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A. Phonetics

1. Circle the word marked A, B, C or D with a different stress pattern from the others.

1. A. collapse                              B. damage

   C. erupt                                    D. affect

2. A. disaster                              B. eruption

   C. pollution                             D. permanent

3. A. volcano                              B. temperature

   C. illustrate                             D. station

4. A. tsunami                             B. typhoon

    C. thunderstorm                  D. tornado

5. A. accommodation              B. contribution

    C. evacuation                       D. contamination

Answer:

• 1B    2D   3A   4C   5B

2. Mark the stress in the underlined words.

1. My brother likes photography. Last year he won the first prize at the national competition for both amateur and professional photographers.

2. My father is a geologist. He learned geology at a university in Russia.

3. She is a well-known biologist. She is now working at a Biology Institute in Ha Noi.

4. At the geography lesson yesterday, our teacher explained us a lot about the changes in the weather recently.

5. My next-door neighbor is very interested in astrology. He spends most of his free time reading books about it.

Answer: 

• 1. Photography /fəˈtɒɡrəfi/ (trọng âm rơi vào âm thứ 2)
• 2. Geology /dʒiˈɒlədʒi/ (trọng âm rơi vào âm thứ 2)
• 3. Biology /baɪˈɒlədʒi/ (trọng âm rơi vào âm thứ 2)
• 4. Geography /dʒiˈɒɡrəfi/ (trọng âm rơi vào âm thứ 2)
• 5. Astrology /əˈstrɒlədʒi/ (trọng âm rơi vào âm thứ 2)

B. Vocabulary & Grammar

1. Find the odd A, B, C or D

1. A. thunderstorm                   B. storm

    C. tornado                              D. disaster

2. A. drought                              B. flood

    C. climate                               D. mudslide

3. A. thunderstorm                   B. typhoon 

   C. pollutant                             D. tsunami

4. A. erupt                                  B. collapse

   C. damage                              D. destroy

5. A. groundwater                    B. mineral water

   C. fresh water                        D. drink

Answer:

• 1D    2C   3C   4A   5D

2. Use the words or phrases in the box to label each picture

thunderstorm      tsunami     tornado     drought

flood    earthquake     snowstorm    typhoon

Answer: 

• 1. Typhoon           2. Thunderstorm                     
• 3. Tsunami          4. Drought
• 5. Drought         6. Tornado

3. Choose the correct option for each gap in the sentences

1. Typhoons are severe tropical storms. They sometimes happen in my...........

A. stay                                  B. home

C. house                              D. hometown

2. When a typhoon happened, many houses and roads...............  destroyed or flooded.

A. is            B. are          C. was         D. were

3. Last year, there was a big typhoon in my area. It caused extensive damage to our............

A. property                        B. furniture

C. wealth                           D. savings

4. The government sent rescue food, drink and medical supplies ............to homes.

A. flood                             B. flooding

C. flooded                        D. floods

5. All people who were without homes in the flood were provide with accommodation.

A. short                             B. temporary

C. present                         D. instant

6. When the earthquake happened, almost people in this building managed to run of it.

A. economic                      B. economy

C. economical                   D. economize

7. is the most common natural disaster in your country? Snowstorms.

A. What     B. Which    C. How    D. Do

8. The buried the whole village while people were sleeping in their houses.

A. mudslide                       B. tornado

C. drought                         D. thunderstorm

9. Workers were sent to the area immediately but no villager was survived when the landslide happened.

A. Rescue                          B. Help

C. Assistance                    D. Volunteer

10. What we do to prevent these natural disasters?

A. may     B. ought     C. should     D. be able

Answer: 

• 1D     2D    3A    4C    5B   
• 6D    7A    8A    9A    10C

4. Fill each blank with a word/ phrase in the box.

flood     earthquake     sandstorm    forestfire    shelter

landslide    collapsed    typhoon    draught        volcano

1. When the earthquake happened, all the building in this area were completely...............  .

2. Fortunately many people were warned of the danger and they had taken..............  before the earthquake happened.

3. The..........  has raged since early morning, many trees and animals have been burnt up.

4. All people in the village rushed into the public shelters as soon as the.............  erupted.

5. Several people were going along when suddenly there was a .............  came crashing down the hillside and blocked the road in front of them.

6. Tankers full of water were sent, but it was too late to save many of the animals and crops there. The ............  made the whole are like a vast desert.

7. When the .............  happened last year, the river overflowed in several places and huge areas of farming were several meters under water. Boats were being used to rescue people in nearby villages.

8. The ............  swept onwards, covering everything in its path. The travellers had to get off their camels and lie down until it had eventually passed.

9. Suddenly the ground shook beneath our feet and tall buildings opposite my college began to sway. I immediately realized that it was an ............. .

10. The ..........  already strengthened considerably and the sea was very rough. As a result, ferries across the harbor stopped sailing and all large ships put out to the sea.

Answer: 

• 1. collapsed     2. shelter     3. forest fire 
• 4. volcano    5. landslide    6. draught 
• 7. flood     8. sandstorm   9. earthquake 
• 10. typhoon 

C. Reading

1. Read the text and then choose the best answer A, B, C or D.

Two of the most dangerous storms which affect America are hurricanes and tornadoes. They are very much feared by anyone who may live in the path of their destruction.

Every year homes are destroyed by their fury and often lives are lost. Most people who live near the coast are forced to evacuate their homes and to move to safer areas until the storm passes. Floods are caused along the coasts by both the heavy rain and a storm tide that is considerably above normal water level. The high winds, coastal flooding and heavy rains associated with a hurricane cause enormous damage.

Hurricanes usually develop between July and October. Once they hit land they carry tremendous power with driving rain and wind.

Tornadoes are violent low-pressured storms. These storms occur most often during the summer months and are noticeable by their strong wind and lack of rain. The sky turns black as dust is sucked up into the air. Tornadoes are capable of lifting quite heavy objects from the ground. They can pick up trees and cars right into the air and even uplift heavier objects such as homes and railway cars.

Both hurricanes and tornadoes cause millions of dollars worth of damage to life and property every year. Today they can be predicted more easily than in the past, but they cannot be stopped or ignored.

1. What are two of the most dangerous storms which affect America?

A. Thunderstorms and hurricanes.

B. Typhoons and thunderstorms.

C. Hurricanes and tornadoes

D. Hurricanes and typhoons.

2. At which part of the year do hurricanes usually develop?

A. July and August only

B. Between July and October

C. From the seventh to the ninth month

D. All the year round

3. What is the major similarity of both a hurricane and a tornado?

A. They cover only a small area

B. They have either wind or speed

C. They are not accompanied by rain

D. They can cause great damage

4. Which of the following is true of tornadoes and hurricanes?

A. They cannot be predicted with accuracy

B. They are easier to control today than in the past

C. Tornadoes are more dangerous than hurricanes

D. They can be predicted today with greater accuracy

5. Which of the following was not mentioned in the article?

A. The damage caused by hurricanes and tornadoes

B. The tremendous power of these storms

C. The number of people killed each year by these storms

D. The time of year when they are most likely to strike

Answer: 

• 1C  2B  3D   4D  5C

2. Read the conversation and answer the questions.

Hoa: Hi, Marry

Marry: Hi, Hoa

Hoa: Did you hear the news on TV early this morning?

Marry: No, I didn’t. What happened?

Hoa: Last night, a landslide from a high mountain moved down a small village in Ha Giang Province.

Marry: Where is Ha Giang?

Hoa: It’s in the north of Viet Nam.

Marry: Was anyone injured?

Hoa: The authorities confirmed six dead, eighteen injured and as many as ninety – five people missing. Only a few minor injures were reported.

Marry: Oh, no. That’s terrible. Did it cause any damage to property?

Hoa: Yes, all the house in the village were destroyed.

Marry: That’s awful. How is the government helping the people there?

Hoa: They’ve sent rescue workers and army men to find people who were buried in their houses. Medical supplies, food and rescue equipment have also been sent.

Marry: Thank God. I hope they’ll soon find the missing people.

Questions:

1. What happened to a village in Ha Giang Province last night?

2. How many people were dead and injured?

3. How many people were missing?

4. What was the damage to property?

5. What is the government doing to help people there?

Answer: 

• 1. A landslide from a high mountain moved down a small village in Ha Giang Province.
• 2. There were 24 people in total.
• 3. There were 95 people
• 4. All the houses in the village were destroyed.
• 5. They've sent rescue workers and army men to find people who were buried in their houses. Medical supplies, food and rescue equipment have also been sent.

3. Choose the correct word A, B, C or D for each gap to complete the following passage.

More than a billion people all over the world are (1) ………….. the threat of desert expansion, but few of them are aware that they themselves cause it and are also its (2) ……………. People cut (3) ……………. Trees for fuel and farmland. Their herds eat (4) ………… the grass covering valley floors and hillsides. The climate and soil quality, therefore, are affected and forests are turned into (5) ……….

In some places, many people had to leave their homes when their wells became dry and sand buried their house and crops. Therefore, governments in nearby areas  have and local people (6) ………….. trees and banned burning firewood for fuel. Many other techniques have been (7) ………… For example, in Iran, a thin covering of oil was poured on sandy areas to retain (8) ………….. for planting trees, but this method may harm the environment. Other countries built long canals or pipelines (9) ………….. water to desert areas.

Unless people find more (10) …………… methods, their homes and land will be lost. The fight against the desert is continuing.

1. A. under        B. in        C. on      D. of

2. A. enemies                    B. victims

C. friends                           D. effects

3. A. off      B. back     C. in      D. down

4. A. away  B. up        C. into   D. out

5. A. blanks                       B. spaces

    C. deserts                      D. bareness

6. A. planting                     B. to plant

C. plant                              D. planted

7. A. using        B. use          C. uses      D. used

8. A. water       B. soil           C. earth    D. fertilizer

9. A. take         B. to carry    C. fetch     D. bring

10. A. effective                  B. great

C. major                             D. useful

Answer: 

• 1A     2B     3D   4B   5C   
• 6C    7D    8A   9B   10A

D. Writing

1. Make up sentences using the words and phrases given

Example: North America/ deserts/ very/ diverse/ so/ they/ provide/ a/ good/ basic/ understanding/ desert/ ecology/.

 => North America deserts are very diverse, so they provide a good basic for understanding desert ecology.

1. within/ last/ 100 years/ deserts/ been/ growing/ at/ frightening/ speed/.

..............................................................................................................

2.people/ living/ near/ the/ edge/ Gobi Desert/ will/ leave/ homes/ if/ sandstorms/ are/ not/ stopped/.

..............................................................................................................

3. local/ man/ said/  mudslide/ was/ caused/ by/ ground/ which/ has/ been/ made/ unstable/ by/ heavy rainfall/.

..............................................................................................................

4. where/ you/ when/ the/ earthquake/ began/ yesterday/ ?

..............................................................................................................

5. that/ was/ terrible/ earthquake/ but/ luckily/ we/ are/ survived/.

..............................................................................................................

Answer: 

• 1. Within the last 100 years, deserts have been growing at a frightening speed.
• 2. People living near the edge of the Gobi Desert will leave their homes if sandstorms are not stopped.
• 3. A local man said that the mudslide was caused by ground which has been made unstable by heavy rainfall.
• 4. Where were you when the earthquake began yesterday? 
• 5. That was a terrible earthquake but luckily we survived.

2. Change these sentences into passive voice

1. The flood happened early this morning in Quang Binh Province and now the government is sending aid to the flood victims.

...................................................................................................

2. The earthquake struck the city and destroyed completely thousands of buildings and houses.

...................................................................................................

3. Our government has declared a state of emergency following the earthquake.

..................................................................................................

4. When the typhoon happened, they had moved most of people there to safe areas.

...................................................................................................

5. The storm destroyed his house completely and now he is living with his friends.

...................................................................................................

Answer: 

• 1. The flood happened early this morning in Quang Binh Province and now the government is sending aid to the flood victims.
• 2. The earthquake struck the city and destroyed completely thousands of buildings and houses.
• 3. Our government has declared a state of emergency following the earthquake.
• 4. When the typhoon happened, they had moved most of the people there to safe areas.
• 5. The storm destroyed his house completely and now he is living with his friends.

3. Can you correct the passage? Write the correct version.

Thai binh province was badly affected when a typhoon hit the area last midnight dozens of people were seriously injured and hundreds of others had to leave their homes to safe areas the severe winds caused extensive damage to property weakened rescue operations have started and many people trapped in collapsed or damaged house have been freed workers are now clearing up the debris left behind by the storm the government has already sent rescue equipment as well as food and medical supplies some local people say they have never experienced such a severe storm the  weather bureau has issued flood warnings for thai binh and nearby provinces as heavy rain is expected to continue over the next few days. 

Answer: 

• Thai Binh Province was badly affected when a typhoon hit the area last midnight. Dozens of people were seriously injured and hundreds of other had to leave their homes to safe areas. The severe winds caused extensive damage to property. By the time emergency workers arrived in the area, the storm had already weakened. Rescue operations have started and many people trapped in collapsed or damaged houses have been freed. Workers are now clearing up the debris left behind by the storm. The government has already sent rescue equipment as well as food and medical supplies. Some local people say they have never experienced such a severe storm. The weather bureau has issued flood warnings for Thai Binh and nearby provinces as heavy rain is expected to continue over the next few days.