Các bài luận tiếng Anh thông dụng Phần 1 - Trịnh Thị Phượng PDF

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THONG DUNG
COMMONLY USED ENGLISH ESSAY
g r im
p ic
nhA
XUAT BAN T l/D I^ N
bach khoa
C ac bai luan
tieng Anh thong dung
C O M M O N L
U S E D
E N G L IS H
E S S A
CAC BAI LUAN TIENG ANH

THONG DUNG
NHA XUAT BAN TU" DIEN BACH KHOA
Commonly used English essay
1. THINGS I LIKE TO DO
I have many interests. T he activities I spend m ost of my
leisure on, however, are reading, jogging and painting.
I enjoy reading very much. I read widely, ranging from fairy
tales to non-fiction books on outer space and nature. Reading
helps to widen my general knowledge and improves my writing
skill. T herefore, my parents think well of my hobby and often buy
me books that I can not find in the library.
W hen my eyes get tired from reading too much, I would go
for a slow jog with my dog in the park near my house. Jogging
regularly m akes on e healthier. I have also made a few friends
among the regular joggers in the park.
Som etim es, instead of jogging, I would stroll in the park,
carrying with me Thy painting equipment. I love to capture
beautiful things on paper. I have taken arts lesson since I was
nine and I am especially good at w ater-colour painting. Besides
painting pictures of the park, I also like to draw portrait of my
family m em bers.
All my interests are funny and useful pastim es. I believe that
everyone should spend their time on som e useful hobbies rather
than laze precious time away.
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a n Ih t ônc * duNQ
1. non-fiction (n): sach, bai uiet, u.u. ue n h u n g s u viec co

th a t
2. to stroll (v): d i dao, tan bo
3. to capture (v): ( th a n h c o n g t r o n g uiec th e h ie n ai/cai gi
t r o n g m o t buc a n h , bo p h im , u.u..) g h i lai
4. portrait (n) ch a n d u n g
5. to laze sth away (idm): an k h o n g n g o i ro i p h i thcri g ia n
NHLTNG VlC TOl THICH LAM

T oi co nhieu sd thich. Tuy nhien, toi thi/Ong danh het thdi
gian ranh roi cua minh de doc sach, chay bo va ve tranh.
Toi thich doc sach bao. T oi doc rat nhieu the loai, ti/ truyen
than thoai den sach khoa hoc ve vu tru va tif nhien. D oc sach
giup toi m o rong kien thtfc pho thong va phat trien ky nang viet.
Do do, cha me toi danh gia cao sd thich nay cua toi va thirdng
mua cho toi nhCfng quyen sach ma toi khong the tnr> thay trong
thii vien.
Khi mat qua moi vi doc nhieu, toi chay bo vdi con ch o cua
minh d cong vien canh nha. Ghay bo thudng xuyen lam ch o
ngifcrt khoe manh. Toi con ket ban vofi m ot vai ngi/cfi trong so
nhCfng ngu'Oi thUOng chay bo trong cong vien.
Doi khi thay vi chay bo toi lai di dao trong cong vien va
mang theo dung cu ve tranh ben minh. T oi rat thich ghi lai nhCfng
gi dep de tren trang giay. T oi da hoc ve ti/ khi len chin va dac biet
gioi m on ve tranh mau nifdc. Ben canh nhung buc tranh ve canh
cong vien, toi con thich ve chan dung cac thanh vien trong g.a cf:nh
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Commonly used English essay_______________________

T a t ca nhCfng sd thich cua toi deu thu vi va hdru ich. T oi tin
rng m oi ngi/di nen sii dung th<M gian cua minh ch o nhCfng sd
thich hull ich hon la an khong ngoi roi buong troi thdi gian
qui bau.
C a c bAi Iu an TiENq a n U ih d N q diJNq
2. NEWSPAPER READING
Reading new spapers is good for school children since it
helps them to know m ore about their country and the people as
well as the world beyond. T here are m any benefits of reading
new spapers.
Besides
increasing
our
general
knowledge,
it
improves our standard of English if we are in the habit of reading

new spapers daily.
It is im portant to know what our governm ent is doing for the
welfare of its citizens. W e will know about governm ent program s
like building flats, constructing bridges or roads and opening new
school from new spapers.
Som etim es we read about events in far away countries in
Africa
or
South
Am erica.
It is interesting
to
know
about
earthquake disaster or volcanic explosion. All this is inform ation

which a new spaper reports.
Newspaper reading is also considered a pastim e if we take it
as a casual reading.
1.
benefit (n): ich lai
2. to improve (v): cai th ie n , cai tien

3. welfare (n): sue k h o e tot, t h in h u u g n g
4. volcanic explosion (n): su b u n g n o cua n u i lira
5. to report (v): tit a n g th u a t
6. pastim e (n): tr o g ia i t r i , tie u k h ie n

7. casual (adj): k h o n g t h u d n g xuyen
DOC BAO
D oc bao rat bo ich cho hoc sinh yi bao chi giup hoc sinh
hieu them ve dat nifdc va dan toe minh, cung nhif ve the gidi ben
ngoai. D oc bao co nhieu loi ich. Ngoai viec lam tang kieri thifc
pho thong, doc bao con giup cai thien trinh do Anh ngCf neu
chung ta co thoi quen doc bao hang ngay.
Biet difdc nhCfng gi chinh phu se lam vi sif thinh vifOng va
hanh phuc cua nhan dan la mot dieu rat quan trong. Qua bao
chi, chung ta se hieu biet ve cac chifOng trinh cua chinh phu, nhif
la xay dtfng cac can ho, cau cong hoac difdng sat va m d nhCfng
trifcfrig hoc m 6i.
Doi khi chung ta con doc thay nhCfng sif kien xay ra d nhCfng
dat nude xa xoi tan Chau Phi hoac Nam My. Cung rat thu vi neu
dtfOc "biet ve m ot tai hoa dong dat hoac m ot vu no cua nui ltfa.
Tat ca nhCfng thong tin nay deu difOc bao chi ttfdng thuat lai.
D oc bao con duWc xem la mot thu tieu khien neu chung ta
khong co thoi quen doc thifcfng xuyen.
C a c b/vi Ilian tIenq a n U th o N q duNq
3. A BLACKOUT
W e were all watching a humourous television program m e
and laughing gaily. T he next m om ent, it was pitch dark. I was too
surprised to open my mouth, but my little sister, A lice, scream ed
shrilly.
My elder brother immediately told her to shut up. Our
parents had gone for a show, so big P eter was to take charge. He
felt his way into his room to get his torch. B a n g !... "O u ch !" Peter
must had knocked into his big chair. S o o n , we saw a beam of
light and Peter cam e out of his room , rubbing his left knee.
H e told us to follow him to the kitchen to hunt for candles
and m atches. W e rummaged through the drawers and found
twelve small coloured candles and a box of m atches. 1 realized the
candles were the ones used for my birthday a few days ago.
T ogether, we went back to the sitting room and lit the
candles. Peter arranged the candles in a sem i circle on the glass
table and they gave a warm and cheerful glow.
T o while away the time, P eter told us a fa iry ta le . H ow ever,
before the tale the ended, the lights cam e on. W e felt proud that
we had handled the situation well and looked forward to telling
our parents about it.
1.
blackout (n): t h d i d ie m trcfi to i d o m a t d ie n
2.
to shut up (v): im m o m , ca m m ie n g lai

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3.
torch (n): d e n p in
4.
to rumm age (v): lu c tu n g
5.
glow (n): lu o n g sang, q u a n g sang
6.
to while away (v): h e t t h o i g i d
M0T LAN MAT DlN

T at ca chung toi dang cifdi khoai chi khi xem m ot chifOng
trinh hai hifdc tren ti vi. Ngay sau do, dien cup toi thui. T oi ngac
nhien den noi khong noi difOc ldi nao nhifhg em gai toi. Alice,
het len the the.
A nh trai toi lap tufc bao em im lang. C ha me chung toi da di
xem phim, nen anh Peter phai dam difcfng moi thC/. Anh lan
difdng di vao phong cua anh de lay den pin. R am !..."U i da!". At
han P eter da dung phai cai ghe 16n. Mot lat sau, chung toi thay
mot tia sang va Peter bufdc ra khoi phong, tay xoa dau goi trai.
Anh bao chung toi theo anh vao bep de tim nen va diem.
Chung toi luc tung cac ngan keo va tim thay mUdi hai cay nen
mau loai nho va m ot hop diem. T oi nhan ra nhCftig cay nen nay
da dtfOc dung trong sinh nhat cua toi vai ngay tri/dc do.
Chung toi cung t r d lai phong khach va dot nen. P eter xep
nhCfng cay nen theo hinh ban nguyet tren mat ban bang kinh va
chung tao nen m ot quang sang rife ref, am ap va vui m at.
D e giet thdi gian, Peter ke cho chung toi nghe m ot cau
chuyen than thoai. Tuy nhien, trifdc khi cau chuyen ket thuc den
da sang trd lai. Chung toi cam thay tif hao vi da giai quyet tot tinh
huong nay va m ong ke lai cho cha me chung toi nghe.
11
ac
bAi Iuan TitNq /wh th o n g dying
4. MIKILES HUNT
Mikile lives far to the north, in Greenland. He is on e of the
Inuit people. T hey live much as Eskim os have for hundreds of
years. Today, though, is an im portant on e for Mikile. H e is now
old enough to be a real Inuit hunter.
With the other hunters, Mikile is in a small boat. T hey paddle
slowly in order to sneak up on a herd of six narwhals. A narwhal
is a three-thousand-pound whale with a single long horn in its
forehead. Com ing within a few feet of on e of the w hales, Mikile
throws his harpoon. T he other hunters quickly paddle over to
help. Still fighting against the strong whale, Mikil6 is pleased.
T here will be food for the family during the long Greenland
nights.
1. hunter (n): n g a d i d i san
2. to paddle (v): c heo x u o n g
3. to sneak up (v): len d e n gan
4. narwhal (n): con ki Ian bien
5. whale (n): ca voi
6. horn (n): cai sitn g

7. forehead (n): tra n
8. harpoon (n): cay lao m o c
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CHUYEN 01 SAN CCA MIKILE
Mikile song d Greenland cach xa ve phia bac. Cau la m ot
trong nhCfng ngifdi In u it.'H o song nhif ngifdi Eskimo da hang
tram nam. T he nhifhg, hom nay la mot ngay quan trong doi vdi
Mikile. Gid day cau da du 1cm de trd thanh mot thd san Inuit that
s if.
Cung vdi nhCfng ngifdi di san khac, Mikile di tren m ot chiec
thuyen nho. H o eheo xuong cham cham , bi mat tiep can m ot bay
sau con ki lan bien. Ki lan bien la mot con ca voi nang ba ngan
can vofi doc m ot cai sifng tren tran. Den cach m ot con ky lan bien
trong vong vai bo, Mikile phong ngon lao. C ac thgf san khac
nhanh chong den giup dd. Van dang chien dau vdi con ca voi
manh m e, Mikile cam thay rat hai long. S e co thifc an cho ca gia
dinh trong suot nhCfng dem dai b Greenland.
13
C a c bAi Iuan tiENg a n ^ t h o n g dung
3. A PLEASANT DREAM
My story book entitled Fairy tales slipped from my fingers
and fell onto the carpet. I felt too sleepy to pick it up.
Suddenly, the door bell rang. 1 went to answ er it and was
surprised to see seven dwarfs standing at the door. O n e of them
was holding a glittering shoe. W hen I put it on, I was immediately
transform ed into a beautiful princess in a lovely gown. T h e dwarfs
then took me to the palace in a carriage to see the king.
The
king
gave
me
warm
em brace.
Cinderella,
my
daughter, you're final h o m e", he said. T h e maids will see to your

every need". Ja n e , who was always quarreling with m e in class,
becam e very submissive as my maid. I tried on m any beautiful
dresses and shoes and thought that I had never looked so pretty
before. T here w eie also many cooks who prepared
all my
favourite dishes.
O ne day, I was riding my horse to visit a duke w hen I heard
my mum saying, Cindy, hurry up! You'll be late!" S h e started
shaking me so hard that 1 alm ost fell off my horse. I w oke up and
found myself in my bedroom . It had only been a dream , but it was
certainly a wonderful start to my day.
1. dwarf (n): ch u lu n
2. glittering (adj): la p la n h, nha'p nhay
14
Commonly used English essqy

3. gown (n): do p h u n tf
4. submissive (adj): n g o a n ngoan, de bao
5. duke (n): c o n g tu d c
M0T GIAC MO THCJ V!

Quyen truyen co tifo de Truyen than tien tuot khoi tay toi
va rcfi xuong tham . T o i da qua buon ngu nen khong the nhat no
len noi.
B at thinh linh chuong cute reo. Toi ra md cite va ngac nhien
thay bay chu lun dang duYig d cite. Mot chu dang giCf chiec giay
sang lap lanh. Khi di giay vao, toi lap tu t bien thanh m ot nang
cong chua xinh dep trong bo ao dai sang trong. Sau do, chu lun
dua toi den cung dien gap dCfc vua tren c6 xe hinh qua bi.
Nha vua om cham lay toi: Co be Lo Lem , con gai cua ta,
cuoi cung con da ve n h a - ngai noi. NgUOi hau se dap Cfng tat
ca moi yeu cau cua c o n ". Ja n e , ngufoi luon cai nhau v6i toi trong
lc?p, gid trc/ nen rat ngoan ngoan trong vai tro ngifdi hau cua toi.
T oi da m ac thif nhieu bo vay ao, giay dep dep de va nghl rang
chifa bao gid toi xinh dep den the. Cung co rat nhieu dau bep
chuan bi thifc an m a toi ite thich.
Mot ngay no toi dang cifdi ngifa di tham m ot C ong Tifdc thi
nghe tieng m e toi goi: Cindy, nhanh len! Con se bi tre gid d ay!.
Me bat dau lay toi m anh den n6i toi gan nhif nga xuong ngifa.
T oi thufc day va nhan thay minh dang trong phong ngu. D o chi la
m ot giac m d nhifng no thifc sii la mot khdi dau tuyet vdi ch o m ot
ngay mdi cua toi.
15
C a c b Ai luan tiewq awU Thowq duwq
6. THE PERSON I HATE MOST

W e cann ot be friendly with all people w hom we cam e to
m eet. W e hate som e people for good reasons.
T h e person I hate m ost is Billy, who lives a few blocks away
from my flat. He is bully, a pick-pocket and an extortioner. He
was arrested by the police several times and still he is incorrigible.
T h e boy has grown up on the streets, for his parents had died
when he was only five years old.
O n ce he was arrested for being a vagrant and kept in the
welfare hom e for som e time. O n another occasion he picked a
m an s pocket and was jailed for six m onths. H e demanded
m oney from youngsters like m e and if we refused he would
threaten us with a knife.
I am terribly afraid of this bully. I am sure, on e day he will
land up in prison with a longer sentence. This boy is a danger to
the society and so 1 hate him. I hope everyone will agree with me.
1. bully (n): ke d u n g vu lu c d e h a m doa, la m to n thucfng
n g u d i kh ac
2. extortioner (n): ke to n g tien, ke m o i tien
3. to arrest (v): bat g iu
4. incorrigible (adj): k h o n g the sua chira d u o c
5. vagrant (n): n g u d i k h o n g co c h o 6, c o n g viec 6 n d in h

16

6. jail (n): nha tu '
7. to land up (v): d e n tin h h u o n g cu o i c u n g
8. sentence (n): ban an
NGlfCJI MA TOl GHT NHAT

Chung ta khong the than thien difdc vdi tat ca nhCfng ngifdi
ma ta da gap. T h e nao chung ta cung ghet m ot ngifdi nao do vi
nhCfng li do chinh dang.
Billy chinh la ke ma toi ghet nhat. Han ta song cach can ho
cua toi vai can. Han la m ot ten chuyen an hiep ngi/di yeu the,
m ot ke m oc tui va m ot ten tong tien. Han da bi canh sat bat giCf
nhieu lan nhifng van chifhg nao tat ay. Han ldn len b difdng pho
vi cha me cua hSn da mat khi han vite mdi len nam tuoi.
C o lan han da bi bSt vi toi lang thang leu long va bi giCf b
nha phuc loi mot thcrt gian. Mot lan khac han da m oc tui mot
ngifdi no va bi tong vao tu sau thang. H an doi tien cua nhCfng dife
tre nhif chung toi va neu nhif chung toi tif choi thi han lien rut
dao ham doa.
T oi rat khiep sO ten ac on nay. T oi chac chan rang m ot ngay
nao do han cung se vao tu vdi mifc an cao hon. H an la mot moi
nguy hiem cho xa hoi vi the toi cam ghet han. T oi hi vong moi
ngifdi cung dong y vdi toi.
17
C a c bAi Iuan m N q a n N Ttidwq dunq
7. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES OF AIR TRAVEL?
S cie n ce has made great strides in every field and up to now
travelling has been much improved. Many m eans of travelling
have been at our disposal: train, car, ship and plane. T herefore
when we are on holiday or intend to travel abroad as a tourist, we
should first of all decide on the m eans of travelling.
In my view, travelling by air is both advantageous and
disadvantageous.
First, when travelling by air we can sit com fortably in an
arm -chair,
reading
m agazines
or
watching
free
film
on
television.
T h en , at meal time, we'll be servgd heartily and carefully by
smiling stewards and stewardesses.
Finally, travelling by air is the fastest m eans of transport. We
can reach our destination in a few hours and we don t feel tired at
all after such a com fortable trip.
Apart from these advantages, however, travelling by air has
its disadvantages too.
First of all, this is the m ost expensive form of transport Only
a minority of people can afford a trip by plane w hereas a ourney
on land or by sea is much cheaper.
18
Commonly used English cssqy

T h en air travels have the reputation of being dangerous and
even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. T here have
been plane crashes in which the crew and passengers have died
to a man!
Finally, we c a n t stop wherever we want to enjoy beautiful
landscapes on our way as we do on a trip by car or boat.
Sceneries seen from plane are merely vague and blurred sights.
Air travels only give us a bird's eye view of the world.
1. to make great strides (idm): d a t d u a c n h irn g bxjtac tien hem
2. m eans of travelling (n): p h i t o n g tien g ia o th o n g
3. to be at o n e s disposal (idm): d a t th u o c quyen si/ d u n g
cua ai
4 . free film (n)- p h i m m ie n p h i

5. steward, stewardess (n): nam , nic tie p vien
6. destination (n): n o i d en
7. minority (n): th ie u so
8. to afford (v): co d u tie n bac, co d u kh a n a n g
9. w hereas (adv): t r o n g k h i
10. hardened traveller (n): d u k h a c h gan da
11. to intimidate(v): la m ch o ai s o hai
12. plane crash (n): uu r a t m ay bay
13. to die to a m an (idm): c h e t sach
14. blurred (adj): m a , k h o n g rd ra n g
15. bird's eye view (idm): q u a n g ca n h to n g q u a t
19
C a c bAi Iuan m N Q ANh Thong duNq
NHL/NG
thu
An
loi
vA
b At l o i k h i d u u c h b a n g m a y b a y
K h o a h o c da dat difOc nhCfng tien b o ldn trong m oi linh vifc

va ch o den tan bay gid viec di lai da difOc cai tien nhieu. Nhieu
phifOng tien van chuyen difOc dat th u o c quyen stf dung cua chung
ta: tau lute, x e hoi, tau thuy va m ay bay. D o do,> khi chung ta di
nghi m at hay dinh di du lich nifdc n goai trifdc h et ch u n g -ta nen
quyet dinh di bSng phifOng tien gi.
T h eo toi di du lich bang may bay vifa tien loi vifa bat loi
T afd c het, trong khi di du lich bang may bay chung ta co the
ngoi thoai mai trong m ot chiec ghe banh, doc tap chi hay xem
phim mien phi tren ti vi.
Roi d en gid an , chung ta se difOc c a c nam nCf tiep vien phuc
vu tan tinh chu dao.
Sau cung, du ljch bang may bay la phifong tien van chuyen
nhanh nhat. Chung ta co the tdi noi den trong m ot vai gid ma
c h ln g cam thay m et moi chut nao sau m ot chuyen di thoai mai
nhif vay.
Tuy nhien, ngoai nhCfng thuan
cung co nhieu bat
loi
nay, du lich bang may bay
loi nCfa.
Trifdc het, day la hinh thifc van chuyen dat tien nhat. Chi co
m ot sd it ngifdi co kha nang di du lich bang may bay trong khi du
lich b5ng difdng bo hay difdng thuy re hon nhieu.
Tiep den, du lich bang may bay noi tieng la nguy hiem nhat,
ngay ca nhung du khach gan da cung phai so. Da co nh:e_i vu roi
may bay ma phi hanh doan va hanh khach deu chet het.
20

C uoi cu ng, ch u n g ta khong the difng lai noi n ao m a chung ta
m uon de thifdng thifc ph ong can h dep tren difdng di n hif trong
cu o c h an h trinh b3n g x e hoi hay tau thuy. P h on g can h nhin thay
qua m ay bay chi la nhCfng phong can h Id m d. NhCfng chuyen du
lich bang m ay bay ch i c h o chung ta m ot phong can h tong quat ve
the gidi m a thoi.
">1
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an N Thowq diw q
8. A DISASTER IN A VILLAGE
Mai lives in a village in B en Tre. T here are many coconut
trees all round her house. Every morning, when Mai's parents go
to work on their farm, five-year-old Mai is looked after by her
grandmother.
O ne day, there was a terrible storm in the village. Lightning
flashed and thunder roared. T he rain cam e down heavily. It
rained continuously for several days. Most of the people stayed at
hom e including Mai's parents. T he water level began to rise.
S o o n the village was flooded. Many things floated out of the
houses. Mai's family moved onto the roof of the house for safety.
Rescue workers cam e in boats to rescue the villagers and brought
them to higher ground.
Mai's family stayed at the rescue quarters until the water
level receded. W hen they returned, they found that m ost of their
belongings had been swept away by the flood water.
1. storm (n): can bao
2. grandm other (n): ba
3. village (n): long
4. quarters (n): t r a i , d o a n h trai

5. to recede (v): lu i lai, lui xa dan
22

MOT THAM HOA TRONG LANG
Mai song tai mot thon lang thuoc tinh Ben T re. Quanh nha
trong rat nhieu di/a. Moi sang, khi ba me Mai ra dong lam viec,
co be Mai nam tuoi di/Oc giao cho ba noi cham nom.
Mot horn, mot tran bao di/ doi ap vao lang. Chdp loe sang
va sam ren vang. Mi/a tuon xoi xa. Trdi mi/a khong ngeft trong
vong nhieu ngay. Hau het moi ngi/di deu b nha ke ca ba me Mai.
Mi/c nt/dc bat dau dang cao. ChSng bao lau ca thon lang da bi
ngap lut. D o dac bap benh troi khoi nha. Gia dinh Mai leo len
mai nha de bao dam an toan. Nhan vien ci/u ho di xuong den
giup dan lang va dua ho den vung dat cao hdn.
Gia dinh Mai nghi lai b trai cC/u nan cho den khi ni/dc rut.
Khi trc? ve, ho thay hau het tai san da bi cuon theo dong lu.
C a c bAi Il a n TiENq A*h t Iio n q duNq
9. WEATHER VANES
Have you ever looked at the top of a bam and seen what
looked like a toy rooster, arrow, or cow ? T h ese are called
w eather vanes. They tell the farmer which way the wind is
blowing.
T he first weather vanes were used by the G reek almost two
thousand years ago. They looked like G reek gods. Later they
began to be made in the form of animals.
Today, if you look carefully, you can see w eather vanes
shaped like lions, tigers, pigs, and even autom obiles. They are
used on farms, boats, and at weather stations. W herever they are
used, their purpose is to tell which way the wind is blowing.
1. w eather vane (n): c h o n g c h o n g (d a t 6 c h d cao d e biet
chieu g id )
2. rooster (n): con ga t r o n g
3. arrow (n): m u i ten
4. to blow (v): th o i
5. form (n): h in h th u c
6. automobile (n): xe hoi
7. w eather station (n): tra m kh i tu o n g

8. purpose (n): m uc d ich
24

CHONG CHONG GIO
B an da bao gid nhin len dinh kho thoc va thay cai gi trong
giong nhu mot con ga, mui ten, hay con bo do choi khong?
Nhung vat nay di/Oc goi la chong chong gio. Chung bao cho
nong dan biet gio dang thoi hi/dng nao.
Cai chong chong dau tien difOc ngudi Hi Lap dung cach day
gan 2 0 0 0 nam . Chung trong nhif cac vi than Hi Lap. Sau do
chung b it dau di/Oc tao thanh hinh cac con vat.
Ngay nay, neu nhin ky, ban co the trong thay cac chong
chong gio co hinh thu sir tuf, cop, heo va tham chi ca xe m o to
nCtei. Chung dutgc st t dung d cac trang trai, tren thuyen be va d
cac tram kht ttfOng. Du duoc stf dung d dau di nCra, cong dung
cua chung van la thong bao hifdng gio thoi.
25
C a c bAi Iuan tie n q
Thong duaq
10. READING IS FUN

Sin ce young, my m other has always brought me to the
library to borrow books. At first, I thought reading was boring.
However, I soon leant to love reading.
T h e first books 1 read were fairy tales. I still rem em ber those
delightful tales
like
Beauty and the
B e a st and
T h e
Ugly
Duckling. O ne thing 1 like about fairy tales is that the kindhearted always gets rewarded in the end.
Now,
I prefer books
on
adventures
like
Enid
Blytons
"Fam ous Five series and mysteries like T h e T hree Investigators

series. O n ce a fortnight, I visit the library to get som e books to
read. 1 always find difficult to put down a book on ce I start
reading it.
Reading has improved my com m and of English. I also gain a
lot of general knowledge, especially from reading non-fiction
books. 1 like reading books on subjects that I am interested in, like
dogs, horses and outer space.
Reading also provides a world where we can experience
things which we may never do in real life. For exam ple. I may not
have
the chance
to travel caravan.
However,
reading
Enid
Blyton s Five G o Off In A Caravan tells me what it is like to stay

in a caravan. Therefore.
I think reading is both funny and
beneficial.
26

1.
fortnight (n): (khoang thefi gian) hai tuan
2. com m and (n): kha nang sif dung thanh thao (cai gi)
3. caravan (n): xe ldn co banh, difdc trang bi de d va thifdng
do m ot xe co dong cd keo
4 . beneficial (adj): bo ich
5. to stay (v): b
DOC SACH RAT THG VI

Hoi con be, m e toi thifdng dan toi den thif vien de mifdn
sach. Luc dau toi nghl doc sach that nham chan. Tuy nhien toi da
nhanh chong thich doc sach.
Loai sach dau tien toi doc la nhCfhg chuyen than tien. Toi
Vein con nhd nhCfng cau chuyen thu vj nhif Giai nhan va quai
vat, Vit con xau xf\ Mot dieu toi thich nhat b cau truyen than
tien la long tot bung luon difdc den dap vao cuoi truyen.
Bay gid da toi thich doc sach tham hiem hdn nhuf truyen dai
nhieu tap Nam ngifdi noi tieng" cua Entd Blyton va trinh tham
nhif B a nhan vien dieu tra. Hai tuan mot lan toi den thif vien de
lay sach v i doc. T oi kho bo mot cuon sach xuong m ot khi da bat
dau doc no.
D oc sach da cai thien kha nang sif dung thanh thao Anh ngu'
cua toi. T oi cung thu nhap difOc nhieu kien thifc pho thong, dac
biet tif viec doc nhCfng tac pham thifc te. Toi thich doc sach theo
nhCfng chu de ma toi U& thich nhif cho, ngifa va ve khong gian vu
tru.
D oc sach con m ang lai cho toi mot the gidi ma chung ta co
the hieu biet difOc nhCfng dieu ma ta co the khong bao gid gap
27
____________________________________C A C b A i I t AN T iE N q A N h T ^ O N q d u N q
trong cuoc ddi thifc. Vi du nhif toi chifa co c o hoi di du lich trong
mot ngoi nha lifu dong. Tuy nhien, khi doc tac pham Five go off
in caravan cua End Blyton, toi biet difdc b nha lifU dong la the
nao. Vi the, toi nghl rSng doc sach vifia thu vi, vifa bo ich.
2S
11. AT THE CIRCUS

Last year, a circus cam e to town. My father brought the
family to see it. W hen we reached the circus ground, it was rather
crowed. My father joined the queue to buy tickets.
A fter getting the tickets, we entered a massive tent and took
our seats. T h ere was an arena in the middle of the tent. A lively
tune was played to signal the start of the show. Out cam e the
beautifully decorated animals and stunningly clad perform ers. T he
audience clapped loudly. T h en perform ances started. T h e acrobat
exciting stunts won the hearts of the spectators. They received a
long applause.
The
clowns
perform ed
som e
amusing
tricks.
They
som ersaulted and yelled and made the crowds laugh. W hen the
show ended, we went hom e feeling happy to have seen it.
1. circus (n): ganh xiec
2. queue (n): hang xep noi duoi nhau
3 . m assive (adj): do so, to 1cm
4 . arena (n): vu dai
5 . acrob at (n): ngUOi nhao Ion
6 . stunt (n): tro nguy hiem hoac kho khan de giai tri
7. clown (n): anh he
8 . to som ersault (v): bieu dien nhao Ion
29
C a c b/\i Iuan TiiN q ANh Thowq duNq
6 RAP X lfc
Nam roi, m ot ganh xiec da den thi tran. C ha toi ben dan ca
nha di xem . Khi chung toi den cho difng rap thi d do da kha dong
ngifdi. C ha toi xep hang chd mua ve.
Mua ve xong, chung toi bifdc vao can leu do so va ngoi vao
ghe cua minh. GiCfa leu la m ot vu dai. Mot giai dieu soi dong vang
len bao hieu buoi bieu d iln sap bat dau. T if ben ngoai, cac con
thu dUdc trang tri dep de va nhuYig ngifdi bieu dien trong bo
quan ao sac sd btfdc vao. Khan gia v6 tay nhiet liet. Sau do,
buoi bieu dien bat dau. NhCfng tiet muc nguy hiem cua cac dien
vien nhao Ion da chinh phuc difOc khan gia. Tieng vo tay vang
len khong ngcrt.
C ac anh he trinh d iln nhCfng tro vui nhon. Ho nhao Ion va
het len lam dam dong cifcti nghieng nga. Khi buoi bieu d iln ket
thuc, chung toi trcf ve nha vcfi tam trang het sifc vui ve.
30
12. THE ADVANTAGES OF LIVING IN THE

COUNTRY AND THE DISADVANTAGES OF
LIVING IN THE CITY
Although I was born and brought up in the country I spent
m ost of my time in the city, however, a com fortable life in the
city has never appealed to me at all. And the country with its
advantages still has a call to me for good.
First, the fresh and clean air of the country makes you feel
healthier. How relaxed and pleasant you are when you can enjoy
the pure air wafted with soft fragrance of areca and grapefruit
trees as you leisurely take a stroll around your garden every
morning and night! T h e stifling and polluted atm osphere of a
crowded city on the contrary m akes you suffocated and annoyed.
It may breed neurosis and other fatal diseases to urban residents.
Secon d , living in the country you may feel safer while in
town, the city dwellers are in a state of continuously being afraid
of
com miting
violent
deaths
caused
by
careless
drivers
or
foolhardy m otor-cyclists.
Third, if you have a poetic soul youll find in the country a
source of "divine inspiration". T o my mind, nothing can be
com pared with the m oonlight through foliages or the gorgeous
glow of the sunset on yellow ricefields. I often see the m oon
31
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an ^ ThoNq duNq
shedding its light on the city but how desperate 1 feel! T he moon
itself has lost its natural beauty and it seem s to me a pale
dischanging shamelessly in a zone surrounded by angrily dazzling
neonlights. T h e silvery moonlight in the country has a mystic
pow er to soothe your pains and sufferings and it does help you
escap e from the material world.
Fourth, if you are fond of gardening, you can spend your
free
time digging,
planting and watering.
Gardening
is my
favourite hobby. W hat a serene joy 1 feel when 1 watch my fruit

trees growing amid the melodious twitters of birds and how sweet
and delicious their fruit are when 1 taste my first successful result! 1
can 't help feeling sorry for the city dwellers who day and night
have indulged themselves in debaucheries and can never enjoy a
minute of pure bliss in the countryside.
Finally, in the country you can rest from the noise and bustle
of the town. Even though you have to get up early to catch buses
to get to work in town, you can sleep better at night without
being disturbed by deafening sirens of cars or m achines running
noisily all the time.
1. to be brought up (v): d u g c n u o i n a n g
2. to appeal to (v): hap dan
3 . for good = forever: d o i d o i
4 . to waft (v): n he dua, th o a n g d u a
5. fragrance (n): m u i hoa
6. areca (n): cay cau
7. grape fruit tree (n): cay buoi
32

NHCTNG t h u a n lo i k h i s 6 n g 6 m i n q u VA NHCTNG b a t lo i
khi s 6 ng
6 THANH TH!
Mac du toi sinh ra va ldn len tai m ien que nhifng toi lai song
d thanh thi. Tuy cu oc song vdi day du tien nghi nhifng chang bao
gid hap dan toi ca va thon que vdi nhQng thuan ldi cua no van
hap dan toi mai mai.
Trifdc het, khong khi tUdi m at trong lanh d m ien que lam
cho ban cam thay khoe m anh hdn. B an cam thay thif gian hdn,
thu vi biet bao khi ban co the thifdng thifc khong khi thuan khiet
thoang thoang hudng cau va hudng bifdi khi ban nhan nha di dao
xung quanh vifdn sang sang, chieu chieu! Khong khi ngot ngat va
o nh ilm d chon thanh thi lam ban thay kho chiu. No co the gay
ra chung benh loan than kinh va nhCfng can benh chet ngifdi khac
cho ngifdi dan tbanh pho.
Thif hai, song tai thon que ban co the thay an toan hefn
trong khi d thanh thi ngifdi dan luon song trong tinh trang lo scf
vi nhCfng lai xe lieu llnh.
Thif ba, neu ban co mot tam hon thi si, ban se tim thay d
mien que m ot nguon cam hifng tuyet vdi. T h e o toi, khong gi co
the sanh difdc vdi anh trang xuyen qua canh la hay anh hoang
hon do rife trai tren dong lua chin vang. T oi thifdng nhin thay
anh trang chieu toa tren thanh pho nhifhg toi thay that vong biet
bao. Chi Hang m at het cai ve tif nhien cua minh, m at trang
chang khac nao m ot cai dia nhdt nhat treo Id lifng tren m ot vung
vay boc nhCfng anh dien ne ong chieu sang gian dif. Trong khi do
anh trang bang bac ndi m ien que co nang life than bi lam vdi di
ndi kho dau cua ban va giup ban thoat khoi the gidi vat chat.
33
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an U ThoNq dusq
Thu1tif, neu ban thich cong viec wfdn tifdc, ban co the dung
thdi gian ranh r6i de dao xdi trong tia hay tifdi cay. Lam vUdn la
thu tieu khien ua thich cua toi. T oi cam thay long lang lang,
thanh than khi nhin thay nhuhg cay trai cua toi dang ldn dan len
trong tieng chim hot liu lo va nhflhg trai thdm ngon biet may khi
toi thudng thuc ket qua dau tay cua minh. T oi khong the khong
cam thay toi nghiep cho ngUcfi dan thanh thi nhtfrig ngi/di ngay
dem chim dam trong cac cuoc truy hoan va ^hang bao gid dUdc
hudng mot giay phut hanh phuc thuan khiet tron ven ncrt thon da.
Sau cung, song tai thon que ban co the nghi ngcfi thoat khoi
sif on ao va hoi ha noi thanh pho. Du ban co phai day sdm de
don xe buyt di lam d thanh pho ban cung co the ngu ngon giac
hon ve dem ma khong bi quay ray bdi tieng dong inh tai hhi/c oc
cua nhCfng chiec coi xe hoi hay cua cac nha may chay ram rap
suot ngay dem.
34
13. CATFISH - UNUSUAL FISH

Are catfish really like cats? Well, on their heads they do have
long feelers that look a bit like a cat's whisker. T hey also make
buzzing, croaking sounds that sound a bit like a cat's purr.
Catfish are unusual for m any other reasons. Catfish will bite
at alm ost any kind of bait: a worm , a special string, or even an
old sock. Y ou might think about that the next time you go fishing.
T here are m any oth er odd catfish. T here is an electric catfish
that lives in Afica, for exam ple. It can give painful shocks. T he
strangest of all, however, is a South Am erica catfish that walks
across the land to get from on e pond or river to another. Now, if
that one catches m ice, it m ight really be like a cat!
1.
catfish (n): ca tre
2.
feeler (n): rau
3.
whisker (n): ria (m eo, c h u o t)
4.
to buzz (v): p h a t ra t ie n g ra m ri
5.
to croak (v): p h a t ta tie n g keu k h a n k h a n
6.
to bite (v): can, d d p m o i
7.
bait (n): m o i cau
8.
worm (n): co n g iu n
9.
string (n): c/ay. day ben
10. sock (n): v6. bit tat ngan

11. odd (adi): la lu n g , k i quae
12. shock (n): cu soc
C a c bAi Iuan tieNq ANh Th osq duNq
CA TR - LOAl CA Ki LA
Ca tre co that sif giong m eo khong? O , tren dau cua chung
cung co nhCfng sdi rau dai trong hoi giong ria m ep cua meo.
Chung cung phat ra nhCfng am thanh ri ram, khan khan gan
giong tieng ren gif gif cua con m eo.
Ca tre khac thifdng vi nhieu li do. No se
Coin
vao bat cCf
mieng moi nao nhif: con giun, mot mau day, hay ca mot cai vd
cu. Ban co the nghi den dieu nay trong lan di cau ke tiep.
Co nhieu con ca tre rat ki quae. Nhif con ca tre dien song d
Chau Phi. No co the lam ta bi giat dau d6n. Tuy nhien la hon la
con ca tre d Nam My, no thifdng di bang qua dat lien de den mot
cai ao hay mot dong song khac Neu con ca nay bat difOc chuot
thi chc chan no that sif giong mot con meo!
V.
14. CAUGHT IN A TRAFFIC JAM

It was a hot afternoon. I was on my way to school to play in
a football m atch. W hen the bus made a turn into the town, it
started crawling at a very slow pace because of the heavy traffic.
Before long, the traffic had alm ost com e to a standstill.
S o m e im patient drivers banged on their m otor-horns to
hurry the vehicles in front. Everybody becam e frustrated. T here
was no breeze as the bus was not moving and I started to
perspire. I wondered how long the traffic jam would last. I
realized later that the traffic jam was caused by faulty traffic lights
at the road junction.
Half an hour w ent by and som e passengers on the bus
alighted to walk to their destinations. I would have done so too if
my school was nearer.
Finally, som e tr-atfic-police cam e to help out in the chaotic
situation. It w^s only a fte r another ten minutes that the traffic
began to move. By the time I reached school, the m atch had
already begun. I could only join in the gam e after half-time.
1. jam (n): s u ta c n g h e n
2. to crawl (v): c h u y e n d o n g c h a m ch a p
3. to bang (v): d a n h cai gi d o co ch u tarn
4. to frustrate (v): la m ai boi ro i h oac nan lo n g
5. to perspire (v): d o m o hoi
6. junction (n): g ia o Ip
37
C a c bAi Iuan TiENq ANh Thd*q duNq
BI KET XE
D o la mot buoi chieu nong nifc. T oi dang tren difdng den
trifdng de tham dif mot tran dau bong da. Khi chiec xe buyt re
vao thanh pho, no bat dau Ian banh rat cham bdi vi xe co qua
nhieu. Sau do khong lau, dong xe co da gan nhif difng han lai.
Mot vai tai xe thieu kien nhan da bop coi inh oi hoi thuc
nhCfng chiec xe d phia trifdc. Moi ngifdi deu that vong. Chang co
m ot chut gio khi chiec xe buyt khong di chuyen va toi bat dau do
m 6 hoi. Toi tif hoi khong biet se con ket xe trong bao lau nCfa.
Sau do toi nhan ra rang ket xe xay ra do ioi cua den tin hieu d
giao lo.
Nifa gid dong ho troi qua va mot vai ngifdi hanh khach tren
xe buyt da xuong di bo.Toi at cung se lam nhif vay neu nhif
trifdng toi d gan hon.
Cuoi cung, mot sd canh sat giao thong den giai quyet tinh
trang mat trat tif nay. Chi trong vong mifdi phut thi xe co da b it
dau chuyen dong. Luc toi den trifdng, tran dau da bat dau. Toi
chi co the tham gia tran dau sau gid giai lao giCfa hai hiep.
38

-
v------------------------------------------
15. USING ENERGY FROM THE SUN

In the middle of Californias Mojave D esert, silvery pipes
gleam in the hot sun. T h e pipes are part of a special pow er plant.
T he plant is owned by the Luz International C om pany, and it
makes electricity from the rays of the sun.
During the 1 9 7 0 s , m any people becam e interested in solar,
or sun, power. Few of them , however, actually did anything about
harnessing the energy of the sun. Luz was on e of the few
com panies to try. T heir hard work is now paying off. Their
power plant spreads over a thousand acres. Giant mirrors capture
the sun energy. This helps each of the com panys plant to. m ake
enough electricity to pow er 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 hom es. T hat m akes the Luz
solar power plants a pretty bright idea.
1.
energy (n): n a n g lu o n g
2.
silvery (adj): a n h bqc
3.
pipe (n): o n g
4.
to gleam (v): a n h len, ch ie u la p la n h
5.
pow er plant (n): n h a m ay che tao n a n g lu o n g
6.
ray (n): tia
7.
solar (adj): t h u o c h o a c co lie n q u a n d e n m a t tr o i
8.
to harness (v): k h a i th a c de san x u a t d ie n
9.
to pay off (v): m a n g lai k e t qua, t h a n h c o n g
10. acre (n): m a u A n h (don vi d o d a t dai), k h o a n g 4 0 5 0 m 2

11. to capture (v): b at lay, g i u /ay.
39
C a c bAi Ilian TitNq ANh ThoNq duNq
Sir DUNG n A n g lu o n g
m at t r o i
giCfa sa m ac Mojave cua bang California, cac difdng ong
mau bac anh len difdi mat trdi nong bong. NhQhg cai ong nay la
bo phan cua mot nha may nang lifdng dac biet. Nha may nay thuoc
cong ty quoc te Luz va no tao ra dien nang tif nhdfng tia nlng.
Trong nhCfng nam 1 9 7 0 , nhieu ngifdi trd nen quan tarn
den nang lifOng mat trdi. Tuy vay, thifc te co rat it ngifcfi trong so
ho khai thac difdc nang lifdng mat trcfi de tao ra dien nang. Luz la
mot trong so it cong ty da thif lam dieu do. Cong viec phifc tap
ay cua ho bay gid da co ket qua. Nha may dien cua ho trai dai
hdn mot ngan mau. NhCfng tam gifdng khong lo b i t lay nng
lifdng m at trdi. V iec nay giup cho moi m ot nha m ay cua cong ty
tao ra du dien de cung cap cho 1 0 0 .0 0 0 gia dinh. Nha may
nang lifdng m at trdi cua Luz difdc coi la m ot sang kien het sifc
thong minh.
40
16. A FAMILY OUT

Last Saturday evening, my family and I went shopping at
Y aohan. My father drove us there. W h en -w e arrived, we had
difficulty in finding a parking lot of a car. T h e place was very
crowded.
My parents decided to go to the superm arket, while my
brother and I w ent to the book departm ent. I read a book on
m onstes
and
dinosaurs.
My brother
flipped through
a few
magazines. T h en we went to the toy departm ent. W e played with

the pin-ball and the space invader m achines.
After a while, we went to the superm arket to look for our
parents. T hey w ere not there. We got frightened. S o we went
back the toy departm ent. A few minutes later, my father cam e for
us. My parents had bought m any things. I helped my father wheel
the trolley to the car. It had been an enjoyable family out.
1. trolley (n): x e d a y tay
2. departm ent (n): g ia n hang, k h u h a n g
3. parking lot (n): bai d a u x e
4 . superm arket (n): sieu thi
5. m onster (n): q u a i vat, yeu q u a i
41
C ac b/vi I uan t Ienq anN t ^ onq duwq
MOT CUOC DI CHOI CUA GIA DINH

Chieu thCf bay vifa roi, toi cung gia dinh di mua slm b
Y aohan. Cha toi lai xe ch d chung toi den do. Khi den ncri,
chung toi kho khan Urn mdi tim dUcfc cho da*M<e. Ncfi day dong
nghet ngUdi.
Cha me toi quyet dinh di sieu thi, con toi va anh toi den
quay sach. Toi doc mot cuon sach viet ve con quai vat va khung
long. Anh toi xem li/dt qua vai quyen tap chi. Sau do chung toi
den gian hang do choi. Chung toi choi vdi may ban dan va may
chinh phuc khong gian.
Mot luc sau, chung toi den sieu thi de tim cha m e nhung
khong thay ho b day. Chung toi bat dau hoang so, nen voi quay
lai gian hang do choi. .Vai phut sau, cha toi da den tim chung toi.
Hai ngiioi mua rat nhieu thOf. Toi giup cha toi day xe day den cho
dau xe hoi. D o la mot cuoc di choi thu vi cua gia dinh.
42
17. HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

O ne fine day, w hen I was on my way to school, 1 found a
wallet. It was lying outside the lift.
Opening the wallet, I found two hundred dollars and som e
coins inside. T here w ere som e pieces of paper but no identity
card. I was tem pted to keep the m oney, but I rem em bered what
my teacher taught us. S h e said, It is wrong to take things which
do not belong to us. I scolded myself for harbouring such
dishonest thoughts. T h en , in stead of going to school, I went to
report what I had found to the neigh-bourhood police.
T h e policem an was very kind and listened to me patiently.
As I was about to finish
my story, I saw neighbour, Mr Son g,
walk into police-station. H e looked surprised to see me. After

much explanation, we discovered that the wallet belonged to Mr
Son g. W hat a coincidence!
My neighbour
thanked
me
over and
over again.
T he
policem an praised m e for being an honest boy. He also called my

school to inform my principal of the incident. I am glad that I had
not kept the wallet. Indeed, honesty is the best policy.
1. wallet (n): cai v i ( t h a d n g cua d a n o ng )
2. to scold (v): q u o tra c h , tra c h m a n g
3. to harbour (v): n u o i d u o n g , a p u
4. coincidence (n): s i( t r u n g h o p ngau n h ie n
5. honest (adj): t h a t tha , t r u n g th u c
43
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq Ah Tôsq duNq
THAT THA LA THLfONG SACH

V ao m ot ngay dep trdi, tren dtfdng den trifdng, toi trong
thay mot cai vi nam ben ngoai thang may.
Md vi ra, toi thay hai tram do la va vai dong xu. Co mot so
giay td nhifng khong co giay chCfhg minh nhan dan. Toi bi cam
do bdi ham muon giCf lay so tien nhifng sifc nhd lai ldi co giao
day: Lay nhCfng gi khong phai cua minh la mot viec lam sai
trai.Toi tif trach minh da ap u nhCfng y nghl xau xa. Sau do, thay
vi den trifdng, toi chay di trinh bao vdi cong an gan do ve sif vigc
xay ra.
Anh cong an that tot bung da lang nghe toi mot cach kien
nhan. Khi gan ket thuc cau chuyen, toi nhin thay ngifdi lang
gieng cua minh, ong Song, dang bifdc vao don. Ong ngac nhien
khi gap toi. Sau khi giai thich rat nhieu, chung toi nhan ra ring
cai vi do la cua ong Song. That la mot sif trung hop!
Ngifdi hang xonrrcam on toi mai. Anh cong an khen toi la
mot cau be that tha. Anh ay con goi dien den trudng toi de thong
bao lai cho thay hieu trifdng biet. Toi rat vui vi da khong giCf cai
vi. Qua thifc. that tha la thifdng sach.
44
18. DESCRIBE THE HOUSE YOU ARE LIVING

IN. WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?
T h e house w ere living in is situated in the suburb of H o Chi
Minh City, within thirty minutes' drive of the central city. W e
have lived there for m ore than twenty years. This is a fairly large
house surrounded with a luxuriant garden.
My house consists of four bed-rooms, a living-room, a bath
room with a show er, a dining-room, a kitchen and a toilet. It is
air-conditioned and well-furnished. T he living-room is decorated
beautifully. Paintings by famous artists are hung on the walls. At
night, the colour neon lights increase the beauty and cosiness of
the room . T h ere, on Sundays and holidays my father usually
spends his time playing chess or drinking tea with his friends. My
m other and my two sisters are diligent and hard-working w om en.
T hey often keep the house clean and tidy.
O n suffocating days of summer, we usually take m eals in the
garden. Its fairly cool and quiet here. W e enjoy our meals amid
the melodious twitters of birds. On stormy and rainy w atching
television or telling each other about their daily activities.
I love my house very much because it is the place w here I
was bom and have grown up in the education of my father and in
the tender loving care of my m other. I've spent my w'hole
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ii ih o s q duNc,
childhood in the love and affection of my dear ones with so manv

sweet m em ories.
1. to be situated (v): tog lac, a tai
2. within (prep): tr o n g vong, t r o n g k h o a n g
3. to consist of (v): bao g o m
4. cosiness (n): si/ d m c u n g
5. to play chess (v): c h o i c a
6. diligent (adj): sieng n dn g

7. hard-working (adj): ch a m chi, can tha n
8. affection (n): s u t r iu m en
HAY TA NGOl NHA BAN DANG S6NG. TAI SAG BAN YU n 6?

Ngoi nha chung toi dang song nam b ngoai o thanh pho Ho
Chi Minh, cach trung tarn thanh pho khoang 3 0 phut lai xe.
Chung toi da song d day tren 2 0 nam. Day la mot ngoi nha kha
rong duoc bao boc boi mot khu vUOn hoa la sum sue.
Nha toi gom 4 phong ngu, 1 phong khach, 1 phong tSm vcfi
voi hoa sen, 1 phong an, 1 nha bep va mot nha ve sinh. Ngoi
nha difOc trang bi may dieu hoa khong khi vdi day du tien nghi.
Phong khach dutfc trang tri that dep. NhCfng bufc hoa trang tri
cua cac nghe si noi tieng treo tren tud ng. Ban dem. anh den ne
ong mau lam tang them ve dep va sU am cung cho ngoi nha. Nd
day, vao nhCfng ngay chu nhat hay ngay nghi ba toi thudng danh
cd hay uong tra vdi ban be. Me toi va hai chi toi la nhCfng phu nCf
cham chi va can man. H o luon giCf cho ngoi nha ngan nap va
sach se.
46

V ao nhCfng ngay he oi bifc, chung toi thifdng dung com
trong vifdn. O day kha yen tlnh va mat me. Chung toi thifcfrig
thiTc bOfa an trong tieng chim hot liu lo. Vîo nhCfng dem mifa bao
ca gia dinh quay quan trong phong khach, xem ti vi hay ke cho
nhau nghe ve nhCfng sinh hoat hang ngay.
T oi rat yeu ngoi nha cua minh vi ndi day toi difdc sinh ra va
ldn ln trong sif giao due cua cha va sif san soc nang niu cua me.
T oi da trai qua thdi au thd trong tinh yeu thifdng va sif triu men
cua nhCing ngifdi than yeu vdi bao ky niem em dem.
47
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an !* ThoNq duNq
19. MY IDEA OF HAPPY LIFE

Happiness is only sthte of mind and it is often linked with
wealth. It is a com m on belief that only rich people are happy
because they have plenty of m oney and poor peple are not. But it
is not true because there are rich people who are not happy with
life. They may not have p eace of mind or they may not have
good health to enjoy life.
If a poor man becom es a little wealthy he craves for more.
Man always has the desire to get m ore and m ore wealth; there is
no limit to his desires. A millionaire does not consider his wealth
to be sufficient.
I think the idea of happy life is to live a contented life with
the wealth and health one has. If we have a moderately good
income either as an em ployee or as a businessman, we should be
satisfied with it and lead a happy and peaceful life. O n the other
hand if we crave for more and m ore wealth we may end up with
nothing. We may lose our job or business and suffer later.
T here are rich m en who show a kind-heart to the poor.
They help to the poor and needy by giving part of their wealth.
Such
people
should be
respected
by the
benevolence.
1. wealth (n): n h ie u tien, g ia u co
2. to crave (v): k h a o k h at, m o n g m u o n
48
society
for their
Commonly tisgd English essay

3. m oderately (adv): 6 m u c d o vua p h a i
4. incom e (n): t h u n h a p
5. benevolence (n): lo n g n h a n due, t u ta m
SUY NGHI CClA TOl v M0T CU0C S6NG HANH PHOC

H anh phuc chi la m ot trang thai cua dau oc va thifdng difdc
lien he vdi sif giau co. Ngifdi ta thifdng tin rang chi co ngifdi giau
difdc hanh phuc vi ho c o nhieu tien, con ngifdi ngheo thi khong.
Nhifhg dieu do khong dung vi co nhifng ngifdi giau van khong
difdc hanh phuc trong ddi. H o co the khong thanh than dau oc
ho ac khong co sifc khoe tot de hifdng thu cuoc ddi.
Neu m ot ke ngheo kho trd nen giau co doi chut thi anh ta se
khao khat co nhieu hdn nCfa. C on ngifdi luon luon ham muon co
nhieu va nhieu tien hdn: NhCfng ham muon cua anh ta khong co
gidi han. Mot trieu phu se khong cho tai san cua minh la du.
T oi cho rang cuoc song hanh phuc la thoa nguyen vdi tai
san va sifc khoe cua minh hien co. Neu chung ta co m ot khoan
thu nhap vita phai vdi nghe nghiep hoac la nhan vien hoac la nha
d oanh nghiep, chung ta nen hai long vdi dieu do va song mot
cuoc song hanh phuc, thanh than. Mat khac, neu chung ta khat
khao co them nhieu tien cua, chung ta co the ket thuc vdi hai ban
tay trln g . Chung ta co the m at viec hoac thua 16 trong kinh
doanh, de roi sau do se phai dau kho.
C o nhCfng ngifdi giau da th e'h ien long tot vdi ngifdi ngheo.
H o giup dd bang cach san se bdt mot phan cua cai cua ho.
NhCfng ngifdi nhif the rat dang difdc xa hoi ne trong vi tam long
bac ai, vi tha.
49
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an M ThoNq duNq
20. UNDERWATER DISCOVERY

O ne Sunday, I managed to talk my uncle into bringing me
along on a snorkeling trip. My uncle is a driver and I have been
taking swimming lessons under his instruction for a few years.
We spent ten minutes warning up before we dived into the
deep blue sea. I was surprised to find myself swimming alongside
sea creatures. Fishes of all shapes and sizes swam by. There were
also strange-looking planty and I was enchanted by the beautiful
underwater world.
I saw huge plants with numerous finger-like "petal" opening
and closing restlessly. Som e small fishes swimming near the plant
were caught am ongst the "p etal as they closed. I also saw a lot
of sea-horses swimming right in front of my eyes. I was very
excited and tried to grab one, but it was too quick for me. Then
cam e a jelly-fish which looked like a gigantic m ushroom dancing
gracefully in the deep-sea-w ater. I avoided it as 1 did not wish to
be stung.
I was reluctant to surface but my uncle insisted that it was
time to go back. However, 1 was very pleased with the beautiful
and rare coral I had picked up. It was certainly an exciting and
fruitful trip.

1. to snorkel (v): lan d u a i n ud e co o n g t h a
2. to enchan t (v): la m say me, la m m e hoac
3. petal (n): ca n h hoa
4. jelly-fish (n): co n sua
5. coral (n): san ho
THAM HI^M DLTOI DAY BI^N

Mot ngay chu nhat, toi da thuyet phuc chu minh di lan vdi
ong the*. Chu tdi la
thd lan va toi hoc boi difdi sif hifdng dan
cua chu trong vai nam roi.

Chung toi danh mifdi phut de khdi dong trifdc khi lan xuong
difdi vung bien sau nifdc trong xanh . Toi vo cung ngac nhien
nhan thay minh dang bdi cung vdi sinh vat bien. NhCfng chu ca
vdi m oi hinh dang va kich thifdc dang ludn Id trifdc m at toi. Cung
co nhCfng sinh vat ky la trong giong nhif loai thao m oc va toi bi
thu hut bdi ve dep cua the gidi difdi bien sau.
T oi nhin thay nhCfng loai thifc vat ldn vdi muon van canh
hoa trong giong nhif nhCfng ngon tay khep m d khong ngifng
nghi. Vai con ca nho bdi gan cay nay lien bi giCf lai khi nhCfng
canh hoa khep vao. T oi cung nhin thay rat nhieu con ca nguct bdi
ngay trifdc mat. Toi thich thu va thif tom lay m ot con nhifng
chung bdi nhanh qua. Roi den m ot con site trong giong nhif mot
cay nam khong lo duyen dang ludn Id difdi bien sau. T oi tranh no
vi toi khong muon bi ngtia.
T oi ngan ngif khong muon len mat nifdc nhifng chu toi nhat
quyet rang da den luc phai trd ve nha. Tuy vay, toi rat hai long
vdi nhanh san ho hiem va xinh dep ma toi da hai difdc. D o thifc
sif la m ot chuyen di thu vi va bo ich.
51
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ji ThoNq duwq
21. FROM WOLF TO DOG

IN THOUSANDS OF YEARS
Would you like to have a pet wolf? Not many people would,
of course. However, if scientists are right, your lovable pet might
very well be the great-great-great grandchild of a wolf.
How did cute, friendly things like dogs com e from wolves?
According to som e
scientists,
people
began
training wolves
thousands of years ago. T he people found that the wolves could

help them with many jobs. T he wolves also becam e good pets. In
time, say the scientists, the tame wolves w ere raised with coyotes,
wild dogs, and even wild wolves. T h e result, thousands of years
later, iuas the f r i e n d l y d og we k n o w today.
1. wolf (n): con c h o soi
2. scientist (n): n ha k h oa hoc
3. lovable (adj): de men, d a n g yeu
4. grandchild (n): chau (noi, ngoai)

5. tame (adj): da th u a n hoa
6. to raise (v): chdn, n u o i
*
7. coyote (n): soi d o n g co
8. wild (adj): h o a n g gia
52

T if SOI d n CHO TRONG HANG NGAN NAM
B an co thich m ot con vat cifng la ch o soi khong? DI nhien la
khong co m ay ngifdi thich. Tuy nhien, neu cac nha khoa hoc
dung, thi con vat cifng dang yeu cua ban rat co the la chau may
ddi cua m ot con soi day.
Lam the nao ma nhCfhg con vat than thien, khau khinh nhif
chu cho lai co nguon goc tif ch o soi nhi? T h eo mot so nha khoa
hoc, con ngifdi bat dau huan luyen ch o soi cach day hang ngan
nam va thay rang soi co the giup ho nhieu viec. Soi cung trd
thanh nhCfng con thu difdc cung yeu. Luc bay gicf, cac nha khoa
hoc noi: NhCfng con soi da thuan hoa difOc nuoi difdng cung vdi
soi dong c o , ch o rifng va tham chi vdi ca soi rifng ndfe. Hang
ngan nam sau do, ket qua thu difdc la chu cho than thien ma
ngay nay ai ai cung biet.
53
C a c t>Ai Iuan tIen q
an
N thoN q duNq
22. TO THERESCURE
Mai and I were taking a short-cut hom e from school.
Suddenly, we heard som eone shouting Help! H elp1". Turning
around we saw our classm ate, Van, behind a bush struggling with
a tall, dark man. W hen Van saw us, we signaled to her not to
show the man that we were behind him.
I
told Mai to run back for help. With hand gestures and eye
movements, I tried to tell Van not to struggle. Van was a very rich
girl staying near my house. T he man must have thought that she
carried a lot of money on her person. Van stopped struggling and
flung the bag at the man. He held on to her collar tightly with
one hand and searched the bag with the other. He was furious to
find only books in the bag. He gave Van a slap on the face.
Meanwhile, four policem en from a nearby post had arrived
quietly. They arrested the man. By then V an s parents had been
informed of the incident. They also cam e to the scene. T hey took
us hom e for a lovely lunch.
1.
short-cut (n): ducfng td t
2. to fling (v): nem , q u a n g

3. furious (adj): day g ia n d u
4. to slap (v): vd, tdt
5. meanwhile (adv): tr o n g luc do, t r o n g k h i d o
54
Commonly used English essay_______________ _______

GIAI
cau
Mai va toi dang di di/dng tat tuf trifdng ve nha. Dot nhien,
chung toi nghe tieng ai do la to "CCfu! CCfu". Quay lai, chung toi
thay V an, ban hoc cung Idp, dang danh nhau vdi m ot ga dan ong
cao keu, den dua d phia sau bui cay. Khi Van thay chung toi,
chung toi ra hieu ch o ban ay difng bieu hien gi cho ga dan ong
do biet la chung toi dang difng sau lung han ta.
T oi bao Mai chay trd lai tim ngifdi giup dd. Voi nhCfng cif chi
bang tay va anh m at, toi co gang bao Van dCfng danh nhau nCte.
Van la m ot co gai nha rat giau d gan nha toi. Ga dan ong at da
cho rang ban ay m ang nhieu tien trong ngifdi. Van ngifng chong
cif va nem cai tui vao ga. H an ta nSm lay co ao Van va tay kia luc
tung tui xach, roi het su t tufc gian khi chi thay toan sach la sach
trong tui. Han ta tat vao m at Van.
T rong khi do, bon canh sat gan do da lang le tien den va bat
giCf ga dan ong. Luc nay, cha me Van cung biet tin va chay den
hien trifdng, ho difa chung toi ve nha va dung bua ccfm trite that
ngon.
C a c bAi Iuan m 'N q Aish Tho*q duNq
23. A BIRTHDAY PRESENT

I
always have difficulty in choosing a birthday present. My
imagination never seem s to get beyond ties, handkerchiefs, or

pairs of socks. But, strangely enough, it did not take m e long to
decide on T o m s birthday present. For the first time in my life I
have a good idea - I would buy him a bottle of champagne.
Before the party began, Tom suggested that I should open the
bottle. I put it betw een my knees and began to pull, but it
remained firmly corked. S o o n a crowd gathered round to watch
the fight betw een me and the bottle. I could hear all sort of
'Helpful suggestions from the guests like Break the top off !,
Use your te e th etc., but 1 was losing the battle. W e were
struggling on the floor and the cork shot up into the air. while the
angry bottle showered everybody with cham pagne!
1. difficult (adj): k h o kh a n
2. to cork (v): d o n g hodc b it (chai, t h u n g u.u..) b an g n u t li-e
3. to show er (v): ro i n h u m o t tra n m u a
4 . idea (n): y kien
5. suggestion (n): g o i y, c h i ddn
MOT MON QUA SINH NHAT

Toi luon gap kho khan khi phai chon mua mot m on qua sinh
nhat. Tri tifcfng tifOng cua toi difdng nhii khong bao gid vi/dt qua
56

nhCfrig cai ca-vat, khan tay, hoac tat. Nhung that ngac nhien lam
sao, khi toi chang m at nhieu thoi gian de quyet dinh mua qua
sinh nhat ch o T om . Lan dau tien trong ddi toi nay ra m ot sang
kien hay ho - T oi se mua cho Tom mot chai sam banh. Trifdc khi
bCfa tiec bat dau, T om de nghi toi khui chai rifdu. T oi dat chai
giCra dau goi roi bat dau keo, nhifng nut dong qua chat. Mot dam
dong nhanh chong tu tap xung quanh de xem cuoc chien giifa toi
va chai rifOu. T oi nghe thay du moi y kien giup dd tif dam thifc
khach nhif la B e gay co chai di! Phai dung rang can mdi
difdc! ...N hifng toi van thua cuoc. Chung toi cung nhau vat Ion
tren san thi bat ngd m ot tieng b o p vang len va nut chai ban len
khong, con chai rifdu tifc gian, ban tung toe sam banh vao moi
ngifdi!
57
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq A%h t Iio n q dusq
24. THE STORY OF ROLLER-SKATES

Everywhere, people are racing around on their brightly
colored skates. T hese super-fast roller skates are a lot different
from the skates that were used two hundred years ago. That was
when people in the country of Holland first began travelling
around on simple two-wheeled skates.
T he first m odem skates were invented in the United States.
In 1 8 6 3 , a man named J .L Plimpton put four wheels on his
skates. T he wheels were put on rubber pads that were tied to
the feet.
By the early 1 9 0 0 s . roller-skating was one of Am ericas
most popular activities. In fact, in the years before automobile
racing began, roller-skate racing was one of the country s leading
sports.
1. colored (adj): co mau sac, co mau rie n g b ie t
2. wheel (n): banh xe
3. rubber (n): cao su
4. pad (n): m ie n g d e m lo t
5. to tie (v): buoc, cot
6. leading (adj): q u a n t r o n g nhat, ch in h , h a n g d a u
58

UCH SLTBOl GIAY TRirOT BANG
Khap noi, moi ngifdi dang trifdt vong quanh tren nhifng doi
giay trifdt rut rd sac mau. NhCfng doi giay trifdt cifc nhanh nay
khac xa vdi nhCfng doi giay trifdt cach day hai tram nam. Do la
khi ngifdi dan d Ha Lan lan dau tien bat dau du hanh khap noi
tren nhCfng doi giay trifdt bang hai banh don gian.
Doi giay trifdt hien dai dau tien difdc phat minh d Hoa Ky.
V ao nam 1 8 6 3 , m ot ngudi ten la J .L Plimpton da dat bon banh
xe vao doi giay trifot cua minh. C ac banh xe dUcfc dat len mot
mieng dem cao su cot vao ban chan.
V ao dau nhCfng nam 1 9 0 0 , trUOt patin da la m ot trong
nhuhg hoat dong pho bien nhat b My. Thifc te, trong nhCfng nam
trifdc khi khdi sif cac cuoc dua m o to, thi trifot patin la m ot trong
nhCfng m on the thao hang dau cua dat nude nay.
59
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ii th o N q duNq
25. A FISHING TRIP

O ne weekend, my father, uncle and I decided on a fishing
trip to one of the islands. W e rented a small boat and took our
fishing equipment along. T he w eather was hot and sunny when
we left.
My uncle anchoied the boat about one kilometre from the
shore. We cast out lines and waited for the fish to bite. We had
caught five big fishes when the sky began to grow dark suddenly.
My father suggested that we should get to shore as quickly as
possible. My uncle lifted the anchor and we headed for shore.
Halfway there however, it started to drizzle. By the time we
reached shore, it had turned into a downpour.
My m other was not too pleased when my father asked her to
clean the fish on our return. Sh e said that since we had caught
them, we should be the ones clean them. And so we did! W e had
fish for dinner that night.
1. to anchor (v): tha neo (tau, th u y e n , u.u..)
2. to cast (v): quang, nem , tha
3. to drizzle (v): m u a p h u n
4. downpour (n): tra i m u a n h u t r u t n u a c
5. dinner (n): bua an toi
60

M0T 0 ll6 l 01 CAU
Mot ngay cuoi tuan, cha toi, chu toi va toi quyet dinh di cau
ca d dao. C hung toi thue m ot ch ie c thuyen n h o va dem th eo
b o do cau ca . T rd i n o n g ni/c va nSng choi chan g khi chung
toi rdi bien.
Chu toi neo thuyen cach bd khoang mot cay so, roi chung
toi tha cau va ngoi c h d ca can cau. B at di/Oc nam con ca to thi
trdi bat dau toi sam lai m ot cach dot ngot. Cha toi de nghi nen
v a o 'b d cang nhanh cang tot. Chung toi voi nho neo va tien ve
phia bd. NhUhg mdi di di/Oc ntfa doan mite bat dau rOi xuong.
Ngay luc vifa vao den bd thi mua nhtf trut nUdc.
Me toi khong hai long lam khi cha bao me lam ca. Ba bao vi
chung toi bat dtfOc ca nen chung toi phai lam ca thoi. Va chung
toi phai lam ca that. T oi horn do chung toi da dufOc an mot bufa
ca ngon lanh;
61
C a c bAi Iuan TifeNq an U TboNq diwq
26. IS IT NECESSARY TO LEARN ENGLISH?

Nowadays,
English
is
spoken
by
m ost
of
the
people
throughout the world. It bids fair to becom e an international

language. T herefore its necessary for all of us to learn it: it is of
great benefit to us all in every aspect.
From
intellectual
point
of
view:
we
leam
English
to
understand m asterpieces written in English or translated into

English. Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, William. Wordsworth. Byron
and Shelley are typical figures in English literature that is worth
reading and learning. W e can also enjoy interesting French novels
by reading their English translation.
Besides the precious literature treasure, the knowledge of
English also enables us to specialize in m odem sciences and
technical problems.
From political point of view: in our diplomatic relations with
other countries, knowledge of English language is a sine qua non
condition. As a result of fact, high ranking governm ent officials
are required to m aster this living language.
Despite its puzzling pronunciation the English language is the
favourite language of educated men because it brings them lots of
favourable opportunities in their lives.
1. to bid fair (v): co trie n v o ng
2. international (adj): th u o c ve q u o c te
62

3 . intellectual (adj): t h u o c ve t r i tue
4 . to be worth (+gerund) (adj): x if n g d a n g d u p e
5 . com m ercial (adj): th u o c ve thtfcfng m a i
6 . firm (n): hang, x u o n g
CO CAN HOC TI^NG ANH KHONG?

Ngay nay, hau het moi ngifdi tren the gidi deu noi tieng
Anh. No co trien vong tre/ thanh m ot ngon ngCf quoc te. D o do
viec. hoc thif tieng nay that can thiet. No co loi cho tat ca chung
ta ve nhieu phifdng dien.
V e phifOng dien tri tue: Chung ta hoc tieng Anh de hieu
dude nhifrig kiet tac bang tieng Anh hay difOc dich sang tieng
Anh. S h ak esp eare, Milton, P op e, William. Wordsworth, Byron va
Shelley la nhCfng gifong mat tieu bieu cua nen van hoc Anh dang
difdc doc va hoc hoi. Chung ta co the thifcmg thCfc nhCfng tieu thuyet
hay cua nifcfc Phap bang cach doc cac ban dich qua tieng Anh.
Ngoai kho tang van chi/dng quy gia ay, kien thCfc Anh ngCf
co the giup chung ta di vao linh vifc chuyen mon cua khoa hoc va
ki thuat hien dai.
Ve quan diem chinh tri: Trong quan he ngoai giao giCfa nif6c
ta v6i cac nifdc khac, kien thCfc ve Anh ngCf la m ot dieu kien thiet
yeu. D o do, nhCfng vien chCfc cao cap cua nha nifdc dau tien deu
difdc yeu cau phai quan triet thif sinh ngCf nay.
M ac du cach phat am gay nhieu bdi roi, tieng Anh van la thif
ngon ngCf cua ngifdi hoc bdi no mang lai cho ho nhieu c a hoi tdt
h en trong ddi song.
63
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an N Tho*q duNq
27. TONY PRICE'S UNUSUAL ART

Tony Price is an artist. Many artists m ake works of art from
clay, iron, or stone. Price, however, is diffirent. His gleaming
figures are made from scrap metal that com es from a bomb
laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. That is where a very
powerful bom b was first made.
Price, who lives near Santa Fe, New M exico, learned of the
labs scrap metal in 1 9 6 5 . Since then he has made hundreds of
works from the pieces metal he buys every few weeks. For a
while, no one paid attention to P rices unusual art. Recently,
however, things have changed. His works are shown and sold all
over. People pay thousands of dollars for each piece.
1. unusual (adj): kh ac th a b n g , la t h u d n g
2. artist (n): nghe sT
3. clay (n): d a t set
4. iron (n): sdt
5. scrap (n): m a u uun, p h e lieu
6. laboratory (n): p h o n g t h i n g b ie m
7. bom b (n): B o m
8. paid attention to (idm): chu y den
64

NGHE THUAT LA THLTONG CUA TONY PRICE
T on y Price la m ot nghe si. Nhieu nghe si tao ra cac tac
pham nghe thuat tif dat set, slit hay da. Tuy nhien, Price thi khac
han. NhCfng tifdng hinh lap lanh cua ong difdc lam tif kim loai
phe lieu co nguon goc tCf phong thi nghiem che tao bom cua Los
Alamos, New M exico. Chinh tai ndi day, lan dau tien ngifcrt ta da
che tao ra m ot qua bom vdi stfc cong pha ldn.
Price song gan Santa Fe, New M exico. O ng da biet ve thCf
kim loai phe lieu d phong thi nghiem vao nam 1 9 6 5 . TCf do, ong
da lam ra hang tram tac pham tCf cac mau kim loai ma cCf vai tuan
m ot lan ong lai mua. Trong m ot thdi gian, khong ai chu y den tac
pham cua ong. Tuy vay, gan day m oi thif da thay doi. C ac tac
pham cua ong difdc bay ban khap ndi. Ngifdi ta da tra hang ngan
do la cho moi tac pham .
65
C a c bAi Iuan TiEwq A*h Thowq duwq
28. SPEEDING ON SKIS

Can you imagine skiing down a hill at 1 3 0 miles an hour?
C .J. Mueller not only can imagine it; he actually does it.
Mueller holds the Unites States record in speed skiing. Speed
skiing is an unusual sport that started over a hundred years ago.
In it, skiers race down hill as fast as they can. Mueller went 103
miles per hour the first time he ever tried speed skiing. He has
not slowed down since.
Mueller gives himself completely to this sport.
He lives
simply. He spends little m oney. What he does want, though, is to

beat the world record-1 3 9 m .p.h.
1. ski (n): van trucrt tu y e t
2. hill (n): d o i
3. record (n): ky luc
4. simply (adv): d a n gian, m o c m ac
5. to beat (v): d a n h bai, thdng, ui/ot
6. to slow down (v): la m g ia m toe d o
TANG t 6 c TRN VAN TRIT0T

Ban co tifdng ti/cfng duoc viec trifot tuyet xuong m ot ngon
doi vdi van toe 1 3 0 dam mot gicf khong? C .J.M ueller khong chi
tuong tifdng ma anh ctsn lam difdc dieu do.
66

Mueller con giCf ki luc cua Hoa Ky ve trifeft tuyet toe do.
Trifcft tuyet toe do la m on the thao khac thifdng da bat dau cach
day hon m ot tram nam . 0 m on the thao nay, nhOfng ngirdi trUOt
tuyet phai tnfcrt xuong ngon doi cang nhanh cang tot. Mueller dat
difdc toe do 1 0 3 dam m ot gid ngay lan dau tien anh thif tnfdt. Tif
do, anh khong bao gid giam toe do nay.
Mueller da song het minh vdi m on the thao nay. Anh song
rat gian di. Anh tieu rat ft tien. Nhifng anh muon pha ky luc the
gidi 1 3 9 dam m ot gid.
67
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a nU ih o w q duNq
29. A PLEASANT EVENING!

It has been a tiring day and I was looking forward to a quiet
evening. My husband would not be back until late and I had
decided to settle down in a com fortable armchair in the living
room and read a book. I put the children to bed early and
prepared a cold supper and som e coffee. Soon I was sitting
comfortably with a tray full of food before me and a book at my side.

I was just beginning to eat the telephone rang. I dropped my
knife and fork and hurried to answer it. By the time I got back to
the living-room, my coffee had got cold. After I finished my
supper, I began drinking cold coffee with my book open at page
one. Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. It gave me
such a surprise that I spill the coffee and made an ugly stain on
my skirt. A stranger had lost his way and wanted me to direct
him. It took me ages to get rid of him. At last I m anaged to sit
down again and actually read a whole page without further
interruption until the baby woke up. He began crying loudly and I
rushed upstair. T he baby was still awake at 11 o'clock when my
husband cam e hom e. 1 could have scream ed when he asked me if
I had spent a pleasant evening.
1. arm chair (n): g he hanh
2. supper (n): baa an n h r vao b u o i toi
3. to spill (v): lam do
6X

4 . stain (n): vet ban k h o sach
5. com fortable (adj): th o a i m a i
MOT B u 6 l
t Oi
THO V ! !
Horn do la m ot ngay that m et moi nen toi mong se co di/dc

mpt buoi toi yen tlnh. C hong toi den khuya mdi ve nha va toi
quyet dinh ngoi thoai mai tren chiec ghe banh em ai de doc sach.
T 6i cho lu tre di ngu som roi chuan bi mot it thuc an nguoi va
m ot tach ca phe. D oan, toi ngoi khoan khoai vdi m ot khay day
thCfc an d trudc mat va m ot quyen sach ben minh.
T oi chi mdi bat dau an thi chuong dien thoai reo. T oi buong
dao nla xuong va chay tdi tra loi. Luc quay lai phong khach thi ca
phe da nguoi lanh vdi cuon sach mdi m d ra d trang 1. T oi bat
dau hoan thanh not bCtei toi thi dot nhien co tieng go cite. T oi
ngac nhien den do danh do ca phe vao ao lann thanh m ot vet ban
kho coi. C o m ot ngi/Oi khach la bi lac dufc/ng va nhd toi chi dan.
Phai rat lau toi mdi tong ong ta di di/Oc. Cuoi cung toi cung ngoi
xuong va thi/c stf doc duoc m ot trang sach cho den khi con toi
thuc giac. B e bat dau khoe vang len va toi lat dat chay len lau.
D en 11 gid, khi chong toi ve thi be van con thuc . Suyt nCfa 'toi da
het len khi chong toi hoi rang toi co difdc buoi toi thu vi khong!
69
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq A N h T h o N q d u N q
30. MY SCHOOL SPORTS DAY

This year our school sports day was held on Friday. There
were seven booths at the sports ground. Our class planned in
advance as to how to decorate our booth We wanted to win the
first prize for the best decorated booth so I helped my classmates
to decorate our booth in a spectacular m anner.
Around 1 .3 0 pm the sports day was declared open by the
Guest-of-Honour,
our
local
Member
of
Parliament.
All the
students taking part in the sports day lined up for the march. We
marched pass the stand where the Guest-of-Honour and our
headm aster stood to attention. As we marched pass, he looked
the salute.
T he day started with track events. T here were 5 0 , 1 0 0 and
2 0 0 m etres races. There was tremendous applause from the
spectators which included teachers and parents. Then the field
events - tug of war, long jump, high jump, shot put and discus
were held. Every event drew cheers and applause from the
spectators. The sports day turned out to be grandest day of the
year for the school.
T he day went by very fast. I cam e in first on the long :ump
event, and second in the 1 0 0 m etres race and shot put. At about
five o'clock our Guest-of-Honour gave away the trophies to the
70

winners. My class was overall runners-up. We were also awarded
with the first prize for the best decorated booth.
A fter that, to mark the end of th e sports m eet, there was
another m arch. T h e national anthem was played to close the
sports day.
1. booth (n): rap, leu
2. spectacular (adj): d e p m d t, n g o a n m u c
3. to m arch (v): d i d i i u h a n h
4. event (n): s u k ie n
5. applause (n): s u tan d u o n g n h ie t lie t

6. shot put (n): m on n e m ta
7. discus (n): m o n n e m dJa

8. trophy (n): c u p
9. national anthem (n): bai q u o c ca
NGAY H0I TH^ THAO 6 TRl/ONG TOl

Nam nay, ngay hoi the thao d tnfdng toi difdc to chifc vao
thuf sau. C o den bay can leu d san van dong. Lcfp toi da dinh
trifdc cach thifc trang hoang ch o can leu cua minh. Chung toi
muon doat giai can leu trang tri dep nhat nen da cung nhau trang
hoang can leu.
K hoang 1 .3 0 trite, uy vien Q uoc hoi d dia phifOng - khach
mdi danh dif cua chung toi da doc ldi tuyen bd khai m ac 11 hoi.
T at ca h o c sinh tham gia xep thanh hang, chuan bi dieu hanh.
Chung toi dieu hanh qua II dai noi vi khach danh dif va thay Hieu
trudng dang difng nghiem . Khi chung toi di qua, ong gio tay chao
dap II71
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Aish ThoNq duNq
Le hoi bat dau bang m on chay tren difdng dua. C o cac mon
chay theo cif ly 5 0 , 1 0 0 va 2 0 0 m. Khan gia la cac giao vien va
phu huynh. Roi den cac m on thi dau tren san: keo co, nhay xa,
nhay cao, nem ta, nem dia. Khan gia vo tay hoan nghenh va cd
vu cho tifng mon mot. Ngay hoi the thao hoa thanh ngay le trong
dai nhat trong nam cua trifdng toi.
T hoi gian troi rat nhanh. Toi difng dau trong cuoc thi nh&y
xa, xep hang nhi trong thi chay 1 0 0 m va nem ta. V ao khoang 5
gid, vi khach danh dif trao cup cho nhCfng ngifdi thang cuoc. Ldp
toi doat giai hhi dong doi. Chung toi con gianh difOc giai can leu
trang tri dep nhat.
Sau do la mot cuoc dieu hanh de be m ac le hoi. Quoc ca
difdc cif hanh va ngay hoi the thao ket thuc.
72
31. WHAT BABIES CRY MEAN

T h e next time that you hear a baby cry, listen carefully - the
baby may be trying to tell you som ething.
A num ber of years ago, a doctor in California studied the
way babies cry. T h e doctor believed, as many doctors do today,
that each kind of cry m eans som ething different. A cry that lasts
only a second m eans the baby is hungry. If the baby is in pain,
the cry lasts two or three second and is louder. A cry like the purr
of kitten m eans that the baby is happy.
Many doctors and parents think that babies cry because they
are trying to tell us how they feel.
1. to hear (v): n g h e
2. to last (v): ke o d a i
3. purr (n): tie n g k e u r u r u
4. to cry (n): kh o e
5. kitten (n): con m e o con
6. to m ean (v): n g h ia la
7. doctor (n): bac s i
Y NGHIA TI^NG KHOC CUA TR SO SINH

Neu lan tcti ban co nghe tieng tre scf sinh khoe, hay lang
nghe can than co le be dang co noi vefi ban dieu gi do.
73
C a c bi\i Iuan TitNq an N Thdwq duNq
Nhieu nam tnfdc day, mot bac si b California da tim hiû

cach tre con khoe. Cung nhif nhieu bac si thdi nay, vi bac sT nay
tin rang moi tieng khoe co y nghia khac nhau. Tieng khoe keo
dai chi mot giay co nghia la be dang doi. Neu be bj dau, tieng
khoe se keo dai hai, ba giay va thifdng to hcfn. Tieng khoe nhif
tieng rif rif cua con m eo co nghia la be dang vui.
Nhieu bac si va bac cha me cho rang, tre sd sinh khoe vi
chung dang co noi cho chung ta biet cam giac cua chung.
74
Commonly m gd English essay
32. A WESTERN MEAL

I was first introduced to a W estern meal by a friend. W e had
gone to a very classy restaurant. I did not know what to order, so
1 had w hatever my friend was having.
T h e waitress who took our order set the table. I was a little
uneasy when I saw her lay the cutlery. 1 w asnt too sure if I would
be able to use the knife correctly.
T h e first dish to arrive was a bowl of raw vegetable which my
friend said was called Salad . It is mixed with raw vegetables:
lettuce, carrot, celery anf tom ato. I was not particularly fond of
raw vegetable but the salad tasted good.
Next cam e the steak, 1 was surprised to see such a big piece
of m eat placed in fond of m e. It w asn't cooked the way I like my
m eat. I did not enjoy the dinner entirely. I guess it takes time to
get accustom ed to som ething new.
1. c.lassy (adj): co c h a t lu p n g cao, sang tro n g , t h u p n g h a n g
2. cutlery (n): dao, nia, thia... d u n g d e an
3 . raw (adj): c h u a n au chin, con song, t u o i
4 . lettuce (n): rau d ie p ca
5. celery (n): rau can tay
6. steak (n): (lat day) t h it hoac ca, cdt ra d e ran hoac n u o n g
7. accustom ed to sth (adj): q u e n voi (cai gi)
75
C a c bAi Iuan ritN q ANh Those* duNq
An
c o m t Ay
Lan dau tien toi difdc m ot ngifdi ban mdi di an com tay.
Chung toi di den mot nha hang rat sang trong. T oi khong biet
nen goi m on gi, do do ban toi goi m on nao thi toi cung goi
m on do.
C o tiep vien, ngudi ghi cac mon an ma chung toi vifa goi bat
dau don ban an. T oi cam thay hoi lo lang khi co ay dat bo dao
nia len ban. Toi khong dam chac la minh co the dung dao dung
cach hay khong.
Mon dau tien la m ot dla rau song ma ban toi goi la mon
Rau tron". Day la m on an tron tif rau song nhif: diep ca, ca rot,
can tay va ca chua. Toi khong thich an rau song lam nhifng mon
rau tron nay qua la ngon tuyet. Ke tiep la mon thit ran. T oi kinh
ngac khi nhin thay mot mieng thit ldn dat trifdc mat minh Mon
thjt nay khong lam theo kieu toi ifa thich. Toi khong thifdng thifc
duoc het bifa an nay. Toi cho rang phai mat nhieu thdi gian mdi
lam quen difdc vdi nhCfng diey mdi me.
76
33. COOK FOR A DAY

Many m onths back, on Sunday, my m other fell ill. I, being
the eldest girl of the family, was forced to take up my m others
duty that day.
First of all, 1 had to go to the m arket to purchase the
necessary foodstuffs. 1 planned carefully and thought about what
dishes I wanted to prepare. I wanted to serve a delicious dinner
for the whole family. At about five o clock in the afternoon 1
started my cooking. I cooked the rice and made a soup which my
m other taught m e. T h en I went to the next dish, fried fish. I took
the fish out the refrigerator, suddenly, 1 realized that the soup
which was on the stove, was spilling over. Quickly, 1 turned off
the gas. Everything was in a mess. It took me a long time to clean
it up. After preparing the fish, I put the wok on the stove and
poured a little oil into it, and put the fish pieces into the boiling
oil. The oil spatterd all over me. T hat was the time my favorite
cartoon shows was on. I switched on the television and began
enjoying it, but I had forgotten about the fish. It was bum.
Anyway the dinner was ready. I served everyone. I sat down
anxiously watching my brother and sister. I was shocked when
everyone stood up and threw the food away. My elder brother
started to laugh. My parents enjoyed laughing. And we all had to
eat out.
77
C a c bAi Iuan t U n q a n Ii ThoNq duNq
1. to purchase (v): m u a
2. foodstuff (n): th u c p h a m
3. to spill over (v): tra n ra ngoai
4. m ess (n): c a n h h o n lo a n, Ion x o n
5. to spatter (v): la m ban toe, uay ban
6. cartoon (n): p h i m h o a t h in h
7. to eat out (v): d i an tie m , n ha h an g
M0T NGAY LAM DAU B^P

Nhieu thang trifdc vao m ot ngay chu nhat, me toi nga benh.
La chi ca trong gia dinh, toi buoc phai lam nhiem vu cua m e ngay
horn do.
Trifdc tien, toi di c h o de mua nhCfng thuc an can thiet. Toi
can than len ke hoach va nghi den nhCfng m on an toi dinh lam.
T oi muon nau m ot bCfa toi that ngon cho ca gia dinh.
Khoang nam gid chieu, toi bat dau nau an. Toi nau com va
lam m on sup ma me toi da day. Sau do, toi lam den m on ca
chien, toi lay ca tif trong tu lanh ra, chot nhin thay noi sup con
tren lo dang trao. T oi nhanh chong tat bep gas. Moi thif trd len
Ion xon. Toi phai m at m ot luc lau de lau chui. Sau khi lam ca
xong toi dat chao len 16, do it dau an va bo ca vao dau dang soi.
Dau vang tung toe ca len ngifdi toi. D o la luc tren ti vi dang chieu
chifOng trinh hoat hinh ma toi yeu thich nhat. T oi bat ti vi va bat
dau mai me xem , quen h ln m on ca chien. T h e la ca bi chay khet.
Du sao thi bCfa com chieu cung xong. Toi don len cho moi
ngudi roi lo lang quan sat thang em trai va co em gai. T oi giat
minh khi moi ngifdi dufng day va do thifc an di. Thang em toi bat
dau cifdi, cha me toi cung cifdi theo. Cuoi cung chung toi phai di
an tiem.
78
34. A STORY OF THE FUTURE

A new spaper called the Boston Globe printed a story that
surprised everyone who read it. Many people bought the paper
just to read the one story. This article was about an airplane crash
in Canada. Why was everyone so surprised? It was because the
paper was printed in 1 8 8 1 , twenty-two years before the first
airplane was invented!
The ow ner of the new spaper thought it would be fun to print
a paper with news that might happen in the future. T he airplane
had not been invented yet, but people often dream ed of flying
through the air in a m achine. T he reader thought the story was
exciting. Many of them lived to actuallly see airplanes in the sky.
1. to print (v): in an
2. paper (n): t'd b ao
3. article (n): bai bao
4. airplane crash (n): vu ro i m ay bay
5. to invent (v): p h a t m in h
6. ow ner (n): n g u d i chu, n g u d i s o h itu
7. new spaper (n): bao

8. exciting (adj): h a p dan, h u n g th u
9. actuallly (adv): th u c te
79
C a c bAi Iuan titN q an (i TkoNQ duNtj
MOT c a u c h u y $ n k (! v t u o n g lai
Mot td bao ten la Boston Globe dang mot cau chuyen gay
kinh ngac ch o ngifdi doc. Nhieu ngifdi mua bao chi de doc cau
chuyen nay. Bcii.bao noi ve vu rdi may bay d Canada. Tai sao
moi ngifdi lai kinh ngac den the? D o la vi td bao nay difdc in vao
1 8 8 1 , hai mifdi nam trifdc khi chiec may bay dau tien difdc phat
minh ra.
Vien chu bao nghi r5ng se rat khoi hai neu in m ot td bao vdi
cac tin tifc co the xay ra trong tifdng lai. May bay van chifa difdc
phat minh ra, nhifng moi ngifdi van thifdng m d ifdc difdc bay tren
khong trung trong m ot cai may. Ngifdi doc cho la cau chuyen
that hap dan. Nhieu ngifdi da song den ngay difdc tan m lt nhin
thay may bay tren bau trdi.
SO
35. SPRING FEVER

Dictionaries say that spring fever is a lazy or restless feeling
that people have on the first warm day of spring. Everyone has
probably felt it at on e time or another. People have talked about
it for years.
Recently, scientists have taken a good look at spring fever.
What they found is quite surprising.
W here m any of us live, the winter m onths often seem dark
and dreary. W hen spring com es in late March, a num ber of
daylight hours grow with each passing day. According to many
scientists, all this sunlight sets off chem icals in the brain that
change our m ood and bring on spring fever.
1. fever (n): c a n s o t
2. restless (adj): (cam giac) bon c h o n
3. dreary (adj): a m d a m , the lu o n g
4. to set off (v): gay ra, th u c day
5. m ood (n): ta m tra ng , ti'nh t in h

6. to bring in (v): d u a den ke t q u a h oa c gay ra cai gi
81
C a c bAi Iuan
Tieisq
ANh TkoNq duNq
CON s 6 t m u a x u An
Trong nhieu cuon tif dien da viet, con sot mua xuan la cam
giac lifdi bieng hoac bon chon ma con ngifdi co trong ngay am
ap dau tien cua mua xuan. M6i ngifdi chac chan deu cam thay
dieu do vao luc nay hay luc khac. Ngifdi ta da noi ve no trong
nhieu nam.
Gan day, cac nha khoa hoc da nghien ctfu con sot mua
xuan. NhCfng gi ho phat hien ra difOc gay kha nhieu ngac nhien.
Noi ma phan ldn chung ta dang song, difdng nhi/ cac thang
mua dong thifdng toi tam va am dam. Khi mua xuan den vao
cuoi thang ba, so gid co anh sang ban ngay tang len theo tifng
ngay. T h eo nhieu nha khoa hoc, anh nang mat trdi kich thich c-ac
hoa chat trong nao bo, lam thay doi tinh khi cua con ngifdi va
gay ra con sot mua xuan.
82
Commonly used English cssoy
36. A FIRE
It was about midnight. I was not felling sleepy. S o I was
gazing leisurely out of my window. Suddenly I saw a small of
flame shoot through the wall of a nearby house. A few seconds
later, it burst into fire, throwing up a cloud of black sm oke.
I dashed
into
the
house
and woke
the
occupant up.
Together, they rushed out of the door, shouting for help. Soon ,
cries of Fire! F ire! were heard throughout the neighbourhood.
Som e people filled pails with water and tried to put out the fire.
Unfortunately, a strong wind started blowing. T h e fire spread
quickly to m ore than a dozen houses. T he air was filed with
sounds of falling houses and cries of fire victims. T here was
confusion everywhere.
So o n , the fire engines arrived. T he firemen started fighting
the fire. Policem en helped to control the crow d.The fire was
com pletely put out after about 5 hours.
Pools of water lay around the blackened ruins. Nobody knew
how the fire had started but fortunately, no on e was hurt in the
fire. T he fire victims went to stay with their relatives and friends
until new hom es could be built for them.
1. leisurely (adj & adv): th o n g tha, u n g d u n g
2. tongue (n): lu o i lua, tia lua n h o
83
C a c bAi Iu an TiEwq Awh th o N g duNq
3. occupant (n): n g itb i 6 m o t n g o i nha

4. pail (n): cai xo
5. to spread (v): lan ra
m Qt t r
An HOA HOAN
Luc ay vao khoang nifa dem. Tpi khong cam thay buon ngu.
T oi nhin m ong lung ra cifa sd. Dot nhien, toi thay m ot dom life
nho loe len tif bifc ti/dng cua m ot nha ben. Vai giay sau, no bung
len va boc khoi den mu mit.
T oi xong vao nha va danh thCfc moi ngifcti day. H o cung do
xo ra cifa va keu ctfu. TCfc thi tieng la Chay! C h ay! vang day ca
m ot vung. Vai ngudi muc day nhCfng xo nUcic co dap tat ngon
lufa. Khong may, m ot ccfn gio m anh noi len. Dam chay lan nhanh
den hon chuc ngoi nha nCfa. Khong gian day tieng nha do va
tieng keu khoe cua nan nhan. Khap noi deu roi loan.
Ngay luc do, xe ctfu hoa tdi. NhCfng ngifdi linh cCfu hoa lao
vao dap tat lute. Canh sat giup tran an dam dong. Nam gid sau,
dam chay bi dap tat hoan toan.
Nifdc dong thanh vung xung quanh dong do nat. Khong
biet dam chay da bat dau ra sao, nhifng rat may la khong ai bi
thi/dng. C ac nan nhan cua tran hoa hoan den b vefi cac ba con,
be ban cho den khi difng difdc nha mdi.
84
37. A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED

T he proverb rrtieans that we shall know who our real friends
are when we are in need. T h o se who desert us when we are in
difficulty are just unfaithful friends.
A true friend would remain with us whether we are rich or
poor. Som e people befriend the rich, simply for the sake of
getting benefits from them.
It is useless to have insincere friends because these friends
remain with us as long as we are rich or powerful. It is better to
have one or two good friends rather than having hundreds of
insincere ones.
A true friend will stand by us in our trials and tribulations. He
will be a great source of consolation and com fort in our troubles.
S o we must be careful in choosing our friends. It is difficult to
ch oose a sincere friend overnight; it takes years for us to find a
sincere friend.
1. proverb (n): tu c ngu, cach n g o n
2. to desert (v): bo di, ro i bo
3. for the sake of sb (idm): vi ai, ui lo i ich cua cai gi
4. insincere (adi): k h o n g th a n h t h a t
5. trials and tribulations (idm): n h u n g ndi kh o cuc va phien p h u c
6. consolation (n): su an ui
85
C a c bAi Iu an Ticwg Awh Thong duNq
BAN THAT SU LA BAN KHI CAN

Cau tuc ngCf nay co nghia la khi chung ta gap kho khan can
difdc giup dd, chung ta se biet ai la ban be thifc sif cua minh.
NhCtag ke bo m ac chung ta trong cdn nguy kho chi la nhifng
ngi/di ban khong chut thuy chung.
Mot ngifdi ban dich thifc se d lai vdi chung ta cho du ta
ngheo nan hay giau co. Vai ke ket ban vdi ngifdi giau, ddn gian
chi de ldi dung ngifdi do ma thoi.
T h at vo ich neu ket ban vdi nhifhg ke khong thanh that, vi'
nhOfng ngi/di ban nay chi d lai vdi chung ta cho tdi chting nao
chung ta con giau co hay day quyen the. C o m ot hoac hai ngifdi
ban that si/, con tdt hdn hang tram ngifdi ban khong thanh that.
Ngifdi ban that sif se luon d ben ta khi gap r lc roi va phien
phCfc. Ngifdi do se la nguon an ui ldn cho chung ta trong cdn
khon kho. Vi the, chung ta nen chon ban ma chdi. Rat kho tim
difdc mot ngifdi ban, ta phai mat hang nam mdi tim difdc mot
ngifdi ban chan thanh.
86
38. LIFE IN THE CITY, COMPARED WITH LIFE

In my opinion, ur
its own advantages
and disadvantages.
First, living in the city we may enjoy those benefits.
Com m unication and transportation systems are better.
T here are so m any m eans of com m unication anh transport that
we can ch oose the o n es we like best. We can get in touch with a
friend or talk to him by phone without having to go out of hom e.
Thanks to electricity network and running water, our
material lives are m ore com fortable. Superm arkets, markets and
shops are found everywhere and we can buy anything we need
providing that we can afford it.
Urban life provides us with all sorts of entertainm ents:
television,
radio,
m ovies,
theatres,
concerts
and
famous
recreation centers.
Living in town we can improve our knowledge easily by
attending any schools, universities or evening classes where
expe rienced teach ers and professors are ready to satisfy our
thirst for knowledge.
Besides its advantages, urban life also has its disadvantages:
Our health is in danger: pollution by factories and heavy
traffic may cause serious diseases to all of us.
87
C a c b/vi Iuan T it N q a n ^ T h o N q j l i J N q
Evil influence upon the young generation by obscen e video

films is inevitable.
Violent deaths happen regularly in such a crowded city with
all kinds of vehicles.
O n the contrary, rural life seem s ideal to all of us, especially
to the old.
W e can enjoy fresh, cool air and behold beautiful landscapes
in the country.
How safe and delighted we are when we can sleep a sound
sleep at any time of the day without being disturbed by sirens of
cars or by deafening noises from manufacturing factories.
Our social lives in the country are easier: we can eat the food
and vegetables we grow, chickens and goats we raise. The
countrym en lead a very simple life and they are quick at mutual
help in any case.
Apart from these advantages, living in the country we may
m eet lots of difficulties too.
Com m unication and transportation are obstructed by lack of
m eans of transport or by floods in the rainy season.
Our knowledge is limited by being short of mass media.
Our social and physical lives a ren t as com fortable as those
in town because of lack of electricity and medical care.
In a nutshell, our love for town life or country life depends
on our outlook and age. As for m e. I always prefer rural life to
urban life.
88

1. urban (adj): t h u o c ve th a n h p h o
2. rural (adj): t h u o c ve n o n g th o n
3. m eans of transport (n): p h u a n g tien van ch u y e n
4 . to get in touch with (idm): tie p x u c vdi

5. electricity network (n): he t h o n g d ie n
6. running w ater (n): n ud e m a y
cuQc s 6 n g d th A n h
th i s o sAnh v o i c u Q c s 6 n g
d th O n
qu
T h eo toi, cuoc song d thanh thi hay thon que deu co nhimg
thuan loi va kho khan.
Trifdc het, song d thanh thi, chung ta co the hifcfng difdc
nhifng loi ich sau:
-
He thong thong tin va van chuyen tot hon. C o nhieu
phifOng tien thong tin
va van chuyen den noi chung ta co the
chon nhifng phifdng tien nao ma chung ta thich nhat. Chung ta

co the tro chuyen voi mot ngifdi ban qua dien thoai ma chang
phai rdi khoi nha.
-
Nhd he thong dien va nifdc may ma cuoc song vat chat
cua chung ta tien loi hdn nhieu. C ac sieu thi va khu chd m oc len
d khap ndi. Chung ta co th7 mua bat cif thuf gi chung ta muon
mien la chung ta co tien.

-
Cuoc song d thanh thi giup chung ta co the trau doi kien
thifc m ot cach de dang hdn bang cach theo hoc cac trifdng trung
hoc, dai hoc hay cac ldp hoc them vdi nhieu giao vien, giao sif
giau kinh nghiem san sang thoa man sif ham hoc cua chung ta.
89
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an M Thowq duNq
Ngoai nhufng thuan loi, cuoc song thanh thi cung co nhieu bat
lcfi:
-
SCfc khoe bi de doa, o nhiem do cac nha may va giao
thong tap nap co the gay cho ta nhCfng chung benh tram trong.
-
Doi vdi gidi tre, phim anh khieu dam gay ra nhCfrig anh
hifdng xau khong the nao tranh khoi.

-
Nhflng cai chet bat dac ky tif thifdng xay ra trong mot
thanh pho dong due vert nhieu loai phifdng tien giao thong.
Trai vdi cuoc song d thanh thi, cuoc song d nong thon co ve
li tifdng vdi tat ca chung ta, dac biet vdi ngifdi gia.
-
Chung ta co the tan hudng khong khi tifdi mat va chiem
ngifdng nhCfng phong canh dep d mien que.

-
Chung ta cam thay an toan va thu vi biet bao khi co the
ngu m ot giac yen binh vao bat ky gid nao ma khong bi quay ray
bdi tieng coi xe hoi hay tieng dong chat chua cua cac nha may.
-
Ddi song xa hoi d nong thon de chiu hdn. Chiing ta co
the thifdng thifc thifc pham va rau xanh chung ta trong, ga de

chung ta chan nuoi. Ngifdi dan que song mot cuoc song gian di
va sSn sang giup dd nhau vao bat cif hoan canh nao.
Ngoai trif nhCfng thuan Idi tren, song tai mien que, chung ta
co the gap phai mot so kho khan:
-
Nguon thong tin sif van chuyen bi trd ngai vi thieu
phifOng tien hay lu lut vao mua mifa bao.

-
Kien thifc cua chung ta bi gidi han vi thieu phutfng tien
truyen thong dai chung.

90
Commonly used English cssoy_______________________

-
Ddi song xa hoi va the chat cua chung ta khong tien nghi
bang thanh pho vi thieu dien va sU cham soc y te.

T om lai, chung ta thich cuoc song thanh thi hay thon que
tuy theo quan diem va tuoi tac cua moi ngifdi. Doi vdi toi, ioi luon
thfch cuoc song thon que hon thanh thj.
91
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq x h U Thowq duNq
39. A SPECIAL KIND OF DOG

Y ou probably have seen many pictures of the black^potted
dogs people call firehouse dogs.
Did you know that these dogs
on ce had an im portant job to do?

For hundreds of years, people in Europe used these dogs
(which are called Dalmatians) as guards and shephreds and circus
perform ers. Everywhere they went, Daimatlans becam e known
for their speed, their strength, and their lack of fear around
horses.
In the United States, the people who fight fires quickly found
a use for these dogs. T h e speedy Daimatlans would race ahead of
old-time horse-pulied fire trucks, barking to warn people that the
trucks were com ing. Later, when fire trucks began to use engines
instead of horses, the dogs still remained fire-station favorites.
1. black-spotted (adj): co do'm den
2. firehouse (n): tram cuu hoa
3. Daimatlans (n): loai ch o lo n g ngdn
4. guard (n): n g u d i c a nh gac, bao ve
5. shephred (n): n g u d i chan cuu
6. circus (n): x ie c
7. lack (n): su thieu , k h o n g co

8. fire trucks (n): x e cuu hoa
92

9. to bark (v): sua
10. to warn (v): ca n h bao
11. engine (n): d o n g c o
M0T LOAI CH6 DAC BI$T

C o le ban da tifng thay nhieu bCfc anh cac con cho trang co
dom den ma ngifdi ta goi la cho cuti hoa. B an co biet r5ng, co
thoi
nhifrig con ch o nay da ganh vac m ot nhiem vu rat quan
trong khong?
Trong hang tram nam , nhCfng ngifdi d chau Au da suf dung
nhCfng con cho nay (difOc goi la cho dom) lam bao ve, chan cifu,
lam xiec. B at cCf noi nao chung den, chung deu noi danh vi toe
do, sCfc m anh va khong he khiep sO loai ngifa.
>
0
H oa Ky, nhCfng ngifcfi cifu hoa nhanh chong tim ra cong
viec cho nhCfng con ch o nay. Chung luon dan dau trifdc nhCfng xe
cifu hoa do ngite keo va sua to de bao cho moi ngifdi biet doan
xe dang den. Sau nay, khi xe ciiu hoa dung dong cO thay vi dung
ngite nhif trifdc day, loai cho nay van con difOc ifa thich d cac
tram cifu hoa.
93
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Anh Thowq duwq
40. THE PLEASURES OF LIVING IN A VILLAGE

A village is a quiet place where the influence of city is not fell
m uch. It is indeed a very good place for rest and relaxation.
In a village people do not live very close to one another.
T heir houses are far apart. Each house therefore has a lot of
space around it. S o , almost every house is surrounded by flower
and fruit plants and vegetables. All these make the village look
green and fresh. T here are also tall trees everywhere which
provide shade from the sun and keep village cool.
So m e villages are surrounded by paddy-fields or mountains.
T here are also many stream s and rivers in alm ost villages. All
these add great beauty and variety to the village scene.
T he
people of village are very simple in thought and
behavior. They are therefore very friendly and helpful. S o , the

crim es of the city are almost unknown in a village. T he people
here work together and live in peace. W henever they celebrate a
festival, they dance and sing together and the whole village is in a
gay mood.
Living am ong such friendly and simple people, in such a
quiet places, is indeed a real pleasure.
1. influence (n): a n h h u o n g , tac d o n g
2. relaxation (n): su t h u gian
94
Commonly used English cssoy_______________ ________

3. paddy-field (n): (cu n g p a d d y ) ru o n g lua
4. crime (n): to i ac
5. gay (adj): uui ve
t h 0 v u is 6 n g
6 v Cj n g q u
Lang que la noi yen tinh va khong bi loi song thanh thi anh
hifdng nhieu. D o qua thifc la m ot noi li tifdng de nghi ngoi va thif
gian.
O
thon que ngifdi dan khong song gan nhau. Nha cua cua
ho d cach xa nhau. D o vay xung quanh mdi ngoi nha deu co

khoang khong rong ldn, nen hau nhif nha nao cung trong hoa,
cay an qua va rau. Lang xom nhd do ma trong xanh tifOi va mat
me. Khap moi noi dau dau cung co nhCfng cay cao toa bong che
mat ban lang.
Xung quanh vai ngoi lang la nhCfng ruong lua hoac nui non.
Hau nhif lang nao cung co rat nhieu song suoi. Thien nhien da
giup cho canh sac thon lang them xinh dep va da dang.
NgUdi dan que suy nghi va cif xif rat don gian. H o than thien
va hay giup dd. Nhd do m a cac toi ac d do thi gan nhif khong
difpc biet den d thon que. Ngifdi dan d day chung sifc lam viec,
song hoa thuan vdi nhau. Mdi khi td chCfc le hoi, ho cung nhau
nhay mua va ca hat. B a n lang luon song vui ve.
Song giCfa nhCfng ngifdi dan gian di va than thien nhif the, d
m ot noi yen tinh nhif the qua la mot niem vui dich thifc.
95
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a n U thow q duNq
41. MY SCHOOL
T h ere
is
white
three-store
building,
surrounded
by
greenery, located at Sim ei Tow n Central. That is Sim e Primary

School. T hat is also the place where I have schooled for the last
five years or so.
My school uniform is white. T he boys wear a white shirt and
white shorts while the girls wear a while blouse and skirt. The
uniform must always be worn with the school badge which bears
our school m otto Nothing without labour". It m eans that we
must be willing to work to get our reward. We are also taught to
be honest and polite all the time.
Most of the teachers
in my school are just and kind.
However, there are som e teachers who show favouritism. As a

result, the students who are favoured by these teachers are very
proud and like to bully the others. In general, however, we all
treat one another like siblings and live in harmony.
I am sad that I will have to leave my school at the end of this
year. It has given me knowledge, friends and happy m om ents. I
will always rem em ber my school and the fond m em ories I ve ever
had.
1. greenrery (n): tan la x a n h hoac cay x a n h
2. uniform (n): d o n g p h u c
96

3. badge (n): huy hieu
4. m otto (n): k h a u hieu
5. favouritism (n): s u th ie n ui
6. harm ony (n): s u hoa th u a n
TRLTCJNG TOl
C o m ot toa nha ba tang mau trang, xung quanh la nhifng
tan cay xanh, nam d trung tam thanh pho Sim ei. D o la trifdng
tieu hoc Sim ei va do cung la noi toi theo hoc trong nam nam
qua.
Dong phuc cho hoc sinh toan m ot mau trang. Nam sinh m ac
ao so mi trang, quan sooc trang, nuf sinh m ac ao va vay trang. Di
doi vdi bo dong phuc la huy hieu cua trifdng co khSc khau hieu
Nothing without labour (Thanh qua dat difdc deu tif cong sifc
lao dong). Khau hieu nay nhac nhd chung toi phai s in sang co
gang de don nhan phan thifdng. Chung toi con dude giao due
phai luon luon that tha va le phep.
Phan ldn thay co trong trifdng deu cong bang va tot bung.
Tuy nhien, cung co vai thay co bieu hien sif thien vi. D o do, cac
hoc sinh difOc thien vi nay to ra rat hanh dien va thich blit nat
ngifdi khac. Tuy the, chung toi deu doi xif vdi nhau nhif anh em
ruot thit va song rat hoa thuan.
T oi rat buon vi phai ra trifdng vao cuoi nam nay. Ndi do da
dem den cho toi kien thifc, ban be va nhifng phut giay hanh
phuc. T oi se nhd mai ngoi tn/dng nay cung nhif nhCfng ky niem
em dem cua thdi cap sach.
97
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq ANh Thong duNq
42. AN AMUSING INCIDENT

Every m orning at around 6 .0 0 &.m my father and his friends
used to sit on on e of the benches in the park near my house. As
usual, he sat last Saturday evening under a shady Angsana tree,
enjoying the cool breeze.
A beggar, with a wooden leg and wearing very shabby
clothes, approached my father and asked for som e money. I
noticed that my father had always given the beggar som e money
each time he approached. However he felf rather irritated that
evening as he had been harassed far too often already. Besides
that, the beggar was getting to be m ore troublesome than usual.
A young well-dressed man wearing a tie and carrying a
briefcase had on that particular evening, been observing the
encounter
betw een
my
father and
the
beggar.
Seein g
the
dilemma my father w as in, especially my when the beggar refused

to move away uncless he was given som e m oney, the young man
walked up to my father and said, Sir, if you will lend m e your
cane for a m om ent 1 will give him a good thrashing for his
m ischief. My father feeling obliged for the help offered, smiled at
the proposal and handed the young man the cane. No sooner
was the young man going to apply it to the back of the beggar,
the latter immediately whipped off his wooden leg and ran off
98
Commonly used English e s s a y _____________________

with great speed. T h e young man went after him as fast as he
could go. T h e faster the beggar ran, the faster the young man
followed him. Seeing this incident I burst out laughing. Never had
I seen such a sight in my life.
1. beggar (n): n g u o i an x in
2. shabby (adj): to i tan, m o n
3. to irritate (v): c h o c g ia n ai
4. to harass (v): gay roi, la m p h ie n
5. encounter (n): cu o c ch a m tra n
6. dilemma (n): t in h t ra n g k h o xu, tie n th o a i lu d n g nan

7. thrashing (n): tra n d o n
8. mischief (n): t r o ra n h m a n h
9. obliged (adj): b ie t o n ai d o ui da g iu p d o m o t uiec gi
10. to whip off (v): th a o ra m o t cach n h a n h c h o n g ua d o t
ngot
M0T c h u y e n b u 6 n cucji
Moi sang, khoang sau gid, cha toi cung ban be ong thifdng
den ngoi tren bang ghe d cong vien gan nha. Nhu thudng le toi
thif bay tuan roi, ong ngoi difdi bong mat cay Angsana thifdng
thifc lan gid m at lanh.
Mot ngifdi an may, vdi mot cai chan g 6, quan ao toi tan, tien
den cha toi xin m ot it tien. Toi thifdng thay cha hay cho tien
ngifdi an may moi khi anh ta den. Tuy nhien, toi horn ay, ong
cam thay bifc minh vi tnfo'c do ong- lien tuc bi quay ray roi. Hon
nQci, ngifdi an may lai cang luc cang trd nen phien toai.
99
________________________ C a c b \ i Iuan t U n q Af*h ThoNq duNq
Cung vao buoi toi dac biet ay, co mot thanh nien Sn m3c
banh bao, deo ca vat, xach ca tap, difng quan sat cuoc cham tran
giira cha toi va ngifdi an may. Thay tinh trang kho xif cua cha t6i,
nhat la khi ga an may khong chiu di neu khong difdc cho tien,
ngifdi thanh nien ben den ben cha toi va noi: T h ifa ngai, neu
*
ngai cho toi mifdn chiec gay, toi se nen h&n m ot tran ra tro vi tro
ranh ma cua hSn". Cha toi cam thay biet on vi duoc giup dd, ong
mim cifdi khi nghe ldi de nghi nay va trao cho anh thanh nien
chiec gay. Ngay khi ngifdi thanh nien s ip sifa giang gay len lifhg
ga an may, ga lap tOfc thao phang cai chan go va bd chay het toe
life. Ngifdi thanh nien duoi theo, ga an may cang chay nhanh thi
anh thanh nien canh duoi theo nhanh. Trong thay canh nay, toi
vut pha len cifdi. Chifa bao gid toi chifng kien mot canh tifOng
nhif the trong ddi.
100
43. THE DIFFICULTIES IN LEARnING ENGLISH

AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Beginners of foreign language always m eet difficulties from
the outset. For m e, 1 had to overcom e these problem s when 1
started learning English.
- English pronunciation:
This is my first obstacle.
T he
pronunciation in English puzzles m e a lot because the same letter

has different sounds. For exam ple, the letter a in bath" is
pronounced /a:/ /ba: 0/, but it is pronounced /ei/ in bath"
/bei-Q/. Genernally verbs and nouns are pronounced differently.
In order to solve this puzzling question I carefully study. The
A .P .A (The International P hon etic Alphabets) which helps me
pronounce English words correctly.
- English accent: in order to have an accen t just like the
native speakers I often listen to tapes and repeat after them,
trying to imitate them. M oreover, my everyday conversation with
the foreigners I m eet in the street will enable me to acquire a
proper accent.
-
English
gram m ar:
gram m ar is much easier.
C om pared
with
French,
English
However, this doesn't m ean that
learners m eet no difficulties in learning it. It took me a long time

to learn how to m aster the tenses in English gram m ar, to
endeavour to do as m any gram m ar exercises as possible and real
various gram m ar books.
101
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq ANh Tho n g duNq
English style and writing: Each language has its own style.
In order to drill writing skills, 1 have tried to read famous novels of

distinguished Am erican and English writers. I enjoy the humorous
style of writing in Mark Tw ains m asterpieces, the elaborate and
polished style of G eorge Eliot and the sentimental and lyrical style
of Jo h n Keats.
After long and hard years of English study, how pleased I
feel when 1 am able to read English and American authors
without any obstacles and difficulties at all.
1. beginner (n): n g u o i b6t d a u
2. to overcom e (v): u u o t qua, k h d c p h u c
3. to puzzle (v): la m boi ro i

4. I.P.A : International Phonetic Alphabets: d a u hieu phien
' a m q u o c te
5. accen t (n): tr o n g a m
6. native speaker (n): n g u o i n o i tie n g m e de
7. to repeat (v): la p lai
8. to imitate (v): bdt tru d c
NHCTNG KHO KHAN TRONG VI$C HOC ANH NGCfVA

lAm
THE n A o
KHAC PHUC CHUNG
Ngifdi b it dau hoc ngoai ngCf luon luon gap nhCfng kho kh&n
ngay tCf bifdc dau. Doi voi toi, toi da khac phuc nhCfng van de nay
khi b it dau hoc Anh ngCf.
Cach phat am trong Anh ngCf: day la trcf ngai dau tien cua
toi. No lam toi boi roi kha nhieu vi cung mot mau tif lai co nhieu
102

cach phat am khac nhaiv Vi du nhif mliu tif a trong b ath
difcte doc la /a:/ /ba: 0/ nhifng lai difOc doc la /ei/ trong b ath
/bei-0/. T hon g thifdng dong ti/ va danh tif difdc doc khac nhau.
D e giai quyet van de kho khan nay toi da nghien cifu that ki
he thong phien am quoc te. No giup toi phat am mot cach chinh
xac hon.
T rong am trong tieng Anh: D e co trong am giong ngifdi ban
xif, toi thifdng nghe bang va lap theo, co gang bat chifdc ho.
Ngoai ra, tiep xuc hang ngay vdi ngifdi ngoai quoc ma toi gap
tren difdng pho co the giup toi dat difdc mot giong doc chinh
xac.
Ngif phap tieng Anh: S o vdi ngCf phap tieng Phap, tieng
Anh d ! hon nhieu. Tuy nhien, dieu nay khong co nghia la ngifdi
hoc tieng Anh khong gap kho khan nao trong viec hoc ngif phap
tieng Anh. T oi phai m at nhieu thdi gian de lam the nao quan triet
difpc cac thi ngif phap, co gang lam nhieu bai tap va doc nhieu
sach ngif phap tieng Anh.
C ach hanh van trong tieng Anh: Moi m ot ngon ngif co m ot
loi viet rieng. D e luyen tap ki nang viet toi da doc nhieu tieu
thuyet cua nhCfng nha van Anh, My. T oi thich loi viet di dom , hai
hifdc trong nhifng kiet tac cua Mark Twain, loi viet bong bay trau
chuot cua G eorge Eliot va loi van tinh cam trtf tinh cua
Jo h n
Keats.
Sau nhieu nam m iet mai hoc tieng Anh, toi cam thay hai
long khi co the doc difdc sach cua cac tac gia Anh, My ma c h ln g
gap bat ki kho khan va trd ngai nao.
103
Cc bii
lu iN T i f s q
hhIi
T ltow q
Aw,
44. A PLEASANT SURPRISE

T h e door bell rang and 1 went to answer it. At the doorway
stood a fair and pretty girl with rosy cheeks.
You M ona? Me Y oko, your pen-pal from Ja p a n , she said
in broken English. I could not believe my ears. W hat a surprise!
Y o ko explained, with difficulty, that her family was stopping over
in Singapore for 2 days before flying off to Australia for holidays.
I was glad because my elementary Jap a n e se helped in our
conversation.
1 was also surprised to see the many beautiful presents Yoko
had brought for me from Jap an . They induced a Kimono, a
Ja p a n e se paper lantern, som e beautiful badges with faces of
popular Jap an ese singers and lots of delicious Jap a n e se foodstuff.
S h e also took me to Hotel New Otani where her family was
staying in a suite. H er parents, Mr and Mrs Tanaka, were very
friendly and generous. They treated me to a sumptuous Japanese
meal in a cosy Ja p a n e se restaurant.
I took the Tanaka family on a brief tour round Singapore
before inviting them to my hom e for dirnier. Meeting Y o ko and
her parents had certainly been a pleasant surprise.
1. broken (adj): n o i sai, k h o n g trd i chay
2. elem entary (adj): c o ban
104
_____________________
3. lantern (n): den lo ng, den sach

4. suite (n): day p h o n g cua m o t k h a c h san
5. sumptuous (adj): xa hoa, sang t r o n g
M0TSI/BAT NGCJTHUV!
Chuong cifa reo va toi chay ra me? cite. Mot co gai xinh dep
vdi doi m a ifng hong dang difng d ngay bac cite.
B an la M ona? Minh la Y oko, ban qua thir cua ban d Nhat
Ban n e , co noi bang thuf tieng Anh khong troi chay. Toi khong
con tin vao tai minh nute. T hat la m ot ngac nhien! Y oko giai thich
m ot cach kho khan rang gia dinh co ghe qua Singapore hai ngay
trifdc khi bay sang Australia de nghi mat. T oi mifng vi von tieng
Nhat cO ban cua toi da giup chung toi trao doi vcfi nhau.
Toi ngac nhien hon nCte khi nhin thay nhCfng m on qua xinh
xlin ma Y o k o m ang tCf Nhat Ban den cho toi, gom co m ot bo
Kim ono, mot cai long den giay Nhat Ban, nhCfng chiec huy hieu
xinh dep vdi gifdng mat nhCfng ca si noi tieng d Nhat va rat nhieu
thuc an Nhat rat ngon.
C o con difa toi tdi khach san New Otani ndi gia dinh co
dang d trong m ot day phong. C ha me co, ong ba Tanaka, rat
than m at va phong khoang. H o dai toi m ot bCfa an Nhat sang
trong trong m ot khach san am cung cua ngifdi Nhat.
T oi da difa gia dinh Tanaka di m ot vong quanh Singapore
trifdc khi mdi ho den nha toi an tdi. G ap difOc Y o ko va cha me
co ay that sif la m ot bat ngd thu vi ddi vdi toi.
105
ac
b/\i Iuan
t U nq
ANhjrhoN^duNq
45. BABYSITTING FOR COLUMBUS

Parents who have small children and want to go out often
call a babysitter. Did you know that Columbus needed a babysitter
when he sailed for America?
Colum buss wife died, leaving him with a five-year-old son
named Diego. Columbus had a dream to sail across the ocean
Indian. S o he took his son to a church in Spain. T he church
people promised to care for Diego while Columbus was away.
Today, if you go to this church in Spain, you can see the
room where Diego stayed. You can also see a painting of his
famous father, Christopher Columbus.
1. church (n): nha t h a
2. babysitter (n): n g u o i tr o n g tre
3. ocean (n): d a i d u o n g
4. to promise (v): hua, hua hen
5. to leave (v): d e lai
6. famous (adj): n o i tie n g
106

TRONG CON CHO COLUMBUS
C ac bac cha me co con nho khi muon di dau do, ho thi/Ong
thue m ot ngi/di gitf tre. B an co biet rang Columbus cung can mot
ngi/di giCf tre khi ong vi/Ot dai di/Ong den chau My khong?
V o Columbus m at di, de lai ch o ong mot difa con trai vi/a len
nam tuoi, ten la D iego. Columbus iibc m o vi/Ot dai di/Ong den An
D o. Do do ong m ang con den m ot nha thd b Tay Ban Nha.
NhC/ng ngi/di b nha thd hite cham soc Diego trong khi Columbus
di xa.
Ngay nay, neu ban den nha the? nay of Tay Ban Nha, ban co
the thay can phong noi D iego b. Ban cung co the thay bi/c chan
dung cua ngi/di cha noi tieng cua anh: Christopher Columbus.
107
ac
b/\i Iuan TitNq A*h -rhonq duNq
4 6 . A HORSE RACE
Forty-two horses had taken up their positions in the starting
line for the greatest race of the season. T h e course was extremely
difficult and few horses were expected to finish. All eyes were on
the favourites, College Boy and Sw eet Seventeen. Both horses
had won in many great
races in the past and they had equal
chances of winning now.

Though the horses got off to a good start, it was not long
before over half of them were out of the race.
As was expected College Boy and Sw eet Seventeen had got
well in front with the remaining horses grouped together some
way behind. On a sharp corner, three of the horses leading the
group fell, throwing the riders behind into great confusion. As the
race progressed, the track becam e full of horses without riders.
Towards the end, there were only three left: College Boy and
Sw eet Seventeen were still leading with an unknown horses. Tom
Thumb,
very
long
way
behind.
T he
crowd
was
very
disappointed when on the last jump in the race, the riders of both
favourite horses failed to keep in the saddle. Everyone roared
with delight when College Boy continued by himself and won the
race without his rider. Tom Thumb now took his time and the
crowd cheered and applauded as the finishing line without a nval
in sight.
108

1 to expect (v): m o n g c/id, m o n g dc/i
2. sharp (adj): th a y d o i hud'ng d o t n g o t
3. confusion (n): ca n h h on d o n , ro i loan
4. track (n): v o n g d u a
5. saddle (n): yen n g u a

6. to roar (v): la het, g a o th e t
7. rival (n): d ic h th u
M0T CU0C DUA NGUA

B on mudi hai con ngifa da vao vi tri cua minh ngay vach
xuat phat, sSn sang ch o cuoc dua ngifa ldn nhat trong mua.
Chang difdng dua rat kho khan va it co con ngifa nao hi vong co
the ve den dtch. Moi cap mat dude do don vao nhCfng con ngifa
dude yeu thich nhat, do la con . College Boy va con Sw eet
Seventeen. C a hai con deu chien thang d nhieu cuoc dua ldn
trong thdi gian qua va gid day chung deu co c o hoi thang thua
nhif nhau.
Mac du chung deu xuat phat rat tot, nhifng khong lau sau do
da co tren nifa sd con ngifa bi loai khoi difdng dua.
Nhif da trong ddi. hai con College Boy va con Sw eet
Seven teen dang dan dau va theo sau mot doan dai la cac con con
lai dang chay tifng top vdi nhau. Tai mot goc ngoat dot ngot, ba
con trong top dan dau nga nhao, nem cac nai ngifa ve phia sau
tao thanh m ot canh hon don. Khi cuoc dua tiep tuc, difdng dua
day nhCfng con ngifa khong ngifdi cifdi. Gan ve dich chi con lai ba
con: C ollege Boy va Sw eet Seventeen van dang dan dau, cung
vdi mot con ngifa khong ai biet den la Tom Thumb, dang d phia
109
ac
bAi luANTifenq Ash Thowq dwq
sau m ot quang rat xa. Dam dong het site that vong khi b cu nhay
cuoi cung cua cuoc dua, ca hai nai tren lung hai con ngite yeu
thich deu khong giCf difOc. Moi ngudi ho reo thich thu khi College
Boy van tiep tuc di/Ong dua va den dich mot minh khong ngudi
cifcrt. T om Thum b tan dung thoi gian va dam dong vo tay hoan
ho khi no vUOt qua vach dich ma khong co mot ddi thu nao trong
tam nhin.
110
'
47. EXAMINATION DAY
T h e m ost exciting day in the life of a student is the day

during the final exam ination for class prom otion. H e prepares
himself well for about a m onth before the exam ination. Even a
student who neglects his lessons sits up to make his eleventh hour
preparation.
A boy who studies hard may feel confident on ce inside the
exam ination hall for the first paper. Every student is anxious to
know w hether the question papers would be difficult or not.
Except a few who do not take their lessons seriously, m ost of the
children look forward eagerly to exam ination day.
Unlike the oth er days, exam ination days are usually quiet.
Every one seem s to browse his notes for the last time before
going into the hall. Every minute seem s precious before the bell
goes as it provides the last chance to check the facts properly.
Som etim es the last minute reading may help you to score marks.
It is indeed aday of excitem ent to every child who takes his
or her lessons seriously.
1. to sit up (v): th tfc k h u y a
2. confident (adj): t u tin
3. to brow se (v): x e m lu o t, x e m qua
4 . to score (v): g ia n h d u o c (diem , u.u.) t r o n g cu oc k ie m tra

h oa c ki th i
111
ac
bAi Iuan TitNq
anIi
Thong duNQ
NGAY THI
Cai ngay hoi hop nhat trong ddi hoc sinh la ngay thi kiem
tra cuoi nam de xet len lcfp. H oc sinh phai on tap va chuan bi
m ot thang trifdc ky thi. Ngay ca mot hoc sinh thifdng hay b6 bg
bai hoc cung phai thifc den mi/di mot gid khuya de on thi.
Moi hoc sinh hoc hanh cham chi co the cam thay tif tin b
m on thi dau tien. Chung deu nong long muon biet xem de thi de
hay kho. Ngoai tri/ mot vai ngifdi khong chiu hoc hanh nghiem
tuc, con da so hoc sinh deu ham hcf ddi den ngay thi.
Khong nhif nhifng ngay khac, ngay thi thifdng rat yen tinh.
Difdng nhif moi ngifdi deu dang xem Iifdt qua bai hoc lan cu6i
cung trifdc khi vao phong thi. Moi mot phut trifdc khi chuong do
hinh nhif rat quy gia vi do la CO hoi cuoi cung de kiem tra lai cac
so lieu da dung chua. Doi khi lan doc lai vao phut cuoi co the
giup ban kiem difdc diem.
Ngay thi qua that la ngay day phan khich doi vdi nhifng hoc
sinh nao hoc hanh dang hoang, nghiem tuc.
48. A HUGE WISHING WELL

A wishing well is usually a small pool or well with little water
in it. People throw coins in the wishing well and m ake a wish.
T hey hope that throwing coins in the well will m ake their wish
com e true.
O n e wishing well is different from m ost because it is a big
pool in the Luray Caverns in Virginia. Thousands of visitors com e
to this huge wishing well, m ake a wish, and then throw in a coin
or two. T he pool is so big. and so many visitors fling coins into it,
that the bottom is alm ost always covered with m oney som etim es
thousands of dollars! T h e m oney is later collected and given to
organizations of people who are looking for new m edicines and
new cures for diseases.
1. to throw (v): n e m , uut, q u a n g
2. coin (n): d o n g tie n
3. m ake a wish (v): cau ita c
4. to fling (v): uut, n e m
5. to collect (v): g o m lai, th u lai
6. organization (n): to c h u c
7. medicine (n): t h u o c ud'ng

8. cure (n): p h u o n g th u o c
9. disease (n): can b en h
113
ac
bAi Iuan TitNg Ash Thong dwq
c a i g i n g u d c k h 6 n g l 6
G ieng ifdc thifdng la mot cai ho hoac gieng nho trong do chi
co m ot it nifdc. Ngifdi ta nem tien xuong gieng ifdc va cau mot
dieu gi do. Hi vong rin g khi nem tien xuong gieng. m o \Jdc cua
ho se thanh sif thifc.
C o m ot cai gieng khac biet hon het thay, bcfi vi no la mot cai
ho ldn b Luray Caverns, Virginia. Hang ngan du khach den cai
gieng ifdc khong lo nay, ho cau nguyen va nem mot hoSc hai
dong tien xuong. Cai ho rat ldn va co qua nhieu du khach quang
tien xuong do den noi day ho gan nhif luc nao cung phu day tien
co khi hang ngan do la! Sau do cac dong tien nay difdc gom lai
va tang ch o cac td chifc dang tim kiem difdc lieu va phifdng phap
chifa benh mdi.
114
49. TRAPPED IN A LIFT

T h e lift door opened. A small girl and I walked in.
T en th floor, please. T hank you , the little girl said with a
broad smile. S h e was too short to reach the button. I pressed the
buttons and the lift door closed. W hen it reached the 5 floor, the
lift jerked violently and stopped moving. I was surprised and the
little girl was terrified. 1 pressed the button marked D oor O p e n
T here was no response. W e were trapped!
W e tried to force open but it did not work. Franticaly, 1
pressed the alarm button.
T he little girl suddenly burst into tears. I quickly offered her
som e sweets and tried to allay her tears, saying that som eon e
would hear the alarm and com e to our rescure soon. Sucking the
sweets, the little girl forgot her terror.
S o o n , we heard loud noises from outside. T here were
people talking and working on the lift door. S o o n , we were freed.
T h e little girl ran into the arms of her m other who was waiting
anxiously outside the lift. 1 thanked the rescure team for helping
m e out and w ent hom e to tell my m other about my adventure.
1. to jerk (v): g ia t (cai gi, ai) b at t h i n h lin h
2. frantic (adj): d ie n c u o n g
3. to allay (v): la m b o t di, la m d iu d i
115
C a c b\ i Iuan tic n q ani lU o n q duNq
4. to suck (v): m u t n ga m (keo) t

5. tear (n): n ud e m d t
B| KET TRONG THANG MAY

Cite thang may met. Mot co be gai va toi btfdc vao.
"Da tang thi/ mi/di, cam dn", be gai noi cung mot nu ciifr
tUdi. C o be qua thap nen khong vdi tdi nut bam difdc. Toi an nut
va cite thang may dong lai. Khi den tang nam thang may giat
m anh va ngimg chuyen dong. Toi ngc nhien va co be thi hot
hoang. T oi nhan nut co chCf "Md cite". C h ln g co kt qua gi.
Chung toi da b| m ac ket!
Chung toi da c o gang md ctte bang sifc minh nhi/ng van
khong di/Oc. Toi nhan nut bao dong mot cach dien cuong.
C o be dot nhien oa len khoe. Toi voi va dua em vai cai keo
va co gang lam cho em bdt so bang cach noi rang ai do se nghe
tieng chuong va nhanh chong den
cl/u
chung ta. Ngam keo trong
m om, co be quen di noi khiep so cua minh.

Chang bao lau, toi nghe nhieu tieng on ao ti/ ben ngoai. Co
tieng ngudi noi va lam viec d ctfa thang may. Mot lat sau. chung
toi da dUOc ti/ do. C o be lao vao vong tay cua me dang lo lang
chd doi d ben ngoai thang may. Toi cam on doi cifu ho da giup
toi thoat nan va tro ve nha de ke ch o me toi nghe ve chuyen di
m ao hiem cua minh.
116
50. THE HAPPIEST DAY IN MY LIFE

It was Prize-presentatidn Day. I was chosen to be the model
student of the year on the recom m endation of my teacher and
classm ates. It was happy that they thought so well of me.
W hen I w ent up the stage to collect the prestigious medal
and cash award, I was filled with pride and joy. All my teachers
and friends congratulated me warmly. My parents beam ed widely.
They were very proud of me.
After the prize-giving cerem ory, my parents bought me to
Toys-R -U s shop. T h ere, they bought me a rem ote-controlled
model aircraft as a reward for being such a good student. I was
overjoyed because I had wanted the model for long time.
In extrem ely good m oods, we proceeded to Me Donalds for
dinner. W e had m any delicious dishes. W hat a treat I was given!
T h at right, I played with my model aircraft before going to
bed. For o n ce, my puppy was allowed to sleep with me since it
was such a special day. Even the night was filled with sweet
dream s. It was probably the happiest day in my life.
1. presentation (n): q u a bieu, ta n g
2. recom m endation (n): s u d e cu, s u gi&i th ie u
3. prestigious (adj): u in h d u
117
C a c bk\ Iuan TitNq an^ Tho*q dung
4. to congratulate (v): ch uc m itn g

5. to beam (v): tu&i citcri ra n g r b
6. rem ote-controlled (adj): d a g c d ie u khien t i f xa
NGAY HANH PHOC NHAT TRONG OOl TOl

D o la ngay phat phan thifdng. T oi difdc binh chon la hoc
sinh mau mifc cua nam dite vao sif de cif cua thay co va cac ban
cung hoc. T oi rat hanh phuc khi biet moi ngifdi da nghi tot ve t6i
nhif the.
Khi bifdc len buc de nhan huy chifOng danh dif va phan
thifdng being tien mat, long toi tran ngap niem vui va niem hanh
dien. T at ca thay co va ban be nong nhiet chuc mifng toi. Ba me
toi tifOi cifdi rang rd. Ba me rat d6i tif hao ve toi.
Sau le phat phan thifdng, ba me dan toi den cite hang do
7
choi T o y s-R -U s/ 0 do, ba me mua mot mo hinh may bay co bo

dieu khien tif xa cho toi v coi do la phan thifdng cho m ot so hoc
sinh xuat sac. T oi rat vui sifdng vi tif lau toi da m ong muon co
difOc mo hinh nay.
Trong tam trang rat phan khdi, chung toi den nha hang Me
Donalds de dung bute tdi. Chung toi goi rat nhieu m on an ngon.
Toi da difpc an mot bCte ra tro!
T oi hom ay, tdi choi vdi mo hinh may bay tnfdc khi ngu.
Lan dau tien chu cho con difOc phep ngu vdi toi bdi le day la mot
ngay dac biet. Ngay ca luc ngu toi cung m d thay nhieu giac mO
dep. Do la m ot ngay hanh phuc nhat ddi tdi.
118
51. AN ADVERTISEMENT
As it cam e near the co m er, the taxi stopped suddenly. T he
driver got out looking very puzzled. A big lorry which had been
following the taxi stopped too. T h e taxi driver was now standing
at the co m er looking up at the sky and the lorry driver went and
joined him. A num ber of cars behind were forced to stop as well
as soon large crowed of people had gathered at the com er.
T h e cause of all this trouble was a very strange noise. It
sounded as if thousands and thousands of birds w ere singing
together. T h e noise was quite frightening and many peole looked
disturbed. T h e m ost extraordinary thing was that, apart from one
or two pigeons, there was not a bird in sight. No one was able to
solve the mystery, until two policem en arrived. T hey noticed a
large advertisem ent for a film high up on a wall nearby. As the
noise seem ed to be com ing from this direction, they climbed up
and found that a tape-recorder had been hidden behind the
advertisem ent.
T he
noise
made by birds singing was being
broadcast over powerful loudspeaker so as to attract the attention

of passers-by. T h e
police asked the advertisers to take the
recorder away because the advertisem ent had attracted so much

attention that it was impossible for a great many carts and buses
to m ove freely in the streets.
1. puzzled (adj): boi rd i. lu n g t u n g
2. lorry (n): x e tai
119
ac
bAi Iuan TicNQ
an U
th ong duNq
3. apart from (prep): ngoai ra

4. advertisement (n): q u a n g cao
5. to attract (v): th u h u t, hap ddn
QUANG CAO
Khi den gan goc difdng, chiec xe taxi dot ngot difng lai.
Ngifcrt tai xe bifdc xuong xe vdi ve mat rat boi roi. Mot xe tai ldn
chay sau chiec taxi cung ngi/ng lai. Ngifcfi lai xe taxi dang dC/ng d
goc difdng va ngifdc nhin len trcfi, ca anh tai xe xe tai cung bifdc
den va nhap bon. Nhieu o to d phia sau buoc phai difrig lai va
c h ln g bao lau m ot dam dong ldn da tu tap lai goc difdng.
Nguyen nhan cua vu Ion xon nay la do mot am thanh rat doi
laJlung. Nhif the co hang ngan con chim dang cung nhau hoa ca.
Am thanh that dang sd khien nhieu ngifdi rat lo lang. Dieu ki la
nha't la ngoai m ot hai chu bo cau, ngifdi ta khong con trong thay
mot con chim nao ca. Khong ai co the ly giai ve dieu bi an nay,
cho den khi co hai vien canh sat tien den. Ho de y thay co mot
bang quang cao ldn cho m ot bo phim treo tren bifc tifdng gan do.
Vi am thanh phat ra tif hifdng do, nen ho treo len va phat hien
mot may ghi am gia'u phia sau bang quang cao. Tieng chim hot
difOc phat ra qua m ot he thong loa cifc manh de thu hut sif chu y
cua khach qua difdng. C anh sat da bao nhCfng ngifdi quang cao
lay may ghi am xuong. vi viec quang cao nay da thu hut sif chu
y cua qua nhieu ngifdi, den mifc mot so lifdng rat ldn xe hai
hoac bon banh va xe buyt khong the di chuyen de dang tren
difdng pho.
120
52. MY AMBITION
W hen 1 grow up, I would like to be a veterinarian. This is
because of my great love for animals. 1 feel that people should be
concerned for their feelings especially when they are sick, injured
or frightened. I would like to cure diseases and ease the suffering
of these animals.
W hen 1 was younger, my family lived in a big house in
Malaysia. An animal helpd to shape my ambition to becom e a
veterinarian.
T h e animal was a kitten that I rescued from a shallow canal.
1 took it hom e and looked after the poor animal. 1 named my
kitten Ginger. W e b ecam e great com panions. But one day, poor
G inger was run over by a car.
From
that
sad
day
onwards,
I decided
veterinarian so that 1 could help animals in pain.

1. veterinarian (n): th a y th u o c th u y
2. to cure (v): c h u a k h o i
3. to ease (v): la m d iu b ot
4. suffering (n): sif d a u do'n
5. shallow (adj): non g . k h o n g sau
6. canal (n): k e n h . s o ng d a o
121
to
becom e
_________________________________
ac
bAi I uan TiEwq
anIi
ih o N g d w g
HOAl BAO CUA TOI

Khi ldn len, toi muon trd thanh bac si thu y. D o la do toi rat
doi yeu thifdng dong vat. Toi thay rang moi ngifdi nen quan tam
lo lang den cam giac cua chung, nhat la khi chung dau om, bi
thifdng, h o ac khiep sd. T oi muon chOa lanh moi benh tat, lam
diu bdt nhCfng noi dau cua cac con vat nay.
Luc con be, gia dinh toi song trong mot ngoi nha ldn b
Malaysia. Mot con vat da giup toi co difdc ifdc md trd thanh bac
si thu y.
D o la m ot chu m eo con ma toi da cCfu song b con kenh can.
T oi m ang chu ve nha va cham soc cho con vat dang thUdng do.
T oi dat ten cho chu la Ginger. Chung toi tr6 thanh ban be than
thiet. Nhung m ot horn, m eo Ginger toi nghiep bi xe can chet.
TCf cai ngay dau buon do, toi da quyet dinh se trb thanh bac
si thu y de co the giup dd nhCfng con vat trong con dau ddn.
122

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C K .

COMMONLY USED ENGLISH ESSAY

XUAT BAN T l/D I^ N

CAC BAI LUAN TIENG ANH

NHA XUAT BAN TU" DIEN BACH KHOA

Commonly used English essay

C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a n Ih t ^onc * duNQ

1. non-fiction (n): sach, bai uiet, u.u. ue n h u n g s u viec co

NHLTNG VlC TOl THICH LAM

Commonly used English essay_______________________

C a c bAi Iu an TiENq a n U ih d N q diJNq

improves our standard of English if we are in the habit of reading

earthquake disaster or volcanic explosion. All this is inform ation

benefit (n): ich lai

2. to improve (v): cai th ie n , cai tien

6. pastim e (n): tr o g ia i t r i , tie u k h ie n

Commonly used English essay

C a c b/vi Ilian tIenq a n U th o N q duNq

blackout (n): t h d i d ie m trcfi to i d o m a t d ie n

to shut up (v): im m o m , ca m m ie n g lai

Commonly used English essay

to rumm age (v): lu c tu n g

glow (n): lu o n g sang, q u a n g sang

to while away (v): h e t t h o i g i d

M0T LAN MAT DlN

bAi Iuan TitNq /wh th o n g dying

6. horn (n): cai sitn g

Commonly used English essay

C a c bAi Iuan tiENg a n ^ t h o n g dung

daughter, you're final h o m e", he said. T h e maids will see to your

Commonly used English essqy

M0T GIAC MO THCJ V!

C a c b Ai luan tiewq awU Thowq duwq

6. THE PERSON I HATE MOST

5. vagrant (n): n g u d i k h o n g co c h o 6, c o n g viec 6 n d in h

Commonly used English essay

NGlfCJI MA TOl GHT NHAT

C a c bAi Iuan m N q a n N Ttidwq dunq

7. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND

Commonly used English cssqy

4 . free film (n)- p h i m m ie n p h i

C a c bAi Iuan m N Q ANh Thong duNq

K h o a h o c da dat difOc nhCfng tien b o ldn trong m oi linh vifc

nay, du lich bang may bay

Commonly used English essay

C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an N Thowq diw q

4. quarters (n): t r a i , d o a n h trai

Commonly used English essay

C a c bAi Il a n TiENq A*h t Iio n q duNq

7. w eather station (n): tra m kh i tu o n g

Commonly used English essay

C a c bAi Iuan tie n q

10. READING IS FUN

Beauty and the

"Fam ous Five series and mysteries like T h e T hree Investigators

Blyton s Five G o Off In A Caravan tells me what it is like to stay

I think reading is both funny and

Commonly used English essay

fortnight (n): (khoang thefi gian) hai tuan

DOC SACH RAT THG VI

Commonly used English essay

11. AT THE CIRCUS

C a c b/\i Iuan TiiN q ANh Thowq duNq