UNIT 12: SKILL PRACTICE

A. LISTENING
Exercise 1: Listen to a piece of news and complete each missing information with a word
from the news.
A planetary conjunction happens when some (1) __________ line up with one another. In this
month’s conjunction, people could see five planets without a (2) __________. An astronomer felt
so happy to see (3) __________, which is usually very faint. Another astronomer said that the
conjunction was best in the (4) __________ morning. It is predicted that the next conjunction
will happen in August (5) __________.
Exercise 2. Listen to part of a talk about space exploration and choose the correct answer
A, B, C, or D.
1. What did NASA do at the beginning of 2021?
A. They resumed last year's project. B. They started new contracts with scientists.
C. They made courses about the universe. D. They launched a spacecraft.
2. What is the rover collecting from Mars?
A. Frozen water B. Soil and dust
C. Past life forms D. Sample of air
3. did they launch the James Webb Space Telescope into space?
A. To find life forms on Jupiter B. To watch for faint stars on night sky
C. To look for the suns of other galaxies D. To observe galaxies in the universe
4. Who are investing in space tourism?
A. Developed countries B. Developing countries
C. Private companies D. No one
5. According to the speaker, which of the following might happen in the future?
A. We might have holidays on the moon.
B. Martians might become friends with human beings.
C. Asteroids might collide with the Earth.
D. All space missions might stop.
Exercise 3. Listen to the conversation and tick (X) if the statement is True or False
 Statement T F
1. The temperature on Mars is 55 degrees most of the time.
2. A day on Mars is a bit longer than a day on Earth.
3. 70% of Mars is covered by frozen oceans.
4. Earth and Mars are different in terms of colours and sizes.
5. Mars has lower gravity than the moon.

B. SPEAKING
Exercise 1. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the most suitable response to
complete each of the following exchanges.
1. Nick: Do you think we will live on the moon one day?
- Hoa: _________
A. No, I can't. C. I won't live on the moon.
B. I'm not sure about it. D. Yes, the moon is far from us.
2. -Tom: What should a planet have to support human life?
- Lan: _________
A. I don't think this is a habitable planet. C. This planet is like the Earth.
B. It should have water and air. D. I'm not sure about this planet.
3. Mark: Which planet has the same size as the Earth?
- Hoon: _________
A. I think they have the same size.
B. The Earth is bigger than other planets in the solar system.
C. Scientists have found some Earth-sized planets.
D. Venus is almost equal in size to the Earth.
4. - Hoa: Do you think we will be able to live on Mars in the near future?
- Yeng: _________
A. Yes, we will travel to Mars soon.
B. No, you can't leave the Earth.
C. Yes, we will explore Mars more.
D. No, I'm not sure about that.
5. Long: _________
- Hoa: Yes, it has made so many explorations in outer space.
A. Do you know NASA has just found two new planets?
B. Do you know where NASA is located?
C. Can you tell me how many planets NASA has found?
D. Can you show me around NASA?
 6. - Nam: Do you think that Pluto has an atmosphere?
- Peter: ________
A. I think she’s right. C. It’s a dwarf planet.
B. It’s mine. D. I doubt it.
7. - Lan: Will Ann come to the space research centre this afternoon?
- Peter: ________
A. Yes, I will. I like it very much.
B. She’d love to buy some flowers.
C. I’m not sure. She finishes her morning class very late.
D. It’s a terrible trip, isn’t it?
8. - Son: Can we watch the stars in the sky tonight?
- Father: ________
A. The party was great. C. I’ve never watched Netflix.
B. I doubt it. It’s a bit cloudy. D. The night life here is exciting.
9. - Tom: ________
- Kien: Liquid water, oxygen and sunlight.
A. What are essential requirements for life on Earth?
B. What do you want to buy?
C. Can the sun support life forms?
D. Which conditions are necessary for life?
10. - Minh: ________
- Elana: I’m not sure. Maybe you should ask the librarian.
A. How many moons does Jupiter have?
B. Which do you prefer to read about, the ocean or the mountain?
C. Why did NASA launch the two rovers on Mars?
D. Where can I find the list of books on Space topic?

Exercise 2. Complete the dialogue with the appropriate sentences (A - H).

A. Astronomy is so interesting!
B. It is a doughnut-shaped ring of icy objects around the sun.
C. Easy. Our solar system has eight planets.
D. Because its size did not meet the IAU criteria to be a planet.
E. Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune.
F. It's a dwarf planet that lies in the Kuiper Belt.
G. There are many mysteries about the universe.
H. Yes. It is Pluto, but it is not counted as a planet any more.
Mark: Hoa! Do you know how many planets there are in the solar system?
Hoa: (1) Easy. Our solar system has eight planets
Mark: What are they?
Hoa: (2) Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune
Mark: I read from an article that the solar system has nine planets. Have you ever heard about the ninth
one?
Hoa: (3) Yes. It is Pluto, but it is not counted as a planet any more
Mark: Why is Pluto no longer a planet?
Hoa: (4) Because its size did not meet the IAU criteria to be a planet
Mark: So what is Pluto?
Hoa: (5) It's a dwarf planet that lies in the Kuiper Belt.
Mark: I haven't heard about the Kuiper Belt. Can you tell me about it?
Hoa: (6) It is a doughnut-shaped ring of icy objects around the sun
Mark: (7) Astronomy is so interesting!I think I'll have to learn more about it.
Hoa: Well, you should read astronomy books. (8) There are many mysteries about the universe

C. READING
Exercise 1: Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the
correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
 The temperature on Mars is very cold, so all the water on (1) _________ surface is ice many
scientists think that there is water in the soil or even in underground rivers. There may be life on
Mars, too. At the moment, robots (2) _________ the Earth are exploring Mars and looking for
life.
Europa is one of Jupiter's moons and it's covered in ice. Although the surface is very cold,
scientists think it's warmer inside. There may be oceans under the ice and bacteria or other (3)
_________ things in the oceans. One-day people will send robots to explore this planet to look
for life.
Titan is the largest moon in Saturn. It is the only moon in the solar (4) _________ with
atmosphere. It has rivers, lakes, rain and clouds. These are made of chemicals called
hydrocarbons, and scientists think that there is water under the surface of Titan, too. Living
things are made of hydrocarbons and water. One day we will (5) _________ life on Titan.
(Adapted from Oxford Read & Discover)
1. A. it B. its C. their D. the
2. A. in B. on C. from D. to
3. A. living B. alive C. lively D. live
4. A. body B. organisation C. space D. system
5. A. save B. discover C. learn D. explain
Living thing (n): sinh vật sống
 Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. It's just a little bigger than the Earth's
moon. It is the closest planet to the sun, (1) _________ it's actually not the hottest. Venus is
hotter.
Along with Venus, Earth, and Mars, Mercury is (2) _________ of the rocky planets. It has a solid
surface that is covered with craters. It has no atmosphere, and it doesn't have any moons.
This small planet spins around slowly compared to Earth, so one day lasts a long time. Mercury
takes 59 Earth days to (3) _________ one full rotation. A year on Mercury goes by fast. Because
it's the closest planet to the sun, it doesn't take very long to go all the way around. It completes
one revolution around the sun in just 88 Earth days.
A day on Mercury is not (4) _________ a day here on Earth. For us, the sun rises and sets each
and every day. (5) _________ Mercury has a slow spin and a short year, it takes a long time for
the sun to rise and set there. Mercury only has one sunrise every 180 Earth days!
(Adapted from [Link]
1. A. but B. so C. and D. or
2. A. first B. another C. one D. other
3. A. take B. do C. get D. make
4. A. same B. similar C. like D. different
5. A. Therefore B. When C. If D. Because
Exercise 2: Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions.
 Nobody knows how many planets there are in our galaxy and whether there is life on
other planets. And the Kelper has the mission to find the answer to those questions.
In 2009, NASA launched the Kelper space telescope to find planets that support life. It
has discovered five new Earth-sized planets beyond our solar system so far. These planets are
hotter than the Earth. The Kelper team predicted that it will take them at least three years to find
an Earth-like planet. This mission costs about six hundred million dollars.
The simplest requirement for a planet to have life is water (not frozen or gas), so the distance
from the planet's sun and therefore temperature is important. The planet also needs a certain
amount of air. If a planet is as small as Mars (half the size of Earth), it can't hold on to air
molecules because of weak gravity. If a planet is four times bigger than Earth - Neptune size - it
has very strong gravity and too much air. So the size of those planets also matter.
(Adapted from [Link]
1. How many people know the number of planets in our galaxy?
A. Not many. C. Many people.
B. None. D. Everybody.
2. What is the mission of the Kelpler?
A. To answer the questions about the Earth.
B. To build an Earth-like planet.
C. To find life on other planets.
D. To find new Earth-sized planets.
3. What is the main difference between the Earth and five new Earth-sized planets?
A. Their temperature: nhiệt độ. C. Their systems.
B. Their sizes. D. Their age.
4. What does it refer to?
A. The Earth B. The Mars C. Gravity D. A planet
5. What is the best title for this text?
A. The solar system
B. Life on the Earth
C. Requirements for life on other planets
D. The mysteries about the outer space
Exercise 3. Read the passage, and answer following
The New Horizons - a NASA probe - went past Pluto in summer 2015. Pluto was discovered by
Clyde Tombaugh - an American astronomer - in 1930 as the ninth planet in the solar system.
However, on January 19, 2006, Pluto was regarded as a dwarf planet. In the solar system, there
are the inner rocky planets, such as the Earth, Mars, Venus and Mercury, and the outer gas giants,
like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, belong to a third
category known as “ice dwarfs”. They have solid surfaces but, unlike the other planets, their
mass is icy material.

The probe traveled more than 3.6 billion miles to take the photos. The new image shows a clear
view of Pluto’s surface, and it is covered with wide smooth areas, and mountains. Huge
mountains are made of water ice. Scientists hope that information from the New Horizons will
prove that there might be a lot of water on Pluto. Finding water on another world is important
because water is considered one of the key materials to life.

Besides Charon, Pluto has four other small moons: Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra.

The New Horizon’s mission makes the United States the first nation to send a space probe to
every planet from Mercury to Pluto.

Discover (v): khám phá

1. When was Pluto discovered?

Pluto was discovered in 1930
2. Why was Pluto not considered a planet but a dwarf planet?
______________________________________________________________________________
3. How far did the New Horizons travel to take the photos of Pluto?
More than 3.6 billion miles
4. Why do scientists hope that there might be a lot of water on Pluto?
Because huge mountains are made of water ice.
5. Why was the mission to Pluto important to the United States?
Because it makes the United States the first nation to send a space probe to every planet
from Mercury to Pluto.

D. WRITING
Exwecise 1: Reorder the words to make sentences.
1. scientists/ Susan/ had found/ Mars/ her teacher/ if/ water/ asked/ on.

2. too/ because/ it’s/ close/ there/ the sun/ might not/ life/ on Mercury/ to/ be.

3. scientists/ we/ beyond Earth/ evidence/ say that/ life/ may/ for/ find/ within
the next decades.

4. first/ Jenny/ wanted to know/ contact/ we/ with/ aliens/ how/ make/ would.

5. three/ from/ Mercury/ farther/ times/ Earth/ is/ the sun/ than.

6. in/ that/ the interviewer/ like/ a/ the UFO/ looked/ Nick/ big disc/ told/ the sky.

7. is called/ surface/ Mars/ in/ the red planet/ because/ is covered/ red dust/ its.

8. fastest/ of/ to/ the Sun/ the planets/ Mercury/ orbit/ is/ the/ all.

9. other/ life/ on/ do/ planets/ you/ intelligent/ exists/ think?

10. if/ me/ what/1/ asked/ would/ she/ do/1/ a UFO/ saw.
Exercise 2: Write the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one.
1. American scientists have drawn plans for an extension to the ISS.
Plans have been drawn for an extension to the ISS by American scientists.
2. “Can NASA prove that there is life on a moon of Jupiter?”
He asked me if NASA could prove that there was life on a moon of Jupiter
3. The student wanted to know how long it took to get to red planet
The student asked, “How long does it take to get to red planet”
4. Paul left the office before Sarah arrived there.
When Sarah arrived there, Paul had left the office
5. The heavy snow made it impossible for the plane to take off on time.
The plane was prevented from taking off on time.
Prevent (v): ngăn cản
Prevent sb, sth from Ving: ngăn cản ai đó làm gì, ngăn cản việc gì đó xảy ra
Take off: hạ cánh
6. “What time did you get home last night?”
My parents asked what time I had got home the night before
7. It’s possible that Lucy isn’t at home now.
Lucy might not be at home now
8. NASA stopped sending humans to the moon in 1972.
NASA hasn’t sent humans to the moon since 1972
9. “We are meeting Tony at 8 o’clock tonight.”
She said that we were meeting Tony at 8 o’clock that night
10. Sam told me that he was very tired then because he had been working hard for 12
hours.
Sam said to me, “ I am very tired now because I was working hard for 12 hours”