Đề thi vào lớp 10 môn Anh Chuyên - THPT Chuyên Đại học Vinh năm 2026

Jack, Janine's son, brought home an old and 16.1 lamp with the intention of making it look attractive again.
On the day Jack brought the lamp home, Janine had had a 16.2 day at work and was in need of a distraction.
After doing some 16.3, Janine discovered that the lamp's manufacturer had gone out of business more than a century earlier.
Before deciding to restore the natural wood, the family first attempted 16.4 the old colour with paint.
According to Jack, watching online tutorials is by far the best way to learn the 16.5 of upcycling.
Jack recalls that a particular wardrobe project gave the family more than a few 16.6 and that they still wonder how they ever managed to complete it.
Jack recommends that beginners start with the 16.7 which include paint, tape, finishers, stains and a good paint stripper.
Janine describes Jack as her 16.8 in their upcycling activities.
Disagreements over projects within the family never develop into proper arguments, but rather into a 16.9 discussion.
Janine's most common complaint is that she struggles with 16.10 a piece she has spent considerable time improving.

Over the past few years, the advent of technology has exerted profound impacts on the world of work. It has not only given rise to a number of promising professions but also changed the manner in which people complete their jobs. In particular, rather than receiving employment in a single company, individuals can self-regulate their work and provide services to more than one customer. This so-called freelancing approach will be discussed in the following sections.

(I) Freelancing has emerged as a popular career choice as it allows individuals to take the reins of their professional journeys while balancing personal aspirations. (II) For many, it serves as an escape from the rigidity of the conventional 9-to-5 routine, granting them the autonomy to define their work-life balance and explore their potential on their own terms. (III) The flexibility associated with freelancing is perhaps its most attractive feature. (IV) Freelancers can work from virtually anywhere, whether it's the comfort of their home, a bustling café, or even a serene beach. They also have the liberty to select clients and projects that align with their interests and professional goals. In recent years, freelancing has become much more accessible thanks to the rise of remote work and online platforms. Typical websites such as Upwork, Fiverr, and Toptal connect freelancers with clients all over the world, creating diverse opportunities in fields ranging from graphic design to software development.

Tempting though such freedom and approachability sound, freelancing still comes with a few challenges. First of all, freelancers may take responsibility for juggling multiple roles, such as acting as their own accountant, project manager, and customer service representative. In other words, they manage their own finances, negotiate contracts, and market their skills effectively to attract clients. Second, the lack of a steady paycheck and job satisfaction can be daunting, particularly during the initial stages when building a reputation and client base requires considerable effort. To be more specific, income is often irregular, with periods of abundance followed by dry spells. The absence of traditional employment benefits, like health insurance or paid leave, also demands careful financial planning and self-discipline. Nevertheless, for those who thrive on creativity, adaptability, and independence, freelancing can be an immensely satisfying career path, offering both professional fulfillment and personal growth.

All things considered, it is reasonable why many suppose that the risks of freelancing are outweighed by the rewards. While freelancing requires endurance and adaptability, it offers unmatched freedom to build a career tailored to individual strengths and passions. New graduates should consider this flexible, fulfilling, and self-directed professional option instead of following the footsteps of previous generations, choosing more traditional jobs.

SUNSET FOR THE OIL BUSINESS

Members of the Oil Department Analysis Centre (ODAC) presented technical data supporting their grim forecast that the world oil is perilously running out. ODAC leading experts, including the geologist Colin Campbell, rejected contradictory views from America's Geological Survey and the International Energy Agency. Dr Campbell even decried the display of ignorance, denial and obfuscation by government, industry and academics on this topic.

So is the oil really running out? Obviously yes. Nobody seriously disputes the notion that oil is a non-renewable resource that will run out someday, be that years or decades away. The harder question is determining when oil will get scarce. Answering that question involves scaling Hubbert's peak.

M. King Hubbert, a Shell geologist of legendary status among depletion experts, forecast in 1956 that American oil production would peak in the early 1970s and then decline, in something resembling a bell-shaped curve. At the time, his forecast was rubbished. After 1970, however, empirical evidence proved him correct: oil production in America did indeed peak and has been in decline ever since. Dr Hubbert's analysis drew on the observation that oil production in a new area typically rises quickly at first, as the easiest and cheapest reserves are tapped. Over time, reservoirs age and go into decline, and so lifting oil becomes more expensive. Oil from that area then becomes less competitive than other fuels, or oil from other areas. Consequently, production slows down and usually declines.

His successful prediction has emboldened new geologists to apply his methodology on a global scale. Chief among them are the experts at ODAC, who worry about global peak in production in the next decade. Dr Campbell used to argue that the peak should have come already; he now thinks it is just around the corner. A heavyweight has now joined this gloomy chorus. Kenneth Deffeyes of Princeton University argues in a lively new book that global oil production could peak as soon as 2004. That sharply contradicts mainstream thinking. America's Geological Survey prepared an exhaustive study of oil depletion last year (in part to rebut Dr Campbell's arguments) that put the peak of production some decades off. The IEA has just foreseen enough oil to comfortably meet the demand to 2020 from remaining reserves. René Dahan, a top manager of the world's largest energy company, insists that the world will be awash in oil for another 70 years.

Who is right? In making sense of these wildly opposing views, it is useful to look back at the pitiful history of oil forecasting. Doomsters have been predicting dry wells since the 1970s, but so far the oil is still gushing. Nearly all the predictions for 2000 made after the 1970s oil shocks were far too pessimistic. Michael Lynch, an economic consultancy, is one of the few oil forecasters who has got things right. In a new paper, Dr Lynch analyses those historical forecasts. He finds evidence of both bias and recurring errors, which suggests that methodological mistakes were the problem. In particular, he faults forecasters who used Hubbert-style analysis for relying on fixed estimates of how much "ultimately recoverable" oil there really is below ground, in the industry's jargon: that figure is actually a dynamic one, as improvements in infrastructure, knowledge and technology raise the amount of oil which is recoverable.

That points to technological innovation, which will probably determine whether the pessimists or the optimists are right. The former tends to be dismissive of claims of forthcoming technological revolutions in areas like deep-water drilling and enhanced recovery. Dr Deffeyes captures this end-of-technology mindset well. In his opinion, the industry has already spent billions inventing most of the wheels so it is difficult today to ask for new technology. Yet techno-optimists argue that the technological revolution in oil has only just begun. Average recovery rates (how much of the known oil in a reservoir can actually be brought to the surface) are still only around 30-35%. Industry optimists believe that newly crafted techniques today could lift that figure to 50-60% within a decade. Given the industry's astonishing track record of innovation, it may be foolish to bet against it. That is the result of adversity: the nationalisations of the 1970s forced Big Oil to develop reserves in expensive and inaccessible places, undermining Dr Hubbert's assumption that cheap reserves are developed first. The resulting upstream investments have driven down the cost of finding and developing wells over the last two decades from over $20 to around $6 a barrel. The cost of producing oil has fallen by half, to under $4 a barrel.

Such miracles will not come cheap, however, since much of the world's oil is now produced in rapidly declining fields. The IEA concludes that global oil production need not peak in the next two decades if necessary investments are made. So how much is necessary? The agency reckons they must invest $1 trillion in non-OPEC countries over the next decade alone. That's quite a figure.