UNIT 4.

SCHOOL EDUCATION SYSTEM

VOCABULARY: Choose the one word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best completes the sentences.
1. Mr. Bush did not appear fully aware ________the importance of this act.
a. to b. for c. of d. on
2. Does the quality of teaching depend ________ class size?
a. in b. on c. of d. up
3. A(n) ________school is a school that is not financed by local or national government.
a. state b. independent c. secondary d. primary
4. This course is one of the few English courses________by the college each month.
a. offered b. required c. achieved d. received
5. The GCE “A” Level is a ________for advanced students who are able to study at the university.
a. degree b. level c. certificate d. grade
6. Education in England is divided _________ primary, secondary, further and higher education.
a. in b. into c. up d. with
7. ______the end of the school year, students take an exam in each subject.
a. On b. To c. In d. At
8. Children are required to be in full-time education__________ the ages of 5 and 16.
a. at b. from c. between d. by
9. In Britain it is ____ for children to attend school between the ages of five and sixteen.
a. enforced b. compulsory c. obliged d. made
10. Applicants are evaluated on their qualifications and work experience.
a. learning b. studying c. academic d. educative
11. We acquire much of our world knowledge through ___________.
a. education b. graduation c. condition d. examination
12. English students usually ______ their GCSEs at the age of sixteen.
a. pass b. make c. take d. follow
13. By the age of twenty-five he had_________ his ambition of becoming a pianist.
a. reached b. completed c. obtained d. achieved
14. You can study a lot of interesting ___such as Design & Technology, Architecture, Psychology, Politics at this
university.
a. curriculums b. subjects c. schedules d. syllabuses
15. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into three______________.
a. terms b. semesters c. seminars d. systems
16. It would be to your advantage to prepare questions ___________ .
a. by chance b. on the whole c. in advance d. for short
17. English children don’t have to pay fees if they go to ______________ schools.
a. public b. independent c. state d. private
18. _______ allow some students from less affluent families to attend college.
a. Education b. Scholarships c. Methods d. Knowledge
19. In Britain, most pupils transfer from primary to _________ school at the age of 11.
a. middle b. secondary c. elementary d. upper
20. In Vietnam, teaching ________delivered in the public school system are very teacher-oriented.
a. behaviors b. systems c. methods d. stages
21. So many ________people applied for the position that we won’t be able to make a decision for several weeks.
a. well-qualified b. well-behaved c. well-known d. well-mannered
22. Any child has the right to an education _______ of sex, creed, race, or nationality.
a. despite b. because c. regardless d. providing
23. Foreign ______ institutions are increasingly open in Vietnam, especially in the fields of English language and business.
a. educative b. education c. educating d. educational
24. School boards are usually made _________ of people who live in the area, often parents of children in the school.
a. up b. of c. into d. over
GRAMMAR: Choose the best answer.
1. Rarely ______ attracted so much media attention.
a. a debate has b. a debate was c. has a debate d. was a debate
2. The world’s population ________ considerably since 1950.
a. is increasing b. increased c. has increased d. has been increased
3. Police _____ illegal drugs in a secret hiding place in the star’s home.
a. reported to have found b. are reported to have found c. are reported having found d. are reported they have found
4. As soon as the supplies arrive, they will________ to the starving people.
 a. distribute b. be distributing c. be distributed d. have distributed
5. When are you going to get the roof ___________? It leaks quite badly.
a. repair b. to repair c. repairing d. repaired
6. It’s a long time since London ________ in one of its infamous pea-souper fogs.
a. enveloped b. was enveloped c. has enveloped d. has been enveloped
7. Renoir is one of the most popular French impressionist painters. His paintings ________masterpieces all over the world.
a. consider b. are considering c. are considered d. had considered
8. Her parents were overjoyed that she ________alive.
a. has found b. has been found c. had been found d. had found
9. The number of people affected by the devastating earthquake _____________ with certainty.
a. have not yet determined b. has not yet determined c. have not yet been determined d. has not yet determined
10. Frozen food must be packed, _____and stored when the fruit is ripe.
a. be frozen b. must be frozen c. frozen d. it must be frozen
11. Roberta was the first person ________to speak at the! meeting.
a. asked b. to ask c. to be asked d. who asked
12. If the level of VAT ________this year, small business will be affected.
a. raises b. will raise c. raised d. is raised
13. There are believed ________over 300 species of trees in El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico.
a. to be b. being c. there are d. they are
14. The students________ off the land when they tried to camp there.
a. have warned b. warned c. were warned d. had warned
15. As soon as a base ________with an acid, salt, and sometimes water, is formed.
a. will react b. reacts c. is reacting d. is reacted
16. ______ through a prism, a beam of white light beaks into all the colors of the rainbow.
a. When shines b. It shines c. It is shone d. When shone
17. By tomorrow morning everything ________ up in time for the performance.
a. will be set b. will have been set c. have already been set d. had already been set
18. Whereas many people visit Internet site where products are sold, a great number of them still __________ to actually
make purchases online.
a. are hesitant b. is hesitating c. being hesitant d. is hesitated
19. Nowadays children would prefer history__________ in more practical ways.
a. be taught b. to be taught c. teach d. to teach
20. We were shocked to hear the news________ .
a. about your having fired b. of your having been fired c. that you to be fired d. you have been fired
21. Is there any chance to have the machinery _____________?
a. repair b. be repaired c. repairing d. repaired
22. As a result of inflation, the price of new cars________dramatically over the last few months.
a. rose b. is rising c. was risen d. has risen
WRITING: Choose the sentence - a, b, c or d - which is closest in meaning to the printed one.
1. It is said that two men were arrested after the explosion.
a. People said two men be arrested after the explosion. b. Two men are said to be arrested after the explosion.
c. Two men are said to have been arrested after the explosion. d. Two men were said to be arrested after the explosion
2. The court found the man innocent of murdering his wife.
a. The court found a murdered man and his wife. b. The court decided that the man had killed his wife.
c. The man was found murdered by his wife. d. The man was judged riot guilty of killing his wife.
3. The plane had only landed when the storm broke.
a. No sooner had the plane landed than the storm broke. b. The plane had to land because of the outbreak of the storm.
c. Only when the storm broke had the plane landed. d. The storm broke before the plane landed.
4. Don’t let her treat you like that.
a. She isn’t let treat you like that. b. You are riot let be treated by her like that.
c. Don’t allow you to be treated like that by her. d. Don’t let yourself be treated by her like that.
5. Only customers with coupons may use the service.
a. The service is available for coupons only. b. The service is restricted to customers in possession of coupons.
c. Only rich customers can use the service. d. Only customers with coupons are serviced here.
Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.
1. Education is a subject which many British people deeply care about it.
2. Most people believe that the state should provide education free in charge and to a high standard.
3. Recently, there has been a lot of debate about students have to pay their own fees at university.
4. Some people are afraid that poorer students will not be received enough financial help and will be discouraged from
going on to higher education.
5. A smaller percentage of British students go on to farther or higher education than in any other European country.
6. We have a lot of homework to do, many of which should have been done yesterday.
7. The human brain is often comparing to a computer, but such an analogy can be misleading.
8. Geothermal energy is energy to obtain by using heat from the Earth’s interior.
9. While most of the books in this pile have been classificated some are still in need of categorization.
10. The popularity of recreational vehicles has been grown over the last few decades.
READING
A. Choose the word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.
Many English people worry that the education system fails to make sure that all children reach minimum standards of (1)
________ ( reading and writing) and numeracy (number skills), and there are often demands for more (2)_________to be
paid to the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic). Standards at, individual schools are watched (3) ______by parents
and government Schools are visited regularly by OFSTED inspectors and schools (4)________pupils are not making
adequate progress or in which discipline is poor risk being closed (5) _____ School performance tables are (6) ____
annually to show how well students in individual schools have done in tests and exams. These ‘league tables’ (7) ________
parents to compare one school with another, but many people feel that it is unfair to base a comparison on exam results
alone.
Educational (8) ________ are often said to be falling. This usually happens after GCSE and A level results are announced:
if there are a lot of students with high (9)________people say that the exams are too easy. Others think that standards are
rising and that it is now (10) _________ harder to achieve good grades.
1. a. morality b. professional c. literacy d. living
2. a. attraction b. attention c. achievement d. education
3. a. closely b. hardly c. silently d. generally
4. a. their b. which c. whose d. those
5. a. down b. up c. by d. in
6. a. organized b. compiled c. revealed d. published
7. a. require b. enable c. offer d. force
8. a. schemes b. services c. standards d. stages
9. a. grades b. levels c. fees d. notes
10. a. so b. very c. quite d. much
Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer.
The entire education system in Vietnam is now facing several crises such as out-of-date course curricula, a lecturer-centered
method of teaching and learning, research activities separated from teaching activities, a big gap between theory and
practice that leads to a large number of graduates being unable to find a job, and the fact that degrees from Vietnamese
universities are not recognized worldwide. There is, therefore, a huge demand for quality educational services.
Teaching methods delivered in the public school system are very teacher- oriented. You will find that the students are quite
studious and very disciplined in the classroom. The more successful students are those who can absorb the given material
and transfer the knowledge to their notebooks as in class debate is not entirely welcome in every class. This is a sharp
contrast to western classroom settings where participation and challenging of materials has a greater focus.
Students are arranged by class number and do not move from classroom to classroom between classes. They also stay
together as a small group for their entire elementary, juniorhigh, or high-school levels in one location per grade. The
teachers are the ones who float from classroom to classroom making it difficult for the Vietnamese teacher to establish a
room of their own. This is where western students develops much needed social skills, whereas the Vietnamese students
develop a stronger group bond. The end result though, is the severe shyness in many Vietnamese when introduced to a new
group of people and the need to interact. It becomes even more apparent at the university level.
1. According to the passage, the difference between the theory and practice makes _____________.
a. an impact on teaching quality b. students feel embarrassed when leaving schools
c. it clear that degrees from Vietnamese universities are not recognized worldwide
d. it difficult for school-leavers to find employment
2. Which of the following is NOT true about teaching methods in the public school system in Vietnam?
a. They are teacher-oriented. b. They promote rote learning,
c. They encourage class discussions, d. They makes students study a lot.
Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.
The General Certificate of Secondary Education or the GCSE examinations for (1) _____ are the standard school-leaver
qualifications taken by (2) _____ all UK students in the May and June following their 16th birthday. If you come to a UK
(3) _____ school before you (4) _____ the age of 16, you will study towards GCSE examinations in up to 12 subjects.
Some subjects are compulsory, including English arid mathematics, and you can select (5) _____, such as music, drama,
geography and history from a series of options. GCSEs provide a good all-round education (6) _____ you can build on at
college and eventually at university.
AS- and A-levels are taken after GCSEs. They are the UK qualifications most (7) _____ accepted for entry to university
and are available in subjects from the humanities, arts, sciences and social sciences as well as in (8) _____ subjects such as
engineering, and leisure and tourism. You can study up to four subjects at (9) _____ same time for two years, (10) _____
AS-level examinations at the end of your first year (called the lower-sixth) and A-level qualifications at the end of your
second year (called the upper-sixth).
1. a. short b. long c. big d. long
2. a. similarly b. fortunately c. approximately d. virtually
3. a. dependence b. independence c. independent d. independently
4. a. reach b. come c. approach d. go
5. a. other b. each other c. another d. others
6. a. what b. that c. where d. whose
7. a. wide b. widely c. width d. widen
8. a. practical b. apprentice c. vocational d. physical
9. a. a b. an c. the d. Ø
10. a. holding b. choosing c. putting d. taking
Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.
The American education system requires that students complete 12 years of primary and secondary education prior to
attending university or college. This may be accomplished either at public or government-operated schools, or at private
schools. These 12 years of schooling or their equivalent may also be completed outside the USA, thus giving foreign
students the opportunity to pursue the benefits of the American education system and obtain a quality American education.
Perhaps one of the most impressive facts is that a large number of presidents, prime ministers and leaders from other
countries have experienced the American education system and graduated from a university or school in the USA. In many
fields and industries, the American education system offers the most cutting-edge, sought-after programs at the world's best
schools. That is why graduating from an accredited American school and being exposed to the rigors of the American
education system is an investment in your future.
Whether you want to study at a top USA university, a top USA college, a vocational or high school, a thorough
understanding of how the American education system works is essential. Without a clear grasp of the American education
system, an international student will find it difficult to make the right academic choices. It is no surprise that the American
education system and the American school system host more international students than any other country in the world!
1. The expression government-operated could best be replaced by _____.
a. independent b. state c. vocational d. boarding
2. According to the text, students in the USA _______.
a. are made to take primary and secondary education in the country
b. are not necessarily take primary and secondary education in the country
c. spend less than 12 years for primary and secondary education d. needn't take primary and secondary education
3. The writer _______ the US education. a. appreciates b. underestimates c. overstates d. dislikes
4. Which is true?
a. The US education is not good enough for foreign students. b. Foreign students are not offered opportunities in the US:
c. There are not many foreign students in the US. d. Many leaders all over the world have studied in the US.
5. What is the writer's advice?
a. International students should not invest their future education in the US.
b. International students should not study at a top USA university, a top USA college, a vocational or high school.
c. Without a clear grasp of the American education system, an international student can make the right academic choices
d. International students should have a thorough understanding of how the American education system works before going there to
study.

UNIT 4
PRONUNCIATION: Choose the word that has the underlined part pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. a. student b. education c. tuition d. curriculum
2. a. certificate b. state c. break d. grade
3. a. primary b. divide c. examine d. science
4. a. compulsory b. certificate c. secondary d. category
5. a. technology b. chemistry c. children d. school
STRESS: Choose the word that has the main stress placed differently from that of the others.
1. a. government b. selective c. January d. primary
2. a. education b. compulsory c. technology d. intelligent
3. a. essential b. average c. promotion d. deliver
4. a. require b. select c. follow d. divide
5. a. academic b. advanced c. achievement d. aggressive
6. a. education b. compulsory c. academic d. independent
7. a. secondary b. primary c. category d. certificate
8. a. Algebra b. History c. Statistics d. Chemistry
9. a. Geography b. university c. technology d. methodical
10. a. general b. separate c. educate d. October
VOCABULARY: Choose the one word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best completes the sentences.
1. Mr. Bush did not appear fully aware ________the importance of this act.
a. to b. for c. of d. on
2. Does the quality of teaching depend ________ class size?
a. in b. on c. of d. up
3. A(n) ________school is a school that is not financed by local or national government.
a. state b. independent c. secondary d. primary
4. This course is one of the few English courses________by the college each month.
a. offered b. required c. achieved d. received
5. The GCE “A” Level is a ________for advanced students who are able to study at the university.
a. degree b. level c. certificate d. grade
6. Education in England is divided _________ primary, secondary, further and higher education.
a. in b. into c. up d. with
7. ______the end of the school year, students take an exam in each subject.
a. On b. To c. In d. At
8. Children are required to be in full-time education__________ the ages of 5 and 16.
a. at b. from c. between d. by
9. In Britain it is ____ for children to attend school between the ages of five and sixteen.
a. enforced b. compulsory c. obliged d. made
10. Applicants are evaluated on their __________qualifications and work experience.
a. learning b. studying c. academic d. educative
11. We acquire much of our world knowledge through ___________.
a. education b. graduation c. condition d. examination
12. English students usually ______ their GCSEs at the age of sixteen.
a. pass b. make c. take d. follow
13. By the age of twenty-five he had_________ his ambition of becoming a pianist.
a. reached b. completed c. obtained d. achieved
14. You can study a lot of interesting __________such as Design & Technology, Architecture, Psychology, Politics at this
university.
a. curriculums b. subjects c. schedules d. syllabuses
15. The academic year in England runs from September to July and is divided into three_________.
a. terms b. semesters c. seminars d. systems
16. It would be to your advantage to prepare questions ___________ .
a. by chance b. on the whole c. in advance d. for short
17. English children don’t have to pay fees if they go to __________ schools.
a. public b. independent c. state d. private
18. _______ allow some students from less affluent families to attend college.
a. Education b. Scholarships c. Methods d. Knowledge
19. In Britain, most pupils transfer from primary to _________ school at the age of 11.
a. middle b. secondary c. elementary d. upper
20. In Vietnam, teaching ________delivered in the public school system are very teacher-oriented.
a. behaviors b. systems c. methods d. stages
21. So many ________people applied for the position that we won’t be able to make a decision for several weeks.
a. well-qualified b. well-behaved c. well-known d. well-mannered
22. Any child has the right to an education _______ of sex, creed, race, or nationality.
a. despite b. because c. regardless d. providing
23. Foreign ______ institutions are increasingly open in Vietnam, especially in the fields of English language and business.
a. educative b. education c. educating d. educational
24. School boards are usually made _________ of people who live in the area, often parents of children in the school.
a. up b. of c. into d. over

GRAMMAR: Choose the best answer.

1. Rarely ______ attracted so much media attention.
a. a debate has b. a debate was c. has a debate d. was a debate
2. The world’s population ________ considerably since 1950.
a. is increasing b. increased c. has increased d. has been increased
3. Police _____ illegal drugs in a secret hiding place in the star’s home.
 a. reported to have found b. are reported to have found c. are reported having found d. are reported they have found
4. As soon as the supplies arrive, they will________ to the starving people.
a. distribute b. be distributing c. be distributed d. have distributed
5. When are you going to get the roof _________? It leaks quite badly.
a. repair b. to repair c. repairing d. repaired
6. It’s a long time since London ________ in one of its infamous pea-souper fogs.
a. enveloped b. was enveloped c. has enveloped d. has been enveloped
7. Renoir is one of the most popular French impressionist painters. His paintings ________masterpieces all over the world.
a. consider b. are considering c. are considered d. had considered
8. Her parents were overjoyed that she ________alive.
a. has found b. has been found c. had been found d. had found
9. The number of people affected by the devastating earthquake _____________ with certainty.
a. have not yet determined b. has not yet determined c. have not yet been determined d. has not yet determined
10. Frozen food must be packed, _____and stored when the fruit is ripe.
a. be frozen b. must be frozen c. frozen d. it must be frozen
11. Roberta was thefirst person ________to speak at the! meeting.
a. asked b. to ask c. to be asked d. who asked
12. If the level of VAT ________this year, small business will be affected.
a. raises b. will raise c. raised d. is raised
13. There are believed ________over 300 species of trees in El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico.
a. to be b. being c. there are d. they are
14. The students________ off the land when they tried to camp there.
a. have warned b. warned c. were warned d. had warned
15. As soon as a base ________with an acid, salt, and sometimes water, is formed.
a. will react b. reacts c. is reacting d. is reacted
16. ______ through a prism, a beam of white light beaks into all the colors of the rainbow.
a. When shines b. It shines c. It is shone d. When shone
17. By tomorrow morning everything ________ up in time for the performance.
a. will be set b. will have been set c. have already been set d. had already been set
18. Whereas many people visit Internet site where products are sold, a great number of them still __________ to actually
make purchases online.
a. are hesitant b. is hesitating c. being hesitant d. is hesitated
19. Nowadays children would prefer history__________ in more practical ways.
a. be taught b. to be taught c. teach d. to teach
20. We were shocked to hear the news________ .
a. about your having fired b. of your having been fired c. that you to be fired d. you have been fired
21. Is there any chance to have the machinery _____________?
a. repair b. be repaired c. repairing d. repaired
22. As a result of inflation, the price of new cars________dramatically over the last few months.
a. rose b. is rising c. was risen d. has risen
WRITING: Choose the sentence - a, b, c or d - which is closest in meaning to the printed one.
1. It is said that two men were arrested after the explosion.
a. People said two men be arrested after the explosion. b. Two men are said to be arrested after the explosion.
c. Two men are said to have been arrested after the explosion. d. Two men were said to be arrested after the explosion

2. The court found the man innocent of murdering his wife.

a. The court found a murdered man and his wife. b. The court decided that the man had killed his wife.
c. The man was found murdered by his wife. d. The man was judged riot guilty of killing his wife.
3. The plane had only landed when the storm broke.
a. No sooner had the plane landed than the storm broke. b. The plane had to land because of the outbreak of the storm.
c. Only when the storm broke had the plane landed. d. The storm broke before the plane landed.
4. Don’t let her treat you like that.
a. She isn’t let treat you like that. b. You are riot let be treated by her like that.
c. Don’t allow you to be treated like that by her. d. Don’t let yourself be treated by her like that.
5. Only customers with coupons may use the service.
a. The service is available for coupons only. b. The service is restricted to customers in possession of coupons.
c. Only rich customers can use the service. d. Only customers with coupons are serviced here.
Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed for the sentence to be correct.
1. Education is a subject which many British people deeply care about it.
2. Most people believe that the state should provide education free in charge and to a high standard.
3. Recently, there has been a lot of debate about students have to pay their own fees at university.
4. Some people are afraid that poorer students will not be received enough financial help and will be discouraged from
going on to higher education.
5. A smaller percentage of British students go on to farther or higher education than in any other European country.
6. We have a lot of homework to do, many of which should have been done yesterday.
7. The human brain is often comparing to a computer, but such an analogy can be misleading.
8. Geothermal energy is energy to obtain by using heat from the Earth’s interior.
9. While most of the books in this pile have been classificated some are still in need of categorization.
10. The popularity of recreational vehicles has been grown over the last few decades.
READING
A. Choose the word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.
Many English people worry that the education system fails to make sure that all children reach minimum standards of (1)
________ ( reading and writing) and numeracy (number skills), and there are often demands for more (2)_________to be
paid to the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic). Standards at, individual schools are watched (3) ______by parents
and government Schools are visited regularly by OFSTED inspectors and schools (4)________pupils are not making
adequate progress or in which discipline is poor risk being closed (5) _____ School performance tables are (6) ____
annually to show how well students in individual schools have done in tests and exams. These ‘league tables’ (7) ________
parents to compare one school with another, but many people feel that it is unfair to base a comparison on exam results
alone.
Educational (8) ________ are often said to be falling. This usually happens after GCSE and A level results are announced:
if there are a lot of students with high (9)________people say that the exams are too easy. Others think that standards are
rising and that it is now (10) _________ harder to achieve good grades.
1. a. morality b. professional c. literacy d. living
2. a. attraction b. attention c. achievement d. education
3. a. closely b. hardly c. silently d. generally
4. a. their b. which c. whose d. those
5. a. down b. up c. by d. in
6. a. organized b. compiled c. revealed d. published
7. a. require b. enable c. offer d. force
8. a. schemes b. services c. standards d. stages
9. a. grades b. levels c. fees d. notes
10. a. so b. very c. quite d. much
Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer.
The entire education system in Vietnam is now facing several crises such as out-of-date course curricula, a lecturer-centered
method of teaching and learning, research activities separated from teaching activities, a big gap between theory and
practice that leads to a large number of graduates being unable to find a job, and the fact that degrees from Vietnamese
universities are not recognized worldwide. There is, therefore, a huge demand for quality educational services.
Teaching methods delivered in the public school system are very teacher- oriented. You will find that the students are quite
studious and very disciplined in the classroom. The more successful students are those who can absorb the given material
and transfer the knowledge to their notebooks as in class debate is not entirely welcome in every class. This is a sharp
contrast to western classroom settings where participation and challenging of materials has a greater focus.
Students are arranged by class number and do not move from classroom to classroom between classes. They also stay
together as a small group for their entire elementary, juniorhigh, or high-school levels in one location per grade. The
teachers are the ones who float from classroom to classroom making it difficult for the Vietnamese teacher to establish a
room of their own. This is where western students develops much needed social skills, whereas the Vietnamese students
develop a stronger group bond. The end result though, is the severe shyness in many Vietnamese when introduced to a new
group of people and the need to interact. It becomes even more apparent at the university level.
1. According to the passage, the difference between the theory and practice makes _____________.
a. an impact on teaching quality b. students feel embarrassed when leaving schools
c. it clear that degrees from Vietnamese universities are not recognized worldwide
d. it difficult for school-leavers to find employment
2. Which of the following is NOT true about teaching methods in the public school system in Vietnam?
a. They are teacher-oriented. b. They promote rote learning,
c. They encourage class discussions, d. They makes students study a lot.
Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.
The General Certificate of Secondary Education or the GCSE examinations for (1) _____ are the standard school-leaver
qualifications taken by (2) _____ all UK students in the May and June following their 16th birthday. If you come to a UK
(3) _____ school before you (4) _____ the age of 16, you will study towards GCSE examinations in up to 12 subjects.
Some subjects are compulsory, including English arid mathematics, and you can select (5) _____, such as music, drama,
geography and history from a series of options. GCSEs provide a good all-round education (6) _____ you can build on at
college and eventually at university.
AS- and A-levels are taken after GCSEs. They are the UK qualifications most (7) _____ accepted for entry to university
and are available in subjects from the humanities, arts, sciences and social sciences as well as in (8) _____ subjects such as
engineering, and leisure and tourism. You can study up to four subjects at (9) _____ same time for two years, (10) _____
AS-level examinations at the end of your first year (called the lower-sixth) and A-level qualifications at the end of your
second year (called the upper-sixth).
1. a. short b. long c. big d. long
2. a. similarly b. fortunately c. approximately d. virtually
3. a. dependence b. independence c. independent d. independently
4. a. reach b. come c. approach d. go
5. a. other b. each other c. another d. others
6. a. what b. that c. where d. whose
7. a. wide b. widely c. width d. widen
8. a. practical b. apprentice c. vocational d. physical
9. a. a b. an c. the d. Ø
10. a. holding b. choosing c. putting d. taking
Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.
The American education system requires that students complete 12 years of primary and secondary education prior to
attending university or college. This may be accomplished either at public or government-operated schools, or at private
schools. These 12 years of schooling or their equivalent may also be completed outside the USA, thus giving foreign
students the opportunity to pursue the benefits of the American education system and obtain a quality American education.
Perhaps one of the most impressive facts is that a large number of presidents, prime ministers and leaders from other
countries have experienced the American education system and graduated from a university or school in the USA. In many
fields and industries, the American education system offers the most cutting-edge, sought-after programs at the world's best
schools. That is why graduating from an accredited American school and being exposed to the rigors of the American
education system is an investment in your future.
Whether you want to study at a top USA university, a top USA college, a vocational or high school, a thorough
understanding of how the American education system works is essential. Without a clear grasp of the American education
system, an international student will find it difficult to make the right academic choices. It is no surprise that the American
education system and the American school system host more international students than any other country in the world!
1. The expression government-operated could best be replaced by _____.
a. independent b. state c. vocational d. boarding
2. According to the text, students in the USA _______.
a. are made to take primary and secondary education in the country
b. are not necessarily take primary and secondary education in the country
c. spend less than 12 years for primary and secondary education d. needn't take primary and secondary education
3. The writer _______ the US education. a. appreciates b. underestimates c. overstates d. dislikes
4. Which is true?
a. The US education is not good enough for foreign students. b. Foreign students are not offered opportunities in the US:
c. There are not many foreign students in the US. d. Many leaders all over the world have studied in the US.
5. What is the writer's advice?
a. International students should not invest their future education in the US.
b. International students should not study at a top USA university, a top USA college, a vocational or high school.
c. Without a clear grasp of the American education system, an international student can make the right academic choices
d. International students should have a thorough understanding of how the American education system works before going
there to study.