UNIT 1: LIFE STORIES ⇱
Exercise 1: Read the following passage about friendship and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 18 to 22.
Hi, everyone! Today, I want to tell you all about something that had a big impact on me. It happened two years ago on a trip to Rome, Italy with my family and my best friend.
On the first day, we were outside the hotel, and our tour guide was explaining the itinerary. While everyone else was listening, my friend and I were busy taking selfies. Then, my dad came over and asked ___(1)___. We were embarrassed because we didn't listen at all. My dad was really upset. He said we would enjoy the trip more if we didn't spend all day on our phones. Then, he asked us to give him our phones for the rest of the day. I felt so embarrassed in front of my friend, but we didn't have a choice.
At first, I didn't know what to do on the bus. It was a nice day with perfect weather, and all around me were beautiful, old buildings. Suddenly, ___(2)___. Later that morning, we stopped at a huge ancient stadium called the Colosseum, ___(3)___. The guide told us it was almost 2,000 years old. He said that sometimes they would even fill it with water and put ships in it to recreate famous sea battles. It was so cool!
I'm grateful that my dad took my phone away that day. Now when I travel, I'm not always looking at my phone. I enjoy the sights in front of me with my eyes first, and only take photos later. ___(4)___. There's a beautiful world out there for you to see.
After returning home, I realized ___(5)___, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.
(Adapted from ILSW)
UNIT 1: LIFE STORIES ⇱
Exercise 2: Read the following passage about friendship and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 18 to 22.
Nellie Bly was an American journalist, best known for her investigative reporting. She also made the fastest trip around the world. She was born in 1864 in Pennsylvania, the United States. Her parents named her Elizabeth Jane Cochran. She started her career in 1885 after writing an angry response to an article called What Girls Are Good For in the Pittsburgh Dispatch. They were impressed and ___(6)___. In her first article, she argued that not all women needed to get married, and that they should have better opportunities. She then used the name Nellie Bly for the rest of her career.
After leaving the Pittsburgh Dispatch, Nellie was rejected from jobs because newspapers wouldn't hire a woman. She finally got a job at the New York World by agreeing to pretend to be mentally unwell to investigate a mental asylum. Her report exposed the asylum's conditions, ___(7)___. Throughout her career, she wrote about many difficult issues, ___(8)___.
In 1889, inspired by Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days, she took a trip around the world. ___(9)___ by her newspaper at first because "no one but a man can do this," but finally her editor agreed. She traveled alone for most of it, ___(10)___ for women to do at the time. She actually met Jules Verne in France and completed the trip after 72 days, setting a world record.
In her later years, Nellie Bly returned to journalism. She wrote reports about World War I and problems that impacted women. Nellie Bly died in 1922 at the age of 57. Her life has inspired dozens of movies, TV series, and books.
(Adapted from ILSMW)
UNIT 2: OUT INTO THE WORLD- ILSMW ⇱
Exercise 1: Read the following passage about friendship and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 18 to 22.
Three years ago, I went to Vietnam with my dad and my younger brother, Eddie. While we were there, we visited a place called Black Lady Mountain (Núi Bà Den). It was hot and humid, and I was a little angry because I hate walking.
The mountain didn't look so big from far away, but when we got nearer, I could see it was actually huge. When we got there, I was overjoyed to see ___(11)___. I wasn't happy for long though, because my dad said we had to walk up the steps. He said that "it builds character" and that it was good for us to experience a nature walk.My dad insisted that we walk up the steps ___(12)___.
We saw lots of small animals and unusual plants, and I realized my dad was right. Even though we were exhausted by the time we got to the top, it felt great being outside in the fresh air. We spent some time at the beautiful temple on the top of the mountain, and the view of the landscape below us was spectacular. The monkeys, ___(13)___, added to the excitement of our trip. To go back down, we had to take a long slide ___(14)___, like at an amusement park. I sat with Eddie on a small cart, and we flew down the slide to the bottom. Eddie was terrified and screamed so loudly that my dad thought he hurt himself. Anyway, I thought it was awesome and really wanted another turn.
Overall, I felt ___(15)___ about my experience at Black Lady Mountain.
(Adapted from ILSMW)