Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks.
One rather unlikely word that has recently entered the language is “blog", a shortened form of “web log”. A blog is a diary _____(41) on the Internet by the person writing it - the blogger - who presumably _______(42) other people to read it. It is ironical that modern technology is being used to_____ (43) new life into such an old-fashioned form as the personal journal. And now, as the technology about video cameras is making them easier to use, we have the video log, or “vlog". Vlogging does not require______ (44) sophisticated equipment: a digital video camera, a high-speed Internet connection and a host are all that is needed. Vloggers can put anything that_______ (45) their fancy onto their personal website. Some vloggers have no ambitions rather than to show films they have_____ (46) while on holiday in exotic places. However, vlogs can also_____ (47) more ambitious purposes. For instance, amateur film-makers who want to make a ______(48) for themselves might publish their work on the lnternet. And increasingly, vlogs are being used to_______ (49) political and social issues that are not newsworthy enough to get coverage by the mass media. It is still too early to predict whether vlogging will ever _______(50) off in a major way or if it is just a passing fad, but its potential is only now becoming apparent.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Ecotourism is a combination of ecology (the study of systems of living things) and tourism. The International Ecotourism Society defines ecotourism as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of the local people“. Actually, ecotourism can mean travel to far-off places of great natural beauty, but not always in a responsible way. lt is a big business, and the allure of money can cause people to think about profits first. While ecotourism offers benefits for people and ecosystem, it leaves ecosystems open to negative effects, too.
Costa Rica, once a Spanish colony, and independent since 1821, has an ecotourism industry worth over one billion dollars yearly, and thousands of jobs have been created. Nearly 21 percent of the land is now protected national parks, largely thanks to ecotourism. Nonetheless, due to the number of people visiting the country’s natural places, some damage to the ecosystem has occurred.
While tourists can have a negative impact on ecosystems, the same areas might have been totally destroyed by industries such as farming, logging, or mining, instead, sanctuaries have been created, keeping the ecosystem protected. And, by visiting beautiful rainforests and seeing rare animals, visitors get a sense of their value, and of gratitude for them. Tour guides can also be educators who train people to love and care for the environment. Visitors can take these lessons with them to their home countries.
Unfortunately, while their effects may not be noticeable in the off-season, the constant procession of visitors in the high seasons can be damaging. At one national park in Costa Rica. wild monkeys now feed on garbage left by the tourists. Furthermore, ecotourists tend to seek out places with the rarest animals and plants, pressuring the most delicate of living things.
Controlling abuses isn’t easy. Corruption can lead officials to tolerate ecological damage. For example. a large resort facility. normally not allowed near a sanctuary, might be allowed if the company pays enough money to certain people in the government. Limited resources are another issue. Areas of forests and beaches that l would require an army to protect are often watched by several employees.
It is easy to be critical of the ecotourism industry, but it is important to be positive as well. Ecotourism can never be “pure”. We can’t expect zero negative effects on the ecosystem. It is also unrealistic to think that humans won’t go anywhere accessible to them. if protection efforts are maintained and intensified, those remaining places of undisturbed nature may be stressed, but they won’t be destroyed.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
The late 1990s was a volatile time for the Internet entrepreneur. There were a large number of new high-tech and Internet-based businesses being started up, some based on little more than dreams. And. nearly any entrepreneur with a high-tech or Intemet-based business plan could receive a large amount of money form investors to develop the business. These businesses were called “dot-coms” after the last part of their lnternet addresses, and that time in business history has became known as the dot-com era. Most dot-com ventures failed as the inconsistencies between high-tech dreams and realities clarified, but a handful of entrepreneurs from that time remain successful today.
Many people look back at the dot-com era with a certain amount of cynicism. Some charge that there were entrepreneurs who deliberately mislead investors about the potential of their business plans; that they had the ulterior motive of getting their handson large amounts of cash before anything else - a ploy that some say was common in the dot-com era. By 2001, most of the dot-coms had disappeared and were sarcastically referred to as “dot-bombs”. By the time the hype died down, incredible amounts of money had been lost. This is an unfortunate legacy of the dot-com era.
Why did companies like Microsoft, Apple, and Google find success, while so many others disappeared? There is no concise answer, but one interesting coincidence is that many of them were started by two or more entrepreneurs working inconjunction with each other. At Microsoft, Bill Gates and Paul Allen complemented each other; Apple had Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak; and we owe Google to the rapport between founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Besides collaborating with others, today’s entrepreneurs need to be able to think on their feet because the business situation changes so quickly. Entrepreneurs need to do constant research to keep track of changing trends. Today’s entrepreneurs need to be hardworking and tenacious - the easy money of the dot-com era is history. Experimentation and innovation are critical in a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace.
It seems that the mistakes of the dot-com era have shown the world what the high- tech economy truly is. and what it isn’t. It isn’t a place where anyone with a dream can get rich. It is, however, a powerful and flexible business environment where people with sound business ideas and effective business models can work together to produce successful business innovations, sometimes very successful ones indeed. But, as it has always been true in the business world, there is no substitute for thorough planning and hard work.
Notes:
- volatile (n): hay thay đổi, không ổn định
- ploy (n) thủ đoạn
- hype (n): sự quảng cáo thổi phồng, sự cường điệu
- tenacious (n): kiên trì, kiên quyết