Đề thi thử THPT Quốc gia môn Tiếng Anh năm 2015 trường THPT Vĩnh Xuân, Vĩnh Long

COULD COMPUTER GAMES BE GOOD FOR YOU AFTER ALL In Britain, the average young person now spends more money on games each year than on going to the cinema or renting videos. But is this (28)_________ a bad thing? For years, newspaper reports have been (29)_________ that children who spend too much time playing computer games become unsociable, bad- tempered, even violent as a (30)________. But new research, (31)_________ out in both Europe and the USA, suggests that the opposite may be true.

Indeed, playing some of the more complicated games may help people of all ages to improve certain skills. Researchers claim that this is because the games (32)__________ the brain work harder in certain ways, like (33)_________ sounds and movements quickly and identifying what they are. The fact that people play the games repeatedly (34)__________ that they get a lot of practice in these skills which are therefore likely to become highly developed.

Social skills may benefit, too. Researchers in Chicago think that fans of first- person shooter games (35)______ . “Counterstrike” are better than non-players when it comes to building trust and co-operation, and that this (36)__________them to make good friendships and become strong members of their communities. So rather than (37)________ up computer games, perhaps young people need to spend more time on them?

In this era of increased global warming and diminishing fossil fuel supplies, we must begin to put a greater priority on harnessing alternative energy sources. Fortunately, there are a number of readily available, renewable resources that are both cost- effective and earth – friendly. Two such resources are solar power and geothermal power. Solar energy, which reaches the earth through sunlight, is so abundant that it could meet the needs of worldwide energy consumption 6,000 times over. And solar energy is easily harnessed through the use of photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. In the US alone, more than 100, 000 homes are equipped with solar electric systems in the form of solar panels or solar roof tiles. And in other parts of the world, including many developing countries, the use of solar system is growing steadily.

Another alternative energy source, which is abundant in specific geographical areas, is geothermal power, which creates energy by tapping heat from below the surface of the earth. Hot water and steam that are trapped in underground pools are pumped to the surface and used to run a generator, which is produces electricity. Geothermal energy is 50,000 times more abundant than the entire known supply of fossil fuel resources. And as with solar power, the technology needed to utilize geothermal energy is fairly simple. A prime example of effective geothermal use is in Iceland, a region of high geothermal activity where over 80 percent of private homes are heated by geothermal power. Solar and geothermal energy are just two of promising renewable alternatives to conventional energy sources. The time is long overdue to invest in the development and use of alternative energy on global scale.

American Online is one of the big names on the Internet, and unlikely many other digital companies, it actually makes a profit. But the company which its rivals call the “Cyber- cockroach” was launched only in 1992. Before that it was a small firm called control Video Corporation, and it made video games. Then Steve Case, a former Pizza Hut marketing executive arrived and took the company online, innovative, fast moving, and user- friendly, American Online appeals to people who want to surf the Internet, but who do not have a lot of experience. For the same reason “teachies”, people who think the are more expert with computers, look down on American Online and its users. Recently, American Online (or AOL, as it calls itself) joined with Time Warner- a multi- million- dollar movie and magazine company- to create a multimedia giant.

Now, AOL has begun to expand abroad. In many Europe countries, including the United Kingdom, it is hard to buy a computer magazine that does not have a free AOL introductory offer. The company also puts advertisements onto the television, and employs people to hand out its free introductory disks at places like train stations. As the Internet gets faster AOL is changing. With many homes getting high- speech connections through fiber optic cables or the new ADSL technology, the “Cyber- cockroach” will have to show that, like real cockroaches, it can survive in almost any environment.