Ielts.lesson on VIC

7/30/2019 Ielts.lesson on VIC

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ieltslesson-on-vic 1/37

“A few months after the accidental death of their daughter, a grief -stricken Mark and Mary Hughes,

together with their son, escape the distractions of upper-class city life for their tranquil country cottage

in the hope of bringing the broken family closer together. The unhappy couple, tortured by the

unbearable tragedy, is on the brink of separation; this trip is a last-ditch attempt to save their

relationship.Far from the world in an isolated idyll, surrounded by memories of happier times, their

seclusion is soon interrupted when the awkward, poverty-stricken Sakowski family shows up at their

doorstep. What transpires is a tense and terrifying ordeal that sees the rural home transformed from a

peaceful sanctuary into a theater of insanity, human puppetry and murder, as the Sakowskis unravel to

reveal their true intention – to steal the Hughes’ identities. Their lives already in tatters, Mark and Mary

are forced to face the past, confront the present, and fight for their future.Fueled by one man’s desi re for

the ‘perfect’ life, IN THEIR SKIN is a twisted tale of two fractured families and the lengths they will go to

for the ones they love and the lives they long for. This is a brutal but carefully crafted statement on social

inequality and the danger of obsession. Unnerving from the start and horrifying long after the credits

roll, this psychological thriller tears its characters apart and asks: What would you do to be perfect?”

1/ grief-stricken/ poverty-stricken: bị ảnh hưởng/ tác động nặng n ề bởi n ỗi đau/ nghèo đói

2/ escape the distractions of sth/sb: thoát khỏi sự phi ền nhi ễu/ qu ấ y r ầy của…

3/ upper-class: t ầng lớp thượng lưu upper-class city life: cuộc s ống thượng lưu ở thành ph ố

4/ tranquil: yên bình tranquil country cottage: ngôi nhà đồng quê yên bình

5/ in the hope of

6/ bring people closer together: mang mọi người xích lại g ần nhau (ở đây people là broken home nè)

7/ tortured by: bị tra t ấ n bởi. torture không chỉ là tra t ấ n v ề mặt th ể xác mà còn cả v ề mặt tinh th ần nhé

^^

8/ unbearable tragedy: n ỗi b ấ t hạnh/ t ấ n bi kịch không th ể chịu n ổi

9/ on the brink of sth: bên bờ vực của…

On the brink of separation: bên bờ vực của sự đổ vỡ



On the brink of extinction: bên bờ vực của sự tuyệt chủng

10/ last-ditch attempt: n ỗ lực cu ối cùng nhau những th ấ t bại liên ti ế p

11/ save the relationship: cứu vãn m ối quan hệ

12/ isolated idyll: cảnh điền viên cách biệt

13/ memories of happy times: thay vì nói happy memories ̂ ^, kí ức của những tháng ngày tươi đẹp

14/ seclusion: synonym của isolation, tránh được lặp từ nè ^^

15/ at doorstep : ở ngưỡng cửa. Ở đây tớ mu ốn nh ắc đến “on the doorstep of” cơ (nế u bạn nào tra Dict

sẽ th ấy): trước ngưỡng cửa… Ex. On the doorstep of adolesence

16/ transform from a peaceful sanctuary into a theatre of insanity: bi ế n một ch ốn th ần thánh yên bình

thành một rạp hát điên cuồng (di ễn đạt hay nhờ ^^)

17/ steal one’s identity: đánh cắp bản s ắc

18/ (IDM) in tatters: bị phá hủy và ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng

19/ face the past, confront the present, and fight for their future: đối mặt với quá khứ, đương đầu với

thực tại, đấu tranh cho tương lai

20/ fueled by one’s desire: được châm ngòi, được b ắt đầu b ằng khát vọng của ai đó

21/ twisted tale of: câu chuyện g ắn chặt giữa…

22/ fractured family: gia đình rạn nứt

23/ the lengths they can go to for sth: n ế u bạn nào đã biết IDM “go to any lengths” sẽ th ấ y câu này d ễ

hi ểu thôi. Nghĩa là những gì họ có th ể làm vì (điều gì đó)

24/ carefully crafted statement

25/ danger of obsession: sự nguy hi ểm của n ỗi ám ảnh.

Scientific Outlook on Development becomes CPC’s theoretical guidance

Đây là bài viế t v ề chính tr ị .Các bạn mu ốn đọc thì t ố t nh ất nên dùng ultrasurf để đọc tham khảo. Bài vi ế t

khá hay, cho cái nhìn đánh giá về Trung Qu ố c hi ện nay. Dưới đây là link bài viế t và các note l ại t ừ bài vi ế t.

http://english.gov.cn/2012-11/08/content_2260212.htm

1. adhere to sth: g ắn chặt, g ắn li ền với (ở đây là adhere to theoretical guidance)

2. advance to the world’s second-largest economy from the sixth place in the world :

c ấ u trúc này r ất hay để sử dụng trong Writing task 1 khi nói v ề sự thay đổi v ề thứ

hạng

3. productive forces and economic, scientific and technological strength: lực lượng sản

xu ấ t, n ền kinh t ế , khoa học và th ế mạnh công nghệ (những y ế u t ố c ấ u thành nên

well-being of economy nè)

4. international competitiveness and influence: sức cạnh tranh và sự ảnh hưởng qu ốc

t ế (vì ở đây có từ its phía trước nên dịch th ế này có vẻ hợp lí hơn)

5. be attributable to the correct guidance of the Party’s basic theory: là nhờ có sự định

hướng đúng đắn trong cương lĩnh của Đảng (sặc mùi tri ế t học nhé)

6. come up with: invent

7. excessive consumption of resources, serious environmental pollution and a widening

gap between the rich and poor : tiêu thụ quá mức ngu ồn tài nguyên, ô nhi ễm môi






trường nghiêm trọng và khoảng cách giàu nghèo ngày càng nới rộng (các v ấn đề cơ

bản của một n ền kinh t ế trên đà phát triển đó)

8. comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development: sự phát tri ển toàn diện,

hợp tác và b ền vững

9. the reality of contemporary VN: thực trạng của VN hiện nay (thực ra khi vi ế t thì thay

China b ằng world cũng được mà )

10. the crystallization of the collective wisdom of A and a “powerful theoretical weapon”: sự k ế t tinh của

trí tuệ tập th ể và công cụ/vũ khí lí thuyế t hùng mạnh (để cả cụm cho

mọi người d ễ hình dung ra cách dùng thôi nha)

11. there is still much room for improvement: còn r ấ t nhi ều thứ c ần cải thiện

12. there are a lot of difficulties and problems on our road ahead: còn nhi ều khó khăn và

gian kh ổ phía trước (dùng để vi ế t CV thì chu ẩn quá r ồi)

13. uphold and develop socialism with Vietnamese characteristics: duy trì và phát tri ển chủ

nghĩa xã hội mang bản s ắc Việt Nam

14. free up the mind: giải phóng đầu óc, tư tưởng

15. keep up with the times: theo k ịp thời đại

16. respond to the call of the times: đáp ứng với ti ế ng gọi của thời cuộc

17. follow the aspirations of people: nghe theo những khát vọng của con người

18. the driving force for development to open a bright future for: động lực của sự phát

tri ển là để mở ra một tương lai tương sáng cho…

19. win-win relation: m ối quan hệ mang lại lợi ích cho cả hai bên

News 15: Topic Economics

Tu Quynh November 12, 2012

“Japanese companies invest in Vietnam” (Financial Times)

Mình note lại 1 vài thông tin hữu ích, cả nhà có th ể học hỏi thêm cả c ấ u trúc câu của họ nữa:

“Japanese companies like the political stability of one-party, Communist-ruled Vietnam, which comes

free of the historical animosity and present-day rivalry that looms over China- Japan relations.”

“Wages and social tensions are also rising in Vietnam, which suffered a record number of labour strikes

last year, as average annual inflation exceeded 18 per cent, the highest rate in Asia.”

“Japan is one of Vietnam’s largest aid donors and political and security ties between the two countries

are growing as both look anxiously over their shoulder at an ever more assertive China.”

“Japan provided Vietnam with Y100bn of official development assistance in 2010, about a third of the

total it provided to the whole of south-east Asia. “

http://ieltsvietnam.net/news-15-topic-economics/


http://ieltsvietnam.net/author/tuquynh/




http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3056c896-521c-11e1-a155-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2BezLHyLx





http://ieltsvietnam.net/author/tuquynh/




“While there are many opportunities, conditions in Vietnam are far from ideal for foreign investors. In

addition to wi despread corruption, red tape and high inflation, the country’s infrastructure is still

underdeveloped.”

Cả nhà click vào đây để đọc bài đầy đủ nhé: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3056c896-521c-11e1-

a155-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2BezLHyLx

New words (và 1 s ố từ không mới nhưng nhắc lại)

1. Macroeconomic instability: Sự không ổn định của kinh t ế vĩ mô

2. State-controlled institutions: Cơ quan nhà nước

3. Export-focused manufacturers: Nhà sản xu ấ t tập trung vào xu ấ t kh ẩu

4. Fastest-expanding middle classes: Những t ầng lớp trung lưu mở rộng nhanh chóng

5. Political stability: sự ổn định chính trị

6. Historical animosity: M ối thù lịch sử

8. Annual inflation: Lạm phát h ằng năm

Tú Quỳnh

Japanese companies invest in Vietnam

By Ben Bland in Hanoi

Japanese companies are flocking to Vietnam in record numbers seeking cheap labour and growth

markets and business is booming for the Hanoi branch of Izakaya Yancha, a Japanese restaurant chain.

“Many Japanese men in their 40s like to hang out here with their Vietnamese girlfriends after going to

karaoke,” says Shinya Nakao, the restaurant’s manager. “We expect more Japanese companies to move

to Vietnam, so we’re planning to open a second branch this year and maybe some more after that.”

It may be bad news for these executives’ wives and children, who are increasingly being left at home as

companies cut back once-generous expatriate packages. But the rising tide of Japanese investment is

welcome in Vietnam, where several years of macroeconomic instability have dented confidence among

investors.

A record 208 Japanese companies set up in Vietnam last year, pledging to invest just over $1.8bn,

according to Jetro, the Japanese trade promotion body. In 2010, 114 Japanese companies came to

Vietnam, vowing to invest $2bn.

While Japan still ranks behind Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore in terms of registered foreign

investment capital in Vietnam, Japan is leading the way in terms of implemented investments, saysHirokazu Yamaoka, Jetro’s chief representative in Vietnam.

The latest wave of investment, which has been propelled by the strong yen, is part of a broad push into

emerging markets backed by the Japanese government, which is concerned about low growth and an

ageing population at home.









Tony Foster, managing partner of the Vietnam office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the law firm,

says Japanese companies have been “jolted into action” since the earthquake that struck the east of the

country in March.

“Japanese companies are realising that they’re not going to survive just in Japan,” says Mr Foster, who

advised Mizuho, the banking group, last year on its $567m acquisition of a 15 per cent stake inVietcombank, one of Vietnam’s biggest state-controlled institutions. “The Japanese government is also

supporting diversification into Vietnam for geopolitical reasons.”

Export-focused manufacturers such Bridgestone, the world’s biggest tyre maker, and Panasonic, the

electronics group, are setting up factories in Vietnam to take advantage of cheap wages. Unskilled

workers in Vietnam are typically paid a half to a third of the $300 a month their counterparts might

receive in the manufacturing clusters of southern China.

Companies such as Sapporo, the brewer, Mizuho, and Unicharm, which makes female hygiene products,

are attracted by rapid domestic growth in Vietnam, which has one of the fastest-expanding middle

classes in Asia, according to the Asian Development Bank.

“Until recently, many Japanese manufacturers were looking to China, but it is more and more difficult

because the currency is strong and wage costs are rising rapidly,” says Mr Yamaoka. “There are also

political issues between Japan and China.”

A senior executive from a Japanese trading house with a presence in Vietnam says Japanese companies

like the political stability of one-party, Communist-ruled Vietnam, which comes free of the historical

animosity and present-day rivalry that looms over China-Japan relations.

However, wages and social tensions are also rising in Vietnam, which suffered a record number of

labour strikes last year, as average annual inflation exceeded 18 per cent, the highest rate in Asia.

But companies such as Tamron, which makes lenses for the world’s leading camera brands, are not

deterred by this economic instability.

“Vietnam is very friendly for Japanese investors and the wage levels are acceptable,” says Shoji Kono, a

corporate vice-president at Tamron, which plans to build a Y1bn ($13m) factory near Hanoi that will

eventually employ 2,000 people.

Tamron set up its first overseas factory in Foshan, in the industrial heartland of China’s Pearl River Delta.

It is one of many global manufacturers, not just Japanese, that want to diversify their production away

from China to cut costs and reduce their dependence on one manufacturing base – a risk exposed lastyear by the floods in central Thailand and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Western diplomats say Japanese companies investing in Vietnam benefit from high-level political

backing. Japan is one of Vietnam’s largest aid donors and political and security ties between the two

countries are growing as both look anxiously over their shoulder at an ever more assertive China.



Japan provided Vietnam with Y100bn of official development assistance in 2010, about a third of the

total it provided to the whole of south-east Asia. Much of Japan’s aid is focused on infrastructure and

Tokyo is not shy about directing its cash toward projects that directly benefit Japanese companies, such

as the large, new Lach Huyen port in Haiphong, northern Vietnam.

While there are many opportunities, conditions in Vietnam are far from ideal for foreign investors. Inaddition to widespread corruption, red tape and high inflation, the country’s infrastructure is still

underdeveloped.

Tamron, along with many manufacturers, will be installing generators to protect against possible power

cuts. But, says the executive from the Japanese trading house, Japanese companies – and their

shareholders and boards – are more willing than their western counterparts to adapt to tough

conditions in developing countries and play the long game.

“Japanese companies have a more long-term view,” he says. “We accept the situation, consider the best

way forward, and don’t complain to anybody.”

News 16 : Topic Business

Duc Thang Bui November 12, 2012

China’s domestic consumption

Trung Qu ốc hiện đang giữ vị trí n ền kinh t ế phát tri ển thứ 2 th ế giới. Người dân Trung Qu ốc ngày càng

trở nên giàu có, cùng với đó, họ cũng chi tiêu nhi ều hơn. Nhưng liệu việc chi tiêu này có ti ế p tục tăng

trưởng và góp ph ần thúc đẩy sự phát tri ển của n ền kinh t ế đất nước Vạn Lý Trường Thành nói riêng và

của n ền kinh t ế th ế giới nói chung không?

Mời các bạn đọc bài vi ế t sau:

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/12/business/china-consumer-economy/index.html?hpt=ibu_c1

http://ieltsvietnam.net/news-16-topic-business/


http://ieltsvietnam.net/author/ducthangbui/






http://ieltsvietnam.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/1324203455914.png







Sau đây là một s ố notes nên lưu ý:

1- Spend money on sth: Để dành ti ền vào việc gì

2- Steer the economy on a new path: Lái n ền kinh t ế đi theo con đường mới

3- The Communist Party: Đảng Cộng Sản

4- Makes up: Chi ế m (tỷ lệ)

5- By comparison: Khi so sánh

6- A net worth of $1 million or more: Giá tr ị tài sản thực là 1 triệu USD trở lên

7- Rest with China’s growing middle class: Phụ thuộc vào t ầng lớp trung lưu đang tăng của Q

8- Middle-class incomes: Thu nhập thuộc hàng trung lưu

9- A blue collar worker: T ầng lớp lao động

10- Be proud of sth/Ving: Tự hào v ề cái gì/làm gì

11- An eye-popping opportunity: Một cơ hội đáng kể

12- Set an ambitious target for sth: Đặt ra mục tiêu tham vọng cho cái gì

13- Capita income: Thu nhập đầu người

14- Rural and urban dwellers: Người dân nông thôn và thành thị

15- To address the rising wealth disparity: Giải quy ế t sự chênh lệch giàu nghèo đang gia tăng

16- Domestic consumption: Tiêu dùng nội địa

17- Retail sales: Bán lẻ

By Ruby – Bamboo

Topic: Health – Boredom

Duc Thang Bui October 18, 2012

Dạo này trên Fanpage củaVIC có nhi ều bạn kêu nản với chuyện học IELTS nói riêng và ti ế ng Anh nói

chung. Thực sự thì ai cũng trải qua giai đoạn bu ồn chán đó, các bạn hãy c ố g ắng keep moving, tin tưởng

vào lựa chọn của mình, r ồi các bạn cũng sẽ thu được quả ngọt. Chúc các bạn sớm h ết chán và tràn đầy

lửa.

Trong cuộc s ống, chúng ta không th ể tránh khỏi những lúc th ấ y bu ồn chán. Vậy bu ồn chán có t ốt cho

sức khỏe của chúng ta không? Mời các bạn đọc bài vi ết sau “Is bordem bad for your health” – trích từ

The Guardian.

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-10-health-boredom/








https://www.facebook.com/VietnameseIELTSCommunity





http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/14/boredom-is-bad-for-health










P/S: Trong article này, mình ấn tượng nh ấ t với câu cu ối: “Boredom is like quicksand: the more we thrash

around, the quicker we will sink.”

Bài vi ết được đóng góp bởi một thành viên VIC. R ất cám ơn bạn. Và chúc bạn không bu ồn chán.

Is boredom bad for your health?

Everyone feels bored now and again, but can it actually have harmful effects?

What were you doing before you started reading this? Were you fully focused on another article? Or

doing the crossword? Eating breakfast? Organising your day? Or were you staring out of the window,

feeling restless and bored?

It is more likely to have been the latter. Fleeting moments of boredom are universal, and are often what

drives us to stop what we are doing and shift to something that we hope will be more stimulating.

But although boredom is common, it is neither trivial nor benign, according to Dr John Eastwood,

a psychologist at York University, Toronto. Eastwood is the joint author of The Unengaged Mind, a major

new paper on the theory of boredom.

Boredom, he points out, has been associated with increased drug and alcohol abuse, overeating,

depression and anxiety, and an increased risk of making mistakes. Mistakes at work might not be a

matter of life and death for most of us, but if you are an air traffic controller, pilot or nuclear

power plant operator, they most certainly can be.

Commercial pilot Sami Franks (not his real name) confirms that boredom can make pilots lose attention.

“When you fly long haul, there are two pilots, one of whom is monitoring all the screens while the other

does the paperwork, talks to air traffic control and so on. You need to be alert for landing and takeoff,

but once you’re 500ft above the runway, the plane’s on autopilot and it can be very quiet and boring.

“In a study I saw of co-pilots who woke up after a nap, 30% reported seeing the other pilot asleep too,”

adds Franks, in a comment that will not play well with nervous flyers.

The stakes are not usually so high, but boredom can be protracted, heavy and associated with an

unpleasant sensation, according to Eastwood. And despite having attracted the attention of

philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists and educationalists, there is no precise definition of

boredom and no consensus as to how we counter it. The report says boredom is most

often conceptualised as “the aversive experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying

activity.”

“All instances of boredom involve a failure of attention,” says Eastwood. “And attention is what you are

using now to blot out the plethora of stimuli around you while you focus awareness on a given topic.”

There are three functions involved in attention. We have to be suitably aroused, so as not to fall asleep

on the job. Then we have an orienting system that can cut in so that if you cross the road, deep in

thought, you will still respond to a flickering light on the edge of your visual field that heralds a fast-



approaching car. And the third type of attention is an executive system that oversees our mental

activities, so we can consciously stay engaged even if the task is not very interesting. Boredom results

when any of these functions breaks down.

Dr Esther Priyadharshini, a senior lecturer in education at the University of East Anglia, has studied

boredom and says it can be seen in a positive light. “We can’t avoid boredom – it’s an inevitable humanemotion. We have to accept it as legitimate and find ways it can be harnessed. We all need downtime,

away from the constant bombardment of stimulation. There’s no need to be in a frenzy of activity at all

times,” she says.

Children who complain that they have nothing to do on rainy half-term breaks may find other things to

focus on if left to their own devices. The artist Grayson Perry has reportedly spoken of how long periods

of boredom in childhood may have enhanced his creativity. “We all need vacant time to mull things

over,” says Priyadharshini.

But if boredom can enhance our creativity and be a signal for change, why is it such a corrosive problem

for some individuals?

People who have suffered extreme trauma are more likely to report boredom than those who have had

a less eventful time. The theory is that they shut down emotionally and find it harder to work out what

they need. They may be left with free-floating desire, without knowing what to pin it on. This lack of

emotional awareness is known as alexithymia and can affect anyone.

Frustrated dreamers who haven’t realised their goals can expend all their emotional energy on hating

themselves or the world, and find they have no attention left for anything else. Bungee jumpers and

thrill-seekers may also be particularly susceptible to boredom, as they feel the world isn’t moving fast

enough for them. They constantly need to top up their high levels of arousal and are always searchingfor stimulation from their environment.

“Boredom isn’t a nice feeling, so we have an urge to eradicate it and cope with it in a counterproductive

way,” says Eastwood. This may be what drives people to destructive behaviours such as gambling,

overeating, alcohol and drug abuse, he says, though research is needed to tease out whether there’s a

direct causal link.

“The problem is we’ve become passive recipients of stimulation,” says Eastwood. “We say, ‘I’m bored,

so I’ll put on the TV or go to a loud movie.’ But boredom is like quicksand: the more we thrash around,

the quicker we’ll sink.”

(Theo The Guardian)

Một s ố note c ần chú ý:

1- Focus on sth: tập trung vào cái gì

2- Be likely to + V: Có khả năng/ Có thể đúng với…

3- Fleeting moments of boredom: Những lúc chán nản thoáng qua



4- Drive sbd to + V = make sbd + V: Khi ế n ai làm gì

5- Drive sbd to sth: D ẫn ai đế n cái gì

6- Point out: Chỉ ra

7- Be associated with: K ế t hợp với

8- Make mistake(s): Phạm l ỗi

9- Lose attention = A failure of attention: M ấ t tập trung

10- Fly long haul: Bay trên đoạn đường dài

11- Land (v): Hạ cánh >< Takeoff (v): C ấ t cánh

12- The plane’s on autopilot: Chế độ lái máy bay tự động

13- An unpleasant sensation = An unpleasant feeling

14- Attract an attention: Thu hút sự chú ý

15- Engage in = Take part in = Participate in = join = Involve in: Tham gia cái gì

16- Blot out: Xóa đi

17- The plethora of stimuli: Trạng thái kích thích quá đà

18- A given topic: Chủ đề được đưa ra/ Chủ đề đã cho

19- Fall asleep on the job: Ngủ gật trên đống công việc

20- Deep in thought: Mải suy nghĩ

21- Break down: Gián đoạn/ Bị phá vỡ

22- An inevitable human emotion: Cảm xúc không th ể tránh khỏi của con người

23- Downtime (n): Thời gian ch ế t

24- Constant bombardment of stimulation: Sự kích thích liên ti ế p

25- There is no need to + V: Không c ần phải làm gì

26- Be in a frenzy of activity: Hoạt động điên cuồng

27- Vacant time: Thời gian tr ống

28- Mull over: Ng ẫm nghĩ/ Nghiền ng ẫm

29- Work out: Tìm ra

30- Free-floating desire: Mong mu ốn trôi n ổi tự do

31- Lack of sth = Lack sth: Thi ế u cái gì

32- Be susceptible to sth: D ễ bị ảnh hưởng bới cái gì

33- Search for = Look for: Tìm ki ế m

34- Have an urge to eradicate = Have a desire to eradicate: Mong mu ốn triệt tiêu

35- Cope with sth: Đương đầu với

36- In a counterproductive way: B ằng cách phản tác dụng

37- Destructive behaviors: Hành vi tiêu cực

38- Thrash around: Vùng v ẫy

Topic: Education


Ngày hôm nay mình gửi tới các bạn một bài ti ế p theo loạt bài note from news: “Parents Sue Education

Consultant For $2 Million After Sons Don’t Get Into Harvard” trích từ ABC News.

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-9-education/






http://abcnews.go.com/Business/parents-sue-education-consultant-million-sons-harvard/story?id=17436668#.UHbZGG8xqXG





http://abcnews.go.com/











Đây là bài được làm bởi bạn Bang Vuthe. R ất cám ơn bạn đã đóng góp công sức cho việc phát tri ển cộng

đồng các sĩ tử luyện thi IELTS. Chúng mình r ấ t mong nhận được sự giúp đỡ từ phía các bạn để h ỗ trợ cho

cộng đồng ngày một t ốt hơn.

Các bạn có th ể tự dịch bài này và so sánh với bài được dịch từ trang Vietnamnet: Con không vào được

Harvard, b ố mẹ kiện 2 triệu USD

Parents Sue Education Consultant For $2 Million After Sons Don’t Get Into Harvard

A couple in Hong Kong is suing a Boston-area education consultant for the $2 million they say they paid

him to get their two sons into top prep schools and, ultimately, an Ivy League university. The suit is seen

by some as an example of an “arms race” in education.

Gerald and Lily Chow, citizens of Hong Kong, say they hired Mark Zimny and his company, IvyAdmit

Consulting Associates in Cambridge, Mass. to help their two sons get into elite schools in the U.S.

“They decided in 2006 that their sons, First Son and Second Son, would benefit most by being educated

in the top schools in the United States,” says the lawsuit, first filed in 2010 with a U.S. district court in

Massachusetts.

The Chows had determined that their “target university” was Harvard, the Boston Globe reported.

Their first son, then 15, graduated as a ninth grader from a junior boarding school in Deerfield, Mass. in

June 2007.

The Chows say Zimny approached them at his graduation ceremony, claiming he was a professor at

Harvard University, and that he could use his connections to help the sons get into New England

boarding schools and Ivy League colleges.

The lawsuit says that Zimny made a number of false claims, including that he was a professor at Harvard.

“Zimny was never a Harvard professor; he had briefly been a visiting assistant professor and a lecturer,

but any faculty relationship with Harvard had ended by June 30, 2005, two years before he met the

Chows, the suit says.

John Fitzpatrick, an attorney representing Zimny, refuted the allegations in the lawsuit.

“As made clear in the public legal memoranda filed for Dr. Zimny in this case, he absolutely denies

committing any fraud or other misconduct,” Fitzpatrick told ABC News.

The Chows could not be reached for comment. Their attorney did not respond to multiple requests for

comment.

The suit states that Zimny encouraged the Chows to entrust money to him, which he would then donate

on their behalf to the universities to improve their admissions prospects.

http://vietnamnet.vn/vn/giao-duc/92211/con-khong-vao-duoc-harvard--bo-me-kien-2-trieu-usd.html

















“Zimny also claimed that because of ‘embedded racism,’ there is resistance among the schools from

becoming ‘too friendly with Asian donors,’ and that there is ‘an unwritten presumption that donations

are expected from full-pay foreign students’,” the suit states.

Suzanne Rheault, CEO and founder of Aristotle Circle, a tutoring and educational consulting company

based in New York City, said whether or not the allegations are true, educational consulting is aburgeoning industry that has increasingly targeted families outside the U.S.

She said legitimate companies will never promise an outcome to a family.

Otherwise, “You’re taking advantage of peoples’ desperation and eagerness,” she said.

She said her company has former admissions officers from Ivy League schools who don’t charge “nearly

the same” fees.

The Chows’ fees started out at $4,000 a month for each child, excluding tuition and board, in exchange

for tutoring, educational plans and other services.

The services were “very attractive” to the parents, “as their young sons would spend much of each year

in the United States, with which the Chows were very unfamiliar and where they had no connections.”

“Zimny, whom they had come to trust based on their interaction with him and his representations,

including without limitation his representation that he was a Harvard professor, promised to watch over

their sons to ensure not only their educational success but also their safety and assimilation in the

United States,” the suit says.

Eventually, the suit says, Zimny asked for a $1 million retainer for each child, which the Chows paid.

“Zimny represented that this $2 million retainer would be part of a big pool of money contributed by

similar Asian, mainly Korean, families,” the complaint states. “He stated that the purpose of this pool of

money was to help their sons and daughters to gain admission to colleges of their choice in the United

States.”

Eventually, the relationship between the Chows and Zimny “began to deteriorate” in the summer of

2009. At that time, the Chows learned that Zimny had not been authorized to recruit for the Loomis

Chaffee boarding school in Connecticut as they say he had claimed.

In the fall of 2009, the Chows claim Zimny requested they provide another $1 million for a development

contribution to Stanford University.

Mr. Chow, however, said that he wanted to make the contribution in memory of his late mother. Zimny

refused, “stating that the $1 million contribution had to be made through him.” Chow did not make the

contribution.

Zimny admits to accepting the $1 million fee for each son but argues in his motion to dismiss the suit

that it “was proposed as an option and ultimately was chosen and later insisted on by the Chows.”





+ emerging markets:thị trường mới n ổi

Topic: Transportation – Vietnamese traffic


Bài báo này đăng trên tờ Diplomat, cu ối bài mọi người có th ể tham khảo cả những ý ki ế n khác nhau của

độc giả xung quanh v ấn đề nè nhé

Traffic: Vietnam’s Silent Killer

From lax safety standards, ineffective police, and drunk driving, operating a vehicle on the streets of

Vietnam is a hazardous enterprise. People are now taking matters into their own hands.

In Vietnam outbreaks of cholera, dengue fever or hand, foot and mouth disease are not uncommon. Last

year hand, foot and mouth epidemics killed hundreds of children. Yet there is another not so obvious

killer in Vietnam: driving. Often called the “hidden epidemic,” it is an increasingly serious problem with

deadly consequences.

Traffic accidents are a serious problem here in Vietnam. Some 95 percent of registered vehicles are

motorbikes or scooters. Vietnam’s rapid economic development over the past few decades has meant

roads and traffic policing have not kept pace with the growing number of vehicles on the road.

The nation has a very high traffic death toll rate, though just exactly how many traffic-related deaths

there are is difficult to know as reliable data remains scarce. The Ministry of Public Security reported

over 11,000 deaths in 2010; but the Ministry of Health registry – usually collected via the hospital

system — lists 15,464 deaths. Yet these numbers may, in actuality, grossly understate the extent of the

problem. Indeed, some sources believe that official data underestimates the number of traffic deaths byas many as 30%.

There have been some efforts to improve safety – albeit with mixed results. For example, in 2007 a

helmet law was introduced for government officials and expanded to include the public at large in early

2008. Similar laws had

been tried before, however, with little impact. Motorcycle drivers simply carried on as usual and there

was little government enforcement. Also, children under the age of 14 were exempt from the law. Most

of th

e helmets that are available in the country are made of cheap, low quality plastic that don’t offeradequate protection.

Jonathan Passmore of the World Health Organization in Hanoi has worked for years on traffic safety

issues in Vietnam. He estimates that 80 percent of helmets fail to meet national quality standards.

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-6-transportation-vietnamese-traffic/








http://thediplomat.com/2012/08/28/traffic-vietnams-silent-killer/









“Due to a lack of information in official data sources that don’t identify the road user type of the

deceased, we have not yet been able to quantify the impact of the 2007 helmet law on deaths and

injuries in motorcycle riders and passengers,” Passmore told The Diplomat via email.

Nonetheless, Passmore does posit that there is a possible link between the law coming into effect and

the small drop in traffic-related deaths in recent years. He also holds out hope that better data will beforthcoming later this year.

However helmet laws won’t fix all the traffic problems in the country. An additional problem, for

example, is the poor performance of the traffic police who are better known for issuing on-the-spot

informal fines then regulating traffic in any systematic and effective manner. Not only does this make

the police unpopular among the public, but, knowing the sorry state of law enforcement, many drivers

feel free to disregard traffic rules altogether. It’s not uncommon, for example, for drivers to leisurelycruise down one-way streets going the wrong way.

Speeding and drunk driving also contribute significantly to deaths in Vietnam, according to Passmore,

but given the paucity of data it’s hard to identify exactly how widespread the problems are. In Vietnam

the legal limit is 0.08 percent blood-to-alcohol rate. Despite new laws that target drunk driving,

however, enforcement remains poor.

In July this was highlighted when an American living in Hanoi for years made news when he began

stopping motorbikes breaking traffic laws, such as going the wrong way up one way streets. He did this

with the sanction of local police while the incident was filmed by the TuoiTre Newspaper . It quickly

gained a great deal of attention online and was soon translated for their English-language publication.

What was interesting was how divided opinions were between Vietnamese and expats: many of the

latter believed that, as a guest in Vietnam, he should leave the situation alone. However natives were

generally positive, pointing out how bad the traffic had become and how careless many drivers are.

(http://thediplomat.com)



Từ vựng mình note lại:

1/ operate a vehicle: điều khi ển phương tiện

2/ keep pace with the growing number of vehicles: theo kịp sự phát tri ển của s ố lượng phương tiện

3/ high traffic death toll rate/traffic-related deaths: tỷ lệ tử vong cao do tai nạn giao thông

4/ offer adequate protection: mang lại sự bảo vệ c ần thi ế t

5/ work for years on traffic safety issue: nhi ều năm công tác trong lĩnh vực an toàn giao thông

6/ fail to meet national quality standards: không đạt tiêu chu ẩn ch ất lượng qu ốc gia

7/ the law coming into effect: luật đi vào thực thi

8/ on-the-spot informal fines: phạt ti ền tại ch ỗ

9/ given the paucity of data: do thi ế u thông tin/ dữ liệu ít ỏi

10/ gain a great deal of attention: gây sự chú ý lớn

Topic Technology – New device for pregnancy problems.


Thông thường, lúc mang thai, các bà mẹ sẽ đế n bệnh viện để siêu âm nhịp tim, cân nặng và các v ấn đề

khác của đứa con trong bụng và tại bệnh viện, các bác sĩ sẽ sử dụng máy siêu âm để khu ếch đại hình ảnh

và nhịp tim đứa bé. Tuy nhiên hiện nay, các nhà khoa học đã phát minh ra một thi ế t bị c ầm tay với ứng

dụng của máy điện thoại thông minh, giá thành rẻ hơn máy siêu âm và có th ể thực hiện được các chứcnăng trên. Vậy thi ế t bị đó như thế nào?

Các bạn hãy đọc bài vi ết “Win Sega: A mobile ear for pregnancy problems” trên BBC.

WinSenga: A mobile ear for pregnancy problems

A new smartphone app aims to provide a cheaper alternative to ultrasound in Africa by bringing an old

technique into the 21st century.

“We couldn’t hear anything,” says Aaron Tushabe, recounting a trip with two friends to the maternity

ward of the main hospital in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The student had been handed an ear-

trumpet-like device called a Pinard horn, used to listen for the vital signs of a baby in a mother’s

abdomen. Despite straining to hear against the murmur of the ward, Tushabe couldn’t hear any signs.

Luckily, the problem was not with the baby, but the combination of what he calls a “rather primitive

device”, and his lack of training. In fact, the Pinard horn, named after the French doctor who invented it

back in the 19th Century, can be very effective in the right hands. It can determine the age, position and

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-5-topic-technology-new-device-for-pregnancy-problems/








http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120927-mobile-ear-for-pregnancy-problems









heart rate of the foetus, along with an indication of its overall health. But to do this consistently can take

many years of practice.

Meanwhile, in developing countries, “a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute”,

according to the UN, while every year “eight million babies die before or during delivery or in the first

week of life”. The key to saving those lives, the UN says, is “access to skilled care during pregnancy,childbirth and the first month after delivery”.

These kinds of statistics, along with their experience of using the Pinard horn, got the three computer

science students thinking about whether they could improve the design. “We saw that technology gap

and started thinking about how we might bridge it.”

In developed countries, ultrasound is the answer. But these machines – responsible for those fuzzy black

and white pictures that are liberally posted on Facebook, brought out at parties, and waived at co-

workers when someone becomes pregnant – are expensive. Even if a hospital could afford one, few

expectant mothers can afford the $10 scan in countries where many live below the poverty line.

Sound diagnosis

And so, a new project called WinSenga was born to build what Joshua Okello, one of the other students

who visited the hospital, calls “an enhancement” to the Pinard horn. The new device still consists of a

plastic trumpet, but with a highly sensitive microphone inside. The souped-up device, which is placed on

a women’s abdomen just like a regular horn, connects to a Windows-based phone running an app that,

as Okello says, “plays the part of the midwife’s ear.” The system picks up the foetal heart rate, transmits

it to the phone, and then the phone runs an analysis. The app, developed in conjunction with medics for

the UN agency Unicef then recommends a course of action, if any, for the mother and her unborn child.

“When I first heard the idea, I thought it was brilliant,” says Davis Musinguzi, a medic and Unicef advisor.“But being software developers, they needed guidance on the medical component of the application.”

The doctor says he advised on the medical parameters, procedures and standards that needed to be

part of the software. He also says he tried to ensure that the new device wouldn’t disrupt the normal

workflow of an antenatal visit, but rather help eliminate the bottlenecks.

The value of going mobile is pretty clear, allowing carers to visit mothers wherever they are. “We

envision a midwife being able to travel to rural areas on specific days, and then mothers could gather in,

for example, a local church,” Tushabe says. “Then, the midwife could administer the antenatal diagnosis

to all the mothers.”

Health upgrade

Okello, Tushabe and their partner Josiah Kuvuma presented their idea earlier this year at an event

sponsored by Microsoft called the Imagine Cup, which aims to solve pressing problems, particularly in

the developing world. The event partly inspired the name. The “Win” part comes from the software

giant’s own products, Okello tells me, while “Senga” refers to the local name for the aunt who used to

help village mothers-to-be with their antenatal care and their births.



The team went on to win the regional competition before losing out in the finals held at Sydney.

However, the loss has not held them back. The team says they have since been approached for potential

partnerships and are currently looking for funding to launch a six-month field trial of their system. If

that’s successful, then WinSenga could launch as a product. The team says its too early to talk about

pricing, but they are heartened by the fact that the cost of smartphone handsets is rapidly dropping

across Africa, making their system much more attractive to potential clients.

While they wait for funding, the WinSenga team is far from idle. Despite the fact that all three team

members still have busy university schedules, they have already launched an expanded version of the

software designed to assist healthcare workers and mothers during labour. The group’s website also

promises a version called “WinSenga Plus”, which would assist with postnatal care as well. And as if that

isn’t enough, WinSenga say they are almost ready to launch an Android version of their application, and

will then start work on a version for iOS.

The apps are all part of a new movement, says Dr Musinguzi, which is gathering momentum.

“The use of mobile technology is a relatively new intervention to improving health services,” he says.WinSenga and other devices and apps that are coming on to the market, he says, will have to prove

themselves to healthcare professionals by “reducing the burden of doing what they have always done.”

It will take training and investment, he says, but it “will pay off in the long run”.

It is a sentiment that Okello agrees with. “Communities that have healthy mothers are generally much

more productive. It’s all tied in.”

Dưới đây là những notes c ần chú ý:

- Recount a trip: Thuật lại chuy ến đi

- Strain to + V: G ắng sức làm gì

- Foetus (= fetus) (n): bào thai -> Foetal (= fetal) (adj)

- Deliver a baby = baby delivery: Sinh con

- Bring out: Mang ra, đem ra

- The poverty line: Mức s ống t ối thi ểu

- Sound diagnosis: Chu ẩn đoán âm thanh

- Consist of: Bao g ồm

- Pick up the foetal heart rate: B ắt tim thai

- In conjunction with = together with: Cùng với

- A course of action:: Liệu trình chăm sóc

- Guidance on sth: Hướng d ẫn v ề cái gì (giới từ “on”)

- Disrupt (= Interrupt) the workflow of an antenatal visit: Làm giám đoạn quá trình khám ti ền sản

- Mothers-to-be: Các bà mẹ tương lai

- Look for: tìm ki ế m

- Antenatal care: Chăm sóc tiền sản >< Postnatal care: Chăm sóc hậu sản

- Wait for: Chờ đợi

- An intervention to sth: Can thiệp vào cái gì (giới từ “to”)



- Reduce the burden of: Giảm nhẹ gánh nặng v ề

- Pay off: Mang lại k ế t quả

- In the long run: V ề lâu dài

- It is a sentiment that S + V: Có ý ki ế n cho r ằng …

By H ồng Ngọc

Topic Education – Learning English in Japan


Bài báo này được đăng trên tờ The Washington Post, hy vọng cả nhà sẽ sớm có được thành công với

ti ếng Anh như các doanh nghiệp Nhật trong bài nhá;) Bài báo này dài 3 trang nhưng rấ t d ễ theo dõi vì sử

dụng toàn từ cơ bản thôi, cả nhà thử sức đi coi nhé

A survival skill in shrinking Japan: Learn English

By Chico Harlan

Japanese billionaire Hiroshi Mikitani decided two years ago that the employees at his company, Rakuten

Inc., should work almost entirely in English.

The idea, he said, was a daring and drastic attempt to counter Japan’s shrinking place in the world.

“Japanese people think it’s so difficult to speak English,” Mikitani said. “But we need to break the shell.”

With the move, which took effect at the beginning of last month, Mikitani turned his e-commerce

company — an Amazon competitor — into a test case for corporate Japan’s survival strategy.

As Japan’s population declines, all but guaranteeing ever-decreasing domestic business, companies hereare grappling with how they should interact with the world and whether they can do it successfully.

The country has both a dread of English and an understandable attachment to its own ornate business

customs. Those idiosyncrasies made Japan a bewildering but envied powerhouse during its economic

boom. They now make Japan a poor match, experts say, for global business.

Mikitani took a step few other companies here have dared because, he said, he thought it would help

his company expand and thrive. He also wanted to prove a point — that Japanese, counter to the

stereotype, could embrace the risks and embarrassment that come with learning a foreign language.

At the time of the 2010 announcement, only about 10 percent of Rakuten’s 6,000 Japanese employeescould function in English, according to a case study by the Harvard Business School. Rakuten operated in

just two foreign countries — it has since expanded into 10 more — and most of its business came from

Japan. Critics argued that Rakuten’s employees, forced to hold meetings and write memos in English,

would simply become less articulate, less efficient, and far less happy.

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-4-learning-english-in-japan/








http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-inc-tests-a-survival-strategy-english/2012/08/06/443a45e6-c8e0-11e1-b7dd-ef7ef87186df_story.html









At times, the two-year transition from Japanese to English — dubbed by the company as

“Englishization” — has been as awkward as the term itself. Workers were told they would face

demotions if they didn’t reach target test scores, and a handful of employees quit, Mikitani said. Other

workers, quoted without the use of their names in the 2011 Harvard case study, saw it as an “exercise in

perpetual humiliation” or as a “layoff tool.”

Rakuten’s emphasis on English has “sparked a huge debate among companies that are trying to

globalize,” Accenture’s Japan-based executive Chikatomo Hodo said in a December 2011 edition of the

Nikkei Business magazine. “Many say, ‘We want to do it, too, but it would be detrimental to the

company’s organization and management’ ” because English-averse senior management would bristle,

Hodo said.

When Mikitani announced his plan, Honda’s chief executive, Takanobu Ito, said it was “stupid” for a

company to use primarily English when its workforce was mostly Japanese.

But at least one other major Japanese company, Fast Retailing Co., which operates the Uniqlo clothing

chain, is following Rakuten’s path, though not as drastically. It has an English education program foremployees, and in March, it began to use English for meetings and e-mails with non-Japanese workers, a

company spokesman said.

Movies, apps and flashcards

At Rakuten, workers scrambled to improve their language skills by the July 1, 2012, target date, after

which all major internal documents and meetings were to be in English. About 75 percent of Rakuten’s

employees are based in Japan, the company says, and its foreign employees face the same language

requirements.

The company initially said workers had to study on their own time, and it offered almost no guidance on

how they should learn. It also provided no money for classes or books. Employees say they watched

English movies and emptied shelves in the foreign language sections of bookstores. They downloaded

iPhone apps. They made flashcards.

Some groused. Others found humor in the situation, as a group of employees — all members of

Rakuten’s five-person Englishnization planning team — recounted in a recent interview at company

headquarters.

“I commute for one hour *daily+, and I studied on the train,” said Naoki Fujimoto, an employee who

started out knowing little English.

“If you see people studying English on the train,” said Wataru Taguchi, “it’s usually a Rakuten

employee.”

By April 2011, though, Mikitani and other executives were worrying, said Kyle Yee, a Canadian who led

the English-only switch. Test scores weren’t rising as quickly as they had hoped, and executives became



aware of worker dissatisfaction with the transition. The company began holding classes, mornings and

nights, in a massive conference room. For some employees, that wasn’t enough.

“There were some staff, they basically stopped eating lunch” so they could study then as well, Yee said.

Curriculum shift

Mikitani, Japan’s third-richest man, lived in Connecticut as a boy and received an MBA from Harvard. He

speaks English with fluency and charisma, as he showed in a recent speech that touched on the failures

of Japan’s English education system.

“Japanese study more than 3,000 hours of English,” he said at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of

Japan. “And when you study more than 3,000 hours of English and you cannot speak English, there is a

huge issue. It’s a huge waste of time.”

English is required for all Japanese middle and high school students. But measured by scores on the Test

of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, Japan ranks 27th among 30Asian countries in English

proficiency, behind North Korea and Afghanistan, ahead of only Laos, Tajikistan and Cambodia.

(Educational Testing Service, which administers TOEFL, discourages such comparisons across countries,

underscoring that its test is only accurate for individuals.)

The ineptitude has withstood decades of government attempts to overhaul the curriculum and cultivate

better teachers. Several years ago, education authorities here decided to begin English classes in the

fifth grade rather than seventh. Japan has also tried to shift the emphasis in lessons from memorization

and grammar to conversation, said Haruna Yumioka, an international education chief at Japan’s

Education Ministry.

‘Say hello’

Minutes before the first company-wide meeting after the July 1 deadline, several thousand employees

filed in among rows of narrow folding chairs. They whispered “sumimasen” — excuse me — as others

stood up to make way.

“Good morning,” Mikitani said.

“Good morning,” the room boomed.

In the two years since the announcement, employees’ test scores had improved sharply, Mikitani said.

About 80 percent of executive meetings were being conducted in English. It was enough that Mikitanideclared the transition a success. He said his company was ready for the next step.

“From now on, the company standard language will be English,” Mikitani said. “The only thing I would

like to emphasize is, don’t be shy.”

The new English policy doesn’t entirely outlaw Japanese. But English is required for all internal e-mails,

meeting memos, internal presentations and formal meetings. It is also to be used in training sessions.



The company also has major expansion plans. It hopes to operate in 27 countries within a “few years,”

Mikitani said, up from the current 13, and it plans to drive overseas business from the current

10 percent of sales to 70 percent.

But the results, on the ground level, are harder to assess. One member of the creative and Web design

department, Akihiro Miyata, 36, chosen by Rakuten’s media staff for an interview, has an above-averagetest score. But that’s good enough only to convey simple ideas, and during the interview, he occasionally

shifted to Japanese to express himself more accurately. (Like many Tokyo employees, he still speaks

Japanese during lunch, he added.)

Nobody has yet been demoted for falling short of English benchmarks, Yee said, but it could happen in

the coming weeks as the company receives scores from last-ditch test-taking attempts.

Because of its English-only policy, executives say, Rakuten now attracts talent from around the world;

one in three hires is non-Japanese. Mikitani says employees in the Tokyo headquarters now

communicate better with overseas subsidiaries. Tech developers benefit, too, because they can attend

global conferences and perform Web research in English.

At the meeting, Mikitani congratulated his employees on their achievements. He also introduced a

group of 34 foreign managers visiting from overseas.

“Stand up, wave,” he asked those in the group.

They did.

“When you see these guys, say hello,” Mikitani continued. “And discuss with them whatever you want

to discuss. Because you can speak English now.”

(Theo Washington Post)

1/ daring and drastic attempt: n ỗ lực táo bạo và quy ế t liệt

2/ embrace the risks: gặp phải những rủi ro

3/ function in English: thao tác/làm việc b ằng ti ế ng Anh

4/ to be detrimental to the company‘s organization: gây khó khăn cho công tác tổ chức (gạch chân giới

từ “to”)

5/ commute for one hour daily: đi từ nhà đế n công sở (thường b ằng tàu điện ng ầm) 1 ti ế ng m ỗi ngày

6/ became aware of worker dissatisfaction: nhận thức được sự không hài lòng của nhân viên

7/ speak English with fluency and charisma: nói ti ế ng Anh trôi chảy, lôi cu ốn (Note: cách sử dụng “with”

sau động từ r ấ t hay gặp trong văn academic để thay th ế bớt các adv, ch ẳng hạn: perform with ease thay

vì perform easily)



8/ a huge waste of time: phí quá nhi ều thời gian/ spark a huge debate: châm ngòi cho một cuộc tranh

luận lớn

9/ company-wide meeting: họp toàn công ty (Note: company-wide cùng nhóm với nationwide hay

worldwide)

10/ good enough to convey simple ideas: đủ cho di ễn đạt ý cơ bản

Minh Hoa

Topic Medicine – Stem Cell


Đây là một bài chuyên ngành y nhưng độ khó cũng như các bài Reading Test thôi.

Stem cell treatment restores hearing in deaf gerbils

A study published today in the journal ‘Nature’ reports how researchers have restored responses to

sounds in deaf gerbils using stem cells. The findings, part-funded by the Wellcome Trust, could pave the

way for a cell-based therapy for a common form of hearing loss in humans.

Deafness can be caused by the loss of sensory hair cells in the ear or by damage to the associated

neurons that are responsible for transmitting sound signals to the brain. The study used a model of

hearing loss in gerbils that is similar to a human condition known as auditory neuropathy.

In people affected by auditory neuropathy, sound enters the inner ear normally but the transmission of

signals from the inner ear to the brain is impaired owing to damage to the auditory neurons. This type of

deafness is thought to affect up to 15 per cent of the population across the world with profound hearingloss.

The team developed a method of generating both sensory hair cells and auditory neurons from human

embryonic stem cells. They found that when they transplanted the neurons into deaf gerbils, they could

obtain a functional recovery in response to sound of around 46 per cent in some animals.

The team used a technique called auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABR), which measures whether

the brain can perceive an electrical signal after sound stimulation. They found that an improvement was

evident about four weeks after administering the cells.

The responses of the treated animals were substantially better than those untreated, although therange of improvement was broad. Some subjects did very well, whereas recovery was poor in others.

Dr Marcelo Rivolta from the Centre for Stem Cell Biology at the University of Sheffield, who led the

project, explains: “We believe this is an important step forward. We have now a method to produce

human cochlear sensory cells that we could use to develop new drugs and treatments and to study the

function of genes. And, more importantly, we have the proof-of-concept that human stem cells could be

used to repair the damaged ear.”

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-3-topic-medicine/













The researchers point out that more research is needed before this therapy could be applied to humans,

however. Dr Rivolta adds: “We want to understand the long-term implications of this treatment and its

safety.

“Moreover, while in auditory neuropathy patients that retain their hair cells the sole application of stem

cells could be beneficial, those with more comprehensive damage may need a cochlear implant tocompensate for the hair cell deficit. In these patients, it is possible that stem cells should be

administered in combination with a cochlear implant. It is therefore important to explore this

interaction.”

Dr Ralph Holme, Head of Biomedical Research for Action on Hearing Loss, said: “The research we have

funded at the University of Sheffield is tremendously encouraging and gives us real hope that it will be

possible to fix the actual cause of some types of hearing loss in the future. For the millions of people for

whom hearing loss is eroding their quality of life, this can’t come soon enough.”

Cochlear implants offer a partial solution for deafness that is caused by loss of hair cells. However, there

is currently no treatment available for the loss of sensory neurons that transmit sound information to

the brain. This new approach could offer a solution to a wider range of patients if used in combination

with cochlear implants, say the researchers.

The study was funded by Action on Hearing Loss, the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and

Deafness Research UK.

(Ngu ồn wellcome.ac.uk)

Bài vi ế t này bên cạnh những từ chuyên môn y thì mình highlight những cụm academic hay để cả nhà

cùng chú ý nhé:

1/ stem cell treatment/cell-based therapy: phương pháp điều trị b ằng t ế bào g ốc

2/ pave the way for: mở đường cho việc gì

3/ owing to/due to damage to: do gây t ổn hại đế n cái gì

4/ long-term implications: tác động lâu dài

5/ give us real hope: mang đế n tia hy vọng

6/ erode their quality of life: suy giảm ch ất lượng cuộc s ống

7/ offer a solution to a wider range of patients: mang lại giải pháp cho s ố lượng lớn hơn các bệnh nhân

8/ compensate for the hair cell deficit: bù cho sự thi ế u hụt các t ế bào sợi (gạch chân giới từ for)

9/ administer in combination with: điều trị cùng với cái gì (Note: administer là từ academic, ngoài nghĩa

v ề quản lý hành chính thì còn mang nghĩa là điều trị trong y học)



Lưu ý: với những bài báo thuộc chủ đề nhỏ và có một s ố từ chuyên ngành lạ (như kiểu auditory

neuropathy như bài này thì mọi người không quá quan tâm đến ý nghĩa của những từ đó, cứ đọc toàn

bài và n ắm ý chính là được.

Trong môn reading hay có ki ểu: một là ki ểu bài mà nhi ều từ lạ lạ thoạt trông khá d ễ sợ nhưng ý tứ lại

đơn giản nên câu hỏi cũng dễ ăn điểm. Còn loại thứ 2 thì chủ đề quen thuộc, từ vựng cũng không quákhó nhưng câu hỏi lại cực xoay và nhi ều b ẫy đó. Việc của tụi mình khi ôn tập là c ố g ắng làm quen với cả

2 dạng này nhé:D )

Minh Hoa

Topic Economic – Economic meltdown


Đây là một bài báo được đăng trên tờ New York Times n ổi ti ế ng vi ế t v ề tình hình kinh t ế VN, mình l ấ y

xu ống vài từ vựng hay hay để cả nhà cùng học nhé.

In Vietnam, Growing Fears of an Economic Meltdown

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Construction crews got as far as the first floor of what was to be Saigon

Residence, a high-end apartment building in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. All that remains today of

the abandoned project are piles of moldy bricks, rusting steel rods and a small team of security guards

who have transformed the cement foundation into a parking lot for motorcycles.

Vietnam’s major cities are scattered with hundreds of construction sites where work is progressing

slowly or not at all.

In Vietnam’s major cities, a once-booming property market has come crashing down. Hundreds of

abandoned construction sites are the most obvious signs of a sickly economy.

A senior Vietnamese Communist Party official, speaking in the ornate drawing room of a French colonial

building, compared the country’s economic problems to the market crash 15 years ago that flattened

many economies in Asia.

“I can say this is the same as the crisis in Thailand in 1997,” said Hua Ngoc Thuan, the vice chairman of

the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the city’s top executive body. “Property investors pushed

the prices so high. They bought for speculation — not for use.”

Vietnam’s economic problems appear less severe than those of the 1997 financial crisis — the economy

is still growing, albeit relatively anemically, at a rate of about 4 percent — but the country’s list of

problems continues to grow.

The arrest this week of Nguyen Duc Kien, one of Vietnam’s wealthiest businessmen, set off a 4.8 percent

plunge in the country’s stock market index Tuesday, the biggest drop in four years. The charges against

Mr. Kien are vague. The state news media said he was accused of illegal business activity.

http://ieltsvietnam.net/105/













The opaque way that his case is being handled underlines a key aggravating factor for the country’s

woes: The awkward marriage between a secretive Communist Party leadership and a capitalist economy

is clouding recovery prospects for the country of 91 million people.

Investors are skeptical of the government’s economic management and question the reliability of

statistics. The country’s central bank says borrowers have stopped paying back 1 out of every 10 loans inthe banking system, but Fitch Ratings said the percentage of bad loans might be much higher.

If the 1997 crisis was often blamed on “crony capitalism,” Vietnam’s problems could be described as

crony capitalism with a communist twist. State-owned companies are stacked with friends and allies of

the Communist Party hierarchy.

“The state is being manipulated by people within the state to make money,” said Jonathan Pincus, the

dean of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Vietnam.

“Getting the Communist Party out of the management of these companies, that’s what is required,” he

said. “I don’t see that on the table.”

Like property bubbles in other parts of the world, investors in Vietnam took advantage of free-flowing

credit to construct buildings with the hopes of flipping them for a profit. One key difference is that some

of the largest property speculators in Vietnam are state-owned corporations with top connections in the

Communist Party and access to cheap money. Those companies are now grappling with unsustainable

debt levels, or in the case of Vinashin and Vinalines, two large government conglomerates, flirting with

insolvency.

Ho Chi Minh City is still buzzing with energy, swarmed by tourists and plagued by traffic jams — all signs

of the city’s economic vitality. But that masks the symptoms of the nationwide economic woes: Young

people are finding it harder to find jobs; nearly 20 percent of small and medium-size companies have

gone out of business during the past year; and municipal infrastructure projects are being delayed or

canceled.

Le Dang Doanh, a prominent economist and a former top official at a government research organization,

said he was worried about the timing of the country’s problems, coming just as the global economy is

bogged down by debt and Europe grapples with the existential dilemma of the euro.

“The problem in Vietnam is a very, very toxic cocktail from the European debt crisis, the stagnation in

the U.S. economy plus a very critical situation in the domestic economy,” Mr. Doanh said. “It’s a very

dangerous mixture.”

The private sector is helping keep the economy moving — Vietnam is a major exporter of clothing and

footwear to the United States — but foreign money flows have slowed. Commitments by foreign

investors were $8 billion for the first half of this year, one-quarter the level during the same period

three years ago.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/currency/euro/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier



http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/european_sovereign_debt_crisis/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier







The consequences of Vietnam’s economic problems are far-reaching. The revenues of municipal

governments are shrinking across the country because property-transfer fees made up a large chunk of

their income. Ho Chi Minh City’s first subway line is now scheduled for completion in 2016, a year later

than planned, according to Mr. Thuan, the Ho Chi Minh City senior official.

In the central city of Da Nang, which has thrived during the past decade, officials have been forced tocancel development projects on the outskirts of the city. Tran Van Son, the vice director of the Da Nang

Department of Planning and Investment, said he was “very worried” that the city would have to scale

back further because tax revenue was lagging even more than projected.

Young people are finding good jobs more elusive. On the outskirts of Hanoi, the capital, Nguyen Duy

Huong, the 21-year-old son of rice farmers, spent the early part of the year searching in vain for work in

computer repair shops.

“Every place I went to said they were looking for really strong technicians,” Mr. Huong said. “They

weren’t taking interns.”

Like many other young people in Vietnam, Mr. Huong lives on the frontier between information

technology and the peasant economy. He has worked part-time at a photo-printing shop, using software

to whiten faces and remove blemishes, but his family’s main income comes from planting and

harvesting rice by hand. In the quest for full-time work, he recently began taking software programming

courses run by Reach, a nonprofit organization created by Plan International, a British charity.

The problems facing young people are nothing near the scale of the Spanish and Greek unemployment

crises, but finding a job is no longer as automatic as a few years ago.

“Companies have more choices now,” said Nguyen Thi Van Trang, who helps run the training program.

“They don’t have to take kids off the street anymore.”

The government has battled the country’s problems with classic macroeconomic tools: tightening the

supply of money to choke off double-digit inflation and then slashing interest rates this year to energize

the economy.

Yet banks remain very cautious, partly because of the growing number of customers unable to pay back

their loans. The supply of credit in the economy is shrinking and consumption is flat; supermarkets, for

example, have reported reductions in sales of 20 to 30 percent.

Mr. Doanh, the economist, said Vietnam needed much more than just an injection of money at lower

interest rates.

The inefficient state-owned monoliths like Vinashin, which expanded wildly into businesses they were

ill-qualified to operate, need to be dismantled, privatized or scaled down, Mr. Doanh said.

“Now is a good time for creative destruction,” he said, referring to the concept of established

companies’ being replaced by more innovative competitors.



As in the United States, Vietnam’s return to economic health rides in part on the revival of the real

estate market.

There is so much excess supply of office space in Ho Chi Minh City that rents in the most desirable

neighborhoods are half the level of three years ago, said Nguyen Duy Lam, the director of Pacific Real, a

construction and real estate company.

In the hopes of drawing more foreign buyers, officials in Ho Chi Minh City have submitted a formal

proposal to the central government to open up the property market to overseas Vietnamese, according

to Mr. Thuan, the Communist Party official.

For now, though, real estate agents like Mr. Lam report that activity is freezing up.

“Everyone wants to sell, but they can’t, even if they lower the price,” Mr. Lam said in an interview on

the roof of a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. “There are no customers.”

Mr. Lam is counting on the long-term prospects of the city. As he spoke, a contrasting picture of

Vietnam emerged. The dark outlines of an unfinished skyscraper loomed overhead, but another

construction site nearby was bucking the trend: On a Sunday evening, lit by floodlights, a crane swung

back and forth as workers put up another building destined to fill out the skyline of Ho Chi Minh City.

By THOMAS FULLER

(Theo NYTimes)

Các từ vựng đáng lưu ý:

1. the abandoned project/construction sites: dự án/công trình xây dựng bị bỏ hoang (Note: abandon

thuộc sub 8 academic word list)

2. sickly economic: nên kinh t ế ốm y ế u (Note: dùng sickly với nghĩa tính từ)

3. opaque way: phương pháp tối tăm/cloud recovery prospect: bóng mây phủ mờ lên tri ển vọng phục

h ồi/mask the symptom: che d ấ u bi ểu hiện ( Note: 1 loạt các từ mang nghĩa “làm mờ ảo”: opaque, cloud,

mask)

4. question the reliability of statistics: nghi ngờ v ề tính xác thực của những s ố liệu (Note: dùng

“question” ở vị trí động từ)

5. gone out of business: ngưng hoạt động (doanh nghiệp)

6. searching in vain for work: tìm việc trong vô vọng

7. single/double-digit inflation: lạm phạt một/hai con s ố

PS: các bạn ôn ph ần reading IELTS c ố g ắng tìm những bài t ầm t ầm này để luyện đọc hi ểu nội dung và

tăng nhanh khả năng nắm b ắt thông tin nhé.



Minh Hoa

Topic Medical – Succeed in graduate school


R ấ t nhi ều cao thủ chia sẻ r ằng họ học ti ế ng Anh ph ần lớn thông qua tìm đọc những bài báo, qua đó tíchlũy từ vựng và cách sử dụng chúng sao cho tự nhiên và nhu ần nhuy ễn. Trong series mới này mình cũng

sẽ áp dụng cách này, hi vọng cả nhà học cùng mình nhé

Sau m ỗi bài báo, mình sẽ rút ra 1 s ố cụm từ hay, thường được sử dụng. Hãy b ắt đầu với bài vi ế t này nhé.

Who Succeeds in Graduate School?

A cluster of personality traits predicts success in graduate school, according to an overview of research

on the subject in the current issue of gradPSYCH, a magazine published by the American Psychological

Association. Topping the list of characteristics contributing to successful graduate work is intellectual

curiosity. Intelligence, both cognitive and emotional, is also crucial, but conscientiousness, “whichincludes self-discipline, future planning and the ability to work hard,” ranks even higher, the article

says. Resilience and the ability to take criticism and use it to improve also play major roles.

The research cited all relates to graduate students in psychology, but it appears likely that the findings

would also apply to students of other disciplines. Emotional intelligence, for example, is particularly

important for psychologists aiming to be therapists, but it also plays a big role in helping students of any

discipline deal successfully with conflicts with advisers.But just because certain personality

characteristics correlate with doing well in grad school doesn’t mean that students are powerless to

increase their chances of success.

Given the major role played by curiosity, for example, it’s essential that students maintain their feeling

of excitement about their field, the article advises, by guarding against trying to do too much. “Students

who are pressured to finish their theses as quickly as possible, to publish too many papers or to attend

one conference after the other will lose their curiosity for research,” says psychologist Sophie von

Stumm, a postdoc at the University of Edinburgh who studies academic success and is quoted in the

article. “Students should make sure that they are looking forward to learning something new in each of

those activities, rather than merely completing them because the supervisor or the school expects it.”

This is only one of the suggestions for a successful graduate school career contained in the article, which

you can find here.

(Full disclosure: this also reporter has an article of her own, on an unrelated subject, in the same issue of

the magazine.)

(Theo blogs.sciencemag.org)

Các cụm từ đáng lưu ý:

http://ieltsvietnam.net/note-from-news-1-topic-medical/








http://blogs.sciencemag.org/sciencecareers/2012/09/who-succeeds-in.html









1/ a cluster of personality traits: nhóm các nét tính cách

2/ research on the subject: nghiên cứu v ề đối tượng gì (gạch chân giới từ “on” đi với research)

3/ cognitive and emotional intelligence: thông minh nhận thức và thông minh cảm xúc (tương đương IQ

and EQ)

4/ play major/big roles: đóng vai trò chính

5/ maintain their feeling of excitement about their field: duy trì ni ềm đam mê trong lĩnh vực của mình

Phân tích bài vi ế t của Mat Clark (topic 10 & 11)


How to spend Government budget properly.

Việc nên đầu tư tiền vào lĩnh vực nào được đề cập khá nhi ều trong các kì thi IELTS. Hôm nay mình chọn

2 topics này để học vì th ấy nó khá tương đồng v ề mặt câu hỏi: “Should Government allocate money to

sectors that bring tangible benefits or those posing intangible ones?” nhưng lại khác nhau v ề góc nhìn

của người vi ết. Điều này đặc biệt được phân tích rõ ở Paragraph thứ 3 trong ph ần body, th ể hiện 2 stylesvi ết khá khác nhau để chúng ta học tập.

Thử nghiệm tí chút ^^: L ần này, cùng với việc note ra từ bài essay, mình sẽ đưa thêm cả những từ mình

bi ết, nhưng chưa thấy đề cập đế n trong bài. N ế u mọi người ủng hộ thì mình sẽ ti ế p tục làm vậy ở những

note sau, còn n ế u các bạn không thích thì l ần sau mình sẽ chỉ note từ bài thôi ^^.

TOPIC 10: Some people argue that the Government should spend money on public services and

facilities, but not on the arts. Do you agree or disagree?

TOPIC 11: Some people argue that the Government should spend money only on medical care and

education but not on theatres or sport stadiums. Do you agree or disagree?

I. PARAPHRASE KEY WORDS:

1. Government = authorities, municipalities, councils, leaders, democracies, politicians, administrators,

elected officials

2. Spend = allocate, inject, fund, invest, budget, direct (towards)

3. Money = public money, budget, resources, spending

II. NARROW DOWN TOPIC:

Ở đây Mat Clark đã dùng từ nghĩa hẹp để thay th ế cho những danh từ có nghĩa rộng như public services

and facilities, the arts. Điều này giúp bài tránh được l ỗi over-generalization và th ể hiện được cho

examiner th ấ y r ằng người vi ế t thực sự dig deep into the topic. Đây là điều chúng ta r ấ t nên học tập.

1. Public services and facilities

= municipal buildings, courthouses, post offices

= libraries, hospitals, parks, playing fields, gymnasiums, swimming pools

= transport network/ system

http://ieltsvietnam.net/learn-from-essay-topic-10-and-11-writing-by-mat-clark/















= public internet service

= infrastructure

2. The arts = music, film, literature

3. Medical care = medical services, healthcare system, healthcare services

4. Theatres and sport stadiums = recreational and entertainment projects

5. Be precursor to = be fundamental to (1 cách nói dùng (n) và 1 cách dùng (adj) giúp bài vi ết đa dạng

hơn)

***My suggestions:

1. Play a key role (have a key role to play) = carry much weight with = be backbone of = be of paramount

importance

2. Material/ visible benefits:

+ Social benefits + economic merits = social and economic well-being/ development

+ Provide people/ the needy people/ citizens with something = satisfy the needs of citizens

(*** my suggestions: cater/ accommodate the needs of = meet the demands of)

+ Stability and development of a country

+ Social solidarity

3. Psychological rewards:

+ see the world and the human condition differently

+ see the truth one might ignore before

raise people’s sense of national pride and ethical unity

+ bring artistic pleasure+ Improve living standard

III. NOTE from Topic 10:

- Promise the smooth and speedy movement of : hứa hẹn việc giao thông thuận lợi (cụm từ này không

có từ lạ, nhưng mình rấ t thích cách dùng từ promise và smooth ở đây, thay vì viế t một cách khá thô ki ểu

như “make movement more convenient” ^^)

- (Grammar: đảo ngữ + danh từ hóa): One of equal important are public Internet facilities: thay vì vi ế t

“Public Internet facilities are equally important.”

- Flourish = thrive =prosper = bloom (cùng trong body 3, ở cu ối cùng là từ survive, thì có 1 cụm r ấ t hay là

“survive and thrive” được dùng trong writing khá nhi ều, cái này ki ểu như luyế n láy của TV mình đó ^^) - Pass down from one generation to another

IV. NOTE from TOPIC 11:

- Empirical knowledge; academic research

- Eliminate illiteracy

- Impoverished families (***my suggestion: disadvantaged and marginalised populations)

- Shake off poverty, climb high in the social ladder, live better off



- National output

- Inspire the loyalty of citizens

- (specific) unemployed, sick, injured, retired

- (specific) visit the clinic, hospitalisation, or buy drugs

- The hierarchy of human needs: thang nhu c ầu (của Maslow đó, bạn nào ko bi ế t có th ể search Google

để bi ế t rõ nhé, r ấ t hay ^^)

V. STRUCTURE:

COMPARE BODY 3 of the two ESSAYS

Như đã nói ở ph ần đầu, điều làm nên sự khác biệt lớn nh ấ t trong cách vi ế t giữa 2 bài essays này.

TOPIC 10: Totally Agree

(+) public facilities

(+)public facilities

(-) the arts:

TOPIC 11: Neutral Position

(+) education

(+) medical

(+) theatres and stadiums: neutral position

Chi chú: (+) for; (-) against

Mình note lại layout này bởi vì đã có quá nhiều tranh cãi r ằng dạng bài argumentative essay nên vi ế t one

side hay two sides. Điều kh ẳng định là b ất kì focus nào trong đề bài thì chúng ta đều phải vi ế t v ề nó, vi ế t

như thế nào phụ thuộc vào ideas mà thôi. “Do you agree or disagree?” đơn giản chỉ là hỏi v ề your

viewpoint, và trong trường s ố từ “NO” đến “YES” bạn hoàn toàn có th ể chọn cho mình 1 điểm ở giữa

VI. BRAINSTORMING: Sở dĩ đưa ra 2 topics trong cùng 1 bài note là vì muốn chia sẻ cách brainstorm cho dạng bài phân b ổ ti ền

sao cho hợp lí đây nè.

Một cách mà mình thường sử dụng khi brainstorm là tự hỏi và tự trả lời 1 loạt câu hỏi. Với dạng này,

mình suggest các bạn 1 vài câu hỏi dựa trên 1 vài tiêu chí:

1. Economic:

- What is more economic?

- More money-saving?

- Can people enrich knowledge, reach higher status, enjoy better life?

- Does it help to develop our economy? Why and why not?

2. Human right: - Fair or unfair? Who suffer?

- Humane or inhumane?

3. Cultural value:

- Affect our culture or not? How? (forget traditional custom, contain offensive materials,…)

4. Political sense:



- Safe for country or not?

- Affect security or not? (security trong r ấ t nhi ều lĩnh vực như military, food,…)

Tương tự, với các dạng đề khác, các bạn có th ể áp dụng cách này, nghĩ ra các câu hỏi khác nhau, cụ th ể

hơn để giúp việc brainstorm nhanh hơn.

Have fun!

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Phân tích bài vi ế t của Mat Clark (topic 30)


Topic 30- Writing by Mat Clark: Should new buildings be built in traditional styles?

By 102

Không gi ống như topic 16 được đề cập trong bài dướ i này , topic nói v ề m ố i liên quan gi ữ a architectuređế n culture nhi ều hơn. Mình r ấ t thích nhữ ng c ấ u trúc v ề culture trong bài vi ế t này, vì nó sử d ụng đượ c

cự c kì nhi ều khi bạn phân tích khía cạnh culture của b ấ t kì topic nào. Vì th ế , mọi ngườ i chú ý nha ^^

TOPIC: Some people believe thate new buildings should be built in traditional styles. To what extent

do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

1. Keyword

Buildings: constructions, erections

Build: construct, erect

Traditional styles: traditional, classical or ancient formats/ patterns/ models

Be undertaken to adhere to a traditional style

Old architecture works >< modernised buildings

2. Good vocab:

(Cultural aspect)

Be central to a nation’s culture:

Characterise a country: đặc trưng cho một đất nước

Distinguish one culture from another

(Buildings) differ in (styles) from country to country

http://ieltsvietnam.net/phan-tich-bai-viet-cua-mat-clark-topic-30/



















Uniqueness of (architecture style)

Integrity of the cityscape: tính th ống nh ấ t, toàn vẹn của quang cảnh thành ph ố( my suggestion:

piecemeal city planning à city looks like a mess: tình trạng của nước ta nè, cũng chính là destroy

integrity of the cityscape đó)

Preserve classical (architecture) à the mingling/ mixture of (buildings) of different ages and types

à the diversity of (buiding models)

Retain/ preserve cultural heritage: gìn giữ những di sản văn hóa

Maintain, preserve and reinforce national/cultural identity: gìn giữ và củng c ố bản s ắc dân tộc/

văn hóa

Create modern identity of a country

Remind people of the heritage of the country: nh ắc nhớ mọi người v ề những di sản của đấ t

nước

(v) bridge the past and the present history: g ắn k ế t quá khứ và hiện tại

(nhữ ng t ừ mình để trong ngoặc là t ừ chúng ta có th ể thay đổ i r ấ t linh hoạt tùy chủ đề nhé)

(Others)

A coexist with B: cùng t ồn tại với

Perform different functions and serve dissimilar purposes: thực hiện những chức năng, phục vụ

những mục đí ch khác nhau (khi nói v ề sự t ồn tại song song của những thứ khá trái ngược đều có

th ể dùng c ấ u trúc này)

Ceaseless pursuit of sth: sự theo đuổi, sự mưu cầu không ngừng gì (điều gì đó)

Destroy= impair

Phân tích bài viết của Mat Clark (topic 16)

Duc Thang Bui November 16, 2012 Topic 16- Writing by Mat Clark: Housing shortage, who can solve?

Architecture, theo ý kiến cá nhân mình, là một topic khó, và thường không được mọi người chú trọng khi

ôn IELTS (có lẽ vì không thường gặp chăng?). Nhưng càng khó thì càng phải học, để gặp nó chúng ta có

thể dễ dàng đương đầu, nhỉ? Trong bài note này và bài note tiếp theo của mình, mình sẽ làm về topic

này. Còn tại sao không g ộp lại làm một như bài này thì khi đọc kĩ 2 bài essays bạn sẽ hiểu.
















TOPIC: Only Government action can solve housing shortages in big cities. To what extent do you

agree or disagree?

1. Instruction: “agree or disagree?” đây có thể thấy rõ là câu hỏi dạng bài argumentative essay.

Nhưng extreme word ở đây là “only”. Rất common sense thôi, bạn có nghĩ một urgent social issue nào cóthể giải quyết với sự đóng góp chỉ từ 1 tổ chức/ 1 nhóm người ko?

Do vậy đề này để viết kiểu totally agree hay totally disagree là cực kì khó.

Cái mình muốn nhấn mạnh ở đây vẫn chỉ là một điều: two sides hay one sides là tùy đề, và tùy vào ideas

của bạn ^^

Phần lớn đề thi IELTS là controversial issue, vì vậy trong quá trình preparation, hãy tập suy nghĩ vấn đề

từ 2 chiều bằng cách tìm ra những lỗ hổng của statement (thường là những extreme word).

Lay-out của bài: (-) Government control

(-) Government control

(+) Government intervention

2. Key words:

- Government (xem lại note “Learn from essay 2)

- Action: intervention, control

- Solve: adress, tackle, deal with, cope with

- House: property

- Housing shortage: housing scarcity

homelessness, inadequate housing

(my suggestion: slums, shanty town, sleep in shop doorways or under bridges)



- Solve housing shortage: meet/ fulfill the demand for homes/ shelter/ accomodation

- Big cities: urban area

3. Body 1: (-) 2 ideas chính ở topic sentence là hamper the private sector (1) và pose a huge burden

upon on the state (2). Mình sẽ liệt kê những từ chính để support (explain) cho từng idea này. - (1): private property developers, housing industry, housing market, property market

- (2): tight budget, release sb from the burden of sth/doing sth

- Hamper = hinder = impede

- Specific “Government action”: funding large-sized construction programmes

- Good vocab:

+attract public consumption: thu hút sức tiêu thụ của cộng đồng

+ accelerate economic development: đẩy nhanh sự phát triển kinh tế

(rất hay trong các vấn đề economic như advertising chẳng hạn)

4. Body 2: (-) stagnancy of construction quality, functionality, facilities,..of housing

- (specific) housing: apartment blocks, residential constructions

- in similar pattern = uniformity

- cityscape -> monotonous

- fail to meet comprehensive requirement.

( Grammar: trong Wr, thay vì viết ở dạng phủ định như donot, “fail to do sth” là một cách thay thế formal

hơn thường được sử dụng) “negatively influence the supply and demand relationship” (được nhắc đến trong conclusion)

5. Body 3: (+) help disadvantaged citizens

- (Specific): single parents, people with disabilities (disabled people),low-income families, vulnerable

individuals

(my suggestion: people of financial adversity)

- Not ready to afford commercial housing

- Government action:

+ housing allowance: trợ cấp nhà ở

+ economical houses: nhà ở dành cho người thu nhập thấp

6. Conclusion :

- Vocab : cấu trúc này thường được dùng khi nói đến vai trò của các bên trong 1 vấn đề nào đó:

+ joint effort of A and B: nỗ lực chung/ nỗ lực từ 2 phía của A và B



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