vocabulary  :

unit 1 ( b 1 )

1. flock (v): lũ lượt kéo đến, tụ tập, quây quanh

2 . throb (v): rộn ràng, nói rộn lên, rung động

3. sight-seer (n): người đi tham quan

4. transact (v): thực hiện, tiến hành; giải quyết

5. means of transport: phương tiện vận chuyển

6. commit (v): phạm phải

7. misfortune (n): rủi ro, sự bất hạnh, điều không may

8. descend upon (v): ập xuống bất ngờ, đến bất ngờ

9. greed (n): tính tham lam

10. to bring S.O to justice: đem ai ra tòa, truy tố ai trước tòa

11. on the move: di chuyển

12. facility (n): điều kiện thuận lợi, phương tiện dễ dàng

2 (b2)

1. race (n): chủng tộc, giống người

2. belief (n): tín ngưỡng

3. composed (adj): gồm có, bao gồm

4. multi-racial (adj): đa chủng tộc, nhiều chủng tộc

5. decade (n): thời kỳ mười năm, thập kỷ

6. absorb (v): hấp thu

7. peculiarity (n): tính chất riêng, nét riêng biệt, nét đặc biệt

8. in peace and harmony with: trong hòa bình và hoà thuận

9. promote (v): nâng cao, xúc tiến, đẩy mạnh

10. as a whole: nói chung, toàn bộ

---------------- phan can ghi nho ve bai luan ....

b3 ..

1. places of interest: những nơi đáng chú ý, những nơi thú vi

2. strange creatures: những sinh vật lạ

3. curious (adj): ham hiểu biết, tò mò, hiếu kỳ

4. anchor (v): bỏ neo, thả neo

5. arouse a desire: gợi lên sự khao khát

6. impress (v): gây ấn tượng

7. numerous lights: nhiều ánh đèn

8. scholar (n): thành phần trí thức

b4 . can chu y

1. rustling noise (n): tiếng động sột soạt, xào xạc

2. in these green depths: trong sâu thẳm của khu rừng, trong cùng thẳm của khu rừng

3. cautiously (adv): cẩn thận, thận trọng

4. hush (n): sư im lặng

5. swirl (n): chỗ nước xoáy, chỗ nước cuộn

6. howl (n): rú (đau đớn)

7. fill (v): làm tràn ngập, làm đầy

8. terror (n): sự kinh hoàng, nỗi khiếp sợ

9. merciless (adj): nhẫn tâm, tàn nhẫn

10. reptile (n) : loài bò sát

11. slake one's thirst : làm cho đỡ khát, giải khát

12. savagery (n) : sư tàn bạo, sư độc ác, hành vi tàn bạo, hành vi độc ác

13. 1urk (v) : ngấm ngầm, ẩn nấp, núp, trốn

Life in the city is full of activity. Early in the morning hundreds of people rush out of their homes in the manner ants do when their nest is broken. Soon the streets are full of traffic. Shops and offices open, students flock to their schools and the day's work begins. The city now throb with activity, and it is full of noise. Hundreds of sight-seers, tourists and others visit many places of interest in the city while businessmen from various parts of the world arrive to transact business.

Then towards evening, the offices and day schools begin to close. Many of the shops too close. There is now a rush for buses and other means of transport. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to reach home. As a result of this rush, many accidents occur. One who has not been to the city before finds it hard to move about at this time. Soon, however, there is almost no activity in several parts of the city. These parts are usually the business centres.

With the coming of night, another kind of actịvity begins. The streets are now full of colorful lights. The air is cooler and life becomes more leisurely. People now seek entertainment. Many visit the cinemas, parks and clubs, while others remain indoors to watch television or listen to the radio. Some visit friends and relatives and some spend their time reading books and magazines. Those who are interested in politics discuss the latest political developments. At the same time, hundreds of crimes are committed. Thieves and robbers who wait for the coming of night become active, and misfortune descends upon many. For the greed of a few, many are killed, and some live in constant fear. To bring criminals to justice, the officers of the law are always on the move.

Workers and others who seek advancement in their careers attend educational institutions which are open till late in the night. Hundreds of them sit for various examinations every year. The facilities and opportunities that the people in the city have to further their studies and increase their knowledge of human affairs are indeed many. As a result, the people of the city are usually better informed than those of the village, where even a newspaper is sometimes difficult to get.

The city could, therefore, be described as a place of ceaseless activity. Here, the drama of life is enacted every day.

Living in a community where there are people of various races could be a rewarding and an exciting experience. Such a community is like a small world with many types and races of people in it.

Everyone, young or old, enjoys listening to stories about people in other lands. We read books and newspapers to learn about the habits, customs and beliefs) of people who do not belong to our race, but when we live in a community composed of many races, we have the opportunity to meet and talk with people or various races. We can learn about their customs and beliefs directly from them. In this way, wẹ have a better understanding of their ways of life. For example, in Singapore and Malaysia, which are known as multi-racial countries, Malays, Chinese, Indians and others have lived together for several decades. They have learnt a lot about the cultures of one another, more than what they could have learnt by reading books or newspapers. By living together, they have also absorbed many of the habits of one another to their common benefit.

Further, living in a multi-racial community teaches us how to respect the views and beliefs of people of other races. We learn to be tolerant and to understand and appreciate the peculiarities of those who are not of our race. In this way, we learn to live in peace and harmony with foreigners whose ways of life are different from ours in several respects. We become less suspicious of strangers and foreigners.

The relationship that develops among the people from common understanding in a multi-racial community makes life in such a community very exciting. Any celebration of any race becomes a celebration of all the other races. Thus, there is a lot of fun and excitement during every celebration. In this way, better understanding is promoted among the peoples of the world. Through each of the races of the people in a multi-racial community, we come to know about their respective countries. For example, through the Chinese and the Indians in Malaysia or Singapore we have come to know much about China and India. As a result, we have a better understanding of the peoples of China and India as a whole.

It could therefore be said that life in a multi-racial community teaches us many useful lessons in human relations.

The city of Singapore is extremely beautiful. It is well known for its centres of business and other activities. There are many places of interest such as the Tiger Balm Garden, the Botanical Gardens and Raffles Museum. There are also many important centres of learning such as the University of Singapore, Science Centre, the Nanyang University and the Polytechnic. Being a famous city, hundreds of people come every day from various parts of the world to do business or to enjoy the sights of the city. Singapore therefore has large and beautiful airports and its harbours are full of ships.

There are many night schools where people who cannot go to the day schools for some reason or other can continue their studies. And, the government of Singapore is still doing its best to make further improvements in the city for the benefit of the people.

During my stay in Singapore, I went out every day with my father to see the beautiful and interesting places and things in the city. One day we went to the Tiger Balm Garden where I saw several statues of people, animals and other strange creature beautifully made and kept. The sea near this garden makes this a pleasant place to visit. We spent almost half of the day at this place.

Another day we visited the museum where I saw hundreds of curious things preserved for scholars and others. It was indeed an education to see all those things. There is so much to learn here that every visit by any person is sure to add to his knowledge.

I also visited some of the harbours and saw the large ships anchored there. The sight of the ships aroused a desire in me to cross the oceans and go round the world. I was indeed deeply impressed by the activities at the harbour.

Then every night, I went round the town and visited some of the parks and other places of interest. The numerous sights and the constant stream of traffic kept the city alive. I visited a few of the cinemas as well. In short, I enjoyed every moment of my stay in this famous city of Singapore

Seldom does one have opportunity of seeing a fight between a tiger and a crocodile. I, however, had this opportunity one day when I went with my father into a forest in search of some wild plants.

I had never been to a forest before. Therefore, whatever I saw in the forest interested me greatly. I looked ạt the rich vegetation all round as well as the variety of colourful flowers and birds, large and small. I saw the activity of some of the wild creatures, such as snakes, squirrels and insects. Occasionally, I heard the cry of some strange animal in pain, perhaps while being eaten by a larger animal. I also heard some rustling noises in the undergrowth; but I was not afraid of all these. Such things, I knew, were natural to the forest.

My father whose only interest was in the type of plants he wanted for my mother's garden, however, paid little attention to the sounds and movements in these green depths. He continued his search for more and more of those plants until we reached one of the banks of a large river in the forest. There we stopped for a while to enjoy the sights around.

The scene was peaceful. Then, to our surprises and honor, we saw a tiger on the other side of the river. It was moving quietly and cautiously towards the water for a drink. A hush fell upon the jungle. My father and I were now too frightened to move from there.

However, as the tiger put its mouth into the river there was a sudden swirl of the waters, and before the tiger could rush out, it was seized by a huge crocodile. The tiger's howl of pain and anger filled me and my father with terrors. Yet we waited there to see the end of the struggle between these two lords of the forest and the river. The crocodile had the advantage from the beginning. It used all its strength to pull the tiger deeper into the water, and the tiger too fought desperately to free itself from the jaws of the merciless reptile; but the tiger soon gave up the struggle and all was quiet again. I now felt pity for the tiger which had died just to slake its thirst.

Then, my father reminded me of the narrow escape that we had ourselves had. If the tiger had been on this side of the river, one of us might have died in the way the tiger did, a victim of animal appetite. And as we were returning home, I began to think of the struggle for life and savagery that lurks beneath peaceful scenes.