[129] - Đề thi thử tốt nghiệp THPT 2024 - Môn Tiếng Anh - SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TỈNH BÌNH PHƯỚC

One of the main attractions of remote working is putting a distance between the individual and those sometimes toxic office 'friendships' (26) _____ sap one's energy. Being able to take care of home and garden during the day and thinking about something other than work during breaks, in my view, makes for a less (27) _____ life. Now that remote working is almost the norm, managers have realised no-one has reduced their output, which has (28) _____ in a more 'hands off' leadership style. I assume that most experienced employees find working without distractions has helped them rediscover the joy and satisfaction of a job well done, (29) _____ newer members of staff might find the lack of supervision a little nerve-wracking. The need to have excellent internet connectivity has caused (30) _____ companies to pay for their staff's home Wi-Fi, saving them money. This is in addition to the money saved by not commuting to the office every day.

For wild animals, there is only one rule for survival: eat or be eaten. To survive in this difficult world, many animals have developed interesting techniques. Some animals make loud noises to scare off their enemies. Others give off a strange and unpleasant smell. The most common way for animals to avoid being seen is to use camouflage to blend in with their environment. Blending in with the environment allows animals to either hide from animals that would want to eat them or sneak up on animals they would like to eat without being seen. Male birds are brightly coloured in order to attract mates, but female and baby birds are usually a dull brown or grey. This makes them difficult for their enemies to see. When they stay very still, they blend in with the tree branches around them. It's a very effective protection method.
Interestingly, tigers use their coloration for a different reason. The tiger's orange and black stripes blend in with the grass and shadows of the jungle. This allows them to creep close enough to their prey without being seen. Once the tiger is within striking range, it can leap from the shadows and attack before its prey has time to escape. Whether it's blending with the environment to eat or to avoid being eaten, camouflage is a great adaptation. The next time you see an animal with interesting colours, ask yourself why the animal is coloured the way it is. It may serve more than making the animal look beautiful.

If we take a glance around at the stuff we've bought throughout the years, we'll see that not everything we have is being put to good use: the thick woolen coat which we thought looked trendy despite the fact that we live in a tropical country, the smartphone that got put away when we bought ourselves the newest model, or even the guest room in our house that somehow got turned into a storeroom.
Those underutilized items may seem useless to some, but could be an asset to others. With the advent of the Internet, online communities have figured out a way to generate profit from the sharing of those underutilized assets. Using websites and social media groups that facilitate the buying and selling of second-hand goods, it is now easier than ever for peer-to-peer sharing activities to take place. And this is known as the sharing economy.
These democratized online platforms are providing a chance for people to make a quick buck or two. To give an example, busy parents previously might not have bothered with setting up a stall at the local market or car boot sale to sell their children's old equipment, but with online marketplaces, parents are now able to sell on those hardly worn baby clothes that their children have outgrown and the expensive pushchairs and baby equipment they have invested in, so as to put some cash back into their pockets.
Businesses have also seen the benefits of the sharing economy and are looking for ways to profit from unused resources. A business model that has rapidly risen in popularity sees companies providing an online platform that puts customers in contact with those who can provide a particular product or service. Companies like Airbnb act as a middleman for people to cash in on their unused rooms and houses and let them out as lucrative accommodation.
This shift to a sharing economy is not without its detractors. Unlike businesses, unregulated individuals do not have to follow certain regulations and this can lead to poorer and inconsistent quality of goods and services and a higher risk of fraud. However, in today's consumerist world, the increasing chances to sell our unwanted and underutilized things can lead to a lower environmental impact.