VSTEP LISTENING PAPER

Time: 40 minutes
Number of questions: 35

PART 1 - Questions 1-8

Directions: In this part, you will hear EIGHT short recordings. There is one question for
each recording. For each question, choose the right answer A, B, C, or D.
Example:
Which meal is NOT included in the price of the holiday?
A. Breakfast B. Lunch C. Dinner D. All
The correct answer is A. Breakfast. Now, let’s begin with the first question.
1. How did the boy get to the cinema?
A. By car C. By bus
B. By bike D. On foot
2. What did the girl see on her holiday?
A. Butterflies C. Rabbits
B. Frogs D. Rats
3. Which instrument will the girl play in the concert?
A. The guitar C. The violin
B. The piano D. The cello
4. Where is the man?
A. At a concert C. In a music lesson
B. In a disco D. At home
5. What's the woman doing?
A. Warning C. Complaining
B. Persuading D. Complimenting
6. Why doesn't Rob want to go to the opera?
A. He has already seen it. C. He's feeling too unwell.
B. He won't understand it. D. He's a bit busy.
7. What does the woman think about the painting?
A. It lacks passion. C. It's quite cheap.
B. It's amateurish. D. It's quite professional.
8. Who is the man?
A. A public announcer
B. A radio broadcaster
C. A festival performer
D. A talk show host

1 | Page
 PART 2 - Questions 9-20

In this part, you will hear three conversations. The conversations will not be repeated.
There are four questions for each conversation. For each question, choose the right
answer A, B, C, or D.

Questions 9-12:
9. Where did Cindy get her information about "smart" cars?
A. From a newspaper advertisement. C. From a television program.
B. From a magazine article. D. From an automobile dealer.
10. According to Cindy, what is the purpose of the synthesized voice on "smart" cars?
A. To warn of dangers.
B. To explain traffic regulations.
C. To wake up sleeping drivers.
D. To give directions.
11. What does Joe imply about his brother?
A. He has a good sense of direction.
B. He owns a "smart" car.
C. He doesn't know how to drive.
D. He doesn't know the way to the woman's house.
12. Why was Joe delayed on his way to Cindy's house?
A. He got lost. C. He was in an accident.
B. He ran out of gas. D. His car broke down.

Questions 13-16:
13. What is the conversation mainly about?
A. A part-time position at the dining hall
B. Work for the IT department
C. Revising professors' charts and graphs in class
D. Working for professors as a teaching assistant
14. What does the student imply about the job?
A. She is mainly concerned about covering her expenses.
B. She has had prior experience using software applications.
C. She can help train assistants for the professors.
D. She intends to wait for the position to open up in the future.
15. What does the man say about the work involved?
A. Professors need access to their data online.
B. The database will be unavailable during the software update.
C. The woman needs to be present in all class sessions.
D. Data must be entered into the online system.
16. What will the man do next?
A. Speak with the professors B. Contact the IT department

2 | Page
C. Fill out the form for the woman D. Begin training the student

Questions 17-20:
17. What does the man want to ask about?
A. Where he can find a book C. When the books are on sale
B. Whether books can be bought D. What he has to do to sell his books
18. What can be inferred about books listed in the Year-End Book Clearance?
A. The books are in poor condition.
B. The library has run out of shelf space to keep them.
C. No one has borrowed them for two years.
D. Students requested the books after completing a form.
19. Why does the man need to fill out a form?
A. To see whether the book he wants is available
B. To have the book shipped to his school
C. To request for a book to be put up for sale
D. To participate in the Year-End Book Clearance
20. What does the woman offer to do for the man?
A. Notify him about his request C. File a request for him
B. Contact the public library D. Call the central storage site

PART 3 - Questions 21-35

In this part, you will hear three talks or lectures. The talks or lectures will not be
repeated. There are five questions for each talk or lecture. For each question, choose
the right answer A, B, C or D.

Questions 21-25:
21. What is the lecture mainly about?
A. Recent advances in technology
B. The development of the science-fiction movie genre
C. A review of Western movies
D. The special effects in science-fiction films
22. In which year did the Golden Age of science-fiction films start?
A. 1927 C. 1950
B. 1930 D. 1968
23. What does the professor say about horrible science-fiction movies?
A. They could be watched for their unintentional comedic effects.
B. Most of them tried to foretell a possible future.
C. Movie critics also treated them seriously.
D. They were mostly adapted from stories by HG. Wells.
24. Which movie set off the trend in big-budget special-effects films?
A. A Trip to the Moon C. 2001: A Space Odyssey
B. Metropolis D. Star Wars

3 | Page
25. What can be inferred about the movies the students will be watching for their
assignment?
A. They were made in the 1950s. C. They were similar to Metropolis.
B. They were popular with the public. D. They can be found at film centers.

Questions 26-30:
26. What is Dubai like?
A. Dubai is one of the world's most influential business centers.
B. Dubai is a popular island.
C. Dubai has the largest population among all the cities in the world.
D. Dubai is the largest city in the world.
27. What did most of the people NOT do in Dubai in the early 20th century?
A. Fishermen C. Animal raisers
B. Artists D. Merchants
28. Where do most of the city's annual earnings come from?
A. Oil C. Building
B. Tourism D. Business
29. What is the feature of population in Dubai?
A. Most people are foreigners.
B. Most are native people.
C. Most people live on the man-made islands.
D. Most people are visitors.
30. What do the native people think of the city's change?
A. Most native people are concerned about the change.
B. Most native people don't like the foreigners.
C. Many native people welcome the change.
D. Most foreigners forget their homelands.

Questions 31-35:
31. What is the main topic of the talk?
A. Rare species of plants C. Two types of plants
B. Trees and flowers D. Conifers and deciduous trees
32. Why does the teacher talk about vascular plants?
A. To emphasize how rare they are C. To answer a question about them
B. To describe their main features D. To describe their structure in details
33. According to the teacher, which plants are nonvascular ones?
A. Daisies C. Rose bushes
B. Oaks trees D. Mosses
34. How do nonvascular plants reproduce?
A. By producing seeds C. By using spores
B. By producing pollen D. By using nuts
35. What will the teacher probably do next?
A. Have the students watch a video C. Continue lecturing on plants
B. Let the students look at some samples D. Show the students some pictures

4 | Page
 - THE END –

VSTEP READING PAPER

Time: 60 minutes
Number of questions: 40

Directions: In this section, you will read several passages. Each one is followed by ten
questions about it. For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D to each
question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space
that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a
passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.

PASSAGE 1 - Questions 1-10

Food for the Future
In 1845, a deadly disease struck the farms of Ireland, killing all the Lumper potato plants. In
another place or time, the death of a single crop species might not have been so important. But
in Ireland, in 1845, people depended almost solely on the potato for food. The death of one
species caused a terrible famine. Now, some scientists are worried that such a famine could
happen again – but on a much wider scale.
Over the centuries, farmers have discovered thousands of different species of food crops. Each
species has special qualities. Some can be grown in very hot or cold climates. Others are not
affected by certain diseases. However, you won’t find many of these species in your local
supermarket. To feed the seven billion people on Earth, most farmers today are growing only
species of plants and farming only species of animals that are easy to produce in large numbers.
Meanwhile, thousands of other species are becoming extinct. For example, in the Philippines,
there were once thousands of varieties of rice; now fewer than 100 are grown there. In China,
90 percent of the wheat varieties grown just a century ago have disappeared. Experts believe
that over the past century, we have allowed more than half of the world’s food varieties to
disappear.
Saving the Seeds
One solution to this problem is to collect and preserve the seeds of as many different plant
varieties as we can before they disappear. The idea was first suggested by Russian scientist
Nikolay Vavilov. In the 1920s and 1930s, he collected around 400,000 seeds from five
continents. More recently, others are continuing the work he began.
In the U.S. state of Iowa, Diane Ott Whealy wanted to preserve historic plant varieties, like the
seeds her great-grandfather brought to the U.S. from Germany more than a hundred years ago.
She and her husband started a place called Heritage Farm, where people can store and trade
seeds. More importantly, the people at Heritage Farm don’t just store the seeds; they plant them.
By doing this, they are reintroducing foods into the marketplace that haven’t been grown for

5 | Page
years. These food species are not just special in terms of appearance or flavor. They also offer
farmers food solutions for the future.
1. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Ways to increase the number of food species B. What the food we eat will look
like someday
C. The need to preserve different food species D. How food species disappear
2. What caused many people to die in Ireland in 1845?
A. The potatoes that people planted didn’t grow.
B. A deadly disease spread from the potato crop to human.
C. A disease killed their potato crop, so they had no food.
D. People ate potatoes that were harmful to humans.
3. What does the word “others” paragraph 2 refer to?
A. farmers B. distinct qualities
C. different climates D. species of food crops
4. Which of the following sentences is closest in meaning to the sentence “You won’t find
many of these species in your local supermarket.” in paragraph 2?
A. Many of these species are not available to us. B. Many of these species are too
expensive.
C. Many of these species are only found in big cities. D. Many of these species look like
other species.
5. What is the word “varieties” in paragraph 2 closest in meaning to?
A. different seeds B. various types
C. many flavors D. large numbers
6. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Fewer than 100 varieties of rice are grown in the Philippines.
B. Half of the world’s food varieties have disappeared in the past 100 years.
C. Most farmers grow species that are easy to produce in small numbers.
D. Thousands of species of plants and animals have become extinct.
7. According to the passage, people have been preserving seeds to save crop species and
varieties from extinction ________.
A. since 1845 B. for only ten years
C. for less than 100 years D. for thousands of years
8. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “preserve” in paragraph 3?
A. trade B. plant
C. sell D. store
9. Which statement would Diane Ott Whealy probably agree with?
A. Foods grown from older seeds are cheaper, but taste bad.
B. American seeds are better than German seeds.
C. The work started by Nikolay Vavilov was not important.
D. It’s important to store seeds, but you must also plant them.
10. What does the word “they” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. the seeds B. the farmers
C. the food species D. the market places

PASSAGE 2 - Questions 11-20

6 | Page
For centuries, the power of Chinese rulers rose and fell with their control of the Grand Canal.
Today, this important waterway is shorter than it once was, but it is still the longest man-made
river in the world, and continues to play an important cultural and economic role in modern
China.
Construction Begins
The original canal system began around the year 605, when Emperor Yang realized that – in
order to feed his army – he needed a way to move food quickly from China’s southern rice-
growing region to the country’s north. An estimated one million people, mostly farmers, worked
to build the first section of the Grand Canal, which connected existing canals, lakes, and rivers.
Construction took six years and was completed in 611.
Over the next 500 years, the canal’s importance grew throughout China, but by 1127, parts were
deteriorating. In 1279, Kublai Khan began to repair and build new parts of the canal. This
renovation created a more direct north-south route to and from Beijing. Future rulers then
continued to expand and improve the canal.
A nation’s lifeline
In addition to moving rice around China, the Grand Canal was also an important cultural
connect. Soldiers, merchants, and artists transported ideas, regional foods, and cultural practices
from one part of China to another along the country’s watery highway. According to legend, this
is how Beijing acquired two of its best-known trademarks: Peking duck, a dish from Shandong
Province in the south, and Peking opera, from Anhui and Hubei, also in the south.
The modern Canal
For more than a thousand years, goods have been transported along the Grand Canal. Even
today, the country’s watery highway plays an important economic role in China. Boats continue
to carry tons of coal, food, and other goods to points between Hangzhou and Jining. In addition,
local governments – eager to increase tourism and real estate development – are working to
beautify areas along the canal.
This development comes at a price, though. In Yangzhou, the city has torn down almost all of
the older canal-side buildings. Farther south in the cities of Zhenjiang, Wuxi, and Hangzhou, the
situation is similar. In Hangzhou, for example, almost all of the ancient buildings have been
demolished. “Traditionally we talk about 18 main cities on the Grand Canal, and each had
something unique and special about it,” explains Zhou Xinhua, the former vice director of the
Grand Canal museum in Hangzhou. “But now many of these cities are all the same: a thousand
people with one face.” In 2005, a group of citizens proposed that the historic Grand Canal be
made a UNESCO World Heritage site, to protect both the waterway and the architecture around
it. “Every generation wants the next generation to understand it, to look at its monuments,” said
Zhu Bingren, an artist who cowrote this proposal.
11. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The Grand Canal’s cultural and economic role B. The Grand Canal’s first
construction
C. The modern Grand Canal D. The Grand Canal’s history
12. The word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to ________.
A. the control of Chinese emperors B. the power of Chinese emperors
C. the Grand Canal in China D. the culture in China
13. Why was the Grand Canal originally built?
A. To transport food from the southern regions of China to the northern regions
B. To promote the cultural and traditional diversity of the south of China

7 | Page
C. To enable more people to visit remote parts of China
D. To allow the army to move quickly from the north to the south
14. What is NOT true about the Grand Canal?
A. Even today, it is the longest man-made river in the world.
B. It originally took six years to complete its construction.
C. It allowed Peking duck and Peking opera to spread to southern China.
D. Around a million people worked on the first section of the canal.
15. What would be the best alternative heading for the fourth paragraph?
A. The Army’s Highway B. Renewed Importance
C. Cultural Connections D. The Origins of Peking Opera
16. In paragraph 4, the word “practices” could be replaced with __________.
A. traditions B. improvements
C. repetitions D. instructions
17. Which of the following statements is closest in meaning to the sentence “This
development comes at a price, though.” in paragraph 6?
A. But developing the canal involves spending a lot of money.
B. But there are some negative consequences to having this development.
C. But developing it is a lot more expensive than one can imagine.
D. But even after spending money, people might not like the development.
18. The artist Zhu Bingren would probably most like to see that __________.
A. the canal is further expanded in an east-west direction
B. the canal and the area around it are declared a heritage site
C. a monument is created to honor China’s economic and cultural importance
D. more changes are made to modernize the canal
19. In paragraph 6, the word “demolished” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. built B. renewed
C. destroyed D. strengthened
20. In the last paragraph, the word “it” refers to ________.
A. the historic Grand Canal B. the World Heritage site
C. the architecture D. the waterway

PASSAGE 3 - Questions 21-30

A partnership is a type of business. In it, partners share profits and losses with two or more
members. Partners are people who have united to take part in the same business. This form of
business is good for people who want to work with their friends or people they trust. It is also
useful for two or more people who have different specialties. By forming a partnership, they can
combine their skills. A partnership can also be made between existing companies.
Partners may have a partnership agreement. Or they may make a declaration of partnership. In
some jurisdictions, such agreements must be registered. After doing this, they are made available
for public inspection. In many countries, a partnership is a legal entity.
Partnerships are often favored over corporations for taxation purposes. This makes a partnership
more useful for businesses that face heavy taxation. A partnership structure may eliminate the
dividend tax. This tax is levied on profits made by the owners of a corporation.
A general partnership is the most basic form. In this style, all partners manage the business. They
are all personally liable for the company’s debts. There are two other forms of partnership as a

8 | Page
business. One of them is the limited partnership. With this style, certain “limited partners” give
up their ability to manage the business. They trade this ability in order to receive limited liability
for the partnership’s debts. The other kind is a limited liability partnership. In this style, all
partners accept some degree of liability.
According to the Partnership Act 1958, there are four criteria for a partnership to exist. The first
is a valid agreement between the parties. The second is for them to carry on a business. This is
defined in the agreement as any trade, occupation, or profession. The third is that they must be in
common. This means there must be some mutuality of rights. This includes interests and
obligations. Finally, there must be a view to profit. This is the reason charities cannot be
partnership.
The businesspeople who are going to form a partnership must choose which form best suits
them. Some partners may want more control. They may be willing to risk greater liability.
Others may want to lessen their liability. They may be willing to give up some ability to control
the business. The balance between control, profit and liability must be found by the new partners.
But the most important ingredient for a successful relationship between partners is trust.
21. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Partnership in business B. Partnership agreements in
business
C. Forms of agreement in business D. Criteria for a partnership
agreement in business
22. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is TRUE of a partnership?
A. It is not used for existing companies.
B. It is not a very good form of business because it is outdated.
C. People who want to work with their friends find this form of business useful.
D. A partnership can only be established between people with the same college degrees.
23. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT true of partnership?
A. A partnership agreement may exist between partners.
B. A declaration of partnership may be made between partners.
C. A partnership agreement is not available for public inspection.
D. A partnership is a legal entity in many countries.
24. The word “levied” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________.
A. saved B. pointed at
C. imposed D. exempted
25. What would be the best heading for paragraph 4?
A. The general partnership B. The limited partnership
C. Legal responsibility in partnership D. Various types of partnership
26. In paragraph 4, what does the word “them” refer to?
A. the company’s debts B. two other forms of partnership
C. limited partners D. all partners
27. In paragraph 4, the word “liability” is closest in meaning to _________?
A. legal responsibility B. tax responsibility
C. social responsibility D. personal responsibility
28. Charities can’t be partnership because _________.
A. they do not share mutuality of rights B. they have no obligations
C. they are non-profit organizations D. there’s no valid agreement in
charities

9 | Page
29. What do people who are going to form a partnership have to do?
A. They must decide which form is the most reasonable for them.
B. They must always think about the possible forms of business.
C. They must make many choices about their new business.
D. They must make choices together to guarantee fairness.
30. The word “Others” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A. charities B. partnerships
C. new partners D. partners

PASSAGE 4 - Questions 31-40

Doing Something about an Increasingly Plastic World

Plastic waste has become a huge problem in the modern world. It is estimated that a mere 10
percent of plastic garbage is recycled, and once it is in the ecosystem or in landfill sites, plastic
takes many years to decompose. Therefore, researchers are trying to come up with ways to
significantly reduce plastic waste.
One feasible option is to convert the plastic into light crude oil. In 2005, geochemist Bill Ullom
discovered a process of converting plastic waste into this precious commodity. He later worked
with a businessman to put the process into practice. The process starts by putting various plastic
items in a shredder (a machine used for cutting things into small pieces). The shredded plastic is
then heated repeatedly to produce vapour, which is collected and distilled. The distilled vapour
creates consumer products such as gasoline for fuel. The remaining solid by-products can be
used in the production of rubber.
Another potential solution is to replace plastic with similar materials that are more ecologically
sustainable. Plastic film used in the food industry is rarely recyclable due to food contamination,
which means most recycling centres do not accept it. An environmentally friendly substitute is
collagen film. Collagen is a material found in the connective tissue of animals. If it is combined
with water and a moisture-preserving substance, collagen can be transformed into a plastic-like
material that is nearly transparent and easily sticks firmly to slightly damp foods like meats. In
addition, it is eatable and can be cooked with the food. One downside to most of the collagen
film currently available is that it is not as water resistant as plastic. Still, scientists such as Peter
Kunz are seeking ways to increase the water resistance of this natural, biodegradable film.
Recent experiments have found that a very common organism could be the key to reducing the
world’s plastic garbage. Professor Jun Yang discovered that mealworms, the larvae of a species
of beetle, devour polyethylene, a form of plastic commonly known as Styrofoam. Bacteria in the
gut of mealworms break down the plastic into a biodegradable form so that it can be safely used
as a potting mix or incorporated into the soil for agriculture. Federica Bertocchini of the Spanish
National Research Council has since made a similar discovery with a species of caterpillar that is
even more effective at consuming plastics, suggesting that insects may be the answer to
humanity’s plastic problem.
31. What does this passage mainly discuss?

10 | Page
A. Potential natural solutions to plastic garbage B. Plastic garbage – a huge problem in the
modern world
C. Collagen film – a plastic-like material D. Potential procedures in plastic garbage
processing
32. What are the two types of products mentioned in geochemist Bil Ullom’s process?
A. The shredded plastic and distilled vapour B. The rubber and distilled vapour
C. The solid by-products and the shredded plastic D. The solid by-products and consumer
products
33. In paragraph 3, the word “sustainable” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. preferable B. likeable
C. miserable D. recyclable
34. Why is plastic film not accepted by most recycling centres?
A. Because it is contaminated by food. B. Because it is not water-resistant.
C. Because it is not edible. D. Because it is not recyclable.
35. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Collagen film is a good replacement for plastic film.
B. Collagen film is an ineffective material in plastic processing.
C. Scientists have found ways to improve collagen film.
D. Collagen film mustn’t be used in food industry.
36. In paragraph 3, what does the word “it” refer to?
A. collagen B. collagen film
C. plastic film D. the food
37. What would be the best heading for paragraph 4?
A. Mealworms and a caterpillar species are helpful to human’s plastic problem.
B. Mealworms and caterpillars have not helped a lot in plastic garbage.
C. Both scientists’ discoveries resulted in solutions to plastic waste.
D. Recent experiments have found a useful organism to solve the plastic problem.
38. In paragraph 4, the word “devour” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. destroy B. create
C. consume D. reduce
39. What helps mealworms create the biodegradable form?
A. Polyethylene B. Styrofoam
C. bacteria in the gut D. a potting mix
40. In paragraph 4, what does the word “it” refer to?
A. a potting mix B. bacteria
C. the gut D. the plastic

- THE END -

11 | Page
 VSTEP WRITING
Time: 60 minutes
Number of tasks: 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You received an email from your English friend, Sarah. She asked you for some
suggestions on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. Read part of her email below.

I am planning to make some lifestyle changes to be healthier. I know you can give me
some useful advice. Do I need any types of exercise? What should I include in my diet?
How can I improve my mental health?

Write an email responding to Sarah.

You should write at least 120 words.
You are not allowed to include your name or address.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and
Grammar.

TASK 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Read the following extract from an article about online learning.

Some people think that online learning is essential in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Others, however, argue that it should be stopped because of its negative influences on students.

Write an essay to discuss the effects of online learning on students during the Covid-19
pandemic.
Include reasons and any relevant examples to support your answer.
You should write at least 250 words.
Your response will be evaluated in terms of Task fulfillment, Organization, Vocabulary and
Grammar.

12 | Page
13 | Page