Track 7

Working on Your Workout

M
ost people know that a balanced diet and regular exercise are
very important. However, most people do not know how to
exercise properly. Instead of concentrating on how to get the
best results efficiently and effectively, people usually rush through
5 their workouts, or they make the same common workout mistakes.
Exercising the right way is important for people who are worried about
their health and their appearance. However, if someone is not working
out properly, it is rare that he or she will see the results he or she wants.
Therefore, training experts have devised tips to teach people how to
10 exercise correctly in order to achieve the greatest health benefits. If you
want to achieve the best workout results, here are a few helpful tips to
bear in mind.
One of the most common workout mistakes is doing the same
routine over and over again. This does not challenge your muscles, and it
15 can actually prevent muscles from growing and repairing themselves.
Instead of always sticking to the same old workout, it is important to change your routine
every six to eight weeks. It is also important to add a variety of workouts to your routine,
such as swimming, yoga, or biking, to make sure your whole body stays fit. This will help
make your workouts more interesting, and benefit your health and muscle development
20 as well.
Another mistake people tend to make is to work out too hard, too often. Your body
needs to rest between workouts; otherwise, no progress will be made. It is best to keep
the number of hard workout routines to no more than two per week. Then, for those who
don’t want to get off schedule by skipping a day, shorter workouts of about twenty
25 minutes can be used on other days. For more variety in workouts, you could also plan
an easier routine for forty to sixty minutes between days of shorter, more intense
workouts. Experts recommend, however, taking at least one day off completely each
week, especially after several hard workout days in a row.
In reality, no one is perfect. However, if you want to make a difference in your overall
30 health, there are some things you can do. Stretch before and after every workout. Do not
rush your routine, and do not work out too little or too much. Remember not to make
these common workout mistakes, and always have fun while exercising!

Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds 405 words

4 14
efficiently: in the best possible manner with the routine: a regular course or procedure
least waste of time and effort 18
yoga: a series of postures and breathing exercises
4
effectively: adequately; as planned practiced to achieve control of the body and mind
5 24
workout: a session of physical exercise or training skip: to avoid; to not do
9 26
devise: to plan or invent carefully intense: strong; extreme

24
 Reading Comprehension

Choose the best answer.

1. What is the main idea of this reading?
a. Daily exercise can often be bad for your health.
b. Working out properly is the only way to gain effective health results.
c. Most people know how to work out efficiently and effectively.
d. Adding a variety of workouts to your routine is not important.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

a. Daily intense workouts help one stay healthy.
b. One’s body needs to rest between workouts.
c. A variety of exercises is better than doing the same one all the time.
d. It can be good to take a day off from exercising.

3. Which word is closest in meaning to the word “stretch” in this reading?

a. Exaggerate b. Widen
c. Make tight d. Extend or reach

4. What can be inferred about the mistakes people make when they work out?
a. They are very harmful to the body. b. People who rarely work out make them.
c. People think it is OK to make them. d. Athletes would not make these mistakes.

5. Why should you change your workout routine every six to eight weeks?
a. To challenge your muscles b. To become faster
c. To avoid bone problems d. To exercise your brain

Idiomatic Expressions
Find these idioms in the reading.
 bear in mind [ to remember; to keep in mind ]
Bear in mind that not all weight loss is due to losing fat.
 stick to [ to keep to; to persist with ]
I have a hard time sticking to a regular workout schedule because of
my job.
 in a row [ one after the other ]
He did forty-five push-ups in a row.

Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary.
1. Even though he didn’t like swimming, he ____________________ it to please his mother.
2. I’ve woken up at 4:30 a.m. for three days ____________________, so I’m kind of tired right now.
3. You should always ____________________ that too much of a good thing can be bad.

25
2
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part
differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

Question 6: A. imposes B. devises C. amuses D. endorses

Question 7: A. hood B. food C. crook D. wool

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other
three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

Question 8: A. remember B. develop C. establish D. celebrate

Question 9: A. signal B. dentist C. student D. cartoon

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to Indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to
the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

Question 10: Carol, who used to be quite submissive, suddenly turned rebellious for reasons unknown to
us.
A. mischievous B. obedient C. permissive D. timid
Question 11: Many people subscribe to the view that we should teach children how to cook at an early age
while others think it would not be beneficial to do so.
A. confirm B. concur C. deprive D. reject

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to
the underlined word(s) in each of thefollowing questions.

Question 12: Tired of being a tiny cog in a vast machine, he handed in his resignation.
A. an important person B. a significant instrument
C. a small group of people D. a large piece of equipment
Question 13: Joe’s outstanding performance in the exams made him think he was the cat’s whiskers.
A. a troublemaker B. the worst person C. an animal lover D. the best performer

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the
following questions.

Question 14: ______ often added to sauces and soups, is plentiful and relatively inexpensive.
A. Parsely, an herb that is B. Parsely, is that herb
C. An herb, parsely is D. For parsely, an herb to be
Question 15: Being asked to take part in such a test would be an ______ intrusion into their private lives.
A. objected B. objectionable C. objection D. objective
Question 16: If money ______, you want to spend it as soon as you have it.
A. has deep pockets B. gets in over your head
C. pays through the nose D. burns a hole in your pocket
Question 17: No matter how many times I tell her how to use the food processor, she cannot ______.
A. figure it out B. log it off C. drag it on D. line it up
Question 18: The clay burial vessels from the early Hopewell culture of North America are decorated with
zigzag, grooved, and ______.
A. designs are geometric B. geometrically designed C. geometry designed D. geometric designs
Question 19: The weather is likely to ______ later on today.
A. exaggerate B. exacerbate C. facilitate D. deteriorate
Question 20: ______, her suggestion is of greater value than yours.
A. All things considering B. All things considered
C. All things were considered D. With all things were considered
Question 21: _________, we will have a game of tennis.
A. Once you had finished work B. As soon as you finish work
C. Until you finished work D. When you finished work
Question 22: Our apartment building has had two robberies in the last month. ______, I’m going to put an
extra lock on the door and install a telephone in my bedroom.
A. Consequently B. Subsequently C. Absolutely D. Alternately
Question 23: She was able to finish university _________ her financial difficulties.
A. although B. because C. despite D. because of
Question 24: Would you be ______ my letter while I am away.
A. too kind as to forward B. as kind as forward C. so kind as to forward D. so kind as forwarding
Question 25: Having worked together on the project for years, the team members have _________ a close
bond with one another.
A. bridged B. adapted C. forged D. amended
Question 26: We need to help _________ homeless in our community.
A. Ø (no article) B. a C. an D. the
Question 27: Pho is essentially Vietnam’s _____dish, comprising rice noodles in a flavourful soup with
meat and various greens, plus a side of nuoc cham (fermented fish) or chilli sauce.
A. signature B. impression C. memory D. identity
Question 28: You can cook Italian food, _________?
A. won’t you B. didn’t you C. can’t you D. haven’t you

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best completes each of
the following exchanges.

Question 29: Tony and Bob are talking in their classroom.

Tony. “We are buying Lily a graduation present.” - Bob. “ ”
A. She’s out of my league. B. Can you all be more down-to-earth?
C. I’m raking in money now. D. Could I chip in?
Question 30: John: “He's not a fast reader, is he?” - Tom: “______.”
A. No, he reads very slowly B. Yes, he's not a fast reader
C. Yes, he's a slow reader D. No, he doesn't read very slowly

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 31 to 35.

Vietnam’s Pandemic Success Is a Lesson for the World

On July 31, six days after Vietnam officially confirmed the beginning of the third wave of community
transmissions, ending its 99-day streak of zero local infections, Vietnam lost its first person to Covid-19.
The 70-year-old patient in central Vietnam, who was linked to the wave set off in Vietnam’s third largest
city, Da Nang, in late July, reportedly died of coronavirus and several underlying conditions. On the same
night, another man, 61, was ____(31)____dead due to Covid-19 and comorbidities. The following morning,
a 68-year-old woman was claimed by Covid-19 and other severe illnesses.

Repeated fatalities in less than 24 hours dealt a huge blow to the national psyche. Prior to the deaths, most
people in Vietnam basked in pride ____(32)___ theirs was the most populous country in the world to not
have recorded a coronavirus death while bigger and richer countries mourned deaths that multiplied by the
hour.

But Vietnam’s tallies remain minuscule in comparison with those of more powerful and well-off nations.
After Vietnam, historically a poor country, adopted the economic reforms known as Doi Moi in 1986 it
achieved rapid progress and has become a middle-income country, ____(33)____ the wealth disparity
between the working class and the rich is still vast. As of Sept. 15, Vietnam’s Covid-19 cases stood at
1,063, with 35 fatalities. How does a nation of 100 million people keep its tally so low? A public health
system must either stop the infection from gaining a ____(34)____in the first place or prevent it from
multiplying. Since the former is nigh impossible, Vietnamese society as a whole has made sure that it aces
the latter.
None of this is magic. Vietnam’s success comes from a wealth of experience in dealing with infectious
diseases, significant investment in public health infrastructure and a commitment to early action —
Vietnam was the first country ____(35)___to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARs in 2003.
Shortly after, it also successfully combated the H5N1 bird flu. Many of the strategies used to suppress these
diseases are again in use during the Covid-19 epidemic, in addition to new ones.

Question 31: A. pronounced B. declared C. proclaimed D. released

Question 32: A. which B. that C. who D. what
Question 33: A. since B. but C. though D. because
Question 34: A. foothold B. milestone C. cushion D. springboard
Question 35: A. recognize B. recognizing C. to recognize D. recognized

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 38.

Question 36: Like my grandfather, my dad enjoys reading newspapers, listen to the radio, and watching
A B C
television.
D
Question 37: The fact that half of the known species is thought to inhabit the world's rain forests does not
A B
seem surprising, considering the huge numbers of insects that comprise the bulk of the species.
C D
Question 38: In the past, many women were trapped in dispassionate or violent mariages, and some of
A
them resorted to committing suicide as a means of escape
B C D

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning
to each of the following questions.

39. I'd suggest that we avoid telling any scary stories with Janet around, since she's a bit unstable and could
get hysterical.
A. It is no fun to tell frightening stories to Janet, who is not very stable mentally, because she only
laughs instead of getting scared.
B. Janet is somewhat mentally unbalanced and might easily become uncontrollably emotional, so let's
not tell frightening stories in her presence.
C. Since Janet is somewhat unbalanced, the only way to make her laugh is by telling stories, but we
should avoid scary ones as they might cause her to panic.
D. Janet has trouble keeping her emotions under control, especially when she is told frightening stories.
40. I envy Jack, as he seems to accomplish everything so effortlessly.
A. Jack makes everything look easy, which is not the case for me at all.
B. I am envious of Jack since he has accomplished so much.
C. I'm jealous of Jack because he seems to have everything easy.
D. I wish I could get things done as easily as Jack does.
41. You could have been more tactful to her when you broke the news of her dismissal from work.
A. Since you were careful about the way you informed her, she wasn't really hurt because of her
dismissal from work.
B. How you broke the news to her did not matter so much, as being dismissed from work would upset
her anyway.
C. She wouldn't have been so upset if you have been more tactful when informing her about her being
dismissed.
D. The way you informed her about her dismissal from work needn't have been so direct.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each
pair of sentences in the following questions.

Question 42: The demand for her novel is great. The publisher has decided to reprint it.
A. Not until she demands to reprint her novel will the publisher decide to make it great.
B. Great as the demand for her novel is, the publisher has made a decision to reprint it.
C. It is the publisher’s decision to reprint her novel that demands its greatness.
D. Such is the demand for her novel that the publisher has decided to reprint it.
Question 43: Katherine’s academic performance was excellent. She was awarded a scholarship to a leading
university.
A. If Katherine’s academic performance had been excellent, she would have been awarded a scholarship to
a leading university.
B. If it hadn't been for Katherine’s excellent academic performance, she wouldn’t have been awarded
ascholarship to a leading university.
C. Without Katherine’s excellent academic performance, she would have been awarded a scholarship to a
leading university.
D. But for Katherine’s excellent academic performance, she wouldn't be awarded a scholarship to a leading
university.

( Lưu ý: Các câu từ 44 đến 50 tương ứng với câu 1 – 7 trong bài đọc hiểu phía dưới).