VIP PLUS - ĐỀ SỐ 1

GENDER ROLES IN THE HOME
Are there ‘boy jobs’ and ‘girl jobs’ in the home? Some people seem to think so. During the 2017 election campaign in the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Theresa May appeared on national television with her husband, Philip, and (26) _________ that he did the 'boy jobs' and she did the girl jobs in their home. This statement got a mixed response. Some people defended the Prime Minister, saying that a traditional split of who does which jobs makes for a happy marriage. (27) _________ said that 'heavy' jobs are more (28) _________ to men and lighter jobs to women.
(29) _________ some people have criticised the idea that there are male and female roles. In a modern world where men and women both go out to work, there shouldn't be any gender-defined housework roles, argues Alison Smith, a women's rights campaigner from London. ‘People should do the jobs they like, and then the other jobs, the ones no one enjoys well, people should do them together. That is (30) _________ makes for a successful, modern marriage.
(Adapted from Oxford Exam Trainer by Gregory Manin et al.)

Sylvia Earle is an underwater explorer and marine biologist, who was born in the USA in 1935. She became interested in the world's oceans from an early age. As a child, she liked to stand on the beach for hours and look at the sea, wondering what it must be like under the surface. When she was 16, she finally got a chance to make her first dive. It was this dive that inspired her to become an underwater explorer. Since then, she has spent more than 6,500 hours under water, and has led more than seventy expeditions worldwide. She has also made the deepest dive ever, reaching a record-breaking depth of 381 metres.
In 1970, she became famous around the world when she became the captain of the first all-female team to live under water. The team spent two weeks in an underwater 'house'. The research they carried out showed the damage that pollution was causing to marine life, and especially to coral reefs. Since then she has written several books and magazine articles in which she suggests ways of reducing the damage that is being done to the world's oceans. One way, she believes, is to rely on fish farms for seafood, and reduce the amount of fishing that is done out at sea.
(Adapted from Complete IELTS by Rawdon Wyatt)

This is a topic that's close to my heart, but I didn't really know the answer to the question until about a year ago. First, let me tell you something - you will have around 350 friends in your lifetime, but only six of them will be your true friends. I was quite surprised when I read about this fact in a magazine survey the other day. I mean, if I look down the list of contacts on my mobile, most of the names in the list are friends' names. It's the same on anyone's phone. However, it made me stop and ask myself who would I contact if I wanted a shoulder to cry on or if I had a genuine emergency? There were actually only a few people on the list that I'd phone in a moment of crisis, and I suppose it's those people that I regard as my true friends.
One person I'd definitely phone is Rob. I still remember when we first met last year. I was sauntering past the sports hall in the local leisure centre when I got a glimpse of a teenage boy in a wheelchair playing basketball. I stopped and watched for a while. He was about the same age as me, but I didn't think we'd have anything in common. After all, he was in a wheelchair. How wrong I was! A few days later, I was lifting weights next to the same boy in the gym, and we started chatting. We got on really well, and I suddenly realized that Rob's wheelchair didn't make him different from me at all. He was a typical teenager like me, and he was interested in doing the same sort of things as me. We've been really good friends ever since.
The most important thing I learnt that day is never to judge someone by what they look like. People often treat Rob differently because of his wheelchair, but they shouldn't. They should take time to find out about the real person. One of the things I admire most about Rob is his unselfish nature. He's very good at listening, and he doesn't ask too many questions. People like that are very generous, especially these days when everyone is on the go and often people can't think beyond their own obligations and personal concerns. I'm sometimes quite selfish, so Rob is a really good example for me. True friends are the people who are always there for you. They won't mind if you interrupt them in the middle of something important. They won't mind if you call them in the middle of the night because you need someone to talk to. Try it yourself next time. Otherwise, you won't know who your true friends are!
(Adapted from Aim High by Tim Falla and Paul A Davies)