000 TELEVISION SETS IN NORTH AMERICAN HOMES; ONE YEAR LATER THERE...

100,000 television sets in North American homes; one year later there were more than a million.

Today, it’s not unusual for a home to have three or more television sets, each with cable access to

perhaps over a hundred channels. News is the subject of many of those channels, and on several of

them it runs 24 hours a day.

What’s more, after the traumatic events of September 11, 2001, live newscasts were paired with

perennial text crawls across the bottom of the screen – so that viewers could stay abreast of every

story all the time.

Needless to say, the news that is reported to us is not good news, but rather disturbing images and

sound bytes alluding to disaster (natural and man-made), upheaval, crime, scandal, war, and the like.

Compounding the problem is that when actual breaking news is scarce, most broadcasts fill in with

scare stories about things that possibly might threaten our health, safety, finances, relationships,

waistline, hairline, or very existence in the future. This variety of story tends to treat with equal alarm

a potentially lethal flu outbreak and the bogus claims of a wrinkle cream that overpromises smooth

skin.

Are humans meant to be able to process so much trauma – not to mention so much overblown

anticipation of potential trauma – at once? The human brain, remember, is programmed to slip into

alarm mode when danger looms. Danger looms for someone, somewhere at every moment. Exposing

ourselves to such input without respite and without perspective cannot be anything other than a

source of chronic stress.

Question 71: According to the passage, which of the following has contributed to the intense nature of

twenty-first-century stress?

A. An overabundance of special news B. Our inability to control ourselves

C. The degree to which stress affects our life D. Our continual exposure to the media

Question 72: In the past, we had less news of distant people and lands because ______.

A. the printing press changed the situation too slowly

B. most people lived in distant towns and villages

C. printing, transportation, and telecommunications were not developed

D. means of communication and transportation were not yet invented

Question 73: The pronoun “them” in paragraph 3 refers to ______.

A. television sets B. cable access C. TV channels D. TV news

Question 74: The word “traumatic” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. exciting B. boring C. fascinating D. upsetting

Question 75: According to the passage, when there is not enough actual breaking news, broadcasts

______.

A. are full of dangerous diseases such as flu

B. send out live newscasts paired with text across the screen

C. send out frightening stories about potential dangers

D. are forced to publicise an alarming increase in crime

Question 76: As stated in the passage, a flu outbreak and the bogus claims of a wrinkle cream tend to

A. be treated with equal alarm B. be scarce breaking news

C. involve natural and man-made disasters D. be warmly welcomed by the public

Question 77: Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?

A. The only source of stress in our modern life is the media.

B. Many people are under stress caused by the media.

C. The news that is reported to us is not good news.

D. Many TV channels supply the public with breaking news.

Question 78: The word “slip” in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. fail B. bring C. fall D. release

Question 79: According to the passage, our continual exposure to bad news without perspective is

obviously ______.

A. a source of chronic stress

B. the result of human brain’s switch to alarm mode

C. a source of defects in human brain

D. the result of an overabundance of good news

Question 80: What is probably the best title for this passage?

A. More Modern Life – More Stress B. Effective Ways to Beat Stress

C. Developments in Telecommunications D. The Media – A Major Cause of Stress

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BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

ĐỀ THI TUYỂN SINH CAO ĐẲNG NĂM 2012

Môn: TIẾNG ANH; Khối A1 và Khối D1

Thời gian làm bài: 90 phút, không kể thời gian phát đề

(Đề thi có 07 trang)

Mã đề thi 532

...

ĐỀ THI GỒM 80 QUESTIONS (TỪ QUESTION 1 ĐẾN QUESTION 80)

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the

following questions.

Question 1: The police have begun an ______ into the accident which happened this afternoon.

A. investigating B. investigate C. investigatory D. investigation

Question 2: That cannot be a true story. He ______ it up.

A. must have made B. can have made C. would have made D. should have made

Question 3: Mary: “Do you mind if I sit here?”

Laura: “______”

A. Yes, why not? B. Don’t mention it. C. No, not at all. D. My pleasure.

Question 4: The teacher said that I would be able to speak English fluently ______ six months.

A. since B. in C. by D. till

Question 5: There is a good film ______ TV tonight. Will you watch it?

A. in B. on C. at D. from

Question 6: Parts of the mountain road have been washed ______ after the floods.

A. away B. out C. through D. off

Question 7: Susan, remember to apply this sun cream ______ two hours.

A. every B. several C. some D. each

Question 8: I hope you will ______ notice of what I am going to tell you.

A. gain B. get C. take D. keep

Question 9: How long ago ______ to learn French?

A. were you starting B. have you started C. would you start D. did you start

Question 10: Neither Tom nor his brothers ______ willing to help their mother with the housework.

A. is B. was C. are D. has been

Question 11: College students are becoming less dependent ______ their teachers.

A. on B. to C. of D. with

Question 12: No sooner ______ my car than the alarm went off.

A. touched the thief B. the thief touched

C. the thief had touched D. had the thief touched

Question 13: Nowadays, most students use ______ calculators in their studies and examinations.

A. electricity B. electronic C. electrical D. electric

Question 14: ______ he was tired, he still watched the final match on TV.

A. However B. Though C. Despite D. Because

Question 15: I’d rather you ______ to the English-speaking club with me this Sunday.

A. will come B. to come C. come D. came

Question 16: He gave ______ his job in order to go back to university.

A. away B. in C. up D. out

Question 17: Parts of the country are suffering water ______ after the unusually dry summer.

A. supply B. hunger C. thirst D. shortage

Question 18: Sarah: “Oh my God, I’ve missed my bus.”

Christ: “______. Another will come here in ten minutes.”

A. Don’t worry B. Thank you C. I hope so D. Don’t mention it

Question 19: She was ______ angry that she could not say a word.

A. so many B. such C. too much D. so

Question 20: Spain has won the championship, ______ is not surprising.

A. how B. that C. what D. which

Question 21: Instead of staying around the house all day, you should be out there looking ______ a job.

A. into B. after C. at D. for

Question 22: Jack: “What’s wrong with you?”

Jill: “______.”

A. Thank you very much B. I’m having a slight headache

C. No, I don’t care D. Yes, I was tired yesterday

Question 23: They are having their house ______ by a construction company.

A. being painted B. painting C. painted D. to paint

Question 24: This carpet really needs ______. Can you do it for me, son?

A. cleaned B. clean C. cleaning D. being cleaned

Question 25: My teacher reminded me ______ my essay carefully before handing it in.

A. to have checked B. checking C. checked D. to check

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the

correct answer to each of the questions from 26 to 35.

One of the factors contributing to the intense nature of twenty-first-century stress is our continual

exposure to media – particularly to an overabundance of news. If you feel stressed out by the news,

you are far from alone. Yet somehow many of us seem unable to prevent ourselves from tuning in to

an extreme degree.

The further back we go in human history, the longer news took to travel from place to place, and

the less news we had of distant people and lands altogether. The printing press obviously changed all

that, as did every subsequent development in transportation and telecommunication.

When television came along, it proliferated like a population of rabbits. In 1950, there were