Ngày 6: Full Reading Test 1 — 3 Passages, 40 Questions

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⏱️ Tổng thời gian: 60 phút — Bấm giờ ngay!

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• ❌ KHÔNG xem đáp án trước khi hoàn thành
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📖 PASSAGE 1: The Development of Writing Systems

Writing is one of humanity’s most important inventions, yet its development was neither sudden nor universal. The earliest writing systems emerged independently in several different civilisations, and the path from simple pictorial records to the complex alphabetic systems used today took thousands of years.

The oldest known writing system is Sumerian cuneiform, which developed in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) around 3400 BCE. Cuneiform began as a system of pictographs — simple pictures representing objects or concepts — pressed into soft clay tablets using a reed stylus. Over time, these pictures became increasingly abstract and stylised, eventually evolving into the wedge-shaped marks that give the system its name (from the Latin “cuneus,” meaning wedge). At its peak, cuneiform was used by several civilisations across the Middle East and was adapted to write multiple languages, including Akkadian, Babylonian, and Hittite.

Around the same period, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics emerged as another major writing system. Unlike cuneiform, hieroglyphics retained their pictorial nature for much of their history, with individual symbols representing sounds, words, or concepts. The Egyptians used hieroglyphics primarily for religious texts, monumental inscriptions, and official documents. For everyday communication, they developed a simpler script known as hieratic, and later an even more streamlined version called demotic.

In East Asia, Chinese characters represent the only ancient writing system that has remained in continuous use from its origins to the present day. The earliest Chinese writing, found on oracle bones dating to approximately 1200 BCE, was used primarily for divination — the practice of predicting the future. Over the centuries, Chinese characters evolved significantly in form but maintained the fundamental principle of using individual symbols to represent words or concepts rather than sounds. This logographic system was later adopted and adapted by neighbouring cultures, forming the basis of the Japanese kanji and Korean hanja systems.

The development of alphabetic writing — where individual symbols represent specific sounds — was a revolutionary innovation. The first true alphabet is generally attributed to the Phoenicians, a seafaring civilisation based in present-day Lebanon, around 1050 BCE. The Phoenician alphabet contained only consonants, with 22 letters representing individual consonant sounds. This system was far more efficient than cuneiform or hieroglyphics, as it required speakers to learn only a small number of symbols rather than hundreds or thousands.

The Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet around 800 BCE, making a crucial modification: they added symbols for vowel sounds, creating the first complete alphabet capable of representing all the sounds of a language. The Greek alphabet subsequently formed the basis of the Latin alphabet — which is used today to write English, Spanish, French, and many other languages — as well as the Cyrillic alphabet used for Russian and several other Slavic languages.

The spread of writing systems has been closely linked to the expansion of trade, religion, and political power. The Latin alphabet spread throughout Europe largely through the influence of the Roman Empire and later the Catholic Church. Arabic script spread across North Africa and parts of Asia with the expansion of Islam. Today, although hundreds of writing systems have existed throughout history, the vast majority of the world’s population uses one of just a handful of scripts, with the Latin, Chinese, Arabic, and Devanagari systems being the most widely used.

Questions 1-6: True / False / Not Given

Questions 7-10: Gap-fill (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)

7. Cuneiform takes its name from the Latin word for ____________.
8. The Egyptians developed ____________ script as a simpler alternative to hieroglyphics.
9. The earliest Chinese writing was discovered on ____________.
10. The Phoenician alphabet consisted of ____________ letters.

Questions 11-13: Multiple Choice

11. The Greeks’ main contribution to alphabetic writing was:

    • A) inventing the first writing system
    • B) adding vowel symbols
    • C) reducing the number of letters
    • D) creating cuneiform

12. Which factor helped spread the Latin alphabet?

    • A) Scientific discoveries
    • B) The printing press
    • C) The Roman Empire and Catholic Church
    • D) International trade agreements

13. According to the passage, most people today use:

    • A) hundreds of different scripts
    • B) only alphabetic systems
    • C) a small number of writing systems
    • D) pictographic writing

📖 PASSAGE 2: The Psychology of Colour

A. The influence of colour on human psychology and behaviour has been a subject of scientific interest for over a century. While ancient civilisations intuitively associated different colours with various meanings and emotions — red with danger, white with purity, blue with divinity — modern researchers have sought to understand the mechanisms through which colour actually affects our thoughts, feelings, and actions. The findings have been both fascinating and controversial, with some results strongly supported by evidence and others challenged by conflicting studies.

B. One of the most well-established findings in colour psychology relates to the distinction between “warm” colours (red, orange, yellow) and “cool” colours (blue, green, purple). Research consistently shows that warm colours tend to increase physiological arousal, raising heart rate and blood pressure, while cool colours have the opposite effect, promoting calmness and relaxation. A landmark study by psychologist Andrew Elliot demonstrated that participants exposed to the colour red before taking a test performed worse than those exposed to green or neutral colours, suggesting that red may trigger anxiety or avoidance motivation in achievement contexts.

C. However, the effects of colour are not always negative. In competitive sports, research has suggested that wearing red may provide a psychological advantage. An analysis of outcomes from the 2004 Olympic Games found that competitors wearing red won significantly more often than those wearing blue in combat sports such as boxing, taekwondo, and wrestling. The researchers proposed that red may signal dominance and aggression, potentially intimidating opponents. Nevertheless, subsequent studies have produced mixed results, and some researchers argue that the effect may be explained by referee bias rather than a genuine psychological impact on competitors.

D. The application of colour psychology in marketing and consumer behaviour has generated enormous commercial interest. Studies have found that up to 90% of initial judgments about products are based on colour alone, and that colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80%. Fast food restaurants frequently use red and yellow in their branding, as these colours are believed to stimulate appetite and create a sense of urgency. In contrast, luxury brands often employ black, gold, or deep blue to convey sophistication and exclusivity. However, researchers caution that colour preferences are heavily influenced by personal experience, cultural background, and context, making universal claims about colour effects problematic.

E. Cultural differences in colour perception represent a significant challenge for global marketing strategies. While white is associated with purity and weddings in many Western cultures, it is traditionally the colour of mourning in several East Asian countries, including China and Korea. Similarly, while green is generally considered a positive colour in many Western nations, it can carry negative associations in some South American countries. These cultural variations highlight the importance of understanding local colour symbolism when designing products or marketing campaigns for international audiences.

F. Despite decades of research, colour psychology remains a field where firm conclusions are difficult to reach. Many early studies suffered from methodological limitations, including small sample sizes and failure to control for confounding variables such as brightness and saturation. Furthermore, the subjective nature of colour perception — the fact that individuals may experience the same colour differently depending on their visual system, lighting conditions, and psychological state — makes it challenging to draw definitive conclusions. Nevertheless, the practical applications of colour research continue to expand, influencing fields as diverse as healthcare, education, urban planning, and digital design.

Questions 14-19: Yes / No / Not Given

Questions 20-23: Matching Information

Which paragraph (A-F) contains the following information?

Questions 24-26: Summary Completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS)

Research by Andrew Elliot found that the colour red can cause (24) ____________ in test situations. In sports, red may signal (25) ____________ to opponents. However, cultural (26) ____________ make universal colour claims difficult.

📖 PASSAGE 3: Neuroplasticity — The Changing Brain

A. For most of the 20th century, the prevailing scientific consensus held that the adult human brain was essentially fixed — that once the critical developmental periods of childhood and adolescence had passed, the brain’s structure and function remained largely static, with neurons gradually dying off and never being replaced. This view, while intuitive and widely accepted, has been comprehensively overturned by research conducted over the past three decades, revealing that the brain possesses a remarkable capacity for change and adaptation throughout the entire lifespan, a property known as neuroplasticity.

B. The concept of neuroplasticity encompasses several distinct but related phenomena. Structural plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to physically change its architecture — creating new neural connections, strengthening existing ones, or pruning those that are no longer needed. Functional plasticity describes the brain’s capacity to transfer functions from damaged areas to undamaged ones. Both forms of plasticity can occur in response to learning, experience, injury, or environmental changes, and both have profound implications for our understanding of human potential and the treatment of neurological disorders.

C. Some of the most compelling evidence for neuroplasticity comes from studies of individuals who have suffered brain injuries. Research on stroke patients has demonstrated that with intensive rehabilitation, significant recovery of lost functions is possible even months or years after the initial injury. The mechanisms involved include the recruitment of alternative neural pathways and the reorganisation of cortical maps — the brain regions associated with specific functions. In one remarkable case study, a patient who lost the ability to speak following a stroke gradually regained language function over a period of two years through a combination of speech therapy and the brain’s natural compensatory processes.

D. Research with London taxi drivers has provided particularly striking evidence of experience-dependent neuroplasticity. A series of studies led by neuroscientist Eleanor Maguire found that licensed London taxi drivers, who must memorise the complex layout of over 25,000 streets in a process known as “The Knowledge,” had significantly larger posterior hippocampi — the brain region associated with spatial memory — compared to control subjects. Moreover, the size of this brain region correlated with the number of years spent driving taxis, suggesting that the structural change was caused by the ongoing cognitive demands of navigating London’s streets rather than by pre-existing differences.

E. The discovery of adult neurogenesis — the birth of new neurons in the adult brain — has been perhaps the most revolutionary finding in this field. Although initially met with skepticism, research has now confirmed that new neurons are continuously generated in at least two brain regions: the hippocampus, which is crucial for learning and memory, and the olfactory bulb, which processes smell. Studies in animals have shown that factors such as physical exercise, environmental enrichment, and learning new skills can significantly increase the rate of neurogenesis, while chronic stress and sleep deprivation appear to reduce it.

F. The practical applications of neuroplasticity research are wide-ranging and continue to expand. In clinical settings, understanding brain plasticity has led to the development of more effective rehabilitation programmes for stroke patients and individuals with traumatic brain injuries. Cognitive training programmes designed to exploit neuroplasticity have shown promise in slowing cognitive decline in elderly individuals, although the extent to which such benefits transfer to everyday tasks remains debated. In education, the concept of neuroplasticity supports the idea that intelligence and ability are not fixed traits but can be developed through effort and practice — a perspective that aligns with psychologist Carol Dweck’s influential theory of “growth mindset.”

G. Nevertheless, it is important not to overstate the implications of neuroplasticity. While the brain is certainly more adaptable than scientists once believed, there are limits to its capacity for change. Critical periods still exist during which certain types of learning — particularly first language acquisition and visual development — occur most readily, and these windows of opportunity become significantly more difficult to exploit once they have closed. Furthermore, the brain’s plasticity can sometimes work against us: chronic pain, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder all involve maladaptive neuroplastic changes that prove extremely difficult to reverse. Understanding both the possibilities and the limitations of neuroplasticity remains an active and important area of research.

Questions 27-32: Matching Headings

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list below.

Questions 33-36: Sentence Completion (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)

33. The old scientific view was that adult brains were essentially ____________.
34. London taxi drivers must memorise over ____________ streets.
35. New neurons are produced in the hippocampus and the ____________.
36. Carol Dweck’s theory is called the ____________.

Questions 37-40: Multiple Choice

37. Neuroplasticity means the brain can:

    • A) only change during childhood
    • B) adapt and change throughout life
    • C) replace all damaged neurons
    • D) function without neural connections

38. Eleanor Maguire’s research showed that taxi drivers had:

    • A) higher IQ scores
    • B) better eyesight
    • C) larger posterior hippocampi
    • D) faster reaction times

39. Which of the following increases neurogenesis?

    • A) Chronic stress
    • B) Sleep deprivation
    • C) Physical exercise
    • D) Aging

40. The passage suggests that neuroplasticity can be negative in cases of:

    • A) learning new languages
    • B) chronic pain and addiction
    • C) physical exercise
    • D) taxi driving

✅ Đáp án & Giải thích

Passage 1: Writing Systems

Passage 2: Colour Psychology

Passage 3: Neuroplasticity

📊 Bảng tính điểm

Kết quả của bạn: _____/40 → Band _____

🎯 Tổng kết Day 6

• ✅ Hoàn thành Full Reading Test 1 — 3 passages, 40 câu
• ✅ Luyện tập quản lý thời gian 60 phút
• ✅ Trải nghiệm đủ các dạng câu hỏi: T/F/NG, Y/N/NG, Matching, MC, Gap-fill, Summary

🌟 Ghi lại số câu đúng và thời gian cho từng passage. Ngày mai sẽ phân tích lỗi sai chi tiết! 📊✍️