[WRITING | LESSON 15]

LESSON 15. CAUSES

EXAM READING 1 | Categorize information
According to the information given in the texts, which wall …
can be seen from a great distance? 1
is susceptible to damage? (dễ bị hư hỏng) 2
had additional fortifications ( sự củng cố) running alongside it? 3
was considered a threat to health? 4
quickly fell into disrepair? ( tình trạng hư nát) 5
is no longer very much in evidence? 6
is a series of different walls which were connected? 7
required certain people to pay money when passing through? 8
was built with the help of prisoners? 9
is compared favorably with other ancient monuments? 10
became unnecessary as a result of events elsewhere? 11
was partly demolished by the authorities? 12
proved to be an ideal site for commercial activity? 13
did not always achieve its purpose? 14
offers visitors an insight into the lives of the original guards? 15

A GUIDE TO GREAT WALLS

Whether for keeping people in or keeping people out, all great walls have a story to tell. Trish Walsh investigates.
(1) A. Erected in 1961 to prevent East German citizens crossing to the West, the Berlin Wall initially
consisted mainly of barbed wire and armed guards. Within months a concrete wall began to appear, to be
replaced on three separate occasions by ever more sophisticated versions, increasingly resistant to
breakthroughs. On the east side of the wall, tank traps and ditches were built as protection against attack, and as a
(5) further deterrent to would-be escapees.Although over 170 people lost their lives in Berlin trying to flee to
the West, human will and ingenuity often prevailed, with a number of successful escape attempts via
tunnels and, on one occasion, in a home-made hot air balloon. The 107-kilometer-long structure lost its
relevance in 1989, when Hungary allowed East Germans to pass through their country on their way to
Austria and West Germany, and after travel restrictions were lifted, people began to demolish whole
(10) sections of the wall. Now very little of it remains and the land has been used for housing and other
property development.

B. Stretching for several thousand kilometers from the east coast of the country to the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall
of China is said to be the only man-made structure (1) visible from outer space. The oldest section was
begun in 221 BC, using soldiers and local people, as well as intellectuals who had been sentenced to forced
(15) labor under the repressive Qin dynasty. Not surprisingly, the layers of compacted earth used to construct
the wall soon began to crumble, and it was left to the later Han dynasty to restore and add to it.By now the
wall had evolved from a mere defense system for keeping out marauding tribes into a safe haven where
trade could flourish, and bustling market towns sprang up at the many busy gates. But the ornate and
imposing structure with which we are familiar from photographs was not added until the fourteenth
(20) century by Ming, using advanced brick-building technology. It was he who joined the three separate walls
to create this truly impressive feat of construction.

C. Situated in the north of England at one of the narrowest parts of the country, Hadrian’s Wall is
arguably the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain. Construction of the wall began in
120 AD on the orders of Emperor Hadrian, who wanted to mark the northernmost boundary of his
(25) Empire. The 117-kilometer wall was manned by thousands of troops, who kept watch from numerous
turrets and milecastles, and who lived in a series of forts situated at strategic locations.In the centuries
following its abandonment around 400 AD, its stones were used by local people to build houses, walls and
even churches. Nevertheless, spectacular stretches of the wall remain and a number of forts and museums
along its length can be visited, providing a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Roman soldiers who
(30) patrolled it. 2. Although built of stone, the wall itself is vulnerable to erosion and visitors are
discouraged from walking on it. Designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1987, Hadrian’s Wall
ranks alongside some of the more famous architectural treasures in the world.
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D. Originally known as Eboracum, York served as a military base for the Romans, who were the first to
build a set of defenses on the site. However, most of the 3.5 kilometers of wall –the longest town walls in
(35) England –date from the Middle Ages. Throughout their length one can still see a number of medieval
gateways, or ‘bars’, which acted as control points. Non-residents and those who were not members of a
guild were charged a toll on items brought into the city.As York’s status as England’s second city dwindled in
the nineteenth century, York Corporation began dismantling sections of the walls, blaming their
decision on the high cost of maintenance. They also argued that the walls were of no historical value and
(40) that (4) they caused disease by preventing the free circulation of air. Local people protested vehemently
and the York Footpath Association set about restoring parts of the wall, confident that their work would help to attract
(42) tourists. The city and its walls now receive a million visitors every year.
EXAM READING 2 | MCQs
The Making of an Internet Sensation
(1) We’ve all received those web links from friends ‘you must watch this - it’s brilliant!” Read how one such popular
Internet video was made.
It is a cold November evening and I am perched at the top of a tall step ladder in a village hall. On the floor, 16
golden retrievers sartre up at me curiously. They are arranged in a square, four by four. I watch through the
(5) viewfinder of my video camera. This, I think to myself, could make me famous.
I hadn’t thought up the idea myself - it all came about at the behest of my editor. We want you to write about viral
videos, he had told me a couple of weeks earlier. Go and find out why some videos go viral. What makes people share
them? It sounded straightforward enough. He sent me a link to Charlie Bit My Finger, a video of a baby biting his
little brother. It is currently YouTube’s most watched video of all time. “I want you to make your own viral and
(10) become internet famous,” he said. “If this can get 135 million hits, you can do it too.”
To better understand what makes people share videos, I turned to JUdith Donath of MIT, who studies online
social networks. SHe argues that the factors driving people to share stuff over the web are not that different from the
reasons apes pick bugs out of each other’s fur: it’s a way of establishing social bonds. Other researchers have argued
that in human societies, language - especially gossip - has taken on the social function of such grooming. Sharing
(15) videos via email or within social networks is just the next step. Donath argues. :Sharing online is equivalent to small
talk,” she says. “It’s a little gift of information. It shows ‘I’m thinking of you.’”
Video sharing is also a way of making a statement. “In addition, people use videos as a way of showing their
position in the ;information-technology ecology,’” Donath says. “A video reflects on the person who sends it.” In
other words, people will pass on a video if they think it's cool - because it makes them look cool too. I have friends
(20) and colleagues who are cool, so I quizzed them for inspiration. Eventually, we hit upon a winning idea. I called it Pets
Teach Science. The aim is to demonstrate tricky concepts ranging from quantum physics to chemical structure with
the help of man’s best friend and other furry companions.
The next question was what to film for the first episode. For what I had in mind, a degree of canine discipline was
required, so I contacted a group of dog trainers. They agreed to help, and last month we made a film using 16 of their
(25) dogs to illustrate the structure of the atom. Some of the animals acted as the protons and neutrons in the nucleus,
while the rest circulated to mimic the electron cloud.
A few days of shamelessly begging all my friends and family to disseminate the video resulted in fewer than
1,000 hits. The big breakthrough came after a tip from Michael Wesch, an anthropologist who studies the behavior of
visitors to YouTube. One of the key bits of advice he gave me was to send the video to a so-called “sneezer” - a
(30) media outlet or blogger that can quickly disseminate your video to a large number of people. “Almost every viral has
a catalyst moment at which it has a big leap of, say, 100,000 viewers at one,” he says. For the massive videos, that
sneeze can be anything from a TV appearance to a tweet by a popular Twitterer. This catapults the video onto
YouTube’s daily “most popular” lists, and the chain reaction begins. Even if only 1 in 10 people continued to share
the video, you have succeeded.
(35) It happened for me when I sent a link to the free London paper Metro. The paper gave Pets Teach Science an
enthusiastic write-up, and the video’s views surged by about 8,000 within a few hours. It soon appeared on
YouTube’s “pets and animals” page. In the following days, it was referred to in a couple of influential blogs and that
(38) almost doubled my hits overnight to more than 50,000. The growth continues, proving that with a little cunning, and
some cut pets, anyone can make a video go viral. Still, despite my worst fears, my video turned out to be a surprising
success. Next up on the channel is a sleepy fat cat which will demonstrate Einstein’s general theory of relativity with
a trampoline. Keep watching!

For questions 16-22, choose the answer A, B, C or D which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes you provided.
16. The writer is on a ladder at the beginning of the article because
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A. he is getting dogs ready for a video.
B. someone is filming him with some animals.
C. he is trying to make a special type of video.
D. he is observing people making a film.
17. What does the writer’s editor want him to do?
A. make them both famous
B. investigate the success of the YouTube website
C. get a film of some golden retrievers
D. discover the reasons for the popularity of some videos
18. What does ‘such grooming’ in line 14 refer to?
A. using small talk
B. sharing stuff on the web
C. looking after each other like animals do
D. establishing social networks through gossiping
19. Which of these does Donath give as a further reason why people share videos?
A. People enjoy entertaining their friends.
B. People use videos as a statement of their ideas.
C. People think it gives them a good image.
D. People want to practise their technical skills.
20. What will the videos the writer is planning do?
A. show dogs doing amusing things
B. present animals being trained in a specific way
C. use animals to illustrate specific ideas
D. demonstrate some simple experiments
21. Who or what acted as a ‘sneezer’ for the writer’s video?
A. a local newspaper
B. a popular online writer
C. an anthropologist
D. a specific website
22. In this article the writer’s main aim is to
A. demonstrate that viral videos are relatively easy to produce.
B. examine why viral videos are successful.
C. show that viral videos can have an educational purpose.
D. educate his readers in the tricks used by viral video makers.
Your answers:
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22.
EXAM LISTENING 1 | Gap-fill
Learning about make-up
Erica got a diploma in a subject called (23) ………beauty studies ……………… .
Erica's usual school uniform is (24) …purple…………………… in color. Dummies with wig: ma nơ canh
In her first lesson, Erica is learning about how to use (25) ………hairspray……………… . kickoff with: bắt đầu với
Erica was particularly interested in a lesson given by a (26) ………chemistry……………… teacher.
Erica is hoping to have a career in the (27) ………marketing……………… department of a cosmetics firm.
Erica's brother did a course in (28) ………costume design………………, which he didn't enjoy.
Erica remembers using the (29) ……lipstick………………… from their mum's make-up bag as children. They learnt a lot
from a recent lesson on the subject of (30) ……lighting………………… .
Erica's brother hopes to follow a career as a make-up artist in the (31) ………fashion……………… industry.
They have already been offered a work-experience placement at a local (32) …advertising agency…………………… .
EXAM LISTENING 2 | Matching
A make an apology 33 D
B accept an offer 34 B
C issue an invitation 35 F
D change a plan 36 C
E consult an expert 37 A
F admit to a mistake

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G make an excuse
H cancel an arrangement
EXAM SKILLS | Paragraph Development (General to Specific)
Controlling idea/Topic sentence Support(s) Example(s)
1.(teacher) changes in curriculum are a curriculum with reasonable focus on physical education can include intensive
necessary to mitigate child obesity. health-related issues will develop health modules on healthy food consumption.
(Solution) awareness, the knowledge which is Learning about how much sugar and
crucial to building a healthier lifestyle additives there are in burgers,
among children. students will make healthier choices
that ultimately prevent obesity.
incentive can be given to participation in implement mandatory physical
physical activities and sports. This education courses (instead of selective)
counteracts sedentary lifestyles, which and encourage sports events within
is a major cause of child obesity. school. This increases the frequency of
physical activities among children.
EXAM SKILLS | Strong Thesis Statements
Simple thesis Stronger thesis
The increase in obesity in our country can be attributed to The increase in obesity in our country is due to food
three reasons. commercials, cheap fast food, and video games.
Overexposure to TV can be the cause of several problems This essay will discuss the effects of watching too much TV
among children. on children’s family life, interpersonal skills, and school life.
The three levels of thesis statements
● Simple thesis
It is easy to demonstrate that pets help humans in many ways.
School uniforms should be required for three reasons.
● Stronger thesis, listing reasons
College students should be encouraged to pursue a career in science because of the large number of job options and the
higher salaries.
Taxes are a necessary part of our society; without them, we could not pay for our roads and bridges or our schools.
● Stronger thesis including possible counterargument
Although some may object to the death penalty, this punishment is a necessity to control public order and ensure people’s
safety.
While some people think paying taxes is unfair, all of us should pay taxes because we all benefit from what they provide in
our daily lives.
EXERCISE | Writing Better Thesis Statements
1. Although face-to-face courses are more familiar to many students, online courses offer several advantages.
2. The prevalent use of social media has transformed people’s lives in many different ways.
3. There are several reasons why all students should complete at least one semester abroad.
4. It is easy to demonstrate that pets help humans in many ways.
5. School uniforms should be required for three reasons.
6. The sale of cigarettes should be banned immediately.
7. Implementing the proposed changes in health care will result in a much healthier population.
WRITING | Cause - Effect - Problem - Solution Paragraph
1. Illiteracy has traditionally been viewed as largely a third world problem. However it is becoming apparent that in
countries such as the USA and Australia, illiteracy is on the increase. Discuss possible causes for this and its effects
on society.
2. People in all modern societies use drugs, but today's youth are experimenting with both legal and illegal drugs, and
at an increasingly early age. Some sociologists claim that parents and other members of society often set a bad
example. Discuss the causes and some effects of widespread drug use by young people in modern day society.
3. In general, people do not have such a close relationship with their neighbors as they did in the past. Why is this so,
and what can be done to improve contact between neighbors?
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4. In many countries, very few young people read newspapers or follow the news on TV. What do you think are the
causes of this? What solutions can you suggest?
5. Many people believe that the high levels of violence in films today are causing serious social problems. What are
these problems and how could they be reduced?
6. The world is experiencing a dramatic increase in population. This is causing problems not only for poor,
undeveloped countries, but also for industrialized and developing nations. Describe some of the problems that
overpopulation causes, and suggest at least one possible solution.
Transitions and Connectors Commonly Used in Cause-Effect Essays

Prompt
In many countries, very few young people read newspapers or follow the news on TV. What do you think are the causes of
this? What solutions can you suggest?

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