Read the texts that follow. A word or phrase is missing in some of the sentences. Four answer choices are given below each of the sentences. Select the best answer to complete the text.

Questions 1 through 4 refer to the following text.

A chip on your shoulder
Some popular expressions are a mystery. No one is sure how they developed. One of these is the expression; carry a chip on your shoulder. A person with a chip on his shoulder is a problem for anybody who must deal with him. He seems …(1)… expecting trouble.
be
to be
being
been
công thức seem to do something: dường như ..., đáp án đúng là to be.
A chip is a small piece of something, like a chip of wood. How did this chip get on a person’s shoulder? Well, experts say the expression appears …(2)… been first used in the United States more than one hundred years ago.
to have
have
having
has
Công thức: appear to do something: dường như, có vẻ ..., đáp án đúng là to have
One writer believes that the expression might have come from an old saying. The saying warns against …(3)… too high, or a chip might fall into your eye. That could be good advice. If you strike high up on a tree with an axe, the chip of wood that is cut off will fall into your eye. The saying becomes a warning about the dangers of attacking people who are in more important positions than you are.
strike
to strike
striking
stroke
Sau giới từ against, cần dùng động từ V-ing, đáp án đúng là striking
Later, in the United States, some people would put a real chip on their shoulder as a test. They wanted to start a fight. They would wait for someone to be brave enough to try…(4)… it off.
hitting
hit
to be hit
to hit
Công thức: try to do something: cố gắng làm gì, trong câu này phải dùng nghĩa chủ động, đáp án đúng là to hit

Questions 5 through 8 refer to the following text.

Some unusual words describe how a person spends his or her time. For example, someone who likes to spend a lot of time sitting or lying down while …(5)… television is sometimes called a couch potato.
watch
to watch
watching
be watching
Sau liên từ while cần dùng V-ing, đáp án đúng là watching
Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term couch potato in nineteen seventy-six. Several years later, he listed the term as a trademark with the United States government. Mister Armstrong also helped …(6)… a funny book about life as a full-time television watcher. It is called the “Official Couch Potato Handbook.”
to write
write
writing
written
Công thức help do something: giúp đỡ làm gì, đáp án đúng là write
Couch potatoes enjoy watching television just as mouse potatoes enjoy working on computers. A computer mouse is the device that moves the pointer, or cursor, on a computer screen. The description of mouse potato became popular in nineteen ninety-three. American writer Alice Kahn is said to have invented the term to describe young people who spend a lot of time …(7)… computers.
using
use
to use
used
Công thức: spend time doing something, đáp án đúng là using
Too much time inside the house using a computer or watching television can cause someone to get cabin fever. A cabin is a simple house usually built far away from the city. People go to a cabin to relax and enjoy quiet time. Cabin fever is not really a disease. However, people can experience boredom and restlessness if they spend too much time inside their homes. This is especially true during the winter when it is too cold or snowy …(8)… things outside.
do
to do
doing
be doing
Công thức: too + tính từ/trạng từ + to do something: quá ... đến nỗi không làm gì được, đáp án đúng là to do

Questions 9 through 12 refer to the following text.

Losing it
Tom Smith is the best hitter on his company`s baseball team. For weeks during the playing season, Tom hit a home run in every game the team played. But then suddenly he stopped …(9)… home runs. He could not hit the baseball at all.
hit
to hit
being hit
hitting
Công thức: stop doing something: dừng làm việc gì, câu này phải dùng nghĩa chủ động, đáp án đúng là hitting.
One day he struck out three times in one game. He said, "I am afraid I am losing it."
Emma Cleveland was teaching a class in mathematics at a college. She began …(10)… to the students how to solve a very difficult problem. She understood it very well. But somehow, at that moment, she could not