I/
1. There are some reasons why …………. is essential to people’s success.
A. risk taking B. taking risk C. risk take D. take risk
2. My sister usually stays quite …………. but this time she is out of control.
A. calm B. delighted C. confident D. embarrassed
3. City life not only offers young people with lots of opportunities, but it has lots of …… as well.
A. variety B. advantages C. drawbacks D. benefits
4. Her son showed an early …………. in music.
A. feeling B. emotion C. expectation D. interest
5. Our boss looks …………. some people in his firm.
A. after B. down on C. on D. up
6. He doesn’t know how he should operate this machine.
A. what to do B. how to operate C. when to start D. how to make
7. How can you …………. to stay calm under pressure?
A. overcome B. manage C. communicate D. educate
8. The company is going to close …………. one of its stores due to reduced sales.
A. to B. down C. on D. with

II/

I went to Tay Ho, a village famous for its conical hat making techniques in Hue last week. The craft was first introduced to Hue hundreds of years ago, with numerous craft villages - namely Da Le, Phu Cam, Doc So, Trieu Tay, Kim Long, or Sia ect. Among them, Tay Ho is the most prominent name since it is the birthplace of the conical hat in Hue. Located on the bank of the Nhu Y River, in Phu Ho commune, Phu Vang District, the village is about 12 km away from Hue City.
It takes artisans a lot of time and effort to make a seemingly simple conical hat. Normally, they have to follow 15 stages, from going to the forest to collect leaves to ironing the leaves, making frames, etc. Almost all of these processes require the diligence and adroitness of craftsmen's hands. Firstly, craftsmen collect young leaves of the Bo Quy Diep tree from the forest. The leaves are then exposed to mist, dried and ironed. The next step, which determines the shape and size of a conical hat, is making a cone frame, with 16 small bamboo splints bent into an arc shape. After that, leaves will be arranged and attached to the frame. As a Hue’s conical hat always has two layers of leaves, craftsmen must be very skillful to make them very thin. After this stage, the hats will be covered with oil and dried under the sun. To make the conical hats more special, paintings of Hue and poems are added between the two layers of leaves, creating bai tho or poetic conical hats.
3. These days, although the conical hat has not been thriving as ever, there are still many talented artisans in Tay Ho living on the traditional craft. Commercially, the conical hat village in Hue provides the market with millions of hats yearly, which meets not only the needs of locals but those of tourists as well. The conical hat will likely remain a unique souvenir in Hue’s tours for years to come.
1. Tay Ho village is the most well-known for conical hat making in Hue because
A. it is the place of origin of the hat
B. it is prominent in Hue
C. it is located on the bank of the Nhu Y River
2. The first stage of conical hat making is ………….
A. ironing leaves
B. collecting leaves from the forest
C. making a cone frame
3. The word "them" in the second paragraph refers to ………….
A. craftsmen B. hats C. two layers of leaves
4. Hue’s conical hats ………….
A. sometimes have two layers of leaves
B. become more special owing to paintings of Hue and poems
C. are made through 16 stages