Unit 15: History and Culture

I. Chọn từ trong bảng để hoàn thiện các câu trả lời IELTS Speaking Part 2 dưới đây. Có 2 từ không cần dùng đến.

Describe an important historical event you know about.
You should say:
·      what event it is
·      when it happened
·      who or what was involved in it
and explain why you think it is an important historical event.

Honestly speaking, every time I am asked about history, I am always eager to talk about Vietnam war, which ends in 1975 and one of the (1)_________ of our country. Vietnam undergone hundreds of years under the (2)_________ of foreign (3)_________ and this is the last war before a new era of peace and (4)_________ is opened for us.
It is an unforgettable (5)_________ for some reasons. Firstly, it is the courageous (6)_________  of Vietnamese people. Our country was divided into Northern part and Southern part. Communication was almost impossible at that time and people across the country were living in poverty and destitute conditions. However, our soldiers still fought bravely with the support from ordinary people.
Secondly, this is remarkable because hardly anyone could think that we could win the war.  When compared to such a (7)_________ country like America, it was hard to think that we could (8)_________ them. However, with the determination of the whole nation, we have our own peace. April 30th, 1975 was the date that we gained independence from the invaders and from then on, we have held annual celebration to pay (9)_________ to those who (10)_________ for the country. I hope that Vietnamese people will never forget this important event of the nation.

II.      Đọc bài văn dưới đây và trả lời câu hỏi

Australia and the Great War, 1914 – 1918

Australia’s role in the First World War, or the Great War as it was known until 1939, is central to the development of modern Australia’s vision of itself in the world. In many ways, it has served to create what is in some ways a second founding of the nation in the Gallipoli campaign and on the battlefields of France and Belgium. The influence of the war experience in the First, and Second, World War is evident in the way in which ANZAC day is, perhaps even more than Australia day, the country’s national day.

When the war broke out in 1914, it was a certainty that, because of longstanding economic, family and defence ties, Australia, along with New Zealand, would stand alongside Britain. The then Prime Minister Andrew Fisher was quick to pledge the country’s support to “the last man, the last shilling”. This was no idle promise and Australia paid a high price for their loyalty to their colonizers. From a pre-war population of 5m, 417,000 enlisted in the armed forces, of which 324,000 served abroad. By the end of the war, Australia had lost 60,000 dead and 155,000 men had been wounded. The economic price was also high. The national debt, which had stood at ₤6m in 1914, was ₤325m by the end of the war.

It is possible that the first shot of the war was fired in Australia, when a shot was fired across the bow of the German merchant ship Pfalz as it tried to escape from Port Arthur only a few hour after the declaration of war. In late 1914 the light cruiser HMAS Sydney sank the German warship Emden off the west coast of the country. Also early in the war, Australian troops captured the German radio transmitters in Rabaul and Nauru and conquered all of German New Guinea.

At first the Australian forces were intended only to defend Australia, but in 1915 the Australia New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) departed for Europe. Their first stop was Egypt and it was because they were so close that they were chosen to take part in the campaign to capture the Gallipoli peninsula, the key to shipping into the Black Sea, from the Turks. The plan was for British, French and Anzac forces to land on the peninsular at night at weak points in the Turkish defence. However, strong winds blew the troops off course to better-defended spots and in the advantage was lost. What followed was months of bitter fighting in which 20,000 British and 7,000 ANZAC soldiers were killed and which ended in a successful withdrawal, but no gain for the Allies. It was at this moment of history that Australia was propelled onto the world stage. From this moment onward Australia began to think of itself as a country in its own right; as being separate to Britain and no longer a colony.

Most of the ANZAC force was sent to Europe, but the Australian Light Horse remained to fight Turkish forces in Palestine and Syria. They defended the Suez Canal and advanced through Palestine and Syria. They also took part in what was one of the world’s last great cavalry charges at Beersheba.

The main ANZAC force arrived in Europe in 1916. The ANZAC experience was similar to that of the other participants in the war; a high death toll and little gain to be shown for it. Australian forces were present at all the major battles of the war and sustained some terrible casualties. For example, in 24 hours near Pozieres the 5th Division suffered 5,000 casualties. At the battle of Bullecort, of the 3,000 men who advanced, 2339 were killed, wounded or captured.
By 1917 most of the officers were not professional soldiers. The most prominent example was General Sir John Monash, who was an engineer by training. He commanded the allied forces at the battle of Hamel so well that the general staff published the battle reports as a model. In August 1918, he commanded 200,000 troops on what way called “Ludendorff’s black day”, a turning point in the war. Monash was probably Australia’s greatest military figure.
Unlike in other armies in the war, the Australian soldiers were all volunteers. They were also more individualistic and showed less respect for the rulebook than other soldiers. The relationship between ranks was more democratic and officers had to win the respect of their troops. All in all, they paid a high price for fighting in the war. Of the 324,000 soldiers who served overseas in the war, 215,000 were killed or wounded. This was the highest proportion of any of the countries in the war and was probably due to the Australians fighting qualities, which meant that they were often used on the frontline of the fighting.

At home, the war had a significant effect on the economy. Negative effects included the end of British investment, the closure of many shipping lanes and the stockpiling of Australia’s main export, wool. However, the isolation that resulted from the war meant that Australia had to make some things that had previously been imported. This led to the development of new industries. In addition, the BHP smelting company, which is now a major Australian company, saw a great increase in demand for iron and steel. The needs of the war were a stimulus for the beginning of full industrialization in Australia.

At the signing of the treaty of Versailles, which marked the end of the war, Australia signed as a separate country. This reflected the fact that, at the cost of 60,000 dead, Australia had finally emerged from the shadow of Britain. The Great War was, perhaps, the beginning of modern Australian history.

Questions 1-5
Choose the answer in OPPOSITE meaning with the given word.

Questions 6-12
Complete the sentences below (6-12) with words taken from the passage.
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
6.      According to the passage, Australia’s view of itself is directly related to its involvement in …………………………
7.      Soon after the war had begun, Australia’s Prime Minister offered …………………………
8.      Australia had an early involvement in the war and it is even possible that they were responsible for …………………………
9.      When combating the Turkish defence, the British, French and Anzac forces ended up attacking stronger points than they had originally intended because of …………………………
10.   The outcome of the bitter fight with the Turks was significant for Australia because it enabled them to take their place on …………………………
11.   John Monash commanded the battle of Hamel so well that reports of the battle were published in order to be used …………………………
12.   The Great War marked the beginning of modern Australia. They had emerged as a separate country and would no longer have to live under the …………………………
 
Questions 13-17
Classify the following statements as representing

13.   Australia’s national debt increased greatly as a result of the Great War.
14.   Australia made a great contribution to the successful outcome of the First World War.
15.   The British forces suffered a greater number of casualties than the Anzac forces during the months of fighting with the Turkish.
16.   Overall, the British had a higher proportion of soldiers killed or injured than Australia.
17.   Australian soldiers were disrespectful to their superiors.

Luyện tập

Đọc đoạn văn dưới đây và trả lời các câu hỏi
Questions 1-5
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G.
From the list of headings below choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-E.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-viii)
 
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.
 
List of Headings
               i.    A truly international environment
              ii.    Once a port city, always a port city
             iii.    Good ports make huge profits
             iv.    How the port changes a city's infrastructure
              v.    Reasons for the decline of ports
             vi.    Relative significance of trade and service industry
           vii.    Ports and harbours
          viii.    The demands of the oil industry
1.   Paragraph A
2.   Paragraph B
3.   Paragraph C
4.   Paragraph D
5.   Paragraph E
 
What is a port city?
The port city provides a fascinating and rich understanding of the movement of people and goods around the world. We understand a port as a centre of land-sea exchange, and as a major source of livelihood and a major force for cultural mixing. But do ports all produce a range of common urban characteristics which justify classifying port cities together under a single generic label? Do they have enough in common to warrant distinguishing them from other kinds of cities?
A 
A port must be distinguished from a harbour. They are two very different things. Most ports have poor harbours, and many fine harbours see few ships. Harbour is a physical concept, a shelter for ships; port is an economic concept, a centre of land-sea exchange which requires good access to a hinterland even more than a sea-linked foreland. It is landward access, which is productive of goods for export and which demands imports, that is critical. Poor harbours can be improved with breakwaters and dredging if there is a demand for a port. Madras and Colombo are examples of harbours expensively improved by enlarging, dredging and building breakwaters.
B
Port cities become industrial, financial and service centres and political capitals because of their water connections and the urban concentration which arises there and later draws to it railways, highways and air routes. Water transport means cheap access, the chief basis of all port cities. Many of the world's biggest cities, for example, London, New York, Shanghai, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Jakarta, Calcutta, Philadelphia and San Francisco began as ports - that is, with land-sea exchange as their major function - but they have since grown disproportionately in other respects so that their port functions are no longer dominant. They remain different kinds of places from non-port cities and their port functions account for that difference.
C
Port functions, more than anything else, make a city cosmopolitan. A port city is open to the world. In it races, cultures, and ideas, as well as goods from a variety of places, jostle, mix and enrich each other and the life of the city. The smell of the sea and the harbour, the sound of boat whistles or the moving tides are symbols of their multiple links with a wide world, samples of which are present in microcosm within their own urban areas.
D 
Sea ports have been transformed by the advent of powered vessels, whose size and draught have increased. Many formerly important ports have become economically and physically less accessible as a result. By-passed by most of their former enriching flow of exchange, they have become cultural and economic backwaters or have acquired the character of museums of the past. Examples of these are Charleston, Salem, Bristol, Plymouth, Surat, Galle, Melaka, Soochow, and a long list of earlier prominent port cities in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.
E  
Much domestic port trade has not been recorded. What evidence we have suggests that domestic trade was greater at all periods than external trade. Shanghai, for example, did most of its trade with other Chinese ports and inland cities. Calcutta traded mainly with other parts of India and so on. Most of any city's population is engaged in providing goods and services for the city itself. Trade outside the city is its basic function. But each basic worker requires food, housing, clothing and other such services. Estimates of the ratio of basic to service workers range from 1:4 to 1:8.
F  
No city can be simply a port but must be involved in a variety of other activities. The port function of the city draws to it raw materials and distributes them in many other forms. Ports take advantage of the need for breaking up the bulk material where water and land transport meet and where loading and unloading costs can be minimised by refining raw materials or turning them into finished goods. The major examples here are oil refining and ore refining, which are commonly located at ports. It is not easy to draw a line around what is and is not a port function. All ports handle, unload, sort, alter, process, repack, and reship most of what they receive. A city may still be regarded as a port city when it becomes involved in a great range of functions not immediately involved with ships or docks.
G 
Cities which began as ports retain the chief commercial and administrative centre of the city close to the waterfront. The centre of New York is in lower Manhattan between two river mouths, the City of London is on the Thames, Shanghai along the Bund. This proximity to water is also true of Boston, Philadelphia, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Yokohama, where the commercial, financial, and administrative centres are still grouped around their harbours even though each city has expanded into a metropolis. Even a casual visitor cannot mistake them as anything but port cities.
 
Questions 6-9
Look at the following descriptions of some port cities mentioned in Reading Passage
Match the pairs of cities (A-H) listed below with the descriptions.
 
NB There are more pairs of port cities than descriptions, so you will not use them all.
 
6.      required considerable harbour development
7.      began as ports but other facilities later dominated
8.      lost their prominence when large ships could not be accommodated
9.      maintain their business centres near the port waterfront
     A Bombay and Buenos Aires
     B Hong Kong and Salem
     C Istanbul and Jakarta
     D Madras and Colombo
     E New York and Bristol
     F Plymouth and Melaka
     G Singapore and Yokohama
     H Surat and London
 
Questions 10-15
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
Write:

10.   Cities cease to be port cities when other functions dominate.
11.   In the past, many port cities did more trade within their own country than with overseas ports.
12.   Most people in a port city are engaged in international trade and finance.
13.   Ports attract many subsidiaries and independent industries.
14.   Ports have to establish a common language of trade.
15.   Ports often have river connections.