Task 1. Read the following passage, then answer the questions by choosing the best option A, B, C, or D. (Đọc đoạn văn sau và trả lời câu hỏi bằng cách chọn A, B, C hoặc D.)

My most favorite subject is English, which is today one of the most important languages and it is spoken and understood in all parts of the world.

English has become an international language for a variety of reasons. One of the most important of those is that the English people have been well-known for their knowledge of science, medicine, engineering, government and all other matters that are useful for the progress of the human race. It is thanks to the scientists of England that the motor-engine has become the most
important machine in the world today.

The thirst for knowledge of the English scholars has contributed to the progress of man in almost all fields of his activity. Thousands of books have been written by such scholars on almost every subject that one can think of. Thus, people whose mother tongue is not English have learnt English with great interest as a means of acquiring knowledge of all human affairs.

As a result of this interest, English is used almost everywhere in the world. It is used in all the important meetings and conferences in the United Nations. It is also used in all leading universities in the world and in international trade and commerce. As it is used so widely, English has indeed become a very rich language. People of all the countries of the world have contributed new ideas and thoughts to this language. Thus, more and more new words are being
created to make this language more and more useful for the communication of ideas and information among the peoples of the world.

1. English is the most important language in the world because _______.
A. it is spoken and understood in all parts of the world.
B. it is my favorite subject.
C. it is used in meetings.
D. it is used in all leading universities.

2. The motor-engine has become the most important machine in the world today thanks to _____. 
A. the people all over the world                     B. the scientists of England
C. the United Nations                                     D. the Americans

3. Thousands of books ………..
A. have been sold by English scholars on almost every subject
B. were written in English
C. were read by English scholars
D. have been written by English scholars on almost every subject that one can think of

4. Because English is used so widely, _______.
A. it has become a very rich language.
B. it has become a very interesting language.
C. it has indeed become a very poor language.
D. it has become a very useless language.

5. Why do people whose mother tongue is not English have learnt English with great interest?
A. Because it is a means of doing everything for all human affairs.
B. Because it is an international language.
C. Because it is a means of acquiring knowledge of all human affairs.
D. Because it is a means of practicing what people have achieved in their jobs.

Task 2. Read the text and answer the questions.

In countries like the United Kingdom, the USA, and Australia people speak English as a first language. But they don't speak exactly the same English. English sounds different in these countries because people use different pronunciation and there are different words for some things. Americans don't say "football", they say "soccer", and they say "movie", not "film". Some Australians say "G'day", not "Hi", and they don't say “this afternoon", they say “this arvo". In some countries, for example India and some African countries, there are a lot of different languages, so people use English as the official language.

In countries where English isn't a first language, people speak it as a foreign language. People want to study English because it's an international language; it's in films, magazines and pop songs. A lot of people, especially scientists and business people, use English when they work, travel or use a computer.

About 80% of the information on the Internet is in English. A lot of people communicate on the Internet in English too. Some people write a different type of English when they communicate in chat rooms or by instant messages like MSN. They use words like "uok", "thnx" and "cul8r". These words are faster to write than "Are you OK?", "Thanks" and "See you later"!

1. In what countries do people speak English as a first language?

2. What do some Australians say when they meet someone?

3. Why do some countries use English as an official language?

4. Why do people all over the world want to learn English?

5. Why do many young people use shorter words in messages?

Task 3. Choose the correct word A, B, C or D for each gap to complete the following passage.

The English language began (1) England, of course. But when people went from England to (2) countries, they brought their language with them. The first English people to come to North America (3) many things that they did not know about before, especially different kinds of animals and plants. So they took the (4) for these plants and animals from the people (5) were already living in America – the Indians. "Raccoon", "skunk”, “tomato", and tobacco" are all American Indian words.

Other people from Europe also came to America at the (6) time as the English, or even before them - the French, the Dutch, and especially the Spanish. The Spanish (7) the first Europeans to live in the American West. Because of this, many words that tell about the West (8) Spanish, such as "canyon", "mesa", "bronco", and "mustang". Also, many of the Indian words in American English were taken up (9) Spanish first, and then borrowed into English after that. Later on, many other (10) brought words to American English. These words include "cookie" from Dutch, "butter" from French, and "banjo" from Bantu, a West African language.