Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 5.

The proliferation of counterfeit goods in emerging markets like Vietnam has evolved into a sophisticated shadow economy. This illicit trade relies on a complex infrastructure that includes the exploitation of porous borders, the anonymity provided by social commerce platforms, where transactions often occur via direct messaging, and (1) ________, creating a regulatory nightmare that outpaces traditional enforcement capabilities. While authorities have intensified market surveillance, seizing thousands of tons of infringing products annually, the counterfeiters display remarkable resilience, (2) ________. When one warehouse is raided, two more often spring up in different locations, leveraging decentralized logistics to evade detection.

For local enterprises and consumers alike, this unfair competition constitutes an existential crisis. (3) ________. Beyond the immediate financial loss to legitimate businesses, the prevalence of fake pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and substandard electronics poses a severe, direct threat to public health and safety. To combat this, the strategy must move beyond simple raids. (4) ________. Technologies such as blockchain serialization allow for the immutable tracking of a product’s journey from factory to consumer, theoretically making the insertion of fake goods impossible.

However, cleansing the market is not solely the duty of law enforcement or technology. A sustainable solution demands the rigorous modernization of intellectual property laws, which currently lag behind digital trends, no less than (5) ________ that ultimately renders the purchase of fake goods socially unacceptable.

(Adapted from Vietnam News.vn)

Question 1:

A. via obscure cross-border payment gateways, financial trails become manipulated
B. financial trails obscure the manipulation of cross-border payment gateways
C. manipulate the obscurity of financial trails in cross-border payment gateways
D. the manipulation of cross-border payment gateways to obscure financial trails

Question 2:

A. even though lowering market entry barriers to the extreme allows illicit networks instantaneous regeneration
B. so that the allowance of instantaneous regeneration for illicit networks lowers extreme market entry barriers
C. for the extremely low barriers to market entry allow these illicit networks to regenerate almost instantaneously
D. for fear that entering the market with extremely low barriers allows illicit networks to be instantaneously regenerative

Question 3:

A. Reporting quarterly earnings merely confines the corporate balance to the repercussions of such widespread infringement
B. Corporations merely report that quarterly earnings confine the repercussions of such widespread infringement to sheets

C. The repercussions of such widespread infringement are not confined merely to corporate balance sheets or quarterly earnings reports

D. Merely balancing corporate sheets reports the confinement of repercussions from such widespread quarterly infringement

Question 4:

A. The increasing sophistication of digital infiltration is, therefore, deploying countermeasures against the security of forward-thinking corporate chains

B. Forward-thinking corporations are, hence, increasingly deploying sophisticated digital countermeasures to secure their value chains against infiltration

C. As a result, the security of forward-thinking corporations is deploying sophisticated digital chains to counter the increase of infiltration

D. Consequently, forward-thinking corporations are increasingly secured by the deployment of digital countermeasures against sophisticated value infiltration

Question 5:

A. a sustained, grassroots cultivation of ethical consumerism and awareness
B. cultivate grassroots consumers aware of the ethics of sustainability
C. grassroots awareness cultivates the sustainability of ethical consumerism
D. that of sustaining grassroots consumerism through cultivating ethical awareness

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 6 to 13.

A burgeoning media sector involves the scrupulous documentation of family life for public broadcast. Parents function as producers, directing their children in what is presented as a spontaneous, authentic daily existence. A conflation of private family moments and public entertainment is intentional. Children, some from infancy, are the central figures in a highly remunerative family enterprise. Their personal lives are commodified and distributed for audience consumption, turning mundane activities into sponsored content and a reliable source of household income.

The child's existence is recorded in perpetuity. An irretrievable digital archive is created without any mechanism for the minor to confer meaningful assent. Childhood development occurs under constant surveillance, not for safety, but for content creation. The psychological ramifications of this arrangement are incalculable. Standard labor protections for child actors on film sets are inapplicable to a private residence. Such a setup leaves the child without legal recourse for hours worked or wages earned, placing them in a uniquely vulnerable position.

The continuous pressure to perform for an unseen audience stifles the formation of a genuine, private identity. Emotional veracity is secondary to audience engagement. A child’s authentic reactions—grief, anger, or boredom—are often either suppressed or, conversely, exploited for their dramatic potential. The onerous task of “being yourself” as a full-time, monetized job creates an insidious psychological burden. The boundary between a real self and a marketable facsimile dissipates, leaving the minor unable to distinguish between genuine feeling and required performance.

An entire industry proliferates outside the ambit of established child welfare jurisprudence. Society is actively consuming content produced under conditions that would be impermissible in any other regulated field of entertainment. The legal frameworks are antiquated, failing to address the peculiarities of this new, decentralized production model. A generation of children is being raised as public-facing assets, and the long-term societal consequences of their uncodified labor remain a subject of discomfiting speculation and academic concern.

(Adapted from Reuters)

Question 6: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?

A. By transforming routine activities into paid promotions and a dependable family income, their private lives are effectively productized and sold for public viewership.

B. Their private lives are productized and sold to audiences, a process which converts specific family events into paid promotions and a dependable household income.

C. Paid promotions are created from their routine activities, becoming a highly profitable source of household income as their private lives are sold for public viewership.

D. The transformation of routine activities into paid promotions improves their household’s believable income, as their private lives are productized and sold to the public.

Question 7: The word confer in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. require B. grant

C. understand D. confirm

Question 8: The phrase this arrangement in paragraph 2 refers to ______.

A. the child’s existence B. the digital archive
C. childhood development under surveillance D. the psychological ramifications

Question 9: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a psychological effect on a child’s identity stemming from the constant pressure to perform?

A. The stifling of a genuine, private identity
B. The dissipation of the boundary between a real self and a facsimile
C. The inability to distinguish feeling from performance
D. The formation of a rebellious attitude

Question 10: The word discomfiting in paragraph 4 is OPPOSITE in meaning to ______.

A. cheering B. definitive C. persistent D. trivial

Question 11: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. A child’s existence is permanently recorded because parents are intentionally blending private family moments with public entertainment.

B. Growing academic concern about this uncodified labor is compelling regulators to review the antiquated legal frameworks.

C. The psychological burden on the child stems from the constant need to suppress authentic emotions like grief, anger, or boredom.

D. Existing legal structures are obsolete, leaving them unable to manage the specific nature of modern, scattered content production.

Question 12: Which paragraph mentions that employment safeguards for children are not enforceable in a private home?

A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 3 C. Paragraph 2 D. Paragraph 4

Question 13: Which paragraph mentions that a child’s genuine feelings are often hidden or exaggerated for viewers?

A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 3 C. Paragraph 2 D. Paragraph 4

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best arrangement of utterances or sentences to make a cohesive and coherent exchange or text in each of the following questions from 14 to 18.

Question 14:

A. Born into a family of struggling farmers, Nam possessed an insatiable curiosity about the stars that seemed completely out of place in his muddy village.

B. However, the path was volatile, marked by repeated rejections from universities that refused to look past his humble background.

C. This passion eventually led him to walk ten miles every day to the nearest library, where he taught himself physics from tattered textbooks.

D. Rather than accepting his fate, he used these failures as fuel, eventually winning a scholarship that allowed him to revolutionize aerospace engineering.

e. His journey stands as a testament to the idea that one’s origins do not define one’s destination if the will is strong enough.

A. a – c – b – d – e B. a – d – c – e – b

C. d – a – c – b – e D. d – b – e – c – a

Question 15:

A. Mark: Absolutely. It would force employers to view men and women as equally likely to take time off for childcare, reducing hiring bias.

B. Sarah: That makes sense logically, but I worry that men might still face social stigma if they actually take the full leave.

C. Sarah: Do you think making paternity leave mandatory for fathers would actually help close the gender pay gap?

D. Sarah: True, so it’s really about changing cultural mindsets as much as changing the laws.

e. Mark: You’re right. Policy change isn’t enough; we need a shift where fathers are praised, not penalized, for prioritizing family.

A. d – a – c – e – b B. c – a – b – e – d

C. d – e – b – a – c D. c – e – d – a – b

Question 16:

A. Tom: Good point. Giving cash might not help him in the long run.

B. Tom: I was thinking of giving some money to that homeless man we just passed.

C. Jane: That’s kind of you, but wouldn’t it be better to donate to the local shelter that provides meals and job training?

A. a – b – c B. b – c – a C. b – a – c D. a – c – b

Question 17: 

Dear Ms. Anderson,

A. Your itinerary includes a guided sunrise hike to the Sun Gate, offering a panoramic view of the ancient citadel.

B. Following the tour, you will descend to Aguas Calientes for a private lunch at the Inkaterra Eco-Lodge.

C. Please ensure you carry your original passport on the day, as it is strictly required for entry at the main checkpoint.

D. We are pleased to confirm your upcoming expedition to the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu on October 12th.

e. Should you wish to add the Huayna Picchu mountain climb to your booking, please inform us within the next 24 hours.

Sincerely,
Andean Adventures Team

A. b – d – a – c – e B. a – c – d – b – e

C. d – a – b – c – e D. c – a – d – b – e

Question 18:

A. Aethelgard has now transformed into a model of futuristic resilience, thriving despite its geographic limitations and density.

B. These vertical innovations not only maximized the limited square footage but also created a self-sustaining food ecosystem within the city center.

C. To solve the spatial constraints, architects designed "sky-cities," consisting of modular residential towers linked by aerial walkways.

D. Addressing the hunger issue, agricultural scientists integrated hydroponic farms into the facades of these buildings to grow crops without soil.

e. By the late 20th century, the island nation of Aethelgard faced a dual crisis: a population exploding beyond its borders and a critical inability to feed its people.

A. a – b – d – e – c B. e – d – c – a – b

C. e – c – d – b – a D. a – d – b – c – e

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 19 to 28.

The cacophony of horns is a defining feature of rush hour in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, a relentless aural assault. At major intersections, a solid mass of stagnant metal forms as vehicles become ensnared. Motorbikes, prolific and agile, fill every conceivable crevice between cars and buses in a desperate attempt to gain inches. Engines idle, pumping acrid exhaust into the oppressive humidity, a situation that becomes intolerable during the frequent heatwaves. The traffic light, cycling through its futile sequence, becomes an irrelevant suggestion, devoid of any perceptible authority. [I] The system has functionally collapsed under the sheer volume of commuters.

A delivery driver, his patience visibly exhausted by the protracted delay, makes a pragmatic decision. He abruptly mounts the curb, maneuvering his vehicle onto the crowded pavement with practiced ease. Pedestrians instinctively recoil against shopfronts, ceding the space without protest. [II] His action is not anomalous; it is a spontaneous and widespread response to the intolerable standstill. He is immediately followed by a swarm of other motorbikes, a sudden incursion onto a space nominally reserved for walking. The sidewalk is instantaneously repurposed as an auxiliary traffic lane, its original function obliterated by collective necessity.

The fragmentation of order is swift and contagious. The pavement is now a fully-fledged channel for two-wheeled vehicles, forcing pedestrians into shop doorways or onto the road itself. In retaliation, drivers in the opposing lane, seeing their own path obstructed by the spillover, begin to aggressively encroach upon the intersection. They form a new, impenetrable barrier, precluding any possibility of movement for those who ostensibly hold the right-of-way. [III] A perverse stalemate is achieved, born from thousands of disparate, uncoordinated, self-interested calculations. The intersection becomes a locked puzzle, each piece immovable.

In the near distance, the insistent wail of an ambulance siren becomes audible. The sound grows more desperate, fluctuating in volume, yet the emergency vehicle remains unseen, ensnared somewhere in the impassable mass. The gridlock is now total and claustrophobic. No one can move forward; no one can retreat. [IV] The collective impatience has created a situation of collective paralysis. The chaos has become its own inescapable trap, a mundane daily calamity that plagues the city's main thoroughfares. Commuters, resigned to the delay, sit in the humid, polluted air, the economic cost of lost hours mounting in a vast, uncalculated tally. The intractable problem will eventually, inexorably, dissolve, only to reform with predictable certainty at the next junction.

(Adapted from vietnamnews.vn)

Question 19: According to paragraph 1, amidst the gridlock of Vietnam's urban peak periods, the operators of motorbikes ________.

A. generate a block of immobile vehicles by squeezing into every possible space
B. leverage their mobility to occupy any open space for even minimal progress
C. get trapped in the congestion while trying to comply with the changing signal cycles
D. release engine fumes as a strategy to avoid the intense climate conditions

Question 20: Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A. A mass of other motorcycles instantly trails him, an abrupt invasion of an area technically set aside for pedestrians.
B. He is rapidly pursued by a flock of scooters, causing an unexpected intrusion into a zone formerly used for walking.
C. Immediately following him is a multitude of riders, a sudden encroachment onto a territory legally shared with walkers.
D. The ground supposedly kept for foot traffic is suddenly invaded by a swarm of bikes attempting to overtake him.

Question 21: The word ceding in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.

A. claiming B. yielding C. sharing D. guarding

Question 22: Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?

A. The breakdown of order is a clear failure of traffic enforcement, where the pavement is usurped by motorbikes and opposing traffic selfishly blocks the intersection, creating an inefficient stalemate from individual actions.

B. The fragmentation of order occurs as motorbikes take the pavement, forcing pedestrians into the road, which in turn causes vehicles in the opposing lane to halt, creating a dangerous and complete intersection stalemate.

C. The disorder escalates contagiously as the pavement is usurped by motorbikes, and opposing traffic retaliates by blocking the intersection, resulting in a total impasse born from many uncoordinated, self-interested actions.

D. The escalation of chaos forces pedestrians into doorways, while opposing traffic, frustrated by the delays, encroaches on the intersection, leading to a gridlock that would require official intervention to eventually resolve.

Question 23: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a change resulting from the rapid disintegration of traffic order?

A. The transformation of the pavement into a lane

B. The retreat of pedestrians into doorways
C. The encroachment of opposing drivers

D. The intervention of traffic enforcement

Question 24: What happens to emergency vehicles attempting to navigate the congestion?

A. Their entrapment within the gridlock despite their urgent audible signals.
B. The abrupt movement onto the pavement to bypass the stationary traffic.
C. A swift fragmentation of order caused by uncoordinated individual decisions.
D. The calculated decision to encroach upon the opposing lane of traffic.

Question 25: The word its in the passage refers to ________.

A. the gridlock B. collective impatience

C. the chaos D. collective paralysis

Question 26: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. The “practiced ease” of the driver who mounted the curb stems from years of experience navigating such specific traffic conditions.
B. The final traffic stalemate is triggered by pedestrians moving into the road, which in turn forces opposing drivers to enter the intersection.
C. The incident with the trapped ambulance is an example of the frequent public safety failures prompted by the city's daily gridlock.
D. The resolution of gridlock at one location is temporary, as the same conditions are expected to reform at a subsequent intersection.

Question 27: Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Compliance is rendered impossible by the overwhelming congestion.

A. [II] B. [IV] C. [I] D. [III]

Question 28: Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A. The phenomenon of traffic gridlock is a sign of failed urban planning, where commuters take over sidewalks and block intersections, leading to a state of collective paralysis that highlights the selfishness inherent in modern commuters.

B. The daily collapse of traffic, characterized by motorbikes taking sidewalks and widespread gridlock, creates a dangerous public health crisis by trapping emergency vehicles and increasing respiratory illnesses from the constant, acrid pollution.

C. The collapse of urban traffic systems under high volume prompts a common response of motorbikes appropriating sidewalks, an action that triggers a cascade of disorder, culminating in a total, inescapable gridlock that paralyzes the city daily.

D. The breakdown of traffic orders, from motorbikes on sidewalks to total gridlock, appears to result from a cultural disregard for traffic regulations and a lack of effective police enforcement, creating an inescapable daily calamity for commuters.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 29 to 34.

Hoi An Lantern Festival: A Night of Magic

On the 14th day of every lunar month, the ancient town of Hoi An transforms into a shimmering spectacle. This monthly event attracts a large (29) ________ of tourists eager to witness the town switching off its electric lights. The primary aim is to support the (30) ________ of the town's unique heritage and promote traditional values.

The old streets, (31) ________ solely by the soft glow of thousands of silk lanterns, take on a mystical appearance. The Hoai River, (32) ________ flows through the heart of the town, becomes a mirror reflecting the colorful lights from wooden boats.

Visitors often describe the ambiance as truly (33) ________, bringing back memories of a bygone era. It is the perfect occasion for travelers to (34) ________ the peaceful atmosphere and release floating candles onto the water for good luck.

(Adapted from Vietnam travel guides)

Question 29: A. number B. amount C. deal D. range

Question 30: A. preserve B. preservation C. preservative D. preservable

Question 31: A. illuminated B. have illuminated C. are illuminated D. which are illuminating

Question 32: A. who B. where C. that D. which

Question 33: A. evocative B. provocative C. vindictive D. lucrative

Question 34: A. bring up B. make up C. soak up D. turn up

Read the following text and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 35 to 40.

How to Shop Smartly on Livestreams

The fusion of entertainment and e-commerce has revolutionized how we shop. Livestream selling offers immediate interaction and visual demonstrations, (35) ________ it also systematically exploits consumer psychology to trigger impulse purchases.

Viewers are often surprisingly susceptible (36) ________ the "Fear Of Missing Out" (FOMO). Hosts are trained to create artificial scarcity, urging you to buy before time runs out.

To survive a session, ignore the hype and focus on the product. Be wary when a host promotes a (37) ________. Ask yourself if you truly need the item or if you are just caught up in the collective excitement. While (38) ________ streamers are reputable, some may exaggerate product quality.

Therefore, you must possess the critical ability to (39) ________ genuine bargains from clever marketing traps. Finally, set a strict budget before clicking on any stream. Enjoy the show, but ensure you do not break the (40) ________ over unnecessary items.

(Adapted from Sprinklr)

Question 35: A. so B. nor C. for D. yet

Question 36: A. of B. to C. with D. by

Question 37: A. time-limited flash sale B. flash time-limited sale
C. sale flash time-limited D. time-limited sale flash

Question 38: A. much B. little C. few D. many

Question 39: A. discriminate B. differ C. distinguish D. detach

Question 40: A. bank B. wallet C. account D. vault