{IELTS Reading Band 5.0} Unit 21 - Yes/No/Not Given; True/False/Not Given | Chiến thuật làm bài

I. Strategy

1. Xác định vị trí câu hỏi

Đọc kỹ câu hỏi, xác định vị trí của nó trong bài đọc: kỹ năng Scanning (Scan những thông tin nổi bật và không thể bị paraphrase)

Các con số (data, ngày tháng năm)	Tên riêng, Tên viết tắt (những từ được viết hoa)
Tiêu đề (in nghiêng, trong ngoặc kép)	Thuật ngữ, khái niệm chuyên môn (nhìn nguy hiểm)

2. Đọc kỹ đáp án, hiểu đúng nghĩa với các từ cần cẩn thận

- Các từ mang tính tuyệt đối
- Các từ mang tính phủ định nhưng trông không giống phủ định
+ Few, little
+ hardly, scarcely, rarely, barely, seldom
+ almost, nearly + verb

3. Khoanh vùng đáp án:

Khi không tìm thấy thông tin cho 1 câu hỏi, khả năng rất cao là NG, nên tạm thời bỏ qua câu đó và đi làm câu kế tiếp rồi khoanh vùng đáp án lại để tìm 1 lần nữa. Tránh mất quá nhiều thời gian tìm thông tin cho 1 câu

II. Tips

Tip 1: Tìm những câu hỏi dễ scan trước, rồi mới dò ra thông tin cho các câu còn lại (VD khi tìm được câu 3 rồi thì vị trí câu 2 chắc chắn ở phía trên câu 3, câu 4 ở dưới câu 3)

Tip 2: Đáp án True/Yes:

Những đáp án dài, dài hơn hẳn các đáp án khác thường là true/yes (Lưu ý là dài hơn hẳn chứ không phải chỉ dài hơn)

Tip 3: Đáp án False/No:

Thường chứa các từ mang tính tuyệt đối:
- All, every, each
- Completely, Totally, Absolutely
- Only, always

Tip 4: Đáp án NG: những câu còn lại (không dài và không có từ tuyệt đối)

III. Example:

1) Early sanitation system became more intricate as city population grew→ True

2nd paragraph: city population grew= higher population densities/ in crowded cities more complex= more intricate

2) The ancient water management systems of the Indus Valley are still in use today → Not given

2nd paragraph: “The urban areas of the Indus Valley provided public and privated baths, sewage was disposed through…...with numerous reservoirs were established” → Chỉ miêu tả, không hề nhắc đến liệu hệ thống này còn sử dụng hay đã bị hủy bỏ.

3) Some sewage networks built by the Romans in the UK were made out of wood → True

3rd paragraph: Roman towns and garrisons in the UK between 46BC and 400AD had complex sewer networks sometimes constructed out of hollow-out elm logs.

logs= wood

4) Rome had the most developed of all ancient sanitation systems→ Not given

4th paragraph: Có nhắc đến Rome là 1 trong các tên được nêu: “... including Rome, Istanbul and Futstat, networked sewer systems continue to function today as collection systems’ for those cities’ modernized sewer systems” → không biết được systems ở Rome có phải the most developed hay không

5) By the time of Queen Elizabeth 1, the majority cities had built sewers for waste water → False

5th paragraph: This basic systems remained in place with little positive change until 16th century when sir John Harington invented the first flush toilet for Queen Elizabeth 1 that released waste water into cesspools (sewers for waste water)

IV. Practice

Exercise 1:

Performer Houdini

Harry Houdini (1874 to 1926) was a Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer, noted for his sensational escape acts. He first attracted attention as “Harry Handcuff Houdini” on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to hold his breath inside a sealed milk can.

In 1904, thousands watched as Houdini tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London’s Daily Mirror newspaper. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fake magicians and spiritualists. As President of the Society of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who pirated his stunts.

Are the following statements true, false, or not given in the text?
1. Houdini was more successful in Europe than in America.
2. Many people were skeptical about Houdini’s escape acts.
3. He took legal action against those who tried to copy him.

Exercise 2:

UN warns over impact of rapidly ageing populations

The world needs to do more to prepare for the impact of a rapidly ageing population, the UN has warned - particularly in developing countries. Within 10 years the number of people aged over 60 will pass one billion, a report by the UN Population Fund said. The demographic shift will present huge challenges to countries' welfare, pension and healthcare systems. The UN agency also said more had to be done to tackle "abuse, neglect and violence against older persons'.

The number of older people worldwide is growing faster than any other age group. The report, Ageing in the 21st Century: A Celebration and a Challenge, estimates that one in nine people around the world are older than 60. The elderly population is expected to swell by 200 million in the next decade to surpass one billion, and reach two billion by 2050. This rising proportion of older people is a consequence of success - improved nutrition, sanitation, healthcare, education and economic well-being are contributing factors, the report says.

But the UN and a charity that also contributed to the report, HelpAge International, say the ageing population is being widely mismanaged. "In many developing countries with large populations of young people, the challenge is that governments have not put policies and practices in place to support their current older populations or made enough preparations for 2050' the agencies said in a joint statement.

The report warns that the skills and experience of older people are being wasted, with many under-employed and vulnerable to discrimination. HelpAge said more countries needed to introduce pension schemes to ensure economic independence and reduce poverty in old age. It stressed that it was not enough to simply pass legislation - the new schemes needed to be funded properly.

The UN report used India as an example, saying it needed to take urgent steps in this area. Almost two-thirds of India's population is under 30. But it also has 100 million elderly people - a figure that is expected to increase threefold by 2050. Traditionally, people in India live in large, extended families and elderly people have been well looked after. But the trend now is to have smaller, nuclear families and many of the country's elderly are finding themselves cast out, says
the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi. There are more and more cases of physical and mental abuse, including neglect, suffered by the elderly at the hands of their families. It is slowly becoming a widespread social problem, particularly in urban areas, one which India still has not got to grips with, our correspondent says.

By contrast, the UN report cited the case of Bolivia as an example of good practice in the developing world. All Bolivians over the age of 60 get a pension that is the equivalent of about $30 (£19) a month. Bolivia suffers from frequent flooding and landslides, and older people there have been organised into "Brigadas Blancas' - White Haired Brigades. They help with preparations for emergencies, and accessing humanitarian aid.
Source: BBC News Website

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading?
TRUE - if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE - if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this

1. The growth of the elderly population is going to make it extremely difficult to provide adequate social service provision
2. Approximately thirty per cent of the population are over 60 years old
3. Developed countries are much better prepared than developing countries for 2050
4. More financing is necessary to ensure new pension schemes are successful
5. Elderly people in India are not always being looked after as well as they were in the past
6. India is starting to deal with the neglect of its elderly population
7. Bolivian Families look after their elderly relatives better than any other developing countries