Unit 2: LIFE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

A. PRONUNCIATION AND VOCABULARY

/ə/ and /ɪ/
1. Cách phát âm và dấu hiệu nhận biết nguyên âm : /ə/
1.1. Nhận biết âm /ə/ khi từ bắt đầu với “a”
Ex.

1.2. Nhận biết âm /ə/ khi từ chứa “a” trong: -acy, -and, -ant/-ance, – ard, -graphy, -ham, -land,
-man
Ex.

1.3. Nhận biết âm /ə/ khi từ chứa “e” trong các âm tiết có: -el,-ent, -ence, -er, -ment
Ex.

1.4. Nhận biết âm /ə/ khi từ chứa “o”

Ex.

2. Cách phát âm và dấu hiệu nhận biết nguyên âm /ɪ/

2.1. “a” được phát âm là /ɪ/ đối với những danh từ có hai âm tiết và có tận cùng bằng
“age”
Ex.

2.2. “e” được phát âm là /ɪ/ trong các đầu ngữ “be”, “de” và “re”
Ex.

2.3.“i” được phát âm là /ɪ/ trong từ có một âm tiết, tận cùng là một hoặc hai phụ âm,
trước đó là âm “i”
Ex.

2.4. “ui” được phát âm là /ɪ/

Ex.

2.5. “y” được phát âm là /ɪ/

Ex.

Exercise 1: Put the underlined words in the correct column depending on their
pronunciation.
1. about 7. complete 13. rhythm
2. village 8. literacy 14. physics
3. compare 9. parcel 15. affect
4. ticket 10. control 16. become
5. label 11. listen 17. entertainment
6. cottage 12. system 18. shortage

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 19. guitar 27. absence 35. office
20. begin 28. geography 36. assistance
21. continue 29. decide 37. fisherman
22. experiment 30. stranger 38. ship
23. behave 31. adapt 39. build
24. alarm 32. business 40. kitchen
25. handsome 33. review
26. busy 34. agree

Your answer
/ə/ /ɪ/
1. _______________ 21._______________
2. _______________ 22._______________
3. ______________ 23.______________
4. ______________ 24.______________
5. ______________ 25.______________
6. ______________ 26.______________
7. ______________ 27.______________
8. ______________ 28.______________
9. ______________ 29.______________
10.______________ 30.______________
11.______________ 31.______________
12.______________ 32.______________
13.______________ 33.______________
14.______________ 34.______________
15.______________ 35.______________
16.______________ 36.______________
17.______________ 37.______________
18.______________ 38.______________
19.______________ 39.______________
20.______________ 40.______________

Exercise 2. Find the word which has a different sound in the underlined part.
1. A. apartment B. afraid C. nation D. banana
2. A. answerB. mother C. generous D. term
3. A. continue B. project C. compare D. control
4. A. uncle B. picture C. suggest D. surprise
5. A. famous B. dangerous C. journey D. anxious
6. A. six B. mix C. miss D. mind
7. A. village B. damage C. cottage D. teenage
8. A. become B. sentence C. behave D. remind
9. A. suit B. guitar C. build D. guilt
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10. A. find B. like C. win D. site
Exercise 3. Find the word which has different stress from the others.
1. A. cattle B. ferry C. harvest D. explore
2. A. atmosphere B. convenient C. cultivate D. furniture
3. A. collect B. pasture C. canal D. donate
4. A. discover B. equipment C. mountainous D. experience
5. A. remote B. orchard C. household D. lighthouse
6. A. atmosphere B. harvester C. discover D. furniture
7. A. facility B. experience C. equipment D. optimistic
8. A. combine B. cattle C. canal D. donate
9. A. explore B. ferry C. harvest D. product
10. A. hospitable B. picturesque C. unforgettable D. opportunity

B. VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY
Part of
No. Word Pronunciation Meaning
speech
1 Access n, v /’aekses/ (Sự) tiếp cận
2 Atmosphere n /ˈætməsfɪə(r)/ Bầu không khí
3 Brave adj /breɪv/ Dũng cảm
4 Collect v /kəˈlekt/ Sưu tầm, thu thập
5 Crop n /krɒp/ Mùa màng, mùa vụ
6 Convenient adj /kənˈviːniənt/ Tiện lợi
7 Cultivate v /ˈkʌltɪveɪt/ Trồng trọt
8 Catch v /kætʃ/ Đánh được, câu được (cá)
9 Cattle n /ˈkætl/ Gia súc
10 Canal n /kəˈnæl/ Con kênh
11 /ˈkɒmbaɪn
Combine harvester n ˈhɑːvɪstə(r) Máy gặt đập liên hợp
/
12 Donate v /dəʊˈneɪt/ Quyên góp
13 Dry v /draɪ/ Phơi khô, sấy khô
14 Discover v /dɪˈskʌvər/ Khám phá
15 Explore v /ɪkˈsplɔː(r)/ Khám phá
16 Excited adj /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/ Phấn khích, thấy hào hứng
17 Exciting adj /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/ Phấn khích
18 Electrical /ɪˈlektrɪkl ə
n Thiết bị (đồ dùng) điện
appliances ˈplaɪəns /
19 Earthen house n / ˈɜːrθn haʊs/ Nhà bằng đất
20 Equip (with ST) v /ɪ’kwɪp/ Trang bị với cái gì
21 Equipment n /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ Thiết bị
22 Experience v, n /ɪkˈspɪəriəns/ Trải nghiệm, kinh nghiệm
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23 Trang thiết bị, cơ sở vật chất
Facility n /fəˈsɪləti/ (bao gồm phòng ốc, thiết bị,
...)
24 Người (thành thị/ nông
(City/ country) folk n /fəʊk/ thôn)
25 Feed v /fi:d/ Cho ăn
26 Ferry n /'ferɪ/ Phà
27 Furniture n /ˈfɜːrnɪtʃər/ Đồ nội thất
28 Được trang bị đầy đủ (tiện
Furnished adj /ˈfɜːrnɪʃt/ nghi)
29 Chăn giữ vật nuôi, đàn vật
Herd v, n /hɜːrd/ nuôi
30 Harvest v, n /ˈhɑːrvɪst/ Thu hoạch, vụ thu hoạch
31 Hay n /heɪ/ Cỏ khô
32 Home-made /ˌhəʊm ˈmeɪd
n Sản phẩm tự làm
product ˈprɒdʌkt/
33 Hospitable adj /hɒˈspɪtəbl/ Mến khách, hiếu khách
34 /ˈhaʊshəʊld
Household chores n Việc nhà
tʃɔːrz/
35 Load v /ləʊd/ Tải lên, chất lên
36 Lighthouse n /'laɪthaʊs/ Hải đăng, đèn biển
37 Local adj /'ləʊkl/ Địa phương
38 Milk v /mɪlk/ vắt sữa
39 Noise n /nɔɪz/ Tiếng ồn
40 Noisy adj /'nɔɪzɪ/ Ồn ào
41 Orchard n /ˈɔːrtʃərd/ Vườn cây ăn quả
42 Offer an /ˈɔːfər ən ˌɒpə
v Tạo, cung cấp cơ hội
opportunity ˈtjuːnəti /
43 Optimistic adj /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/ Lạc quan
44 Pasture n /ˈpɑːstʃə(r)/ Đồng cỏ
45 Peaceful adj /ˈpiːsfl/ Yên bình, yên tĩnh
46 Paddy field n /ˈpædɪ fi:ld/ Ruộng lúa
47 Picturesque adj /ˌpɪktʃəˈresk/ Đẹp như tranh (phong cảnh)
48 Plough v /plaʊ/ Cày (ruộng)
49 Provide SB with
v /prəˈvaɪd/ Cung cấp cho ai cái gi
ST
50 Provide ST for SB v /prəˈvaɪd/ Cung cấp cái gì cho ai
51 Ride v /raɪd/ Cưỡi; đạp xe
52 Remote area n /rɪˈməʊt ˈeəriə/ Vùng sâu, vùng xa
53 /ˈmaʊntənəs
Mountainous area n Miền núi
eəriə/
54 Surroundings n /səˈraʊndɪŋz/ Những thứ xung quanh
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55 Speciality n /ˌspeʃiˈæləti/ Đặc sản
56 Skillful adj /ˈskɪlfl/ Giỏi kỹ thuật
57 Stretch v /stretʃ/ Kéo dài ra
58 Transport v /ˈtrænspɔːt/ Vận chuyển
59 Transportation n /ˌtrænspɔːˈteɪʃn/ Sự vận chuyển
60 Urban n /ˈɜːrbən/ Thuộc đô thị
61 Unload v /ˌʌnˈləʊd/ Dỡ hàng, dỡ xuống
62 Unforgettable adj /ˌʌnfərˈɡetəbl/ Không thể quên
63 Rural adj ˈrʊərəl/ Thuộc nông thôn
64 Vast adj /vɑːst/ Mênh mông
65 Well-trained adj /wel 'treɪnd/ Lành nghề, có tay nghề
Exercise 1: Match the words with their meanings.

1. canal A. a person who lives in a village

2. cattle B. a machine for harvesting crops
C. an area of land where fruit trees are
3. villager
grown
D. a tower that contains a strong light to
4. orchard
warn and guide ships near the coast
E. a long, thin stretch of water that is
5. harvester
artificially made for boats to travel along
F. animals such as cows and buffaloes
6. lighthouse
kept on
Your answer: 1+ 2+ 3+ the4+
farm 5+
for their
6+ milk
7+ or meat
8+ 9+ 10+

Exercise 2. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

harvest cattle load inconvenient atmosphere
well-trained pasture collect vast donate
1. My uncle raises a herd of _______________ on his farm.
2. There was a long drought which produced a very poor _______________.
3. Many millionaires _______________ a great deal of money to the poor in this
remote area yearly.
4. All people in this small village have to _______________ water from remote rivers
to their homes every day.
5. It is very _______________ to live in the mountainous areas because of the lack of
transportation.
6. On the way to my hometown, I can see the _______________ fields stretching to the
horizon.
7. _______________ workers in this factory can produce quality performance.
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 8. When I go to the countryside, I enjoy the peaceful _______________ and the clear
blue sky there.
9. I usually help my grandfather _______________ the rice onto the ox-drawn cart
during harvest time.
10. Look! A little boy is driving the herd of buffaloes to the _______________.
Exercise 3. Choose the word/ phrase/ sentence (A, B, C, or D) that best fits the space in
each sentence or best answers the question.
1. Russia is a _______ country with a lot of natural resources.
A. vast B. envious C. cultivable D. far
2. Farmers often leave the rice in the sun to _______.
A. damp B. wet C. warm D. dry
3. They _______ the buffalo-drawn cart with hay.
A. built B. hugged C. loaded D. milked
4. Farmers always need extra help with the _______.
A. accident B. harvest C. explosion D. cattle
5. I am _______ on visiting my grandparents' on the weekend.
A. fond B. keen C. interested D. bored
6. My uncle raises a herd of _______ on his farm.
A. cattle B. fruit C. countryside D. village
7. Farmers in Ly Nhon are ________ in the yard after they have harvested all the fields.
A. drying rice B. washing clothes C. dragon-snake D. milk cows
8. Can Gio is a suitable place to plant ________ suitable for saline soils.
A. cattle B. villagers C. orchards D. cows
9. At the weekend, my family and I went to the countryside to visit our grandparents. On the
way,
we encountered many houses with ________ architecture.
A. ancient B. disturbing C. vast D. envious
10. The experience of ________ cows at Long Thanh dairy farm is a very memorable
memory from my travels.
A. herding B. envying C. catching D. milking
11. We really enjoyed flying kites over the green rice ________ during our picnic last year.
A. facilities B. hays C. fields D. collections
12. We are looking forward to a bumper _______.
A. lighthouse B. village C. countryside D. crop
13. I used to go _______ buffaloes when I was small.
A. herding B. swimming C. hiking D. cooking
14. They _______ the boxes into the trucks.
A. harvested B. loaded C. caught D. observed
15. _______ is often the hardest but the most important time to people living in the
countryside.
A. Tet holiday B. Harvest time C. Daylight D. Travelling time
Exercise 4. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning
to the underlined word(s) in each of the following sentences:
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1. Nomadic people live in a ger. It keeps them cool in summer and warm in winter.
A. house B. circular tent C. cave D. yatch
2. The nomads move two or three times a year to look for new pastures
A. food B. places C. grasslands D. lifestyles
3. life in the city is more exciting than in the country.
A. boring B. interesting C. convenient D. beautiful
4. That village is very peaceful, so we like to live there.
A. noisy B. quiet C. boring D. skillful
5. I don’t like living in the country.
A. dislike B. hate C. enjoy D. A &B are correct
Exercise 5. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in
meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following sentences:
1. The life in the countryside is very quiet and relaxing
A. noisy B. exciting C. modern D. hard
2. City people seem to react more quickly to changes than country people.
A. noisy B. slow C. slowly D. fast
3. A buffalo ploughs better than a horse.
A. well B. bad C. badly D. worse
4. This exercise is more difficult than that one.
A. easy B. boring C. good D. easily
5. Life in the city is more convenient and exciting than life in the country.
A. inconvenient B. more inconvenient C. slow D. A and
B are correct

C. GRAMMAR
1. Comparative adverbs (So sánh hơn của trạng từ)
a. Phân biệt trạng từ ngắn và trạng từ dài
- Trạng từ ngắn là những trạng từ chỉ có một âm tiết.
Example:
fast: nhanh hard: vất vả high: cao
late: muộn near: gần far: xa
- Trạng từ dài là những trạng từ có từ hai âm tiết trở lên, thường kết thúc bằng -ly.
Example:
slowly: chậm, chậm chạp quickly: nhanh efficiently: hiệu quả
carefully: cẩn thận popularly: phổ biến frequently: thường xuyên
 Các trạng từ dài thường được hình thành bằng cách thêm đuôi -ly vào sau tính từ.
fluent  fluently
sad  sadly
recent  recently
strange  strangely
b. Cấu trúc so sánh hơn của trạng từ (mở rộng tính từ)
Adj/ Adv S + V + Adj/ Adv ngắn + -er + than + O/ N/ Pro/ Clause
ngắn Example: Cars move faster than motorbikes.
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 She studies harder than she used to do in the past.
S + V + more + Adj/ Adv dài + than + O/ N/ Pro/ Clause
Adj/ Adv dài Example: He runs more slowly than I do.
Susan speaks French more fluently than her sister.
Cách thêm -er vào sau trạng từ ngắn
+ Thêm -er vào sau + Với trạng từ ngắn tận + Với trạng từ ngắn tận
hầu hết trạng từ ngắn. cùng bằng e thì chỉ cùng bằng ly, đổi y thành i
fast  faster thêm r. rồi thêm er.
hard  harder late  later early  earlier
high  higher
Cách thêm more vào trước trạng từ dài
Với trạng từ dài, ta giữ nguyên trạng từ và thêm more vào
phía trước.
slowly  more slowly
quickly  more quickly
happily  more happily
carefullly  more carefully
healthily  more healthily
intelligently  more intelligently
Một số trạng từ bất quy tắc
Irregular comparative adjectives (Tính từ bất quy tắc)
Good/well better tốt hơn
bad/badly worse tệ, dở hơn
much /many more nhiều hơn
little + N số ít, không đếm được less ít hơn
few + N số nhiều, đếm được fewer ít hơn
far farther/ xa hơn
further

c. Các trường hợp dùng dạng so sánh hơn của trạng từ

Chúng ta dùng dạng so sánh hơn của trạng từ khi muốn so sánh cách thức, thời điểm, tần suất
hay mức độ mà một hành động được thực hiện.
Example: Tom runs faster than his brother.
Mai solves the problem more exactly than Nam.
Ghi chú:
Chúng ta có thể dùng từ và cụm từ nhấn mạnh như a bit, a little (bit), much, a lot, far để nhấn
mạnh sự so sánh.
Example: Monkeys jump a lot higher than cats.
Sam drives a little (bit) more carefully than Tom.
Exercise 1. Write the comparative form of these adjectives and adverbs.
No Adjectives/Adverbs Comparative form
1 hot

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2 beautiful
3 crazy
4 slowly
5 early
6 much
7 badly
8 well
9 big
10 wonderful
11 happy
12 clever
13 far
14 convenient
15 dangerously

Exercise 2. Circle the correct answers.

1. It’s incredible, your house is much (bigger / more big / biger) than mine.
2. Bill has a good mood today, he looks (more happy / happier / more happily) than he
was yesterday.
3. Pat’s car is (faster / fastest / more fast) than Peter’s.
4. This picture is (colourfuler / more colourful / more colourfully) than the one in the
hall.
5. Most people like working with Tom because he always does his work (more
responsibly / responsibler / more responsible) than others.
6. This vegetable soup tastes (well / best / better) if you add more salt.
7. My new job is (hardly / harder / hardlier) than my old one.
8. Lucy is the (prettier / prettiest / more pretty) of the two students.
9. Does Fred feel (weller / better / gooder) today than he did yesterday?
10. We must come (early / more early / earlier) than other people to get the best seats.
Exercise 3. Choose the best answer for each of the following sentences.
1. Vietnamese boys often help their parents ______________ the rice onto the ox-
drawn cart (xe bò kéo)
A. load B. collect C. dry D. ride
2. In my opinion, city life is more ______________ than country life.
A. friendly B. exciting C. natural D. peaceful
3. I love this view because the sky is ______________ here in the countryside because
there are no buildings to block the view.
A. tidy B. close C. dense D. vast
4. Look! Some boys are ______________ the buffaloes.
A. picking B. playing C. driving D. herding
5. Julia plays the guitar ______________ than Anna does.
A. more goodly B. more well C. better D. gooder

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6. Medical help is ______________ easily obtained in big cities than in remote areas.
A. more B. fewer C. less D. higher
7. Today I got up ______________ than I did yesterday.
A. earlier B. more early C. more earlily D. more earlier
8. This student seems to be ______________ than we thought.
A. more quick B. more quickly C. quicklier D. quicker
9. The wind is blowing ______________ than it did last night.
A. stronger B. more strongly C. stronglier D. more stronger
10. Is living in the city ______________ than living in the country?
A. more convenient B. more convenienter
C. as convenient D. convenienter
11. It is ______________ in the city than it is in the country.
A. noisily B. more noisier C. noisier D. noisy
12. The Maths test was ______________ than I thought.
A. the easier B. more easy C. easiest D. easier
13. Japanese is thought to be ______________ than English.
A. harder B. the more hard C. hardest D. the hardest
14. My apartment is ______________ hers.
A. cheap than B. cheaper C. more cheap than D. cheaper than
15. Her school is ______________ from home than mine.
A. father B. more far C. farther D. farer
16. Tom is ______________ than any students in his class.
A. handsome B. the more handsome
C. more handsome D. the most handsome
17. He did the exam ______________ I did.
A. as bad as B. badder than C. more badly thanD. worse than
18. Travelling by car is ______________ than travelling by plane.
A. slower B. slowest C. more slow D. more slower
19. My new bed is ______________ than the old one.
A. more comfortable B. comfortably
C. more comfortabler D. comfortable
20. My sister plays the piano ______________ than me.
A. gooder B. weller C. better D. more good
21. This road is ______________ than that road, so we can’t drive here.
A. narrower B. narrow C. the most narrowD. more narrower
22. Antony drives ______________ his brother.
A. more careful than B. more carefully
C. more carefully than D. as careful as
23. It is ______________ in January than in November.
A. the colder B. the coldest C. coldest D. colder
24. She is ______________ than other students in my class.
A. most hard-working B. more hard-working
C. the most hard-working D. as hard-working
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 25. No other planet in the solar system is ______________ than Jupiter.
A. the biggest B. the bigger C. bigger D. biger
Exercise 4. Circle and correct the mistake in each of the following sentences.
1. Thanks to the development of technology, ploughing machine can plough very much more
fastly than a buffalo.
A. ploughing B. can C. much D. more fastly
2. Harvest time is often more busy and harder for farmers.
A. Harvest B. is C. more busy D. harder
3. The streets in the city are much crowded than those in the countryside.
A. in B. are C. crowded D. those
4. Last summer holiday, I had a very forgettable time in my hometown when I spent a lot of
time flying kites on the field with my old friends.
A. a B. forgettable C. when D. flying
5. Although Jane lives in a small village, her house is comfortably furniture.
A. Although B. in C. comfortably D. furniture
6. In my view, villagers think more optimistic than city-dwellers.
A. In my view B. more C. optimistic D. than
7. My family has lived happilier in the country than in the big city since last year.
A. has lived B. happier C. than D. since
8. A tractor can plough welly than a buffalo or a horse.
A. can B. welly C. than D. or
9. I find living in a town more boringer than living in a city because it lacks many forms of
entertainment.
A. living B. more C. boringer D. lacks
10. Many years ago, our grandparents used to live in an earth house with deficient facilities.
A. our B. used to C. in D. earth
Exercise 5. Complete the sentences with the correct comparison.
1. She can’t stay (long) _______________ than 30 minutes.
2. The red shirt is better but it’s (expensive) _______________ than the white one.
3. Being a firefighter is (dangerous) _______________ than being a builder.
4. Lan sings (sweet) _______________ than Hoa.
5. The weather this summer is even (hot) _______________ than last summer.
6. Your accent is (bad) _______________ than mine.
7. Hot dogs are (good) _______________ than hamburgers.
8. French is considered to be (difficult) _______________ than English.
9. This flower is (beautiful) _______________ than that one.
10. My house is (big) _______________ than yours.
11. I think living in the city is _______________ than living in the country.
(convenient)
12. That boy is only 18 years old. He is _______________ than me. It’s incredible!
(young)
13. My performance is _______________ than Sam’s. (bad)
14. No one in my class is _______________ than Jack. (clever)
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15. This high-tech mobile phone is much _______________ than my old one.
(expensive)
16. I have _______________ patience than my friends, so I can’t wait for even five
minutes. (little)
17. The house we lived in was _______________ than my flat now. (modem)
18. In my opinion, country folks are _______________ than city dwellers. (friendly)
19. My tutor always helps me to be _______________ when I speak in public.
(confident)
20. All the fanners in the village have to work hard to have a _______________ life.
(good)
21. Traffic in the city is always _______________ than that in the countryside. (busy)
22. A sofa is _______________ than a bench. (comfortable)
23. Does a tiger run _______________ than a horse? (slow)
24. Anna sings _______________ than her classmates. (good)
25. My house is _______________ from the city center than Lucy’s house. (far)
26. John plays the flutes _______________ than Henry. (bad)
27. Cities are _______________ than villages. (big)
28. This year, the farmers in my village work _______________ than they did last
year. (hard)
29. Villages are _______________ than cities. (quiet)
30. I think people in rural areas live _______________ than those in urban areas.
(happy)
31. Julia can speak English _______________ than I do. (fluently)
32. The visitors are expected to arrive _______________ than the scheduled time.
(early)
33. Tony submitted his assignment _______________ than me yesterday. (late)
34. Mary won the competition because she danced _______________ than anyone
Else. (beautifully)
35. I asked Anna to speak _______________ because it was too noisy in the room.
(loud)
36. I quite believe that our team can do this project _______________ than the other
one. (well)
37. Dan won the medal because he could jump _______________ than other students
in the sport event. (high)
38. If you use this latest model car, you can go _______________ than when you use
your old car. (far)
39. I’m afraid that I can’t let James drive because he drives _______________ than I
do. (carelessly)
40. My sister is very clumsy. She cooks _______________ than my brother. (badly)

D. SPEAKING
Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C, or D) that best completes each of the
following exchanges.
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1. - Lan: “Have you ever ridden a cart?” - Nam: "_______"
A. Yes, we do. B. That’s a good idea. C. No, but I’d like to.
D. Not at all.
2. - Nick: You’ve made new friends? - Aly: "_______"
A. Yes, I did. B. Yeah- right on the first day.
C. Yes, please. D. You’re welcome.
3. - Ba: "Why don’t we take a trip to my home town?" - Nam: "_______"
A. Yes, we do. B. That’s a good idea. C. Not at all. D. You’re welcome.
4. - Nick: "How is your stay there?" - Nam: "_______"
A. Yes, please. B. So exciting. C. Never mind. D. Sure
5. - Lan: "What are you doing there?" - Nam: "_______"
A. Lots of things. B. Good idea. C. Ok. D. Not at all.

E. READING
Exercise 1. Read the passage and choose the best answers.
Many people enjoy living in a big city because they think life is more exciting
there. However, I come from a small village and in my view, there are lots of benefits.
The main reason I prefer village life is because it’s very quiet, so 1 always feel calm
when I’m here. Another reason is that the air is so fresh and clean. We have more
green spaces and bigger gardens, too. In addition, I think the people here are friendlier.
Personally, I’m interested in wildlife photography, so the countryside is perfect for me.
The only downside is transport. I have an early start for a long journey to school in
Faro and the school bus is always stopping to pick up more people. Also, it’s boring
sometimes, but I enjoy chatting to my friends. Fortunately, I’m learning to ride a
moped. On balance, I disagree that city life is better, as I think my village lifestyle is
healthier and more relaxing. In spite of that, some of my friends couldn’t cope with life
in the country, so it comes down to personal opinion.
Adapted from: https://www.eslprintables.com/
1. Where does the writer come from?
A. a big city B. a small village C. a countryside D. a small town
2. One reason why he prefers village life is that ______________.
A. it’s very noisy B. the air is so fresh and clean
C. life is more exciting there D. village lifestyle is healthier
3. What does he think about the people in his village?
A. friendlier B. boring C. exciting D. kind
4. According to the writer, what is the disadvantage of living in the village?
A. weather B. facilities C. transport D. service
5. How does he go to school?
A. bicycle B. train C. moped D. school bus
Exercise 2. Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answers.
Nowadays, some people choose to live and work in the countryside. New ways of
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 working, such as online working, have made it possible for more people to live there.
There are both advantages and (1) ______________ to living in the countryside.
On the one hand, life in the countryside is very peaceful. There are less cars and
that means that there is less noise, and that it is less (2) ______________. Furthermore,
there is more land available in the countryside, and people can often live in (3)
______________ houses or flats than in cities. Finally, it is easier to do a lot of outdoor
activities such as walking or cycling if you live in the countryside. On the other hand,
life in the countryside can be (4) ______________. There are fewer restaurants,
cinemas and shops to go to. Moreover, there is little public transport, which makes it
difficult to get around if you don’t have a car. Finally, you can feel isolated if you live
a long way from other people.
In conclusion, there are both pros and cons to living in the countryside. However,
in my opinion, the (5) ______________ of the countryside makes it a very attractive
option.
Adapted from: https://olm.vn/
1. A. good points B. disadvantages C. benefits D. merits(công
lao)
2. A. polluted B. clean C. noisy D. crowded
3. A. smaller B. more expensive C. bigger D. cheaper
4. A. interesting B. exciting C. amazing D. Boring
5. A. peacefulness B. advantages C. carefulness D. noisiness
Exercise 3. Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions.
 With the habit of working in teams and being helpful to one other, villagers usually
earn their living from farming, raising livestock and making handicrafts. They live in a
small community with a temple or a communal cultural house where great events, such
as festivals worshipping the village god and traditional games are organized. Villagers
in the Southern usually live in houses lined up along central road and built on stilts to
keep above flood waters. Along the coastal lines, fishermen depend on the sea as a
means of livelihood. In the Central of Vietnam, a place suffering lots of natural
disasters all the year round, citizens tend to be more studious and hard-working than
those in regions with favorable conditions. People in the central highlands and the
northern mountains live by growing rice, rubber trees coffee and tea as well as hunting.
(Source: Adapted from Vietnam Travel
Center)
1. Which can be the topic of the passage?
A. Villagers across the country B. Villagers around the world
C. Vietnamese life in the countryside D. Vietnamese life in
the city
2. Which activity is NOT MENTIONED as a way for villagers to earn their livings?
A. Farming B. Fishing C. Studying D. Hunting
3. Why do Southern villagers need to build their houses on stilt?
A. To protect the house from being attacked by wild animals
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 B. To protect the house from being flooded
C. To protect the house from earthquakes
D. To protect the house from evil things
4. Which sentence is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. There are many disasters in the Central of Vietnam
B. Houses in the Southern part of Vietnam often
C. People in the Northern Mountainous earn their livings by hunting
D. Villagers often work individually
5. Which explanation has the closest meaning to the word “studious” in the passage?
A. spending a lot of time studying B. lacking of
academic knowledge
C. being lazy in studying D. being very
intelligent
Exercise 4. Read the passage and then decide whether the sentences are True (T)
or False (F)
City life has its advantages and disadvantages and so does country life; however,
there seems to be an increased interest in the country, especially among young
families. If you are thinking about moving to the country as well but are not sure if it is
a good idea, it may help to look at the benefits of country life. In the country, you are
woken up by the singing of the birds rather by the noise from the traffic. Homes in the
countryside are surrounded by nature which has a shooting effect on both the mind and
the body. Due to virtual absence of cars and factories, you will not be breathing any
potentially toxic fumes in the country. Clean air is one of the main advantages of
country life over city dwelling. In the country, everyone knows everyone, and people
actually say ‘hello’. Communities in the country are much smaller but they are more
connected and open. People in the country are friendlier and are prepared to help
without asking anything in return.
(Source: Adapted from Country
life)
T F
1. More and more young families like living in the countryside.
2. Communities in the city are much smaller than those in the city.
3. In the countryside, birds’ singing is very noisy.
4. There are not many cars and factories in the countryside.
5. In the countryside, you shouldn’t pay money when being helped.

F. WRITING
Exercise 1: Rearrange the words to make complete sentences.
1. people / In the countryside, / are/ and / life / is / more / simpler/welcoming/.
 ___________________________________________________________________

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2. In general, /is /much/ convenient/ because/ in the city / life / many living facilities /
available / more/ are/
 ___________________________________________________________________

3. busier/Like/her parents/other farmers, /are/harvest time /at

 ___________________________________________________________________

4. said that /felt /more/ about the future / city dwellers / country folks/ The article /
optimistic /than/
 ___________________________________________________________________

5. the summer/The sun / brightly /in / than / in/ the winter / more /shines/
 ___________________________________________________________________

Exercise 3: Rewrite the following sentences without changing their original meanings.
1. Tim is older than Sarah.
 Sarah is _____________________________________________________________
2. Our house is large than yours.
 Your house is ________________________________________________________
3. Bill is not as tall as David.
 Bill is ______________________________________________________________
4. Jack’s marks are worse than mine.
 My marks are________________________________________________________
5. This book is the same price as that one.
 That book is _________________________________________________________
6. Your bike is slower than mine.
 My bike is __________________________________________________________
7. My house is bigger than your house.
 Your house is________________________________________________________
8. The black car is cheaper than the red car.
 The red car __________________________________________________________
9. This film is more interesting than that one.
 That film is__________________________________________________________
10. My kitchen is smaller than yours.
 Your kitchen is_______________________________________________________

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