1

MỤC LỤC
HƯỚNG DẪN SỬ DỤNG TÀI LIỆU ....................................................................................................... 4
A- LINE CHART ................................................................................................................................. 5
1. Economists are agreeing with each other more: A new survey finds growing consensus, notably on the
need for more activist economic policy ..................................................................................................................5
2. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing record-high food prices: The poorest countries will be hit hardest
7
3. Fewer Americans want stricter gun control: Despite a level of mass-shootings unimaginable in other rich
countries .................................................................................................................................................................9
4. The covid-19 pandemic pushed millions of Indians into poverty: But inequality may have decreased ...... 11
5. Political prisoners are packing Hong Kong’s jails: Many are strikingly young......................................... 14
6. Covid-19 has damaged the reputation of Cuban health care: The country’s once-famed health system is in
tatters ................................................................................................................................................................... 16
B- TABLE........................................................................................................................................... 18
1. Americans overall view Israeli people more favorably than Palestinians .................................................. 18
2. What is the best outcome of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians? .......................................... 21
3. Most Americans continue to think the U.S. is less respected today than in the past ................................... 24
4. Prevailing view among Americans is that U.S. influence in the world is weakening – and China’s is
growing................................................................................................................................................................ 26
C- MIX CHART ................................................................................................................................. 29
1. Natural change in the UK population ......................................................................................................... 29
2. Movement of people into and out of London ............................................................................................... 31
3. Americans’ complex views on gender identity and transgender issues ....................................................... 33
4. Young Americans are souring on Joe Biden: Without the threat of Donald Trump, the president’s policies
are coming under increasing scrutiny ................................................................................................................. 35
5. The cost of groceries in America rockets: Food-price inflation is nearly three times higher than pre-
pandemic forecasts .............................................................................................................................................. 37
D- PIE CHART .................................................................................................................................. 39
1. How Teens Navigate School During COVID-19 ......................................................................................... 39
2. The percentage of teens visiting or using Youtube constantly ..................................................................... 41
3. The U.S teenagers’ time spent on social media ........................................................................................... 42
4. Who has been expelled from the country under Title 42? ........................................................................... 44
5. Americans moved across income tiers during the pandemic, but to about the same extent as in the past .. 45
E- BAR CHART ................................................................................................................................. 47
1. Extraordinary wildfire events are happening more often............................................................................ 47

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A UN report shows how emissions projections can help predict their frequency ............................................... 47
2. Vietnam ranks 5th in economic openness in Asia: Fitch ............................................................................. 50
3. The war in Ukraine has caused a labour crunch on Britain’s farms .......................................................... 53
Ukrainian seasonal workers pick much of Britain’s fruit. This year they are staying away ............................... 53
4. If everyone were vegan, only a quarter of current farmland would be needed ........................................... 56
5. Which covid-19 vaccine saved the most lives in 2021? ............................................................................... 58
A new study suggests a tie for first place............................................................................................................. 58
6. Views of China mostly negative with some exceptions ................................................................................ 61

3
HƯỚNG DẪN SỬ DỤNG TÀI LIỆU
Tài liệu này sẽ đưa ra các từ vựng/cách diễn đạt hay xuất hiện trong bài báo The
Economist, VN Express, Pew Research và nghĩa tiếng Việt của chúng.
Trong mỗi bài báo sẽ có các mục như sau:
• Đoạn văn bản của bài báo
• Từ vựng/cụm từ vựng/cách diễn đạt được in đậm trong văn bản
• Nghĩa tiếng Việt của từ vựng/cụm từ vựng /cách diễn đạt
Cách sử dụng tài liệu:
Khi đọc một bài báo, bạn nên đọc qua để đoán nghĩa của các từ vựng mà bạn chưa biết
(Việc luyện tập đoán từ vựng trong từng ngữ cảnh sẽ rất hữu ích khi bạn gặp nhiều từ vựng
lạ trong đề thi). Sau đó, bạn đọc lại bài lần thứ hai và sử dụng phím Ctrl+F để tìm nghĩa
tiếng Việt của chúng trong list từ vựng (VOCABULARY) ở phía dưới mỗi bài (tham khảo
hình minh hoạ bên dưới).
Ngoài ra, bạn có thể sử dụng từ điển để có thể hiểu rõ các từ vựng và áp dụng chúng vào
các bài viết task 1 của mình

4
 A-LINE CHART

1. Economists are agreeing with each other more: A new survey finds growing
consensus, notably on the need for more activist economic policy
Jan 9th 2022

Observers have long poked fun at the inability of the economics profession to make up its
mind. “If parliament were to ask six economists for an opinion, seven would come back,”
runs one version of an old joke. Yet the gibes may be losing their force. A new paper, by
Doris Geide-Stevenson and Alvaro La Parra Perez of Weber State University, finds that
economists are agreeing with each other more on a number of policy-related questions.
The paper publishes the results of the latest wave of a survey of economists that has been
conducted roughly once a decade since 1976 (though the results of the first wave are not
entirely comparable with later ones). Members of the American Economic Association
were asked whether they agreed with a number of propositions, ranging from the economic
impact of minimum-wage increases to the desirability of universal health insurance. Based
on the frequency of responses, the researchers devised an index that captured the degree
of consensus on each question.

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 The results suggest that the extent of consensus has risen significantly. Economists were
in strong agreement on about a third of the propositions in the latest wave, compared with
around 15% in 2011 and less than 10% in 1990. Respondents were more united on their
diagnosis of economic problems. And, strikingly, more of them were convinced of the need
for muscular policy.
Inequality was a growing concern. The share of respondents who wholly or somewhat
agreed that the distribution of income in America should be more equal rose from 68% in
2000 to 86% in 2020-21. Fully 85% thought corporate power was too concentrated.
Another worry was climate change, which most agreed posed a big risk to the economy.
(Both questions were asked for the first time in the latest wave.)
Unsurprisingly, given their views on market power, respondents’ support for a vigorous
use of antitrust policy has increased markedly over the past two decades. Another notable
change was in the enthusiasm for fiscal activism. More economists thought that the Federal
Reserve alone could not manage the business cycle—perhaps consistent with the decline
in its policy rate towards zero—and were keener on a bigger role for government. More of
them also agreed that fiscal policy could have important economic effects, both during
downturns and over the long term.
The dismal science has not become entirely harmonious, though. Economists were
slightly more split on the consequences of lowering income and capital-gains taxes in the
latest wave, with roughly half of respondents agreeing with the propositions put to them
by the researchers, and the rest disagree. Enough room, still, for healthy debate.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/01/09/economists-are-agreeing-
with-each-other-more
VOCABULARY

 Comparable with: có thể được so sánh với

 Rise from A in year B to C in year D: tăng từ số liệu bao nhiêu năm bao nhiêu đến bao
nhiêu năm bao nhiêu
 Markedly (increase, decrease): rõ ràng, rõ rệt (tăng, giảm)
 Notable (change, growth): đáng kể, đáng chú ý
 Decline = Decrease in something: giảm về cái gì đó
 Entirely harmonious: cân đối hoàn toàn
 Roughly = Approximately = About = Nearly: xấp xỉ

6
2. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is causing record-high food prices: The poorest
countries will be hit hardest
Apr 8th 2022

Global food prices, rising even before the war in Ukraine, are now soaring. According to
an index compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), a UN agency, in
February they reached a historic high. In March they blew past it. The index surged by
about 13%, the biggest increase since the FAO began counting in 1990. The Economist’s
own commodity-price index, which tracks food prices on a weekly basis, shows that food
prices peaked in the week of March 8th.
Much of the rise is in the price of cereals. The FAO’s index for them rose by 17% in March.
The price of wheat alone increased by almost 20%, reflecting the fact that Ukraine and
Russia made up a third of the global wheat market between 2018 and 2020, according to
the International Food Policy Research Institute. The cost of maize and barley, the other
big cereal exports from the Black Sea region, increased by 19% and 27% respectively.
Prices are likely to remain high. The FAO reckons that a fifth of Ukraine’s wheat harvest
this season will be lost because of the war, and future harvests in both Ukraine and Russia
are in jeopardy. Disruptions to fertiliser supply from Russia, a major exporter, will add to
inflationary pressure. Meanwhile, the cost of vegetable oils soared by 23% in March, partly

7
 because of poor harvests in South America, and droughts have caused additional
difficulties.
Poorer countries that rely on food imports are suffering the most. Sri Lanka’s government
is on a precipice; Egypt has turned to the IMF. Others are restricting food exports. The
World Bank counts 53 new food-related trade restrictions since the war began. In previous
food-price crises, such as those of 2008 and 2011, such measures backfired, with prices
rising further as a result. There is little reason to think this time will be different.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/04/08/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-
is-causing-record-high-food-prices
VOCABULARY

 Soar: tăng vọt

 Index: bảng liệt kê
 Reach a historic high: đạt đến đỉnh cao nhất trong lịch sử
 Blow past: vượt qua
 Surge: tăng đáng kể
 On a weekly basis: hàng tuần
 Peak (v) + at + số liệu: đạt đỉnh điểm
 Peak (n) + of + số liệu: đạt đỉnh điểm
 Make up = account for: chiếm (dùng cho số liệu phần trăm)
 Respectively = namely: lần lượt là
 Remain: giữ nguyên

8
3. Fewer Americans want stricter gun control: Despite a level of mass-shootings
unimaginable in other rich countries
May 17th 2022

Despite making up just 4% of the world’s population, Americans hold an estimated half
of all civilian firearms (393m of 857m). On Saturday one of those gun-owners walked into
a grocery store in a predominantly black neighbourhood of Buffalo, New York with a semi-
automatic assault rifle. He shot 13 people, 11 of them black, in what police say was a
racially motivated crime.
Ten died, making it the year’s deadliest gun incident (the deadliest shooting in 2021, in
Boulder, Colorado also claimed 10 lives). The Buffalo attack was the 198th mass shooting
in the country so far in 2022—a level of carnage that is unimaginable in other rich
countries. Despite the increasing toll and frequency of such shootings, the most recent

9
 Gallup poll showed public support for stricter gun laws was at its lowest level since 2014.
Gun ownership is diversifying: women and minorities are buying guns for self-defence.
According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2021, only 52% of Americans believe that the
laws covering the sale of firearms should be made stricter, down from 67% in 2018. In
1960, when Gallup first asked Americans their views on banning handguns, 60% were in
favour. Last year only 19% said the same. And views on semi-automatic guns, often the
weapon of choice for mass shooters, are evenly split too. In 2019, 47% of Americans said
they supported a ban on them, while 51% were against one.
The partisan gap on gun control is greater than ever, and growing wider. In 2001 Democrats
were more likely than Republicans to call for stricter gun laws, by a margin of 17
percentage points. In two decades this gap has quadrupled, to 67 percentage points. Still,
there are some measures on which red and blue voters find common ground. A recent poll
by Pew Research Centre, a think-tank, found bipartisan support for preventing people with
mental illnesses from buying guns, and for making those who purchase them privately or
at a gun show subject to background checks. But whether such measures can stem the tide
of violence is unclear: in 2021 alone, Americans bought 18.5m guns.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/17/fewer-americans-want-
stricter-gun-control
VOCABULARY

 Hold an estimated half of: giữ 1 nửa của cái gì

 Conduct: thực hiện
 Down from: giảm từ
 By a margin of: gần
 Quadruple: gấp bốn
 A level of: ở mức độ nào đó
 Evenly split: chia đều
 Diversify: làm cho đa dạng
 Unimaginable: không thể tưởng tưởng được
 At its lowest level: mức độ thấp nhất
 In [year] alone: chỉ riêng năm nào đó

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4. The covid-19 pandemic pushed millions of Indians into poverty: But inequality may
have decreased
Jan 12th 2022

In its latest assessment of the global economy, the World Bank warned that turbulence
from rising inflation and the threat of new covid-19 variants have left poor countries
vulnerable to a “hard landing”. Indians may feel that the crash has already happened. The
country has lost 5m lives to the virus, the highest toll in the world, according to The
Economist’s excess-deaths tracker. Its economy has been battered after one of the world’s
strictest and arguably least effective lockdowns. According to a new working paper

11
 published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an American
organisation, millions have fallen into poverty as a result.
Using data from a panel survey of 197,000 households conducted every four months, the
study found that the share of the population earning less than $1.90 a day—the World
Bank’s threshold for extreme poverty—jumped sharply during lockdown in 2020. In
cities, which were hit harder by restrictions than rural areas, the share surged to 47% in
April 2020, from 5% in the month before. As lockdown measures were lifted, incomes
rebounded—but not fully. After India’s devastating second wave, caused by the Delta
variant, subsided in June 2021, poverty rates remained above pre-pandemic levels.
Mapping these estimates to government population projections suggest that 155m people
were then below the extreme poverty line, 44m more than in December 2019.
That poverty should have increased during the pandemic is unsurprising. Other studies
have observed a similar pattern, not just in India but around the world. More surprising,
though, is that the NBER paper found inequality in India declined. To track this, the
researchers grouped people into quartiles based on their incomes between 2015 and 2019.
They then calculated the difference between the percentage change in the incomes of the
top quartile, from a 2018 baseline, and the change for the bottom quartile. By July 2021,
the incomes of the top quartile in India's cities had fallen by 32%, compared with their level
in 2018. But the incomes of the bottom quartile had grown by 13%. Thus inequality
narrowed.
The researchers say the incomes of the rich fell further because they rely more on income
from business, which is particularly sensitive to downturns. Demand for the type of jobs
they do, such as those in the service sector, may also have also fallen more sharply (the
study found that willingness to work did not change).
Many, including the World Bank, say that inequality has worsened in poor countries during
the pandemic, meaning the Indian experience may have been unusual. Inequality also
seemed to be declining in the country before the pandemic. The continuation of the trend
will have provided little solace to the millions pushed into extreme poverty.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/01/12/the-covid-19-pandemic-
pushed-millions-of-indians-into-poverty

VOCABULARY
 Using the data from: Theo như số liệu từ
 Sharply (increase, decrease, fall, grow): một cách mạnh mẽ
 Subside: giảm
 Observe a similar pattern: Cũng có cùng xu hướng như vậy
 Quartile: tứ phân vị

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 Baseline: đường cơ sở
 The continuation of the trend: vẫn tiếp tục theo xu hướng đó
 Assessment: sự đánh giá
 Batter: thoải, dao động xuống
 Jump: nhảy vọt
 Hit harder: xuống thấp hơn
 More surprisingly: một cách đáng ngạc nhiên

13
5. Political prisoners are packing Hong Kong’s jails: Many are strikingly young
May 26th 2022

For most of the past decade, Hong Kong’s prison population was in decline. In 2019
around 7,700 people were incarcerated, down from over 10,000 in 2009. A decrease in the
number of illegal immigrants and a shift to treating drug addicts rather than locking them
up contributed to the downward trend. But in recent years a new type of inmate has
swelled the ranks of the prison population.
The number of political prisoners in Hong Kong has soared as a result of the government’s
crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2019 and 2020. A report published on May 23rd
by Hong Kong Democracy Council, an activist group based in Washington, found that
there are now 590 political prisoners in the territory, up from 26 in June 2019, the month
that the protests started. Since then, more than 1,000 people have been sentenced for
political reasons. The situation continues to decline. On May 11th and 12th five high-
profile activists, including a 90-year-old priest, were arrested. They appeared in court on
May 24th.
The report defines a political prisoner as anyone incarcerated for speech or action relating
to their political beliefs, for being a member of an organised political group, or on explicitly
political charges. That includes offences under Hong Kong’s national-security law, which
was passed in June 2020 with the backing of the Chinese Communist Party. It criminalises
collusion with foreign forces, secession, subversion and terrorism (Hong Kong already had
an anti-terrorism act, but before the national-security law, no one had been charged for

14
 terrorism offences). Between July 1st 2020 and March 28th 2022, 183 people were arrested
for alleged crimes under that law or a colonial-era sedition law unused since the 1960s. [...]
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/26/political-prisoners-are-
packing-hong-kongs-jails

VOCABULARY
 Be in decline = A decrease in: giảm
 Be on the rise: tăng
 A shift to: dịch chuyển sang
 Contribute to: góp phần
 A downward trend: Xu hướng giảm dần đều
 An upward trend: Xu hướng tăng dần đều
 Swell: thổi phồng
 Up from: tăng từ
 Continue to (increase, decrease, fall…): tiếp tục (tăng, giảm)
 Define: chỉ ra

15
6. Covid-19 has damaged the reputation of Cuban health care: The country’s once-
famed health system is in tatters
Aug 3rd 2022
For a look behind the scenes of our data journalism, sign up to Off the Charts, our weekly
newsletter
For a long time Cubans were proud of their health-care system, and justifiably so. Between
2000 and 2020 the small communist-run island outspent most other countries in Latin
America and the Caribbean. Life expectancy is higher than in the United States. Cuba has
qualified doctors and nurses to spare. When covid-19 first struck, Cuba sent some of its
medics to countries struggling with their initial wave of patients. An impressive 89% of
Cuba’s population is now fully vaccinated with its homegrown covid jabs—which boast
efficacy rates of up to 92.4% after three doses. But according to The Economist’s excess
mortality tracker, Cuba has one of the highest estimated death tolls from the pandemic,
relative to its size. Where did it go wrong?

Officially, by August 2022 covid had killed 8,529 of Cuba’s 11m people. But our model
estimates that the true toll could be far higher. Excess mortality—the gap between how
many people have died in a given period, regardless of cause, and how many deaths would
normally have been expected—suggests that up to 62,000 Cubans may have died as a result
of the pandemic. That 600% increase over the official toll is probably the result of
inadequate testing and other problems. It is possible that officials underreported the
deaths, too.

16
 Cuba’s estimated tally of excess deaths per 100,000 people is 550. This revised death toll
would place it among the 20 worst countries in the world. It would also make Cuba an
outlier in the region: the average across the Americas is 368.
Its ageing population—almost 20% of Cubans are over 60, more than anywhere else in the
region—made Cuba especially vulnerable to covid. But other factors were avoidable.
Budget cuts and a shortage of essential supplies were taking a toll even before the
pandemic. After the outbreak hospitals quickly became overwhelmed; oxygen, personal
protective equipment and medicines ran short. And although plenty of Cubans are now
vaccinated, the country was slow off the mark. Deaths peaked as late as August 2021,
during the Delta wave. In that month only around 35% of Cubans had received a full course
of covid vaccinations, compared with 64% of Britons and 54% of Americans. The
pandemic has brought to light something Cubans have known for some time, but that
officials wanted to keep under wraps: the country’s health-care system is not what it used
to be.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/08/03/covid-19-has-damaged-the-
reputation-of-cuban-health-care

VOCABULARY
 An impressive + số liệu + of: một con số ấn tượng
 Boast: làm tăng
 Up to: tăng tới
 Relative to: liên đới tới
 A given period: giai đoạn được cho sẵn
 Underreport: ngoài báo cáo
 Make something an outlier: làm cho gì đó nằm ngoài vùng
 The average across: Trung bình vượt qua
 Plenty of: nhiều gì đó
 Slow off: chậm lại
 Bring to light: giải thích

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 B- TABLE

1. Americans overall view Israeli people more favorably than Palestinians

Two-thirds of Americans express at least a somewhat favorable view of the Israeli people,
including one-in-five who say they feel very favorably toward the Israelis. Opinion about
the Palestinian people is somewhat cooler: 52% of the public has a favorable view, and
one-in-ten U.S. adults have a very favorable opinion of the Palestinians.

A chart showing Wide partisan and age gaps in views of Israeli and Palestinian people
Republicans and those who lean to the GOP are much more likely to express a favorable
view of the Israeli people (78%) than of the Palestinian people (37%). Among Democrats
and Democratic leaners, on the other hand, similar shares express favorable views toward
both groups (60% and 64%, respectively)
Compared with their elders, younger U.S. adults tend to express cooler views toward the
Israeli people and warmer views toward the Palestinians. For example, 56% of adults under
18
30 say they feel favorably toward the Israeli people, compared with 78% among those ages
65 and older. And a solid majority of those ages 18 to 29 (61%) express favorable views
toward the Palestinians, compared with 46% of those 50 and older.

Nearly nine-in-ten White evangelical Protestants have a favorable view of the Israeli
people (86%), including 42% who say they have a very favorable view. But White
evangelical Protestants are among the least likely subgroups to say they have a favorable
view of the Palestinian people (37%). By contrast, religiously unaffiliated Americans –
adults who describe themselves, religiously, as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular”
– express similarly positive views toward both the Israeli people and Palestinian people
(58% and 59%).
Putting these two questions together, a plurality of U.S. adults (42%) view both the Israeli
people and Palestinian people favorably, while 15% express unfavorable views of both

19
 groups. An additional quarter see the Israeli people favorably and the Palestinian people
unfavorably, and one-in-ten view the Palestinian people favorably and the Israeli people
unfavorably.
Roughly half of Democrats view both groups favorably, compared with 34% of
Republicans. Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to view the Israeli people
favorably and the Palestinian people unfavorably (44% vs. 12%). White evangelical
Protestants, a heavily Republican group, are more likely to view the Israeli people
favorably and the Palestinian people unfavorably than any other combination of responses.
Adults under 30 are more inclined than older Americans to view the Israeli people
unfavorably but the Palestinians favorably.
When asked about their views of the Israeli government, about half of the U.S. public
(48%) expresses a very or somewhat positive view, compared with 28% who view the
Palestinian government favorably.
The survey did not define “Palestinian government” for respondents. Much of the West
Bank continues to be administered by the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of
Mahmoud Abbas, while Gaza has been governed by Hamas since 2007.
As with views toward the Israeli people, young adults are much less positive toward the
Israeli government than are older Americans. But adults under 30 have somewhat more
favorable views of the Palestinian government now than they did in 2019. […]
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/26/modest-warming-in-u-s-views-
on-israel-and-palestinians/

VOCABULARY
 Similar share: có xu hướng giống nhau
 A solid major of: Đa số, phần lớn gì đó
 A plurality of: nhiều gì đó
 An additional quarter see: thêm một phần từ được quan sát thấy ở
 Roughly= nearly: xấp xỉ
 Including:bao gồm
 Subgroup: nhóm nhỏ
 By contrast: trái lại
 Express: thể hiện
 Among the least likely: ít khả năng xảy ra nhất
 As with views toward: Khi nói về

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2. What is the best outcome of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians?
For nearly three decades, successive U.S. administrations have backed, at least in
principle, negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians toward a two-state solution
along the lines envisioned in the 1993 Oslo Accords. However, a long impasse has led
some U.S. officials, as well as some Israelis and Palestinians, to warn that the vision of two
independent states coexisting is in danger of collapse. For this reason, the survey included
a new question asking Americans which of several broad alternatives they would consider
to be the best outcome of the conflict.

About a third of U.S. adults (35%) say the best possible outcome would be that “the land
is split into two countries, one with an Israeli government and one with a Palestinian
government.” A similar share (37%) say they are unsure what the best outcome would be,
while fully one-quarter say the best solution would be one country – either “governed
jointly by Israelis and Palestinians” (16%) or “with an Israeli government” (10%). Just 2%
say the best outcome would be one country “with a Palestinian government.”
Roughly equal shares of Republicans and Democrats (including those who lean to each
party) favor a two-state solution, saying the best solution is to split the land into two
countries with separate governments (34% and 36%, respectively). But Republicans (18%)
are far more likely than Democrats (3%) to say the best outcome would be one country

21
with an Israeli government. And Democrats (19%) are slightly more likely than
Republicans (13%) to favor an outcome in which a single country would be jointly
governed by Israelis and Palestinians.
About four-in-ten Catholics (42%), atheists (43%) and agnostics (40%) say the best
outcome is splitting the land into two countries, one with an Israeli government and one
with a Palestinian government share this view.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, White evangelical Protestants are the most likely to
say that the best possible outcome is one country (39%), including 28% who say that the
best solution would be a single country with an Israeli government. By contrast, just 6%
of other Protestants and Catholics take that position.
Some Americans’ views toward Israel may be tied to their religious beliefs. Indeed, 30%
of all U.S. adults say God gave the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people, similar to
the share of Jewish Americans who expressed this view in 2020.1 Others say that God did
not give the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people (11%); that they do not believe in
God (17%); or that they are not sure how to answer the question (41%).
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say that God gave the land that is now
Israel to the Jewish people (46% vs. 18%). (Previous surveys also have found that
Democrats are less likely than Republicans to believe in God.)

22
 White evangelical Protestants are the U.S. religious group most inclined to say God gave
the land that is now Israel to the Jewish people. A solid majority of White evangelicals
(70%) take this position, compared with a minority of Black Protestants (36%), White
non-evangelical Protestants (31%) and Catholics (25%). Among White evangelicals, those
ages 50 and older are especially likely to hold this view.
Among all survey respondents who believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people, a
quarter (25%) say the best outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be a single
country with an Israeli government – well above the 10% of all U.S. adults who favor this
outcome.
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/05/26/modest-warming-in-u-s-views-
on-israel-and-palestinians/

VOCABULARY
 Equal share: số phần bằng nhau
 Far more likely: có khả năng rất cao
 At the opposite end of the spectrum: ở phía đối diện của quang phổ
 Similar to: giống nhau
 A solid majority: đa số
 Among all survey respondents: giữa tất cả những người đã tham gia khảo sát
 Well above: trên nhiều
 Envision: hình dung ra
 Take that position: chiếm vị trí đó

23
3. Most Americans continue to think the U.S. is less respected today than in the past
June 22, 2022
Currently, six-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the U.S. is less
respected than it was in the past. While this is far lower than the record share of Democrats
who said the same during Donald Trump’s presidency, Democrats’ views on this question
are slightly less positive than they were at the beginning of the Obama administration. In
2009 and 2012, half of Democrats or fewer felt the U.S. was less respected than in the past.
[…]

A table showing that younger adults more likely to say the U.S. is less respected
internationally than in the past, but older adults more likely to say this is a major problem.
Age plays a complicated role in the public’s attitudes about how respected the U.S. is now
compared with the past. Adults ages 18 to 29 are more likely than those ages 65 and older
to say the U.S. is less respected than in the past (76% vs. 67%). However, they are also far
more likely to say that less respect for the U.S. is a minor problem or not a problem at all.
Those 65 and older, in turn, are more likely than the youngest adults to say less respect
for the U.S. is a major problem (52% vs. 33%)
[…]
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/22/most-americans-continue-to-
think-the-u-s-is-less-respected-today-than-in-the-past/

24
 VOCABULARY
 Slightly: khá là
 A minor/ major problem: vấn đề nhỏ, vấn đề lớn
 A table show/ illustrate/ depict/ describe/ present: bảng này chỉ ra/ miêu tả về
 In turn: Lần lượt
 The record share: Phần được báo cáo
 At the beginning of: bắt nguồn từ cái gì
 Far more likely: có khả năng cao
 Six-in-ten: 60%
 Half of: một nửa của cái gì

25
4. Prevailing view among Americans is that U.S. influence in the world is weakening –
and China’s is growing
June 23, 2022
[…]
Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to say the influence of a few key
U.S. allies (such as France, Germany, NATO and the EU) is growing. For example, about
four-in-ten Democrats say NATO’s influence in the world has been getting stronger in
recent years (39%), compared with about three-in-ten Republicans (29%).
On the other hand, Republicans are slightly more likely to say Russia’s influence in the
world is growing. Ideology also factors into this assessment: Conservative Republicans are
more likely than moderate and liberal Republicans to say that Russia’s influence has been
growing in recent years.

Knowledge of international affairs connected with opinions

Opinions also are linked with respondents’ level of international knowledge. (International
knowledge was measured on this survey with 12 multiple choice questions about global
leaders, international institutions and geography. For more information on the international

26
 knowledge scale, see “How we designed a scale to measure Americans’ knowledge of
international affairs.”)

Those with high levels of knowledge are significantly more likely than others to say that
China, India and Germany have had growing international influence in recent years. In the
case of China, the knowledge gap is quite large: 82% of those with high international
knowledge think China’s influence has been getting stronger, while just 45% of those
with low knowledge say the same.
The U.S. is the only country where more international knowledge is linked with more
pessimistic views. Over half of Americans with high international knowledge (54%) say
that U.S. influence in the world has been getting weaker, compared with about one-third
of Americans with low international knowledge (35%).
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/23/prevailing-view-among-
americans-is-that-u-s-influence-in-the-world-is-weakening-and-chinas-is-growing/

VOCABULARY
 Somewhat: đến mức độ nào đó
 On the one hand: một mặt
 On the other hand: mặt khác

27
 In the case of: trong trường hợp của
 … Say the same: cũng giống như vậy
 Measure: ước chừng, đo đếm
 Design a scale: thiết kế một thang đo
 Gap: khoảng cách
 Get stronger/ weaker: trở nên lớn hơn, giảm đi

28
 C-MIX CHART

1. Natural change in the UK population

In mid-2020, natural change (the difference between the number of births and the number
of deaths) was 31,000 (Figure 3). Largely the result of the increase in deaths, natural
change in mid-2020 was lower than the previous year (128,000 in year to mid-2019) and
is at its lowest in at least 38 years.
Figure 3: A large decrease in natural change in the year to mid-2020 has contributed
to population growth falling to its lowest level since mid-2003
Drivers of UK population growth mid-1982 to mid-2020

Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland
Statistics and Research Agency – Population estimates
Figure 3 shows that population growth is well below the average levels between mid-2005
and mid-2016 and is continuing its recent decline. The slower growth in recent years is
influenced by lower international migration and, particularly this year, much lower natural
change (the balance between births and deaths)
Link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/po
pulationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2020

VOCABULARY
 Estimate: tính toán
 Well below = just below: ở dưới

29
 The average levels: mức độ trung bình
 Continue its recent decline = decline/decrease/fall/drop continually: tiếp tục sự giảm
gần đây
 Particularly: cụ thể
 The difference between A and B: sự khác biệt giữa A và B
 Largely: phần lớn
 Driver: nguyên nhân dẫn đến
 Below the average levels: dưới mức trung bình
 The balance between A and B: sự cân bằng giữa A và B

30
2. Movement of people into and out of London
In the year to mid-2020, around 101,000 more people left London for elsewhere in the
UK than moved in (Figure 5); this is consistent with the average for the previous three
years (101,000). However, the consistency in net flows masks a decrease in the overall
number of moves both into and out of London, which reflects the decrease in moves
nationally. In the year to mid-2020, 320,000 people left London and 219,000 moved in (8%
and 14% fewer than in mid-2019).
Figure 5: London continued to see a net outflow of residents to other parts of the UK
Number of moves made to and from London, 2012 to 2020

Movement of people between English regions and UK countries

Similarly, across the UK, the net flows were broadly consistent with previous years’ data
(Figure 6). Most English regions and UK countries that saw net inward or outward
migration in mid-2019 had similar flows in mid-2020 with the exception of Northern
Ireland and Yorkshire and The Humber.

Additionally, more people arrived than departed in the East and South East in comparison
with previous years; these trends are largely seen from people moving out of London.

31
 However, there were still local authorities within these regions that had a net flow that
differed from that of the region, demonstrating considerable within-region variation.
Link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/po
pulationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2020

VOCABULARY
 Masks a decrease: ngăn chặn sự giảm
 Reflect the decrease = show a decrease: phản ánh sự giảm
 With the exception of = except for: ngoại trừ
 Variation: sự thay đổi
 Have a similar flow: có xu hướng chung
 Consistent: nhất quán
 Differ from: khác với
 In the year to [year]: Vào những năm tới [năm]
 Consistency: sự duy trì
 Broadly: rộng khắp
 Additionally: thêm vào đó
 In comparison with: đặt so sánh với cái gì

32
3. Americans’ complex views on gender identity and transgender issues
Pew research center June 23, 2022
Most favor protecting trans people from discrimination, even as growing share say gender
is determined by sex at birth
As the United States addresses issues of transgender rights and the broader landscape
around gender identity continues to shift, the American public holds a complex set of
views around these issues, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

Roughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say there is at least some discrimination against
transgender people in our society, and a majority favor laws that would protect transgender
individuals from discrimination in jobs, housing and public spaces. At the same time, 60%
say a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth, up from 56% in 2021
and 54% in 2017.

The public is divided over the extent to which our society has accepted people who are
transgender: 38% say society has gone too far in accepting them, while a roughly equal
share (36%) say society hasn’t gone far enough. About one-in-four say things have been
about right. Underscoring the public’s ambivalence around these issues, even among those
who see at least some discrimination against trans people, a majority (54%) say society
has either gone too far or been about right in terms of acceptance.

The fundamental belief about whether gender can differ from sex assigned at birth is
closely aligned with opinions on transgender issues. Americans who say a person’s gender
can be different from their sex at birth are more likely than others to see discrimination
against trans people and a lack of societal acceptance. They’re also more likely to say that
our society hasn’t gone far enough in accepting people who are transgender. But even
among those who say a person’s gender is determined by their sex at birth, there is a
diversity of viewpoints. Half of this group say they would favor laws that protect trans
people from discrimination in certain realms of life. And about one-in-four say forms and
online profiles should include options other than “male” or “female” for people who don’t
identify as either.

33
 Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/06/28/americans-complex-views-
on-gender-identity-and-transgender-issues/psdt_06-28-22_gender_identity_0_0/

VOCABULARY
 Over the extent to = in terms of = regarding: trong phạm vi
 One-in-four: một phần tư
 A majority (n): phần lớn
 Are more likely to V = tend to V: gần như sẽ làm gì
 Hold a complex view of: có ý kiến phức tạp về cái gì
 Differ from: khác với cái gì
 Closely inclined with: gắn liền với cái gì

34
4. Young Americans are souring on Joe Biden: Without the threat of Donald Trump,
the president’s policies are coming under increasing scrutiny
Dec 16th 2021

America’s left depends on the support of young people. In 2008 it was they who powered
Barack Obama’s primary campaign against Hillary Clinton and were critical in securing
his landslide win against John McCain. In 2020, Joe Biden repeated his predecessor’s
success with the group—who were largely motivated by disapproval of his opponent,
Donald Trump—and won the White House. The election was so close that every young
voter counted. But Mr Biden’s failure to impress the young now threatens his presidency.
According to The Economist’s analysis of polling conducted with YouGov, an online
survey firm, an average of 29% of American adults under the age of 30 approve of the job
Mr Biden is doing as president. But that compares with 50% who disapprove. The net
rating of -21 points is the worst for any age group. Adults aged between 30 and 44 give
Mr Biden a -17 rating; those aged 45 to 64 come in at -5; and among adults aged 65 and
over, the president is eight points underwater. This is a sharp reversal from the beginning
of the year, when young voters gave Mr Biden a net approval rating 32 points higher than
older people did. And Mr Biden is falling out of favour fastest with the youngest groups.
Why have the young turned on him? Many told YouGov that their biggest concerns were
climate change and health care. Here the president has promised much but so far delivered
little. Younger Americans also care more about civil rights and abortion—and may be
energised by recent Supreme Court rulings on the latter. Others are angry about student-
35
 loan debt and Mr Biden’s unfulfilled promise to cancel at least $10,000 owed by every
borrower.
Whatever the explanation for Mr Biden’s sliding popularity with the young, their support
for him was much stronger when the alternative was Mr Trump. So their evaluations of
the president in isolation are becoming more critical. If this trend persists, the Democrats
will face severe challenges in next year’s mid-term elections.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/16/young-americans-are-
souring-on-joe-biden

VOCABULARY
 An average of: một con số trung bình của
 Come in = begin/start: bước vào
 A sharp reversal: sự đảo ngược mạnh
 Fall out of favor: không được yêu thích
 At least: ít nhất
 Analysis: sự phân tích
 The net rating of: xếp hạng của
 On the latter: cái sau
 Alternative: sự thay thế
 This trend persists: xu hướng vẫn tiếp diễn

36
5. The cost of groceries in America rockets: Food-price inflation is nearly three times
higher than pre-pandemic forecasts
May 18th 2022

On May 11th the US Bureau of Labour Statistics (bls) released its latest estimate of
American retail prices. The Consumer Price Index, which tracks the cost of all goods and
services weighted by their share of households’ expenditure, increased by 0.3% in April
after rising by 1.2% in March. That was a welcome slowdown, but still means prices were
8.3% higher than a year ago. Petrol prices are up by 43.6% year-on-year and energy by
13.7%. Food, including restaurant meals, is 9.4% more expensive and groceries are 10.8%
dearer.
The Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service breaks down increases in
food prices by product, such as vegetables or beef. It collates figures from farmers,
wholesalers and retailers, as well as factoring in the cost of fuel for transporting goods. Its
latest modelling, for March, indicates that the price of meat has risen more quickly than
that of any other food. Beef and veal prices, for example, have increased by 16% year-on-
year. Americans hoping to cut their personal spending might consider eating more of their
five-a-day. The price of fresh vegetables grew by a less painful 5.9%.
Why is food getting so much dearer? Transport is a big factor. The price of a gallon of fuel
reached a 30-year high on March 16th, according to data tracked by the us Energy
Information Administration. A tight labour market is also to blame. Workers at every stage
of food production, including harvesting, transport and sale, are in short supply. bls data

37
 show there were just over 2m job openings in trade, transportation and utilities in March.
This means existing workers can negotiate higher pay, the cost of which is passed on to
consumers. Wages are up 8% year-on-year for transportation and warehousing staff.
The Department of Agriculture will update its numbers again, accounting for price
changes in April, on May 25th. Given the overall rise in prices reported in the April bls
report, the trend is not likely to improve. Americans might be able to avoid some goods
that government statisticians say have grown more costly most quickly, such as used cars
and petrol—but everyone has to eat.
Link: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/18/the-cost-of-groceries-in-
america-rockets

VOCABULARY
 Food-price inflation: lạm phát giá thực phẩm
 Track the cost: theo dõi chi phí
 Dear = expensive: đắt
 Year-on-year: năm này qua năm khác
 A less painful: một con số ít đau đớn hơn
 The overall rise: sự tăng tổng thể
 Released its latest estimate of: công bố ước tính mới nhất về
 Increase/ grow by: tăng thêm bao nhiêu
 A welcome slowdown: giảm một cách chấp nhận được
 Collate figures from: đối chiếu số liệu từ
 A 30-year high on: cao trong 30 năm qua

38
 D- PIE CHART

1. How Teens Navigate School During COVID-19

A majority of teens prefer in-person over virtual or hybrid learning. Hispanic and
lower-income teens are particularly likely to fear they’ve fallen behind in school due
to COVID-19 disruptions
Report June 2, 2022
By Monica Anderson, Michelle Faverio and Colleen McClain

More than two years after the COVID-19 outbreak forced school officials to shift classes
and assignments online, teens continue to navigate the pandemic’s impact on their
education and relationships, even while they experience glimpses of normalcy as they
return to the classroom.

Eight-in-ten U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 say they attended school completely in person over
the past month, according to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted April 14-May
4. Fewer teens say they attended school completely online (8%) or did so through a mix
of both online and in-person instruction (11%) in the month prior to taking the survey.

When it comes to the type of learning environment youths prefer, teens strongly favor in-
person over remote or hybrid learning. Fully 65% of teens say they would prefer school to
be completely in person after the COVID-19 outbreak is over, while a much smaller share

39
 (9%) would opt for a completely online environment. Another 18% say they prefer a mix
of both online and in-person instruction, while 7% are not sure of their preferred type of
schooling after the pandemic.
Across major demographic groups, teens favor attending school completely in person over
other options. Still there are some differences that emerge by race and ethnicity and
household income.
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/06/02/how-teens-navigate-school-
during-covid-19/

VOCABULARY
 Eight-in-ten: 8 phần 10
 Prior to = before: trước
 Strongly favor = have strong preference for: rất thích
 Opt for = choose = pick = select: chọn
 Experience glimpses of: trải qua 1 vài
 According to: theo như gì đó
 Completely: hoàn toàn
 When it comes to: khi nói đến cái gì
 A much smaller share: một số ít hơn

40
2. The percentage of teens visiting or using Youtube constantly
This study also explores the frequency with which teens are on each of the top five online
platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Fully 35% of teens say
they are using at least one of them “almost constantly.” Teen TikTok and Snapchat users
are particularly engaged with these platforms, followed by teen YouTube users in close
pursuit. A quarter of teens who use Snapchat or TikTok say they use these apps almost
constantly, and a fifth of teen YouTube users say the same. When looking at teens
overall, 19% say they use YouTube almost constantly, 16% say this about TikTok, and
15% about Snapchat.

Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-
technology-2022/

VOCABULARY
 Almost constantly: hầu như không thay đổi
 Engage with: gắn bó với
 Followed by: theo sau
 In close pursuit: theo sát
 A quarter: một phần tư
 A fifth: một phần năm
 Constantly: liên tục
 When looking at something overall: khi nhìn tổng thể vào cái gì đó

41
3. The U.S teenagers’ time spent on social media
When reflecting on the amount of time they spend on social media generally, a majority
of U.S. teens (55%) say they spend about the right amount of time on these apps and sites,
while about a third of teens (36%) say they spend too much time on social media. Just 8%
of teens think they spend too little time on these platforms.

Asked about the idea of giving up social media, 54% of teens say it would be at least
somewhat hard to give it up, while 46% say it would be at least somewhat easy. Teen girls
are more likely than teen boys to express it would be difficult to give up social media (58%
vs. 49%). Conversely, a quarter of teen boys say giving up social media would be very
easy, while 15% of teen girls say the same. Older teens also say they would have difficulty
giving up social media. About six-in-ten teens ages 15 to 17 (58%) say giving up social
media would be at least somewhat difficult to do. A smaller share of 13- to 14-year-olds
(48%) think this would be difficult.
Beyond just online platforms, the new survey finds that the vast majority of teens have
access to digital devices, such as smartphones
(95%), desktop or laptop computers (90%) and
gaming consoles (80%). And the study shows
there has been an uptick in daily teen internet
users, from 92% in 2014-15 to 97% today. In
addition, the share of teens who say they are
online almost constantly has roughly doubled
since 2014-15 (46% now and 24% then).

These are some of the findings from an online

survey of 1,316 teens conducted by the Pew
Research Center from April 14 to May 4, 2022.
More details about the findings on adoption and
use of digital technologies by teens are covered
below.

42
 Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-
technology-2022/

VOCABULARY
 Generally: nhìn chung = overall = a first glance at the graph
 A third: một phần ba
 Conversely: ngược lại = in contrast = by contrast
 Six-in-ten: 6 phần 7
 The vast majority: phần lớn
 An uptick = an increase = a growth/climb/rise: sự tăng
 Roughly double: tăng gần như gấp đôi
 Reflecting on the amount of: khi nhìn lại số liệu của
 Asked about the idea of: khi được hỏi về ý kiến gì
 Beyond just: chỉ trên
 In addition: thêm vào đó

43
4. Who has been expelled from the country under Title 42?
Almost nine-in-ten of the nearly 1.8 million expulsions that have taken place under Title
42 since April 2020 have involved single adults, while the remainder have involved
people traveling in families (11%) or unaccompanied minors (1%).

Mexico is by far the most common origin nation of those who have been expelled under
Title 42. Six-in-ten of those who have been expelled under Title 42 have been from
Mexico, while 15% have been from Guatemala, 14% have been from Honduras, 5% have
been from El Salvador and 6% have been from other countries.

Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/04/27/key-facts-about-title-42-the-
pandemic-policy-that-has-reshaped-immigration-enforcement-at-u-s-mexico-border/

VOCABULARY
 Nine-in-ten: chín phần mười
 Nearly: gần
 The remainder: những đối tượng còn lại
 By far the most common: đến nay là phổ biến nhất
 Six-in-ten: sáu phần mười
 Take place: xảy ra
 Minor (n): số ít

44
5. Americans moved across income tiers during the pandemic, but to about the same
extent as in the past
Despite the economic headwinds from the COVID-19 recession, the shares of U.S. adults
who were living in lower-, middle- and upper-income households were unchanged in the
pandemic. In 2021, some 50% of adults lived in middle-income households, 29% in lower-
income households and 21% in upper-income households. In 2020, 51% were middle class,
29% were lower-income and 21% were upper-income. (The population shares for 2020
and 2021 are based on household incomes in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Shares may not
add to 100% due to rounding.)
But the stability in the shares of American adults in the three income tiers conceals a fair
degree of churn in who is lower-, middle- or upper income from one year to the next.
Movements across income tiers are driven by changes in the earnings of households from
one year to the next. These changes can be substantial, perhaps the result of a job lost or
gained, or due to life cycle events, such as retirement, marriage, divorce, or a death in the
family. On this score, the first year of the pandemic proved to be no different than in other
years in the past two decades.

Among the adults who were in the

middle class in 2020, some 68%
remained in the middle class in 2021.
Another 16% had moved into the
upper-income tier in 2021 and 16% had
slipped down to the lower-income tier.
These shifts were similar in magnitude
to those that have prevailed since 2000
(see more on this below).
Similarly, among adults who were in
the upper-income tier in 2020, some
64% held that status in 2021. About
one-third (32%) had retreated to the
middle-income tier and 4% had fallen
to the lower-income tier by 2021.
Among adults who were in the lower-
income tier in 2020, nearly a third
(32%) had progressed into the middle
class and 4% had leapfrogged into the
upper-income tier.

45
 Adults who moved from the middle class in 2020 to the upper-income tier in 2021 saw a
gain of 68% in their household income at the median. On the other hand, middle-class
adults who moved to the lower-income tier from 2020 to 2021 experienced a loss of 52%
in their household income. Similarly large changes in income characterized the experiences
of lower-income adults who moved up to the middle class and upper-income adults who
moved down to the middle.
Link: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/04/20/covid-19-pandemic-
pinches-finances-of-americas-lower-and-middle-income-families/psdt_04-20-22_covid-
income_0_7/

VOCABULARY
 Substantial = considerable = significant: đáng kể
 Prove to be no different: chứng tỏ không khác biệt
 In the past two decades: trong 2 thập kỷ cuối
 Remain: duy trì
 Progress into: tiến triển thành
 Leapfrog into = surpass = exceed = overtake: nhảy vọt qua
 See a gain: chứng kiến sự tăng
 At the median: ở mức trung bình
 Experience a loss: trải qua sự mất mát/giảm
 Unchanged: không thay đổi
 Add to: thêm vào

46
 E- BAR CHART

1. Extraordinary wildfire events are happening more often

A UN report shows how emissions projections can help predict their frequency

“We must learn to live with fire.” So say the authors of a UN report published on February
23rd on the rising threat of unusual wildfire patterns. For the first time, the UN
Environmental Programme and grid-Arendal, an environmental communications centre,
have studied the extent to which extraordinary wildfires are becoming more frequent
thanks to research from global research institutions, government agencies and international
organisations. Their findings suggest that the risk of catastrophic fires could increase by
half by the end of the century. The report focuses on wildfires that are rare—occurring
once every century in any given location—but rapidly increasing in frequency. The
authors note that an increase in rare, extreme events will be accompanied by a similar
increase in milder ones.

Already, fires around the world have changed so significantly that norms have gone to the
wind. Extraordinary fires are occurring in places not previously considered to be at high
risk, and conditions that act as an impetus for such events are easier to find. Places such
as northern India, Russia and Tibet were typically considered to be at low risk of suffering

47
 from catastrophic fires. Yet incidence in these places has increased, while conventional
hotspots, such as sub-Saharan Africa and northern Australia, have actually burned less.

The authors modelled how the risk of wildfires is likely to evolve over the coming decades,
depending on future trends in greenhouse-gas emissions. They compared outcomes for an
optimistic, low-emissions scenario in which global emissions begin falling sharply from
now, to those for a less optimistic one in which they do not peak until 2060. The former
is consistent with meeting the temperature goals of the Paris agreement; the latter is more
likely to lead to global average temperatures that are more than 2°C warmer than pre-
industrial averages. Yet, according to this report, the outlook for wildfire risk is similar
under both scenarios.

Under the worst scenario, the probability of “catastrophic wildfire events” increases by
between 36% and 57%, the report concludes. But even under the lower emissions scenario
the risk increases by 31-52%. A warming world, drier landscape and wind patterns all
contribute to worsening wildfires. The authors say that by the end of the century, the
likelihood of wildfires similar to those that swept through south-eastern Australia in
2019-20 happening in any given year will increase by between 31% and 57%, regardless
of efforts to tackle greenhouse-gas emissions. They conclude that more resources need to
be directed at preparing for fire seasons. In most countries more than half of wildfire-
related expenses are on tackling the fires rather than on planning.

Wildfires are an important part of a healthy ecosystem. They clear out old, dead material
to leave room for new growth. Some species, such as giant sequoias, even have specialised
functions that allow them to survive and thrive in normal wildfire conditions. But the
frequency, size and location of recent disasters pose a risk to people and wildlife.
Nonetheless, adequate preparation and responses can diminish these risks and enhance
wildfires’ natural beneficial effects. “The situation is certainly extreme”, the report
concludes, but “not yet hopeless”.

Link:https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/02/23/extraordinary-wildfire-
events-are-happening-more-often

VOCABULARY:

● Increase by half: Tăng một nửa

● Be accompanied by a similar increase…: Được đi kèm với sự gia tăng tương tự

48
● The former is… while the latter is…: Cái đầu tiên thì… trong khi cái đằng sau thì….
● Worsening wildfires: Tình trạng cháy rừng càng tồi tệ hơn
● Pose a risk: Gây rủi ro
● Rapidly increasing in frequency: Tăng nhanh về tần suất.
● An impetus: Sự thúc đẩy.
● Incidence: Khả năng xảy ra

49
2. Vietnam ranks 5th in economic openness in Asia: Fitch

Vietnam ranks fifth out of 35 Asian markets in terms of economic openness, according
to a report by market researcher Fitch Solutions.

Its recent Vietnam Trade & Investment Risk Report gave the Vietnam economy a score of
74.6 out of 100, higher than the Asia average of 46 and global average of 49.5.

"The country is emerging as a key manufacturing hub in the East and South East Asia
region, supported by government-led economic liberalisation efforts and integration into
global supply chains, through trade agreements and membership to regional and
international blocs," it said.

In Asia, Vietnam was outperformed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia.
Globally, it ranks 20th out of 201 markets.

Fitch Solutions' economic openness scores of East and Southeast Asian markets.
Photo courtesy of Fitch Solutions

50
 Fitch’s economic openness is generated from two main indicators: trade and investment
openness, which are based on import, export and foreign direct investment values as a
percentage of GDP. It scores each market on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being the highest.

Vietnam scored 89.2 in terms of trade openness, ranking second in the region and fifth
globally, thanks to its attractiveness as a destination for businesses looking elsewhere from
China or adopting a "China plus One" supply chain policy to reduce manufacturing
dependence on the country.

In the year-to-date electronics giants have announced expansion of operations in the

country, following China’s prolonged Covid-19 lockdowns and growing tensions with the
West.

Apple suppliers Luxshare and Foxconn are reported to start testing production of Apple
Watch and MacBook in Vietnam, Reuters reported last week.

Meanwhile South Korea’s Samsung has just completed construction of its $220-million
research and development center in Hanoi, and is testing its ball grid array products, a
component for semiconductors, for mass production at the tech giant's factory in northern
Thai Nguyen Province in July 2023.

Vietnam is also a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-
Pacific Partnership and various free-trade agreements, which further supports trade and
economic diversification efforts, the report added.

The country also has a relatively stable political system, strategic location, and an
abundant labor force that is less costly relative to China, which pulls investors.

But the government’s restricted foreign ownership in some sectors, including energy,
transport, mining, utilities and agriculture have resulted in the country’s investment
openness ranking of eighth regionally and 62nd globally with a moderate score of 60.

Link:https://e.vnexpress.net/news/economy/vietnam-ranks-5th-in-economic-openness-in-
asia-fitch-4502987.html

VOCABULARY:

 Ranks fifth out of…: Đứng thứ 5 trong số…

51
 Was outperformed : Bị vượt mặt
 Less costly relative to : Rẻ hơn so với..
 Pull investors: Thu hút các nhà đầu tư
 A moderate score of 60: Điểm trung bình là 60
 Ranking of eighth regionally and 62nd globally: Đứng thứ 8 trong khu vực và thứ 62
toàn cầu.
 Key manufacturing hub: Khu sản xuất trọng điểm
 Government-led economic liberalisation efforts: Những nỗ lực tự do hóa kinh tế được
lãnh đạo bởi chính phủ.
 Expansions of operations: Mở rộng phạm vi hoạt động.
 In the year-to-date: Từ đầu năm đến nay
 Relatively stable: khá là ổn định

52
3. The war in Ukraine has caused a labour crunch on Britain’s farms

Ukrainian seasonal workers pick much of Britain’s fruit. This year they are staying away
May 5th 2022

Strawberries and cream are the quintessential taste of the British summer. But getting
British fruit to market depends on foreign labour. In recent years many of the migrants who
came to Britain to pick strawberries and other crops were from Ukraine and Russia. This
year, most will stay away.

Just over 60% of all the food eaten in Britain is produced on British farms. Nearly all of
the berries eaten between May and October are home-grown. Picking fruit by hand is low-
paid, seasonal and backbreaking work that few Britons want to do. So farmers rely on
imported labour to harvest their crops. After 1945 foreign workers, mostly students, were
issued visas under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS). When Britain was
part of the European Union, freedom of movement meant that most pickers came from
within the bloc. In 2008 the scheme was restricted to Bulgarians and Romanians and then
suspended in 2014 when they were granted the right to work without a visa. In 2019, as
Britain prepared to leave the EU, the government launched a scheme to issue visas to
temporary workers in the horticultural sector, opening the industry to non-EU citizens. Of
roughly 30,000 visas issued to workers to reap the 2021 harvest, 67% went to Ukrainians
and 8% to Russians.

53
Four firms are licensed to recruit foreign workers for British farms. One of them, AG
Recruitment, planned this year to allocate half of its allotted 7,500 visas to Ukrainians,
and one-third to Russians. But since the Russian invasion most Ukrainian men have been
forbidden to leave the country. British visa-application centres in Ukraine also closed,
stopping women from applying for seasonal-worker visas. Ukrainians already in Britain on
temporary-work visas have had them extended to the end of the year, and some have taken
up spring and summer jobs on farms. Others, though, have returned home to fight.
Meanwhile Britain has banned flights from Russia, and is delaying the visa applications of
Russian nationals. AG Recruitment says it is not

recruiting Russians this year.

To replace Ukrainian and Russian workers, recruiters have turned again to Bulgarians and
Romanians as well as Macedonians and workers from central Asia. Yet they are struggling
to meet their quotas: AG Recruitment still needs 1,000 workers for June. And many of this
season’s crop of pickers are first-timers who need training. British Summer Fruits, an
industry lobbyist, estimates that newcomers are 30% less productive than returnees.

Link:https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/05/05/the-war-in-ukraine-has-
caused-a-labour-crunch-on-britains-farms

54
 VOCABULARY:

● Crunch: Khủng hoảng.

● Allocate half of its allotted 7,500 visas to Ukrainians: Phân bổ một nửa trong số 7.500
visa cho người Ukraine
● Back-breaking= physically demanding: Đòi hỏi về thể chất
● Quintessential: tinh hoa, tinh tuý
● Mostly + N(s): hầu hết
● Yet: nhưng
● Meet the quota: đạt được chỉ tiêu
● [Figures] + less/ more + adj + than: bao nhiêu ít hơn hay nhiều hơn

55
4. If everyone were vegan, only a quarter of current farmland would be needed

“Veganuary” might be considered an attempt to cut out the middle creatures. Many
vegans—even those who dabble only during the first month of the year—restrict their diet
to reduce animal suffering. But many also do so for environmental reasons. Eliminating
meat, fish, dairy and eggs would reduce emissions. Enjoying a prime steak or vintage
cheese, for example, means feeding the animals that produce meat and dairy with plants,
rather than consuming those plants directly. Beef farming produces 31 times more CO₂
emissions per calorie than tofu production does and generates only 5% of the calories that
go into producing it.

That inefficiency means humans need to grow more plants than they would in a vegan
world. For all the spread of veganism and the growing popularity of partial alternatives,
such as veganuary, meat-eating is increasing globally. Its geography and composition is
changing too. China’s appetite for its favourite meat, pork, appears to have peaked; beef is
becoming more popular. India, which eats very little beef, is drinking more milk. Africa,
with its fast-growing population, will demand more meat in future. Already, of all habitable
land, half is used for agriculture, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Of all food production around 80% is dedicated to pasture or crops for animal feed,

56
 according to Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek, the authors of an extensive study of
global food systems.

The research comes with considerable uncertainty. Although it compiles data from 38,700
farms and 570 studies, mapping the environmental impact of food production is difficult
and imprecise. Roughly half of the data are from before 2010, for instance. But the study
gives a sense of what land use could look like, if diets changed radically.

If everyone were vegan, agriculture would need just a quarter of the land it uses today.
Even a diet avoiding only meat from cattle and sheep would cut land use in half. What
might that surplus space be used for? Quadrupling food production is not a viable option.
Some current pastureland, for example in the Scottish highlands, could not be converted to
high-yield cropland. But in most places where agriculture is currently expanding, such as
the Brazilian Amazon, a shift from animal to plant production would mean more food per
acre. Surplus farmland could be used for other purposes, such as forestry, or restored to
rainforest.

Some may worry about the cultural impact. Eliminating meat production would change
landscapes, ways of life and relationships with animals and food shaped over millennia—
and parts of economies linked to them, including tourism. But such concerns do not apply
as readily to land cleared to produce ever more burgers to be consumed thousands of miles
away. A wholescale shift to veganism is unlikely. But these models suggest a little more
“veganuary” spirit all year round would be a good thing.

Link:https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/01/28/if-everyone-were-vegan-
only-a-quarter-of-current-farmland-would-be-needed

VOCABULARY:

 Need just a quarter of: Cần một phần tư của

 Cut in half: Giảm một nửa
 Quadruple = increase fourfold : Tăng 4 lần
 Mapping the impact : Bản đồ hóa sự tác động của
 Surplus farmland: Đất nông nghiệp dư thừa
 A wholescale shift to sth : Sự chuyển dịch toàn diện sang
 Cut out: cắt giảm

57
5. Which covid-19 vaccine saved the most lives in 2021?

A new study suggests a tie for first place

The race to develop a vaccine against covid-19 was a matter of life and death. A recent
study found that in 2021, 20m lives were saved by the jabs. Researchers at Airfinity, a life-
sciences data firm, have used those numbers—along with data on which shots were most
widely administered in each country—to estimate which one averted most deaths.

Airfinity found that more than half of lives saved around the world could be attributed to
just two vaccines, which shared first place: AstraZeneca-Oxford and Pfizer-BioNTech.
Each averted between 5m and 7m deaths (because of the considerable uncertainty, The
Economist deemed this a statistical tie). In third spot was the Sinovac vaccine (sometimes
known as CoronoVac), at approximately 1.7m-2.2m lives saved, closely followed by
Moderna at 1.5m-2m.

To estimate how many lives each type of vaccine had saved, Airfinity drew on a recent
study by epidemiologists at Imperial College London. This study estimated the number of
deaths averted in the first year of vaccination, which started on December 8th 2020. The

58
 company’s researchers then distributed these lives saved between jabs. To do so they relied
on each vaccine’s share of inoculations by country by the time the study ended. They also
accounted for slight differences in their efficacy at preventing death, as shown in clinical
trials.

In doing so, they made several assumptions. First, that when a country had offered multiple
types of jabs, these had been administered at similar times. In fact, this was not always the
case. In Britain, for instance, inoculations were initially all delivered with Pfizer-
BioNTech’s vaccine, and only later included those of Moderna and AstraZeneca-Oxford.
Nor did Airfinity account for the fact that certain vaccines were given disproportionately
to more vulnerable groups in a given country (such as the very old), which might have led
to their saving more lives.

The study that Airfinity built on excluded China, where fewer data are available, as well
as tiny countries with a population of less than 90,000. That suggests that all numbers
should be a bit higher, and especially those for the Chinese jabs—though the limited spread
of the virus in China also means the impact of their absence from the study is not as great
as it might have been.

That AstraZeneca-Oxford and Pfizer-BioNTech emerged as the leaders by the end of 2021
should come as no surprise. Both ramped up production early, and by the end of the study
period had by far the most doses administered outside China, at about 2bn and 1.5bn shots
respectively. Moreover, many of their jabs went to older populations which were especially
vulnerable to covid.

These numbers only show deaths averted by the end of 2021. Vaccines continue to save
lives, and have allowed most countries to return to a semblance of pre-pandemic
normalcy. In the race to develop covid jabs, at least 20m spectators and their loved ones
have been the ultimate winners.

Link:https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/07/13/which-covid-19-vaccine-
saved-the-most-lives-in-2021

VOCABULARY:

● A tie for first place = Share the first place.: Kết quả hòa cho vị trí đầu
● Avert: Ngăn chặn

59
● In third spot was the Sinovac vaccine: Vị trí thứ ba là Vacxin Sinovac
● Closely followed by: Được theo sau sát nút bởi
● Inoculation: Sự tiêm chủng.
● Account for: Xem xét, tính đến.
● Efficacy: Tính hiệu quả
● Ramp up: Tăng cường
● Pre-pandemic normalcy: Trạng thái bình thường trước dịch

60
6. Views of China mostly negative with some exceptions

Across the 19 countries surveyed, a median

of 68% say they have an unfavorable view
of China. In North America, about three-
quarters or more see China unfavorably,
including more than a third in both the U.S.
and Canada who hold a very unfavorable
opinion of China.

Majorities in nine of the 11 European

countries surveyed also hold unfavorable
views of China. Those in Sweden, the
Netherlands and Germany are particularly
negative: About three-quarters or more say
their opinion of China is unfavorable.
Roughly two-thirds in the UK and France
agree. Views in Greece are more divided,
with 50% saying they have an unfavorable
view and 44% holding a favorable view.

Opinions in Israel are also divided, with

roughly equal shares holding unfavorable
and favorable views (46% vs. 48%).

Views vary most widely across the five Asia-

Pacific countries surveyed. In Japan,
Australia and South Korea, at least eight-in-
ten hold unfavorable views of China. This
includes 47% in Japan, 43% in Australia and
32% in South Korea who have
a very unfavorable opinion of the country.
Malaysians and Singaporeans see China
differently. Six-in-ten or more in both
countries say they hold a favorable opinion
of China. In both countries, those who identify as ethnically Chinese are more likely than
those who identify as another ethnicity to hold favorable views of China.

61
 Adults in Greece, the U.S. and the UK have become significantly more critical of China
over the past year. And unfavorable views of China have gone up by 21 percentage points
in Poland and Israel and by 15 points in Hungary, which were all last surveyed in 2019. In
the U.S., South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Spain, Poland, Hungary and
Greece, unfavorable views of China are also at the highest level recorded since the Center
started polling on this issue. Belgium stands as the only country where fewer people hold
an unfavorable view of China this year than last (61%, down from 67%).

Link: Negative Views of China Tied to Critical Views of Its Policies on Human Rights |
Pew Research Center

VOCABULARY:

 A median of 68%: Trung bình 68% người dân

 About three-quarters or more: Khoảng ba phần tư hoặc hơn
 Majorities in nine of: Đa số 9 trong …
 Divided: Phân hóa, Khác biệt
 With roughly equal shares: Với phần trăm tương đương nhau
 Gone up by 21 percentage points: Tăng 21 phần trăm
 Particularly negative: rất tiêu cực
 At the highest recorded: số liệu lớn nhất được ghi lại
 Stand as: đứng ở vị trí như là

62
63