Title VSTEP-Reading test 13.docx ✅

Code 13 - Page 1 of 11 READING PAPER 13 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40 ______________________________________________________________________ Directions:In this section you will read FOUR different passages. Each one is followed by 10 questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D, to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage. You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet. PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10 Are celebrities bad for you? Celebrities are everywhere nowadays: on TV, in magazines, online. Is this preoccupation with famous people harmless fun or is it bad for us? How many people are truly obsessed with modern media idols? And on the other side of the coin, can fame be harmful to the celebrities? Studies suggest that the vast majority of teenagers do not really worship celebrities. Researchers have identified three kinds of fans. About 15% of young people have an ‘entertainment-social’ interest. They love chatting about their favourite celebrities with friends and this does not appear to do any harm.Another 5% feel that they have an ‘intense personal’ relationship with a celebrity. Sometimes they see them as their soulmate and find that they are often thinking about them, even when they don’t want to. These people are more at risk from depression and anxiety. If girls in this group idolise a female star with a body they consider to be perfect, they are more likely to be unhappy with their own bodies.That leaves 2% of young people with a ‘borderline-pathological’ interest. They might say, for example, they would spend several thousand pounds on a paper plate the celebrity had used, or that they would do something illegal if the celebrity asked them to. These people are in most danger of being seriously disturbed. What about the celebrities themselves? A study in the USA tried to measure narcissism or extreme self-centeredness, when feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are compensated for by turning into the opposite: excessive showing off. Researchers looked at 200 celebrities, 200 young adults with Masters in Business Administration (a group known for being narcissistic) and a nationally representative sample using the same
Code 13 - Page 2 of 11 questionnaire. As was expected, the celebrities were significantly more narcissistic than the MBAs and both groups were a lotmore narcissistic than the general population. So, what can we learn from this? People who are very successful or famous tend to be narcissists and are liable to be ruthless, self-seeking workaholics. As we can see from celebrity magazines, they are also often desperate and lonely. They make disastrous role models. 1. What does pronoun “them” in the paragraph 2 refer to? A. fans B. celebrities C. depressed people D. researchers 2. Where in the passage does the author mention a common characteristic of celebrities? A. in the first paragraph B. in the second paragraph C. In the third paragraph D. In the last paragraph 3. According to the passage, which type of fans is the most popular? A. those who are interested in celebrities as a means of entertainment B. those who idolise celebrities. C. those who can do whatever their celebrity asks them to. D. those who spend alot of money on items their celebrity had used. 4. Which is more likely to happen to young people having ‘borderline-pathological’ interest of their celebrity? A. talking for hours on the phone with their friends about celebrities. B. trying to get a body shape like their idol. C. avoiding contacts with celebrities as they are too self-centered. D. possibly committing a crime to satisfy their celebrity. 5. Which of the following is TRUE about celebrities? A. they are soulmates of all young people B. they have high level of narcissism C. they don’t like to be known by the public D. they are perfect role models 6. Which of the following best summarizes the essential information discussed in paragraph 2? A. Research has shown that only a minority of the young really admire celebrities. B. Fans are getting crazier about their idols. C. Some fans can spend large sums of money on celebrities D. Studies have proved the importance of celebrities to shape young people’s thoughts
Code 13 - Page 3 of 11 7. In the first paragraph, why does the author mention “the other side of the coin”? A. to emphasize the popularity of celebrities B. to show young people’s obesity in celebrities C. to discuss the wealth of celebrities D. to introduce the drawbacks of being famous 8. Which of the following is closest in meaning to “disastrous” in the last paragraph? A. ideal B. sensible C. devastating D. severe 9. Which of the following instruments was used in the study of narcissism in the USA? A. a questionnaire B. a test C. an observation D. a diary 10. What conclusion could be drawn from the reading passage? A. Celebrity culture isincreasingly more influential to young people. B. Celebrity culture affects negatively to the celebrities themselves and to people who are obsessed with it. C. All celebrities are facing serious health problems due to stress and loneliness. D. The MBAs and celebrities are equally narcissistic. PASSAGE 2 – Questions 11-20 France has a long history of engagement in Vietnam. Early traders and missionaries served as the first links between the two nations. On the eve of the twentieth century, however, France was the master of Vietnam. It held the area as a protectorate called the Union of Indochina, which included Cambodia and Laos. The French made some improvements in Vietnam. They were particularly interested in improving their economic prospects in the region. To this end, communication was improved and transportation systems were significantly upgraded with the construction of railroads, bridges, and highways. The French also increased manufacturing and trade. Unfortunately, the locals rarely benefited from these economic ventures. Those who did were collaborators or spies for the French who received additional salary and “perks.” In addition, the French actively worked to push their culture on the Vietnamese. The French language, literature, and religion (Catholicism) were among the cultural elements that were promoted in the protectorate.
Code 13 - Page 4 of 11 France also moved the Indochinese capital to Hanoi to centralize government functions and secure further control over the region. The French grip on Vietnam tightened with a variety of laws that restricted the movement of local people. With these laws, Vietnamese were allowed to travel outside of their area only when carrying their identity papers. Restrictions were placed on the freedom of the press and the right to assemble. Education also suffered under French rule: 1925 estimates showed that only 10 percent of school- aged children attended school. Economically, things were not improving for the local people. Taxes were high, rent was expensive, and workers were paid little. By the 1930s, the French owned and controlled the majority of the country’s rice lands, rubber plantations, and coal. Foreign land ownership had become another major frustration for the Vietnamese. All of these factors combined to set the stage for greater Vietnamese resistance to the French. They also contributed to the eventual Vietnamese embrace of a communist philosophy. After 1908, visible opposition to French rule was minimal for nearly two decades. In that year, the French closed down what came to be known as the free school movement. This movement had become popular in the late nineteenth century, when Vietnamese literature blossomed and many scholars began to teach Vietnamese versions of history. This movement also cloaked a shift toward Vietnamese nationalism, an element that the French resisted and tried to stop. 11. What does “it” in paragraph 1 refer to? A. Vietnam B. Laos C. Cambodia D. France 12. Where in the passage does the author mention the proportion of Vietnamese children attending school during the French time? A. paragraph 1 B. paragraph 2 C. paragraph 3 D. paragraph 4 13. Which of the following is NOT true about the French’s engagement in Vietnam? A. They improved the infrastructure of the Union of Indochina. B. Vietnamese citizens highly benefited from the French’s projects. C. They made Hanoi the capital of the Indochina. D. They promoted French culture to prosper in Vietnam. 14. What does “perks” in paragraph 1 mean? A. good jobs