Họ và Tên: _____________________________________ Lớp: ____________________

ĐỀ KIỂM TRA TIẾNG ANH B1 (VSTEP)

READING PAPER
Time allowance: 60 minutes
Number of questions: 40

Directions: In this section of the test, you will read FOUR different passages, each followed
by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D,
to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the
space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions
following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers
to the answer sheet.

PASSAGE 1 – QUESTIONS 1 – 10
The name Studebaker is well known today because of the actions of five Studebaker
brothers. The five brothers were responsible for one of the oldest vehicle manufacturing
companies in the United States.
These brothers were born in the first half of the nineteenth century. In 1852, two of the
Studebaker brothers opened a wagon-building shop. Their entire resources were some tools
for building wagons and 68 dollars. They managed to build three wagons in their first year of
operations, and they sold two of the three wagons. Their business continued to increase
steadily. By the time of the Civil War in the 1860s, they had a government contract to build
wagons for the war effort.
After the war, the brothers added a carriage division. The carriages created by the
Studebaker Company became famous. At the end of the nineteenth century, the
Studebaker Company was the largest and best-known manufacturer of horse-drawn
wagons and carriages in the world.

1
 In 1897, the company started experimenting with vehicles that ran under their own
power, the company began making electric automobiles first and later worked on gasoline
automobiles. By 1920, the company had stopped making wagons and carriages and was
producing only cars. The Studebaker Company stayed in business until 1966, when it
stopped producing automobiles.

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Studebaker brothers?

A. The number of brothers
B. The kind of manufacturing company they started
C. When they opened their first company
D. The number of children they had
2. The word “entire” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. total
B. earned
C. finished
D. partial
3. It is indicated in paragraph 2 that, when the Studebaker brothers started their first
company, they had _____.
A. a number of wagons
B. a government contract to build wagons
C. some tools for working on cars
D. only a small amount of money
4. The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to _____.
A. two of the Studebaker brothers
B. their entire resources
C. their wagons
D. operations

2
5. Why does the author mention the “Civil War” in paragraph 2?
A. Because it caused their business to end
B. Because it was fought over their wagons
C. Because it increased demand for their product
D. Because their business closed after it
6. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the bold
sentence in paragraph 3?
A. By 1900, the Studebaker brothers were the best-known manufacturers in the
world.
B. By 1900, the Studebaker Company was the world’s number one manufacturer of
carriages and wagons.
C. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Studebaker Company was manufacturing
both wagons and carriages.
D. In the nineteenth century, the Studebaker Company added production of carriages
to production of wagons.
7. According to the passage, the Studebaker brothers _____.
A. developed gasoline cars before electric cars
B. stopped producing wagons in 1897
C. developed electric cars before gasoline cars
D. began making cars in 1920
8. The word “stayed” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. remained
B. held
C. left
D. managed

3
 9. Which of the following was NOT mentioned as something the Studebaker brothers
produced?
A. Wagons
B. Carriages
C. Cars
D. Airplanes
10. The word “producing” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. manufacturing
B. designing
C. considering
D. drawing

PASSAGE 2 – QUESTIONS 11 – 20
Esperanto is what is called a planned, or artificial, language. It was created more than
a century ago by Polish eye doctor Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof. Zamenhof believed that a
common language would help to alleviate some of the misunderstanding among cultures.
In Zamenhof’s first attempt at a universal language, he tried to create a language that
was as uncomplicated as possible. This first language included words such as ab, ac, ba, eb,
be, and ce. This did not result in a workable language in that these monosyllabic words,
though short, were not easy to understand or to retain.
Next, Zamenhof tried a different way of constructing a simplified language. He made
the words in his language sound like words that people already knew, but he simplified the
grammar tremendously. One example of how he simplified the language can be seen in the
suffixes: all nouns in this language end in o,as in the noun amiko, which means “friend,” and
all adjectives end in –a, as in the adjective bela, which means “pretty”. Another example of
the simplified language can be seen in the prefix mal-, which makes a word opposite in
meaning; the word malamiko therefore means “enemy”, and the word malbela therefore
means “ugly” in Zamenhof’s language.

4
 In 1887, Zamenhof wrote a description of this language and published it. He used a
pen name, Dr. Esperanto, when signing the book. He selected the name Esperanto because
this word means “a person who hopes” in his language. Esperanto clubs began popping up
throughout Europe, and by 1905, Esperanto had spread from Europe to America and Asia.
In 1905, the First World Congress of Esperanto took place in France, with
approximately 700 attendees from 20 different countries. Congresses were held annually for
nine years, and 4,000 attendees were registered for the Tenth World Esperanto Congress
scheduled for 1914, when World War I erupted and forced its cancellation.
Esperanto has had its ups and downs in the period since World War I. Today, years after
it was introduced, it is estimated that perhaps a quarter of a million people are fluent in it.
This may seem like a large number, but it is really quite small when compared with the
billion English speakers and billion Mandarin Chinese speakers in today’s world. Current
advocates would like to see its use grow considerably and are taking steps to try to make this
happen.
11. The topic of this passage is _____.
A. a language developed in the last few years
B. one man’s efforts to create a universal language
C. how language can be improved
D. using language to communicate internationally
12. According to the passage, Zamenhof wanted to create a universal language _____.
A. to resolve cultural differences
B. to provide a more complex language
C. to build a name for himself
D. to create one world culture
13. It can be inferred from the passage that the Esperanto word malespera means _____.
A. hopelessness
B. hope
C. hopeless
D. hopeful

5
14. The expression “popping up” in paragraph 4 could best be replaced by _____.
A. leaping
B. shouting
C. hiding
D. opening
15. It can be inferred from the passage that the Third World Congress of Esperanto took
place _____.
A. in 1905
B. in 1907
C. in 1909
D. in 1913
16. According to the passage, what happened to Tenth World Esperanto Congress?
A. It had 4,000 attendees.
B. It was scheduled for 1915.
C. It had attendees from 20 countries.
D. It never took place.
17. The expression “ups and downs” in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. tops and bottoms
B. floors and ceilings
C. takeoffs and landings
D. highs and lows
18. Which paragraph describes the predecessor to Esperanto?
A. The first paragraph
B. The second paragraph
C. The third paragraph
D. The last paragraph

6
 19. This passage would most likely be assigned reading in a course on _____.
A. European history
B. English grammar
C. world government
D. applied linguistics
20. The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses _____.
A. how current supporters of Esperanto are encouraging its growth
B. another of Zamenhof’s accomplishments
C. the disadvantages of using an artificial language
D. attempts to reconvene the World Congress of Esperanto in the 1920s

PASSAGE 3 – QUESTIONS 21 – 30 cấu trúc as...as

cá voi lưng gù
One amazing characteristic of the humpback whale is its ability to sing. A male
humpback whale may sing individually, or it may sing in concert with other nearby male
humpback whales. One song can last as long as 15 minutes, and it can be made up of as
many as seven themes that are used repeatedly throughout the song. The song consists of low
rên rỉ
moaning sounds, blasts that sound like horns, and high squeals.
There is a lot that scientists know about the songs of the humpback whale. However,
some of the things are not known with certainty. They are how the humpback whales
produce their songs, why they are singing the songs, and when and where the humpback
whales sing.
[A]  It is unclear how humpback whales are able to produce sounds while they are
singing. [B]  This is unclear because humpback whales do not have vocal cords. [C]  It
is also unclear because their mouths are not moving while they are singing. [D] 
Something else that is not clear is the reason why humpback whales sing. When a
male humpback whale begins singing, other male humpback whales respond. It is not female
whales that respond. Perhaps the males are joining together to sing because they want
female whales that are far away to hear them.

7
 In addition to not understanding how and why humpback whales sing, scientists also
do not understand fully when and where they produce their songs. Humpback whales from
Alaska travel to Hawaii for the winter months of November through May, and then they
return to Alaska. The whales rarely sing when they are in Alaska, but sometimes they do.
They sing a lot more and a lot more often whey they are in the waters of Hawaii.

21. The word “amazing” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. common
B. surprising
C. average
D. boring
22. What kind of whale sound is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1?
A. Moaning
B. Blasting
C. Squealing
D. Clicking
23. The expression “with certainty” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _____.
A. for sure
B. as a possibility
C. at most
D. by chance
24. What is indicated in paragraph 3 about how whales produce sounds?
A. They use their vocal cords and move their mouths.
B. They use their vocal cords but do not use their mouths.
C. They do not use their vocal cords but do use their mouths.
D. They do not use their vocal cords and do not use their mouths.

8
25. Which place in the passage would the following sentence best fit?
This is different from human production of sounds, in which vocal cords are
used and the mouth is moving.
A. [A]
B. [B]
C. [C]
D. [D]
26. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the bold
sentence in paragraph 4?
A. It is possible that male whales sing together to attract distant female whales.
B. Perhaps male whales sing with female whales in order to sing really loudly.
C. Maybe male whales sing only when they are together with female whales.
D. It is possible that male whales sing because they want female whales to stay away.
27. The word “fully” in paragraph 5 could best be replaced by _____.
A. usually
B. normally
C. completely
D. accurately
28. The word “they” in paragraph 5 refers to _____.
A. humpback whales
B. scientists
C. songs
D. winter months
29. It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that humpback whales would most likely be in
Alaska in _____.
A. January
B. April
C. September
D. November

9
 30. According to paragraph 5, when do humpback whales sing?
A. They always sing when they are in Alaska.
B. They never sing when they are in Alaska.
C. They never sing when they are in Hawaii.
D. They sing more often in Hawaii than they do in Alaska.
Núi Rushmore - núi đá điêu khắc chân dung 4 vị tổng thống Mỹ:
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt và
Abraham Lincoln.
PASSAGE 4– QUESTIONS 31 – 40
công trình để tưởng nhớ/ di tích
Mount Rushmore is a well-known monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota that
sắc mặt/ vẻ mặt
features the countenances of four United States presidents: Washington, Jefferson,
Roosevelt, and Lincoln. What is not so well known is that the process of creating this
không có biến cố, yên ổn, không có chuyện gì xảy ra
national treasure was not exactly an uneventful one.
nhà điêu khắc có tầm nhìn xa
Mount Rushmore was the project of the visionary sculptor John Gutzen de la Mothe
tiểu bang Tây Bắc US
Borglum, who was born in Idaho but studied sculpture in Paris in his youth and befriended
the famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin. In 1927 Borglum was granted a commission by
the federal government to create the sculpture on Mount Rushmore. Though he was nearly
không nản lòng, không bị khuất phục sự to lớn của dự án
sixty years old when he started, he was undaunted by the enormity of the project and
gây ra/đem lại khẳng định 1 cách đầy lạc quan
obstacles that it engendered. He optimistically asserted that the project would be completed
to lớn, đồ sộ
within five years, not caring to recognize the potential problems that such a massive project
bộ máy quan liêu
would involve, the problems of dealing with financing, with government bureaucracy, and
with Mother Nature herself. An example of what Mother Nature had to throw at the project
khe nứt đá granit
was the fissure—or large crack—that developed in the granite where Jefferson was being
carved. Jefferson had to be moved to the other side of Washington, next to Roosevelt
because of the break in the stone. The work that had been started on the first Jefferson had to
be dynamited away.
Mount Rushmore was not completed within the five years predicted by Borglum and
was in fact not actually completed within Borglum’s lifetime, although it was almost
finished. Borglum died on March 6, 1941, at the age of seventy-four, after fourteen years of
work on the presidents. His son, Lincoln Borglum, who had worked with his father
throughout the project, completed the monument within eight months of his father’s death.

10
31. Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A. Mount Rushmore was a huge project filled with numerous obstacles.
B. Mount Rushmore is a famous American monument.
C. Mount Rushmore has sculptures of four United States presidents on it.
D. John Gutzen de la Mothe Borglum created Mount Rushmore.
32. Which of the following best describes the relationship between Borglum and Rodin in
Borglum’s early years?
A. Borglum studied about Rodin in Paris.
B. Borglum was far more famous than Rodin as a sculptor.
C. Borglum and Rodin were born and raised in the same place.
D. Borglum and Rodin were friends.
33. The word “nearly” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _____.
A. over
B. closely
C. almost
D. rarely
34. Which of the following is NOT true about Borglum?
A. He began Mount Rushmore around the age of sixty.
B. He predicted that Mount Rushmore would be finished around 1932.
C. Mount Rushmore was finished when Borglum predicted it would be.
D. Borglum worked on Mount Rushmore for more than a decade.
35. It can be inferred from the passage that Borglum was someone who _____.
A. expected the best to happen
B. set realistic goals
C. never tried anything too challenging
D. was always afraid that bad things were going to happen

11
36. A “fissure” in paragraph 2 is _____.
A. a discoloration sự đổi màu
B. a break
C. an unevenness không đồng đều
D. a softness
37. Why does the author mention the fact that the carving of Thomas Jefferson was
moved?
A. It shows what a perfectionist Borglum was.
B. It demonstrates Borglum’s artistic style.
C. It gives insight into Jefferson’s character.
D. It is an example of a problem caused by nature.
38. The pronoun “it” in paragraph 3 refers to _____.
A. The first Jefferson
B. Mount Rushmore
C. Borglum’s lifetime
D. Fourteen years of work
39. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the expression “within eight months
of his father’s death” in paragraph 3?
A. More than eight months before his father’s death
B. Less than eight months before his father’s death
C. Less than eight months after his father’s death
D. More than eight months after his father’s death
40. This passage would most likely be assigned reading in a course on _____.
A. art history
B. geography
C. management
D. government

---THE END---

12