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

Commonly used English essay
1. THINGS I LIKE TO DO
I have many interests. T he activities I spend m ost of my

leisure on, however, are reading, jogging and painting.
I enjoy reading very much. I read widely, ranging from fairy

tales to non-fiction books on outer space and nature. Reading
helps to widen my general knowledge and improves my writing
skill. T herefore, my parents think well of my hobby and often buy
me books that I can not find in the library.
W hen my eyes get tired from reading too much, I would go

for a slow jog with my dog in the park near my house. Jogging
regularly m akes on e healthier. I have also made a few friends
among the regular joggers in the park.
Som etim es, instead of jogging, I would stroll in the park,

carrying with me Thy painting equipment. I love to capture
beautiful things on paper. I have taken arts lesson since I was
nine and I am especially good at w ater-colour painting. Besides
painting pictures of the park, I also like to draw portrait of my
family m em bers.
All my interests are funny and useful pastim es. I believe that
everyone should spend their time on som e useful hobbies rather
than laze precious time away.
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a n Ih t ônc * duNQ
1. non-fiction (n): sach, bai uiet, u.u. ue n h u n g s u viec co

th a t
2. to stroll (v): d i dao, tan bo
3. to capture (v): ( th a n h c o n g t r o n g uiec th e h ie n ai/cai gi
t r o n g m o t buc a n h , bo p h im , u.u..) g h i lai
4. portrait (n) ch a n d u n g
5. to laze sth away (idm): an k h o n g n g o i ro i p h i thcri g ia n
NHLTNG Vl£C TOl THICH LAM
T oi co nhieu sd thich. Tuy nhien, toi thi/Ong danh het thdi

gian ranh roi cua minh de doc sach, chay bo va ve tranh.
Toi thich doc sach bao. T oi doc rat nhieu the loai, ti/ truyen
than thoai den sach khoa hoc ve vu tru va tif nhien. D oc sach
giup toi m o rong kien thtfc pho thong va phat trien ky nang viet.
Do do, cha me toi danh gia cao sd thich nay cua toi va thirdng
mua cho toi nhCfng quyen sach ma toi khong the tnr> thay trong
thii vien.
Khi mat qua moi vi doc nhieu, toi chay bo vdi con ch o cua
minh d cong vien canh nha. Ghay bo thudng xuyen lam ch o
ngifcrt khoe manh. Toi con ket ban vofi m ot vai ngi/cfi trong so
nhCfng ngu'Oi thUOng chay bo trong cong vien.
Doi khi thay vi chay bo toi lai di dao trong cong vien va
mang theo dung cu ve tranh ben minh. T oi rat thich ghi lai nhCfng
gi dep de tren trang giay. T oi da hoc ve ti/ khi len chin va dac biet
gioi m on ve tranh mau nifdc. Ben canh nhung buc tranh ve canh
cong vien, toi con thich ve chan dung cac thanh vien trong g.a cf:nh
6
Commonly used English essay_______________________
T a t ca nhCfng sd thich cua toi deu thu vi va hdru ich. T oi tin

r§ng m oi ngi/di nen sii dung th<M gian cua minh ch o nhCfng sd
thich hull ich hon la an khong ngoi roi buong troi thdi gian
qui bau.
7
C a c bAi Iu an TiENq a n U ih d N q diJNq
2. NEWSPAPER READING
Reading new spapers is good for school children since it

helps them to know m ore about their country and the people as
well as the world beyond. T here are m any benefits of reading
new spapers. Besides increasing our general knowledge, it
improves our standard of English if we are in the habit of reading
new spapers daily.
It is im portant to know what our governm ent is doing for the

welfare of its citizens. W e will know about governm ent program s
like building flats, constructing bridges or roads and opening new
school from new spapers.
Som etim es we read about events in far away countries in

Africa or South Am erica. It is interesting to know about
earthquake disaster or volcanic explosion. All this is inform ation
which a new spaper reports.
Newspaper reading is also considered a pastim e if we take it

as a casual reading.
1. benefit (n): ich lai

■2. to improve (v): cai th ie n , cai tien
3. welfare (n): sue k h o e tot, t h in h u u g n g
4. volcanic explosion (n): su b u n g n o cua n u i lira
5. to report (v): tit a n g th u a t
6. pastim e (n): tr o g ia i t r i , tie u k h ie n
7. casual (adj): k h o n g t h u d n g xuyen
DOC BAO
D oc bao rat bo ich cho hoc sinh yi bao chi giup hoc sinh
hieu them ve dat nifdc va dan toe minh, cung nhif ve the gidi ben
ngoai. D oc bao co nhieu loi ich. Ngoai viec lam tang kieri thifc
pho thong, doc bao con giup cai thien trinh do Anh ngCf neu
chung ta co thoi quen doc bao hang ngay.
Biet difdc nhCfng gi chinh phu se lam vi sif thinh vifOng va

hanh phuc cua nhan dan la mot dieu rat quan trong. Qua bao
chi, chung ta se hieu biet ve cac chifOng trinh cua chinh phu, nhif
la xay dtfng cac can ho, cau cong hoac difdng sat va m d nhCfng
trifcfrig hoc m 6i.
Doi khi chung ta con doc thay nhCfng sif kien xay ra d nhCfng
dat nude xa xoi tan Chau Phi hoac Nam My. Cung rat thu vi neu
dtfOc "biet ve m ot tai hoa dong dat hoac m ot vu no cua nui ltfa.
Tat ca nhCfng thong tin nay deu difOc bao chi ttfdng thuat lai.
D oc bao con duWc xem la mot thu tieu khien neu chung ta
khong co thoi quen doc thifcfng xuyen.
9
C a c b/vi Ilian tIenq a n U th o N q duNq
3. A BLACKOUT
W e were all watching a humourous television program m e

and laughing gaily. T he next m om ent, it was pitch dark. I was too
surprised to open my mouth, but my little sister, A lice, scream ed
shrilly.
My elder brother immediately told her to shut up. Our

parents had gone for a show, so big P eter was to take charge. He
felt his way into his room to get his torch. B a n g !... "O u ch !" Peter
must had knocked into his big chair. S o o n , we saw a beam of
light and Peter cam e out of his room , rubbing his left knee.
H e told us to follow him to the kitchen to hunt for candles

and m atches. W e rummaged through the drawers and found
twelve small coloured candles and a box of m atches. 1 realized the
candles were the ones used for my birthday a few days ago.
T ogether, we went back to the sitting room and lit the

candles. Peter arranged the candles in a sem i circle on the glass
table and they gave a warm and cheerful glow.
T o while away the time, P eter told us a fa iry ta le . H ow ever,

before the tale the ended, the lights cam e on. W e felt proud that
we had handled the situation well and looked forward to telling
our parents about it.
1. blackout (n): t h d i d ie m trcfi to i d o m a t d ie n

2. to shut up (v): im m o m , ca m m ie n g lai
10
3. torch (n): d e n p in
4. to rumm age (v): lu c tu n g
5. glow (n): lu o n g sang, q u a n g sang
6. to while away (v): h e t t h o i g i d
M0T LAN MAT Dl£N
T at ca chung toi dang cifdi khoai chi khi xem m ot chifOng

trinh hai hifdc tren ti vi. Ngay sau do, dien cup toi thui. T oi ngac
nhien den noi khong noi difOc ldi nao nhifhg em gai toi. Alice,
het len the the.
A nh trai toi lap tufc bao em im lang. C ha me chung toi da di

xem phim, nen anh Peter phai dam difcfng moi thC/. Anh lan
difdng di vao phong cua anh de lay den pin. R am !..."U i da!". At
han P eter da dung phai cai ghe 16n. Mot lat sau, chung toi thay
mot tia sang va Peter bufdc ra khoi phong, tay xoa dau goi trai.
Anh bao chung toi theo anh vao bep de tim nen va diem.
Chung toi luc tung cac ngan keo va tim thay mUdi hai cay nen
mau loai nho va m ot hop diem. T oi nhan ra nhCftig cay nen nay
da dtfOc dung trong sinh nhat cua toi vai ngay tri/dc do.
Chung toi cung t r d lai phong khach va dot nen. P eter xep
nhCfng cay nen theo hinh ban nguyet tren mat ban bang kinh va
chung tao nen m ot quang sang rife ref, am ap va vui m at.
D e giet thdi gian, Peter ke cho chung toi nghe m ot cau

chuyen than thoai. Tuy nhien, trifdc khi cau chuyen ket thuc den
da sang trd lai. Chung toi cam thay tif hao vi da giai quyet tot tinh
huong nay va m ong ke lai cho cha me chung toi nghe.
11
C ac bAi Iuan TitNq /wh th o n g dying
4. MIKILE’S HUNT
Mikile lives far to the north, in Greenland. He is on e of the

Inuit people. T hey live much as Eskim os have for hundreds of
years. Today, though, is an im portant on e for Mikile. H e is now
old enough to be a real Inuit hunter.
With the other hunters, Mikile is in a small boat. T hey paddle

slowly in order to sneak up on a herd of six narwhals. A narwhal
is a three-thousand-pound whale with a single long horn in its
forehead. Com ing within a few feet of on e of the w hales, Mikile
throws his harpoon. T he other hunters quickly paddle over to
help. Still fighting against the strong whale, Mikil6 is pleased.
T here will be food for the family during the long Greenland
nights.
1. hunter (n): n g a d i d i san

2. to paddle (v): c heo x u o n g
3. to sneak up (v): len d e n gan
4. narwhal (n): con ki Ian bien
5. whale (n): ca voi
6. horn (n): cai sitn g
7. forehead (n): tra n
8. harpoon (n): cay lao m o c
12
CHUYEN 01 SAN CCA MIKILE
Mikile song d Greenland cach xa ve phia bac. Cau la m ot

trong nhCfng ngifdi In u it.'H o song nhif ngifdi Eskimo da hang
tram nam. T he nhifhg, hom nay la mot ngay quan trong doi vdi
Mikile. Gid day cau da du 1cm de trd thanh mot thd san Inuit that
s if.
Cung vdi nhCfng ngifdi di san khac, Mikile di tren m ot chiec

thuyen nho. H o eheo xuong cham cham , bi mat tiep can m ot bay
sau con ki lan bien. Ki lan bien la mot con ca voi nang ba ngan
can vofi doc m ot cai sifng tren tran. Den cach m ot con ky lan bien
trong vong vai bo, Mikile phong ngon lao. C ac thgf san khac
nhanh chong den giup dd. Van dang chien dau vdi con ca voi
manh m e, Mikile cam thay rat hai long. S e co thifc an cho ca gia
dinh trong suot nhCfng dem dai b Greenland.
13
C a c bAi Iuan tiENg a n ^ t h o n g dung
3. A PLEASANT DREAM
My story book entitled “Fairy tales” slipped from my fingers

and fell onto the carpet. I felt too sleepy to pick it up.
Suddenly, the door bell rang. 1 went to answ er it and was

surprised to see seven dwarfs standing at the door. O n e of them
was holding a glittering shoe. W hen I put it on, I was immediately
transform ed into a beautiful princess in a lovely gown. T h e dwarfs
then took me to the palace in a carriage to see the king.
The king gave me a warm em brace. “Cinderella, my

daughter, you're final h o m e", he said. “T h e maids will see to your
every need". Ja n e , who was always quarreling with m e in class,
becam e very submissive as my maid. I tried on m any beautiful
dresses and shoes and thought that I had never looked so pretty
before. T here w eie also many cooks who prepared all my
favourite dishes.
O ne day, I was riding my horse to visit a duke w hen I heard

my mum saying, “Cindy, hurry up! You'll be late!" S h e started
shaking me so hard that 1 alm ost fell off my horse. I w oke up and
found myself in my bedroom . It had only been a dream , but it was
certainly a wonderful start to my day.
1. dwarf (n): ch u lu n
2. glittering (adj): la p la n h, nha'p nhay
14
Commonly used English essqy
3. gown (n): do p h u n tf
4. submissive (adj): n g o a n ngoan, de bao
5. duke (n): c o n g tu d c
M0T GIAC MO THCJ V!
Quyen truyen co tifo de “Truyen than tien” tuot khoi tay toi
va rcfi xuong tham . T o i da qua buon ngu nen khong the nhat no
len noi.
B at thinh linh chuong cute reo. Toi ra md cite va ngac nhien

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

m eet. W e hate som e people for good reasons.
T h e person I hate m ost is Billy, who lives a few blocks away

from my flat. He is bully, a pick-pocket and an extortioner. He
was arrested by the police several times and still he is incorrigible.
T h e boy has grown up on the streets, for his parents had died
when he was only five years old.
O n ce he was arrested for being a vagrant and kept in the

welfare hom e for som e time. O n another occasion he picked a
m an ’s pocket and was jailed for six m onths. H e demanded
m oney from youngsters like m e and if we refused he would
threaten us with a knife.
I am terribly afraid of this bully. I am sure, on e day he will

land up in prison with a longer sentence. This boy is a danger to
the society and so 1 hate him. I hope everyone will agree with me.
1. bully (n): ke d u n g vu lu c d e h a m doa, la m to n thucfng

n g u d i kh ac
2. extortioner (n): ke to n g tien, ke m o i tien
3. to arrest (v): bat g iu
4. incorrigible (adj): k h o n g the sua chira d u o c
5. vagrant (n): n g u d i k h o n g co c h o 6, c o n g viec 6 n d in h
16
6. jail (n): nha tu '

7. to land up (v): d e n tin h h u o n g cu o i c u n g
8. sentence (n): ban an
NGlfCJI MA TOl GH£T NHAT
Chung ta khong the than thien difdc vdi tat ca nhCfng ngifdi
ma ta da gap. T h e nao chung ta cung ghet m ot ngifdi nao do vi
nhCfng li do chinh dang.
Billy chinh la ke ma toi ghet nhat. Han ta song cach can ho

cua toi vai can. Han la m ot ten chuyen an hiep ngi/di yeu the,
m ot ke m oc tui va m ot ten tong tien. Han da bi canh sat bat giCf
nhieu lan nhifng van chifhg nao tat ay. Han ldn len b difdng pho
vi cha me cua hSn da mat khi han vite mdi len nam tuoi.
C o lan han da bi bSt vi toi lang thang leu long va bi giCf b

nha phuc loi mot thcrt gian. Mot lan khac han da m oc tui mot
ngifdi no va bi tong vao tu sau thang. H an doi tien cua nhCfng dife
tre nhif chung toi va neu nhif chung toi tif choi thi han lien rut
dao ham doa.
T oi rat khiep sO ten ac on nay. T oi chac chan rang m ot ngay

nao do han cung se vao tu vdi mifc an cao hon. H an la mot moi
nguy hiem cho xa hoi vi the toi cam ghet han. T oi hi vong moi
ngifdi cung dong y vdi toi.
17
C a c bAi Iuan m N q a n N Ttidwq dunq
7. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES OF AIR TRAVEL?
S cie n ce has made great strides in every field and up to now

travelling has been much improved. Many m eans of travelling
have been at our disposal: train, car, ship and plane. T herefore
when we are on holiday or intend to travel abroad as a tourist, we
should first of all decide on the m eans of travelling.
In my view, travelling by air is both advantageous and

disadvantageous.
First, when travelling by air we can sit com fortably in an

arm -chair, reading m agazines or watching a free film on
television.
T h en , at meal time, we'll be servgd heartily and carefully by

smiling stewards and stewardesses.
Finally, travelling by air is the fastest m eans of transport. We

can reach our destination in a few hours and we don t feel tired at
all after such a com fortable trip.
Apart from these advantages, however, travelling by air has

its disadvantages too.
First of all, this is the m ost expensive form of transport Only

a minority of people can afford a trip by plane w hereas a ourney
on land or by sea is much cheaper.
18
Commonly used English cssqy
T h en air travels have the reputation of being dangerous and

even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. T here have
been plane crashes in which the crew and passengers have died
to a man!
Finally, we c a n ’t stop wherever we want to enjoy beautiful

landscapes on our way as we do on a trip by car or boat.
Sceneries seen from plane are merely vague and blurred sights.
Air travels only give us a bird's eye view of the world.
1. to make great strides (idm): d a t d u a c n h irn g bxjtac tien hem

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

va ch o den tan bay gid viec di lai da difOc cai tien nhieu. Nhieu
phifOng tien van chuyen difOc dat th u o c quyen stf dung cua chung
ta: tau lute, x e hoi, tau thuy va m ay bay. D o do,> khi chung ta di
nghi m at hay dinh di du lich nifdc n goai trifdc h et ch u n g -ta nen
quyet dinh di bSng phifOng tien gi.
T h eo toi di du lich bang may bay vifa tien loi vifa bat loi
T afd c het, trong khi di du lich bang may bay chung ta co the
ngoi thoai mai trong m ot chiec ghe banh, doc tap chi hay xem
phim mien phi tren ti vi.
Roi d en gid an , chung ta se difOc c a c nam nCf tiep vien phuc

vu tan tinh chu dao.
Sau cung, du ljch bang may bay la phifong tien van chuyen
nhanh nhat. Chung ta co the tdi noi den trong m ot vai gid ma
c h ln g cam thay m et moi chut nao sau m ot chuyen di thoai mai
nhif vay.
Tuy nhien, ngoai nhCfng thuan loi nay, du lich bang may bay
cung co nhieu bat loi nCfa.
Trifdc het, day la hinh thifc van chuyen dat tien nhat. Chi co
m ot sd it ngifdi co kha nang di du lich bang may bay trong khi du
lich b5ng difdng bo hay difdng thuy re hon nhieu.
Tiep den, du lich bang may bay noi tieng la nguy hiem nhat,
ngay ca nhung du khach gan da cung phai so. Da co nh:e_i vu roi
may bay ma phi hanh doan va hanh khach deu chet het.
20
C uoi cu ng, ch u n g ta khong the difng lai noi n ao m a chung ta

m uon de thifdng thifc ph ong can h dep tren difdng di n hif trong
cu o c h an h trinh b3n g x e hoi hay tau thuy. P h on g can h nhin thay
qua m ay bay chi la nhCfng phong can h Id m d. NhCfng chuyen du
lich bang m ay bay ch i c h o chung ta m ot phong can h tong quat ve
the gidi m a thoi.
">1
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an N Thowq diw q
8. A DISASTER IN A VILLAGE
Mai lives in a village in B en Tre. T here are many coconut

trees all round her house. Every morning, when Mai's parents go
to work on their farm, five-year-old Mai is looked after by her
grandmother.
O ne day, there was a terrible storm in the village. Lightning

flashed and thunder roared. T he rain cam e down heavily. It
rained continuously for several days. Most of the people stayed at
hom e including Mai's parents. T he water level began to rise.
S o o n the village was flooded. Many things floated out of the
houses. Mai's family moved onto the roof of the house for safety.
Rescue workers cam e in boats to rescue the villagers and brought
them to higher ground.
Mai's family stayed at the rescue quarters until the water

level receded. W hen they returned, they found that m ost of their
belongings had been swept away by the flood water.
1. storm (n): can bao

2. grandm other (n): ba
3. village (n): long
4. quarters (n): t r a i , d o a n h trai
5. to recede (v): lu i lai, lui xa dan
22
MOT THAM HOA TRONG LANG
Mai song tai mot thon lang thuoc tinh Ben T re. Quanh nha
trong rat nhieu di/a. Moi sang, khi ba me Mai ra dong lam viec,
co be Mai nam tuoi di/Oc giao cho ba noi cham nom.
Mot horn, mot tran bao di/ doi ap vao lang. Chdp loe sang
va sam ren vang. Mi/a tuon xoi xa. Trdi mi/a khong ngeft trong
vong nhieu ngay. Hau het moi ngi/di deu b nha ke ca ba me Mai.
Mi/c nt/dc bat dau dang cao. ChSng bao lau ca thon lang da bi
ngap lut. D o dac bap benh troi khoi nha. Gia dinh Mai leo len
mai nha de bao dam an toan. Nhan vien ci/u ho di xuong den
giup dan lang va dua ho den vung dat cao hdn.
Gia dinh Mai nghi lai b trai cC/u nan cho den khi ni/dc rut.
Khi trc? ve, ho thay hau het tai san da bi cuon theo dong lu.
C a c bAi Il a n TiENq A*h t Iio n q duNq
9. WEATHER VANES
Have you ever looked at the top of a bam and seen what
looked like a toy rooster, arrow, or cow ? T h ese are called
w eather vanes. They tell the farmer which way the wind is
blowing.
T he first weather vanes were used by the G reek almost two

thousand years ago. They looked like G reek gods. Later they
began to be made in the form of animals.
Today, if you look carefully, you can see w eather vanes

shaped like lions, tigers, pigs, and even autom obiles. They are
used on farms, boats, and at weather stations. W herever they are
used, their purpose is to tell which way the wind is blowing.
1. w eather vane (n): c h o n g c h o n g (d a t 6 c h d cao d e biet

chieu g id )
2. rooster (n): con ga t r o n g
3. arrow (n): m u i ten
4. to blow (v): th o i
5. form (n): h in h th u c
6. automobile (n): xe hoi
7. w eather station (n): tra m kh i tu o n g
8. purpose (n): m uc d ich
24
CHONG CHONG GIO
B an da bao gid nhin len dinh kho thoc va thay cai gi trong
giong nhu mot con ga, mui ten, hay con bo do choi khong?
Nhung vat nay di/Oc goi la chong chong gio. Chung bao cho
nong dan biet gio dang thoi hi/dng nao.
Cai chong chong dau tien difOc ngudi Hi Lap dung cach day
gan 2 0 0 0 nam . Chung trong nhif cac vi than Hi Lap. Sau do
chung b it dau di/Oc tao thanh hinh cac con vat.
Ngay nay, neu nhin ky, ban co the trong thay cac chong
chong gio co hinh thu sir tuf, cop, heo va tham chi ca xe m o to
nCtei. Chung dutgc st t dung d cac trang trai, tren thuyen be va d
cac tram kht ttfOng. Du duoc stf dung d dau di nCra, cong dung
cua chung van la thong bao hifdng gio thoi.
25
C a c bAi Iuan tie n q Thong duaq
10. READING IS FUN
Sin ce young, my m other has always brought me to the

library to borrow books. At first, I thought reading was boring.
However, I soon leant to love reading.
T h e first books 1 read were fairy tales. I still rem em ber those
delightful tales like ‘Beauty and the B e a st’ and ‘T h e Ugly
Duckling’. O ne thing 1 like about fairy tales is that the kind-
hearted always gets rewarded in the end.
Now, I prefer books on adventures like Enid Blyton’s

"Fam ous Five” series and mysteries like “T h e T hree Investigators”
series. O n ce a fortnight, I visit the library to get som e books to
read. 1 always find difficult to put down a book on ce I start
reading it.
Reading has improved my com m and of English. I also gain a

lot of general knowledge, especially from reading non-fiction
books. 1 like reading books on subjects that I am interested in, like
dogs, horses and outer space.
Reading also provides a world where we can experience

things which we may never do in real life. For exam ple. I may not
have the chance to travel caravan. However, reading Enid
Blyton s Five G o Off In A Caravan tells me what it is like to stay
in a caravan. Therefore. I think reading is both funny and
beneficial.
26
1. fortnight (n): (khoang thefi gian) hai tuan

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

family to see it. W hen we reached the circus ground, it was rather
crowed. My father joined the queue to buy tickets.
A fter getting the tickets, we entered a massive tent and took

our seats. T h ere was an arena in the middle of the tent. A lively
tune was played to signal the start of the show. Out cam e the
beautifully decorated animals and stunningly clad perform ers. T he
audience clapped loudly. T h en perform ances started. T h e acrobat
exciting stunts won the hearts of the spectators. They received a
long applause.
The clowns perform ed som e amusing tricks. They

som ersaulted and yelled and made the crowds laugh. W hen the
show ended, we went hom e feeling happy to have seen it.
1. circus (n): ganh xiec

2. queue (n): hang xep noi duoi nhau
3 . m assive (adj): do so, to 1cm
4 . arena (n): vu dai
5 . acrob at (n): ngUOi nhao Ion
6 . stunt (n): tro nguy hiem hoac kho khan de giai tri
7. clown (n): anh he
8 . to som ersault (v): bieu dien nhao Ion
29
C a c b/\i Iuan TiiN q ANh Thowq duNq
6 RAP X lfc
Nam roi, m ot ganh xiec da den thi tran. C ha toi ben dan ca
nha di xem . Khi chung toi den cho difng rap thi d do da kha dong
ngifdi. C ha toi xep hang chd mua ve.
Mua ve xong, chung toi bifdc vao can leu do so va ngoi vao
ghe cua minh. GiCfa leu la m ot vu dai. Mot giai dieu soi dong vang
len bao hieu buoi bieu d iln sap bat dau. T if ben ngoai, cac con
thu dUdc trang tri dep de va nhuYig ngifdi bieu dien trong bo
quan ao sac sd btfdc vao. Khan gia v6 tay nhiet liet. Sau do,
buoi bieu dien bat dau. NhCfng tiet muc nguy hiem cua cac dien
vien nhao Ion da chinh phuc difOc khan gia. Tieng vo tay vang
len khong ngcrt.
C ac anh he trinh d iln nhCfng tro vui nhon. Ho nhao Ion va

het len lam dam dong cifcti nghieng nga. Khi buoi bieu d iln ket
thuc, chung toi trcf ve nha vcfi tam trang het sifc vui ve.
30
12. THE ADVANTAGES OF LIVING IN THE

COUNTRY AND THE DISADVANTAGES OF
LIVING IN THE CITY
Although I was born and brought up in the country I spent

m ost of my time in the city, however, a com fortable life in the
city has never appealed to me at all. And the country with its
advantages still has a call to me for good.
First, the fresh and clean air of the country makes you feel
healthier. How relaxed and pleasant you are when you can enjoy
the pure air wafted with soft fragrance of areca and grapefruit
trees as you leisurely take a stroll around your garden every
morning and night! T h e stifling and polluted atm osphere of a
crowded city on the contrary m akes you suffocated and annoyed.
It may breed neurosis and other fatal diseases to urban residents.
Secon d , living in the country you may feel safer while in

town, the city dwellers are in a state of continuously being afraid
of com miting violent deaths caused by careless drivers or
foolhardy m otor-cyclists.
Third, if you have a poetic soul you’ll find in the country a

source of "divine inspiration". T o my mind, nothing can be
com pared with the m oonlight through foliages or the gorgeous
glow of the sunset on yellow ricefields. I often see the m oon
31
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an ^ ThoNq duNq
shedding its light on the city but how desperate 1 feel! T he moon
itself has lost its natural beauty and it seem s to me a pale
dischanging shamelessly in a zone surrounded by angrily dazzling
neonlights. T h e silvery moonlight in the country has a mystic
pow er to soothe your pains and sufferings and it does help you
escap e from the material world.
Fourth, if you are fond of gardening, you can spend your

free time digging, planting and watering. Gardening is my
favourite hobby. W hat a serene joy 1 feel when 1 watch my fruit
trees growing amid the melodious twitters of birds and how sweet
and delicious their fruit are when 1 taste my first successful result! 1
can 't help feeling sorry for the city dwellers who day and night
have indulged themselves in debaucheries and can never enjoy a
minute of pure bliss in the countryside.
Finally, in the country you can rest from the noise and bustle
of the town. Even though you have to get up early to catch buses
to get to work in town, you can sleep better at night without
being disturbed by deafening sirens of cars or m achines running
noisily all the time.
1. to be brought up (v): d u g c n u o i n a n g
2. to appeal to (v): hap dan
3 . for good = forever: d o i d o i
4 . to waft (v): n he dua, th o a n g d u a
5. fragrance (n): m u i hoa
6. areca (n): cay cau
7. grape fruit tree (n): cay buoi
32
NHCTNG t h u a n lo i k h i s 6 n g 6 m i £ n q u £ VA NHCTNG b a t lo i
khi s 6 ng 6 THANH TH!
Mac du toi sinh ra va ldn len tai m ien que nhifng toi lai song
d thanh thi. Tuy cu oc song vdi day du tien nghi nhifng chang bao
gid hap dan toi ca va thon que vdi nhQng thuan ldi cua no van
hap dan toi mai mai.
Trifdc het, khong khi tUdi m at trong lanh d m ien que lam
cho ban cam thay khoe m anh hdn. B an cam thay thif gian hdn,
thu vi biet bao khi ban co the thifdng thifc khong khi thuan khiet
thoang thoang hudng cau va hudng bifdi khi ban nhan nha di dao
xung quanh vifdn sang sang, chieu chieu! Khong khi ngot ngat va
o nh ilm d chon thanh thi lam ban thay kho chiu. No co the gay
ra chung benh loan than kinh va nhCfng can benh chet ngifdi khac
cho ngifdi dan tbanh pho.
Thif hai, song tai thon que ban co the thay an toan hefn
trong khi d thanh thi ngifdi dan luon song trong tinh trang lo scf
vi nhCfng lai xe lieu llnh.
Thif ba, neu ban co mot tam hon thi si, ban se tim thay d
mien que m ot nguon cam hifng tuyet vdi. T h e o toi, khong gi co
the sanh difdc vdi anh trang xuyen qua canh la hay anh hoang
hon do rife trai tren dong lua chin vang. T oi thifdng nhin thay
anh trang chieu toa tren thanh pho nhifhg toi thay that vong biet
bao. Chi Hang m at het cai ve tif nhien cua minh, m at trang
chang khac nao m ot cai dia nhdt nhat treo Id lifng tren m ot vung
vay boc nhCfng anh dien ne ong chieu sang gian dif. Trong khi do
anh trang bang bac ndi m ien que co nang life than bi lam vdi di
ndi kho dau cua ban va giup ban thoat khoi the gidi vat chat.
33
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an U ThoNq dusq
Thu1tif, neu ban thich cong viec wfdn tifdc, ban co the dung
thdi gian ranh r6i de dao xdi trong tia hay tifdi cay. Lam vUdn la
thu tieu khien ua thich cua toi. T oi cam thay long lang lang,
thanh than khi nhin thay nhuhg cay trai cua toi dang ldn dan len
trong tieng chim hot liu lo va nhflhg trai thdm ngon biet may khi
toi thudng thu’c ket qua dau tay cua minh. T oi khong the khong
cam thay toi nghiep cho ngUcfi dan thanh thi nhtfrig ngi/di ngay
dem chim dam trong cac cuoc truy hoan va ^hang bao gid dUdc
hudng mot giay phut hanh phuc thuan khiet tron ven ncrt thon da.
Sau cung, song tai thon que ban co the nghi ngcfi thoat khoi
sif on ao va hoi ha noi thanh pho. Du ban co phai day sdm de
don xe buyt di lam d thanh pho ban cung co the ngu ngon giac
hon ve dem ma khong bi quay ray bdi tieng dong inh tai hhi/c oc
cua nhCfng chiec coi xe hoi hay cua cac nha may chay ram rap
suot ngay dem.
34
13. CATFISH - UNUSUAL FISH
Are catfish really like cats? Well, on their heads they do have
long feelers that look a bit like a cat's whisker. T hey also make
buzzing, croaking sounds that sound a bit like a cat's purr.
Catfish are unusual for m any other reasons. Catfish will bite
at alm ost any kind of bait: a worm , a special string, or even an
old sock. Y ou might think about that the next time you go fishing.
T here are m any oth er odd catfish. T here is an electric catfish

that lives in Afica, for exam ple. It can give painful shocks. T he
strangest of all, however, is a South Am erica catfish that walks
across the land to get from on e pond or river to another. Now, if
that one catches m ice, it m ight really be like a cat!
1. catfish (n): ca tre

2. feeler (n): rau
3. whisker (n): ria (m eo, c h u o t)
4. to buzz (v): p h a t ra t ie n g ra m ri
5. to croak (v): p h a t ta tie n g keu k h a n k h a n
6. to bite (v): can, d d p m o i
7. bait (n): m o i cau
8. worm (n): co n g iu n
9. string (n): c/ay. day ben
10. sock (n): v6. bit tat ngan
11. odd (adi): la lu n g , k i quae
12. shock (n): cu soc
C a c bAi Iuan tieNq ANh Th osq duNq
CA TR£ - LOAl CA Ki LA
Ca tre co that sif giong m eo khong? O , tren dau cua chung

cung co nhCfng sdi rau dai trong hoi giong ria m ep cua meo.
Chung cung phat ra nhCfng am thanh ri ram, khan khan gan
giong tieng ren gif gif cua con m eo.
Ca tre khac thifdng vi nhieu li do. No se Coin vao bat cCf

mieng moi nao nhif: con giun, mot mau day, hay ca mot cai vd
cu. Ban co the nghi den dieu nay trong lan di cau ke tiep.
Co nhieu con ca tre rat ki quae. Nhif con ca tre dien song d
Chau Phi. No co the lam ta bi giat dau d6n. Tuy nhien la hon la
con ca tre d Nam My, no thifdng di bang qua dat lien de den mot
cai ao hay mot dong song khac Neu con ca nay bat difOc chuot
thi ch§c chan no that sif giong mot con meo!
V.
14. CAUGHT IN A TRAFFIC JAM
It was a hot afternoon. I was on my way to school to play in

a football m atch. W hen the bus made a turn into the town, it
started crawling at a very slow pace because of the heavy traffic.
Before long, the traffic had alm ost com e to a standstill.
S o m e im patient drivers banged on their m otor-horns to

hurry the vehicles in front. Everybody becam e frustrated. T here
was no breeze as the bus was not moving and I started to
perspire. I wondered how long the traffic jam would last. I
realized later that the traffic jam was caused by faulty traffic lights
at the road junction.
Half an hour w ent by and som e passengers on the bus

alighted to walk to their destinations. I would have done so too if
my school was nearer.
Finally, som e tr-atfic-police cam e to help out in the chaotic

situation. It w^s only a fte r another ten minutes that the traffic
began to move. By the time I reached school, the m atch had
already begun. I could only join in the gam e after half-time.
1. jam (n): s u ta c n g h e n
2. to crawl (v): c h u y e n d o n g c h a m ch a p
3. to bang (v): d a n h cai gi d o co ch u tarn
4. to frustrate (v): la m ai boi ro i h oac nan lo n g
5. to perspire (v): d o m o hoi
6. junction (n): g ia o Ip
37
C a c bAi Iuan TiENq ANh Thd*q duNq
BI KET XE
D o la mot buoi chieu nong nifc. T oi dang tren difdng den

trifdng de tham dif mot tran dau bong da. Khi chiec xe buyt re
vao thanh pho, no bat dau Ian banh rat cham bdi vi xe co qua
nhieu. Sau do khong lau, dong xe co da gan nhif difng han lai.
Mot vai tai xe thieu kien nhan da bop coi inh oi hoi thuc
nhCfng chiec xe d phia trifdc. Moi ngifdi deu that vong. Chang co
m ot chut gio khi chiec xe buyt khong di chuyen va toi bat dau do
m 6 hoi. Toi tif hoi khong biet se con ket xe trong bao lau nCfa.
Sau do toi nhan ra rang ket xe xay ra do ioi cua den tin hieu d
giao lo.
Nifa gid dong ho troi qua va mot vai ngifdi hanh khach tren
xe buyt da xuong di bo.Toi at cung se lam nhif vay neu nhif
trifdng toi d gan hon.
Cuoi cung, mot sd canh sat giao thong den giai quyet tinh
trang mat trat tif nay. Chi trong vong mifdi phut thi xe co da b it
dau chuyen dong. Luc toi den trifdng, tran dau da bat dau. Toi
chi co the tham gia tran dau sau gid giai lao giCfa hai hiep.
38
- v------------------------------------------ —
15. USING ENERGY FROM THE SUN
In the middle of California’s Mojave D esert, silvery pipes

gleam in the hot sun. T h e pipes are part of a special pow er plant.
T he plant is owned by the Luz International C om pany, and it
makes electricity from the rays of the sun.
During the 1 9 7 0 s , m any people becam e interested in solar,

or sun, power. Few of them , however, actually did anything about
harnessing the energy of the sun. Luz was on e of the few
com panies to try. T heir hard work is now paying off. Their
power plant spreads over a thousand acres. Giant mirrors capture
the sun energy. This helps each of the com pany’s plant to. m ake
enough electricity to pow er 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 hom es. T hat m akes the Luz
solar power plants a pretty bright idea.
1. energy (n): n a n g lu o n g
2. silvery (adj): a n h bqc
3. pipe (n): o n g
4. to gleam (v): a n h len, ch ie u la p la n h
5. pow er plant (n): n h a m ay che tao n a n g lu o n g
6. ray (n): tia
7. solar (adj): t h u o c h o a c co lie n q u a n d e n m a t tr o i
8. to harness (v): k h a i th a c de san x u a t d ie n
9. to pay off (v): m a n g lai k e t qua, t h a n h c o n g
10. acre (n): m a u A n h (don vi d o d a t dai), k h o a n g 4 0 5 0 m 2
11. to capture (v): b at lay, g i u /ay.
39
C a c bAi Ilian TitNq ANh ThoNq duNq
Sir DUNG n A n g lu o n g m at t r o i
?
0 giCfa sa m ac Mojave cua bang California, cac difdng ong

mau bac anh len difdi mat trdi nong bong. NhQhg cai ong nay la
bo phan cua mot nha may nang lifdng dac biet. Nha may nay thuoc
cong ty quoc te Luz va no tao ra dien nang tif nhdfng tia nlng.
Trong nhCfng nam 1 9 7 0 , nhieu ngifdi trd nen quan tarn

den nang lifOng mat trdi. Tuy vay, thifc te co rat it ngifcfi trong so
ho khai thac difdc nang lifdng mat trcfi de tao ra dien nang. Luz la
mot trong so it cong ty da thif lam dieu do. Cong viec phifc tap
ay cua ho bay gid da co ket qua. Nha may dien cua ho trai dai
hdn mot ngan mau. NhCfng tam gifdng khong lo b i t lay n£ng
lifdng m at trdi. V iec nay giup cho moi m ot nha m ay cua cong ty
tao ra du dien de cung cap cho 1 0 0 .0 0 0 gia dinh. Nha may
nang lifdng m at trdi cua Luz difdc coi la m ot sang kien het sifc
thong minh.
40
16. A FAMILY OUT
Last Saturday evening, my family and I went shopping at

Y aohan. My father drove us there. W h en -w e arrived, we had
difficulty in finding a parking lot of a car. T h e place was very
crowded.
My parents decided to go to the superm arket, while my

brother and I w ent to the book departm ent. I read a book on
m onstes and dinosaurs. My brother flipped through a few
magazines. T h en we went to the toy departm ent. W e played with
the pin-ball and the space invader m achines.
After a while, we went to the superm arket to look for our

parents. T hey w ere not there. We got frightened. S o we went
back the toy departm ent. A few minutes later, my father cam e for
us. My parents had bought m any things. I helped my father wheel
the trolley to the car. It had been an enjoyable family out.
1. trolley (n): x e d a y tay

2. departm ent (n): g ia n hang, k h u h a n g
3. parking lot (n): bai d a u x e
4 . superm arket (n): sieu thi
5. m onster (n): q u a i vat, yeu q u a i
41
C ac b/vi I uan t Ienq anN t ^ onq duwq
MOT CUOC DI CHOI CUA GIA DINH
Chieu thCf bay vifa roi, toi cung gia dinh di mua slm b
Y aohan. Cha toi lai xe ch d chung toi den do. Khi den ncri,
chung toi kho khan Urn mdi tim dUcfc cho da*M<e. Ncfi day dong
nghet ngUdi.
Cha me toi quyet dinh di sieu thi, con toi va anh toi den
quay sach. Toi doc mot cuon sach viet ve con quai vat va khung
long. Anh toi xem li/dt qua vai quyen tap chi. Sau do chung toi
den gian hang do choi. Chung toi choi vdi may ban dan va may
chinh phuc khong gian.
Mot luc sau, chung toi den sieu thi de tim cha m e nhung
khong thay ho b day. Chung toi bat dau hoang so, nen voi quay
lai gian hang do choi. .Vai phut sau, cha toi da den tim chung toi.
Hai ngiioi mua rat nhieu thOf. Toi giup cha toi day xe day den cho
dau xe hoi. D o la mot cuoc di choi thu vi cua gia dinh.
42
17. HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
O ne fine day, w hen I was on my way to school, 1 found a

wallet. It was lying outside the lift.
Opening the wallet, I found two hundred dollars and som e

coins inside. T here w ere som e pieces of paper but no identity
card. I was tem pted to keep the m oney, but I rem em bered what
my teacher taught us. S h e said, “It is wrong to take things which
do not belong to us”. I scolded myself for harbouring such
dishonest thoughts. T h en , in stead of going to school, I went to
report what I had found to the neigh-bourhood police.
T h e policem an was very kind and listened to me patiently.

As I was about to finish my story, I saw neighbour, Mr Son g,
walk into police-station. H e looked surprised to see me. After
much explanation, we discovered that the wallet belonged to Mr
Son g. W hat a coincidence!
My neighbour thanked me over and over again. T he

policem an praised m e for being an honest boy. He also called my
school to inform my principal of the incident. I am glad that I had
not kept the wallet. Indeed, honesty is the best policy.
1. wallet (n): cai v i ( t h a d n g cua d a n o ng )

2. to scold (v): q u o tra c h , tra c h m a n g
3. to harbour (v): n u o i d u o n g , a p u
4. coincidence (n): s i( t r u n g h o p ngau n h ie n
5. honest (adj): t h a t tha , t r u n g th u c
43
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq A«h Tôsq duNq
THAT THA LA THLfONG SACH
V ao m ot ngay dep trdi, tren dtfdng den trifdng, toi trong

thay mot cai vi nam ben ngoai thang may.
Md vi ra, toi thay hai tram do la va vai dong xu. Co mot so

giay td nhifng khong co giay chCfhg minh nhan dan. Toi bi cam
do bdi ham muon giCf lay so tien nhifng sifc nhd lai ldi co giao
day: “Lay nhCfng gi khong phai cua minh la mot viec lam sai
trai”.Toi tif trach minh da ap u nhCfng y nghl xau xa. Sau do, thay
vi den trifdng, toi chay di trinh bao vdi cong an gan do ve sif vigc
xay ra.
Anh cong an that tot bung da lang nghe toi mot cach kien
nhan. Khi gan ket thuc cau chuyen, toi nhin thay ngifdi lang
gieng cua minh, ong Song, dang bifdc vao don. Ong ngac nhien
khi gap toi. Sau khi giai thich rat nhieu, chung toi nhan ra ring
cai vi do la cua ong Song. That la mot sif trung hop!
Ngifdi hang xonrrcam on toi mai. Anh cong an khen toi la

mot cau be that tha. Anh ay con goi dien den trudng toi de thong
bao lai cho thay hieu trifdng biet. Toi rat vui vi da khong giCf cai
vi. Qua thifc. that tha la thifdng sach.
44
18. DESCRIBE THE HOUSE YOU ARE LIVING

IN. WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?
T h e house w e’re living in is situated in the suburb of H o Chi

Minh City, within thirty minutes' drive of the central city. W e
have lived there for m ore than twenty years. This is a fairly large
house surrounded with a luxuriant garden.
My house consists of four bed-rooms, a living-room, a bath

room with a show er, a dining-room, a kitchen and a toilet. It is
air-conditioned and well-furnished. T he living-room is decorated
beautifully. Paintings by famous artists are hung on the walls. At
night, the colour neon lights increase the beauty and cosiness of
the room . T h ere, on Sundays and holidays my father usually
spends his time playing chess or drinking tea with his friends. My
m other and my two sisters are diligent and hard-working w om en.
T hey often keep the house clean and tidy.
O n suffocating days of summer, we usually take m eals in the

garden. It’s fairly cool and quiet here. W e enjoy our meals amid
the melodious twitters of birds. On stormy and rainy w atching
television or telling each other about their daily activities.
I love my house very much because it is the place w here I

was bom and have grown up in the education of my father and in
the tender loving care of my m other. I've spent my w'hole
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ii ih o s q duNc,
childhood in the love and affection of my dear ones with so manv

sweet m em ories.
1. to be situated (v): tog lac, a tai

2. within (prep): tr o n g vong, t r o n g k h o a n g
3. to consist of (v): bao g o m
4. cosiness (n): si/ d m c u n g
5. to play chess (v): c h o i c a
6. diligent (adj): sieng n dn g
7. hard-working (adj): ch a m chi, can tha n
8. affection (n): s u t r iu m en
HAY TA NGOl NHA BAN DANG S6NG. TAI SAG BAN Y£U n 6?
Ngoi nha chung toi dang song nam b ngoai o thanh pho Ho
Chi Minh, cach trung tarn thanh pho khoang 3 0 phut lai xe.
Chung toi da song d day tren 2 0 nam. Day la mot ngoi nha kha
rong duoc bao boc boi mot khu vUOn hoa la sum sue.
Nha toi gom 4 phong ngu, 1 phong khach, 1 phong tSm vcfi
voi hoa sen, 1 phong an, 1 nha bep va mot nha ve sinh. Ngoi
nha difOc trang bi may dieu hoa khong khi vdi day du tien nghi.
Phong khach dutfc trang tri that dep. NhCfng bufc hoa trang tri
cua cac nghe si noi tieng treo tren tu’d ng. Ban dem. anh den ne
ong mau lam tang them ve dep va sU am cung cho ngoi nha. Nd
day, vao nhCfng ngay chu nhat hay ngay nghi ba toi thudng danh
cd hay uong tra vdi ban be. Me toi va hai chi toi la nhCfng phu nCf
cham chi va can man. H o luon giCf cho ngoi nha ngan nap va
sach se.
46
V ao nhCfng ngay he oi bifc, chung toi thifdng dung com

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

wealth. It is a com m on belief that only rich people are happy
because they have plenty of m oney and poor peple are not. But it
is not true because there are rich people who are not happy with
life. They may not have p eace of mind or they may not have
good health to enjoy life.
If a poor man becom es a little wealthy he craves for more.

Man always has the desire to get m ore and m ore wealth; there is
no limit to his desires. A millionaire does not consider his wealth
to be sufficient.
I think the idea of happy life is to live a contented life with

the wealth and health one has. If we have a moderately good
income either as an em ployee or as a businessman, we should be
satisfied with it and lead a happy and peaceful life. O n the other
hand if we crave for more and m ore wealth we may end up with
nothing. We may lose our job or business and suffer later.
T here are rich m en who show a kind-heart to the poor.

They help to the poor and needy by giving part of their wealth.
Such people should be respected by the society for their
benevolence.
1. wealth (n): n h ie u tien, g ia u co

2. to crave (v): k h a o k h at, m o n g m u o n
48
Commonly tisgd English essay
3. m oderately (adv): 6 m u c d o vua p h a i

4. incom e (n): t h u n h a p
5. benevolence (n): lo n g n h a n due, t u ta m
SUY NGHI CClA TOl v £ M0T CU0C S6NG HANH PHOC
H anh phuc chi la m ot trang thai cua dau oc va thifdng difdc

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

along on a snorkeling trip. My uncle is a driver and I have been
taking swimming lessons under his instruction for a few years.
We spent ten minutes warning up before we dived into the

deep blue sea. I was surprised to find myself swimming alongside
sea creatures. Fishes of all shapes and sizes swam by. There were
also strange-looking planty and I was enchanted by the beautiful
underwater world.
I saw huge plants with numerous finger-like "petal" opening

and closing restlessly. Som e small fishes swimming near the plant
were caught am ongst the "p etal” as they closed. I also saw a lot
of sea-horses swimming right in front of my eyes. I was very
excited and tried to grab one, but it was too quick for me. Then
cam e a jelly-fish which looked like a gigantic m ushroom dancing
gracefully in the deep-sea-w ater. I avoided it as 1 did not wish to
be stung.
I was reluctant to surface but my uncle insisted that it was

time to go back. However, 1 was very pleased with the beautiful
and rare coral I had picked up. It was certainly an exciting and
fruitful trip.
1. to snorkel (v): lan d u a i n ud e co o n g t h a

2. to enchan t (v): la m say me, la m m e hoac
3. petal (n): ca n h hoa
4. jelly-fish (n): co n sua
5. coral (n): san ho
THAM HI^M DLTOI DAY BI^N
Mot ngay chu nhat, toi da thuyet phuc chu minh di lan vdi
ong the*. Chu tdi la thd lan va toi hoc boi difdi sif hifdng dan
cua chu trong vai nam roi.
Chung toi danh mifdi phut de khdi dong trifdc khi lan xuong
difdi vung bien sau nifdc trong xanh . Toi vo cung ngac nhien
nhan thay minh dang bdi cung vdi sinh vat bien. NhCfng chu ca
vdi m oi hinh dang va kich thifdc dang ludn Id trifdc m at toi. Cung
co nhCfng sinh vat ky la trong giong nhif loai thao m oc va toi bi
thu hut bdi ve dep cua the gidi difdi bien sau.
T oi nhin thay nhCfng loai thifc vat ldn vdi muon van canh
hoa trong giong nhif nhCfng ngon tay khep m d khong ngifng
nghi. Vai con ca nho bdi gan cay nay lien bi giCf lai khi nhCfng
canh hoa khep vao. T oi cung nhin thay rat nhieu con ca nguct bdi
ngay trifdc mat. Toi thich thu va thif tom lay m ot con nhifng
chung bdi nhanh qua. Roi den m ot con site trong giong nhif mot
cay nam khong lo duyen dang ludn Id difdi bien sau. T oi tranh no
vi toi khong muon bi ngtia.
T oi ngan ngif khong muon len mat nifdc nhifng chu toi nhat
quyet rang da den luc phai trd ve nha. Tuy vay, toi rat hai long
vdi nhanh san ho hiem va xinh dep ma toi da hai difdc. D o thifc
sif la m ot chuyen di thu vi va bo ich.
51
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ji ThoNq duwq
21. FROM WOLF TO DOG

IN THOUSANDS OF YEARS
Would you like to have a pet wolf? Not many people would,
of course. However, if scientists are right, your lovable pet might
very well be the great-great-great grandchild of a wolf.
How did cute, friendly things like dogs com e from wolves?
According to som e scientists, people began training wolves
thousands of years ago. T he people found that the wolves could
help them with many jobs. T he wolves also becam e good pets. In
time, say the scientists, the tame wolves w ere raised with coyotes,
wild dogs, and even wild wolves. T h e result, thousands of years
later, iuas the f r i e n d l y d og we k n o w today.
1. wolf (n): con c h o soi

2. scientist (n): n ha k h oa hoc
3. lovable (adj): de men, d a n g yeu
4. grandchild (n): chau (noi, ngoai)
5. tame (adj): da th u a n hoa
6. to raise (v): chdn, n u o i
*
7. coyote (n): soi d o n g co
8. wild (adj): h o a n g gia
52
T if SOI d £ n CHO TRONG HANG NGAN NAM
B an co thich m ot con vat cifng la ch o soi khong? DI nhien la

khong co m ay ngifdi thich. Tuy nhien, neu cac nha khoa hoc
dung, thi con vat cifng dang yeu cua ban rat co the la chau may
ddi cua m ot con soi day.
Lam the nao ma nhCfhg con vat than thien, khau khinh nhif
chu cho lai co nguon goc tif ch o soi nhi? T h eo mot so nha khoa
hoc, con ngifdi bat dau huan luyen ch o soi cach day hang ngan
nam va thay rang soi co the giup ho nhieu viec. Soi cung trd
thanh nhCfng con thu difdc cung yeu. Luc bay gicf, cac nha khoa
hoc noi: NhCfng con soi da thuan hoa difOc nuoi difdng cung vdi
soi dong c o , ch o rifng va tham chi vdi ca soi rifng ndfe. Hang
ngan nam sau do, ket qua thu difdc la chu cho than thien ma
ngay nay ai ai cung biet.
53
C a c t>Ai Iuan tIen q an N thoN q duNq
22. TO THERESCURE
Mai and I were taking a short-cut hom e from school.

Suddenly, we heard som eone shouting “Help! H elp1". Turning
around we saw our classm ate, Van, behind a bush struggling with
a tall, dark man. W hen Van saw us, we signaled to her not to
show the man that we were behind him.
I told Mai to run back for help. With hand gestures and eye
movements, I tried to tell Van not to struggle. Van was a very rich
girl staying near my house. T he man must have thought that she
carried a lot of money on her person. Van stopped struggling and
flung the bag at the man. He held on to her collar tightly with
one hand and searched the bag with the other. He was furious to
find only books in the bag. He gave Van a slap on the face.
Meanwhile, four policem en from a nearby post had arrived

quietly. They arrested the man. By then V an ’s parents had been
informed of the incident. They also cam e to the scene. T hey took
us hom e for a lovely lunch.
1. short-cut (n): ducfng td t

’ 2. to fling (v): nem , q u a n g
3. furious (adj): day g ia n d u
4. to slap (v): vd, tdt
5. meanwhile (adv): tr o n g luc do, t r o n g k h i d o
54
Commonly used English essay_______________ _______
GIAI cau
Mai va toi dang di di/dng tat tuf trifdng ve nha. Dot nhien,
chung toi nghe tieng ai do la to "CCfu! CCfu". Quay lai, chung toi
thay V an, ban hoc cung Idp, dang danh nhau vdi m ot ga dan ong
cao keu, den dua d phia sau bui cay. Khi Van thay chung toi,
chung toi ra hieu ch o ban ay difng bieu hien gi cho ga dan ong
do biet la chung toi dang difng sau lung han ta.
T oi bao Mai chay trd lai tim ngifdi giup dd. Voi nhCfng cif chi
bang tay va anh m at, toi co gang bao Van dCfng danh nhau nCte.
Van la m ot co gai nha rat giau d gan nha toi. Ga dan ong at da
cho rang ban ay m ang nhieu tien trong ngifdi. Van ngifng chong
cif va nem cai tui vao ga. H an ta nSm lay co ao Van va tay kia luc
tung tui xach, roi het su t tufc gian khi chi thay toan sach la sach
trong tui. Han ta tat vao m at Van.
T rong khi do, bon canh sat gan do da lang le tien den va bat
giCf ga dan ong. Luc nay, cha me Van cung biet tin va chay den
hien trifdng, ho difa chung toi ve nha va dung bua ccfm trite that
ngon.
C a c bAi Iuan m 'N q Aish Tho*q duNq
23. A BIRTHDAY PRESENT
I always have difficulty in choosing a birthday present. My

imagination never seem s to get beyond ties, handkerchiefs, or
pairs of socks. But, strangely enough, it did not take m e long to
decide on T o m ’s birthday present. For the first time in my life I
have a good idea - I would buy him a bottle of champagne.
Before the party began, Tom suggested that I should open the
bottle. I put it betw een my knees and began to pull, but it
remained firmly corked. S o o n a crowd gathered round to watch
the fight betw een me and the bottle. I could hear all sort of
'Helpful’’ suggestions from the guests like “Break the top off !”,
“Use your te e th ” etc., but 1 was losing the battle. W e were
struggling on the floor and the cork shot up into the air. while the
angry bottle showered everybody with cham pagne!
1. difficult (adj): k h o kh a n
2. to cork (v): d o n g hodc b it (chai, t h u n g u.u..) b an g n u t li-e
3. to show er (v): ro i n h u m o t tra n m u a
4 . idea (n): y kien
5. suggestion (n): g o i y, c h i ddn
MOT MON QUA SINH NHAT
Toi luon gap kho khan khi phai chon mua mot m on qua sinh
nhat. Tri tifcfng tifOng cua toi difdng nhii khong bao gid vi/dt qua
56
nhCfrig cai ca-vat, khan tay, hoac tat. Nhung that ngac nhien lam
sao, khi toi chang m at nhieu thoi gian de quyet dinh mua qua
sinh nhat ch o T om . Lan dau tien trong ddi toi nay ra m ot sang
kien hay ho - T oi se mua cho Tom mot chai sam banh. Trifdc khi
bCfa tiec bat dau, T om de nghi toi khui chai rifdu. T oi dat chai
giCra dau goi roi bat dau keo, nhifng nut dong qua chat. Mot dam
dong nhanh chong tu tap xung quanh de xem cuoc chien giifa toi
va chai rifOu. T oi nghe thay du moi y kien giup dd tif dam thifc
khach nhif la “B e gay co chai di!” “Phai dung rang can mdi
difdc!’’ ...N hifng toi van thua cuoc. Chung toi cung nhau vat Ion
tren san thi bat ngd m ot tieng “b o p ” vang len va nut chai ban len
khong, con chai rifdu tifc gian, ban tung toe sam banh vao moi
ngifdi!
57
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq A%h t Iio n q dusq
24. THE STORY OF ROLLER-SKATES
Everywhere, people are racing around on their brightly

colored skates. T hese super-fast roller skates are a lot different
from the skates that were used two hundred years ago. That was
when people in the country of Holland first began travelling
around on simple two-wheeled skates.
T he first m odem skates were invented in the United States.

In 1 8 6 3 , a man named J .L Plimpton put four wheels on his
skates. T he wheels were put on rubber pads that were tied to
the feet.
By the early 1 9 0 0 s . roller-skating was one of Am erica’s

most popular activities. In fact, in the years before automobile
racing began, roller-skate racing was one of the country s leading
sports.
1. colored (adj): co mau sac, co mau rie n g b ie t

2. wheel (n): banh xe
3. rubber (n): cao su
4. pad (n): m ie n g d e m lo t
5. to tie (v): buoc, cot
6. leading (adj): q u a n t r o n g nhat, ch in h , h a n g d a u
58
UCH SLTBOl GIAY TRirOT BANG
Khap noi, moi ngifdi dang trifdt vong quanh tren nhifng doi
giay trifdt rut rd sac mau. NhCfng doi giay trifdt cifc nhanh nay
khac xa vdi nhCfng doi giay trifdt cach day hai tram nam. Do la
khi ngifdi dan d Ha Lan lan dau tien bat dau du hanh khap noi
tren nhCfng doi giay trifdt bang hai banh don gian.
Doi giay trifdt hien dai dau tien difdc phat minh d Hoa Ky.
V ao nam 1 8 6 3 , m ot ngudi ten la J .L Plimpton da dat bon banh
xe vao doi giay trifot cua minh. C ac banh xe dUcfc dat len mot
mieng dem cao su cot vao ban chan.
V ao dau nhCfng nam 1 9 0 0 , trUOt patin da la m ot trong

nhuhg hoat dong pho bien nhat b My. Thifc te, trong nhCfng nam
trifdc khi khdi sif cac cuoc dua m o to, thi trifot patin la m ot trong
nhCfng m on the thao hang dau cua dat nude nay.
59
C a c bAi Iuan t Ien q an Ii th o N q duNq
25. A FISHING TRIP
O ne weekend, my father, uncle and I decided on a fishing

trip to one of the islands. W e rented a small boat and took our
fishing equipment along. T he w eather was hot and sunny when
we left.
My uncle anchoied the boat about one kilometre from the

shore. We cast out lines and waited for the fish to bite. We had
caught five big fishes when the sky began to grow dark suddenly.
My father suggested that we should get to shore as quickly as
possible. My uncle lifted the anchor and we headed for shore.
Halfway there however, it started to drizzle. By the time we
reached shore, it had turned into a downpour.
My m other was not too pleased when my father asked her to

clean the fish on our return. Sh e said that since we had caught
them, we should be the ones clean them. And so we did! W e had
fish for dinner that night.
1. to anchor (v): tha neo (tau, th u y e n , u.u..)

2. to cast (v): quang, nem , tha
3. to drizzle (v): m u a p h u n
4. downpour (n): tra i m u a n h u t r u t n u a c
5. dinner (n): bua an toi
60
M0T 0 ll6 l 01 CAU
Mot ngay cuoi tuan, cha toi, chu toi va toi quyet dinh di cau
ca d dao. C hung toi thue m ot ch ie c thuyen n h o va dem th eo
b o do cau ca . T rd i n o n g ni/c va nSng choi chan g khi chung
toi rdi bien.
Chu toi neo thuyen cach bd khoang mot cay so, roi chung
toi tha cau va ngoi c h d ca can cau. B at di/Oc nam con ca to thi
trdi bat dau toi sam lai m ot cach dot ngot. Cha toi de nghi nen
v a o 'b d cang nhanh cang tot. Chung toi voi nho neo va tien ve
phia bd. NhUhg mdi di di/Oc ntfa doan mite bat dau rOi xuong.
Ngay luc vifa vao den bd thi mua nhtf trut nUdc.
Me toi khong hai long lam khi cha bao me lam ca. Ba bao vi
chung toi bat dtfOc ca nen chung toi phai lam ca thoi. Va chung
toi phai lam ca that. T oi horn do chung toi da dufOc an mot bufa
ca ngon lanh;
61
C a c bAi Iuan TifeNq an U TboNq diwq
26. IS IT NECESSARY TO LEARN ENGLISH?
Nowadays, English is spoken by m ost of the people

throughout the world. It bids fair to becom e an international
language. T herefore it’s necessary for all of us to learn it: it is of
great benefit to us all in every aspect.
From intellectual point of view: we leam English to

understand m asterpieces written in English or translated into
English. Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, William. Wordsworth. Byron
and Shelley are typical figures in English literature that is worth
reading and learning. W e can also enjoy interesting French novels
by reading their English translation.
Besides the precious literature treasure, the knowledge of

English also enables us to specialize in m odem sciences and
technical problems.
From political point of view: in our diplomatic relations with

other countries, knowledge of English language is a sine qua non
condition. As a result of fact, high ranking governm ent officials
are required to m aster this living language.
Despite its puzzling pronunciation the English language is the

favourite language of educated men because it brings them lots of
favourable opportunities in their lives.
1. to bid fair (v): co trie n v o ng

2. international (adj): th u o c ve q u o c te
62
3 . intellectual (adj): t h u o c ve t r i tue

4 . to be worth (+gerund) (adj): x if n g d a n g d u p e
5 . com m ercial (adj): th u o c ve thtfcfng m a i
6 . firm (n): hang, x u o n g
CO CAN HOC TI^NG ANH KHONG?
Ngay nay, hau het moi ngifdi tren the gidi deu noi tieng
Anh. No co trien vong tre/ thanh m ot ngon ngCf quoc te. D o do
viec. hoc thif tieng nay that can thiet. No co loi cho tat ca chung
ta ve nhieu phifdng dien.
V e phifOng dien tri tue: Chung ta hoc tieng Anh de hieu

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

clay, iron, or stone. Price, however, is diffirent. His gleaming
figures are made from scrap metal that com es from a bomb
laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. That is where a very
powerful bom b was first made.
Price, who lives near Santa Fe, New M exico, learned of the
labs scrap metal in 1 9 6 5 . Since then he has made hundreds of
works from the pieces metal he buys every few weeks. For a
while, no one paid attention to P rice’s unusual art. Recently,
however, things have changed. His works are shown and sold all
over. People pay thousands of dollars for each piece.
1. unusual (adj): kh ac th a b n g , la t h u d n g
2. artist (n): nghe sT
3. clay (n): d a t set
4. iron (n): sdt
5. scrap (n): m a u uun, p h e lieu

6. laboratory (n): p h o n g t h i n g b ie m
7. bom b (n): B o m
8. paid attention to (idm): chu y den
64
NGHE THUAT LA THLTONG CUA TONY PRICE
T on y Price la m ot nghe si. Nhieu nghe si tao ra cac tac

pham nghe thuat tif dat set, slit hay da. Tuy nhien, Price thi khac
han. NhCfng tifdng hinh lap lanh cua ong difdc lam tif kim loai
phe lieu co nguon goc tCf phong thi nghiem che tao bom cua Los
Alamos, New M exico. Chinh tai ndi day, lan dau tien ngifcrt ta da
che tao ra m ot qua bom vdi stfc cong pha ldn.
Price song gan Santa Fe, New M exico. O ng da biet ve thCf

kim loai phe lieu d phong thi nghiem vao nam 1 9 6 5 . TCf do, ong
da lam ra hang tram tac pham tCf cac mau kim loai ma cCf vai tuan
m ot lan ong lai mua. Trong m ot thdi gian, khong ai chu y den tac
pham cua ong. Tuy vay, gan day m oi thif da thay doi. C ac tac
pham cua ong difdc bay ban khap ndi. Ngifdi ta da tra hang ngan
do la cho moi tac pham .
65
C a c bAi Iuan TiEwq A*h Thowq duwq
28. SPEEDING ON SKIS

Can you imagine skiing down a hill at 1 3 0 miles an hour?
C .J. Mueller not only can imagine it; he actually does it.
Mueller holds the Unites States record in speed skiing. Speed

skiing is an unusual sport that started over a hundred years ago.
In it, skiers race down hill as fast as they can. Mueller went 103
miles per hour the first time he ever tried speed skiing. He has
not slowed down since.
Mueller gives himself completely to this sport. He lives

simply. He spends little m oney. What he does want, though, is to
beat the world record-1 3 9 m .p.h.
1. ski (n): van trucrt tu y e t

2. hill (n): d o i
3. record (n): ky luc
4. simply (adv): d a n gian, m o c m ac
5. to beat (v): d a n h bai, thdng, ui/ot
6. to slow down (v): la m g ia m toe d o
TANG t 6 c TR£N VAN TRIT0T
Ban co tifdng ti/cfng duoc viec trifot tuyet xuong m ot ngon

doi vdi van toe 1 3 0 dam mot gicf khong? C .J.M ueller khong chi
tuong tifdng ma anh ctsn lam difdc dieu do.
66
Mueller con giCf ki luc cua Hoa Ky ve trifeft tuyet toe do.
Trifcft tuyet toe do la m on the thao khac thifdng da bat dau cach
day hon m ot tram nam . 0 m on the thao nay, nhOfng ngirdi trUOt
tuyet phai tnfcrt xuong ngon doi cang nhanh cang tot. Mueller dat
difdc toe do 1 0 3 dam m ot gid ngay lan dau tien anh thif tnfdt. Tif
do, anh khong bao gid giam toe do nay.
Mueller da song het minh vdi m on the thao nay. Anh song
rat gian di. Anh tieu rat ft tien. Nhifng anh muon pha ky luc the
gidi 1 3 9 dam m ot gid.
67
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a nU ih o w q duNq
29. A PLEASANT EVENING!
It has been a tiring day and I was looking forward to a quiet

evening. My husband would not be back until late and I had
decided to settle down in a com fortable armchair in the living
room and read a book. I put the children to bed early and
prepared a cold supper and som e coffee. Soon I was sitting
»
comfortably with a tray full of food before me and a book at my side.
I was just beginning to eat the telephone rang. I dropped my

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

2. supper (n): baa an n h r vao b u o i toi
3. to spill (v): lam do
6X
4 . stain (n): vet ban k h o sach

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

mpt buoi toi yen tlnh. C hong toi den khuya mdi ve nha va toi
quyet dinh ngoi thoai mai tren chiec ghe banh em ai de doc sach.
T 6i cho lu tre di ngu som roi chuan bi mot it thu’c an nguoi va
m ot tach ca phe. D oan, toi ngoi khoan khoai vdi m ot khay day
thCfc an d trudc mat va m ot quyen sach ben minh.
T oi chi mdi bat dau an thi chuong dien thoai reo. T oi buong
dao nla xuong va chay tdi tra loi. Luc quay lai phong khach thi ca
phe da nguoi lanh vdi cuon sach mdi m d ra d trang 1. T oi bat
dau hoan thanh not bCtei toi thi dot nhien co tieng go cite. T oi
ngac nhien den do danh do ca phe vao ao lann thanh m ot vet ban
kho coi. C o m ot ngi/Oi khach la bi lac dufc/ng va nhd toi chi dan.
Phai rat lau toi mdi tong ong ta di di/Oc. Cuoi cung toi cung ngoi
xuong va thi/c stf doc duoc m ot trang sach cho den khi con toi
thu’c giac. B e bat dau khoe vang len va toi lat dat chay len lau.
D en 11 gid, khi chong toi ve thi be van con thu’c . Suyt nCfa 'toi da
het len khi chong toi hoi rang toi co difdc buoi toi thu vi khong!
69
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq A N h T h o N q d u N q
30. MY SCHOOL SPORTS DAY
This year our school sports day was held on Friday. There
were seven booths at the sports ground. Our class planned in
advance as to how to decorate our booth We wanted to win the
first prize for the best decorated booth so I helped my classmates
to decorate our booth in a spectacular m anner.
Around 1 .3 0 pm the sports day was declared open by the

Guest-of-Honour, our local Member of Parliament. All the
students taking part in the sports day lined up for the march. We
marched pass the stand where the Guest-of-Honour and our
headm aster stood to attention. As we marched pass, he looked
the salute.
T he day started with track events. T here were 5 0 , 1 0 0 and

2 0 0 m etres races. There was tremendous applause from the
spectators which included teachers and parents. Then the field
events - tug of war, long jump, high jump, shot put and discus
were held. Every event drew cheers and applause from the
spectators. The sports day turned out to be grandest day of the
year for the school.
T he day went by very fast. I cam e in first on the long :ump

event, and second in the 1 0 0 m etres race and shot put. At about
five o'clock our Guest-of-Honour gave away the trophies to the
70
winners. My class was overall runners-up. We were also awarded

with the first prize for the best decorated booth.
A fter that, to mark the end of th e ‘sports m eet, there was

another m arch. T h e national anthem was played to close the
sports day.
1. booth (n): rap, leu

2. spectacular (adj): d e p m d t, n g o a n m u c
3. to m arch (v): d i d i i u h a n h
«
4. event (n): s u k ie n
5. applause (n): s u tan d u o n g n h ie t lie t
6. shot put (n): m on n e m ta
7. discus (n): m o n n e m dJa
8. trophy (n): c u p
9. national anthem (n): bai q u o c ca
NGAY H0I TH^ THAO 6 TRl/ONG TOl
Nam nay, ngay hoi the thao d tnfdng toi difdc to chifc vao
thuf sau. C o den bay can leu d san van dong. Lcfp toi da dinh
trifdc cach thifc trang hoang ch o can leu cua minh. Chung toi
muon doat giai can leu trang tri dep nhat nen da cung nhau trang
hoang can leu.
K hoang 1 .3 0 trite, uy vien Q uoc hoi d dia phifOng - khach

mdi danh dif cua chung toi da doc ldi tuyen bd khai m ac 11 hoi.
T at ca h o c sinh tham gia xep thanh hang, chuan bi dieu hanh.
Chung toi dieu hanh qua II dai noi vi khach danh dif va thay Hieu
trudng dang difng nghiem . Khi chung toi di qua, ong gio tay chao
dap II-
71
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Aish ThoNq duNq
Le hoi bat dau bang m on chay tren difdng dua. C o cac mon
chay theo cif ly 5 0 , 1 0 0 va 2 0 0 m. Khan gia la cac giao vien va
phu huynh. Roi den cac m on thi dau tren san: keo co, nhay xa,
nhay cao, nem ta, nem dia. Khan gia vo tay hoan nghenh va cd
vu cho tifng mon mot. Ngay hoi the thao hoa thanh ngay le trong
dai nhat trong nam cua trifdng toi.
T hoi gian troi rat nhanh. Toi difng dau trong cuoc thi nh&y
xa, xep hang nhi trong thi chay 1 0 0 m va nem ta. V ao khoang 5
gid, vi khach danh dif trao cup cho nhCfng ngifdi thang cuoc. Ldp
toi doat giai hhi dong doi. Chung toi con gianh difOc giai can leu
trang tri dep nhat.
Sau do la mot cuoc dieu hanh de be m ac le hoi. Quoc ca

difdc cif hanh va ngay hoi the thao ket thuc.
72
31. WHAT BABIES CRY MEAN
T h e next time that you hear a baby cry, listen carefully - the
baby may be trying to tell you som ething.
A num ber of years ago, a doctor in California studied the

way babies cry. T h e doctor believed, as many doctors do today,
that each kind of cry m eans som ething different. A cry that lasts
only a second m eans the baby is hungry. If the baby is in pain,
the cry lasts two or three second and is louder. A cry like the purr
of kitten m eans that the baby is happy.
Many doctors and parents think that babies cry because they
are trying to tell us how they feel.
1. to hear (v): n g h e
2. to last (v): ke o d a i
3. purr (n): tie n g k e u r u r u
4. to cry (n): kh o e
5. kitten (n): con m e o con
6. to m ean (v): n g h ia la
7. doctor (n): bac s i
Y NGHIA TI^NG KHOC CUA TR£ SO SINH
Neu lan tcti ban co nghe tieng tre scf sinh khoe, hay lang
nghe can than co le be dang co noi vefi ban dieu gi do.
73
C a c bi\i Iuan TitNq an N Thdwq duNq
Nhieu nam tnfdc day, mot bac si b California da tim hiû

cach tre con khoe. Cung nhif nhieu bac si thdi nay, vi bac sT nay
tin rang moi tieng khoe co y nghia khac nhau. Tieng khoe keo
dai chi mot giay co nghia la be dang doi. Neu be bj dau, tieng
khoe se keo dai hai, ba giay va thifdng to hcfn. Tieng khoe nhif
tieng rif rif cua con m eo co nghia la be dang vui.
Nhieu bac si va bac cha me cho rang, tre sd sinh khoe vi

chung dang co noi cho chung ta biet cam giac cua chung.
74
Commonly m gd English essay
32. A WESTERN MEAL
I was first introduced to a W estern meal by a friend. W e had

gone to a very classy restaurant. I did not know what to order, so
1 had w hatever my friend was having.
T h e waitress who took our order set the table. I was a little
uneasy when I saw her lay the cutlery. 1 w asn’t too sure if I would
be able to use the knife correctly.
T h e first dish to arrive was a bowl of raw vegetable which my

friend said was called “Salad ”. It is mixed with raw vegetables:
lettuce, carrot, celery anf tom ato. I was not particularly fond of
raw vegetable but the salad tasted good.
Next cam e the steak, 1 was surprised to see such a big piece
of m eat placed in fond of m e. It w asn't cooked the way I like my
m eat. I did not enjoy the dinner entirely. I guess it takes time to
get accustom ed to som ething new.
1. c.lassy (adj): co c h a t lu p n g cao, sang tro n g , t h u p n g h a n g

2. cutlery (n): dao, nia, thia... d u n g d e an
3 . raw (adj): c h u a n au chin, con song, t u o i
4 . lettuce (n): rau d ie p ca
5. celery (n): rau can tay
6. steak (n): (lat day) t h it hoac ca, cdt ra d e ran hoac n u o n g
7. accustom ed to sth (adj): q u e n voi (cai gi)
75
C a c bAi Iuan ritN q ANh Those* duNq
An c o m t Ay
Lan dau tien toi difdc m ot ngifdi ban mdi di an com tay.
Chung toi di den mot nha hang rat sang trong. T oi khong biet
nen goi m on gi, do do ban toi goi m on nao thi toi cung goi
m on do.
C o tiep vien, ngudi ghi cac mon an ma chung toi vifa goi bat
dau don ban an. T oi cam thay hoi lo lang khi co ay dat bo dao
nia len ban. Toi khong dam chac la minh co the dung dao dung
cach hay khong.
Mon dau tien la m ot dla rau song ma ban toi goi la mon
“Rau tron". Day la m on an tron tif rau song nhif: diep ca, ca rot,
can tay va ca chua. Toi khong thich an rau song lam nhifng mon
rau tron nay qua la ngon tuyet. Ke tiep la mon thit ran. T oi kinh
ngac khi nhin thay mot mieng thit ldn dat trifdc mat minh Mon
thjt nay khong lam theo kieu toi ifa thich. Toi khong thifdng thifc
duoc het bifa an nay. Toi cho rang phai mat nhieu thdi gian mdi
lam quen difdc vdi nhCfng diey mdi me.
76
33. COOK FOR A DAY
Many m onths back, on Sunday, my m other fell ill. I, being

the eldest girl of the family, was forced to take up my m other’s
duty that day.
First of all, 1 had to go to the m arket to purchase the

necessary foodstuffs. 1 planned carefully and thought about what
dishes I wanted to prepare. I wanted to serve a delicious dinner
for the whole family. At about five o ’clock in the afternoon 1
started my cooking. I cooked the rice and made a soup which my
m other taught m e. T h en I went to the next dish, fried fish. I took
the fish out the refrigerator, suddenly, 1 realized that the soup
which was on the stove, was spilling over. Quickly, 1 turned off
the gas. Everything was in a mess. It took me a long time to clean
it up. After preparing the fish, I put the wok on the stove and
poured a little oil into it, and put the fish pieces into the boiling
oil. The oil spatterd all over me. T hat was the time my favorite
cartoon shows was on. I switched on the television and began
enjoying it, but I had forgotten about the fish. It was bum.
Anyway the dinner was ready. I served everyone. I sat down

anxiously watching my brother and sister. I was shocked when
everyone stood up and threw the food away. My elder brother
started to laugh. My parents enjoyed laughing. And we all had to
eat out.
77
C a c bAi Iuan t U n q a n Ii ThoNq duNq
1. to purchase (v): m u a
2. foodstuff (n): th u c p h a m
3. to spill over (v): tra n ra ngoai
4. m ess (n): c a n h h o n lo a n, Ion x o n
5. to spatter (v): la m ban toe, uay ban
6. cartoon (n): p h i m h o a t h in h
7. to eat out (v): d i an tie m , n ha h an g
M0T NGAY LAM DAU B^P
Nhieu thang trifdc vao m ot ngay chu nhat, me toi nga benh.
La chi ca trong gia dinh, toi buoc phai lam nhiem vu cua m e ngay
horn do.
Trifdc tien, toi di c h o de mua nhCfng thu’c an can thiet. Toi

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

surprised everyone who read it. Many people bought the paper
just to read the one story. This article was about an airplane crash
in Canada. Why was everyone so surprised? It was because the
paper was printed in 1 8 8 1 , twenty-two years before the first
airplane was invented!
The ow ner of the new spaper thought it would be fun to print

a paper with news that might happen in the future. T he airplane
had not been invented yet, but people often dream ed of flying
through the air in a m achine. T he reader thought the story was
exciting. Many of them lived to actuallly see airplanes in the sky.
1. to print (v): in an
2. paper (n): t'd b ao
3. article (n): bai bao
4. airplane crash (n): vu ro i m ay bay
5. to invent (v): p h a t m in h
6. ow ner (n): n g u d i chu, n g u d i s o h itu
7. new spaper (n): bao
8. exciting (adj): h a p dan, h u n g th u
9. actuallly (adv): th u c te
79
C a c bAi Iuan titN q an (i TkoNQ duNtj
MOT c a u c h u y $ n k (! v £ t u o n g lai
Mot td bao ten la Boston Globe dang mot cau chuyen gay
kinh ngac ch o ngifdi doc. Nhieu ngifdi mua bao chi de doc cau
chuyen nay. Bcii.bao noi ve vu rdi may bay d Canada. Tai sao
moi ngifdi lai kinh ngac den the? D o la vi td bao nay difdc in vao
1 8 8 1 , hai mifdi nam trifdc khi chiec may bay dau tien difdc phat
minh ra.
Vien chu bao nghi r5ng se rat khoi hai neu in m ot td bao vdi
cac tin tifc co the xay ra trong tifdng lai. May bay van chifa difdc
phat minh ra, nhifng moi ngifdi van thifdng m d ifdc difdc bay tren
khong trung trong m ot cai may. Ngifdi doc cho la cau chuyen
that hap dan. Nhieu ngifdi da song den ngay difdc tan m lt nhin
thay may bay tren bau trdi.
SO
35. SPRING FEVER
Dictionaries say that spring fever is a lazy or restless feeling

that people have on the first warm day of spring. Everyone has
probably felt it at on e time or another. People have talked about
it for years.
Recently, scientists have taken a good look at spring fever.

What they found is quite surprising.
W here m any of us live, the winter m onths often seem dark

and dreary. W hen spring com es in late March, a num ber of
daylight hours grow with each passing day. According to many
scientists, all this sunlight sets off chem icals in the brain that
change our m ood and bring on spring fever.
1. fever (n): c a n s o t
2. restless (adj): (cam giac) bon c h o n
3. dreary (adj): a m d a m , the lu o n g
4. to set off (v): gay ra, th u c day
5. m ood (n): ta m tra ng , ti'nh t in h

6. to bring in (v): d u a den ke t q u a h oa c gay ra cai gi
81
C a c bAi Iuan Tieisq ANh TkoNq duNq
CON s 6 t m u a x u An
Trong nhieu cuon tif dien da viet, con sot mua xuan la cam
giac lifdi bieng hoac bon chon ma con ngifdi co trong ngay am
ap dau tien cua mua xuan. M6i ngifdi chac chan deu cam thay
dieu do vao luc nay hay luc khac. Ngifdi ta da noi ve no trong
nhieu nam.
Gan day, cac nha khoa hoc da nghien ctfu con sot mua
xuan. NhCfng gi ho phat hien ra difOc gay kha nhieu ngac nhien.
Noi ma phan ldn chung ta dang song, difdng nhi/ cac thang
mua dong thifdng toi tam va am dam. Khi mua xuan den vao
cuoi thang ba, so gid co anh sang ban ngay tang len theo tifng
ngay. T h eo nhieu nha khoa hoc, anh nang mat trdi kich thich c-ac
hoa chat trong nao bo, lam thay doi tinh khi cua con ngifdi va
gay ra con sot mua xuan.
82
Commonly used English cssoy
36. A FIRE
It was about midnight. I was not felling sleepy. S o I was

gazing leisurely out of my window. Suddenly I saw a small of
flame shoot through the wall of a nearby house. A few seconds
later, it burst into fire, throwing up a cloud of black sm oke.
I dashed into the house and woke the occupant up.

Together, they rushed out of the door, shouting for help. Soon ,
cries of “Fire! F ire!” were heard throughout the neighbourhood.
Som e people filled pails with water and tried to put out the fire.
Unfortunately, a strong wind started blowing. T h e fire spread
quickly to m ore than a dozen houses. T he air was filed with
sounds of falling houses and cries of fire victims. T here was
confusion everywhere.
So o n , the fire engines arrived. T he firemen started fighting

the fire. Policem en helped to control the crow d.The fire was
com pletely put out after about 5 hours.
Pools of water lay around the blackened ruins. Nobody knew

how the fire had started but fortunately, no on e was hurt in the
fire. T he fire victims went to stay with their relatives and friends
until new hom es could be built for them.
1. leisurely (adj & adv): th o n g tha, u n g d u n g

2. tongue (n): lu o i lua, tia lua n h o
83
C a c bAi Iu an TiEwq Awh th o N g duNq
3. occupant (n): n g itb i 6 m o t n g o i nha

4. pail (n): cai xo
5. to spread (v): lan ra
m Qt t r An HOA HOAN
Luc ay vao khoang nifa dem. Tpi khong cam thay buon ngu.
T oi nhin m ong lung ra cifa sd. Dot nhien, toi thay m ot dom life
nho loe len tif bifc ti/dng cua m ot nha ben. Vai giay sau, no bung
len va boc khoi den mu mit.
T oi xong vao nha va danh thCfc moi ngifcti day. H o cung do

xo ra cifa va keu ctfu. TCfc thi tieng la “Chay! C h ay!” vang day ca
m ot vung. Vai ngudi muc day nhCfng xo nUcic co dap tat ngon
lufa. Khong may, m ot ccfn gio m anh noi len. Dam chay lan nhanh
den hon chuc ngoi nha nCfa. Khong gian day tieng nha do va
tieng keu khoe cua nan nhan. Khap noi deu roi loan.
Ngay luc do, xe ctfu hoa tdi. NhCfng ngifdi linh cCfu hoa lao
vao dap tat lute. Canh sat giup tran an dam dong. Nam gid sau,
dam chay bi dap tat hoan toan.
Nifdc dong thanh vung xung quanh dong do nat. Khong

biet dam chay da bat dau ra sao, nhifng rat may la khong ai bi
thi/dng. C ac nan nhan cua tran hoa hoan den b vefi cac ba con,
be ban cho den khi difng difdc nha mdi.
84
37. A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED
T he proverb rrtieans that we shall know who our real friends

are when we are in need. T h o se who desert us when we are in
difficulty are just unfaithful friends.
A true friend would remain with us whether we are rich or

poor. Som e people befriend the rich, simply for the sake of
getting benefits from them.
It is useless to have insincere friends because these friends

remain with us as long as we are rich or powerful. It is better to
have one or two good friends rather than having hundreds of
insincere ones.
A true friend will stand by us in our trials and tribulations. He

will be a great source of consolation and com fort in our troubles.
S o we must be careful in choosing our friends. It is difficult to
ch oose a sincere friend overnight; it takes years for us to find a
sincere friend.
1. proverb (n): tu c ngu, cach n g o n

2. to desert (v): bo di, ro i bo
3. for the sake of sb (idm): vi ai, ui lo i ich cua cai gi
4. insincere (adi): k h o n g th a n h t h a t
5. trials and tribulations (idm): n h u n g ndi kh o cuc va phien p h u c
6. consolation (n): su an ui
85
C a c bAi Iu an Ticwg Awh Thong duNq
BAN THAT SU LA BAN KHI CAN
Cau tuc ngCf nay co nghia la khi chung ta gap kho khan can
difdc giup dd, chung ta se biet ai la ban be thifc sif cua minh.
NhCtag ke bo m ac chung ta trong cdn nguy kho chi la nhifng
ngi/di ban khong chut thuy chung.
Mot ngifdi ban dich thifc se d lai vdi chung ta cho du ta

ngheo nan hay giau co. Vai ke ket ban vdi ngifdi giau, ddn gian
chi de ldi dung ngifdi do ma thoi.
T h at vo ich neu ket ban vdi nhifhg ke khong thanh that, vi'
nhOfng ngi/di ban nay chi d lai vdi chung ta cho tdi chting nao
chung ta con giau co hay day quyen the. C o m ot hoac hai ngifdi
ban that si/, con tdt hdn hang tram ngifdi ban khong thanh that.
Ngifdi ban that sif se luon d ben ta khi gap r lc roi va phien
phCfc. Ngifdi do se la nguon an ui ldn cho chung ta trong cdn
khon kho. Vi the, chung ta nen chon ban ma chdi. Rat kho tim
difdc mot ngifdi ban, ta phai mat hang nam mdi tim difdc mot
ngifdi ban chan thanh.
86
38. LIFE IN THE CITY, COMPARED WITH LIFE
In my opinion, ur 5 its own advantages

and disadvantages.
First, living in the city we may enjoy those benefits.
Com m unication and transportation systems are better.

T here are so m any m eans of com m unication anh transport that
we can ch oose the o n es we like best. We can get in touch with a
friend or talk to him by phone without having to go out of hom e.
Thanks to electricity network and running water, our

material lives are m ore com fortable. Superm arkets, markets and
shops are found everywhere and we can buy anything we need
providing that we can afford it.
Urban life provides us with all sorts of entertainm ents:

television, radio, m ovies, theatres, concerts and famous
recreation centers.
Living in town we can improve our knowledge easily by

attending any schools, universities or evening classes where
expe rienced teach ers and professors are ready to satisfy our
thirst for knowledge.
Besides its advantages, urban life also has its disadvantages:
Our health is in danger: pollution by factories and heavy

traffic may cause serious diseases to all of us.
87
C a c b/vi Iuan T it N q a n ^ T h o N q j l i J N q
Evil influence upon the young generation by obscen e video

films is inevitable.
Violent deaths happen regularly in such a crowded city with

all kinds of vehicles.
O n the contrary, rural life seem s ideal to all of us, especially

to the old.
W e can enjoy fresh, cool air and behold beautiful landscapes

in the country.
How safe and delighted we are when we can sleep a sound

sleep at any time of the day without being disturbed by sirens of
cars or by deafening noises from manufacturing factories.
Our social lives in the country are easier: we can eat the food
and vegetables we grow, chickens and goats we raise. The
countrym en lead a very simple life and they are quick at mutual
help in any case.
Apart from these advantages, living in the country we may

m eet lots of difficulties too.
Com m unication and transportation are obstructed by lack of

m eans of transport or by floods in the rainy season.
Our knowledge is limited by being short of mass media.
Our social and physical lives a ren ’t as com fortable as those

in town because of lack of electricity and medical care.
In a nutshell, our love for town life or country life depends

on our outlook and age. As for m e. I always prefer rural life to
urban life.
88
1. urban (adj): t h u o c ve th a n h p h o
2. rural (adj): t h u o c ve n o n g th o n
3. m eans of transport (n): p h u a n g tien van ch u y e n
4 . to get in touch with (idm): tie p x u c vdi
5. electricity network (n): he t h o n g d ie n
6. running w ater (n): n ud e m a y
cuQc s 6 n g d th A n h th i s o sAnh v o i c u Q c s 6 n g d th O n
qu£
T h eo toi, cuoc song d thanh thi hay thon que deu co nhimg
thuan loi va kho khan.
Trifdc het, song d thanh thi, chung ta co the hifcfng difdc

nhifng loi ich sau:
- He thong thong tin va van chuyen tot hon. C o nhieu

phifOng tien thong tin va van chuyen den noi chung ta co the
chon nhifng phifdng tien nao ma chung ta thich nhat. Chung ta
co the tro chuyen voi mot ngifdi ban qua dien thoai ma chang
phai rdi khoi nha.
- Nhd he thong dien va nifdc may ma cuoc song vat chat

cua chung ta tien loi hdn nhieu. C ac sieu thi va khu chd m oc len
d khap ndi. Chung ta co th§7 mua bat cif thuf gi chung ta muon
mien la chung ta co tien.
- Cuoc song d thanh thi giup chung ta co the trau doi kien
thifc m ot cach de dang hdn bang cach theo hoc cac trifdng trung
hoc, dai hoc hay cac ldp hoc them vdi nhieu giao vien, giao sif
giau kinh nghiem san sang thoa man sif ham hoc cua chung ta.
89
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an M Thowq duNq
Ngoai nhufng thuan loi, cuoc song thanh thi cung co nhieu bat
lcfi:
- SCfc khoe bi de doa, o nhiem do cac nha may va giao

thong tap nap co the gay cho ta nhCfng chung benh tram trong.
- Doi vdi gidi tre, phim anh khieu dam gay ra nhCfrig anh
hifdng xau khong the nao tranh khoi.
- Nhflng cai chet bat dac ky tif thifdng xay ra trong mot
thanh pho dong due vert nhieu loai phifdng tien giao thong.
Trai vdi cuoc song d thanh thi, cuoc song d nong thon co ve
li tifdng vdi tat ca chung ta, dac biet vdi ngifdi gia.
- Chung ta co the tan hudng khong khi tifdi mat va chiem

ngifdng nhCfng phong canh dep d mien que.
- Chung ta cam thay an toan va thu vi biet bao khi co the

ngu m ot giac yen binh vao bat ky gid nao ma khong bi quay ray
bdi tieng coi xe hoi hay tieng dong chat chua cua cac nha may.
- Ddi song xa hoi d nong thon de chiu hdn. Chiing ta co

the thifdng thifc thifc pham va rau xanh chung ta trong, ga de
chung ta chan nuoi. Ngifdi dan que song mot cuoc song gian di
va sSn sang giup dd nhau vao bat cif hoan canh nao.
Ngoai trif nhCfng thuan Idi tren, song tai mien que, chung ta
co the gap phai mot so kho khan:
- Nguon thong tin sif van chuyen bi trd ngai vi thieu

phifOng tien hay lu lut vao mua mifa bao.
- Kien thifc cua chung ta bi gidi han vi thieu phutfng tien

truyen thong dai chung.
90
Commonly used English cssoy_______________________
- Ddi song xa hoi va the chat cua chung ta khong tien nghi
bang thanh pho vi thieu dien va sU cham soc y te.
T om lai, chung ta thich cuoc song thanh thi hay thon que
tuy theo quan diem va tuoi tac cua moi ngifdi. Doi vdi toi, ioi luon
thfch cuoc song thon que hon thanh thj.
91
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq x h U Thowq duNq
39. A SPECIAL KIND OF DOG
Y ou probably have seen many pictures of the black^potted

dogs people call firehouse dogs. Did you know that these dogs
on ce had an im portant job to do?
For hundreds of years, people in Europe used these dogs

(which are called Dalmatians) as guards and shephreds and circus
perform ers. Everywhere they went, Daimatlans becam e known
for their speed, their strength, and their lack of fear around
horses.
In the United States, the people who fight fires quickly found
a use for these dogs. T h e speedy Daimatlans would race ahead of
old-time horse-pulied fire trucks, barking to warn people that the
trucks were com ing. Later, when fire trucks began to use engines
instead of horses, the dogs still remained fire-station favorites.
1. black-spotted (adj): co do'm den

2. firehouse (n): tram cuu hoa
3. Daimatlans (n): loai ch o lo n g ngdn
4. guard (n): n g u d i c a nh gac, bao ve
5. shephred (n): n g u d i chan cuu
6. circus (n): x ie c
7. lack (n): su thieu , k h o n g co
8. fire trucks (n): x e cuu hoa
92
9. to bark (v): sua

10. to warn (v): ca n h bao
11. engine (n): d o n g c o
M0T LOAI CH6 DAC BI$T
C o le ban da tifng thay nhieu bCfc anh cac con cho trang co
dom den ma ngifdi ta goi la cho cuti hoa. B an co biet r5ng, co
thoi nhifrig con ch o nay da ganh vac m ot nhiem vu rat quan
trong khong?
Trong hang tram nam , nhCfng ngifdi d chau Au da suf dung

nhCfng con cho nay (difOc goi la cho dom) lam bao ve, chan cifu,
lam xiec. B at cCf noi nao chung den, chung deu noi danh vi toe
do, sCfc m anh va khong he khiep sO loai ngifa.
•>
0 H oa Ky, nhCfng ngifcfi cifu hoa nhanh chong tim ra cong
viec cho nhCfng con ch o nay. Chung luon dan dau trifdc nhCfng xe
cifu hoa do ngite keo va sua to de bao cho moi ngifdi biet doan
xe dang den. Sau nay, khi xe ciiu hoa dung dong cO thay vi dung
ngite nhif trifdc day, loai cho nay van con difOc ifa thich d cac
tram cifu hoa.
93
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Anh Thowq duwq
40. THE PLEASURES OF LIVING IN A VILLAGE
A village is a quiet place where the influence of city is not fell

m uch. It is indeed a very good place for rest and relaxation.
In a village people do not live very close to one another.

T heir houses are far apart. Each house therefore has a lot of
space around it. S o , almost every house is surrounded by flower
and fruit plants and vegetables. All these make the village look
green and fresh. T here are also tall trees everywhere which
provide shade from the sun and keep village cool.
So m e villages are surrounded by paddy-fields or mountains.

T here are also many stream s and rivers in alm ost villages. All
these add great beauty and variety to the village scene.
T he people of village are very simple in thought and

behavior. They are therefore very friendly and helpful. S o , the
crim es of the city are almost unknown in a village. T he people
here work together and live in peace. W henever they celebrate a
festival, they dance and sing together and the whole village is in a
gay mood.
Living am ong such friendly and simple people, in such a

quiet places, is indeed a real pleasure.
1. influence (n): a n h h u o n g , tac d o n g

2. relaxation (n): su t h u gian
94
Commonly used English cssoy_______________ ________
3. paddy-field (n): (cu n g p a d d y ) ru o n g lua

4. crime (n): to i ac
5. gay (adj): uui ve
t h 0 v u is 6 n g 6 v Cj n g q u £
Lang que la noi yen tinh va khong bi loi song thanh thi anh
hifdng nhieu. D o qua thifc la m ot noi li tifdng de nghi ngoi va thif
gian.
O thon que ngifdi dan khong song gan nhau. Nha cua cua
ho d cach xa nhau. D o vay xung quanh mdi ngoi nha deu co
khoang khong rong ldn, nen hau nhif nha nao cung trong hoa,
cay an qua va rau. Lang xom nhd do ma trong xanh tifOi va mat
me. Khap moi noi dau dau cung co nhCfng cay cao toa bong che
mat ban lang.
Xung quanh vai ngoi lang la nhCfng ruong lua hoac nui non.
Hau nhif lang nao cung co rat nhieu song suoi. Thien nhien da
giup cho canh sac thon lang them xinh dep va da dang.
NgUdi dan que suy nghi va cif xif rat don gian. H o than thien
va hay giup dd. Nhd do m a cac toi ac d do thi gan nhif khong
difpc biet den d thon que. Ngifdi dan d day chung sifc lam viec,
song hoa thuan vdi nhau. Mdi khi td chCfc le hoi, ho cung nhau
nhay mua va ca hat. B a n lang luon song vui ve.
Song giCfa nhCfng ngifdi dan gian di va than thien nhif the, d
m ot noi yen tinh nhif the qua la mot niem vui dich thifc.
95
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a n U thow q duNq
41. MY SCHOOL
T h ere is a white three-store building, surrounded by

greenery, located at Sim ei Tow n Central. That is Sim e Primary
School. T hat is also the place where I have schooled for the last
five years or so.
My school uniform is white. T he boys wear a white shirt and

white shorts while the girls wear a while blouse and skirt. The
uniform must always be worn with the school badge which bears
our school m otto “Nothing without labour". It m eans that we
must be willing to work to get our reward. We are also taught to
be honest and polite all the time.
Most of the teachers in my school are just and kind.

However, there are som e teachers who show favouritism. As a
result, the students who are favoured by these teachers are very
proud and like to bully the others. In general, however, we all
treat one another like siblings and live in harmony.
I am sad that I will have to leave my school at the end of this

year. It has given me knowledge, friends and happy m om ents. I
will always rem em ber my school and the fond m em ories I ve ever
had.
1. greenrery (n): tan la x a n h hoac cay x a n h

2. uniform (n): d o n g p h u c
96
3. badge (n): huy hieu

4. m otto (n): k h a u hieu
5. favouritism (n): s u th ie n ui
6. harm ony (n): s u hoa th u a n
TRLTCJNG TOl
C o m ot toa nha ba tang mau trang, xung quanh la nhifng

tan cay xanh, nam d trung tam thanh pho Sim ei. D o la trifdng
tieu hoc Sim ei va do cung la noi toi theo hoc trong nam nam
qua.
Dong phuc cho hoc sinh toan m ot mau trang. Nam sinh m ac
ao so mi trang, quan sooc trang, nuf sinh m ac ao va vay trang. Di
doi vdi bo dong phuc la huy hieu cua trifdng co khSc khau hieu
“Nothing without labour” (Thanh qua dat difdc deu tif cong sifc
lao dong). Khau hieu nay nhac nhd chung toi phai s in sang co
gang de don nhan phan thifdng. Chung toi con dude giao due
phai luon luon that tha va le phep.
Phan ldn thay co trong trifdng deu cong bang va tot bung.
Tuy nhien, cung co vai thay co bieu hien sif thien vi. D o do, cac
hoc sinh difOc thien vi nay to ra rat hanh dien va thich blit nat
ngifdi khac. Tuy the, chung toi deu doi xif vdi nhau nhif anh em
ruot thit va song rat hoa thuan.
T oi rat buon vi phai ra trifdng vao cuoi nam nay. Ndi do da

dem den cho toi kien thifc, ban be va nhifng phut giay hanh
phuc. T oi se nhd mai ngoi tn/dng nay cung nhif nhCfng ky niem
em dem cua thdi cap sach.
97
C a c bAi Iuan TicNq ANh Thong duNq
42. AN AMUSING INCIDENT
Every m orning at around 6 .0 0 &.m my father and his friends

used to sit on on e of the benches in the park near my house. As
usual, he sat last Saturday evening under a shady Angsana tree,
enjoying the cool breeze.
A beggar, with a wooden leg and wearing very shabby

clothes, approached my father and asked for som e money. I
noticed that my father had always given the beggar som e money
each time he approached. However he felf rather irritated that
evening as he had been harassed far too often already. Besides
that, the beggar was getting to be m ore troublesome than usual.
A young well-dressed man wearing a tie and carrying a

briefcase had on that particular evening, been observing the
encounter betw een my father and the beggar. Seein g the
dilemma my father w as in, especially my when the beggar refused
to move away uncless he was given som e m oney, the young man
walked up to my father and said, “Sir, if you will lend m e your
cane for a m om ent 1 will give him a good thrashing for his
m ischief”. My father feeling obliged for the help offered, smiled at
the proposal and handed the young man the cane. No sooner
was the young man going to apply it to the back of the beggar,
the latter immediately whipped off his wooden leg and ran off
98
Commonly used English e s s a y _____________________
with great speed. T h e young man went after him as fast as he

could go. T h e faster the beggar ran, the faster the young man
followed him. Seeing this incident I burst out laughing. Never had
I seen such a sight in my life.
1. beggar (n): n g u o i an x in
2. shabby (adj): to i tan, m o n
3. to irritate (v): c h o c g ia n ai
4. to harass (v): gay roi, la m p h ie n
5. encounter (n): cu o c ch a m tra n
6. dilemma (n): t in h t ra n g k h o xu, tie n th o a i lu d n g nan
7. thrashing (n): tra n d o n
8. mischief (n): t r o ra n h m a n h
9. obliged (adj): b ie t o n ai d o ui da g iu p d o m o t uiec gi
10. to whip off (v): th a o ra m o t cach n h a n h c h o n g ua d o t
ngot
M0T c h u y e n b u 6 n cucji
Moi sang, khoang sau gid, cha toi cung ban be ong thifdng
den ngoi tren bang ghe d cong vien gan nha. Nhu thudng le toi
thif bay tuan roi, ong ngoi difdi bong mat cay Angsana thifdng
thifc lan gid m at lanh.
Mot ngifdi an may, vdi mot cai chan g 6, quan ao toi tan, tien
den cha toi xin m ot it tien. Toi thifdng thay cha hay cho tien
ngifdi an may moi khi anh ta den. Tuy nhien, toi horn ay, ong
cam thay bifc minh vi tnfo'c do ong- lien tuc bi quay ray roi. Hon
nQci, ngifdi an may lai cang luc cang trd nen phien toai.
99
________________________ C a c b \ i Iuan t U n q Af*h ThoNq duNq
Cung vao buoi toi dac biet ay, co mot thanh nien Sn m3c
banh bao, deo ca vat, xach ca tap, difng quan sat cuoc cham tran
giira cha toi va ngifdi an may. Thay tinh trang kho xif cua cha t6i,
nhat la khi ga an may khong chiu di neu khong difdc cho tien,
ngifdi thanh nien ben den ben cha toi va noi: T h ifa ngai, neu
*
ngai cho toi mifdn chiec gay, toi se nen h&n m ot tran ra tro vi tro
ranh ma cua hSn". Cha toi cam thay biet on vi duoc giup dd, ong
mim cifdi khi nghe ldi de nghi nay va trao cho anh thanh nien
chiec gay. Ngay khi ngifdi thanh nien s ip sifa giang gay len lifhg
ga an may, ga lap tOfc thao phang cai chan go va bd chay het toe
life. Ngifdi thanh nien duoi theo, ga an may cang chay nhanh thi
anh thanh nien canh duoi theo nhanh. Trong thay canh nay, toi
vut pha len cifdi. Chifa bao gid toi chifng kien mot canh tifOng
nhif the trong ddi.
100
43. THE DIFFICULTIES IN LEARnING ENGLISH

AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Beginners of foreign language always m eet difficulties from

the outset. For m e, 1 had to overcom e these problem s when 1
started learning English.
- English pronunciation: This is my first obstacle. T he

pronunciation in English puzzles m e a lot because the same letter
has different sounds. For exam ple, the letter “a ” in “bath" is
pronounced /a:/ /ba: 0/, but it is pronounced /ei/ in “bath"
/bei-Q/. Genernally verbs and nouns are pronounced differently.
In order to solve this puzzling question I carefully study. The

A .P .A (The International P hon etic Alphabets) which helps me
pronounce English words correctly.
- English accent: in order to have an accen t just like the

native speakers I often listen to tapes and repeat after them,
trying to imitate them. M oreover, my everyday conversation with
the foreigners I m eet in the street will enable me to acquire a
proper accent.
- English gram m ar: C om pared with French, English

gram m ar is much easier. However, this doesn't m ean that
learners m eet no difficulties in learning it. It took me a long time
to learn how to m aster the tenses in English gram m ar, to
endeavour to do as m any gram m ar exercises as possible and real
various gram m ar books.
101
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq ANh Tho n g duNq
- English style and writing: Each language has its own style.
In order to drill writing skills, 1 have tried to read famous novels of
distinguished Am erican and English writers. I enjoy the humorous
style of writing in Mark Tw ain’s m asterpieces, the elaborate and
polished style of G eorge Eliot and the sentimental and lyrical style
of Jo h n Keats.
After long and hard years of English study, how pleased I

feel when 1 am able to read English and American authors
without any obstacles and difficulties at all.
1. beginner (n): n g u o i b6t d a u

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

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

difcte doc la /a:/ /ba: 0/ nhifng lai difOc doc la /ei/ trong “b ath”
/bei-0/. T hon g thifdng dong ti/ va danh tif difdc doc khac nhau.
D e giai quyet van de kho khan nay toi da nghien cifu that ki
he thong phien am quoc te. No giup toi phat am mot cach chinh
xac hon.
T rong am trong tieng Anh: D e co trong am giong ngifdi ban

xif, toi thifdng nghe bang va lap theo, co gang bat chifdc ho.
Ngoai ra, tiep xuc hang ngay vdi ngifdi ngoai quoc ma toi gap
tren difdng pho co the giup toi dat difdc mot giong doc chinh
xac.
Ngif phap tieng Anh: S o vdi ngCf phap tieng Phap, tieng
Anh d ! hon nhieu. Tuy nhien, dieu nay khong co nghia la ngifdi
hoc tieng Anh khong gap kho khan nao trong viec hoc ngif phap
tieng Anh. T oi phai m at nhieu thdi gian de lam the nao quan triet
difpc cac thi ngif phap, co gang lam nhieu bai tap va doc nhieu
sach ngif phap tieng Anh.
C ach hanh van trong tieng Anh: Moi m ot ngon ngif co m ot

loi viet rieng. D e luyen tap ki nang viet toi da doc nhieu tieu
thuyet cua nhCfng nha van Anh, My. T oi thich loi viet di dom , hai
hifdc trong nhifng kiet tac cua Mark Twain, loi viet bong bay trau
chuot cua G eorge Eliot va loi van tinh cam trtf tinh cua Jo h n
Keats.
Sau nhieu nam m iet mai hoc tieng Anh, toi cam thay hai
long khi co the doc difdc sach cua cac tac gia Anh, My ma c h ln g
gap bat ki kho khan va trd ngai nao.
103
C»c bii lu iN T i f s q hhIi T ltow q Aw,
44. A PLEASANT SURPRISE
T h e door bell rang and 1 went to answer it. At the doorway

stood a fair and pretty girl with rosy cheeks.
“You M ona? Me Y oko, your pen-pal from Ja p a n ”, she said

in broken English. I could not believe my ears. W hat a surprise!
Y o ko explained, with difficulty, that her family was stopping over
in Singapore for 2 days before flying off to Australia for holidays.
I was glad because my elementary Jap a n e se helped in our
conversation.
1 was also surprised to see the many beautiful presents Yoko

had brought for me from Jap an . They induced a Kimono, a
Ja p a n e se paper lantern, som e beautiful badges with faces of
popular Jap an ese singers and lots of delicious Jap a n e se foodstuff.
S h e also took me to Hotel New Otani where her family was

staying in a suite. H er parents, Mr and Mrs Tanaka, were very
friendly and generous. They treated me to a sumptuous Japanese
meal in a cosy Ja p a n e se restaurant.
I took the Tanaka family on a brief tour round Singapore

before inviting them to my hom e for dirnier. Meeting Y o ko and
her parents had certainly been a pleasant surprise.
1. broken (adj): n o i sai, k h o n g trd i chay

2. elem entary (adj): c o ban
104
Commonly used English essay _____________________
3. lantern (n): den lo ng, den sach

4. suite (n): day p h o n g cua m o t k h a c h san
5. sumptuous (adj): xa hoa, sang t r o n g
M0TSI/BAT NGCJTHUV!
Chuong cifa reo va toi chay ra me? cite. Mot co gai xinh dep
vdi doi m a ifng hong dang difng d ngay bac cite.
“B an la M ona? Minh la Y oko, ban qua thir cua ban d Nhat

Ban n e ”, co noi bang thuf tieng Anh khong troi chay. Toi khong
con tin vao tai minh nute. T hat la m ot ngac nhien! Y oko giai thich
m ot cach kho khan rang gia dinh co ghe qua Singapore hai ngay
trifdc khi bay sang Australia de nghi mat. T oi mifng vi von tieng
Nhat cO ban cua toi da giup chung toi trao doi vcfi nhau.
Toi ngac nhien hon nCte khi nhin thay nhCfng m on qua xinh
xlin ma Y o k o m ang tCf Nhat Ban den cho toi, gom co m ot bo
Kim ono, mot cai long den giay Nhat Ban, nhCfng chiec huy hieu
xinh dep vdi gifdng mat nhCfng ca si noi tieng d Nhat va rat nhieu
thu’c an Nhat rat ngon.
C o con difa toi tdi khach san New Otani ndi gia dinh co
dang d trong m ot day phong. C ha me co, ong ba Tanaka, rat
than m at va phong khoang. H o dai toi m ot bCfa an Nhat sang
trong trong m ot khach san am cung cua ngifdi Nhat.
T oi da difa gia dinh Tanaka di m ot vong quanh Singapore

trifdc khi mdi ho den nha toi an tdi. G ap difOc Y o ko va cha me
co ay that sif la m ot bat ngd thu vi ddi vdi toi.
105
C ac b/\i Iuan t U nq ANhjrhoN^duNq
45. BABYSITTING FOR COLUMBUS
Parents who have small children and want to go out often

call a babysitter. Did you know that Columbus needed a babysitter
when he sailed for America?
Colum bus’s wife died, leaving him with a five-year-old son

named Diego. Columbus had a dream to sail across the ocean
Indian. S o he took his son to a church in Spain. T he church
people promised to care for Diego while Columbus was away.
Today, if you go to this church in Spain, you can see the

room where Diego stayed. You can also see a painting of his
famous father, Christopher Columbus.
1. church (n): nha t h a
2. babysitter (n): n g u o i tr o n g tre
3. ocean (n): d a i d u o n g
4. to promise (v): hua, hua hen
5. to leave (v): d e lai
6. famous (adj): n o i tie n g
106
TRONG CON CHO COLUMBUS
C ac bac cha me co con nho khi muon di dau do, ho thi/Ong

thue m ot ngi/di gitf tre. B an co biet rang Columbus cung can mot
ngi/di giCf tre khi ong vi/Ot dai di/Ong den chau My khong?
V o Columbus m at di, de lai ch o ong mot difa con trai vi/a len
nam tuoi, ten la D iego. Columbus iibc m o vi/Ot dai di/Ong den An
D o. Do do ong m ang con den m ot nha thd b Tay Ban Nha.
NhC/ng ngi/di b nha thd hite cham soc Diego trong khi Columbus
di xa.
Ngay nay, neu ban den nha the? nay of Tay Ban Nha, ban co
the thay can phong noi D iego b. Ban cung co the thay bi/c chan
dung cua ngi/di cha noi tieng cua anh: Christopher Columbus.
107
C ac b/\i Iuan TitNq A*h -rhonq duNq
4 6 . A HORSE RACE
Forty-two horses had taken up their positions in the starting

line for the greatest race of the season. T h e course was extremely
difficult and few horses were expected to finish. All eyes were on
the favourites, College Boy and Sw eet Seventeen. Both horses
had won in many great races in the past and they had equal
chances of winning now.
Though the horses got off to a good start, it was not long
before over half of them were out of the race.
As was expected College Boy and Sw eet Seventeen had got

well in front with the remaining horses grouped together some
way behind. On a sharp corner, three of the horses leading the
group fell, throwing the riders behind into great confusion. As the
race progressed, the track becam e full of horses without riders.
Towards the end, there were only three left: College Boy and
Sw eet Seventeen were still leading with an unknown horses. Tom
Thumb, a very long way behind. T he crowd was very
disappointed when on the last jump in the race, the riders of both
favourite horses failed to keep in the saddle. Everyone roared
with delight when College Boy continued by himself and won the
race without his rider. Tom Thumb now took his time and the
crowd cheered and applauded as the finishing line without a nval
in sight.
108
1 • to expect (v): m o n g c/id, m o n g dc/i

2. sharp (adj): th a y d o i hud'ng d o t n g o t
3. confusion (n): ca n h h on d o n , ro i loan
4. track (n): v o n g d u a
5. saddle (n): yen n g u a
6. to roar (v): la het, g a o th e t
7. rival (n): d ic h th u
M0T CU0C DUA NGUA
B on mudi hai con ngifa da vao vi tri cua minh ngay vach
xuat phat, sSn sang ch o cuoc dua ngifa ldn nhat trong mua.
Chang difdng dua rat kho khan va it co con ngifa nao hi vong co
the ve den dtch. Moi cap mat dude do don vao nhCfng con ngifa
dude yeu thich nhat, do la con . College Boy va con Sw eet
Seventeen. C a hai con deu chien thang d nhieu cuoc dua ldn
trong thdi gian qua va gid day chung deu co c o hoi thang thua
nhif nhau.
Mac du chung deu xuat phat rat tot, nhifng khong lau sau do
da co tren nifa sd con ngifa bi loai khoi difdng dua.
Nhif da trong ddi. hai con College Boy va con Sw eet

Seven teen dang dan dau va theo sau mot doan dai la cac con con
lai dang chay tifng top vdi nhau. Tai mot goc ngoat dot ngot, ba
con trong top dan dau nga nhao, nem cac nai ngifa ve phia sau
tao thanh m ot canh hon don. Khi cuoc dua tiep tuc, difdng dua
day nhCfng con ngifa khong ngifdi cifdi. Gan ve dich chi con lai ba
con: C ollege Boy va Sw eet Seventeen van dang dan dau, cung
vdi mot con ngifa khong ai biet den la Tom Thumb, dang d phia
109
C ac bAi luANTifenq Ash Thowq dwq
sau m ot quang rat xa. Dam dong het site that vong khi b cu nhay
cuoi cung cua cuoc dua, ca hai nai tren lung hai con ngite yeu
thich deu khong giCf difOc. Moi ngudi ho reo thich thu khi College
Boy van tiep tuc di/Ong dua va den dich mot minh khong ngudi
cifcrt. T om Thum b tan dung thoi gian va dam dong vo tay hoan
ho khi no vUOt qua vach dich ma khong co mot ddi thu nao trong
tam nhin.
110
' 47. EXAMINATION DAY
T h e m ost exciting day in the life of a student is the day

during the final exam ination for class prom otion. H e prepares
himself well for about a m onth before the exam ination. Even a
student who neglects his lessons sits up to make his eleventh hour
preparation.
A boy who studies hard may feel confident on ce inside the

exam ination hall for the first paper. Every student is anxious to
know w hether the question papers would be difficult or not.
Except a few who do not take their lessons seriously, m ost of the
children look forward eagerly to exam ination day.
Unlike the oth er days, exam ination days are usually quiet.
Every one seem s to browse his notes for the last time before
going into the hall. Every minute seem s precious before the bell
goes as it provides the last chance to check the facts properly.
Som etim es the last minute reading may help you to score marks.
It is indeed a»day of excitem ent to every child who takes his

or her lessons seriously.
1. to sit up (v): th tfc k h u y a

2. confident (adj): t u tin
3. to brow se (v): x e m lu o t, x e m qua
4 . to score (v): g ia n h d u o c (diem , u.u.) t r o n g cu oc k ie m tra
h oa c ki th i
111
C ac bAi Iuan TitNq anIi Thong duNQ
NGAY THI
Cai ngay hoi hop nhat trong ddi hoc sinh la ngay thi kiem
tra cuoi nam de xet len lcfp. H oc sinh phai on tap va chuan bi
m ot thang trifdc ky thi. Ngay ca mot hoc sinh thifdng hay b6 bg
bai hoc cung phai thifc den mi/di mot gid khuya de on thi.
Moi hoc sinh hoc hanh cham chi co the cam thay tif tin b
m on thi dau tien. Chung deu nong long muon biet xem de thi de
hay kho. Ngoai tri/ mot vai ngifdi khong chiu hoc hanh nghiem
tuc, con da so hoc sinh deu ham hcf ddi den ngay thi.
Khong nhif nhifng ngay khac, ngay thi thifdng rat yen tinh.
Difdng nhif moi ngifdi deu dang xem Iifdt qua bai hoc lan cu6i
cung trifdc khi vao phong thi. Moi mot phut trifdc khi chuong do
hinh nhif rat quy gia vi do la CO hoi cuoi cung de kiem tra lai cac
so lieu da dung chua. Doi khi lan doc lai vao phut cuoi co the
giup ban kiem difdc diem.
Ngay thi qua that la ngay day phan khich doi vdi nhifng hoc
sinh nao hoc hanh dang hoang, nghiem tuc.
48. A HUGE WISHING WELL
A wishing well is usually a small pool or well with little water

in it. People throw coins in the wishing well and m ake a wish.
T hey hope that throwing coins in the well will m ake their wish
com e true.
O n e wishing well is different from m ost because it is a big

pool in the Luray Caverns in Virginia. Thousands of visitors com e
to this huge wishing well, m ake a wish, and then throw in a coin
or two. T he pool is so big. and so many visitors fling coins into it,
that the bottom is alm ost always covered with m oney som etim es
thousands of dollars! T h e m oney is later collected and given to
organizations of people who are looking for new m edicines and
new cures for diseases.
1. to throw (v): n e m , uut, q u a n g

2. coin (n): d o n g tie n
3. m ake a wish (v): cau ita c
4. to fling (v): uut, n e m
5. to collect (v): g o m lai, th u lai
6. organization (n): to c h u c
7. medicine (n): t h u o c ud'ng
8. cure (n): p h u o n g th u o c
9. disease (n): can b en h
113
C ac bAi Iuan TitNg Ash Thong dwq
c a i g i£ n g u d c k h 6 n g l 6
G ieng ifdc thifdng la mot cai ho hoac gieng nho trong do chi
co m ot it nifdc. Ngifdi ta nem tien xuong gieng ifdc va cau mot
dieu gi do. Hi vong rin g khi nem tien xuong gieng. m o \Jdc cua
ho se thanh sif thifc.
C o m ot cai gieng khac biet hon het thay, bcfi vi no la mot cai
ho ldn b Luray Caverns, Virginia. Hang ngan du khach den cai
gieng ifdc khong lo nay, ho cau nguyen va nem mot hoSc hai
dong tien xuong. Cai ho rat ldn va co qua nhieu du khach quang
tien xuong do den noi day ho gan nhif luc nao cung phu day tien
co khi hang ngan do la! Sau do cac dong tien nay difdc gom lai
va tang ch o cac td chifc dang tim kiem difdc lieu va phifdng phap
chifa benh mdi.
114
49. TRAPPED IN A LIFT
T h e lift door opened. A small girl and I walked in.
“T en th floor, please. T hank you ,” the little girl said with a

broad smile. S h e was too short to reach the button. I pressed the
buttons and the lift door closed. W hen it reached the 5 floor, the
lift jerked violently and stopped moving. I was surprised and the
little girl was terrified. 1 pressed the button marked “D oor O p e n ”
T here was no response. W e were trapped!
W e tried to force open but it did not work. Franticaly, 1

pressed the alarm button.
T he little girl suddenly burst into tears. I quickly offered her

som e sweets and tried to allay her tears, saying that som eon e
would hear the alarm and com e to our rescure soon. Sucking the
sweets, the little girl forgot her terror.
S o o n , we heard loud noises from outside. T here were

people talking and working on the lift door. S o o n , we were freed.
T h e little girl ran into the arms of her m other who was waiting
anxiously outside the lift. 1 thanked the rescure team for helping
m e out and w ent hom e to tell my m other about my adventure.
1. to jerk (v): g ia t (cai gi, ai) b at t h i n h lin h

2. frantic (adj): d ie n c u o n g
3. to allay (v): la m b o t di, la m d iu d i
115
C a c b\ i Iuan tic n q an»i lU o n q duNq
4. to suck (v): m u t n ga m (keo) t

5. tear (n): n ud e m d t
B| KET TRONG THANG MAY
Cite thang may met. Mot co be gai va toi btfdc vao.
"Da tang thi/ mi/di, cam dn", be gai noi cung mot nu ciifr
tUdi. C o be qua thap nen khong vdi tdi nut bam difdc. Toi an nut
va cite thang may dong lai. Khi den tang nam thang may giat
m anh va ngimg chuyen dong. Toi ng§c nhien va co be thi hot
hoang. T oi nhan nut co chCf "Md cite". C h ln g co k£t qua gi.
Chung toi da b| m ac ket!
Chung toi da c o gang md ctte bang sifc minh nhi/ng van

khong di/Oc. Toi nhan nut bao dong mot cach dien cuong.
C o be dot nhien oa len khoe. Toi voi va dua em vai cai keo
va co gang lam cho em bdt so bang cach noi rang ai do se nghe
tieng chuong va nhanh chong den cl/u chung ta. Ngam keo trong
m om, co be quen di noi khiep so cua minh.
Chang bao lau, toi nghe nhieu tieng on ao ti/ ben ngoai. Co
tieng ngudi noi va lam viec d ctfa thang may. Mot lat sau. chung
toi da dUOc ti/ do. C o be lao vao vong tay cua me dang lo lang
chd doi d ben ngoai thang may. Toi cam on doi cifu ho da giup
toi thoat nan va tro ve nha de ke ch o me toi nghe ve chuyen di
m ao hiem cua minh.
116
50. THE HAPPIEST DAY IN MY LIFE
It was Prize-presentatidn Day. I was chosen to be the model

student of the year on the recom m endation of my teacher and
classm ates. It was happy that they thought so well of me.
W hen I w ent up the stage to collect the prestigious medal

and cash award, I was filled with pride and joy. All my teachers
and friends congratulated me warmly. My parents beam ed widely.
They were very proud of me.
After the prize-giving cerem ory, my parents bought me to

“Toys-R -U s” shop. T h ere, they bought me a rem ote-controlled
model aircraft as a reward for being such a good student. I was
overjoyed because I had wanted the model for long time.
In extrem ely good m oods, we proceeded to Me Donalds for

dinner. W e had m any delicious dishes. W hat a treat I was given!
T h at right, I played with my model aircraft before going to

bed. For o n ce, my puppy was allowed to sleep with me since it
was such a special day. Even the night was filled with sweet
dream s. It was probably the happiest day in my life.
1. presentation (n): q u a bieu, ta n g

2. recom m endation (n): s u d e cu, s u gi&i th ie u
3. prestigious (adj): u in h d u
117
C a c bk\ Iuan TitNq an^ Tho*q dung
4. to congratulate (v): ch uc m itn g

5. to beam (v): tu&i citcri ra n g r b
6. rem ote-controlled (adj): d a g c d ie u khie’n t i f xa
NGAY HANH PHOC NHAT TRONG OOl TOl
D o la ngay phat phan thifdng. T oi difdc binh chon la hoc

sinh mau mifc cua nam dite vao sif de cif cua thay co va cac ban
cung hoc. T oi rat hanh phuc khi biet moi ngifdi da nghi tot ve t6i
nhif the.
Khi bifdc len buc de nhan huy chifOng danh dif va phan
thifdng being tien mat, long toi tran ngap niem vui va niem hanh
dien. T at ca thay co va ban be nong nhiet chuc mifng toi. Ba me
toi tifOi cifdi rang rd. Ba me rat d6i tif hao ve toi.
Sau le phat phan thifdng, ba me dan toi den cite hang do

7
choi T o y s-R -U s/ 0 do, ba me mua mot mo hinh may bay co bo

dieu khien tif xa cho toi v£ coi do la phan thifdng cho m ot so hoc
sinh xuat sac. T oi rat vui sifdng vi tif lau toi da m ong muon co
difOc mo hinh nay.
Trong tam trang rat phan khdi, chung toi den nha hang Me
Donalds de dung bute tdi. Chung toi goi rat nhieu m on an ngon.
Toi da difpc an mot bCte ra tro!
T oi hom ay, tdi choi vdi mo hinh may bay tnfdc khi ngu.
Lan dau tien chu cho con difOc phep ngu vdi toi bdi le day la mot
ngay dac biet. Ngay ca luc ngu toi cung m d thay nhieu giac mO
dep. Do la m ot ngay hanh phuc nhat ddi tdi.
118
51. AN ADVERTISEMENT
As it cam e near the co m er, the taxi stopped suddenly. T he

driver got out looking very puzzled. A big lorry which had been
following the taxi stopped too. T h e taxi driver was now standing
at the co m er looking up at the sky and the lorry driver went and
joined him. A num ber of cars behind were forced to stop as well
as soon large crowed of people had gathered at the com er.
T h e cause of all this trouble was a very strange noise. It

sounded as if thousands and thousands of birds w ere singing
together. T h e noise was quite frightening and many peole looked
disturbed. T h e m ost extraordinary thing was that, apart from one
or two pigeons, there was not a bird in sight. No one was able to
solve the mystery, until two policem en arrived. T hey noticed a
large advertisem ent for a film high up on a wall nearby. As the
noise seem ed to be com ing from this direction, they climbed up
and found that a tape-recorder had been hidden behind the
advertisem ent. T he noise made by birds singing was being
broadcast over powerful loudspeaker so as to attract the attention
of passers-by. T h e police asked the advertisers to take the
recorder away because the advertisem ent had attracted so much
attention that it was impossible for a great many carts and buses
to m ove freely in the streets.
1. puzzled (adj): boi rd i. lu n g t u n g

2. lorry (n): x e tai
119
C ac bAi Iuan TicNQ an U th ong duNq
3. apart from (prep): ngoai ra

4. advertisement (n): q u a n g cao
5. to attract (v): th u h u t, hap ddn
QUANG CAO
Khi den gan goc difdng, chiec xe taxi dot ngot difng lai.
Ngifcrt tai xe bifdc xuong xe vdi ve mat rat boi roi. Mot xe tai ldn
chay sau chiec taxi cung ngi/ng lai. Ngifcfi lai xe taxi dang dC/ng d
goc difdng va ngifdc nhin len trcfi, ca anh tai xe xe tai cung bifdc
den va nhap bon. Nhieu o to d phia sau buoc phai difrig lai va
c h ln g bao lau m ot dam dong ldn da tu tap lai goc difdng.
Nguyen nhan cua vu Ion xon nay la do mot am thanh rat doi
laJlung. Nhif the co hang ngan con chim dang cung nhau hoa ca.
Am thanh that dang sd khien nhieu ngifdi rat lo lang. Dieu ki la
nha't la ngoai m ot hai chu bo cau, ngifdi ta khong con trong thay
mot con chim nao ca. Khong ai co the ly giai ve dieu bi an nay,
cho den khi co hai vien canh sat tien den. Ho de y thay co mot
bang quang cao ldn cho m ot bo phim treo tren bifc tifdng gan do.
Vi am thanh phat ra tif hifdng do, nen ho treo len va phat hien
mot may ghi am gia'u phia sau bang quang cao. Tieng chim hot
difOc phat ra qua m ot he thong loa cifc manh de thu hut sif chu y
cua khach qua difdng. C anh sat da bao nhCfng ngifdi quang cao
lay may ghi am xuong. vi viec quang cao nay da thu hut sif chu
y cua qua nhieu ngifdi, den mifc mot so lifdng rat ldn xe hai
hoac bon banh va xe buyt khong the di chuyen de dang tren
difdng pho.
120
52. MY AMBITION
W hen 1 grow up, I would like to be a veterinarian. This is

because of my great love for animals. 1 feel that people should be
concerned for their feelings especially when they are sick, injured
or frightened. I would like to cure diseases and ease the suffering
of these animals.
W hen 1 was younger, my family lived in a big house in

Malaysia. An animal helpd to shape my ambition to becom e a
veterinarian.
T h e animal was a kitten that I rescued from a shallow canal.

1 took it hom e and looked after the poor animal. 1 named my
kitten Ginger. W e b ecam e great com panions. But one day, poor
G inger was run over by a car.
From that sad day onwards, I decided to becom e a

veterinarian so that 1 could help animals in pain.
1. veterinarian (n): th a y th u o c th u y
2. to cure (v): c h u a k h o i
3. to ease (v): la m d iu b ot
4. suffering (n): sif d a u do'n
5. shallow (adj): non g . k h o n g sau
6. canal (n): k e n h . s o ng d a o
121
_________________________________ C ac bAi I uan TiEwq anIi ih o N g d w g
HOAl BAO CUA TOI
Khi ldn len, toi muon trd thanh bac si thu y. D o la do toi rat
doi yeu thifdng dong vat. Toi thay rang moi ngifdi nen quan tam
lo lang den cam giac cua chung, nhat la khi chung dau om, bi
thifdng, h o ac khiep sd. T oi muon chOa lanh moi benh tat, lam
diu bdt nhCfng noi dau cua cac con vat nay.
Luc con be, gia dinh toi song trong mot ngoi nha ldn b
Malaysia. Mot con vat da giup toi co difdc ifdc md trd thanh bac
si thu y.
D o la m ot chu m eo con ma toi da cCfu song b con kenh can.

T oi m ang chu ve nha va cham soc cho con vat dang thUdng do.
T oi dat ten cho chu la Ginger. Chung toi tr6 thanh ban be than
thiet. Nhung m ot horn, m eo Ginger toi nghiep bi xe can chet.
TCf cai ngay dau buon do, toi da quyet dinh se trb thanh bac
si thu y de co the giup dd nhCfng con vat trong con dau ddn.
122
53. CHICKEN THAT PLAYS THE PIANO
Mrs. Little saw an ad on television. It was selling trained

chickens, but each chicken cost a lot of money. S o Mrs. Little
decided to train her own. S h e w ent to a farm, bought a chicken,
and began teaching it.
B a Little knew that chickens love to peck. Sh e acquired a toy

piano and put food on the keys. T he chicken would pick at the
piano keys to get the food. Each time the chicken pecked, it
would be playing the piano. S o o n Mrs. Little had the chicken
playing without food on the keys. T he chicken knew it would get
fed after it finished playing.
Mrs. Little had the only piano-playing chicken in Benld,

lllions or anywhere!
1. chicken (n): con ga con

2. to decide (v): q u y e t d in h
3. ad (n): h a n h d o n g t h o n g bao, q u a n g cao
4. to train (v): d a o tao, h u d n g d dn
5. to peck (v): m o
6. to acquire (v): co d u o c
123
C ac bAi Iuan t U nq an Ii Thowq duNq
GA CON CHOI DAN DI/ONG CAM
Mrs. Little da xem mot chifdng trinh quang cao tren ti vi noi
ve nhCfng chu ga con difdc huan luyen, nhung gia cua moi chu ga
do rat dat. Vi the ba quyet dinh tif minh huan luyen con ga. Ba di
den nong-trai, mua mot con ga con va bSt dau day no.
B a Little biet rang ga con thich mo. Ba kiem mot cay dan
difong cam do choi va dat thCfc an tren cac phim dan. Ga con se
md len phim dan de lay thifc an. Moi lan ga con m o, no cung se
choi dan. Chang bao lau ba Little da tap cho ga con chcfi dan ma
khong can de thifc an tren phim. Ga con biet no se difOc cho 3n
sau khi choi dan xong.
B a Little co con ga biet choi dan difOng cam duy nhat b •

Benld, Illions va d bat cif noi dau.
124
54. A COURTESY CAMPAIGN
In February my school organized courtesy cam paign. This

cam paign was to m ake students realize the im portance of being
courteous.
During that m onth, we had an exhibition on the different

ways of showing courtesy. T h ere was a picture of a young boy
giving up his seat on the bus to an old lady. A nother picture
showed a person saying “T h an k you” after receiving a gift from
som eone. W e w ere also treated to a film show on the different
ways a person could be courteous.
W e learnt to greet our teachers politely. I also learnt to be

m ore courteous to my friends. I said “Thank you” when I
borrow ed som ething from them or when they helped me with my
schoolw ork. Most of all, I felt that I had leam t to be m ore
courteous to both people 1 knew as well as to strangers. I thought
the courtesy cam paign in my school was a success.
1. cam paign (n): cu o c van d o n g , chien d ich

2. courtesy (n): th a i d o n h a nhd n , lich su
3. exhibition (n): cu o c t r u n g bay, trie n lam
4. different (adj): k h a c
5. to learn (v): h o c
125
C a c bAi Iuan t U'n q an U Thong duNq
CUOC VAN O0NG t h a n h lic h
V ao thang hai, tnfdng toi phat dong mot phong trao thanh
lich. Phong trao nay nham giup hoc sinh nhan thifc ditoc tam
quan trong cua phep lich sif va le do.
Trong suot thang do, chung toi co m ot cuoc tRfng bay ve

viec bieu hien phep lich sif theo nhieu cach khac nhau. C o bifc
tranh ve m ot cau be nhifdng ch o tren xe buyt ch o mot ba cu.
BCfc tranh khac la hinh anh m ot ngifdi dang noi “C am On” sau
khi nhan difOc m on qua cua ai do tang. Chung toi cung di/Oc
xem phim ve nhieu cach the hien thai do lich sif khac nhau cua
m ot ngifdi.
Chung toi da hoc cach chao hoi thay co mot cach le phep.
T oi cung hoc difdc cach lich sif hon vdi ban be. T oi noi “Cam cfn
nhe" khi mifdn cua ban m ot vat gi do hoac khi ban giup toi lam
bai tap d trifdng. Quan trong hon ca, tdi hieu minh phai lich sif
hon vdi ngifdi quen cung nhif ngifdi la. Tdi nghi rin g cuoc van
dong thanh lich d trifdng tdi da thanh cong.
126
55. SPORTS DAY
Yesterday, my school held its annual Sports Day. It was an

exciting day for all the students in my school. The events were to
be held at two o ’clock in the afternoon. But all the students were
told to report to school at nine o ’clock in the m orning."
A lot of things needed to be done so that the event would

run smoothly. A num ber of us helped to arrange the chairs in
neat rows. A few schoolm ates helped to hang up som e
decorations.
T h e time passed very quickly. Before we realized it, parents

and other visitors had begun to arrive. This was the first time I
would be participating in a race. I felt really excited and nervous.
W hen my race was announced, I went to the track to get ready. I
did not win the race, but it was a good experience. By six o ’clock
in the evening, all the sports events were over. It had been a very
tiring but happy day.
1. to arrange (v): ui t r i
2. to participate (v): th a m d u
3. nervous (adj): ca n g thang, hoi h o p
4. track (n): d u d n g d u a
5. ready (adv): san sang
127
C ac bAi Iuan Ticwq an U Thong dung
NGAY HOl TH^ THAO
Horn qua, trifdng toi da td chifc ngay hoi the thao hang
nam . D o la mot ngay soi noi nhat doi vdi toan bo hoc sinh cua
trifdng. C ac mon thi dau difdc tien hanh vao hai gid tnJa. Nhifng
tat ca hoc sinh phai co mat tai trifdng luc chin gid sang.
C an phai lam nhieu viec de cuoc thi dau dien ra tot dep. M&t
so hoc sinh sap xep ghe ngoi thanh hang ngay ngan. So khac
m ang theo mot so' do trang tri.
Thdi gian troi qua that mau. Trifdc khi chung tdi nhan ra
dieu do, phu huynh va khach khifa da bat dau den. Day la lan dau
tien tdi tham dif m ot cuoc chay dua. Tdi that sif cam thay kich
dong va cang th in g . Khi cuoc dua cua tdi difOc thong bao, toi di
den difdng dua va chuan bi s in sang. Tdi khong th in g cuoc,
nhifng do la mot kinh nghiem quy bau. V ao luc sau gid chieu,
moi cuoc thi dau deu ket thuc. Do la mot ngay het sifc met nhoc
nhifng vo cung vui ve.
128
56. THE REASON WHY THE YOUNG PEOPLE

PREFER TO LIVE IN TOWN
Young people are always active and keen on learning so

m ost of them prefer to live in town.
First of all, living in town they have many chances to widen

their knowledge. Nowadays many language schools and centers
open in town. T hey can go to any evening classes to improve
their foreign languages such as French, English, Russian,
G erm an, Ja p a n e se and C hinese. Experienced teachers and
professors are ready to provide them with what they want to
know. Besides that, they can go to public libraries or English
speaking clubs to broaden their knowledge and drill their English
speaking skills.
Secon d , living in town they can keep abreast of current

affairs all over the world by reading new spapers, magazines or by
watching television or listening to the radio. In the morning, they saw
Kuwait occupied by Irag troops but in the evening, they saw them
driven out of this oil-producing country by powerful allied forces.
Third, our country is open to all foreign investments and

town is the cradle of industrial development. T herefore, upon
graduating from university, they can have favorable opportunities
to m ake full use of their ability.
129
C ac bAi I uan Tieng Awh T h o n g dung
Finally, there are many com fortable m eans of

com m unication and entertainm ent in town. T hey can go
anywhere they like and after a hard day's work they can enjoy
minutes of recreation by watching interesting films on a large
screen in a m odem and air-conditioned cinema in town.
For the above-m entioned reasons, an urban life has always

been a fascinating appeal to all young m en in the world.
1. active (adj): n d n g d o n g
2. to be keen on (v): h a m m e
I
3. chan ce (n): c o hoi
4 . to widen (to broaden) (v): m o ro n g
5. to improve (v): cai th ie n
L? DO TAI SAO THANH Nl£N THICH S6NG 6 THANH THj HON

Gidi tre luon luon nang dong va hieu hoc vi vay ho thich
song cf thanh pho.
Trifdc het, song d thanh pho hp co nhieu cO hoi de md

mang kien thCrc. Ngay nay nhieu trifdng va trung tam ngoai ngCf
difdc m d tai thanh pho. Hp co the den bat ky mot ldp hoc dem
nao de trau doi ngoai nguf nhif Phap, Anh, Nga, DifC. Nhat va
Trung Quoc. NhCfng giao vien va giao sif giau kinh nghiem sin
sang cung cap cho hp nhCfng gi hp can biet. Ngoai ra. hp con co
the den nhCfng thif vien cong cong hay cac cau lac bo noi tieng
Anh de me? rong kien thCfc va luyen tap ki nang noi.
Thif hai, song tai thanh pho hp co the theo kip cac bien co
dang xay ra khap noi tren the gidi bang cach doc bao, xem ti vi
130
hay nghe dai. V ao buoi sang, ho nhin thay dat nifdc Kuwai bi
quan doi Irak xam chiem nhung buoi chieu ho thay chung bi cac
life lifdng dong minh hung m anh danh bat ra khoi quoc gia san
xuat dau lira nay.
Thtf ba, dat nifdc chung ta dang m d cite don nhan cac
nguon dau tif nifdc ngoai va thanh pho la cai noi cua sif phat
trien cong nghiep. D o do, sau khi tot nghiep dai hoc, ho co the
co nhieu CO hoi thuan loi de tan dung tai nang cua ho.
Sau cung, d tai thanh pho co nhieu phifdng tien thong tin va
giai tn thuan loi. H o co the di den bat ky ndi nao hp thich va sau
mot ngay lam viec m et m oi hp co the thifdng thCfc nhCfng giay
phut giai tri bang cach xem nhCfng bo phim hap dan tren man
anh rong trong mot rap chieu bong co may dieu hoa nhiet do.
Vi nhCfng li do tren, cuoc song noi thanh pho luon luon hap
d in doi vdi dai da so thanh nien tren the gidi.
131
C a c bAi Iuan TiENq anU th o N q duNq
57. AT THE MUSEUM
Dark black clouds in a dull sky m eant one thing only: there
was going to be thunderstorm. Not one of us had brought an
umbrella, or even a raincoat, when Ja c k suggested we should go
to museum, we all agreed immediately. As we had been shopping
all morning and were now feeling very tired, it would be pleasure
to sit down. W e took a bus and arrived just as large drops of rain
to beginning to fall.
The museum was quite deserted and very peaceful. We sat

down in the main hall and listened to the rain beating against the
windows. Suddenly there was a great disturbance at the entrance.
T hen large parties of school-boys were led in by a teacher
T he poor man was trying to keep them quiet and

Lhreatening to punish them, but they did not pay the slightest
attention. T he boys ran here and there like a wild tribe.
Apologizing for this lack of discipline, the teacher explained that
the boy were "rather excited". But in the end the noise proved
too much for us and we decided to leave. As Ja c k remarked when
we were walking in the rain, the boys had m ore right to be in the
museum than we had. After all, they had com e on an
"educational visit, while we had simply wanted to get out of
the rain.
1- thunderstorm (n): con m u a g io n g

2. to desert (v): h o a n g vdng, vdng ve
3. tribe (n): so lu o n g n g u d i ra t d o n g
4. to rem ark (v): d a n h d a u lai
5. rain (n): m u a
TAI VI$N BAO TANG
May den van vu tren nen trdi u am nghia la sap co m ot con

mua giong. C a bon chung toi khong ai mang theo m ot cay du,
ngay ca ao mua cung khong co. Vi the khi Ja ck de nghi nen den
vien bao tang, tat ca chung toi deu dong y ngay. Vi da di mua
sam suot ca buoi sang va gid dang cam thay rat m et, nen difdc
ngoi xuong han la thu vi lam. Chung toi don xe buyt den vien bao
tang vua luc nhCfng giot nifdc mua nang nang bat dau rOi xuong.
Vien bao tang hoan toan vang ve va yen tinh. Chung toi
ngoi d sanh phong, lang nghe nhCfng tieng mua dap vao cifa sd.
D ot nhien, co tieng nao dong d cua vao. Sau do, mot doan hoc
sinh dude m ot thay giao dan vao.
Ngifdi thay dang thifdng co bao chung giCf yen lang va doa
se trifng phat chung, nhifng chung chang chut chu y. Lu con trai
chay khap noi nhif m ot dam tre mat kiem soat. Thay giao xin loi
vi thai do thieu ky luat cua hoc tro minh, va giai thich rang bon
con trai dang “phan khich ". Nhifng cuoi cung tieng on ao da
chifng minh ch o chung toi thay la con hon the nDa, nen chung toi
quyet dinh rdi khdi nOi nay. Khi chung toi bifdc di trong mifa.
Ja c k nhan xet rang bon ;o n trai do co quyen d trong vien bao
tang hdn la chung toi. Vi suy cho cung chung den la de “tham
quan hoc h o i”, con chung toi don gian la muon tru mua!
133
C a c bAi Iuan TiENq an Ii TÔNq dw q
58. A N EW FRIEND
W hen the school reopened after the mid-year school holiday,

we had a new class-mate. Her nam e is Cheng Siew Hong and
she has emigrated with her family from Hong Kong to Singapore.
T h e class was excited and I was especially so because she

happened to sit next to me. My form teacher told us to make her
feel at ease with us. Siew Hong is a cheerful-looking girl and an
active athlete. Sh e runs fast, swims well and even takes part in
high-jump com petitions. Siew Hong and I soon becam e very
good friends because of our com m on interest in sports. We never
run out of topics to talk about. W e have lots of fun together, both
in class and out on the field. 1 help Siew Hong cope with the
English language while she helps me out of with the Chinese
language.
Sin ce this was the first time sh e’s been in Singapore, the
class decided to bring Siew Hong to som e of the local tourist
attractions like Sentosa and Botanic Garden. W e also brought her
to Satay Club to let her try the tasty local speciality. With our
help, Siew Hong fitted into class in no time. Sh e is glad to join
our class and we are glad to have her as a new friend.
1. to emigrate (v): d i cu
2. form teacher (comp.n): g ia o uien chu n h ie m
134
Commonly used English gssqy
3. run out (of sth): d u n g h e t h odc can het cai gi

4. to cop e with (v): duefng dau, d d i p h o
5. speciality (n): d d c san
M0T NGUOI BAN Nl6l
Khi trifdng hoc m d cifa lai sau ki nghi giOfa nam , ldp chung
toi co them m ot ngifdi ban mcfi. T en co ban la Cheng Siew
Hong. C o da cung gia dinh di cif tif Hong Kong sang Singapore.
Ldp hoc rat phan khich va toi con phan khi'ch hon nifa vi co
ban tinh cd ngoi canh toi. Thay chu nhiem bao chung toi hay
giup co thay thoai mai, de chju hon. Siew Hong la m ot co gai vui
tifdi va la mot van dong vien tich cifc. C o chay rat nhanh, boi loi
gidi va tham chi con tham gia tranh tai trong cuoc thi nhay cao
nifa. Chang bao lau toi va Siew Hong da trd thanh ban be than
thiet vi deu yeu thi'ch the thao. Chung toi khong bao gid het
chuyen de noi vdi nhau. Chung toi chia se nhieu dieu thu vi, ca
trong ldp hoc lln ngoai san cd. Toi giup Siew Hong difang dau
vdi m on tieng Anh, con co ay giup toi hoc tieng Trung Quoc.
Vi day la lan dau tien Siew Hong d Singapore, nen ca ldp

quyet dinh dlin co di tham vai nOi hap dan khach du lich, nhif dao
S en to sa hoac vifdn bach thao. Chung toi con difa den cau lac bo
Satay de co nem thif dac san cua dia phi/ong. DifOc chung toi
giup d<3, Siew Hong da nhanh chong hoa nhap vdi ldp. C o rat
vui khi difOc hoc d day va chung toi cung vui khi co difOc mot
ngifdi ban mdi nhif co.
135
C a c b/\i Iuan t icing ANh Thong duNq
59. A HOUSE I WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN
I would like to live in a house by the sea where I can see the
sun rise and set every day.
This is how 1 will want my house to be like: after passing the

front gate, there will be a lovely rose garden. Then, the big white
house com es into view. W hen 1 walk through the door, a white
sitting room with a pink sofa set will greet me. Paintings of
beautiful flowers hanging on the walls will make the room look
com fortable and fresh.
T he three bedroom s will be on the second level. O ne is for

my parents, one for my brother and one for me. I will like my
room to be painted pink. Above my bed, 1 will hang a big picture
of a ballerina dressed in white. T he grey carpet on the floor will
be strewn with many cushions to lie reading novels. 1 will do my
homework on the table by the window through which I can see
the stars at night.
On the highest level will be an open space which overlooks

the sea. It will be used for barbecue in the evening.
No m atter how fine this house may seem , it is just a dream.

W hat is reality for me is a three-room flat in Tiong Bahru
136
1. ballerina (n): nCt d ie n vien m u a ba le

2. to strew (v): tra i
3. barbecue (n): bua tiec ngoai trdi, dn thuc fin n u a n g tren u!
4. reality (n): th u c te
5. dream (n): g ia c m a
NGOl NHA TOl t h ic h s 6 n g
T oi thich difOc song d ngoi nha canh bd bien, d do ngay nao

toi cung co the nhin thay m at trdi m oc va canh hoang hon.
Ngoi nha mO ifdc cua toi la ngoi nha sau khi di qua cong
trifdc se cd mot vifdn hoa hong dang yeu. Tiep do, mot can nha
ldn mau trang hien ra trifdc mat. Khi toi qua cite chinh, mot
phong khach mau trang vdi m ot bo ghe trang ky mau hong se
chao don toi. NhCfng bifc tranh hoa treo tren tifdng se lam can
phong trong d£ chiu va tifoi mat.
B a phong ngu d tang hai. Mot phong danh cho cha m e, mot
phong cho em toi va m ot cho toi. Toi thich can phong cua toi
son mau hong. Phia tren giufdng toi se treo bifc tranh ve m ot vu
cong bale mac do trang. Chiec tham mau xam dat tren san vdi that
nhieu goi de nam doc tieu thuyet. Toi se lam bai tap ve nha d ban
hoc ke ben canh cite sd de co the ngam sao trdi vao ban dem.
T ang tren cung se la m ot khoang khong nhin ra bien. NhCfng

bCfa tiec ngoai trdi vao buoi tdi se difOc td chCfc d do.
C ho du can nha nay cd dep den dau di nifa cung chi la mot
giac mO. Thifc te thi toi dang song trong mot can ho ba phong d
T iong Bahru.
137
C a c bAi Iuan t U n q Anh t h o n g duwq
60. CHOCOLATE TOWN
T h e street lamps are shaped like chocolate candy kisses. The

streets have nam es like East Chocolate Avenue. You are in
C hocolate Tow n, U .S.A . Its real nam e is Hershey, Pennsylvania.
In 1 9 0 5 , a man named Milton Hershey opened a chocolate

factory in a cornfield. Today, there are thousands of people living
in the town. Visitors are amazed at the huge vats that hold ten
thousand pounds of chocolate each. It takes milk from fifty
thousand cows every day to help make the candy. There are
barns holding 9 0 million pounds of cacao beans. Chocolate is
made from cacao beans.
If you are ever near Hershey, Pennsylvania, stop at the

world's largest chocolate factory. T here are free samples too!
1. chocolate (n): so co la
2. lamp (n): b o n g den
3. kiss (n): m a u , th o i
4. Avenue (n): d a i Ip, cao oc
5. to am aze (v): la m k in h ngac, la m s u n g sot
6. vat (n): th u n g , be, c h u m
7. bean (n): h at
8. free (adj): m ie n p hi, k h o n g m a t tien
9. sample (n): sd lu p n g n h o san p h a m bieu k h o n g
138
THANH PH 6 SO-CO-LA
D en difdng co hinh dang giong nhif nhufng thoi keo so co la.
Difdng pho co nhCfng cai ten dai loai nhif la East C hocolate
Avenue. B an dang d thanh pho S o co la, Hoa Ky. T en that cua
no la H ershey, thuoc bang Pennsylvania.
V ao nam 1 9 0 5 , m ot ngifdi dan ong ten Milton H ershey md

nha may so co la tai m ot canh dong ngo. Ngay nay, co hang
ngan ngifdi song trong thanh pho nay. C ac du khach kinh ngac
trifdc nhdng cai thung khong lo, moi thung chifa mifdi ngan can
so co la. Phai lay sCta tCf nam mifOi ngan con bo moi ngay de lam
keo. C o nhieu nha kho chifa chin mifOi trieu can hat ca cao. S o
co la difpc lam tif hat ca cao.
Neu ban co luc nao den H ershey, Pennsylvania, hay ghe lai
? _
nha may so co la ldn nhat the gidi. O do cung co nhting mau
hang difOc phat m ien phi nufa day!
139
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq aimIi Thomq duNq
61. HOW GEESE HELPED A SWAN
A swan was sleeping on a pond one winter. During the night

w eather becam e very cold. T he water turned into ice. The swan
couldn't move, and in time it could die.
T he swan called, but there was no one to help. Suddenly, a

flock of geese cam e flying by. W hen they saw the swan stuck in
the ice, they landed right by it. Soon they were pecking away at
the ice. After a short while, the swan was free. As it winged
through the air it called a thank you. Maybe someday the swan
would be able to help the geese.
1. goose (n): con n g o n g

2. swan (n): con th ie n nga
3. pond (n): cai ao
4. in time (idm): sdm hay m u o n , cu oi c u n g
5. flock (n): dan, bay
6. to stick (in sth) (stuck - stuck) (v): bi ket, bi hoc
7. to land (v): ha cach
8. to wing (v): bay (b d n g d o i canh)
140
NGONG b a g iu p d o t h i £ n n g a n h u t h £ nao
Mua dong no, co con thien nga dang ngu tren mot cai ao.
Suot dem , thoi tiet rat lanh. Nifdc dong thanh bang. Con thien
nga khong the cif dong difOc va sdm hay muon thi thien nga cung
se chet mat.
C on thien nga keu len nhifng khong co ai den giup no. Bat
ngd, co m ot dan ngdng bay ngang qua. Khi thay con thien nga bi
ket trong bang, chung dap xuong ngay gan do va nhanh chong
md vang chd nifdc dong bang. Mot luc sau, con thien nga difpc
cCfu thoat. Khi cat canh bay len no keu cam On. C o le mot ngay
nao do thien nga co the se giup dd lai cac con ngong.
141
C a c bAi Iuan t i in q Awh th o n g dung
62. A FLOOD
After spending the morning in the school library, 1 was

dismayed to find the sky overcast. T he first few drops of rain
were already falling when 1 dashed to the nearby bus-stop. I was
relieved when the bus cam e soon afterwards. A few minutes after
I boarded the bus, the rains feel in torrent. T he bus moved along
the road very slowly.
About one hour later, the bus cam e to a standstill. 1 cleaned

the clouded-up window with my hands. T o my dismay, 1 saw that
we ere caught right in the middle of a flood. T he water cam e up
to the first step of the bus. T he canal beside the road had
overflowed.
A car had stalled in the flood. Som e men were pushing it

through the flood water to a side road so that other vehicles could
pass. After they succeeded in doing so, the traffic continued at a
very slow pace. 1 arrived hom e late that day.
1. overcast (n): bi m ay bao p h u , am u

2. to relieve (v): cam th a y n h e b at su cang th d n g
3. torrent (n): d o n g nuac, u.u.. chay m a n h , thac
4 . standstill (n): su d u n g lai, su d u n g lai
5. to stall (v): (ue m a y m oc) chet m a y
6. pace (n): toe d o (n h a t la d i hoac chay)
142
MOT TRAN LUT
Sau m ot buoi ngoi d thif vien trifdng, toi hoang hon khi thay
bau trdi day may u am . Vai hat mite dau tien roi xuong khi toi
chay den tram xe.buyt gan do. T oi cam thay nhe nhom khi chang
may ch oc sau xe buyt da den. Vai phut sau khi toi len xe thi mite
rOi nhif trut nifdc. C hiec xe buyt dich chuyen cham chap tren
difdng.
Khoang m ot gid sau xe difng han. T oi dung tay lau canh cite
sd b| nifdc mite lam md, va that khung khiep khi thay minh bi ket
giOte m ot cOn lu. Nifdc da dang len den bac thang dau tien cua xe.
Dong kenh ben canh con difdng chim trong be nifdc.
Mot chiec o to bi ch et may giCte con lu. Vai ngifdi dang cd

day no qua dong nifdc lu den ve difdng de nhCfng xe khac co the
chay qua. Sau khi hp lam xong, xe co lai lifu thong vdi toe do vo
cung cham . Horn do toi ve nha muon.
143
C a c b/vi Iuan titN q an U TÔNq dung
63. FAVOURITE HOBBIES
An activity in which we take an interest outside our regular

work becom es a hobby. Som e students make drawing or painting
a hobby, for other collection of stamps or gardening. Shell
collecting on the beach is the hobby of som e children.
Hobby benefits many individuals. For exam ple, a person

who collects stam ps of various countries of the wdrld takes a
special interest in the study of the subject of the stamp as well as
the country w here it is used. He may spend a lot of money
buying rare stam ps for his album and takes a great pride in
owning them. Hobby also teaches a person the value of things or
activity he is interested in.
As for me 1 have had a few hobbies at different stages in my

life. My earliest hobby was stamp collecting. Then it was keeping
pets. I had two pet dogs and a parrot. Presently, my hobby is
gardening. I plant flower and vegetables in my house compound
and water them everyday. 1 nurse the plants by weeding or
putting manure at times. Very often 1 sell my flowers to florists
and get small incom e.
It is wiser to engage oneself in any hobby than it is to idle

away on e's precious time.
144
1. hoppy (n): s d th ic h
2. collection (n): bo situ tap
3. stam p (n): te m
4. incom e (n): th u n h a p
5. flower (n): h oa
S 6 THICH
S d thich la m ot dieu ma ta quan tam den ngoai cong viec

thifdng ngay. Mot so hoc sinh co sd thich la ve tranh, sd khac lai
thich sifu tap tem hoac lam vifdn. Sifu tap vo so tren bai bien
cung la sd thich cua m ot difa tre.
S d thich rat cd ich cho nhieu ngifdi. Vi du nhif, m ot ngifdi

sifu tap tem cua nhuftg nifdc khac nhau tren the gidi se dac biet
quan tam nghien cifu ve noi dung cua con tem cung nhif ve quoc
gia li/u hanh con tem do. Anh ta co the bo ra rat nhieu tien mua
nhCfng con tem hiem de lifu vao bo sifu tap va rat tif hao khi sd
hCfu chung. S d thich cung day ta nhan biet difdc gia tri cua do vat
hoac hoat dong ma ta dang quan tam.
V e phan toi, toi co vai sd thich theo tifng giai doan khac
nhau trong ddi. S d thich dau tien la sifu tap tem. Sau do con lai la
thich nuoi thu cifng. T oi co hai con cho va m ot con vet. C on hien
gid sd thich cua toi la lam vifdn. T oi trong hoa va rau cai trong
khu dat tao kin xung quanh nha va tifdi nifdc moi ngay. T oi cham
chut cay coi, nhd co dai va thinh thoang lai bon phan cho cay.
T oi thifdng ban hoa ch o ngifdi ban hoa va kiem difpc m ot khoan
thu nhap nhd.
D im m inh vao m ot sd thich nao do ro rang khon ngoan hon

la lang phi thdi gian qui bau cua minh.
145
C a c b/\i Iuan TitNq an N Tbowq dumc;
64. A GOOD DEED
T here is an overhead bridge in front of the block of flats

w here I live. An old lady sits inere selling sweets and peanuts.
S h e told me that she had been abandoned by her grown-up
children. Out of sympathy I buy a packet of peanuts from her
whenever I cross the bridge.
O ne day as I was crossing the bridge, it started to drizzle.

T he old lady packed her things and hurriedly went down the
stairs. Before I could run forward to give her a hand she missed a
step and fell. By the time I reached her, she had already fainted. I
was shocked to see her head bleeding. Unfortunately, there was
no one around to help. Thus, I left her and ran to the nearest
telephone booth to call for an ambulance.
In the hospital, the doctor told me that the old lady would
soon be well as she had not lost too much blood. I was not
relieved as her family would not care for her. I asked my father
for help. S o o n , she was sent to live in an Old Folks Hom e.
I feel glad to have been of help to the old lady. I intend to

visit her often at the Old Folks Home.
1. deed (n): viec da lam

2. to abandon (v): bo roi
146
Commonly used English gssqy
3. sympathy (n): s u c a m th o n g
4. to faint (v): nga't x!u, b at tin h
5. lady (n): quy ba
m Qt v i $ c lAm t 6 t
C o m ot chiec cau cao qua dau b phia tnfdc khu chung cif noi
toi song. Mot ba cu ngoi b do ban keo va dau phong. Cu ke vdi
toi rang cac con cu nay da tn/efng thanh va da bo roi cu. Vi qua
thifdng cu nen moi khi qua cau toi lai mua giup cu m ot bao dau
phong.
Mot ngay no, khi toi dang bang qua cau thi trdi mite lat
phat. Cu gia thu don do dac va voi va di xuong cau thang. Tnfdc
khi toi co the chay den va giup cu m ot tay thi cu bifdc hut va nga
xuong. Luc toi chay den thi cu da ngat di. T oi choang vang khi
thay dau cu chay mau. T h at khong may, chang co m ot ai ben
canh giup dd. Vi vay toi de cu b do va chay den phong dien thoai
gan nhat de goi xe cifu thifdng.
O benh vien, bac si bao toi rang cu gia se sdm binh phuc vi
cu khong bj mat nhieu mau. T oi khong an tam vi gia dinh cu se
khong cham soc cu. T oi da nhd cha giup dd. Sau do cu difdc girt
den song b m ot nha difdng iao.
T o i clim thay vui khi giup dd difdc ch o ba cu gia. T oi dif dinh

di tham cu thifdng xuyen b nha difdng lao.
147
C a c bAi Iu an t U n q an M ih o N q duNq
65. KID VISITS
Every day after school, Rita Sanch ez would stop her

grandm other’s apartm ent, Rita and her grandm other both looked
forward to these times together. In fact, .R ita’s grandmother kept
saying, “I wish all my other friends had grandchildren to visit
them like this”.
That gave Rita an idea. Sh e talked with friends about it. Kid
Visits was underway. Each day, on the way hom e from school,
Kid Visits kids stop and spend time with older people in the
neighborhood. T he children talk, run errands, or even take the
people to the park.
“It's the great for everyone, Rita tells people. People who
live alone get to see other people m ore often. And we get to feel
this we have dozens of grandparents!
1. visit (n): su th a m vieng

2. look forward to (v): m o n g cha, m o n g d a i
3. underway (idm): da bat d au va d a n g tien trie n
4. errand (n): viec Idt vdt
5. alone (adj): m o t m in h , d a n doc, cd d a n
6. dozen (n): td (m u a i hai d a n vi)
148
ft
Commonly used English essay______ ________________
NHONG BCTA t r £ t h Am v i £ n g
Moi ngay, sau gid tan hoc, Rita Sanchez ghe lai can ho cua
ba minh. C a Rita va ba deu m ong doi nhCfng giay phut d ben
nhau nhif the. Thifc te ba cua Rita luon noi: Udc gi tat ca ban be
cua toi deu co chau den cham nom giong the nay.
Dieu do lam Rita nay ra m ot sang kien. C o noi vdi cac ban
cua minh ve dieu nay. C h ln g bao lau nhom nhCfng difa tre tham
vieng difOc thanh lap va phat trien. Mdi ngay, tren difdng tif
trifdng ve nha, cac thanh vien trong nhom nay se ghe lai tham
nhCfng ngifdi gia trong xom . B o n tre tro chuyen, lam nhCfng viec
lat vat, hoac tham chi con difa ho den cong vien.
“Dieu nay that tuyet vdi ddi vdi moi ngifdi, Rita noi. NhCfng
ngifdi song mot minh se gap gd nhieu ngifdi khac thifdng xuyen
hon. Va chung ta se thay cd den hang ta cac ong b a !”
149
C a c bAi Iuan Titwq ANh ih ow q dung
66. TEACHERS' DAY
T ea ch ers’ Day falls on the twentieth of November. Every

year, our chool will celebrate this day by holding a concert
especially for the principal and teachers. This year was no
exception.
O n that day, the whole school proceeded to the hall after

morning assembly. Every class was involved in the concert. There
were dances, sketches, mimes and songs. All the performers did
their best and the concert was a great success.
After the concert, we went back to our classes to have our

class parties. My classroom was transformed into a party hall.
W hen our form teacher cam e into the class, she was very
surprised indeed. We had food, drinks and presents for her.
Som e of us even made cards for her and she was very touched.
- At the end of the day, everyone was in a good mood. 1 felt

that, as students, we should thank our teachers for teaching us
our lessons so patiently and cheerfully. W hat better opportunity is
there for us to show our appreciation than on T each ers' Day?
1. to celebrate (v): la m l i ky n ie m
2. sketch (n): v a hai kich ngdn
3. mine (n): k ich cam
4. touched (adj): x u c d o n g , ca m d d n g
5. appreciation (n): s u cam kich, lo n g b ie t cm
150
Commonly m cd English essay
NGAY Hl£N CHl/ONG NHA GlAO
Le hien chiiong nha giao la vao ngay 2 0 thang 1 1 . Hang

n5m, tn/dng toi lai td chtfc ngay nay bang mot buoi bieu d iln van
nghe dac biet danh cho thay hieu tnidng va cac giao vien. N5m
nay cung khong ngoai le.
V ao ngay do, toan tn/dng tap hop tai hoi tnidng sau khi da
rmt tinh vao buoi sang. Mdi lcfp deu tham gia vao buoi lien hoan
van nghe. C o cac tiet muc mua, hai kich ngan, kich cam va cac
ca khuc. T at ca dien vien deu cd gang het sufc minh de chuong
trinh van nghe di/dc thanh cong tdt dep.
Sau buoi van nghe, chung toi trcf lai ldp hoc de chuan bi cho
bCfa tiec cua 16p. Lcfp toi bien thanh m ot phong tiec. Khi co chu
nhiem budc vao, co that sU ngac nhien. Chung toi mdi co tham
du va tang qua ch o co. Vai ban con lam thiep de chuc mCfng co
nute, co giao rat xuc dong.
V ao cuoi ngay, moi ngifcfi deu d trong tam trang vui ve. T oi
thay rang la hoc sinh, chung ta phai biet On thay co giao da kien
nhan va vui ve giang day chung ta. Vay thi con dip nao tdt hon
dip nay de chung ta bay to long biet On cua minh ddi vdi thay co.
151
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq anIi ih o N q duNq
67. AN ACCIDENT
T he Sen to sa cable car in Singapore was known to be one of

the safest in the world. However, on a day in January 1983,
holiday makers on a cable car ride to Sentosa Island were faced
with a disaster.
T he cables supporting the cable cars snapped when a drill

ship was pushed by the strong currents towards the cable car
lines. T he drill tower of the ship hit the cables before anything
could be done to stop it.
Two of the cable cars were plunged into the sea below. The
door of another cable car burst opened and three passengers
inside were thrown out of it. Altogether, five people died in this
disaster. Several cable cars hung dangerously from the cables,
swinging violently in the strong winds. Thirteen people were
trapped in three of these cable cars. At any time, these cable cars
could have plunged into the sea and killed the passengers inside.
Rescue workers embarked on a daring helicopter rescue

operation. All the thirteen people were rescued.
1. cable car (n): toa xe d u p e n a n g len cao ua ducfc keo

b ang m o t day cap ch uye n d o n g
2. to snap (v): la m ch o cai gi gay d o t n g o t b an g m o t tieng
d o n g ldn
152
3. current (n): chuyen d o n g tha n h d o n g cua k h o n g khf, nude

4. disaster (n): th a m hoa
5. passenger (n): h a n h kh ach
m Qt t a i nan
H e thong xe treo tren day cap Sen to sa cua Singapore co

tieng la he thong an toan nhat tren the gidi. Vay m a, vao mot
ngay thang gieng nam 1 9 8 3 , nhCfng ngifOi di nghi bang xe treo
tren day cap den dao S en to sa da gap mot tham hoa.
C ac day cap nang nhCfng toa xe bong dift phift khi m ot chiec
tau khoan bi nhCfng luong gio m anh day dat ve phia cac tuyen
day cap. T hap khoan tren tau va vao cac toa xe trifdc khi ngifdi
ta co the thifc hien dieu gi do nham ngan chan no lai.
Hai toa xe do nhao xuong bien. Canh cite m ot toa xe khac

bung ra va ba hanh khach trong xe bi nem ra ngoai. C o tat ca
nam ngifdi b| thiet m ang trong tham hoa nay. Nhieu toa xe lo
lifng tren day m ot cach nguy hiem, lac lif dCf dpi trong con gio
m anh. MifOi ba ngiidi con ket lai trong ba toa xe. B a t cif luc nao
cac toa xe nay cung co the roi xuong bien, de doa tinh mang cua
nhCfng hanh khach con d ben trong.
Nhan vien cCfu ho da m ao hiem giai cifu cho hanh khach

bang trifc thang. C a mifdi ba ngi/di deu thoat nan.
153
C a c b/tf Iuan TiiN q a n U Thong duNQ
68. LITTERING
Phong had always been a very untidy boy. After playing with
his toys at hom e he would leave them around the living room.
His m other would then have to put them away for him.
O n e day, Phong wanted to visit his friend, Vu. Before Phong

left his house, he took som e rambutans along with him. On the
way to V u’s house, Phong ate the rambutans. After eating each
fruit, Phong threw the skill on the ground. So o n there was a trail
of rambutan skills behind him.
A policem an on duty saw what Phong was doing. He went

over to the littering boy and gave the boy warning. Phong was
then asked to pick up all the rambutant skills he had thrown. He
was also asked to throw them into the dustbin. T he boy
apologized for what he had done. He also promised the
policem an that he would not litter again.
1. to litter (v): xa rac, uut rac bua bai

2. untidy (adj): Ion x o n , bi/a bai
3. rambutan (n): q ua c h o m c h o m
4. trail (n): d au vet d u o i d a n g m o t vet seo dai d o a ^c a i gi di
q u a de lai
5. dustbin (n): t h u n g rac
6. to apologize (v): x in loi, n o i ra n g m in h an han
154
XA RAC
Phong luon la m ot cau be rat i1 bite bai. Sau khi choi xong
do chcfi, cau ta vift chung lung tung xung quanh phong khach.
The la m e cau phai thu don lai ch o cau ta.
Mot ngay no, Phong muon den tham Vu, ban cau. Trifdc khi
ra khoi nha, Phong cam th eo vai qua chdrn chom . T ren difdng
den nha Vu, Phong an chom chom , roi vift vo ra difdng. C hoc
lat, sau lifng cau ta da co m ot vet dai toan v6 chom chom .
Mot vien canh sat dang thi hanh nhiem vu chot trong thay
hanh dong cua Phong. Anh ben di den ben cau be va canh cao
cau ta. Roi anh yeu cau cau phai nhat het so vo chom chom ma
cau da vtit bite bai, sau do phai nem chung vao thung rac. Cau be
xin loi ve viec da lam. Cau cung hite vdi ngifdi canh sat rang cau
se khong vift rac bite bai nute.
155
C a c bAi Iuan tie n q anIi th o N q duNq
69. A CAMPING TRIP
O ne weekend, my aunt organized a two-day camping to

Sen to sa Island. A day before leaving, my m other packed some
fresh food and som e canned food into a box. Then we took the
camping equipment "*.nd sleeping bags out of the cupboard for
the trip. I was afraid of mosquito bites, so I brought along a can
of insect repellent.
Early the next morning, we put all the stuff in the car and left
for the jetty. We w ere to take a ferry to the island.
T he ferry trip was smooth. On our way there, a few of my

cousins and I sang som e songs that we had leant in school. We
reached Sentosa Island just before noon. We went to the camp
site. After pitching our tents, we had our lunch.
T he youngsters decided to explore the island in groups of

three. My m other and my aunt went for a walk, while my father
went for a swim. In the evening, we played som e gam es together.
T he next evening, we made our way hom e. It was really fun

camping but rather tiring.
1. to cam p (v): d i cam trai

2. repellent (n): c h a t hod hoc de c h o n g con t r u n g (ruoi,
m u d i...)
3. jetty (n): cau tau
156
4. ferry (n): p h a
5. to pitch (v): d u n g , cd m (leu, trai, u .u ..tro n g m o t thefi
g ia n n g d n )
MOT CHUYEN DI CAM TRAI
Mot ngay cuoi tuan, di toi td ch u t mot chuyen di cam trai

hai ngay tren dao Sen to sa. Horn tn/dc chuyen di, me toi da
chuan b| m ot it thtfc an ti/Oi va vai do hop vao thung. Sau do
chung toi loi bo do cam trai va tui ngu ra kh6i tu de chuan bi cho
chuyen di. T oi con s o bi muoi dot nen dem theo m ot lo thuoc
chong con trung.
Sang sdm horn sau, chung toi dat tat ca cac vat dung vao xe
va lai ra cau tau, doan di pha ra dao.
Chuyen pha dien ra suon se. D oc dudng di, toi cung cac anh
em hat nhCfng bai da hoc di/Oc d trudng. Trudc 12 gid trua,
chung toi da den dao. Chung toi di den khu vut cam trai. Sau khi
difng trai xong, chung toi dung bCfa trifa.
Dam tre quyet dinh tham hiem hon dao theo tifng nhom ba
ngiidi. Me va di toi di dao, con cha toi di boi. T oi den, chung toi
cung nhau chdi tro choi.
Tdi hom sau, chung toi trd ve nha. Di cam trai vui nhijng
kha met.
157
C a c bAi Iuan tienc* anIi th o N q duNq
70. SPECIAL BABY TWINS
People in Memphis, T en n essee, have a special treat in the

Memphis Zoo. For years they had enjoyed Julie, the zoo twenty-
seven-year-old hippopotamus, a large animal that lives in water.
Recently, however, Julie gave birth to a set of forty-pound twins.
People around Memphis made quite a fuss about the two

babies. Ju lie ’s children were, after all, the first hippo twins ever to
be bom in the United States. As a result, they had a chance to
m eet with everyone from city officials to movie stars. Julie,
^however, was not impressed with all the attention or her well-
known guests. In fact, she made sure that no one, not even the
zoo keepers, got close to her young offspring. Now, do you think
anyone is willing to argue with this four-thousand-pound hippo?
1. treat (n): n ie m vui ldn

2. hippopotamus (n): con ha m a
3. twins (n): cap so n g s in h
4. m ake a fuss (idm): d a c biet chu y d en ai/cai gi, Idm rum
beng
5. to impress (v): gay an tu o n g
6. offspring (n): con cua m o t con vat
7. to be willing to (v): san sang, san lo n g
158
CAP SONG SINH DAC BI$T
Ngi/di dan b M emphis, T en nessee, co niem vui bat ngd dac

biet b vi/dn bach thu Memphis. Trong nhieu nam nay hp rat yeu
thich Julie, con -ha ma 2 7 tuoi b sd thu, mot con vat to ldn song
di/di nifdc. G an day, Julie ch o ra d<M mot cap song sinh nang 4 0
can Anh.
Nhufng ngi/di quanh vung Memphis on ao han len vi hai con

ha ma nay. Du sao thi may dufa con cua Julie cung la cap ha ma
song sinh dau tien di/dc sinh b H oa Ki. Vi the, chung co c o hoi
gap gd moi ngi/di ti/ ca c vien chtfc thanh pho den cac ngoi sao
dien anh. Tuy nhien, Ju lie khong co gi an ti/Ong vdi moi si/ chu y
hoac vdi nhufng vi khach noi tieng cua no. No chi cham cham giuf
cho khong m ot ai, ke ca nhan vien sd thu co the den gan nhung
difa con cua no. Ban co nghi rang co ai muon tranh dau vdi con
ha ma nang bon nghin can Anh nay khong?
159
C a c b k i Iuan Titwq Anh t h o n g duNq
71. MY BEST FRIEND
W hen I was in Primary Four, a new boy joined my class

during the second sem ester. As I was sitting next to him, I was
asked to help him to get used to the new environment. We hit it
off instantly. Two years have passed since. Now, we have
becom e the best of friends. That boy’s nam e is Wie Zhiwei.
Zhiwei is much taller and skinier than I. He is also very agile.

That is why he has qualified for our school basketball team . He is
also one of our sch ool’s best athletes. He specialized in the
hurdles and high jump events.
Though Zhiwei is very involved in sports and gam es, he is

very disciplined. He always finishes his homework on time. In
fact, he has always been one of the top pupils in class.
O ne m ajor belief that both of us agree on is that friends

should share their thoughts and knowledge. This enables us to
know each other very well. Thus, in spite of the fact that he is an
extrovert and I am not, we are still such close friends I really
treasure this friendship and hope that it will last forever.
1. sem ester (n): hoc ky sau th a n g

2. hit it off (idm): an y, ta m d au y h op
3. skinny (adj): ra t gay, gay n h o m
4. agile (adj): n h a n h nhen
5. extrovert (n): n g u o i h oa t bat ua th ic h g ia o du
160
NGLfOl BAN T6T NHAT CUA TOl
Khi toi hoc ldp bon, trong hoc ki hai, mot ban tra*i mcfi vao
ldp toi. Vi toi ngoi canh ban ay nen toi di/Oc yeu cau giup dd ban
quen dan vdi moi trifdng mdi. Chung toi ket than vert nhau ngay.
Hai nam hoc troi qua ke ti/ do. Bay gid chung toi da trd thanh
nhifng ngi/di ban tot cua nhau. Ban nam do ten la Wie Zhiwei.
Zhiwei cao va gay hdn toi. Cau cung rat nhanh nhen. Do la
li do tai sao cau du kha nang gia nhap doi bong to trifdng toi.
Cau cung la m ot trong nhOfrig van dong vien gidi nhat tri/dng.
Cau chuyen ve chay vifOt rao va nhay cao.
. Mac du Zhiwei rat quan tam den the thao va cac m on choi,
nhi/ng cau rat co ki luat. Cau luon hoan tat bai tap ve nha dung
gid. Thifc te cau luon la m ot trong nhifng hoc sinh difng dau ldp.
Mot dieu ma ca hai chung toi cung thoa thuan la ban be phai
chia se suy nghi va kien thifc cho nhau. Dieu nay giup chung toi
hieu nhau nhieu hon. Vi vay m ac du tren thifc te cau la m ot ngifdi
cdi m d con toi thi khong, chung toi van la ban than cua nhau.Toi
that sif quy trong tinh ban nay va hi vong no' se keo "dai mai mai.
161
C ac bAi Iuan Tifrq Awh Thowq dung
72. A RAINY DAY
A rainy day is disliked by school children because it keeps

them indoor. T hey have little chance to go out and play on a
rainy day.
O n ce I had an unpleasant experience on a rainy day. It was

on Monday and 1 was attending my class. All of a sudden, the
clouds becam e darker, followed by a torrential rain. The rain
started at about 9 .0 0 a.m and continued for m ore than an hour.
T h e rainy water started to creep into our class gradually. Our
shool being in a low land, it took little time fo r'th e whole schpol -
com pound to get flooded.
Our teachers had little work to do during the rain as thunder

b ecam e deafening followed by a stormy weather. T h e school was
dismissed an hour earlier than usual and we had to walk back
hom e in knee-deep water. 1 did not bring my umbrella, so I had to
share my friend’s umbrella on my way hom e. By the time 1
reached hom e 1 was drenched. 1 felt miserable as my books were
all wet. 1 had to dry them up for the next day. I saw a few trees
up-rooted in front of my house and it was caused by the rain. A
canal near my house was over-flowing and it took like the whole
place would go under water. We were lucky that the flood water
receded and the sky becam e clearer soon.
I still rem em ber the dreadful scene of that rainy day.
162
1. deafening (adj): d ie c tai, c h o i tai

2. to dismiss (v): g ia i tan
3. umbrella (n): cai o
4. to drench (v): la m a&t su n g
5. to up-root (v): n h o b at r i
M0T NGAY Ml/A
H oc sinh khong thich trdi mite bdi vi chung phai d trong

nha. Chung kho co c o hoi ra ngoai choi trong m ot ngay mite gio.
Cd lan toi da nem trai m ot kinh nghiem kho chiu ve mot

ngay trdi mite. Dd la horn thif hai, toi dang hoc trong ldp. Bat
chdt may mite keo den den kit, roi mite tuon nhif trut nifdc. Tran
mite bat dau vao khoang 9 gid sang va keo dai hdn mot gid lien.
Nifdc mite tif tif chay vao ldp hoc. Trifdng toi nam d vung dat
thap, nen chang bao lau sau ca khuon vien trifdng da bi ngap lut.
C ac thay co chang giang duoc gi nhieu trong luc trdi mite vi

sam set ren vang va mite bao ap den. Trifdng tan hoc sdm hdn
mot tieng va chung toi phai loi ve trong nifdc mite ngap qua dau
goi. Toi khong dem theo du nen phai che chung vdi ban. Khi ve
den nha ngifdi toi da ifdt sung. Toi cam thay dau kho vi sach vd
da bi ifdt sach. T oi phai hong kho chung de ngay mai con di hoc.
Phia trifdc nha, toi thay vai than cay bi bat goc do trdi mite. Con
kenh gan nha nifdc dang tran ngap. Cd ve nhif khap noi deu
chim trong bien nifdc. Cung may la nifdc lu da rut dan va bau trdi
trd lai trong xanh.
T oi nhd mai canh tifdng dang sd cua cdn mite horn ay.
163
C ac bAi Iuan Titwq Ash Thong duNq
73. MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT COOKING
After answering the call, my m other told me that she had to

go and look after my aunt who was sick. Before she left, she gave
m e som e m oney to buy dinner.
I decided, however, that a hom e-cooked meal would be more

nutritious. I searched through the refrigerator and found some
vegetables chicken wings, m eat and fish.
First, 1 took the chicken wings out of the freezer to thaw.

T hen I cut the vegetables and washed them. I also beat some
eggs to m ake om elettes. I had never realized that the preparation
of food before cooking could be so tedious.
W hen the oil was hot, 1 started frying the chicken wings. To
my dismay, there was badly burn because the cooking oil was too
hot. T he vegetables, too. were a little over- cooked. I was only
proud of the om elettes which even my fussy brother said were
“Yum m y”.
On the whole, dinner was generally all right, considering that

it was my first attem pt at cooking. I believed I could do better with
m ore practice in the future.
1. to attem pt (v): co gang, n o luc

2. to thaw (v): la m tan
164
3. tedious (adj): q u a c h a m h oac q ua b uo n te

4. dismay (n): s u m a t h e t tin h tha n
5. fussy (adj): k h o tin h , cau k y
6 . yummy (adj): n g o n tu y e t
lA n d Au ti£n t Oi ta p nAu An
»
Sau khi tra ldi dien thoai, me toi dan rang me phai di cham
soc di toi dang benh. T nfd c khi di, me dua toi m ot it tien de di
mua thOfc an cho bufa toi.
Tuy nhien toi thay m ot bifa an nau d nha se dinh difdng hon
nhieu. Toi luc tu lanh va tim difOc mot it rau cai, canh ga, thit va
ca.
Trifdc tien toi m ang canh ga ra khoi tu lanh de cho tan da.
Sau do toi cat va nfa rau cai. T oi dap trifng de lam mon trifng
chien. Trifdc day, toi khong nhan thay viec chuan bi thifc an
trifdc khi nau cd the nham chan den the.
Khi dau da nong, toi bat dau chien canh ga. Toi mat het tinh
than khi thay chung da bi chay khet bdi dau an qua nong. Rau cai
cung vay, chung cung bi nau hoi nhif. T oi chi tif hao cd moi mon
trifng chien, mon ma ngay ca difa em kho tinh cung noi la “ngon
tuyet”.
Noi chung bCfa an cung tam difdc, cif xem nhif la lan tap nau
an dau tien cua toi. T oi tin rang sau nay toi cd the nau an tot hon.
165
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq an Ii Tho Nq duNq
74. A PRICELESS GIFT
I have had this little wooden pencil case with me for about
two years. It is the m ost precious gift that I have because it was
made for me by my late grandfather for my tenth birthday.
My grandfather was a carpenter. After he retired, he

continued to spend his time on woodwork. He liked to work in
the garden where it was cooler. I used to sit beside him and watch
him while he ham m ered away.
O ne day, 1 could not find my grandfather in his use place in

the garden. After hunting high and low, I found him in his room.
His head was bent over a rectangular object and his hands were
busy carving som ething.
As soon as he saw m e, he did the object behind his back and

smiled guiltily, like som eone caught in a naughty act.
Ju st before my birthday, my grandfather fell sick. O n the eve

before my birthday, he passed away.
T h e next day, 1 found the wooden pencil case in his drawer.

T here som e words carved on it: “Happy birthday to my beloved
grandson”. 1 was touched. S o that was what my grandfather had
been so secretive about. Sine that day, I have always cherished
the birthday gift from my grandfather. T o me, it is a priceless gift.
166
1 . carp enter (n): t h a m o c

2 . to ham m er away (idm): la m (viec gi) m o t cach ti'ch ctfc
3. high and low (pro): kh S p ch o n , k h d p noi
4 . rectangular (n): co h in h c h u n h a t
5. to carve (v): ch a m , kh ac
6 . to pass away (idm): q u a d a i, khua't n u i
7. to cherish (n): yeu th u o n g , g i u g in can than
m Qt m 6 n qu A v O giA
T oi da m ang th eo chiec hop but chi bang go nho be nay ben

minh hai nam nay. D o la m on qua quy nhat cua toi bcri vi no
difdc ngifdi ong qua co lam de tang toi nhan dip sinh nhat lan thif
mifdi.
Ong toi lam thd m oc. Sau khi ve hifu, ong van danh thdi
gian cho nghe m oc. O ng thich lam viec ngoai vifdn vi khong khi
d dd mat hdn. T oi thifdng ngoi ben canh va ngam nhin ong trong
khi ong dang say site lam viec. .
Mot ngay no, toi khong thay ong toi d ndi ong thifdng ngoi
trong vifdn. Sau khi tim kiem khap ndi, toi thay ong trong phong
rieng. O ng cui dau ben m ot vat hinh chif nhat va doi tay dang
ban biu khac cham gi dd. Ngay khi nhin thay toi, ong giau vat no
sau lifng va mim cifdi ve cd loi y nhif mot ngifdi bi bat qua tang
dang lam dieu vung trpm.
Ngay tnfdc hom sinh nhat cua toi thi ong toi bi benh. V ao
dem trifdc sinh nhat toi thi ong qua ddi.
Ngay hom sau toi thay chiec hop but chi bang go trong ngan
1£7
C a c bAi Iu an TitNq an M th o N q duNq
keo cua ong. T ren do co khSc chCf “Chuc miing sinh nhat difa
chau yeu qui cua o n g ”. T oi that sif cam dong. H oa ra day
nhCfng gi ong da giCf kin. Ke tCf ngay do toi luon ap u mon qu&
sinh nhat ma ong tang ch o toi. Doi vdi toi do la m ot mon qua
vo gia.
168
75. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Kendra’s legs felt as if they were going to fall off. It seem ed

as if she and the other dancers had been practicing for hours.
Kendra knew that all this practice was important. After all,
next week was the group's big show. Sh e and the other dancers
would perform from all over Africa. Hundreds of people would
com e to watch.
Kendra had started dancing lessons when she was four. Sh e

had even com e to love the time she spent practicing. Still, all this
was very hard work for a seven-year-old girl. Sondra, her teacher,
smiled at her. “Y es, Kendra thought, w e’ll all be ready. It will be
the best recital ever”.
1. to practice (v): ta p luyen

2. to fall off (v): roi x u o n g , nga x u o n g
3. dancer (n): d ie n vien m u a
4. recital (n): b u o i bieu d ie n a m nhac, d ie u m u a
5. im portant (adj): q u a n t ro n g
6 . to seem (v): d u & n g n h a
169
C a c bAi Iuan titN q an ^ T^dNq dunq
LUY$N TAP KHONG NGONG

C han cua Kendra co cam giac s ip rcrt ra nhif the la co va cac
dien vien mua khac da tap hang gid lien.
Kendra biet rin g buoi tap nay rat quan trong bcri tuan tcri la
buoi bieu dien ldn cua ca nhom . C o va cac dien vien khac se bieu
d iln khap chau Phi. Hang tram ngifdi se den xem.
Kendra bat dau hoc mua khi co len bon. C o be rat yeu thich
nhCfng gid luyen tap. Nhifng day la cong viec cifc nhoc doi vdi
m ot co be bay tuoi. Sondra, giao vien cua co, dang rmm cifdi vcfi
co. "V ang, Kendra nghi, tat ca chung toi da s in sang. D o la buoi
trinh d iln thanh cong nhat tif trifdc den nay”.
170
76. RECALLING MY FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
I am a sixth grade student in De La Salle School. I enjoy

going to school because I have many friends there. However, I
still rem em ber how frightened and lonely I felt on my first day
at school.
T hat m om ing, my m other drove me to school. I felt

frightened when I saw so many students running about in the
school field.
I joined a queue and was brought into Class 1A by my

teacher, Mrs. Devi. I burst into tears when my m other left. Many
of classmates were also crying and Mrs Devi had a hard time
pacifying us. Sh e played som e gam es with us to make us talk
about ourselves. S o o n , I got to know a few friends.
Suddenly, we heard a bell ringing loudly and we started

packing our things. However, Mrs Devi told us it was only a break
and led us to canteen. I was glad to see my m other waiting for
me with a bowl of prawn noodle. As I ate, I told her about my
new friends.
i
After recess, another teacher cam e into our class and we
sang nursery rhymes.
At the end of the day, I was no longer frightened or lonely.

My parents were glad when I told them I was looking forward to
going to school the next day.
C a c bAi Iuan m u g an U ThoNg dyNq
1. to pacify (v): Idm n g u o i

2. break (n): su ta m nghi
3. prawn noodle (n): m i to m
4. recess (n): g i d g ia i lao
5. nursery rhyme (n): bai t h a hoac bdi hat d a n h ch o tre em
NHCJ LAI NGAY DAU TOl DI HOC
T oi la m ot hoc sinh lcfp sau trifdng De La Salle. Toi thich di

hoc vi b do toi co rat nhieu ban be. Tuy nhien, toi van con nhd
ro minh da sd hai va co don ra sao trong ngay dau tien den lcfp.
Buoi sang hom ay, me lai xe difa toi den trifdng. Toi cam
thay hoang sd khi nhin thay co qua nhieu hoc sinh chay nhay
xung quanh san tnfdng.
T oi difng vao mot hang va difdc co giao toi, co Devi difa vao
ldp 1A. Khi me toi ra ve, toi oa khoe. Nhieu ban cung ldp cung
dang khoe loc, khien co Devi phai kho s b mat mot luc de chung
toi nguoi ngoai. C o cung chung toi chdi vai tro chdi. va de chung
toi tif gidi thieu ve ban than. Chang may choc toi da biet difdc
mot vai ngifdi ban mdi.
D ot nhien, chung toi nghe mot hoi chuong reo ldn va bSt
dau thu don cap sach. Nhifng co Davi bao rSng do chi la gid tam
nghi va dan chung toi den cang-tin. T oi vui mting trong thay me
dang ddi toi vdi mot bat my tom. Vite an toi vifa ke cho me nghe
ve nhCfng ngifdi ban mdi.
Sau gid giai lao, mot co giao khac vao ldp va chung toi cung
nhau hat nhCfng bai hat danh cho tre nho.
172
Commonly used English cssqy______ _______________
4
D en cuoi ngay, toi khong con cam thay so hai hoac co don
ntfa. B o me toi ra? vui mifng khi toi bao ho rang toi m ong den
ngay hom sau de di hoc.
173
C a c bAi Iu an TiENq ANh Thowq d w q
77. DINA'S FIRST DIVE
Dina waved to her mother. T hen, with a push of her

flippers, she moved slowly back to the surface. Sh e came up
directly under the boat. W hat a dive!
Dina had grown up in a family of divers. Almost every

weekend the family gathered its gear and set off for the driving
spot or another. Now it was D ina’s turn to learn. S h e had been
nervous at first. T he air tanks had seem ed heavy and bulky. The
mask felt tight on her face. Soon , however, she had passed
through all her training. This first dive had been wonderful. The
sea and its cretures had been all around her. Hey, she called to
her brother up in the boat. Can this fish com e aboard9
1. to wave (v): vay tay

2. flipper (n): chan nhai
3. gear (n): d u n g cu, q u a n do
4. nervous (adj): s o hai, cang thd n g, b on c h o n
5. tank (n): th u n g , b in h
6. bulky (adj): c o n g ke n h
7. mask (n): m a t na
8. tight (adj): k h it, ch a t
9. aboard (adv): a tren hoac vao tro n g tau, xe buyt. m ay bay
174
lAn lAn d Au ti£n c Oa DINA
Dina vay tay vdi me c.o. S a u do, day cai chan nhai, co tCf tu1
.di chuyen len m at nifdc. C o ngoi len thang difdi chiec thuyen.
That la m ot lan lan ra tro!
Dina ldn len trong m ot gia dinh thd lan. Hau nhif cuoi tuan
nao gia dinh cung tap trung dung cu va bat dau di lan d cho nay
hoac ch 6 k h a c Bay gid den lifdt Dina phai hoc. Dau tien co rat
cang thang. Binh khi qua nang va cong kenh. Cai mat na tren
mat hinh nhif qua chat. Tuy nhien, chang may ch oc co da vifdt
qua difdc ddt luyen tap. Lan dau tien nay that tuyet vdi. Bien va
cac sinh vat bien luon vay quanh co. C o keu len vdi’ anh minh
con ca nay co the len thuyen difdc chif.
175
C a c bAi Iuan Tieng Awh Thong duwq
78. A CLASS EXCURSION
It was a bright Saturday morning. T he school holiday had

just begun and my form teacher, Mrs. Zhang, had promised to
bring whole class on an excursion to the Botanic Garden.
A bus was chartered to take us there. W e assembled at

school punctually and Mrs. Zhang did a head count before we
boarded the bus. It was a long way to the Botanic Garden and we
sang songs merrily on the way.
S o o n , we reached our destination. It was a beautiful place.

We made a short tour round the garden and snapped some
pictures of the whole class. W e then found the spacious piece of
grassland and played som e gam es there. Even Mrs. Zhang joined
in the fun.
W hen it was one o ’clock, we unpacked the food we brought

and tucked into the noodles, sandwiches, fruits and barley drink.
In the aftern oon , we w ent to listen to a choral

p erform an ce by National Ju n io r C ollege choir at the garden.
T hey sang very well.
All too soon, it was time to leave. However, we cheered Mrs.

Zhang promised to bring us to an excursion during the D ecem ber
holiday.
176
1. excursion (n): cuoc d i choi ngSn ngay cung vdi m o t so ngudi

2. to charter (v): t h u e (m o t p h u o n g tien van c h u y e n i»
m o t m u c d ic h d d c biet)
3. to snap (v): c h u p n h a n h (m o t buc a nh )
4. to tuck into sth (idm): an nga'u n g h ie n
5. holiday (n): k i n g h i
M0 T CU 0 C DI CHOI CGa LCJP

Horn do la m ot buoi sang thif bay dep trdi. Tnfdng vi/a mdi
nghi le va co chu nhiem ldp toi, co Zhang, da hifa dan ca ldp di
tham quan vifdn bach thao.
Chung toi thue m ot chiec xe buyt de di den do. Chung toi

tap hop d trifdng dung gid va co Zhang da diem danh trifdc khi
tat ca len xe. Difdng den vifdn bach thao kha xa nen chung toi
hat ho suot doan difdng di.
Chang bao lau chung toi da den ndi. D o la mot ndi rat dep.
Chung toi di m ot vong quanh khu vifdn va chup vai bifc anh
chung vdi ca ldp. Sau do chung toi tim thay m ot mang co rong va
choi mot vai tro chdi d do. Ngay ca co Zhang cung tham gia vao
tro chdi.
x
Vao luc mot gid. chung toi md thifc an mang theo va an uong
ngau nghien nao la mi goi, mi kep thit, trai cay va nifdc lua mach.
Buoi chieu, chung toi nghe mot buoi bieu dien hdp xifdng
cua dan dong ca cua H oc vien Quoc gia trinh dien tai vifdn. H o
hat rat hay.
C on qua sdm nhung da den luc phai ra ve. Tuy nhien, chung
toi deu hoan ho khi co Zhang hifa se d in chung toi di tham quan
m ot noi khac trong dip nghi le vao thang mifdi hai.
177
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq a s U ThdNq duNq
79. BUZZING INSECTS
Bzzzz...zzzz...How do flies make that buzzing noise anyway?

Do they have som ething hidden somewhere that makes the noise?
First of all, flies buzz only when are flying. T hat is because
the noise you hear is the sound of flies’ wings. T hose wings move
very quickly (almost two hundred times each second). In fact, they
move so fast that they make buzzing sound. Mosquitoes also
make a buzzing sound when they fly. A mosquitoe buzz, however,
is not nearly as loud as fly.
T he cham pion buzz maker, of course, is that very noise

insect called the bum blebee. In fact, the word "Bum ble" com es to
us from an old word that m eans “Humming". Isn’t that what the
flapping of bees' wings sounds like?
1. to hide (v): g ia u
2. fly (n): con ru o i
3. to buzz (v): tao ra tie n g vo ve, ri ra m , vu vu...
4. mosquitoe (n): con m u d i
5. to hum (v): keu vo ve, keu o o
1 7H
Commonly used English ,ys$qy
NHCTNG c On trung k £u vo ve
B zzz...b zzz...B an g cach nao ruoi lai phat ra tieng keu vo ve?
Phai chang chung co giau b dau do mot thCf co the phat ra tieng
dong nay?
Trifdc tien, cac con ruoi chi keu vo ve khi chung dang bay.
Do la vi tieng dong ban nghe difdc la am thanh dap canh cua
ruoi. NhOfng cai canh nay ctf dong rat nhanh (gan hai tram lan
mot giay). Thifc te, chung cif dong nhanh den noi gay ra tieng
keu vo ve. Muoi cung gay ra tieng vo ve khi chung bay. Tuy
nhien, tieng vo ve cua muoi hau nhif khong ldn nhif tieng vo ve
cua ruoi.
DI nhien, vo dich phat ra tieng vo ve la m ot giong con trung

difdc goi la m ot con ong nghe. Thifc ra, tCf “Bum ble” bat nguon
tif mot tif cd co nghia “Hum m ing”. Chang phai tieng dap canh
cua con ong nghe giong nhif the nay sao?
179
C a c bAi Iu an TicNq anIi ThoNq duNq
8 0 . GOOD COMPANIONS
Man is described as a social ^ n ijn a l. H e cannot live by

himself. A lonely man is either a samt or a thief. O ne feels the
necessity of com panions constantly at all stages in on e's life.
T here is a famous saying about com panionship: “Sorrow shared
is sorrow halved and joy shared is joy doubled”. O nes pleasures
will lose half their charm when there are no friends to ’share
them .
T h e com m on saying is: “Birds of a feather flock together”.

S o a m an can easily be judged by the com panies he keeps. If he
is often seen in the com pany of idle m en, he also naturally be
looked down upon as an idler.
A real com panion, however, is difficult to find. Such a

com panion, is one to whom one can turn to for advice, comfort,
encouragem ent and help. He may not necessarily be-learned or
wise, but he will understand his friend perfectly well. He will not
fail to impart to him courage and strength. A good friend is the
balm of our life.
1. com panion (n): ban tot, ban d o n g h a n h

2. saint (n): th a n h
3. thief (n): ke tr o m
4. to judge (v): d a n h gia, p h a n x e t
5. idle (adj): n h a n roi, la d i n hac
180
6 . to turn (v): k h u y e n rdn, d e n u&i ai

7. com fort (n): s u an ui, n g u o n an ui
8. to impart (v): d e m lai
9. balm (n): d ie u la m x o a d iu ta m t r i
BAN T6 T
C on ngifdi difOc m o ta nhif m ot sinh vat mang tinh xa hoi.

Con ngifdi khong the song m ot minh difOc. Mot ngi/di co doc
hoSc la m ot vi thanh hoSc la m ot ten trom. T a luon cam nhan
difOc si/ can thiet phai co ban trong moi giai doan cua cuoc ddi.
Co m ot cau noi ndi tieng ve tinh ban: “Noi buon chia doi con
phan nifa, niem vui se gap hai lan”. T a se danh mat mot nifa
niem vui neu khong co ban be de chia se niem vui do.
Ngifdi ta thifdng noi: “Ngifu tam ngifu, ma tam m a”. Vi the

co the d l dang danh gia m ot ngifdi qua ban be cua ngifdi do. Neu
ta thifdng thay ngifdi do giao du vdi nhifng ke vo cong roi nghe,
difang nhien anh ta cung bi xem la m ot ten lifdi nhac.
Tuy nhien, rat kho tim thay m ot ngifdi ban thifc sif. D o la
ngifdi ban ma ta co the tim den de nhd khuyen ran, an ui, dong
vien va giup dd. Ngifdi do khong can thiet phai thong thai hoac
khon ngoan, nhifng anh ta hoan toan thau hieu difOc minh. Anh
ta khong the khong m ang lai cho ban minh long can dam va sifc
manh. Mot ngifdi ban tot la ngifdi co the xoa diu n6i dau trong
cupc song cua chung ta.
181
C a c bAi Iuan t U nc, Anh ThoNq dung
81. THE RETURN OF THE WOLVES
Today, thank to nature lovers, som e of the world’s

endangered animals are actually growing in numbers.
Y ears ago, for exam ple, people who felt that wolves were
dangerous and killed so many wolves each year that soon they
were alm ost gone. Nature lovers grew worried. No one wanted
the wolves to disappear.
Laws were passed to protect the wolves that were left. Wild
wolves w ere captured in Canada and let ioose in U .S . forests.
Scientists kept track of the wolves to make sure they would live.
S o o n , wolf packs began to form. Now, for the first time in almost
a hundred years, wolves roam the forests of the Midwest.
1. to endanger (v): gay nguy h ie m

2. to disappear (v): bien m a t
3. to kept track of (idm): th e o d oi, n d m t h o n g tin ve
4. pack (n): bay, d an
5. to form (v): h in h th a n h
182
Sl/TRd LAI COA LOAl SOI

Ngay nay, nhd nhCtag ngi/di yeu thien nhien, mot so dong
vat co nguy c o tuyet chung tren the gidi dang phat trien trd lai.
Chang han nhi/, nhCtag nam tri/dc day, nhieu ngi/di cam
thay cho soi la loai vat nguy hiem nen m 6i nam da giet chet
chung nhieu den noi chung gan nhif bien mat. NhCtag ngifdi yeu
thien nhien trd nen lo lang. H o khong muon loai soi bi tuyet
chung.
Ngi/di ta da thong qua bo luat bao ve nhutag con soi con sot
lai. Nhutag con soi hoang bi bat giCf d Canada va di/Oc tha long
trong cac khu ritag d H oa Ky. C ac nha khoa hoc da theo doi lu
soi de dam bao rang chung van con song sot. Chang may choc,
nhCtag dan soi bat dau di/pc hinh thanh. Hien nay, lan dau tien
trong gan mot tram nam , cac con soi lai di lang thang trong cac
khu ritag d vung Trung Tay.
183
C a c bAi Iuan m w q Anh Thowq duNq
82. A PICNIC
Last Sunday, whole my family went to East C oast beach for

a picnic. T h e five of us piled into my fa th e rs car and he drove us
there. W hen we reached the beach, it was already very crowded.
Som e people were swimming, som e were suntanning and some
were wind-surfing. W e chose a shady place on the beach to settle
down.
My brothers and I went for a swim. T he water was very cold.

While we were swimming, we saw our parents unpack the food
which we had prepared at hom e. At about twelve o ’clock, we
joined our parents for lunch. After the long swim, we were very
hungry. Thus, we tucked into the chicken wings, sandwiches and
tried noodles hungrily.
After lunch, all of us went to collect sea-shells. T here was an

abundance of them on the beach. I found a reddish-brown sea-
shell which looked like a little horn. My brothers said that blowing
it would summon mermaids. O f course, I did not believe them.
By then, the sun was starting to set. Reluctantly, we packed

up and went hom e. Though all of us were very tired, we found it
a truly enjoyable out.
1. to pile (v): vao (cai gi) m o t cach hdn loan

2. to suntan (v): la m ra m n dn g bdng cach phcri ra m d t trd i
184
3. to wind-surfing (v): lucft tre n uan b uo m

4. ho m (n): cai su n g
5. to sum mon (v): g o i den
6. merm aid (n): n g u o i cd, my n h a n n g u
m 0 t bu 6 i DA ngoai
Chu nhat tuan trifdc, ca nha toi di da ngoai d bai bien phia
Dong. Nam ngifdi chung toi chen chuc nhau vao chiec xe cua cha
toi. Khi den ndi bai bien da dong nghjt ngifdi. Mot so dang bdi
loi, mot so thi nam phdi nang, con so khac lifdt van buom.
Chung toi chon m ot chd co bong ram tren bai bien de ngoi nghi.
Anh em toi ru nhau boi. Nude bien rat lanh. Khi dang bdi,
chung toi nhin thay cha me dc/ thu’c an ma chung toi da chuan bi
b nha ra. Khoang 1 2 gid trite, chung toi len bd an trite cung vdi
cha me. Bdi loi lau nen chung toi rat doi. Vi the, chung toi an
ngau nghien nao la canh ga, nao la banh mi kep thit va mi xao.
Sau bCte trite, ca gia dinh di nhat vo so. C o rat nhieu vo so

tren bai bien. T oi tim thay m ot vo so co mau nau anh do trong
giong nhif cai sifng nho nho. C ac anh toi bao rang neu thoi len
thi am thanh phat ra se goi difdc cac my nhan ngif den. T at
nhien toi chang tin ndi nhifng dieu nhif the.
Luc do m at trdi bat dau lan xuong. Chung toi m iln cifdng
thu don do dac va trd ve nha. Mac du ai cung m et nhifng deu
thay rang do qua la m ot chuyen da ngoai rat vui.
185
C a c bAi Iuan m a g Ash Thong duNq
83. THE BEST AGE TO BE
Generally, children wish they were grown and old people

wish they were young again. Each age has its own pleasures and
pains. And, to my mind, the happiest person is the one who
knows how to enjoy fully what his age has brought to him.
Childhood is the happiest time in o n e ’s life. If the children

are brought up by good families they will be well-bred, loved and
taken care of carefully. They will becom e useful citizens to
society.
But childhood has its pains, too. They aren't allowed to do

whatever they wish. If they do som ething wrong they will be
punished. T herefore, they aren ’t quite happy.
W hen they grow up, they completely get rid of strict

regulations and rules from their parents and schools but they have
to work for their living. They can no longer expect others to pay
for their food, their clothes and their lodging. Now they must
have responsibility towards their families and society.
T he old age has been always considered as the worst age to

be, but it’s not necessary for the old to be unhappy.
186
Commonly used English cssqy_______________________
After many years of hard work, when reaching their old age,
the old man accumulated lots of experiences which will be a
valuable treasure for their future generations. T hey are now
entitled to the pride in what they have bequeathed to their
children. They can have the joy of seeing their children and
grandchildren making progress in life or growing up around them.
M oreover, if in their past lives they had great contributions

to society, to their fatherland they would be rem em bered for ever
and ever by the generations to com e.
1. to wish (v): udc m o

2. pain (n): s it d a u k h o
3. to take care of (v): c h a m soc
4. to be allowed to do sth (idm): d itg c p h e p la m gi
5. to punish (v): p h a t
6. to exp ect (v): m o n g d a i
7. to pay for (v): tra
8. to accum ulate (v): tic h lu y
9. to be entitled to (v): co q u y e n d u o c h itd n g
1 0 . to bequeath (v): d e lai
1 1 . contribution (n): si/ d o n g g o p
l Qa tu 6 i d ep nh At
Thifdng thi tre con ao udc chung difdc trifdng thanh va

ngifdi gia ao udc ho difdc tre trd lai. M6i lufa tudi deu co nhifng
vui thu va n6i kho rieng. Doi vdi toi, ngifdi hanh phuc nhat la
ngifdi biet thifdng thifc tron ven nhifng gi m a lifa tudi cua minh da
m ang lai.
187
C ac b \ i Iuan Titwq ANh Thowq d w q
Tudi thd la tudi hanh phuc nhat tren ddi. Neu nhCfng difa tfe
difdc nuoi difdng trong nhCfng gia dinh ne nep, chung se diflcfc
day d6, thifdng yeu va cham soc chu dao. Chung se trd thanh
cong dan co ich cho xa hoi.
Nhifng tudi tre cung co nhCCng noi kho rieng. Chung khong
difdc phep lam bat cd dieu gi chung muon. Neu lam sai chung se
bi phat. Vi the chung khong hoan toan difdc hanh phuc.
Khi ldn len chung hoan toan thoat khdi nhCfrig quy luat kh&t
khe cua bd me va nha trifdng nhifng chung phai lam vi§c d i kiem
song. Chung khong the m ong dpi ngifdi khac tra tien an, quan ao
va nha d. Bay gid, chung phai co trach nhiem vdi gia dinh v&
xa hoi.
Tudi gia luon difdc xem la lC/a tudi toi te nhat nhifng ngifdi
gia khong phai luon luon bat hanh.
Sau nhieu nam lao dong cifc nhoc, den tudi ve gia, ngifdi gia
da tich luy difpc nhieu kinh nghiem ma do la kho tang quy gia
cho the he mai sau. Bay gid ho co quyen tif hao ve nhQng gi ho
da de lai cho con chau. H o co the tan hifdng niem vui khi thay
con chau minh vung bifdc vao ddi hay dang ldn dan quanh hp.
Hdn nCte, neu trong qua khif hp co nhCfng dong gop to ldn cho
xa hoi, cho td quoc thi hp se difdc cac the he mai sau nhd mai.
188
84. A LESSON LEARNT
O ne day, my m other had to do som e errands. S h e told me

that she would be back an hour. Sh e left my litter sister in my
care. I was rather reluctant but I had to do it.
I left my sister playing in the living-room, I was soon busily

talking to friend on the phone. After a few minutes, I heard my
sister scream ing loudly. I ignored her thinking that she was just
trying to attract my attention. My sister went on screaming. It got
harder to hear my friend. I hung up and went to check on my sister.
T o my horror, I saw a small heap of m atches burning in the

living-room. My sister was rubbing thumb painfully. Immediately, I
rushed to put out the fire. I carried her to kitchen and applied
som e ointm ent on her burnt thumb.
W hen my m other cam e hom e, she saw my sister wearing a

plaster on her thumb. S h e asked me what had happened. 1 had to
tell my m other the truth. S h e chided me for being irresponsible.
1. errand (n): viec vat

2. to ignore (v): p h o t Id, la m n g a
3. to rub (v): xoa, cha x d t
4 . thumb (n): n g o n tay cai
5 . plaster (n): (c u n g s t ic k in g p la s te r) m ie n g bang d in h
6 . to chide (v): la ray, tra c h m d n g
i«9
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Anh ThoNq d w q
BAI HOC b £ OOl

*
Mot hom , m e toi phai di lam m ot vai viec iat vat. Me bao toi
m ot gid sau me se ve. Me de em lai cho toi cham soc. Hoi mien
cifdng nht/ng toi van phai nhan ldi.
T oi de em toi choi trong phong khach vi toi ban noi chuyen

vdi ban qua dien thoai. Vai phut sau, toi nghe tieng em toi la that
thanh. T oi Id di va nghi rang em chi cd lam toi chu y. Em toi van
tiep tuc la het. T hat kho nghe di/Oc tieng ban toi noi. Toi ben gac
may dien thoai va di xem chuyen gi xay ra.
Toi kinh hoang khi nhin thay m ot dong diem quet dang chay
trong phong khach. Em toi dang xoa xoa ngon cai m ot cach dai)
ddn. Ngay tu t thi, toi chay den dap tat ngon lifa, roi dua em sang
nha bep va boi thuoc bong len ngon tay cai cua em.
Khi trd ve, me toi thay em bi bang mot mieng bang tren ngon
tay cai. Ba lien hoi chuyen gi da xay ra. Toi phai ke cho me nghe
het sU that. Ba qud trach toi vi da co thai do vo trach nhiem.
190
85. A VISIT TO THE BOOKSHOP
T he school vacation had just begun. 1 thought 1 should m ake

good use of the holidays to read som e books and revise my work.
Therefore, I decided to visit the bookshop in my neighborhood to
see if I could find som e good books.
Though the bookshop is small, it is a fully equipped and well-

organized one. T h e books there are classified according to subject
to facilitate our search. W e can also approach the friendly shop-
assistants if we need an help.
During that visit, the shop happened to have a special

promotion. It was offering a ten percent discount on all purchase
made.
Sin ce I was w eak in maths, I bought two P SL E m aths books.

1 also bought an English essay-writing guide book. A helpful shop-
assistant recom m ended a science book too. Besides selling books
and other reading m aterial, the bookshop also has variety of
other things like stationery and board gam es. I bought a set of
files for myself and som e lovely stickers for my little sister.
I frequent visit the bookshop to see what new things they sell
every m onth.
It is certainly convenient to have a bookshop near my place.
101
C ac bAi I uan TitNq an U TboN q duNQ
1. classified (v): da dirg e p h a n loai

2. to facilitate (v): la m c h o de d a n g
3. prom otion (n): s u k h u y e n m a i q u a n g cao ixi cac hoat
d o n g k h a c n h d m td n g viec ban m o t san p h a m
4. stationery (n): vdn p h o n g p h a m
5. bookshop (n): cua h a n g sach
DI HI$U SACH
Ky nghi he vifa mdi bat dau. Toi nghi r3ng nen tan dung
nhutag ngay nghi he de doc sach va on lai bai. Vi vay toi quyet
dinh ghe qua hieu sach d gan nha de xem co the tim di/dc mot
vai quyen sach hay khong.
Du nho, nhitag hieu sach difdc trang bi day du va sap xep

ngan nap. NhCtag quyen sach difdc phan loai theo chu de thuan
tien cho viec tim kiem. Chung ta co the nhd nhCtag ngudi ban
hang than thien neu nhif thay can giup dd.
D en cua hieu lan nay, tinh cd co mot ddt khuyen mai dSc
biet. M6i mon hang difdc giam gia 10% .
Vi yeu m on toan nen toi mua hai cuon khao sat ham so toan
hoc P SLE. Toi cung mua m ot quyen sach hifctag dan viet Iuan
van tieng Anh. Ngifdi ban hang an can gidi thieu m ot quyen sach
khoa hoc. Ngoai viec ban sach va cac tai lieu tham khao, cite
hang con co rat nhieu thif khac nhif van phong pham . cac mon
do chdi tren ban cd. Toi mua mot bo bia ditag ho sd ch o minh va
vai cai nhan vd d ! thifdng cho em gai.
T oi thifdng xuyen di hieu sach de xem mdi thang co ban

them gi mcM. T hat la thuan tien khi co mot hieu sach a gan nha.
192
86. MY FAVOURITE TEACHER
Everyone sat up expectantly. It was a m aths period and all of

us waited eagerly for our m aths teacher, Mrs Huang, to com e
into the class. S h e is very popular am ong us. In fact, she is my
favourite teacher.
Mrs Huang has short curly hair and wears thick glasses
which make her look stem . However, she is actually very
approachable and is always ready to lend an ear to our problems.
She is motherly and cares very much for us. I rem em ber once
when 1 fell and hurt my knee. Mrs Huang helped m e to stop the
bleeding and took me to .the clinic. I was very grateful to her.
I used to dislike m aths when 1 was younger because I found it

far too com plicated. Mrs Huang always m akes m aths lessons
interesting and easy to understand. Sh e is very patient in
explaining m aths problem s to us and always m akes sure everyone
understands. Under her guidance, my maths has improved by
leaps and bounds.
I have grown to love m aths and I always score high marks in

my m aths tests now. And it’s all because of my favourite teacher.
1. stem (adj): n g h ie m khde

2. approachable (adj): d i gan
193
C a c bAi Iu a n T ien g m U t h o n g d w q
3. lend an ear (idm): n gh e c h d m chu

4. com plicated (adj): rSc roi, p h ifc tap
5. by leaps and bounds (idm): ra t n h a n h
cO giAo mA t O i y£u m£n nhAt
Moi ngifdi ngoi thang chd dpi. D o la gid toan va tat ca chung
toi deu nong long m ong dpi giao vien day toan cua chung toi, co
Huang, bifdc vao ldp. Chung toi rat quy co. T h u t te co la giao
vien m a toi yeu m en nhat.
C o Huang co mai toe ngan Uon cao va cap kinh can day lam
co trong co ve nghiem khac. Tuy nhien, co rat de gan va luon
lSng nghe nhCfrig van de kho khan cua chung toi. C o quan tam
cham soc chung toi. Toi con nhd co lan toi nga bi xifdc dau goi.
C o Huang da giup toi cam mau vfe difa toi den tram xa. Toi rat
biet on co.
Khi con be toi thifdng ghet m on toan bdi toi thay no qua
phifc tap. C o Huang luon la ngifdi lam cho nhtfng bai toan trd
nen thu vi va d l hieu. C o rat kien nhan giang giai cho chung toi
nhCfng bai toan kho va dam bao tat ca moi ngifdi deu hieu bai.
Difdi sif day dd cua co, mon toan cua toi da tien bo rat nhanh.
T oi da trd nen yeu thich toan hoc va gid day toi luon dat
difdc diem cao trong cac bai kiem tra toan. Va tat ca dieu do la
nhd vao co giao yeu m en nhat cua toi.
194
87. THE VALUABLE PEARL
T here is only on e precious jewel not mined from the earth.

This jewel is the pearl. Pearls are used mostly for necklaces and
rings. They are expensive because it is difficult to get them.
Pearls are found in oysters. Oysters are small sea animals

that live in shells. W hen a grain of sand gets into the shell, the
oyster puts a sm ooth coating on it. T he coating protects the
oyster from the sand. This becom es a pearl. As the oyster puts
on more layers, the pearl grows. Divers go deep into the ocean
to gather oysters. Only on e oyster in thousands contains a pearl.
You can understand why pearls are valuable.
1. precious (adj): q u i gid

2. jewel (n): d d q u i, n g o c
3. to mine (v): d ao , k h a i thac
4. pearl (n): n g o c tra i
5. necklace (n): v o n g co
6. ring (n): n h a n
7. oyster (n): con so
8. sm ooth (adj): m e m m ai, m u o t m d
9. coating (n): lo p m o n g p h u n goai
10. sand (n): cat
11 A o gather (v): th u nhap, tap t r u n g
C a c b/\i Iuan TitNq an M TliONCj duNq
Vl£N NGOC QU?
Chi co mot loai trang sifc qui khong dupe khai thac ti/ long
dat. D o la ngoc trai. Ngoc trai chu yeu difdc dung lam day chuyen
va nhan. Chung rat d lt tien bdi le rat kho ma co di/dc chung.
Ngoc trai difdc tim thay d cac con trai. Trai la nhCfng dong
vat bien nho song trong vo cifng. Khi co m ot hat cat lot vao trong
vo, con trai tiet ra m ot ldp phu ngoai min mang va bao boc hat
cat do. Ldp phu ngoai nay bao ve con trai khoi bi cat lam dau.
Va viec nay da tao thanh ngoc trai. Khi con trai phu cang nhieu
ldp, vien ngoc trai cang ldn. C ac thd lan lan xuong dai difdng de
thu ngoc trai. Trong hang ngan con chi co m ot con chtte ngoc.
Ban co the hieu tai sao ngoc trai lai co gia tri nhif the.
1‘)A
88. GEESE HELP A CITY
During World W ar II, the people of Freiberg, Germ any,

listened to the geese in their park. T he geese would cry out with
loud squawks w henever enem y airplanes cam e toward the city.
The geese let the people know that enem y bom bers were
coming, even before the air raid sirens sounded.
On Novem ber 2 7 . 1944, the geese began their noisy

squawks as they always did before an air raid. Hundreds of
people took shelter. A few minutes later, the city of Freiberg was
heavily hit by bombs.
After the war. the people of Freiberg built a statue at the

entrance of the park. T he statue is in honor of the three geese
that had been killed in the raid.
1. squawk (n): tie n g keu q u a n g quae

2. enem y (n): ke th u
3. bom ber (n): m ay bay o a n h tac
4. siren (n): cai coi
5. to sound (v): lo a n bao, bao hieu
6. statue (n): buc tu o n g
7. entrance (n): lo i vao
8. in honor of (idm): ui s it k in h t r o n g d o i voi ai, cai gi
197
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq anN T h o N q duNq
NGONG COU g i Op M0T t h A nh p h 6
Suot chien tranh the gidi lan II, ngifdi dan d thanh pho
Freiberg, DCfc, thifdng lSng nghe tieng cua bay ngong trong cong
vien. NhCfng con ngong nay keu quang quae that to bat cif khi
nao may bay cua ke thu tien ve thanh pho. Bay ngong bao cho
moi ngifdi biet rang may bay oanh tac cua dich dang den, trifdc
ca khi tieng coi bao dong cua may bay vang len.
V ao ngay 2 7 / 1 1 / 1 9 4 4 , bon ngong bat dau keu quang quae

nhif thifdng le trifdc khi co cuoc oanh tac. Hang tram ngifdi da
tim ndi tru an. Vai phut sau, thanh pho Freiberg bi dpi bom dif
dpi.
Sau chien tranh, ngifdi dan thanh pho Freiberg xay mot bifc
tifdng d loi ra vao cua cong vien. Bifc tifdng nay tifdng niem ba
con ngong da bi giet chet trong cuoc oanh tac do.
198
Commonly used English esiqy
89. A VISIT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
Nobody likes staying at hom e on a public holiday especially if

the weather is fine. Last August we decided to spend the day in
the country. T he only difficultly was that millions of the people
had exactly the sam e idea. W e moved out of the city slowly
behind a long line of cars, but at last we cam e to a quiet country
road and after som etim e, stopped at a lonely farm. W e had
brought plenty of food with us and we got it out of the car. Now
everything was ready s o we sat down near path at the foot of a
hill. It was very peaceful in the cool grass until we heard bells
ringing at the top of the hill. W hat we saw made us pick up our
things and run back to the car as quickly as possible. T here was
about two hundred sheeps com ing towards us down the path!
1. path (n): d if d n g m o n , d u d n g n h o
2. sheep (n): c o n ql/u
3. farm (n): n o n g tr a n g
4. to pick up (v): n h a t
5. car (n): o td
199
C a c b/\i Iuan TitNq an M ThoNq diJNq
DI NGHI 6 MI(:N QU£
Khong ai thich d nha trong mot ngay nghi danh ch o tat ca

moi ngifdi, nhat la khi thcri tiet dep. Thang tam vifa roi, chung toi
quyet dinh di nghi m ot ngay b nong thon. Kho khan duy nhat la
hang trieu ngifdi khac cung co cung y tifdng nay. Chung toi rdi
khoi thanh pho m ot cach cham cham dang sau m ot day o to d&i
dang dac, cuoi cung cung den difpc m ot con difdng que tinh mich
va sau m ot luc chung toi difhg lai d mot nong trai hiu quanh.
Chung toi dem th eo rat nhieu thifc an va bat dau loi chung ra
khoi xe. Moi thif da san sang va chung toi ngoi xuong canh con
difdng m on ngay difdi chan m ot con doi! Chung toi thay that yen
binh khi ngoi tren ldp co diu mat cho den khi nghe chuong reo
lanh canh d dinh doi. Nhifng gi nhin thay difpc buoc chung toi
phai thu don moi thif va chay ve xe cang nhanh cang tot. Co
khoang hai tram con cifu dang di xuong con difdng m on tien ve
phia chung toi.
700
90. AN EXPENSIVE MEAL
Last night, my father decided to bring the family out to a

restaurant for a good dinner. W e had a hard time trying to agree
as to which restaurant we wanted to go for this treat. At last, we
decided to go to a nice restaurant in a hotel.
T he place was very grand and the waiters were very polite.
My parents ordered large pepper steaks while I ordered a small
portion of it. T h e food was delicious. We enjoyed the food
very much.
After the meal, my father asked a waiter for the bill. We

were shocked when we saw the amount. T he meal for three of us
cost three hundred dollars! My father asked the waiter if he had
brought us the correct bill. T he waiter replied that it was the right
bill. On further questioning, the waiter explained that the prices
were high because of the food and service. My father paid the
bill. T hen we left the restaurant, feeling very unhappy.
From this, we learnt a lesson. Next time we decided to go

out for a meal, we would select the food carefully and also check
the prices to see if we could afford to eat there.
1. portion (n): kh a ’u p h a n th u c an, sua't an

2. bill (n): hod do'n t in h tien
3 . to shock (v): g a y ra n d i b an g h o a n g hoac s u n g s o t c h o ai
4 . am ount (n): td n g so h oac t o n g gid tri
5 . to select (v): lu a ch o n
201
C a c bAi Iuan Tiewq an Ii TÔNq d uNq
m Ot bl /a An d At t i £ n
Toi hom qua, cha toi quyet dinh difa ca nha di nha hang
dung m ot bda toi that ngon. Chung toi rat kho khan khi phai
thoa thuan ve viec nen den nha hang nao de dung bCfa chieu dai
nay. Cuoi cung, chung toi quyet d n h di den m ot nha hang dep
de trong mot khach san.
Noi day that sang trong va doi ngu phuc vu rat lich thiep.
Cha me toi goi mon thit ran tieu ldn con toi chi goi mot khau
phan nho. ThCfc an ngon tuyet. Chung toi an uong ngon lanh.
Sau bCfa an, cha toi goi hau ban tinh tien. Chung toi rat sifng
sot khi nhin thay tong so tien. Bute an cho ba ngifdi gia nhCfng ba
tram do la! C ha toi hoi ngufdi hau ban lieu anh ta co m ang dung
hoa don khong. Anh ta dap rang day dung la hoa don danh cho
chung toi. Va anh giai thich them rang gia ca cao vi thCfc an ngon
va phuc vu tot. C ha toi thanh toan hoa d on ^ roi chung toi rdi
khoi nha hang, long cam thay rat buon.
Qua viec nay, chung toi da hoc difpc m ot bai hoc. Lan sau
neu co di an ngoai, chung toi se life chon m on an that can than
va cung kiem tra gia ca xem lieu minh co kha nang thanh toan
hay khong.
202
91. OUR SWEET HOME
My hom e is the sw eetest, loveliest and the best place for me

in the world. It is indeed a paradise on earth.
T he child rushes from the school, the market place or the

playground. H e is tied to his hom e with bonds of affection and
love of the family. H e has his m other, always ready to fulfill his
wishes. T here is the father, ever prepared to sacrifice anything to
make him happy and com fortable. He has brothers and sisters to
play with. T hey love one another much. T he child is brought up
in a happy and healthy atm osphere of his sweet hom e. T hat is
the reason why he loves his hom e so much.
H om e is indeed the sw eetest place. The em braces of

affectionate m other and the care of loving father always loom
large in our m em ory. T he joyous days of childhood spent at our
home com pany with the m em bers of our family and friends can
hardly be forgotten.
1. paradise (n): th ie n d u d n g
2. affection (n): c a m giac yeu m en
3 . to sacrifice (v): hy sin h
4 . em brace (n): h a n h d o n g d m
5 . to loom (v): to ra q u a n t r o n g
203
C a c bAi Iuan t Ienq an Ii ih o N q duNq
NGOl nha than t h u o n g c u a c h u n g TOl
Nha toi la noi than thifcfng nhat, dang yeu nhat va tot dep
nhat doi vcfi toi tren the gian nay. D o that sif la chon thien difdng
ncfi tran the.
Sau khi tan hoc, di chcf hoac choi xong, toi chay ao ve nha.
NhCfng moi day tinh cam va tinh yeu thifcfng cua moi ngifdi da
gSn bo toi vcfi mai am gia dinh. Tdi co m e, me luc n ao cung sSn
sang lam thoa man nhifng ifdc muon cua tdi. Toi con co cha, cha
luc nao cung s in sang hi sinh moi thif de lam tdi hanh phuc va
thoai mai. Tdi con co anh, co chi de chcfi cung. Ca nha rat yeu
thifdng nhau. Tdi difOc nuoi difdng trong bau khong khi lanh
m anh va hanh phuc trong mai am tinh thifcfng cua minh. D o la li
do tai sao toi lai yeu quy nha toi den the.
Gia dinh that sif la mot ncfi than thifdng nhat. S if dm ap triu
m en cua me, sif quan tam cham soc cua ngifdi cha yeu thifcfng
luon hien ra ro net trong ky Cfc chung ta. NhCfng ngay thd au tran
ngap niem vui cf nha, cung ngifdi than trong gia dinh va ban be
kho co the phai md trong tam tri.
204
92. SENDING A MESSAGE
T he guard went through carriage after carriage inquiring

whether there was a doctor on the train. He found one at last and
quickly led him to the luggage-van where a tall m an was lying on
the floor stretched out am ong heaps of mail-bags with a cushion
under his head. T h e guard explained that he had discovered the
man in the passage and finding that he was seriously ill, had
dragged him into the luggage-van. T he doctor loosened the m an’s
collar and after exam ining him thoroughly, told the guard that the
man was unconscious and should have to be taken to hospital.
When hearing this, the guard answered that the espress train
could not be stopped without first informing the station-m aster of
the main-line-station which was nearly fifty miles away.
Meanwhile, the m an's condition gradually got worse.
T here seem ed to be no way of sending a m assage until the

guard had the idea of throwing a note on to the platform of the
small village station as the train flashed past. Fortunately,
som eone picked the note and telephoned the main-line station.
This was a strange way of sending a m essage, but it worked.
Shortly afterwards, the train was stopped for a few minutes at a
small village station several miles further on so that the sick man
could be taken to hospital.
205
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq A*h ThoNq dyNq
1. carriage (n): toa x e lua c h o h a n h kh a ch

2. luggage-van (n): toa xe lua c h o h a n h ly
3. heap (n): d o n g
4. cushion (n): nem, d e m , cai goi
5. guard (n): th u y e n t r u o n g
6. to loosen (v): n o i lo n g
7. collar (n): co do
8. meanwhile (adv): t r o n g luc d o
9. platform (n): th e m ga
10. afterwards (adv): sau, ve sau
11. unconscious (adj): n g a t di, bat tin h
Glfl DI$N TIN
Vien tnfdng tau di tif toa nay den toa khac hoi xem lieu co vi
bac si nao tren tau khong. Cuoi cung thi anh cung tim difpc mot
ngudi va nhanh chong dan ngifdi nay den toa hanh ly. 0 do, mot
ngifdi dan ong cao ldn dang nam dai tren san giite hang dong tui
bifu kien, dau ke mot cai goi nho. Vien trifdng tau giai thich rin g
anh da phat hien ra ngifdi dan ong nay d giifa loi di va nhan thay
ong ta bi om nang, nen da keo ong vao toa hanh ly. Vi bac si ndi
long cd ao cho ngifdi benh va sau khi kham ti mi. ong bao vien
trifdng tau rang benh nhan da bat tinh can phai difpc difa den
benh vien. Khi nghe noi the, vien trifdng tau dap la khong the
difng chuyen tau toe hanh nay lai neu chifa thong bao ch o vi
trifdng ga thuoc tuyen chinh d cach day gan nam mifcr; dam biet.
Trong khi do, benh tinh cua benh nhan dan dan trd nen tram
trong hon.
206
Difdng nhif khong co cach nao de gui thong bao di cho den
khi vien tnrdng tau nay ra sang kien la nem m ot mau thong bao
len them ga cua m ot nha ga dia phifOng nho khi doan tau chay
vut qua. That may, co m ot ai do da nhat mau giay va goi dien
den nha ga thuoc tuyen chinh. C ach gdi thong bao nay that la
lung, nhi/ng l$i co hieu qua. C hoc sau, doan tau da d6 lai vai phut
tai mot tram xe lifa dia phi/Ong b cach xa vai dam de ngifdi benh
co the difpc difa den benh vien.
207
C a c bAi Iuan t U nq an^ th o N g duN q
93. A SWORDFISH ATTACKS A SUBMARINE
C an you picture a fish attacking a submarine? It happened.
A submarine, named the Alvin, was near the coast of

G eorgia when it was attacked by a swordfish. T he fish rammed
into the submarine. It struck so hard that its sword went between
the metal plates of the subm arine's body. T he fish was unable to
pull its sword loose.
A flashing light inside the ship showed that the submarine

was leaking. T he captain raised the submarine to the surface. It
took two hours for the crew to get the sword from the
subm arine’s body.
T hat evening the crew enjoyed a swordfish dinner!
1. swordfish (n): cd m u i k ie m
2. to attack (v): tan co n g
3. submarine (n): tau n gam
4. to picture (v): h in h d u n g , tuo'ng t u p n g
5. to ram (v): d a m vao, d u n g vao
6. sword (n): g u o m , k ie m , d a o
7. plate (n): ta m k im loai m o n g
8. to leak (v): ro, r!
9. captain (n): th u y e n t r u b n g
10. crew (n): thuy th u d o a n , p h i d o i
208
cA ki£m t An c Ong tAu ng Am

Ban co hinh dung ra canh mot con ca tan cong tau ngam
khong? Chuyen ay da xay ra roi day.
Mot tau ngam ten la Alvin, dang d gan bd bien G eorgia khi
no bi mot con ca kiem tan cong. C on ca dam vao chiec tau
ngam. No dam m anh den ndi mui kiem xuyen qua ldp kim loai
cua than tau ngam . C on ca khong the rut li/di kiem cua no ve
dude.
Anh den trong tau cho thay con tau dang bj ngam ni/dc.
Thuyen tri/dng true chiec tau ngam len m at ni/dc. D oan thuy thu
phai mat hai gid mdi lay di/dc lifdi kiem ra khoi than tau.
Toi hom do thuy thu dude chen mot bite thit ca kiem ngon lanh.
209
C a c bAi Iuan TieNq Ash Thong duNq
94. FAMILY DAY
My father was given four free tickets to the Family Day

gathering for the com pany’s personel at the Zoological Garden.
We woke up very early that Sunday. At about nine o ’clock, we
reached our destination. My father went to collect som e coupons
and we were given colourful caps as souvenirs. T hen we walked
around observing the animals. At about eleven o'clock, we
decided to take part in the Art Com petition. T h e them e of the
com petition was “Family D ay”.
At about one in the afternoon, my father exchanged the

coupons for lunch and snacks. After lunch, we watched an
interesting variety show. T h e variety show attracted m ost of the
crowded and drew loud applause from the spectators. Later, the
organizers announced the results for the Art Com petition. T o my
surprise, I won first prize. I was given a $ 2 0 book voucher.
W e set off hom e soon after. Although I was tired, 1 was

overwhelmed with joy.
1. personel (n): n h a n v ie n , c o n g ch uc
2. destination (n): n o i den
3. coupon (n): p h ie u
4 . cap (n): m u (d a n h ch o d an ong)
5. snack (n): bua an n h e
6. voucher (n): p h ie u da trd tien
210
NGAY H0I GIA DiNH
Cha toi co bon ve mien phi tham dif ngay hoi gia dinh danh
cho nhan vien cong ty td chifc d vifdn bach thu. Chung toi thifc
day rat sdm vao ngay chu nhat do. Khoang 9 gid, chung toi da
den ncfi. Cha toi di lay vai tam phieu va chung toi difdc tang
nhifng cai mu sac sd de lam ky niem. Sau do chung toi di long
vong xem cac con thu. Khoang 11 gid, chung toi quyet dinh
tham du cuoc thi ngay hoi gia dinh.
Vao khoang 1 gid trifa, cha toi di doi may tam phieu de lay
bite trite va bifa chieu. Sau bifa trua, chung toi xem m ot cuoc
_c _
trinh dien phong phu va hap dan. Cuoc trinh dien loi cuon hau
het dam dong va dude khan gia hoan nghenh nhiet liet. Sau do
ban td chifc thong b ao ket qua cuoc thi nghe thuat. Toi rat ngac
nhien khi biet minh gianh difdc giai nhat va difdc. hifdng mot
phieu mua sach tri gia 2 0 do la.
C hoc sau chung toi trd ve nha. Mac du m et moi, nhifng

trong long tran ngap niem vui.
211
C a c bAi Iuan m u g Awh Tho^g duNq
95. HOW THE HOT DOG GOT ITS NAME
T h e next time you bite a hot dog, you m ight think about
how it got its nam e. T hree hundred years ago, .people in
G erm any were eating long, thin tubes of m eat called “Dachshund
sausages”. T he sausages had this nam e because they looked like
the famous dachshund dogs.
By the 1 8 6 0 s , the sausages were being sold carts on the

streets of New York. By the 1 8 7 0 s , there w ere stands for selling
sausage at New York C oney Island.
T h en , in the early 1900s, a person selling dachshund

sausage at a baseball gam e started yelling “G et your red hot
dachshund sausages”. O n e of the people at the gam e drew a
cartoon of a barking dachshund sausage lying inside its warm
bun. Sin ce then, these sausages have been called hot dogs all
around the world.
1. dachshund (n): cho chon (loai cho nho, minh dai, chan ngSn)
2. sausage (n): x u c xi'ch, la p x u o n g
3. dog (n): con ch o
4. to stand (v): d u n g
5. baseball (n): b o n g ch ay
6. to yell (v): h e t len, la th e t
7. cartoon (n): t ra n h b ie m hoa
8. bun (n): b an h n g o t tro n n h o
212
XClC XICH DA CO T£N “HOT DOG" NHlf TH^ NAO?
Lan sau neu ban an xuc xich, ban nen nghi xem bang cach
nao no lai m ang den cai ten do. C ach day ba tram nam , ngifdi
dan Difc an nhCifrig cay thit mong dai co ten la “Dachshund
sausages” (xuc xich ch o chon). Xuc xich co ten nay vi chung
trong giong con ch o chon.
Vao nhtfrig nam 1 8 6 0 , xuc xich difpc ban d cac xe ngifa keo
tren difdng pho New York. V ao nhifng nam 1 8 7 0 , da co nhijfrig
quay ban xuc xich b dao C oney b New York.
Sau do, vao dau nhifng nam 1 9 0 0 , co m ot n g iic^ b an xuc

xich tai mot cuoc dau bong chay da het len: “Hay mua xuc xich
nong do di”. Mot trong so nhifng ngifdi d cuoc thi dau da ve mot
bifc biem hoa m ot thoi xuc xich cho chon dang sua nam trong
mot cai banh nong. Ti/ do nhifrig xuc xich nay di/dc goi la “H ot
dog” d khap ndi tren the gidi.
213
C a c bAi Iuan TiENq A*h th o N q duNq
96. MY DIARY
I have a diary which has been with me for about half a year.
It is a blue book given to me by my dad as a new year present.
He hoped that I would develop the habit of writing in my diary
and I am glad that I have not disappointed him.
It has b ecom e a habit for me to write in my diary every night

before I go to bed. My diary knows all that happens to m e; it’s a
silent friend who knows all my joys and grievances.
W henever I am free, I will read my diary like I read my novel.

This enables me to look back objectively at all the things that I
have done. As a reasult, I am able to detect my m istakes and
correct them . Similarly, I will take note of the things which I have
done right and will try to do even better.
I feel that keeping a diary has made me a better person. My

writing skill has improved a lot. Besides, writing in my diary every
night has trained me to be m ore disciplined and I have learnt to
spend my time widely. Thus, I strongly encourage my friends to
keep a diary too.
2. diary (n): n h a t ky
2. grievance (n): su b uo n p h ie n
3. objectively (adv): m o t cach kh a ch q ua n
4. to detect (v): k h a m p ha
5. to discipline (v): ky lu a t
6. to encourage (v): k h u y e n khfch, d o n g vien
214
QUY^N NHAT K? CClA TOl
T oi co mot quyen nhat ky, no da d ben toi gan nifa nam . D o

la mot quyen sach mau xanh do cha toi tang nhan dip nam mdi.
Ong hi vong toi se phat trien thoi quen viet nhat ky va toi vui
mifng vi da khong phu long ong.
Viet nhat ky moi dem trUdc khi di ngu da trd thanh thoi quen
cua toi. Quyen nhat ky cua toi biet tat ca nhufng gi xay den vdi
toi. No la mot ngifdi ban lang le thau hieu difpc tat ca nhCfng
niem vui, ndi buon cua toi.
Mdi khi ranh, toi lai doc quyen nhat ky nhif doc tieu thuyet
cua chinh minh vay. Dieu nay co the giup toi nhin lai m ot cach
khach quan tat ca nhCfng dieu toi da lam. Vi the toi co the nhin
nhan ra nhCfng I6i lam cua minh va sifa doi chung. D ong thdi, toi
se lifu y tat ca nhCfng gi ma toi da lam dung va se co gang lam
tot hdn.
Tdi nhan thay viec viet nhat ky da lam tdi trd thanh ngifdi tdt
hdn. Ki nang viet cua tdi tien bo rat nhieu. Ngoai ra viet nhat ky
moi dem da ren luyen tdi tinh ky luat va tdi da hoc cach sif dung
thdi gian m ot cach kheo leo. Vi vay tdi cung rat hay khuyen khich
ban be tdi viet nhat ky.
215
C a c bAi Iuan m u g ANh ThoNg dung
97. A STREET PERFORMANCE
O n e evening, I attended a street perform ance. A crowd had

gathered even before the show had started. A m akeshift stage
had been erected in the middle of the street. Musical instruments
and a m icrophone stood in the middle of the stage. I waited
eagerly for the show to start.
A few minutes later, the com pere for the show appeared.
He dressed quite casually in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The
audience cheered and clapped. T h e com pere announced the start
of the show. A band cam e on stage. It was m ade up of a
drummer and 4 guitarists. T h e band played two tunes before the
singers appeared.
Even though the audience had to stand throughout the show,

they did not seem to mind. At about 8 o ’clock that evening, the
crowd was so large that I had difficulty seeing the perform ances.
T he show lasted until midnight. I enjoyed it very much.
1. perform ance (n): si/ bieu d i i n , su t r in h d i i n

2. makeshift (adj): de d u n g tam th a i
3. stage (n): san kh a u
4. band (n): ban n hac
5. tune (n): giai d ie u
216
M0T CUQC TRiNH DI^N TR£N DI/ONG PH6
Mot tdi no, toi da xem m ot cuoc trinh d iln tren difdng pho.
Dam dong da tu tap lai ngay ca trifdc khi cuoc trinh d iln b it dau.
Mot san khau difdc dung tam len d giufa difdng. Nhac khi va
micro difdc dat ngay giufa san khau. Toi non nong chd doi cuoc
trinh d iln bat dau.
Vai phut sau, ngifdi dan chudng trinh xuat hien. Anh m ac do
rat binh thifdng, ao thun ngan tay va quan jean. Khan gia reo ho
va v6 tay chao don. Ngifdi dan chifdng trinh tuyen bo khai m ac
buoi diln. Ban nhac tien len san khau. Co m ot tay trong va bon
tay guitar. Ban nhac choi hai giai dieu trifdc khi cac ca si xuat hien.
Mac du khan gia phai difng suot buoi d iln nhifng ho khong
cam thay met. V ao khoang 8 gid tdi, ngifdi xem keo den dong
den n 6 i toi kho khan lam mdi nhin thay difdc cac d iln vien. Buoi
diln keo dai den nifa dem. Tdi rat thich thu vdi cuoc trinh diln do.
217
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Awh ThoNq duNq
98. A CANARY SAVES A LIFE
How could a little canary save som eone s life 9 It happend to

an eighty-year-old lady in T en nessee.
T h e lady lived alone with a canary as a pet. H er niece was

reading at her own hom e w hen she heard a noise at the window.
It kept getting louder and louder. Finally, she went to the window.
T here w as a little canary fluttering its wings against the window.
Feeling there was som ething wrong, the niece drove to her
aunt’s house. T he lady had struck her head on a table and was
bleeding badly. T he niece called a doctor and the lady was saved
thanks to her pet canary.
1. canary (n): c h im h o a n g yen

2. niece (n): chau gai
3. to flutter (v): d a p c a n h , vS canh
4. to strike (v): va, d u n g
5. to bleed (v): ch ay m a u
6. thanks to (conj): n h d vao
21w
CHIM HOANG Y^N ecru NGLTOl

Lam the n ao m ot con chim hoang yen nho be lai co the cCfu
mang mot ngifdi? Dieu do xay ra vcfi m ot ba cu 8 0 tudi. d
Tennessee.
B a cu song m ot minh vdi mot con vat cifng la chim hoang

yen. C o chau gai cua ba dang doc sach trong nha cua minh thi
nghe tieng dong b cite sd. Tieng dong cang luc cang to hdn. Cuoi
cung co di den cifci sd. O do, con hoang yen nho dang dap canh
vao thanh cifa.
Cam thay co dieu gi bat on, co chau lai xe den nha ba di. Ba
bi dap dau vao ban va bi chay mau tram trong. C o chau goi bac si
va ba cu difdc cOfu song nhd vao con chim hoang yen yeu qui
cua ba.
219
C a c b/\i Iu a n m a g A*h T h o n g duNQ
99. HELPING MOTHER AT HOME
Nowadays, m ost m others work. W hen they com e back from

work, they feel tired but they still have to cook, clean the house
and look after their children. If they are not earning m uch, they
can not afford to ha- servants. S o children are the best people
to help m others.
Older children can help to do som e household chores. They

can go to the shop or help to look after their younger siblings.
T h e younger children can also help by doing som e light work, like
sweeping the floor and picking up their toys. Children can be
helpful too by not being fussy over food.
My m other is not working but she is not very healthy. I

would prefer to read or play but I help her with the housework
because I care for her.
1. to afford (v): co gdng, n d luc

2. servant (n): n g u d i g iu p viec
3. chore (n): viec vat t h u d n g ngay
4. household (n): ho gia d in h
5 . to play (v): ch a i
220
GlOP d o m e v i £ c n £A
Ngay nay, hau het cac ba me deu di lam. Khi ve nha, ho rat
met m 6 i nhifng van phai nau an, lau chui nha cute va cham soc
con cai. Neu khong kiem difcfc nhieu tien, ho se khong du kha
n3ng de thue ngifdi gtup viec. Vi the, con cai la nhufng ngifdi
thich hop nhat de giup cac ba me.
NhQhg dute con ldn co the lam difOc mot so cong viec trong
nha. Chung co the di mua hang hoac trong em . Difa nho hdn
cung co the giup lam vai cong viec nhe nhif quet nha va don dep
do chdi ch o gon. Chung cung co the giup ich bang cach khong
qua ken chon m on an.
Me toi khon g di lam vi ba khong difOc k h o e lam . T oi thich

doc sa ch h ay ch o i dua h on nhifng vi lo ch o m e n en toi thifdng
giup m e lam viec nha.
221
C a c bAi Iuan T itN q a«
«Ii ThoN q duNq
100. MY CLASSMATES
Thirtyfive unique individuals make up our interesting class.

Of course, there are som e of us who are m ore popular than
the others.
First, there is fat Steven. Fie is the joker of the class. He

cracks all kinds of jokes, even practical jokes. O n ce, he left an
artificial lizard in the chalk box to scare our stem science teacher,
Miss Xiao. Her horrified expressions amused us so much that we
split our sides with laughter. However, the whole class was
punished for that joke. In spite of this, we still like Steven because
he is always brave enough to own up to playing tricks.
W e also have a bookworm in the class. Xiaom ing is a small

boy with thick glasses. W herever he goes, he will have a book
with him. He brings glory to the class by winning the various
language quizzes organized by the school.
T he m ost respected person in our class is our m onitor,

Evelyn. S h e is helpful, friendly and responsible. Without her, our
class would be in chaos.
The teachers who teach us always say that we are in mischievous

but hardworking bunch. I am proud to belong to my class
1. to crack (v): ke ch u ye n d ua
2. horrified (adj): h o a n g so, k h ie p s o
222
3. to split o n e ’s side with laughter (idm): c u o i ud b u n g

4. to own up (v): th u nhan, th u to i
5. bookworm (n): m o t sach
6. quiz (n): cu oc th i d o
7. chaos (n): s u h o n lo an
8. mischievous (adj): n g h ic h n g a m
9. bunch (n): n h o m , ta p the ld p
BAN CUNG LOP
Ba mifdi nam ca nhan rieng biet tao thanh ldp hoc vui nhon
cua chung toi. Difdng nhien la co vai ngifdi difpc yeu thich hdn
nhQng ngifdi khac.
ThCf nhat, do la ten map Steven. Cau ta la ngifdi hai hifdc.
Cau ke du chuyen cifdi, tham chi con lam vai tro dua vui nhon
nifa. C o lan, cau ta de m ot con than lan gia trong m ot hop phan
de doa co giao day m on khoa hoc, co Xiao, von rat nghiem khac.
Ve mat hoang sp cua co lam chung toi cifdi muon vd bung va vi
tro nay ma ca ldp bj phat. Du vay, chung toi van thich Steven,
bdi le cau ludn dung cam thu nhan toi dua dai ve minh.
Ldp chung tdi con co mot con m ot sach nifa. Xiaoming la
mot cau trai nho nhan deo cap kinh can day cop. Di dau cau cung
mang sach ben minh. Cau dem vinh quang ve cho ldp khi chien
thing trong nhCfng cuoc thi do've ngon ngCf do trifdng td chut.
Ngifdi difdc kinh ne nhat ldp tdi la cd ldp trifdng Evelyn. Cd

la ngifdi rat tot bung, than thien va co trach nhiem. Neu khong
co co, ldp chung toi se trd thanh m ot dam hdn loan.
C ac thay cd day chung toi hay ndi rang chung toi la m ot tap
the nghich ngdm nhifng cham hoc. Tdi rat hanh dien difpc la m ot
thanh vien cua ldp.
223
C a c b/\i Iuan T ilN q ANh ThoNQ duN q
101. A CRUISE
It was a sunny day. My father drove the whole family to

Clifford pier. We were going on a cruise on board the Equator
Dream. My brother and I were very excited as we had never been
on a cruise before.
T he Equator Dream is a big ship with four storeys. It has a

huge dining room and a lounge. O n the lowest level is a
discotheque which my father said is not a suitable place for
children. On the highest level is a deck w here m ost people will
gather during a day.
We cruised around Singapore. W e are served a buffet lunch

on board. Then we went up on the deck to enjoy the sunshine
and the sea breeze. T h e scenery was beautiful.
In the evening, we were treated to a delicious C hinese meal.

After dinner, we went to the lounge to chat and laze about. Of
course, we went up on the deck again to look at the captivating
night scenery of Singapore. We could see the light on the island
flickering from afar.
Slowly, the light becam e larger and brighter. T h e Equator

Dream docked and we disembarked at World Trade c e n t r e . It had
been an interesting trip and all o f us went hom e feeling satisfied
and happy.
224
Commonly used English cssqy__________________
1. cruise (n): c h u y e n d ao c h o i tren bien

2. pier (n): ben tau, cau tau
3. lounge (n): p h o n g d a o c h o i tre n bien
4. discotheque (n): p h o n g n h a y disco, n o i m o i n g u o i n h a y
theo cac d ie u n h a c p o p tre n d ia hat u.u..
5. deck (n): b o o n g tau, san tau
6. to flicker (v): n h a p nhay, la p theo
7. to dock (v): ca p ben
8. to disembark (v): ro i k h o i (tau, m a y bay, u.u..)
M0T CHUYEN DAO CHOI TR^N BIEN
Do la mot ngay nang. Cha toi lai xe difa ca nha ra ben tau
Clifford. Chung toi sap tham gia mot cuoc du ngoan tren tau
Equator Dream. Anh em toi rat phan khich vi trifdc do chung toi
chifa tifng difdc di chdi tren bien ca bao gid.
Equator Dream la mot con tau ldn co bon tang. Tren tau co
mot phong an va m ot phong ngoi chdi cong cong khong lo.
Tang difdi cung la phong nhay disco. Cha bao rin g ndi do khong
thich hdp vdi tre con. T ang cao nhat la boong tau, ndi hau het
moi ngifdi tu tap vao ban ngay.
Chung tdi di vdng quanh Singapore. Bifa cdm trifa tren tau
difdc phuc vu theo kieu tiec difng. Sau do, chung toi len boong
tau de tan hudng anh nang m at trdi va nhifng lan gio bien. Canh
vat that dep.
225
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Ask TkoNq duNq
Toi den. chung toi dUdc an cac mon Trung Quoc ngon tuyet.
Sau bite toi, chung toi len phong ngoi tan gau va thu gian. Tat
nhien la chung toi con leo len boong tau de tan hudng canh bien
Singapore vao dem. Chung toi co the nhin thay anh den dao
nhap nhay xa xa.
Dan dan, anh den trd len ldn hdn va sang hdn. Tau Equator
Dream cap ben va chung tdi len bd d trung tam Thiidng mai T h e
gidi. Do la mot chuyen di thu vi. T at ca chung tdi ve nha vdi tam
trang m an nguyen va vui sUdng.
102. A MARATHON
Tracy G rant's arms were tired. Could she go any farther?

Quickly, Grant told herself that this was no time to quit. Only half
z mile remained to the finish line. Sh e just had to finish!
The long race, called a m arathon, had begun hours earlier.

At the sound of the s t a i r ' s gun, over a hundred people had
started out. Now everyone was stretched out along the twenty-six
miles of the course. However, it looked as if almost all of them
would finish.
Grant pushed harder. Looking back, she could tell she was
getting farther and farther ahead. Her first victory in a wheelchair
m arathon was alm ost hers!
1. farther (adv): o' m o t k h o a n g cach xa ho'n

2. to quit (v): n g i/n g
3. to finish (v): k e t th u c
4. m arathon (n): c u o c ch ay d u a d if d n g dai
5. to start out (v): kho'i hanh, x u a t p h a t
6. course (n): d a i d a t
7. victory (n): s u ch ie n th a n g
8. w heelchair (n): x e lan
227
___ C a c bAi Iuan Tit*q Ask ThoNq du
CUOC THI MA-RA-TONG
Doi tay cua Tracy Grant da moi nhi/. Lieu co co the di

hon? Rat nhanh, Grant ti/ nhu rin g day khong phai la luc
di/ng lai. Chi con nua d?im la den dich. C o nhat dinh phai d
noi!
Cuoc chay dua dJd ng dai, goi la chay m arathon da bat d

cach day may gid. Tieng sung xuat phat vi/a vang len, hdn m
tram ngi/di da lao di. Bay gid moi ngi/di da gian ra doc th<
quang dudng dua dai hai mi/di sau dam. Tuy nhien. co ve nl
moi ngudi deu co the ve den dich.
Grant day m anh tay hdn. Ngoai lai phia sau. cd co the n
rin g cang ngay co cang dan trudc xa hdn. C hien th in g dau ti(
trong cuoc chay dua m arathon tren xe lan nay gan nhi/ da thu<
ve co!
22S
103. THE HISTORY OF HELICOPTERS
The helicopter is an unusual and useful m achine. It can fly

straight up in the air and stay in the sam e place. People wished
for such a m achine for many years before it was finally invented.
Toy helicopters appeared in France back in the 1 7 0 0 s . A

few years later, an English scientist, Sir G eorge Cayley, tried to
use steam engines m ake helicopters big enough for people to fly
in. By 1 9 1 0 , Igor Sikorsky finally showed the world two such
helicopters. T h ese m achines flew, but they did little m ore than fly
straight up and down. It took Sikorsky until 1 9 4 0 to make a real,
practical helicopter.
1. helicopter (n): m ay bay true th a n g
2. straight (adv): tha n g, the o m o t d u d n g th a n g
3. m achine (n): m ay m o c
4. practical (adi): co the h o a t d o n g duo'c
5. to show (v): t r in h d ie n, chi ra
6. to stay (v): o'
220
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq anN T k o N q cJuni
LICH Sl/CH|£C MAY BAY TRlTC THANG
May bay trifc thang la mot cai may hGfu ich va khac thifdnc
No co the bay theo chieu th in g difng len khong trung va difng 1
lifng d m ot chd. C on ngifdi da ao udc co mot cai may nhif th
trong nhieu nam trifdc khi no difdc phat minh ra.
C ac may bay trifc thang dang do chdi xuat hien d P hap va

nhCfng nam 1 7 0 0 . Vai nam sau, mot nha khoa hoc ngifdi An!
ngai G eorge Cayley, da sif dung dong cd chay b ln g hdi nifdc d
van hanh cac may bay ldn hdn. Trong hdn m ot tram nam , co
ngifdi da co g ln g che tao nhCfng chiec may bay du ldn de co
ngifdi co the bay trong do. Den nam 1 9 1 0 . Igor Sikorsky cu<
cung da cho ca the gidi xem hai chiec may bay trifc thang nb
the. NhCfng cai may nay bay nhi/ng chung c h ln g lam difdc gi he
ngoai viec bay th in g len va xuong. Phai den nam 1 9 4 0 , Sikorsl-
mdi che tao difdc mot chiec may bay trifc thang that sif co th
van hanh difdc
230
104. A PERSON WHOM I ADMIRE VERY MUCH
Zhiwie is our scout leader. He is from Fairfield Methodist

Secondary School which is next to the school I attend. He was
chosen to be out scout leader because he is responsible and
sensible.
Every Saturday, Zhiwie will be in our school early to

welcome the scouts under his charge. He is like a big brother to us.
I think he sets a good example to the entire scout troop. He is very
knowledgeable and there is so much one can learn from him.
Zhiwie knows how to make own kind of knots. This is

especially useful w hen we go camping. He is also well-versed in
first- aid. Zhiwie has received many special awards for his
outstanding perform ance in outdoor activities and training
courses. He certainly did make his school proud when he was
chosen to be the overall person in charge of the com bined school
campfire last year.
Though he is active in extra curricular activities. Zhiwie never

neglects his studies. Scouts in the troop usually consult him if they
have problem s with their work. He is very helpful and never turns
us away when we need his help. I aspire to be like Zhiwie as I
admire him for being both a good student and a good friend.
1. scout (n): h u d ’n g d a o s in h
2. charge (n): qu an /y, c h a m n o m
C a c bAi l i an T itN q a n Ii TôNq dtiNc;
3. set an exam ple (idm): lam gucfng. neu gucfng

4. first aid (n): la m cap cuu, s a cuu
5. to neglect (v): xa o lang
M0T n g u o i ban t O i RAT NGUONG M0
Zhiwie la ngifdi chi huy hifdng dao cua chung toi Anh hoc c
trifdng cap hai Fairfield Methodist d canh trifdng toi. Anh difdi
chon lam chi huy doi bong hifdng dao vi anh la ngifdi co tract
nhiem va sang suot.
Moi thif bay, Zhiwie den trifdng sdm de don nhCfng ngifc
hifdng dao sinh thuoc sif quan ly cua anh. Anh giong nhif mo
ngifdi anh trai cua chung toi. Toi cho la anh da neu gudng td
cho toan bo hifdng dao sinh. Anh la ngifdi rat hieu biet va co ra
nhieu dieu co the hoc d ndi anh.
Zhiwie biet lam du moi thif. Dieu nay dac biet hCfu ich kh
chung toi di cam trai. Anh cung rat am hieu ve cap cifu. Zhiwi
da nhan dude rut nhieu giai thifdng dac biet ve nhCfng thanh tich nc
bat trong cac hoat dong ngoai trdi va cac khoa huan luyen. Cha
chan anh da lam tnfdng anh rat tif hao khi difdc chon la ngifdi d;
dien phu trach buoi dot lua trai lien trifdng vao n im ngoa;.
Mac du tich cifc trong cac hoat dong ngoai khoa nhifn
Zhiwie khong bao gid chenh mang viec hoc. Fiu'dng dao sin
trong doi luon luon hoi y kien anh moi khi ho c^p riho kha
trong cong viec. Anh thifdng giup dd va khong bao c . j ;an tran
chung toi mdi khi chung toi can den anh. Toi ifdc a : d f i e
Zhiwie vi toi ngifdng mo anh. anh vifa la mot hoc f.r.h - ; vifa 1
mot ngifdi ban tot.
105. A LOVING BROTHER
One Sunday afternoon, uncle cam e to our house for lunch.

My m other cooked a delicious meal for uncle and the family.
After the m eal, m other brought out our favourite dessert banana.
My brother and I were rather noisy. My father told us to

keep quiet as the adults were going discuss som ething important.
My elder brother then decided to take me out for a walk. We
each took a fruit and went out of the house.
I peeled the banana and was just about to eat when a man
knocked my arm . T h e fruit slipped from my hand and fell to the
ground. B efore I could pick it up, the man stepped on it! Then he
continued on his way without saying sorry. I was so upset that I
started to cry.
My brother, who was standing a little distance away from me

saw what had happened. He cam e over to me and told me not to
cry. Then he gave me his fruit. He was really a loving brother.
1. dessert (n): m o n tra n g m ie n g

2. to peel (v): boc vo
3. to knock (v): d u n g , va vao
4. to slip (v): t u o t k h o i
5. banana (n): q ua c h u o i
233
C a c b ai Iuan TitNq Ask TboNq duNq
NGlJOl anh d An g m £ n
Mot buoi chieu chu nhat, cau toi den nha toi dung ccfm trifa
Me toi nau mot bifa that ngon dai cau va ca nha Sau bifa 5n, me
toi dem ra mon chuoi trang mieng ma chung toi rat thich.
Anh toi va toi hoi lam on. Cha bao chung toi phai giCf yen
lang khi ngifdi ldn s ip ban den chuyen quan trong. Anh toi ben
dan toi ra ngoai dao chdi. Chung tdi moi ngifdi lay m ot qua chuoi
va ra khoi nha.
Toi bdc vo chuoi vito dinh chen thi co ai dd va m anh vao Lay
tdi. Qua chuoi tuot ra khoi tay va rdi xuong dat. Trifdc khi tdi cd
the nhat no len, ngifdi do da giam bep no. Sau do ong ta van
bifdc di ma khong mot ldi xin loi. Tdi ifc qua da khoe.
Anh tdi difng cach tdi mot khoang khong xa va trong thay
tat ca. Anh tien ve phia tdi va bao tdi difng khoe. Roi anh cho tdi
qua chuoi cua minh Anh ay that la mot ngifdi anh dang men.
106. SCHOOL RULES
Each school has its own set rules and all good pupils should
follow them. T he m ost important rule is that pupils should be
punctual. If they are late, they will interrupt the lesson and also
miss part of it. G ood pupils are always obedient. They obey their
teachers and m onitors. Such pupils do not answer back or refuse
to carry out orders. They help to keep discipline in the school.
A nother important rule is that pupils should be honest. Good

pupils take of school property. They do not paint on the wall or
dirty them , neither do they throw litter about. They also handle
library books carefully and see that gam e equipments are put
back in their proper places after use.
Sch ool rules do not permit gambling or smoking. Gambling

is very bad for a person. Many rich people have lost all their
property through gambling. Gambling also encourages people to
cheat. Sm oking is also bad for a person. It is harmful to health
and may cause lung cancer. T here are many other school rules.
All pupils should follow their school rules to becom e better pupils.
1. rule (n): q u i tac, lu a t le

2. to interrupt (v): la m g ia n d o a n
3. to miss (v): Id, bo m a t
4. obedient (adj): tu a n theo, p h u c t u n r
5. to carry out (v): th i h an h , th u c h ie n
235
C a c bAi Iuan TitNq an N ThoNq duNq
6 . to gamble (v): d a n h c d bac

7. property (n): tai san
8. to cheat (v): lua d a o
9. cancer (n): benh u n g t h u
NOI QUY HOC DUONG
Moi trifdng hoc lai co noi quy rieng va tat ca hoc sinh ngoan
deu phai tuan theo. Quy dinh quan trong nhat la hoc sinh phai di
hoc dung gid. Neu den tre, chung se lam gian doan bai giang
cung nhif se bi mat mot phan bai hoc. H oc sinh ngoan luon vang
loi. Chung vang ldi thay giao va ldp tri/dng. Nhutig hoc sinh nhif
the se khong cai lai hoac khong tif choi cac m enh lenh. Chung
gop phan giuf gin ky luat 6 nha trifdng.
Mot quy dinh quan trong khac la hoc sinh phai trung thifc.
H oc sinh ngoan giCf gin tai san cua nha trifdng. Chung khong ve
bay hoac lam ban tifdng, cung khong nem rac bi/a bai. Chung giCf
gin can than sach bao cua thif vien va de y xem cac thiet bi do
chdi da difdc dat vao dung vi tri sau khi dung hay chifa.
Noi quy nha trifdng khong cho phep danh bac va hut thuoc.
D anh bac la mot viec te hai doi vdi con ngifdi. Nhieu ngifdi giau
co mat het tai san vi cd bac. Danh bac cung khuyen khich ngifdi
ta life gat. Hut thuoc cung rat co hai cho sifc khoe va co the gay
benh ung thu phoi. Con co nhieu qui dinh khac nife de trd thanh
nhCfng hoc sinh tot hdn.
2.V»
107. FIRE DRILL
We were engrossed in our M athematics lesson when the bell

started to ring continuously. It was the signal for the fire drill. We
got up from our seats and went out of the classroom .
We lined up in two rows outside our classroom as quickly as

we could. Our teach er told us to be quiet as som e of us were
talking excitedly. Throughout the school, the students streamed
out of their classroom s. Then we descended to the field by the
staircase allocated to the classes for use during such a practice
and in case of a fire. Our teacher, Miss Lien, took our class
register along.
T he pupils walked to the field in an orderly m anner. We

assembled there in the usual order of classes. W hen everyone was
there, Mr. Chien. the teacher in charge of the drill, announced
that we had taken three minutes. He said that he hoped we
would take less time during the next drill. W e then returned to our
classrooms.
1. signal (n): t in h ie u, d a u hieu, hieu lenh

2. to stream (v): ch ay hoac chuyen d o n g n h a m o t d o n g nude
3. to descend (v): d i x u o n g (cai gi)
4. staircase (n): (c u n g s ta irw a y ) cau th a n g gac
5. to allocate (v): ah d in h (ch o ai/cai gi) n h a m m o t m u c
d ich d a c biet
217
__ C a c bAi Iuan TitNq Ash ThoNq duNq
THL/C TAP COU HOA
Chung toi dang cham chu trong gid hoc toan thi chuong
reo. Do la hieu lenh san sang cho bai thiic tap cifu hoa. Chung
toi dCftig bat day va ra khoi ldp hoc.
That nhanh. chung toi xep thanh hai hang doc ben ngoai
ldp hoc. Cd giao bao chung tdi giOf yen lang vi cd vai ban dang
ndi chuyen mot cach phan khich. H oc sinh ca tri/dng dang do xo
ra khoi phong hoc. Roi chung xuong san qua cau thang gac di/dc
danh cho viec thi/c tap va trong tri/dng hcfp cd hoa hoan that. Cd
giao tdi. cd Lien mang theo ben minh quyen sd ghi danh cua ldp.
Dam hoc trd ra san mot cach cd trat ti/. Chung tdi tap hcrp b
dd theo thu1 tu1 thi/dng le. Khi moi ngi/di da te ti/u day du, thay
Chien. giao vien phu trach viec thu’c tap tuyen bd rin g chung tdi
mat dung ba phut. Thay ndi va hi vong chung tdi se nhanh hon.
Sau dd chung tdi di/pc ve ldp hoc.
108. A ROAD ACCIDENT

%
I was walking hom e cffter school one day, I saw a car

speeding along the road. T he next m om ent, I saw the car go off
the road and hit a huge tree. T he impact of the hit was very
intense. T he doors of the car flew open. T he driver was lying
inside the car. H e seem ed to be unconscious. Blood was oozing
profusely from his body.
I ran to a nearby public telephone and called for the

ambulance. Within a few minutes, the ambulance cam e. At the
time, a big crowd had gathered. But no one could help the
unfortunate driver as the car was in flame.
Finally, a male nurse managed to get him out of the car. He

was then rushed to the hospital. I hoped the doctors m anaged to
save his life.
I felt very sad over after the accident as this was the first time
I had witnessed such the sight. I believed driving recklessly is
dangerous.
1 . im pact (n): sue m a n h va d a p cua hai vat vao n h a u

2 . intense (adj): ra t lo'n, ra t m a n h
3. to ooze (v): (ve ch a t lo n g set) n ra, ch ay ra
4 . profuse (adj): co n hieu , vo k h o i, d o i dao
5. reckless (adj): th ie u tha n tro n g , lieu lin h
239
C a c b/vi Iuan t Ien q a n Ji t ô n q duNq
m O t ta i nan t r £n d i /On g
Mot hom , tren dudng tCf tri/dng ve nha. toi nhin thay m ot
chiec o to phong nhanh tren difdng. Tich tac sau. toi da thay
chiec xe do tnfpt khoi mat difdng va va manh vao mot goc cay to.
Sifc dap cua cu va cham rat manh. Cite xe bi bat ra. Tai xe n lm
trong xe hinh nhif da bat tinh. Mau tren ngifcfi anh ta tuon o at.
Toi chay den tram dien thoai cong cong gan do de goi xe
cCfu thi/dng. Trong vong vai phut, xe cifu thifcfng da den. Luc do,
rat dong ngifdi tu tap xung quanh. Nhung khong ai co the giup gi
cho ngifdi lai xe bat hanh va chiec xe dang boc chay.
Cuoi cung, mot nam y ta xoay xd loi anh ta ra khoi xe. Anh
ta nhanh chong difpc difa den benh vien. Tdi hi vong cac bac si
se cifu song anh ta.
Tdi thay buon ve vu tai nan nay vi day la lan dau tien tdi
chCfng kien m ot canh tifpng nhif the. Tdi tin rin g lai xe bat can la
rat nguy hiem.
240
MUC LUC
1. TH IN G S I L IK E T O DO 5
2. N E W S P A P E R R E A D IN G 8
3. A B L A C K O U T 10
4. M IK IL E 'S H U N T 12
3. A P L E A S A N T D R E A M 14
T H E P E R SO N I H A T E M O S T 16
-7. W H A T A R E T H E A D V A N T A G E S A N D
D IS A D V A N T A G E S O F A IR T R A V E L ? 18
8 . A D IS A S T E R IN A V IL L A G E 22
9. W E A T H E R V A N E S 24
10. R E A D IN G IS FUN 26
11. A T T H E C IR C U S 29
-1 2 . T H E A D V A N T A G E S O F L IV IN G IN T H E
C O U N T R Y A N D T H E D IS A D V A N T A G E S O F L IV IN G
IN T H E C IT Y 31
13. C A T F IS H -U N U S U A L FISH 35
14. C A U G H T IN A T R A F F IC JA M 37
15. U SIN G E N E R G Y F R O M TH E SU N 39
16. A F A M IL Y O U T ' ■ '' *' 41
17. H O N E S T Y IS T H E B E S T P O L IC Y 43
18. D E S C R IB E T H E H O U SE Y O U A R E L IV IN G IN. W H Y
DO Y O U L O V E IT ? / r '- 45
19. M Y ID E A O F H A P P Y L IF E 48
241
C ac bAi Iu a n T itN q a n Ii Th oN q duNq
20. U N D E R W A T E R D IS C O V E R Y 50
21. F R O M W O L F T O D O G 52
IN TI IO U SA N D S O F Y E A R S 52
22. T O T H E R E S C U R E 54
/23. A B IR T H D A Y P R E S E N T 56
24. T H E S T O R Y O F R O L L E R -S K A T E S 58
25. A FISH IN G T R IP 60
26. IS IT N E C E S S A R Y T O L E A R N E N G L IS H 0 62
27. T O N Y P R IC E 'S U N U SU A L A R T 64
28. S P E E D IN G ON S K IS 66
29. A P L E A S A N T E V E N IN G ! 68
30. M Y SC H O O L S P O R T S D A Y 70
31. W H A T B A B IE S C R Y M EA N 73
32. A W E S T E R N M E A L 75
33. C O O K F O R A D A Y 77
34. A S T O R Y OF T H E F U T U R E 79
35. S P R IN G F E V E R s 81
36. A F IR E 83
37. A F R IE N D IN N E E D IS A F R IE N D IN D E E D 85
38. L IF E IN T H E C IT Y . C O M P A R E D W ITH L IF E IN T H E
CO U N TRY 8 T
39. A S P E C IA L K IN D O F DOC*, 92
40 . T H E P L E A S U R E S O F L IV IN G IN A V IL L A G E 94
41. M Y SC H O O L 96
42 . AN A M U SIN G IN C ID E N T 98
43 . T H E D IF F IC U L T IE S IN L E A R n IN G E N G L IS H AND
W TO O V ER C O M E TH EM 1 0]
242
44. A P L E A SA N T S U R P R IS E 104
45. B A B Y S IT T IN G F O R C O L U M B U S 106
46. A H O RSE RACE 108
47. E X A M IN A T IO N D A Y 111
48. A H U GE W ISH IN G W E L L 113
49. T R A P P E D IN A L IF T 115
50. TH E H A P P IE S T D A Y IN M Y L IF E 117
51. AN A D V E R T IS E M E N T 119
52. M Y A M B IT IO N 121
53. C H IC K E N T H A T P L A Y S T H E PIA N O 123
54. A C O U R T E S Y C A M PA IG N 125
55. S P O R T S D A Y 127
56. T H E R E A SO N W H Y T H E Y O U N G P E O P L E P R E F E R
TO L IV E IN T O W N 129
57. A T T H E M U S E U M 132
f 58. A N E W F R IE N D - 134
59. A H O U SE I W O U L D L IK E T O L IV E IN: 136
60. C H O C O L A T E T O W N 138
61. H O W G E E S E H E L P E D A SW A N 140
62. A FL O O D 142
63. F A V O U R IT E H O B B IE S 144
64. A G O O D D E E D 146
65. K ID V IS IT S 14 S
66 . TEA C H ERS' D A Y : 150
67. AN A C C ID E N T : 152
68 . L IT T E R IN G 154
69. A C A M P IN G T R IP 15ft
243
C ac b/\i I u an TitN q A*«h ThoNq duNq
70. SP E C IA L B A B Y T W IN S 158
71. M Y B E S T FR IE N D A ii K AiW r j & 160
72. A R A IN Y D A Y 162
73. M Y F IR S T A T T E M P T A T C O O K IN G 164
74. A P R IC E L E S S G IF T 166
75. P R A C T IC E , P R A C T IC E , P R A C T IC E 169
76. R E C A L L IN G M Y F IR S T D A Y A T SC H O O L 171
77. D IN A 'S F IR S T D IV E 174
78. A C L A S S E X C U R S IO N 176
79. BU ZZ IN G IN S E C T S 178
80. GOOD C O M P A N IO N S 180
81. TH E R E T U R N O F T H E W O L V E S 182
82. A PICNIC 184
83. TH E B E S T A G E TO B E 186
84. A L E S S O N L E A R N T 189
85. A V IS IT T O T H E B O O K S H O P 191
86 . M Y F A V O U R IT E T E A C IIE R •. 193
87. THE V A L U A B L E P E A R L 195
88 . G E E S E H E L P A C IT Y 197
89. A V IS IT T O T H E C O U N T R Y S ID E 199
90. AN E X P E N S IV E M E A L 201
91. O U R S W E E T H O M E 203
92. SEN DIN G A M E S S A G E 205
93. A SW O R D FISH A T T A C K S A S U B M A R IN E 208
94. FA M IL Y D A Y 210
HOW TH E HOT DOG G O T IT S N A M E 212
S4Y D IA R Y 214
244
97. A S T R E E T P E R F O R M A N C E 216
98. A C A N A R Y S A V E S A L IF E 218
99. H ELPIN G M O T H E R A T H O M E ' 220
100. M Y C L A S S M A T E S 222
101. A C R U IS E 224
102. A M A R A T H O N 227
103. T H E H IS T O R Y O F H E L IC O P T E R S 229
104. A P E R S O N W H O M I A D M IR E V E R Y M U CH 2 ^
105. A L O V IN G B R O T H E R 233'
106. S C H O O L R U L E S 235
107. F IR E D R IL L 237
108. A R O A D A C C ID E N T 239
245
NHA XUAT BAN T l /D I E N BACH KHOA
109 Quan Thanh, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi
D T : H C - T H . 0 4 .7 3 3 9 3 6 1 ; P H .0 4 . 8 4 3 9 0 3 4
C a c b a n b ie n ta p : 0 4 .7 3 4 1 7 4 2 . 0 4 . 8 4 3 8 9 5 3 , 0 4 .8 4 3 9 0 3 3
CAC BAI LUAN TIENG ANH THONG DUNG

T R IN H T H I PHL/p’NG
C h iu tr a c h n h ie m x u a t b a n
T S. TRIN H TAT DAT
B ie n tap : N g u y en Q u o c K h a n h
T r in h b ay bia: N S M in h L a m D e s ig n
K i t h u a t vi tin h : H o a n g N am Scfn

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C K .

COMMONLY USED ENGLISH ESSAY

NHA XUAT BAN TU" DIEN BACH KHOA

I have many interests. T he activities I spend m ost of my

I enjoy reading very much. I read widely, ranging from fairy

W hen my eyes get tired from reading too much, I would go

Som etim es, instead of jogging, I would stroll in the park,

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

NHLTNG Vl£C TOl THICH LAM

T oi co nhieu sd thich. Tuy nhien, toi thi/Ong danh het thdi

T a t ca nhCfng sd thich cua toi deu thu vi va hdru ich. T oi tin

Reading new spapers is good for school children since it

It is im portant to know what our governm ent is doing for the

Som etim es we read about events in far away countries in

Newspaper reading is also considered a pastim e if we take it

1. benefit (n): ich lai

Biet difdc nhCfng gi chinh phu se lam vi sif thinh vifOng va

W e were all watching a humourous television program m e

My elder brother immediately told her to shut up. Our

H e told us to follow him to the kitchen to hunt for candles

T ogether, we went back to the sitting room and lit the

T o while away the time, P eter told us a fa iry ta le . H ow ever,

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

M0T LAN MAT Dl£N

T at ca chung toi dang cifdi khoai chi khi xem m ot chifOng

A nh trai toi lap tufc bao em im lang. C ha me chung toi da di

D e giet thdi gian, Peter ke cho chung toi nghe m ot cau

Mikile lives far to the north, in Greenland. He is on e of the

With the other hunters, Mikile is in a small boat. T hey paddle

1. hunter (n): n g a d i d i san

CHUYEN 01 SAN CCA MIKILE

Mikile song d Greenland cach xa ve phia bac. Cau la m ot

Cung vdi nhCfng ngifdi di san khac, Mikile di tren m ot chiec

My story book entitled “Fairy tales” slipped from my fingers

Suddenly, the door bell rang. 1 went to answ er it and was

The king gave me a warm em brace. “Cinderella, my

O ne day, I was riding my horse to visit a duke w hen I heard

M0T GIAC MO THCJ V!

B at thinh linh chuong cute reo. Toi ra md cite va ngac nhien

6. THE PERSON I HATE MOST

W e cann ot be friendly with all people w hom we cam e to

T h e person I hate m ost is Billy, who lives a few blocks away

O n ce he was arrested for being a vagrant and kept in the

I am terribly afraid of this bully. I am sure, on e day he will

1. bully (n): ke d u n g vu lu c d e h a m doa, la m to n thucfng

6. jail (n): nha tu '

NGlfCJI MA TOl GH£T NHAT

Billy chinh la ke ma toi ghet nhat. Han ta song cach can ho

C o lan han da bi bSt vi toi lang thang leu long va bi giCf b

T oi rat khiep sO ten ac on nay. T oi chac chan rang m ot ngay

7. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND

S cie n ce has made great strides in every field and up to now

In my view, travelling by air is both advantageous and

First, when travelling by air we can sit com fortably in an

T h en , at meal time, we'll be servgd heartily and carefully by

Finally, travelling by air is the fastest m eans of transport. We

Apart from these advantages, however, travelling by air has

First of all, this is the m ost expensive form of transport Only

T h en air travels have the reputation of being dangerous and

My house consists of four bed-rooms, a living-room, a bath