IELTS Reading: Blockchain và Phòng Chống Tội Phạm Tài Chính – Đề Thi Mẫu Có Đáp Án Chi Tiết

Mở Bài

Công nghệ blockchain đang tạo ra những thay đổi mang tính cách mạng trong ngành tài chính toàn cầu, đặc biệt là trong việc phòng chống tội phạm tài chính. Chủ đề “Impact Of Blockchain On Reducing Financial Crime” ngày càng xuất hiện thường xuyên trong các đề thi IELTS Reading, phản ánh xu hướng công nghệ và tầm quan trọng của nó trong xã hội hiện đại. Theo thống kê từ Cambridge IELTS và British Council, các đề thi liên quan đến công nghệ tài chính và an ninh mạng chiếm khoảng 15-20% tổng số bài đọc.

Bài viết này cung cấp một đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh với 3 passages từ mức độ dễ đến khó, bao gồm 40 câu hỏi đa dạng giống thi thật. Bạn sẽ được thực hành với các dạng câu hỏi phổ biến như True/False/Not Given, Matching Headings, Multiple Choice, và Summary Completion. Kèm theo là đáp án chi tiết với giải thích cụ thể, từ vựng quan trọng được phân tích kỹ lưỡng, và các chiến lược làm bài hiệu quả.

Đề thi này phù hợp cho học viên có trình độ từ band 5.0 trở lên, giúp bạn làm quen với cấu trúc đề thi thực tế và nâng cao kỹ năng đọc hiểu học thuật một cách toàn diện.

Hướng Dẫn Làm Bài IELTS Reading

Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test

IELTS Reading Test kéo dài 60 phút với 3 passages và tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi. Mỗi câu trả lời đúng được tính 1 điểm, không bị trừ điểm cho câu sai. Điểm số thô sẽ được quy đổi thành band score từ 1-9.

Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:

• Passage 1 (Easy): 15-17 phút – Nội dung dễ hiểu, từ vựng cơ bản đến trung cấp
• Passage 2 (Medium): 18-20 phút – Nội dung phức tạp hơn, yêu cầu kỹ năng paraphrase tốt
• Passage 3 (Hard): 23-25 phút – Nội dung học thuật, từ vựng chuyên ngành, cấu trúc câu phức tạp

Lưu ý: Dành 2-3 phút cuối để chuyển đáp án vào Answer Sheet, kiểm tra chính tả và đảm bảo không bỏ sót câu nào.

Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này

Đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:

1. True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin có khớp với bài đọc không
2. Multiple Choice – Chọn đáp án đúng từ các phương án cho sẵn
3. Matching Headings – Ghép tiêu đề phù hợp với các đoạn văn
4. Sentence Completion – Hoàn thành câu với thông tin từ bài đọc
5. Summary Completion – Điền từ vào đoạn tóm tắt
6. Matching Features – Ghép thông tin với các đối tượng được liệt kê
7. Short-answer Questions – Trả lời ngắn gọn các câu hỏi

IELTS Reading Practice Test

PASSAGE 1 – The Basics of Blockchain in Financial Security

Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)

Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút

In recent years, blockchain technology has emerged as a revolutionary tool in the fight against financial crime. Originally developed as the underlying technology for Bitcoin in 2008, blockchain has evolved far beyond its cryptocurrency origins to become a powerful weapon in combating fraud, money laundering, and other illicit financial activities.

At its core, blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that records transactions across multiple computers simultaneously. Unlike traditional banking systems where a central authority maintains records, blockchain creates a decentralized network where every participant holds an identical copy of the transaction history. This fundamental characteristic makes it extremely difficult for criminals to alter or falsify records without detection.

The transparency offered by blockchain is one of its most significant advantages in reducing financial crime. Every transaction recorded on a blockchain is permanent and immutable, meaning it cannot be changed or deleted once confirmed. This creates an audit trail that investigators can follow with absolute certainty. For example, if someone attempts to launder money through multiple transactions, authorities can trace the entire journey of those funds through the blockchain network, identifying suspicious patterns that would be nearly impossible to detect in traditional systems.

Financial institutions worldwide are recognizing blockchain’s potential. Major banks have begun implementing blockchain-based systems to enhance their anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. The technology enables real-time monitoring of transactions, allowing suspicious activities to be flagged immediately rather than days or weeks later as in conventional systems. This instantaneous detection significantly reduces the window of opportunity for criminals to move illicit funds.

Another crucial benefit is identity verification. Traditional financial systems often struggle with identity theft and fraudulent account creation. Blockchain technology can create secure digital identities that are nearly impossible to forge or steal. When combined with biometric data such as fingerprints or facial recognition, blockchain-based identity systems provide unprecedented security. Several countries, including Estonia and Singapore, have already implemented blockchain-based digital identity programs that have dramatically reduced identity-related fraud.

The technology also addresses the problem of cross-border transactions, which have historically been a weak point in financial crime prevention. Traditional international money transfers often pass through multiple intermediaries, creating opportunities for criminals to obscure the origins and destinations of funds. Blockchain eliminates many of these intermediaries, creating direct peer-to-peer transfers with complete transparency. This makes it much harder for criminals to hide the true nature of their transactions.

Smart contracts represent another innovative application of blockchain in fighting financial crime. These are self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into code. They automatically enforce compliance rules and can be programmed to reject transactions that don’t meet specific criteria. For instance, a smart contract could automatically block any transaction exceeding a certain amount unless additional verification is provided, or refuse to process payments to known high-risk jurisdictions.

However, experts caution that blockchain is not a complete solution to financial crime. Criminals continue to adapt their methods, and some have even exploited blockchain technology for illegal purposes. The anonymity features of certain cryptocurrencies have attracted criminals seeking to hide their activities. Additionally, the technology requires significant investment in infrastructure and training, which may be challenging for smaller financial institutions or developing countries.

Despite these challenges, the overall impact of blockchain on reducing financial crime has been overwhelmingly positive. Industry studies suggest that financial institutions using blockchain-based systems have experienced a 30-40% reduction in fraud-related losses. The technology’s ability to provide tamper-proof records, enable real-time monitoring, and enhance identity verification makes it an invaluable tool in the modern fight against financial crime. As the technology continues to mature and become more widely adopted, its role in creating a safer, more transparent financial system will only grow stronger.

Questions 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Passage 1?

Write:

• TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
• FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
• NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Blockchain technology was initially created specifically to prevent financial crime.

2. In a blockchain system, all participants have access to the same transaction records.

3. Traditional banking systems can trace money laundering as effectively as blockchain systems.

4. Estonia has implemented a blockchain-based digital identity program.

5. Smart contracts can automatically reject transactions that violate predetermined rules.

6. All cryptocurrencies provide complete anonymity to their users.

Questions 7-10

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

7. Blockchain creates a __ that investigators can follow to track suspicious financial activities.

8. Major banks are using blockchain to improve their __ compliance.

9. Blockchain technology combined with biometric data provides __ for digital identity systems.

10. Traditional international money transfers involve multiple __, which criminals can exploit.

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

11. According to the passage, what is the main advantage of blockchain’s transparency?

• A) It makes transactions faster
• B) It creates permanent and unchangeable records
• C) It reduces transaction costs
• D) It eliminates the need for banks

12. What challenge does the passage mention regarding blockchain adoption?

• A) It is too complicated for most users
• B) It requires substantial investment in infrastructure
• C) It is illegal in many countries
• D) It cannot work with existing banking systems

13. According to industry studies mentioned in the passage, blockchain-based systems have reduced fraud-related losses by:

• A) 10-20%
• B) 20-30%
• C) 30-40%
• D) 40-50%

---

PASSAGE 2 – Blockchain Applications in Modern Financial Crime Prevention

Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)

Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút

The proliferation of financial crime in the digital age has prompted financial institutions and regulatory bodies to seek innovative solutions. Among these, blockchain technology has emerged as a particularly promising tool, offering capabilities that extend far beyond the rudimentary functions of traditional security systems. The technology’s multifaceted applications in combating various forms of financial crime demonstrate its transformative potential in creating a more secure global financial ecosystem.

A. Enhanced Know Your Customer (KYC) Procedures

One of the most labor-intensive and costly aspects of financial crime prevention is the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. Traditional KYC procedures require financial institutions to independently verify each customer’s identity, often duplicating efforts across multiple institutions. This redundancy not only increases costs but also creates inconsistencies and delays. Blockchain-based KYC systems offer a revolutionary alternative. By creating a shared, encrypted database of verified customer identities, blockchain enables what is known as “KYC utilities.” These allow financial institutions to access pre-verified customer data, reducing verification time from days to minutes while maintaining stringent security standards. The R3 consortium, comprising over 200 financial institutions, has developed such a system that has already processed millions of KYC checks with unprecedented efficiency.

B. Real-Time Transaction Monitoring and Analysis

Traditional transaction monitoring systems often operate with significant time lags, analyzing data in batches that may be hours or even days old. This delay creates a critical vulnerability that sophisticated criminals routinely exploit. Blockchain technology facilitates instantaneous transaction verification and monitoring. Every transaction is recorded in real-time and can be analyzed against complex algorithms that identify anomalous patterns. Machine learning systems integrated with blockchain can detect subtle indicators of money laundering, such as structuring (breaking large transactions into smaller ones to avoid detection) or unusual transaction frequencies. The European Banking Authority reports that institutions using blockchain-enhanced monitoring systems have achieved a 40% improvement in detecting suspicious activities compared to traditional methods.

C. Supply Chain Finance and Trade-Based Money Laundering Prevention

Trade-based money laundering (TBML) represents one of the most challenging forms of financial crime to detect, with estimates suggesting it accounts for billions of dollars in illicit flows annually. Criminals exploit the complexity of international trade, manipulating invoices, shipping documents, and other trade documentation to disguise the movement of illegal funds. Blockchain’s application in supply chain finance provides unprecedented transparency into trade transactions. By recording every step of a supply chain on an immutable ledger – from raw material sourcing to final delivery – blockchain makes it substantially more difficult to create the fake or inflated invoices commonly used in TBML. IBM’s TradeLens platform, developed in partnership with Maersk, now tracks over half of the world’s ocean container shipments, creating a comprehensive, tamper-resistant record that significantly reduces opportunities for trade-based financial crime.

D. Cross-Border Payment Integrity

International payment systems have long been vulnerable to exploitation by criminal networks. The correspondent banking model, where multiple banks act as intermediaries in cross-border transactions, creates opacity that criminals use to their advantage. Each intermediary bank may have limited visibility into the full transaction chain, making it difficult to assess the true risk profile of a payment. Blockchain-based payment systems like Ripple and SWIFT’s blockchain initiative eliminate many intermediaries, creating direct, transparent pathways for international transfers. This not only reduces transaction costs and processing times but also ensures that comprehensive transaction data is available to all authorized parties. The enhanced transparency makes it far more difficult for criminals to obfuscate the source or destination of funds.

Sơ đồ minh họa cách blockchain giúp giảm thiểu tội phạm tài chính qua công nghệ mã hóa phân tán

E. Regulatory Compliance and Reporting

Financial institutions face an ever-expanding array of regulatory requirements designed to combat financial crime. Compliance is both expensive and complex, with global spending on compliance exceeding $200 billion annually. Blockchain technology offers substantial benefits for regulatory compliance through automated reporting and enhanced auditability. Smart contracts can be programmed to automatically generate the reports required by regulators, ensuring timely and accurate submission. Furthermore, regulators can be granted permissioned access to blockchain networks, allowing them to monitor compliance in real-time rather than through periodic audits. This proactive oversight model represents a fundamental shift from reactive to preventative financial crime control.

F. Challenges and Limitations

Despite its considerable promise, blockchain technology faces several challenges in its application to financial crime prevention. Scalability remains a concern, as many blockchain systems struggle to process the enormous transaction volumes handled by global financial networks. Privacy regulations, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), create tensions with blockchain’s immutable nature, particularly regarding the “right to be forgotten.” Additionally, the technology’s effectiveness depends heavily on the quality of data input; blockchain cannot verify whether information entered into the system is truthful or accurate at the point of entry. There is also the paradoxical challenge that some criminals have adopted blockchain-based cryptocurrencies for illicit activities, requiring law enforcement to develop specialized expertise in blockchain analysis.

Nevertheless, the trajectory of blockchain adoption in financial crime prevention remains firmly upward. As these challenges are addressed through technological innovation and regulatory adaptation, blockchain’s role in creating a more secure financial system continues to expand.

Questions 14-20

The passage has six sections, A-F.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F.

14. Information about how blockchain helps prevent manipulation of trade documents

15. A description of the limitations of conventional transaction monitoring systems

16. Details about regulatory bodies having direct access to financial institution records

17. Statistics on global spending related to following financial regulations

18. An explanation of how multiple banks in international transfers create security problems

19. Information about a specific consortium of financial institutions working together

20. Discussion of conflicts between data protection laws and blockchain characteristics

Questions 21-25

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Traditional KYC processes involve (21) __ across different financial institutions, which is both expensive and time-consuming. Blockchain-based systems create a shared database where institutions can access (22) __ about customers. The R3 consortium has processed millions of KYC checks with high (23) __. In transaction monitoring, blockchain enables (24) __ of all transactions. Systems using blockchain have shown a (25) __ in detecting suspicious activities according to the European Banking Authority.

Questions 26-26

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Which TWO challenges of blockchain implementation are mentioned in the passage?

A) Incompatibility with existing banking systems
B) Difficulty processing large numbers of transactions
C) High costs of implementing the technology
D) Conflicts with privacy protection regulations
E) Inability to detect any form of financial crime

---

PASSAGE 3 – The Paradigm Shift: Blockchain’s Transformative Impact on Global Financial Crime Architecture

Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)

Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút

The advent of blockchain technology represents nothing less than a fundamental reconceptualization of how financial systems can be secured against criminal exploitation. While early discourse around blockchain focused predominantly on its disruptive potential for currency and payment systems, a more nuanced understanding has emerged regarding its profound implications for the entire architecture of financial crime prevention. This transformation extends beyond mere technological enhancement of existing systems; it constitutes a paradigmatic shift in the epistemological foundations of how we conceptualize financial security, trust, and institutional accountability in an increasingly digitized global economy.

The Cryptographic Foundation of Trust

Traditional financial systems operate on a hierarchical trust model wherein central authorities – be they banks, clearinghouses, or regulatory agencies – serve as arbiters of transactional legitimacy. This centralization, while offering certain efficiencies, creates systemic vulnerabilities that sophisticated criminal enterprises have become adept at exploiting. The concentration of power and information in centralized databases presents attractive targets for cybercriminals, as evidenced by numerous high-profile breaches that have compromised millions of financial records. Moreover, the opacity inherent in centralized systems – where ordinary users cannot independently verify the integrity of records – creates opportunities for internal malfeasance and institutional corruption that have plagued financial systems throughout history.

Blockchain’s revolutionary contribution lies in its substitution of cryptographic verification for institutional trust. Through consensus mechanisms such as proof-of-work or proof-of-stake, blockchain networks achieve distributed consensus on the validity of transactions without requiring any single trusted intermediary. This decentralization of trust is achieved through sophisticated cryptographic techniques that make fraudulent alterations computationally infeasible. The security of blockchain systems derives not from the trustworthiness of institutions but from the mathematical certainty of cryptographic algorithms and the distributed nature of verification. This represents a profound philosophical departure from millennia of financial systems predicated on institutional authority.

Immutability and the Reconstruction of Financial Forensics

The immutable nature of blockchain records has far-reaching implications for financial crime investigation and prosecution. Traditional financial forensics often involves painstaking reconstruction of transaction histories from fragmented, sometimes contradictory records maintained by multiple institutions. The potential for record alteration – whether through deliberate criminal action, institutional manipulation, or simple administrative error – introduces uncertainty that can undermine criminal prosecutions and civil proceedings. Defense attorneys routinely challenge the integrity of financial evidence, questioning the chain of custody and the possibility of tampering.

Blockchain eliminates these uncertainties through its cryptographically secured, time-stamped record of every transaction. Once a transaction is confirmed and added to the blockchain, it becomes part of an unalterable historical record protected by the collective computational power of the network. This creates what legal scholars have termed “computational certainty” – evidence whose integrity can be mathematically verified rather than merely institutionally asserted. The implications for financial crime prosecution are substantial. Prosecutors can present blockchain evidence with a level of certainty previously unattainable, while the comprehensive audit trail enables investigators to trace illicit funds with unprecedented precision.

Several landmark cases have demonstrated blockchain’s forensic value. The 2021 recovery of $2.3 million in Bitcoin paid as ransom in the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack showcased how blockchain transparency enabled FBI investigators to trace the cryptocurrency through multiple wallets and exchanges, ultimately identifying and seizing the funds. This case fundamentally challenged the misconception that cryptocurrencies provide absolute anonymity for criminals, demonstrating instead how blockchain’s permanent record makes certain forms of financial crime more traceable than traditional methods.

Network Effects and the Emergence of Collaborative Security Ecosystems

Perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of blockchain’s impact on financial crime prevention is its facilitation of unprecedented collaboration between financial institutions and regulatory bodies. Traditional financial systems are characterized by information silos, where competitive dynamics and regulatory constraints inhibit the sharing of threat intelligence and suspicious activity data. This fragmentation allows sophisticated criminals to exploit knowledge asymmetries, using information about detection thresholds at one institution to structure their activities to evade scrutiny.

Blockchain-based systems enable the creation of shared threat intelligence platforms where financial institutions can contribute to and access anonymized data about suspicious patterns and known threats without compromising competitive information or customer privacy. These collaborative networks exhibit powerful network effects – their efficacy in detecting financial crime increases exponentially with the number of participating institutions. Machine learning algorithms trained on aggregated data from multiple institutions can identify subtle patterns of suspicious activity that would be invisible to any single institution analyzing only its own transaction data.

The Anti-Money Laundering Blockchain Consortium, comprising over 150 global financial institutions, exemplifies this collaborative approach. By sharing anonymized transaction data and suspicious activity indicators through a blockchain-based platform, member institutions have achieved a collective intelligence capability that has identified numerous sophisticated money laundering schemes that would have evaded detection through traditional siloed approaches. This paradigm of “coopetition” – cooperation on security matters while maintaining competition on services – represents a fundamental evolution in how financial institutions approach crime prevention.

Mạng lưới an ninh tài chính toàn cầu được kết nối thông qua công nghệ blockchain hiện đại

Regulatory Technology and Adaptive Governance

Blockchain technology is catalyzing the emergence of “regulatory technology” or “RegTech” – systems that embed regulatory compliance directly into financial infrastructure rather than treating it as an ex post facto verification activity. Smart contracts can encode regulatory requirements, automatically enforcing compliance rules and generating real-time regulatory reports. This represents a shift from detective controls (identifying violations after they occur) to preventive controls (making violations technically impossible or automatically detectable).

This technological embedding of regulation has profound implications for the efficiency and effectiveness of financial crime prevention. Traditional regulatory compliance is both expensive and imperfect – institutions spend billions on compliance while still experiencing significant rates of undetected crime. Blockchain-based RegTech systems promise to reduce compliance costs while simultaneously improving detection rates through continuous, automated monitoring rather than periodic, manual audits.

However, this evolution also raises complex governance questions. The immutability of smart contracts means that regulatory rules, once encoded, are difficult to modify in response to evolving threats or changing policy priorities. There is an inherent tension between the flexibility required for adaptive governance and the certainty and predictability that immutable rules provide. Emerging approaches to this challenge include “upgradeable smart contracts” that incorporate governance mechanisms allowing for rule modifications through consensus processes, though these innovations themselves introduce new complexities and potential vulnerabilities.

Limitations, Paradoxes, and Future Trajectories

Despite its transformative potential, blockchain technology is not a panacea for financial crime. Several fundamental limitations constrain its efficacy. The “garbage in, garbage out” problem remains: blockchain can verify that data has not been altered after entry, but cannot verify the truthfulness of data at the point of entry. If fraudulent information is introduced into a blockchain system, that fraud becomes part of the immutable record. This is particularly problematic in systems that interface with physical assets or off-chain identity verification.

Furthermore, the transparency that makes blockchain valuable for crime prevention also raises significant privacy concerns. While techniques such as “zero-knowledge proofs” and “ring signatures” can provide transaction privacy while maintaining verifiability, these technologies are still maturing and their implementation introduces additional complexity. The balance between transparency for crime prevention and privacy for legitimate users remains an active area of technical and policy development.

Perhaps most paradoxically, blockchain technology itself has become a tool for certain types of financial crime. Ransomware criminals prefer cryptocurrency payments precisely because blockchain enables rapid, cross-border value transfer without traditional banking intermediaries. While blockchain’s transparency ultimately aids investigation, the pseudonymous nature of many cryptocurrency systems provides sufficient initial anonymity for criminal purposes. This has necessitated the development of specialized blockchain forensic techniques and has prompted ongoing evolution in both criminal methods and investigative capabilities.

Looking forward, the impact of blockchain on financial crime prevention will likely be mediated by broader technological, regulatory, and social developments. The integration of blockchain with artificial intelligence, quantum-resistant cryptography, and advanced biometric systems will create increasingly sophisticated crime prevention capabilities. However, these same technologies will also be available to criminals, creating an ongoing technological arms race. The ultimate efficacy of blockchain in reducing financial crime will depend not merely on the technology itself, but on the institutional frameworks, regulatory structures, and international cooperation mechanisms that develop around it. What is certain is that blockchain has fundamentally altered the landscape of financial crime prevention, creating both new possibilities and new challenges that will shape the financial security architecture for decades to come.

Questions 27-31

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

27. According to the passage, traditional financial systems create vulnerabilities because:

• A) They use outdated technology
• B) They concentrate power and information in centralized databases
• C) They are too expensive to maintain
• D) They cannot process international transactions

28. The passage describes blockchain’s security as deriving from:

• A) The trustworthiness of financial institutions
• B) Government regulation and oversight
• C) Mathematical certainty and distributed verification
• D) Advanced encryption used by banks

29. What does the term “computational certainty” refer to in the context of legal proceedings?

• A) The speed at which computers can process financial data
• B) Evidence whose integrity can be mathematically verified
• C) The cost of implementing blockchain systems
• D) The ability to delete incorrect information

30. The Colonial Pipeline case demonstrated that:

• A) Bitcoin is completely anonymous and untraceable
• B) Blockchain makes criminal activity impossible
• C) Cryptocurrency transactions can be traced through blockchain
• D) Traditional banking is safer than cryptocurrencies

31. According to the passage, “RegTech” represents a shift from:

• A) Manual to automated banking
• B) Detective to preventive controls
• C) Public to private regulation
• D) National to international oversight

Questions 32-36

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-K, below.

Blockchain technology enables financial institutions to create shared platforms for (32) __ where they can exchange information about suspicious activities without compromising customer privacy. These collaborative networks benefit from (33) __, meaning their effectiveness increases substantially as more institutions participate. The Anti-Money Laundering Blockchain Consortium exemplifies this approach, with member institutions achieving a (34) __ that can identify sophisticated criminal schemes. This collaborative model represents a new paradigm of (35) __, where institutions cooperate on security while competing on services. Machine learning algorithms can analyze (36) __ from multiple institutions to detect patterns invisible to individual organizations.

A network effects
B competitive information
C threat intelligence
D collective intelligence capability
E transaction costs
F aggregated data
G coopetition
H regulatory requirements
I customer service
J operational efficiency
K financial reports

Questions 37-40

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Passage 3?

Write:

• YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
• NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
• NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

37. Smart contracts can automatically modify regulatory rules in response to new types of financial crime.

38. Blockchain can verify whether information entered into the system is accurate at the time it is first recorded.

39. The transparency of blockchain creates tension with privacy protection requirements.

40. Criminal use of blockchain technology will eventually make it ineffective for crime prevention.

---

Answer Keys – Đáp Án

PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13

1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. FALSE
4. TRUE
5. TRUE
6. NOT GIVEN
7. audit trail
8. anti-money laundering
9. unprecedented security
10. intermediaries
11. B
12. B
13. C

PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26

14. C
15. B
16. E
17. E
18. D
19. A
20. F
21. duplicating efforts
22. pre-verified customer data
23. efficiency
24. instantaneous transaction verification / real-time recording
25. 40% improvement
26. B, D (in any order)

PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40

27. B
28. C
29. B
30. C
31. B
32. C
33. A
34. D
35. G
36. F
37. NO
38. NO
39. YES
40. NOT GIVEN

---

Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết

Passage 1 – Giải Thích

Câu 1: FALSE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: blockchain technology, initially created, specifically, prevent financial crime
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: Bài đọc nói rõ “Originally developed as the underlying technology for Bitcoin in 2008” – blockchain ban đầu được tạo ra cho Bitcoin, không phải đặc biệt để ngăn chặn tội phạm tài chính. Nó chỉ sau này mới được ứng dụng vào lĩnh vực này.

Câu 2: TRUE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: blockchain system, all participants, same transaction records
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 3-5
• Giải thích: Câu trong bài: “blockchain creates a decentralized network where every participant holds an identical copy of the transaction history” – mỗi người tham gia có bản sao giống hệt nhau về lịch sử giao dịch.

Câu 3: FALSE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: traditional banking systems, trace money laundering, as effectively as, blockchain
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 5-8
• Giải thích: Bài đọc chỉ ra “identifying suspicious patterns that would be nearly impossible to detect in traditional systems” – hệ thống truyền thống gần như không thể phát hiện các hình thức rửa tiền mà blockchain có thể theo dõi.

Câu 4: TRUE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: Estonia, implemented, blockchain-based digital identity program
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 5, dòng 6-8
• Giải thích: Bài viết nói rõ: “Several countries, including Estonia and Singapore, have already implemented blockchain-based digital identity programs”

Câu 5: TRUE

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: smart contracts, automatically reject, transactions, violate, predetermined rules
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7, dòng 4-7
• Giải thích: “They automatically enforce compliance rules and can be programmed to reject transactions that don’t meet specific criteria” – smart contracts tự động từ chối các giao dịch không đáp ứng tiêu chí cụ thể.

Câu 6: NOT GIVEN

• Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
• Từ khóa: all cryptocurrencies, complete anonymity
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8
• Giải thích: Bài chỉ đề cập “The anonymity features of certain cryptocurrencies” (một số loại tiền mã hóa nhất định), không nói TẤT CẢ đều cung cấp hoàn toàn ẩn danh.

Câu 7: audit trail

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: investigators, follow, track, suspicious financial activities
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 3-4
• Giải thích: “This creates an audit trail that investigators can follow with absolute certainty”

Câu 8: anti-money laundering

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: Major banks, blockchain, improve, compliance
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: “Major banks have begun implementing blockchain-based systems to enhance their anti-money laundering (AML) compliance”

Câu 9: unprecedented security

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: blockchain, combined with, biometric data, provides
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 5, dòng 4-6
• Giải thích: “When combined with biometric data such as fingerprints or facial recognition, blockchain-based identity systems provide unprecedented security”

Câu 10: intermediaries

• Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
• Từ khóa: traditional international money transfers, involve, multiple, criminals exploit
• Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6, dòng 2-3
• Giải thích: “Traditional international money transfers often pass through multiple intermediaries, creating opportunities for criminals…”

Câu 11: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Giải thích: Đoạn 3 nói rõ “Every transaction recorded on a blockchain is permanent and immutable, meaning it cannot be changed or deleted once confirmed” – đây là lợi thế chính của tính minh bạch.

Câu 12: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Giải thích: Đoạn 8 đề cập “the technology requires significant investment in infrastructure and training” – đây là thách thức về đầu tư cơ sở hạ tầng.

Câu 13: C

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Giải thích: Đoạn cuối nói rõ “Industry studies suggest that financial institutions using blockchain-based systems have experienced a 30-40% reduction in fraud-related losses”

Passage 2 – Giải Thích

Câu 14: C (Section C)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: blockchain, prevent manipulation, trade documents
• Giải thích: Section C nói về “Trade-Based Money Laundering Prevention” và đề cập cách blockchain ngăn chặn “fake or inflated invoices” và tạo “tamper-resistant record”.

Câu 15: B (Section B)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: limitations, conventional transaction monitoring
• Giải thích: Section B mô tả “Traditional transaction monitoring systems often operate with significant time lags, analyzing data in batches that may be hours or even days old”

Câu 16: E (Section E)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: regulatory bodies, direct access, financial institution records
• Giải thích: Section E nói “regulators can be granted permissioned access to blockchain networks, allowing them to monitor compliance in real-time”

Câu 17: E (Section E)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: statistics, global spending, financial regulations
• Giải thích: Section E đề cập “global spending on compliance exceeding $200 billion annually”

Câu 18: D (Section D)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: multiple banks, international transfers, security problems
• Giải thích: Section D giải thích “The correspondent banking model, where multiple banks act as intermediaries… creates opacity that criminals use to their advantage”

Câu 19: A (Section A)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: consortium, financial institutions, working together
• Giải thích: Section A đề cập “The R3 consortium, comprising over 200 financial institutions”

Câu 20: F (Section F)

• Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
• Từ khóa: conflicts, data protection laws, blockchain
• Giải thích: Section F nói về “Privacy regulations, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), create tensions with blockchain’s immutable nature”

Câu 21: duplicating efforts

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Vị trí: Section A, “independently verify each customer’s identity, often duplicating efforts across multiple institutions”

Câu 22: pre-verified customer data

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Vị trí: Section A, “allow financial institutions to access pre-verified customer data”

Câu 23: efficiency

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Vị trí: Section A, “has already processed millions of KYC checks with unprecedented efficiency”

Câu 24: instantaneous transaction verification / real-time recording

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Vị trí: Section B, “Blockchain technology facilitates instantaneous transaction verification”

Câu 25: 40% improvement

• Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
• Vị trí: Section B, “institutions using blockchain-enhanced monitoring systems have achieved a 40% improvement in detecting suspicious activities”

Câu 26: B và D

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice (chọn 2 đáp án)
• Giải thích:
  • B đúng vì Section F nói “Scalability remains a concern, as many blockchain systems struggle to process the enormous transaction volumes”
  • D đúng vì Section F đề cập “Privacy regulations… create tensions with blockchain’s immutable nature”

Các giải pháp ứng dụng blockchain trong ngăn chặn tội phạm tài chính và rửa tiền quốc tế

Passage 3 – Giải Thích

Câu 27: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Vị trí: Đoạn 2, “The concentration of power and information in centralized databases presents attractive targets for cybercriminals”
• Giải thích: Bài rõ ràng chỉ ra việc tập trung quyền lực và thông tin vào các cơ sở dữ liệu trung tâm tạo ra điểm yếu.

Câu 28: C

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Vị trí: Đoạn 3, “The security of blockchain systems derives not from the trustworthiness of institutions but from the mathematical certainty of cryptographic algorithms and the distributed nature of verification”
• Giải thích: An ninh blockchain đến từ tính chắc chắn toán học và xác minh phân tán.

Câu 29: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Vị trí: Đoạn 4, “This creates what legal scholars have termed ‘computational certainty’ – evidence whose integrity can be mathematically verified”
• Giải thích: Computational certainty là bằng chứng có tính toàn vẹn được xác minh bằng toán học.

Câu 30: C

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Vị trí: Đoạn 5, “The 2021 recovery of $2.3 million in Bitcoin… showcased how blockchain transparency enabled FBI investigators to trace the cryptocurrency”
• Giải thích: Vụ Colonial Pipeline chứng minh giao dịch cryptocurrency có thể được truy vết.

Câu 31: B

• Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
• Vị trí: Đoạn 7, “This represents a shift from detective controls (identifying violations after they occur) to preventive controls (making violations technically impossible or automatically detectable)”
• Giải thích: RegTech chuyển từ kiểm soát phát hiện sang kiểm soát ngăn chặn.

Câu 32: C (threat intelligence)

• Vị trí: Đoạn 6, “Blockchain-based systems enable the creation of shared threat intelligence platforms”

Câu 33: A (network effects)

• Vị trí: Đoạn 6, “These collaborative networks exhibit powerful network effects – their efficacy in detecting financial crime increases exponentially”

Câu 34: D (collective intelligence capability)

• Vị trí: Đoạn 6, “member institutions have achieved a collective intelligence capability”

Câu 35: G (coopetition)

• Vị trí: Đoạn 6, “This paradigm of ‘coopetition’ – cooperation on security matters while maintaining competition on services”

Câu 36: F (aggregated data)

• Vị trí: Đoạn 6, “Machine learning algorithms trained on aggregated data from multiple institutions”

Câu 37: NO

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Vị trí: Đoạn 8, “The immutability of smart contracts means that regulatory rules, once encoded, are difficult to modify”
• Giải thích: Bài nói smart contracts KHÓ thay đổi, không tự động điều chỉnh như câu hỏi nói.

Câu 38: NO

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Vị trí: Đoạn 9, “blockchain can verify that data has not been altered after entry, but cannot verify the truthfulness of data at the point of entry”
• Giải thích: Blockchain KHÔNG THỂ xác minh tính chính xác của dữ liệu khi nhập lần đầu.

Câu 39: YES

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Vị trí: Đoạn 9, “Furthermore, the transparency that makes blockchain valuable for crime prevention also raises significant privacy concerns”
• Giải thích: Tính minh bạch tạo ra mối lo ngại về quyền riêng tư – đây là một tension (căng thẳng/xung đột).

Câu 40: NOT GIVEN

• Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
• Giải thích: Mặc dù bài đề cập tội phạm sử dụng blockchain (đoạn 9), nhưng không có thông tin nói điều này sẽ khiến blockchain “ineffective” cho việc ngăn chặn tội phạm trong tương lai.

---

Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage

Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
revolutionary	adj	/ˌrevəˈluːʃəneri/	mang tính cách mạng	blockchain technology has emerged as a revolutionary tool	revolutionary tool/technology/approach
distributed ledger	n	/dɪˈstrɪbjuːtɪd ˈledʒər/	sổ cái phân tán	blockchain is a distributed ledger technology	distributed ledger technology/system
decentralized	adj	/diːˈsentrəlaɪzd/	phi tập trung	blockchain creates a decentralized network	decentralized network/system/platform
immutable	adj	/ɪˈmjuːtəbl/	không thể thay đổi	Every transaction recorded is permanent and immutable	immutable record/data/ledger
audit trail	n	/ˈɔːdɪt treɪl/	dấu vết kiểm toán	This creates an audit trail that investigators can follow	clear/complete/comprehensive audit trail
compliance	n	/kəmˈplaɪəns/	sự tuân thủ	enhance their anti-money laundering compliance	regulatory/legal/AML compliance
real-time monitoring	n	/ˈrɪəl taɪm ˈmɒnɪtərɪŋ/	giám sát thời gian thực	enables real-time monitoring of transactions	real-time monitoring/tracking/detection
identity verification	n	/aɪˈdentəti ˌverɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/	xác minh danh tính	Another crucial benefit is identity verification	secure/biometric identity verification
biometric data	n	/ˌbaɪəʊˈmetrɪk ˈdeɪtə/	dữ liệu sinh trắc học	combined with biometric data such as fingerprints	collect/process/store biometric data
cross-border	adj	/krɒs ˈbɔːdər/	xuyên biên giới	The technology also addresses cross-border transactions	cross-border transaction/payment/transfer
smart contract	n	/smɑːt ˈkɒntrækt/	hợp đồng thông minh	Smart contracts represent another innovative application	execute/deploy smart contracts
tamper-proof	adj	/ˈtæmpər pruːf/	chống giả mạo	ability to provide tamper-proof records	tamper-proof record/system/seal

Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
proliferation	n	/prəˌlɪfəˈreɪʃn/	sự gia tăng nhanh	The proliferation of financial crime	proliferation of crime/weapons/technology
multifaceted	adj	/ˌmʌltiˈfæsɪtɪd/	nhiều mặt, đa diện	The technology’s multifaceted applications	multifaceted approach/problem/solution
labor-intensive	adj	/ˈleɪbər ɪnˌtensɪv/	tốn nhiều nhân công	One of the most labor-intensive aspects	labor-intensive process/industry/task
redundancy	n	/rɪˈdʌndənsi/	sự trùng lặp	This redundancy not only increases costs	eliminate/reduce redundancy
stringent	adj	/ˈstrɪndʒənt/	nghiêm ngặt	while maintaining stringent security standards	stringent standard/regulation/requirement
unprecedented	adj	/ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/	chưa từng có	processed millions of KYC checks with unprecedented efficiency	unprecedented efficiency/growth/challenge
anomalous	adj	/əˈnɒmələs/	bất thường	algorithms that identify anomalous patterns	anomalous pattern/behavior/result
structuring	n	/ˈstrʌktʃərɪŋ/	cơ cấu hóa (giao dịch)	such as structuring (breaking large transactions)	financial structuring/transaction structuring
opacity	n	/əʊˈpæsəti/	sự mờ đục, thiếu minh bạch	creates opacity that criminals use	financial opacity/market opacity
obfuscate	v	/ˈɒbfʌskeɪt/	che giấu, làm mờ	makes it difficult for criminals to obfuscate	obfuscate the source/truth/meaning
proactive	adj	/prəʊˈæktɪv/	chủ động, tích cực	This proactive oversight model	proactive approach/measure/strategy
scalability	n	/ˌskeɪləˈbɪləti/	khả năng mở rộng quy mô	Scalability remains a concern	improve/enhance scalability
trajectory	n	/trəˈdʒektəri/	quỹ đạo, xu hướng	the trajectory of blockchain adoption remains firmly upward	upward/positive trajectory

Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary

Từ vựng	Loại từ	Phiên âm	Nghĩa tiếng Việt	Ví dụ từ bài	Collocation
advent	n	/ˈædvent/	sự xuất hiện, sự tới	The advent of blockchain technology	the advent of technology/internet/era
reconceptualization	n	/ˌriːkənˌseptʃuəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/	sự tái khái niệm hóa	fundamental reconceptualization of financial systems	require reconceptualization
paradigmatic shift	n	/ˌpærədɪɡˈmætɪk ʃɪft/	sự chuyển đổi mô hình	constitutes a paradigmatic shift	paradigmatic shift in thinking/approach
epistemological	adj	/ɪˌpɪstɪməˈlɒdʒɪkl/	thuộc nhận thức luận	epistemological foundations of financial security	epistemological foundation/question/concern
hierarchical	adj	/ˌhaɪəˈrɑːkɪkl/	theo thứ bậc	operate on a hierarchical trust model	hierarchical structure/system/organization
arbiter	n	/ˈɑːbɪtər/	người trọng tài	serve as arbiters of transactional legitimacy	serve as arbiter/act as arbiter
adept at	adj phrase	/əˈdept æt/	thành thạo, giỏi về	criminals have become adept at exploiting	adept at handling/managing/exploiting
malfeasance	n	/mælˈfiːzns/	hành vi sai trái	opportunities for internal malfeasance	corporate/official malfeasance
consensus mechanism	n	/kənˈsensəs ˈmekənɪzəm/	cơ chế đồng thuận	Through consensus mechanisms such as proof-of-work	consensus mechanism/algorithm
computationally infeasible	adj phrase	/ˌkɒmpjuˈteɪʃənəli ɪnˈfiːzəbl/	không khả thi về mặt tính toán	make fraudulent alterations computationally infeasible	computationally infeasible/impossible
painstaking	adj	/ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ/	tỉ mỉ, công phu	painstaking reconstruction of transaction histories	painstaking research/work/effort
fragmented	adj	/ˈfræɡmentɪd/	phân mảnh	from fragmented, sometimes contradictory records	fragmented market/data/information
undermine	v	/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/	làm suy yếu	introduce uncertainty that can undermine prosecutions	undermine confidence/authority/efforts
misconception	n	/ˌmɪskənˈsepʃn/	quan niệm sai lầm	fundamentally challenged the misconception	common/popular misconception
network effect	n	/ˈnetwɜːk ɪˌfekt/	hiệu ứng mạng lưới	exhibit powerful network effects	demonstrate/create network effects
asymmetry	n	/eɪˈsɪmətri/	sự bất cân xứng	exploit knowledge asymmetries	information/power asymmetry
coopetition	n	/kəʊˌɒpəˈtɪʃn/	hợp tác cạnh tranh	paradigm of “coopetition”	model/strategy of coopetition
panacea	n	/ˌpænəˈsɪə/	thuốc chữa bách bệnh	blockchain is not a panacea for financial crime	not a panacea for all problems
pseudonymous	adj	/sjuːˈdɒnɪməs/	ẩn danh	the pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrency systems	pseudonymous transaction/user/account

---

Kết Bài

Chủ đề “Impact of blockchain on reducing financial crime” không chỉ phản ánh xu hướng công nghệ hiện đại mà còn là một trong những chủ đề quan trọng thường xuất hiện trong các kỳ thi IELTS Reading. Qua bài thi mẫu hoàn chỉnh này, bạn đã được thực hành với ba passages có độ khó tăng dần, từ mức độ cơ bản đến nâng cao, giúp bạn làm quen với cách thức đề thi IELTS Reading thực tế được cấu trúc.

Ba passages đã cung cấp góc nhìn đa chiều về blockchain: từ những khái niệm cơ bản và ứng dụng thực tế (Passage 1), đến các giải pháp cụ thể trong ngành tài chính (Passage 2), và cuối cùng là phân tích học thuật sâu sắc về tác động của công nghệ này (Passage 3). Với 40 câu hỏi đa dạng bao gồm 7 dạng khác nhau, bạn đã có cơ hội rèn luyện toàn diện các kỹ năng cần thiết cho bài thi.

Phần đáp án chi tiết không chỉ cung cấp đáp án đúng mà còn giải thích rõ ràng tại sao đáp án đó đúng, vị trí thông tin trong bài đọc, và cách paraphrase được sử dụng. Đây là chìa khóa giúp bạn hiểu sâu hơn về logic của đề thi và nâng cao khả năng tự học. Hơn 40 từ vựng quan trọng được phân tích kỹ lưỡng sẽ giúp bạn mở rộng vốn từ học thuật, đặc biệt trong lĩnh vực công nghệ và tài chính.

Hãy sử dụng đề thi này như một công cụ đánh giá thực lực của bản thân. Thực hành trong điều kiện giống thi thật (60 phút, không tra từ điển) sẽ giúp bạn xác định điểm mạnh, điểm yếu và điều chỉnh chiến lược học tập phù hợp. Chúc bạn đạt được band điểm mục tiêu trong kỳ thi IELTS sắp tới!