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An American professor who studied the Mayas has come up with a new theory about the sudden end of
their empire. (36) to Professor Richard Hansen, an archaeologist at the University of California, the
(37) of the Mayan civilization in central American was (38) about by the Mayans themselves.
Their object was to display their (39) and power by making their buildings and decoration as
beautiful as possible. This involved using large quantities of lime, which they put on the walls to make
them smooth. (40), the creation of lime is a process which requires intense heat, and they therefore
had to cut down huge numbers of trees. This (41) the quality of the soil, and it became almost
impossible to farm.
Professor Hansen, who has just returned from an excavation in the El Mirador region of northern
Guatemala, told a meeting of archaeologists in Philadelphia that the Mayas, having made this mistake in
the 3rd century, repeated it 600 years later, at which time it proved fatal. Increasing food (42) among
the Mayas created a Central American equivalent of the Peloponnesian War which ravaged (43)
Greece. However, (44_ the Greek civil war, which only lasted for 27 years, the Mayas wars went on
for many centuries and left many of their great cities and temples in (45)
Câu 36. A. Respecting B. Referring C. Relating D. According
Câu 37. A. stop B. crash C. collapse D. drop
Câu 38. A. made B. turned C. came D. brought
Câu 39. A. wealth B. cash C. fortune D. salary
Câu 40. A. suddenly B. Unfortunately C. particularly D. gradually
Câu 41. A. influenced B. poisoned C. affected D. effected
Câu 42. A. failures B. droughts C. lack D. shortages
Câu 43. A. past B. ancient C. old D. antique
Câu 44. A. unless B. apart C. without D. unlike
Câu 45. A. spoils B. ruins C. injuries D. damaged
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.
With a GPS receiver, you need never be lost again. Whether you are driving in a new city or
climbing a mountain path, you can use GPS (Global Positioning System) to find out exactly where you
are. In recent years, the development of very small and inexpensive receivers has made possible all kinds
of other uses. Many cars now come equipped with GPS receivers and computerized maps to show where
you are. Parents or pet owners put receivers on their children or their dogs so they cannot be lost.
However, what makes GPS so useful – the way it allows us to keep track of people and things – could also
make it dangerous if it is used for the wrong purposes. Some organizations that are concerned about rights
to privacy have argued that there should be limits to who can use GPS and for what purpose. In the United
States, several cases have been brought to court to question the right of the government or private
companies to track people “without their knowledge”.
One important case came up in 2003 before the Supreme Court in the state of Washington. Under
American laws protecting the right to privacy, the government or the police are not allowed to investigate
a person’s private life if there is no evidence that he or she has committed a crime. In the Washington
case, the police had wanted to learn more about the habits of a man they suspected, so they hid a GPS
receiver in his car. Lawyers for the suspect argued that this was illegal because it went against his right to
privacy. The Washington Supreme Court agreed. In their view, hiding a GPS receiver in a car was like
putting an invisible police officer in the back seat. This was acceptable practice only if the police already
had evidence that the suspect had been involved in a crime and if they had permission from a judge.
Otherwise, it could not be used.
In 2005, another interesting case involving GPS was brought before the Supreme Court in
Connecticut. This vase involved a rental car company that decided to use GPS technology to prevent
customers from driving their cars too fast. They hid GPS receivers in all their rental cars, which allowed
them to know where each car was at any time. The receivers could also be used to calculate the speed at
which a car moved from one place to another. If the car was driven faster than 80 miles per hour (120
km/hour), the driver was charged an extra $150. Though the rental contract did mention GPS in very small
print, customers were not told about it or about the extra charge. One customer who was charged $450 for