Đề trắc nghiệm Reading Unit 12 (Nature) - Life A2-B1

Reading passage 1 (1-10): The Future of Weather Forecasting

For centuries, people have looked to the sky to predict the weather, often with unreliable results. Today, we have advanced technology, but forecasting extreme weather like tornadoes and hailstorms is still a major challenge. A new project, called the 'Atmo-Sphere System', aims to change this. This system uses thousands of small, solar-powered drones that fly high in the atmosphere, a region traditional weather balloons can't cover continuously. They collect real-time data on temperature, wind speed, and humidity, sending it back to a central computer. If this system worked perfectly, we would get warnings about severe storms hours earlier than we do now. This would give everyone, from city residents to farmers in remote fields, enough time to find a safe place and protect their property.

The project's lead scientist, Dr. Aris Thorne, explains, "Imagine if we could tell a town not just that a hailstorm is coming, but exactly how large the hail would be. If we had this information, people could protect their cars and homes, saving millions of dollars in damages." The drones create a detailed, live 3D map of the atmosphere, something that was previously impossible. Nobody has ever collected data with such precision and scope. However, the project is extremely expensive, and its success depends on international cooperation. If the government didn't provide more funding, the project would have to stop. Dr. Thorne hopes that its potential to save lives will convince officials to support it. He believes that with this technology, nowhere on Earth would be caught completely by surprise by a major weather event again.

Reading passage 2 (11-19): The Green Valley Community Reserve

In the small town of Oakhaven, there was a large, empty field that nobody used. For years, it was just a patch of dry land between the river and the mountains, often filled with litter. Some people wanted to build a shopping mall there, but a local science teacher, Maria, had a different idea. She believed that with some effort, they could turn the field into a thriving natural habitat for local wildlife. She presented her plan at a town meeting. "If we all worked together," she said passionately, "we could create something beautiful for everyone to enjoy. We could plant native trees and create a pond. Soon, birds and other small animals would have somewhere safe to live, away from the busy roads."

At first, not everyone was convinced. "We don't have any money," said one person. "And nobody here knows anything about planting a forest." But Maria was prepared. She had contacted a non-profit organization that offered free trees to community projects. She also found a retired botanist in the town who was happy to share his knowledge. The project started slowly, with just a few volunteers on a sunny Saturday. But as the first trees were planted, more people joined. Everybody did something to help, from digging holes to carrying water from the river. After a year, the field was transformed. It became the Green Valley Community Reserve, a small park with a growing forest and a lively pond. Now, it's a place where you can see something new every day, from colourful dragonflies to shy rabbits, and where local schools conduct nature classes. It proves that if a community works together, they can make a big difference for nature.

Reading passage 3 (20-28): The Silent Wings Photographer

Liam Carter was an accountant who felt that something was missing from his life. He spent his days in a grey office, but his heart was in the wild mountains he could see from his window. One day, he bought a professional camera and started hiking every weekend, no matter the weather. He didn't want to photograph just anything; he wanted to find the elusive Golden Eagle, a bird that almost nobody in his region had seen for years. His friends told him it was an impossible dream. "If you were a professional biologist, you might have a chance," they said, "but you wouldn't find it as an amateur. It's a waste of time."

For two years, Liam found nothing. He photographed many other animals in their natural habitat—foxes, deer, and countless smaller birds—but never the Golden Eagle. He started a blog to share his photos, and to his surprise, it became very popular. Everyone loved his stunning images of nature. One day, a follower sent him a message with a map. "I think I saw something near this remote cliff," the message read. Liam knew he had to go. He spent a week camping in the cold, harsh environment, facing strong winds and sudden snowstorms. On the final day, just as he was about to give up, he saw it: a magnificent Golden Eagle soaring against the blue sky. He took a single, perfect photograph that captured its wild spirit.

That photo changed everything. It was proof that the eagles had not disappeared from the region. Conservation groups used his photo to raise awareness and money for their cause. They started a project to protect the eagles' nesting areas from human disturbance. Liam eventually quit his job as an accountant. Today, he is a full-time wildlife photographer and conservationist. He often gives lectures, saying, "If I hadn't followed that dream, the world wouldn't know these eagles still survive here. Sometimes, you have to search for something that nobody else believes in."

Reading passage 4 (29-37): The Modern Zoo: Prison or Paradise?

The role of zoos in our society is a topic of frequent debate. For many people, a zoo is a place of entertainment, where they can see exotic animals from anywhere in the world. However, for others, it is nothing more than a prison. Critics argue that keeping wild animals in small enclosures is cruel and unnatural, causing them stress and boredom. They believe that no matter how well-designed a cage is, it can never replace an animal's vast natural habitat. If an elephant had the choice, they say, it would never choose a small patch of land in a city over the wide-open plains of Africa. They point to behaviors like pacing back and forth as evidence of psychological distress.

On the other hand, modern zoos see themselves as vital centers for conservation. They participate in international breeding programs for endangered species, which are animals in danger of disappearing forever. If these zoos didn't exist, some species like the California Condor or the Black-footed Ferret would already be extinct. These programs aim to increase the number of animals and, if possible, release them back into the wild. Furthermore, zoos play an important role in education. They teach everyone, especially children, about the importance of wildlife and threats like poaching, which is the illegal hunting of animals. A visitor might see a tiger and then attend a talk by a zookeeper about conservation efforts.

The debate continues. Is it right to keep an animal in captivity for the good of its entire species? Zoo directors argue that it is a necessary sacrifice. They work hard to improve the living conditions, creating larger, more natural environments. They believe that a good zoo provides a safe home for animals that would not survive in the wild due to habitat loss or poaching. If we closed all zoos tomorrow, they ask, where would all these animals go? For many, there is simply nowhere safe for them to return to. Finding a solution that pleases everyone seems impossible, but the conversation is crucial for the future of wildlife.

Reading passage 5 (38-50): The Ocean Cleanup Array

Our oceans are filled with millions of tons of plastic. From tiny microplastics invisible to the naked eye to large fishing nets, this pollution is a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems. For a long time, the problem seemed too big to solve. But a young inventor named Boyan Slat decided to try something that nobody had attempted before. He designed a system called the Ocean Cleanup Array, a long, floating barrier that uses the ocean's own currents to concentrate plastic into a central collection point. The idea is simple but ambitious: instead of chasing plastic with boats, which would take thousands of years and be very expensive, the system lets the ocean bring the plastic to it.

The barrier, which is over 600 meters long, floats on the surface of the ocean. A screen attached below it catches plastic pieces, but it is not a solid wall, so it allows marine life to swim safely underneath. The entire system moves with the wind and waves, but it is designed to move slightly slower than the plastic it collects. This difference in speed allows the plastic to accumulate within the C-shaped barrier. Every few months, a support vessel comes to collect the gathered plastic. This plastic is then brought back to land to be sorted and recycled into new products, such as sunglasses or furniture.

The project has faced many challenges. Early prototypes broke in the harsh ocean environment. Some scientists were skeptical, arguing that the system wouldn't be effective or could harm marine life. However, the team has continuously improved the design. Recent tests have shown that the system is successfully capturing plastic, from large 'ghost nets' to microplastics as small as one millimeter. If the technology proves to be scalable, the organization's goal is to clean up 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040. If they achieved this, it would be one of the greatest environmental victories in human history. The project is a powerful example of how innovative thinking can offer a solution to a problem that once seemed to have no answer anywhere.