THE SPEED OF SOUND VARIES ACCORDING TO AIR TEMPERATURE, ALTITUD...

Câu 12.The speed of sound varies according to air temperature, altitude, and another factors.A B C DIV. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate thecorrect answer to each of the questionsIn the West, cartoons are used chiefly to make people laugh. The important feature of all thesecartoons is the joke and the element of surprise which is contained. Even though it is very funny, a goodcartoon is always based on close observation of a particular feature of life and usually has a serious purpose.Cartoons in the West have been associated with political and social matters for many years. Inwartime, for example, they proved to be an excellent way of spreading propaganda. Nowadays cartoons areoften used to make short, sharp comments on politics and governments as well as on a variety of socialmatters. In this way, the modern cartoon has become a very powerful force in influencing people in Europeand the United States.Unlike most American and European cartoons, however, many Chinese cartoon drawings in the pasthave also attempted to educate people, especially those who could not read and write. Such cartoons about thelives and sayings of great men in China have proved extremely useful in bringing education to illiterate andsemi-literate people throughout China. Confucius, Mencius and Laozi have all appeared in very interestingstories presented in the form of cartoons. The cartoons themselves have thus served to illustrate the teachingsof the Chinese sages in a very attractive way.In this sense, many Chinese cartoons are different from Western cartoons in so far as they do notdepend chiefly on telling jokes. Often, there is nothing to laugh at when you see Chinese cartoons.Thisis nottheir primary aim. In addition to commenting on serious political and social matters, Chinese cartoons haveaimed at spreading the traditional Chinese thoughts and culture as widely as possible among the people.Today, however, Chinese cartoons have an added part to play in spreading knowledge. They offer avery attractive and useful way of reaching people throughout the world, regardless of the particular country inwhich they live. Thus, through cartoons, the thoughts and teachings of the old Chinese philosophers and sagescan now reach people who live in such countries as Britain, France, America, Japan, Malaysia or Australiaand who are unfamiliar with the Chinese culture.Until recently, the transfer of knowledge and culture has been overwhelmingly from the West to theEast and not vice versa. By means of cartoons, however, publishing companies in Taiwan, Hong Kong andSingapore are now having success in correcting thisimbalancebetween the East and the West.Cartoons can overcome language barriers in all foreign countries. The vast increase in the popularity of thesecartoons serves to illustrate the truth of Confucius's famous saying "One picture is worth a thousand words."