport
to avoid confusion.


 There are

. Very often, the notices will use
____________________.
Clean
shirts in 24 hours
the used
remaining
ones.
J. notices. Focus on the
Phone
67024
notices that will not be used.

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FURTHER PRACTICE
Note: For the sake of simplicity, each practice set contains only 5 sentences and 8 notices.
However, please keep it in mind that there are 8 sentences and 10 notices in the real test.
SET 1
Which notice (A-H) says this (1-5)?
For questions 1-5, write the correct letter on your answer sheet.

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SET 2
Which notice (A-H) says this (1-5)?
For questions 1-5, write the correct letter on your answer sheet.

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SET 3

Which notice (A-H) says this (1-5)?
For questions 1-5, write the correct letter on your answer sheet.

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