READING SKILLS

REVIEW

1. Features of a reading passage

2. Skimming
 Question type: Matching headings
3. Locating and scanning
4. Paraphrasing
 Question type: T/F/NG
 Question type: Matching features
 Question type: Matching sentence endings with beginnings

QUESTION TYPE: MULTIPLE CHOICE

- Read questions.
- Locate the information
- Answer the questions on your own words
- Read the options
- Choose the best option
- Make sure you know why the other options are wrong/distractors!
- High light những chữ bỏ trong ngoặc kép

Practice 1: Mindset 1, p.45 & p.47

GLOBALISZTION OF EDUCATION AND THE WORKPLACE

Questions Paragraphs Answers

1. Blended learning means…
A
(p.45) C
Evidence/Paraphrase:

2. All of these are advantages of

globalised education except… B,C C
(p.45)
Evidence/Paraphrase:

3. Who benefits from globalised

education in developing C B
countries? (p.47)
Evidence/Paraphrase:

4. What is the meaning of

D
‘westernisation’? (p.47) A
Evidence/Paraphrase:

5. How has the focus of E

educational institutions C

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 changed? (p.47)
Evidence/Paraphrase:

Practice 2: Mindset 1, p.48

EDUCATION AND THE WORKPLACE IN THE UK

Questions Paragraphs Answers

1. Apprenticeships… A B
Evidence/paraphrase: apprenticeships were a common way of learning in the past.

2. The education system C

B
introduced in 1944…
Evidence/Paraphrase: The system did not produce good results

3. Blended learning… E D
Evidence/Paraphrase: means part of the course can be delivered online, so people don't have to miss work to go to
classes.

4. The challenges of work-based

F
learning include… A
Evidence/Paraphrase: Some lecturers might find it difficult to teach students with a lot of work experience. It may
also be difficult to find teachers who can teach in different places and at different times.

Homework:

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 *answer key on the last page

 Matching Headings

PEDESTRIANS ONLY

How trafic-free shopping streets developed

A The concept of trafic-free shopping areas goes back a long time. During the Middle
Ages, trafic-free shopping areas known as souks were built in Middle Eastern
countries to allow people to shop in comfort and, more importantly, safety. As far
back as 2,000 years ago, road trafic was banned from central Rome during the day to
allow for the free movement of pedestrians, and was only allowed in at night when
shops and markets had closed for the day. In most other cities, however, pedestrians
were forced to share the streets with horses, coaches and, later, with cars and other
motorised vehicles.
B The modern, traffic-free shopping street was born in Europe in the 1960s, when both
city populations and car ownership increased rapidly. Dirty exhaust fumes from cars
and the risks involved in crossing the road were beginning to make shopping an
unpleasant and dangerous experience. Many believed the time was right for
experimenting with car-free streets, and shopping areas seemed the best place to
start.
C At first, there was resistance from shopkeepers. They believed that such a move
would be bad for business. They argued that people would avoid streets if they were
unable to get to them in their cars. When the first streets in Europe were closed to
traffic, there were even noisy demonstrations, as many shopkeepers predicted they
would lose customers.
D However, research carried out afterwards in several European cities revealed some
unexpected statistics. In Munich, Cologne and Hamburg, visitors to shopping areas
increased by 50 percent. On Copenhagen’s main shopping street, shopkeepers
reported sales increases of 25-40 percent. Shopkeepers in Minneapolis, USA, were
so impressed when they learnt this that they even offered to pay for the construction
and maintenance costs of their own traffic-free streets.
E With the arrival of the trafic-free shopping street, many shops, especially those
selling things like clothes, food and smaller luxury items, prospered. Unfortunately,
it wasn’t good news for everyone, as shops selling furniture and larger electrical
appliances actually saw their sales drop. Many of these were forced to move
elsewhere, away from the city centre. Today they are a common feature on the
outskirts of towns and cities, often situated in out-of-town retail zones with their own
car parks and other local facilities.

Now match the headings i-vii below with paragraphs A-E in the passage above.
There are two headings that you do not need.

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 List of Headings
i: Facing local opposition
ii: Some reasons for success
iii: Winners and losers
iv: A need for change
v: An experiment that went wrong
vi: An idea from ancient history
vii: North America learns from Europe

Answers: A - vi , B - iv , C - i , D - vii , E - iii

A - vi B - iv C-i D - vii E - iii

 Multiple choice + Matching sentence endings + Yes/No/Not given

THE MAN WHO TRIED TO DESTROY PARIS

Le Corbusier was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. But many
may wish he had never built anything.

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret in Switzerland in 1887, the architect Le Corbusier used his
grandfather’s name when he went to Paris at the age of 29. As Jeanneret, he had been a
fairly successful small-town architect; as Le Corbusier, he had bigger ideas. He disliked the
architectural styles that were popular at the time, and considered them to be out of date in an
industrial age. He believed that the 20th century deserved a brand-new style of architecture.
“We must start again from zero,” he said. (tiểu sử)

The new style of architecture was called the International Style, and it attracted many
followers in the architectural world. However, nobody was enthusiastic about it as Le
Corbusier at the beginning. He worked hard to promote his ideas at exhibitions, at talks, in
books and in his own magazine. He loved machines, and believed that, like a machine, a
building should have a function. He is famous for saying: “A house is a machine for living
in.”

The machines he admired the most were ships, and his early buildings tried to capture the
spirit of the sea with their white walls, exposed rooms, shining glass and flat roofs. He
called this style of architecture ‘purism’. The first building to embrace this style was the
Villa Savoye in France. Le Corbusier believed that it was one of the best, most functional
houses ever built. Unfortunately, this turned out to be an exaggeration. The flat roof was a
particular problem, as water poured in every time it rained, and it needed constant repairs.
Nevertheless, its design was revolutionary, and it should be considered a significant piece of
early 20th-century architecture.

In 1935, Le Corbusier visited New York City. He loved the city, and especially its tall
buildings. He had only one reservation, which he explained to a journalist for the Herald
Tribune newspaper. American skyscrapers were the biggest, tallest buildings in the world at

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that time, but Le Corbusier was a man who always thought big, and as far as he was
concerned, they were “just too small”. Le Corbusier had always admired tall buildings.
Now, inspired by his visit, he abandoned purism. It is doubtful that he could have created
anything as grand as the skyscrapers he had seen in the city, but from now on Le Corbusier
started designing buildings that sent out a more powerful message.

He first started using bright colours, and then experimented with concrete. Le Corbusier
loved the look and flexibility of concrete, and found it hard to hide it behind brick or paint,
preferring to leave it on full view. At a time when concrete was seen as modern and
exciting, his designs made him world famous, and he was asked to design several important
buildings around the world. Altogether, he designed about 60 major buildings worldwide, in
a style that became known as ‘modernism’.

However, while many admired and copied his new style of architecture, many more hated it.
They tuned against him, and tried to block his plans. Buildings should inspire people and
make them feel good, they said, and Le Corbusier’s ugly, depressing buildings often had the
opposite effect. In this respect, the people of Paris had a lucky escape. Early in his career,
Le Corbusier had wanted to knock down the centre of Paris and replace the old buildings
with huge towers. Fortunately, his plan was rejected. Justifiably, in view of his plans to
transform one of the world’s most beautiful cities into a hideous concrete jungle, Le
Corbusier is still known as ‘the man who tried to destroy Paris’.

Despite the criticism, he had an enormous effect on the world of architecture, and attracted a
large number of followers. As a result, many places were subjected to his style. In the Paris
suburbs of Bobigny, for example, huge towers were built to house some of the city’s poorer
inhabitants. Other European cities such as London, Berlin and Dublin also felt his influence.

Apart from the buildings that were directly influenced by Le Corbusier, something else
happened that the architect never planned: there was a return to older styles of architecture.
Today, many people live in modern houses that look like they are much older. This look
may represent a return to traditional tastes and values. More likely, however, it represents a
reaction against modernist architecture.

For questions 1-4, choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) according the passage above.

1. What does the writer say about Le Corbusier in the first paragraph?
A. He had a relative who was also an architect.
B. He became successful when he went to Paris.
C. He thought that there were too many industrial buildings.
D. He wanted to do something different from everyone else.
2. What does the writer say about the International Style in the second paragraph?
A. A lot of other architects liked it.
B. At first, people did not like it very much.
C. It took a lot of hard work to get people to accept it.
D. The buildings looked like machines.

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 3. Why does the writer describe the Villa Savoye as ‘revolutionary’ in the third
paragraph?
A. It looked more like a ship than a building.
B. Nobody had built anything like it before.
C. It looked nice, but had too many faults.
D. It was more functional than any other building of the time.
4. What is the writer’s main purpose in the fourth paragraph?
A. To explain why Le Corbusier visited New York
B. To show that Le Corbusier was not impressed by New York’s skyscrapers
C. To describe Le Corbusier’s reaction to New York
D. To explain why Le Corbusier changed his style of architecture

For questions 5-8, complete each sentence with the correct ending A-F below.

5. Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye + D A. copied the style that he had invented.

6. The concrete in Le Corbusier’s later B. is a classical example of modernist
buildings + E ??? architecture.
7. Le Corbusier’s style of architecture C. made him friends and enemies.
+C D. was not as good as he claimed.
8. Le Corbusier had a large following E. was covered in bright colours.
which + A F. was left exposed so that people could
see it.

For questions 9-14, write

YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer.

NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer.

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

9. At first, people were not as enthusiastic about the International Style as Le

Corbusier was. T (However, nobody was enthusiastic about it as Le Corbusier at the
beginning)

10. The Villa Savoye is an important building. T (it should be considered a significant
piece of early 20th-century architecture.)

11. Le Corbusier could have designed buildings that were as big and impressive as
those in New York. F (It is doubtful that he could have created anything as grand as
the skyscrapers he had seen in the city)
12. Le Corbusier found concrete a difficult material to work with. NG (He first started
using bright colours, and then experimented with concrete.)

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 13. Le Corbusier’s plans for Paris would have runied the city. T (Le Corbusier had
wanted to knock down the centre of Paris and replace the old buildings with huge
towers.)

14. Many people show they reject Le Corbusier’s style of architecture by living in old
houses. F (there was a return to older styles of architecture. This look may represent
a return to traditional tastes and values. More likely, however, it represents a
reaction against modernist architecture.)

***

QUESTION TYPE: YES/NO/NOT GIVEN

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information in the passage

FALSE if the statement disagrees with the information in the passage
NOT GIVEN if the statement contains no information in the passage

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

The views may not be stated directly.

Example: friendly => too friendly
positive negative

Answer key:
1. D 2. A 3. B 4. D
5. D 6. F 7. C 8. A
9. YES 10. YES
11. NO 12. NOT GIVEN
13. YES 14. NO

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