Bài 1

In July of 1994, an astounding series of events took place. The world anxiously
watched as, every few hours, a hurtling chunk of comet plunged into the atmosphere
of Jupiter. All of the twenty-odd fragments, collectively called comet Shoemaker-
Line Levy 9 after its discoverers, were once part of the same object, now dismembered and
(5) strung out along the same orbit. This cometary train, glistening like a string of pearls,
had been first glimpsed only a few months before its fateful impact with Jupiter, and
rather quickly scientists had predicted that the fragments were on a collision course
with the giant planet. The impact caused an explosion clearly visible from Earth, a
bright flaming fire that quickly expanded as each icy mass incinerated itself. When
(10) each fragment slammed at 60 kilometers per second into the dense atmosphere, its
immense kinetic energy was transformed into heat, producing a superheated fireball
that was ejected back through the tunnel the fragment had made a few seconds earlier.
The residues from these explosions left huge black marks on the face of Jupiter, some
of which have stretched out to form dark ribbons.

(15) Although this impact event was of considerable scientific import, it especially
piqued public curiosity and interest. Photographs of each collision made the evening
television newscast and were posted on the Internet. This was possibly the most open
scientific endeavor in history. The face of the largest planet in the solar system was
changed before our very eyes. And for the very first time, most of humanity came to
(20) fully appreciate the fact that we ourselves live on a similar target, a world subject to
catastrophe by random assaults from celestial bodies. That realization was a surprise
to many, but it should not have been. One of the great truths revealed by the last few
decades of planetary exploration is that collisions between bodies of all sizes are
relatively commonplace, at least in geologic terms, and were even more frequent in
(25) the early solar system.

22. The passage mentions which of the following with respect to the fragments of comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9?
(A) They were once combine in a larger body.
(B) Some of them burned up before entering the atmosphere of Jupiter.
(C) Some of them are still orbiting Jupiter.
(D) They have an unusual orbit.

23. The word "collectively" in line 3 is closest in meaning to

(A) respectively (B) popularly (C) also (D) together
24. The author compares the fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 to all of the following
EXCEPT
(A) a dismembered body (B) a train
(C) a pearl necklace (D) a giant planet

25. Before comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 hit Jupiter in July 1994, scientists

(A) had been unaware of its existence
(B) had been tracking it for only a few months
(C) had observed its breakup into twenty-odd fragments
(D) had decided it would not collide with the planet

26. Before the comet fragments entered the atmosphere of Jupiter, they were most likely
(A) invisible (B) black (C) frozen (D) exploding

27. Superheated fireballs were produced as soon as the fragments of comet shoemaker-Levy 9
(A) hit the surface of Jupiter (B) were pulled into Jupiter's orbit
(C) were ejected back through the tunnel (D) entered the atmosphere of Jupiter

28. The phrase "incinerated itself" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) burned up (B) broke into smaller pieces
(C) increased its speed (D) grew in size

29. Which of the following is mentioned as evidence of the explosions that is still visible on Jupiter?
(A) fireballs (B) ice masses (C) black marks (D) tunnels

30. Paragraph 2 discusses the impact of the comet Shoemaker-levy 9 primarily in terms of
(A) its importance as an event of-great scientific significance
(B) its effect on public awareness of the possibility of damage to Earth
(C) the changes it made to the surface of Jupiter
(D) the effect it had on television broadcasting

31. The "target" in line 20 most probably referred to

(A) Earth (B) Jupiter (C) the solar system (D) a comet

Bài 2
It was not "the comet of the century experts predicted it might be. Nevertheless, Kohoutek
had provided a bonanza of scientific information. It was first spotted 370 million miles from
Earth, by an astronomer who was searching the sky for asteroids, and after whom the
comet was named. Scientists who tracked Kohoutek the ten months before it passed the
Earth predicted the comet would be a brilliant spectacle. But Kohoutek fell short of these
predictions, disappointing millions of amateur sky watchers, when it proved too pale to be
seen with the unaided eye. Researchers were delighted nonetheless with the nevi
information they were able to glean from their investigation of the comet. Perhaps the
 most significant discovery was the identification of two important chemical compounds-
methyl cyanide and hydrogen cyanide-never before seen in comets, but found in the far
reaches of interstellar space. This discovery revealed new clues about the origin of
comets. Most astronomers agree that comets are primordial remnants from the formation
of the solar system, but whether they were born between Jupiter and Neptune or much
farther out toward interstellar space has been the subject of much debate. If compounds
no more complex than ammonia and methane, key components of Jupiter, were seen in
comets, it would suggest that comets form within the planetary orbits. But more complex
compounds such as the methyl cyanide found in Kohoutek, point to formation far beyond
the planets there the deep freeze of space has kept them unchanged.

1. What is the subject of the passage?

(A) What was learned from Kohoutek (B) What was disappointing about
Kohoutek
(C) Where Kohoutek was spotted (D) How Kohoutek was tracked

2. Why was Kohoutek referred to as "the comet of the century"?

(A) It was thought to be extremely old.
(B) It passes the Earth once a century.
(C) Scientists predicted it would be very bright.
(D) Scientists have been tracking it for a century.

3. In what respect was Kohoutek a disappointment?

(A) It could be seen only through special equipment.
(B) It did not approach the Earth.
(C) It did not provide valuable scientific information.
(D) It was moving too rapidly for scientists to photograph.

4. Before the investigation of Kohoutek, where had methyl cyanide been known to exist?
(A) In comets (B) On asteroids
(C) Between Jupiter and Neptune (D) Beyond the Earth's solar system

5. According to the passage, what is one major component of Jupiter?

(A) Hydrogen cyanide (B) Methyl cyanide
(C) Hydrogen (D) Ammonia

6. What aspect of Kohoutek did scientists find most interesting?

(A) Its shape (B) Its composition
(C) Its orbit (D) Its size

7. Which of the following questions is best answered by information gained from Kohoutek?
(A) Where were comets formed? (B) When were comets formed?
(C) When was the solar system formed? (D) How was the solar system formed?
 Bài 3
The temperature of the Sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface. but it rises
to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than
the Earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core. In the core of the Sun,
the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature. there
may be a small solid
core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly
observed.

Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five layers or zones.
Starting at the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona,
chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones
are the regarded as the Sun's atmosphere. But since the Sun has no solid surface, it is
hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main body of the Sun begins.

The Sun's outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and
can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any goes outward for
millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that other time, the corona can be seen
only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare
of the Sun's rays.

The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light about as bright as the full Moon. Its
beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona's rays flash out in a
brilliant fan that has wispy spike-like rays near the Sun’s north and south poles. The
corona is thickest at the sun's equator.

The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds
and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas
thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the Sun's corona rays
reach the Earth, they are weak and invisible.

1. Matter on the Sun can exist only in the form of gas because of the Sun' S
(A) size (B) age (C) location (D)
temperature

2. With what topic is the second paragraph mainly concerned?

(A) How the Sun evolved (B) The structure of the Sun
(C) Why scientists study the Sun (D) The distance of the Sun from the
planets

3. All of the following are parts of the Sun's atmosphere EXCEPT the
(A) corona (B) chromosphere (C) photosphere (D) core

4. According to the passage as the corona rays reach the planets, they become
(A) hotter (B) clearer (C) thinner (D) stronger

5. The paragraphs following the passage most likely discuss which of the following?
(A) The remaining layers of the Sun (B) The evolution of the Sun to its
present form
 (C) The eclipse of February 1979 (D) The scientists who study astronomy

6. Where in the passage does the author compare the light of the Sun’s outermost layer to that of
another astronomical body?
(A) Lines 2-3 (B) Lines 9-10
(C) Line 16 (D) Lines 22-23

Bài 4
Stars have been significant features in the design of many United States coins and
their number has varied from one to forty-eight stars. Most of the coins issued from about
1799 to the early years of the twentieth century bore thirteen stars representing the
thirteen original colonies.

Curiously enough, the first American silver coins, issued in, 1794, had fifteen stars
because by that time Vermont and Kentucky had joined the Union. At that time it was
apparently the intention of mint officials to add a star for each new state. Following the
admission of Tennessee in 1796, for example, some varieties of half dimes, dimes, and
half-dollars were produced with sixteen stars.

As more states were admitted to the Union, however, it quickly became apparent
that this scheme would not prove practical and the coins from 1798 on were issued with
only thirteen stars-one for each of the original colonies. Due to an error at the mint, one
variety of the 1828 half cent was issued with only twelve stars. There is also a variety of
the large cent with only 12 stars, but this is the result of a die break and is not a true error.

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

(A) The teaching of astronomy in state universities
(B) Stars on American coins
(C) Colonial stamps and coins
(D) The star as national symbol of the United States

2. The word "their" in line 1 refers to

(A) stars (B) features (C) coins (D) colonies

3. The word "bore" in line 3 is closest in meaning to which of the following?

(A) Carried (B) Drilled (C) Cost (D)
Symbolized

4. The expression “Curiously enough” is used in line 5 because the author finds it strange that
(A) silver coins with fifteen stars appeared before coins with thirteen
(B) Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union in 1794
(C) no silver coins were issue until 1794
(D) Tennessee was the first state to use half dimes
 5. Which of the following can be inferred about the order in which Kentucky, Tennessee, and
Vermont joined the Union?
(A) Vermont and Kentucky joined at the same time.
(A) Kentucky joined before Tennessee and Vermont.
(C) Tennessee joined after Vermont and Kentucky.
(D) Vermont joined after Tennessee and Kentucky.

6. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the denomination of an American coin?

(A) Half cent (B) Half nickel (C) Half dime (D) Half- dollar

7. Why was a coin produced in 1828 with only twelve stars?

(A) There were twelve states at the time. (B) There was a change in design policy.
(C) Tennessee had left the Union. (D) The mint made a mistake.

Bài 5
All mammals feed their young. Beluga whale mothers, for example, nurse their calves for
some twenty months, until they are about to give birth again and their young are able to
find their own food. The behavior of feeding of the young is built into the reproductive
Line system. It is a nonelective part of parental care and the defining feature of a mammal, the
(5) most important thing that mammals-- whether marsupials, platypuses, spiny anteaters, or
placental mammals -- have in common.

But not all animal parents, even those that tend their offspring to the point of hatching or
birth, feed their young. Most egg-guarding fish do not, for the simple reason that their
young are so much smaller than the parents and eat food that is also much smaller than
(10) the food eaten by adults. In reptiles, the crocodile mother protects her young after they
have hatched and takes them down to the water, where they will find food, but she does
not actually feed them. Few insects feed their young after hatching, but some make other
arrangement, provisioning their cells and nests with caterpillars and spiders that they have
paralyzed with their venom and stored in a state of suspended animation so that their
(15) larvae might have a supply of fresh food when they hatch.
For animals other than mammals, then, feeding is not intrinsic to parental care. Animals
add it to their reproductive strategies to give them an edge in their lifelong quest for
descendants. The most vulnerable moment in any animal's life is when it first finds itself
completely on its own, when it must forage and fend for itself. Feeding postpones that
(20) moment until a young animal has grown to such a size that it is better able to cope. Young
that are fed by their parents become nutritionally independent at a much greater fraction
of their full adult size. And in the meantime those young are shielded against the vagaries
 of fluctuating of difficult-to-find supplies. Once a species does take the step of feeding its
young, the young become totally dependent on the extra effort. If both parents are
(25) removed, the young generally do no survive.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The care that various animals give to their offspring.
(B) The difficulties young animals face in obtaining food.
(C) The methods that mammals use to nurse their young.
(D) The importance among young mammals of becoming independent.

2. The author lists various animals in line 5 to

(A) contrast the feeding habits of different types of mammals
(B) describe the process by which mammals came to be defined
(C) emphasize the point that every type of mammal feeds its own young
(D) explain why a particular feature of mammals is nonelective

3. The word "tend" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

(A) sit on (B) move (C) notice (D) care for

4. What can be inferred from the passage about the practice of animal parents feeding their young?
(A) It is unknown among fish. (B) It is unrelated to the size of the young.
(C) It is dangerous for the parents. (D) It is most common among mammals.

5. The word "provisioning" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

(A) supplying (B) preparing (C) building (D)
expanding

6. According to the passage, how do some insects make sure their young have food?
(A) By storing food near their young.
(B) By locating their nests or cells near spiders and caterpillars.
(C) By searching for food some distance from their nest.
(D) By gathering food from a nearby water source.

7. The word "edge" in line 17 is closest in meaning to

(A) opportunity (B) advantage (C) purpose (D) rest

8. The word "it" in line 20 refers to

(A) feeding (B) moment (C) young animal (D) size

9. According to the passage, animal young are most defenseless when

(A) their parents are away searching for food
(B) their parents have many young to feed
(C) they are only a few days old
 (D) they first become independent

10. The word "shielded" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) raised (B) protected (C) hatched (D) valued