Chủ đề về tác động kinh tế của đổi mới công nghệ là một trong những chủ đề phổ biến và quan trọng nhất trong IELTS Reading. Với sự phát triển không ngừng của công nghệ trong thế kỷ 21, từ trí tuệ nhân tạo đến blockchain, việc hiểu rõ những ảnh hưởng kinh tế của các đổi mới này không chỉ hữu ích cho kỳ thi mà còn giúp bạn nắm bắt xu hướng toàn cầu. Theo thống kê từ Cambridge Assessment, chủ đề công nghệ và kinh tế xuất hiện trong khoảng 30-35% các đề thi IELTS Reading chính thức.
Bài viết này cung cấp một bộ đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh với 3 passages tăng dần về độ khó, từ mức Easy (Band 5.0-6.5) đến Hard (Band 7.0-9.0). Bạn sẽ được luyện tập với 40 câu hỏi đa dạng theo đúng format thi thật, kèm theo đáp án chi tiết và giải thích cụ thể. Ngoài ra, bộ từ vựng chuyên ngành được tổng hợp từ các passages sẽ giúp bạn nâng cao vốn từ học thuật hiệu quả. Đề thi này phù hợp cho học viên từ band 5.0 trở lên, đặc biệt là những ai muốn chinh phục band điểm 7.0+ trong phần Reading.
Hướng Dẫn Làm Bài IELTS Reading
Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test
IELTS Reading Test bao gồm 3 passages với tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi, thời gian làm bài là 60 phút. Không có thời gian phụ để chuyển đáp án sang answer sheet, vì vậy bạn cần quản lý thời gian hợp lý. Độ khó của các passages tăng dần, với Passage 1 thường là mức độ dễ nhất, Passage 2 ở mức trung bình, và Passage 3 là khó nhất.
Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:
- Passage 1: 15-17 phút (13 câu hỏi)
- Passage 2: 18-20 phút (13 câu hỏi)
- Passage 3: 23-25 phút (14 câu hỏi)
Với chủ đề kinh tế và công nghệ, bạn cần đặc biệt chú ý đến các con số, dữ liệu thống kê, và các thuật ngữ chuyên ngành. Hãy luôn gạch chân keywords trong câu hỏi trước khi tìm kiếm thông tin trong passage.
Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này
Đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:
- Multiple Choice – Câu hỏi trắc nghiệm
- True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin đúng/sai/không có
- Yes/No/Not Given – Xác định quan điểm tác giả
- Matching Headings – Nối tiêu đề với đoạn văn
- Sentence Completion – Hoàn thành câu
- Matching Features – Nối thông tin với đặc điểm
- Short-answer Questions – Câu hỏi trả lời ngắn
IELTS Reading Practice Test
PASSAGE 1 – The Digital Revolution and Economic Growth
Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút
The digital revolution has fundamentally transformed the way businesses operate and economies grow. Over the past three decades, technological innovations such as the internet, mobile computing, and cloud services have created entirely new industries while simultaneously disrupting traditional business models. This transformation has generated significant economic impacts that continue to shape global markets and employment patterns.
In the early 1990s, the commercialization of the internet marked a turning point in economic history. Companies that embraced digital technologies experienced substantial productivity gains, often reducing operational costs by 20-30% within the first few years of implementation. For instance, the introduction of e-commerce platforms enabled businesses to reach customers globally without the need for physical stores in multiple locations. This democratization of market access allowed small and medium-sized enterprises to compete with larger corporations, fostering a more dynamic and competitive marketplace.
The rise of automation technologies has had profound effects on employment patterns. While some traditional jobs have been eliminated, new categories of work have emerged. According to research from the International Labour Organization, approximately 65% of children entering primary school today will eventually work in job types that do not currently exist. This shift requires workers to develop adaptable skill sets and embrace lifelong learning. The concept of a single career path has given way to a more flexible approach where individuals may change professions multiple times throughout their working lives.
Digital platforms have created what economists call the “platform economy” or “gig economy“. Companies like Uber, Airbnb, and TaskRabbit have built business models based on connecting service providers with consumers through technology. This model has generated new income opportunities for millions of people worldwide. However, it has also raised important questions about worker rights, job security, and the adequacy of traditional employment regulations in the digital age. Policymakers struggle to balance the innovation and flexibility these platforms provide with the need to protect workers’ interests.
The financial technology sector, commonly known as fintech, represents another area where technological innovation has produced significant economic impacts. Mobile banking applications, digital payment systems, and cryptocurrency technologies have made financial services more accessible to previously underserved populations. In developing countries, mobile money services have been particularly transformative. For example, in Kenya, the M-Pesa system has enabled millions of people without access to traditional banking to participate in the formal economy, facilitating economic inclusion and reducing poverty rates.
Investment in research and development (R&D) has become increasingly crucial for maintaining competitive advantages in the digital economy. Countries and companies that prioritize innovation spending tend to experience higher rates of economic growth. South Korea, which invests approximately 4.5% of its GDP in R&D—one of the highest rates globally—has successfully transformed from a war-torn nation into one of the world’s most technologically advanced economies. This correlation between innovation investment and economic performance underscores the importance of supporting technological advancement through both public and private funding.
The knowledge economy has emerged as a dominant force in developed nations. Unlike traditional manufacturing-based economies that relied heavily on physical resources, knowledge economies prioritize intellectual capital, innovation, and information services. This shift has led to the growth of technology hubs such as Silicon Valley in the United States, Bangalore in India, and Shenzhen in China. These regions attract talent and investment, creating self-reinforcing cycles of innovation where successful companies spawn new startups, and experienced entrepreneurs mentor the next generation of innovators.
However, the economic benefits of technological innovation have not been distributed equally. The “digital divide” refers to the gap between those who have access to modern information and communication technology and those who do not. This disparity exists both between developed and developing nations and within countries themselves. Rural areas often lack the infrastructure necessary for high-speed internet access, limiting opportunities for residents to participate fully in the digital economy. Addressing this divide requires coordinated efforts from governments, private sector companies, and international organizations to ensure that the benefits of technological progress reach all segments of society.
Questions 1-5: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
-
According to the passage, what was the economic significance of the internet’s commercialization in the 1990s?
A. It eliminated the need for physical stores entirely
B. It reduced operational costs for businesses by up to 30%
C. It created jobs only in the technology sector
D. It primarily benefited large corporations -
What percentage of current primary school children will likely work in jobs that don’t exist yet?
A. 20-30%
B. 45%
C. 65%
D. 85% -
The passage suggests that the gig economy has:
A. Completely replaced traditional employment
B. Created income opportunities but raised concerns about worker protection
C. Been fully regulated by existing employment laws
D. Only benefited large technology companies -
According to the passage, M-Pesa in Kenya has:
A. Replaced all traditional banks
B. Only been successful in urban areas
C. Helped millions participate in the formal economy
D. Focused exclusively on cryptocurrency -
South Korea’s economic transformation is attributed to:
A. Its natural resources
B. Low labor costs
C. High investment in R&D
D. Large population
Questions 6-9: True/False/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?
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
- Cloud computing services were available before the internet became commercialized.
- The platform economy has created entirely new business models based on digital connections.
- All developing countries have adopted mobile banking successfully.
- Technology hubs create cycles where successful companies help generate new startups.
Questions 10-13: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- The __ refers to the gap in access to modern technology between different groups.
- Knowledge economies prioritize __ rather than physical resources.
- Workers in the digital age need to develop __ and embrace continuous learning.
- Technology companies in the platform economy connect __ with consumers.
PASSAGE 2 – Innovation-Driven Productivity and Market Disruption
Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút
The relationship between technological innovation and economic productivity has been a subject of intense scholarly debate and empirical investigation. While the intuitive assumption suggests that technological advancement should invariably lead to enhanced productivity, the reality proves considerably more nuanced and complex. Economic historians have identified distinct patterns in how innovations translate into measurable productivity gains, a phenomenon that has profound implications for understanding contemporary economic dynamics and formulating effective policy responses.
Joseph Schumpeter, the influential Austrian economist, introduced the concept of “creative destruction” in the 1940s, arguing that innovation inherently involves the displacement of existing technologies, business models, and sometimes entire industries. This process, though potentially disruptive in the short term, ultimately drives long-term economic growth by reallocating resources to more productive applications. Schumpeter’s framework remains highly relevant today, as evidenced by the transformation of numerous sectors. The photography industry exemplifies this phenomenon: the advent of digital imaging technology rendered traditional film-based photography obsolete, eliminating thousands of jobs at companies like Kodak while simultaneously creating new opportunities in digital imaging, smartphone manufacturing, and social media platforms centered on photo sharing.
The “productivity paradox,” first articulated by economist Robert Solow in 1987, presents a puzzling observation: despite massive investments in information technology during the 1970s and 1980s, aggregate productivity statistics showed disappointing growth rates. Solow famously remarked, “You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” This paradox has several potential explanations. First, there exists a temporal lag between technological adoption and measurable productivity improvements. Organizations require time to reorganize work processes, train employees, and develop complementary innovations that maximize the benefits of new technologies. This adjustment period can span years or even decades, during which the full economic potential of innovations remains unrealized.
Second, measurement challenges complicate efforts to quantify productivity gains accurately, particularly in service sectors. Traditional productivity metrics were designed for manufacturing environments where outputs could be easily counted and standardized. However, many modern innovations enhance product quality, consumer experience, or convenience in ways that conventional economic indicators fail to capture adequately. Consider how internet search engines have dramatically reduced the time and effort required to access information. While this represents an enormous improvement in productive efficiency at the individual level, it may not register significantly in national productivity accounts because the service is provided free of charge, generating no monetary transaction to record.
The diffusion rate of innovations significantly influences their economic impact. Technologies that achieve rapid and widespread adoption tend to generate more substantial productivity effects than those that remain confined to specific niches or face significant adoption barriers. The mobile phone revolution illustrates this principle remarkably well. In 2000, there were approximately 740 million mobile phone subscriptions worldwide; by 2020, this number had surpassed 8 billion, exceeding the global population. This unprecedented diffusion rate enabled mobile technology to transform economic activities across diverse sectors, from banking and agriculture to healthcare and education, particularly in developing economies where mobile devices leapfrogged traditional infrastructure limitations.
Network effects amplify the economic value of certain innovations. A technology becomes more valuable as more people use it, creating positive feedback loops that accelerate adoption and enhance productivity. Social media platforms, communication applications, and payment systems all exhibit strong network effects. These dynamics can lead to “winner-take-all” market outcomes where a single platform achieves dominance, raising important questions about market concentration, competitive dynamics, and the potential need for regulatory intervention to ensure fair competition and protect consumer interests.
The concept of “general-purpose technologies” (GPTs) helps explain why some innovations have transformative economy-wide impacts while others remain relatively contained. GPTs, such as electricity, the internal combustion engine, and more recently, artificial intelligence, share several characteristics: they have broad applicability across many sectors, they improve over time through incremental innovations, and they enable complementary innovations that multiply their economic effects. The electrification of factories in the early 20th century did not merely replace steam power; it enabled entirely new factory layouts, production processes, and ultimately contributed to the development of mass production techniques that revolutionized manufacturing productivity.
Contemporary debates about artificial intelligence and machine learning echo many of these historical patterns. Enthusiasts predict that AI will drive unprecedented productivity gains, automate routine tasks, and enable breakthroughs in fields ranging from drug discovery to climate modeling. Skeptics point to the productivity paradox and question whether AI investments will deliver commensurate economic returns. The resolution likely depends on factors including the pace of AI capability improvements, the rate at which organizations successfully integrate AI into their operations, the development of complementary business processes and skills, and the evolution of regulatory frameworks that balance innovation promotion with risk management.
Market disruption resulting from technological innovation presents both opportunities and challenges for established firms. Incumbent companies often face the “innovator’s dilemma,” a term coined by Clayton Christensen to describe situations where successful companies fail because they focus on improving existing products for current customers rather than pursuing potentially disruptive innovations that initially serve niche markets or appear inferior by conventional performance metrics. The transition from mainframe computers to personal computers, and subsequently to mobile computing, illustrates how disruptive technologies can undermine established market leaders despite their significant resources and technical capabilities.
Questions 14-17: Yes/No/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage?
Write:
- YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
- NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
- NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
- The relationship between technological innovation and productivity is straightforward and always positive.
- Schumpeter’s concept of creative destruction remains applicable to modern economic transformations.
- The productivity paradox has been completely resolved by modern economists.
- Network effects always lead to beneficial outcomes for consumers.
Questions 18-22: Matching Headings
The passage has nine paragraphs (A-I). Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-F from the list of headings below.
List of Headings:
i. The role of network dynamics in technology adoption
ii. Historical examples of creative destruction
iii. Measurement difficulties in assessing technological benefits
iv. The characteristics of transformative technologies
v. Speed of adoption and economic consequences
vi. The challenges facing established companies
vii. Predicting future productivity from AI
viii. Time delays in realizing productivity improvements
- Paragraph B ____
- Paragraph C ____
- Paragraph D ____
- Paragraph E ____
- Paragraph F ____
Questions 23-26: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
The productivity paradox observed by Robert Solow showed that despite large investments in IT, (23) __ remained disappointing. One explanation is the existence of a (24) __ between when technology is adopted and when productivity improves. Another issue involves (25) __ that make it difficult to quantify improvements, especially in service industries. Technologies like mobile phones that achieve rapid (26) __ tend to have greater economic impact than those with limited adoption.
PASSAGE 3 – The Macroeconomic Implications of Technological Disruption in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)
Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by the convergence of digital, biological, and physical technologies, represents a fundamental departure from previous technological epochs in terms of its velocity, scope, and systemic impact on economic structures. Unlike earlier industrial revolutions that unfolded over centuries or decades, contemporary technological disruption manifests with unprecedented rapidity, compressing the time available for economic agents—including firms, workers, and policymakers—to adapt to transformative changes. This temporal compression introduces novel challenges for macroeconomic management, labor market institutions, and the distributional mechanisms that determine how the economic gains from innovation are allocated across society.
Secular stagnation, a hypothesis revitalized by economist Lawrence Summers, posits that advanced economies face persistent aggregate demand deficiencies resulting from structural factors including demographic shifts, increased income inequality, and the nature of modern technological innovation. The paradox inherent in this hypothesis is that even as revolutionary technologies emerge with ostensibly transformative potential, they may fail to generate sufficient demand to maintain full employment and robust growth. This phenomenon can be partially attributed to the capital-light nature of many digital businesses: unlike the industrial factories and infrastructure projects of previous eras that required massive capital investments and employed thousands of workers, today’s most valuable companies often generate enormous revenues with relatively minimal physical capital and workforce requirements. Instagram, for instance, employed merely 13 people when Facebook acquired it for $1 billion in 2012, exemplifying how digital scalability enables value creation that is decoupled from traditional employment generation.
The skill-biased technological change (SBTC) hypothesis provides a theoretical framework for understanding how innovations affect wage structures and employment patterns. SBTC theory suggests that technological advancement disproportionately increases demand for highly skilled workers while reducing demand for those performing routine cognitive and manual tasks that are amenable to automation. Empirical evidence from advanced economies over the past four decades broadly supports this hypothesis, with wage polarization emerging as a prominent feature: high-skilled workers experience wage gains, middle-skilled workers engaged in routine tasks face wage stagnation or displacement, and low-skilled workers in non-routine service occupations see modest wage increases due to their tasks being difficult to automate. This hollowing out of the middle class carries profound implications for social cohesion, political stability, and aggregate demand dynamics, as middle-class consumption has historically been a critical engine of economic growth in developed economies.
However, recent research complicates the SBTC narrative by highlighting the importance of task-based analysis over occupation-based analysis. Economists David Autor, David Dorn, and others have demonstrated that the impact of automation varies not just across occupations but across specific tasks within occupations. This task-level granularity reveals that even occupations traditionally considered highly skilled contain routine elements vulnerable to automation, while ostensibly low-skilled occupations may involve complex, non-routine tasks—such as the dexterity, adaptability, and social intelligence required in caregiving professions—that remain difficult for machines to replicate. This perspective suggests that the future labor market may be characterized less by a simple skilled-unskilled divide and more by a complex mosaic of complementarity and substitution relationships between human workers and intelligent machines operating across various task domains.
The intangible capital intensity of modern innovation presents both opportunities and challenges for economic measurement and policymaking. Traditional accounting frameworks and national income statistics were developed for an economy dominated by tangible assets—factories, machinery, and physical infrastructure. Contemporary value creation increasingly derives from intangible assets including software, data, brand equity, organizational capital, and intellectual property. These intangibles exhibit distinctive economic properties: they are often non-rivalrous (capable of simultaneous use by multiple parties), subject to high initial costs but negligible marginal costs of reproduction, and characterized by significant spillover effects that complicate private appropriation of returns. The inadequacy of existing measurement frameworks to capture intangible investment and its economic contributions potentially leads to systematic underestimation of both investment levels and productivity growth, thereby distorting policy diagnoses and prescriptions.
Monetary policy transmission mechanisms may be altered by technological innovation in ways that complicate central bank efforts to manage business cycles and maintain price stability. The platform economy and increased price transparency facilitated by digital technologies have potentially enhanced price flexibility, which could amplify or dampen the effectiveness of interest rate adjustments depending on specific market dynamics. Simultaneously, cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance (DeFi) systems present nascent challenges to monetary sovereignty and the monopoly of central banks over money creation. While current cryptocurrency adoption remains relatively limited in terms of macroeconomic significance, the underlying blockchain technology and the proliferation of private digital currencies may necessitate fundamental reconceptualizations of monetary frameworks, particularly if they achieve wider adoption or if central banks themselves issue central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as policy responses.
The geopolitical dimension of technological innovation has acquired heightened salience as nations recognize that leadership in critical technologies confers not merely economic advantages but strategic autonomy and international influence. The intensifying technological competition between the United States and China exemplifies this dynamic, with both nations implementing industrial policies designed to secure technological primacy in domains such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductor manufacturing, and biotechnology. This competition manifests in export controls, investment restrictions, supply chain reconfiguration, and substantial public investments in research and development. From a global economic perspective, this techno-nationalist fragmentation risks undermining the international division of labor and knowledge spillovers that have historically accelerated innovation diffusion and productivity growth, potentially reducing global welfare even as individual nations pursue what they perceive as strategic imperatives.
The environmental implications of technological innovation introduce an additional layer of complexity to economic impact assessment. Digital technologies offer potential pathways to decarbonization through enhanced energy efficiency, optimization of resource utilization, and enabling of renewable energy systems. Smart grids, precision agriculture, and AI-optimized logistics represent applications where innovation directly contributes to sustainability objectives. Conversely, the proliferation of data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, and the manufacturing of ever-shorter-lived electronic devices impose substantial environmental externalities through energy consumption and electronic waste. The net environmental impact thus depends critically on the specific trajectories of technological development, regulatory frameworks governing environmental standards, and the extent to which innovation efforts are deliberately oriented toward sustainability outcomes rather than profit maximization alone.
Inclusive growth has emerged as a central concern in discussions of innovation policy, reflecting recognition that the distribution of economic gains from technological progress is neither automatic nor necessarily equitable. Historical episodes of major technological transformation have been associated with periods of rising inequality and social tension before institutional adaptations—including labor regulations, educational reforms, and redistributive taxation—eventually produced more broadly shared prosperity. The challenge for contemporary policymakers involves proactively designing institutional frameworks that facilitate adaptation and distribute gains more equitably, rather than waiting for social tensions to reach crisis levels before implementing reforms. Potential policy instruments include educational investments targeting STEM capabilities and lifelong reskilling, strengthened social insurance systems adapted to non-traditional employment relationships, taxation frameworks that capture returns to intangible capital and digital transactions, and competition policies that prevent excessive market concentration while preserving innovation incentives.
The long-run economic impacts of current technological innovations remain fundamentally uncertain, with reputable economists advancing sharply divergent projections. Optimists point to the potentially transformative capabilities of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, arguing that these technologies will drive a new era of rapid productivity growth, address pressing global challenges including disease and climate change, and ultimately enhance human welfare dramatically. Pessimists highlight the labor displacement risks, potential for exacerbated inequality, environmental consequences, and possibility that the productivity gains from digital technologies have already been largely realized, leaving fewer transformative innovations on the horizon. This fundamental uncertainty underscores the importance of adaptive policy frameworks capable of responding to evolving technological and economic realities rather than fixed strategies based on specific technological forecasts that may prove incorrect.
Questions 27-31: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
-
According to the passage, what distinguishes the Fourth Industrial Revolution from previous technological epochs?
A. It only affects the digital sector
B. It unfolds with unprecedented speed
C. It has limited economic impact
D. It primarily benefits developing nations -
The example of Instagram’s acquisition demonstrates:
A. The failure of social media companies
B. The importance of large workforces
C. How digital companies can create value with minimal employees
D. The declining importance of technology -
Skill-biased technological change theory suggests that:
A. All workers benefit equally from technological advancement
B. Technology increases demand for high-skilled workers while reducing demand for routine task workers
C. Low-skilled workers are most affected by automation
D. Technology has no impact on wage structures -
The passage indicates that task-based analysis reveals:
A. Only high-skilled occupations contain automatable tasks
B. All low-skilled jobs will be automated soon
C. Automation impacts vary across specific tasks within occupations
D. Occupation-based analysis is more accurate -
According to the passage, intangible assets differ from tangible assets because they:
A. Have higher marginal costs of reproduction
B. Are rivalrous in nature
C. Can be used simultaneously by multiple parties
D. Are easier to measure economically
Questions 32-36: Matching Features
Match each concept (Questions 32-36) with the correct description (A-H).
Concepts:
32. Secular stagnation
33. Cryptocurrency
34. Techno-nationalist fragmentation
35. Environmental externalities
36. Inclusive growth
Descriptions:
A. Challenges monetary sovereignty and central bank control
B. Focuses on equitable distribution of innovation gains
C. Persistent demand deficiencies despite technological advancement
D. Competition that enhances international cooperation
E. Negative environmental impacts from digital technologies
F. Automatic market mechanisms for wealth distribution
G. Reduction in global knowledge spillovers due to technological competition
H. Technologies that increase employment universally
Questions 37-40: Short-answer Questions
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
- How many employees did Instagram have when Facebook acquired it?
- What type of policy frameworks does the passage suggest are needed to respond to uncertain technological outcomes?
- What three types of technologies are converging in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?
- What does CBDC stand for according to the passage?
Answer Keys – Đáp Án
PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13
- B
- C
- B
- C
- C
- NOT GIVEN
- TRUE
- NOT GIVEN
- TRUE
- digital divide
- intellectual capital
- adaptable skill sets
- service providers
PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26
- NO
- YES
- NOT GIVEN
- NOT GIVEN
- ii
- viii
- iii
- v
- i
- productivity growth / growth rates
- temporal lag
- measurement challenges
- diffusion rate
PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40
- B
- C
- B
- C
- C
- C
- A
- G
- E
- B
- 13 people / 13
- adaptive policy frameworks
- digital, biological, physical
- central bank digital currencies
Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết
Passage 1 – Giải Thích
Câu 1: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: commercialization, internet, 1990s, economic significance
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 2-4
- Giải thích: Passage nói rõ “Companies that embraced digital technologies experienced substantial productivity gains, often reducing operational costs by 20-30%”. Đây là paraphrase của đáp án B. Đáp án A sai vì passage chỉ nói “without the need for physical stores in multiple locations” chứ không loại bỏ hoàn toàn. Đáp án D sai vì passage nhấn mạnh SMEs cũng được hưởng lợi.
Câu 2: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: percentage, primary school children, jobs
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, dòng 3-4
- Giải thích: Passage trích dẫn rõ ràng “approximately 65% of children entering primary school today will eventually work in job types that do not currently exist.”
Câu 3: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: gig economy
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 3-6
- Giải thích: Passage nói “This model has generated new income opportunities” nhưng cũng “raised important questions about worker rights, job security”. Đây chính là đáp án B – tạo cơ hội nhưng gây lo ngại về bảo vệ người lao động.
Câu 6: NOT GIVEN
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: cloud computing, internet commercialized
- Giải thích: Passage đề cập cả cloud services và commercialization của internet nhưng không so sánh thứ tự thời gian xuất hiện của chúng.
Câu 7: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: platform economy, business models, digital connections
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Passage nói “Companies like Uber, Airbnb… have built business models based on connecting service providers with consumers through technology” – hoàn toàn khớp với statement.
Câu 10: digital divide
- Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
- Từ khóa: gap, access, modern technology
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8, dòng 2
- Giải thích: Passage định nghĩa rõ “The ‘digital divide’ refers to the gap between those who have access to modern information and communication technology”.
Đề thi IELTS Reading về tác động kinh tế của công nghệ với 3 passages đầy đủ và 40 câu hỏi đa dạng
Passage 2 – Giải Thích
Câu 14: NO
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: relationship, innovation, productivity, straightforward, positive
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn A, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Passage nói rõ “the reality proves considerably more nuanced and complex” – mâu thuẫn trực tiếp với “straightforward”. Writer không đồng ý với statement.
Câu 15: YES
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Schumpeter, creative destruction, modern transformations
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn B, dòng 4-5
- Giải thích: Passage khẳng định “Schumpeter’s framework remains highly relevant today” và cung cấp ví dụ về photography industry để minh họa.
Câu 18: ii (Historical examples of creative destruction)
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Headings
- Vị trí: Paragraph B
- Giải thích: Đoạn này giới thiệu concept “creative destruction” của Schumpeter và đưa ra ví dụ cụ thể về ngành photography với Kodak – đây là historical example điển hình.
Câu 19: viii (Time delays in realizing productivity improvements)
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Headings
- Vị trí: Paragraph C
- Giải thích: Đoạn này thảo luận về “productivity paradox” và giải thích về “temporal lag between technological adoption and measurable productivity improvements” – chính là time delays.
Câu 23: productivity growth / growth rates
- Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
- Từ khóa: Solow, investments in IT, disappointing
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn C, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Passage nói “aggregate productivity statistics showed disappointing growth rates” – cần điền “growth rates” hoặc “productivity growth”.
Câu 24: temporal lag
- Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
- Từ khóa: between, technology adopted, productivity improves
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn C, dòng 5-6
- Giải thích: Passage dùng chính xác cụm từ “temporal lag between technological adoption and measurable productivity improvements”.
Passage 3 – Giải Thích
Câu 27: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Fourth Industrial Revolution, distinguishes, previous epochs
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn A, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Passage nhấn mạnh “contemporary technological disruption manifests with unprecedented rapidity” – unfolds with unprecedented speed là paraphrase chính xác.
Câu 28: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: Instagram, acquisition, demonstrates
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn B, dòng 7-9
- Giải thích: Ví dụ Instagram được dùng để minh họa “digital scalability enables value creation that is decoupled from traditional employment generation” – công ty tạo giá trị lớn với số nhân viên tối thiểu.
Câu 29: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: skill-biased technological change, suggests
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn C, dòng 2-4
- Giải thích: Passage định nghĩa SBTC: “disproportionately increases demand for highly skilled workers while reducing demand for those performing routine cognitive and manual tasks”.
Câu 31: C
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: intangible assets, differ, tangible assets
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn E, dòng 5-6
- Giải thích: Passage nói rõ intangibles “are often non-rivalrous (capable of simultaneous use by multiple parties)” – đây chính là đặc điểm phân biệt với tangible assets.
Câu 32: C (Secular stagnation – Persistent demand deficiencies)
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Features
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn B, dòng 1-2
- Giải thích: Passage định nghĩa secular stagnation là “persistent aggregate demand deficiencies resulting from structural factors”.
Câu 37: 13 people / 13
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions
- Từ khóa: employees, Instagram, Facebook acquired
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn B, dòng 8
- Giải thích: Passage nói rõ ràng “Instagram employed merely 13 people when Facebook acquired it”.
Câu 38: adaptive policy frameworks
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions
- Từ khóa: policy frameworks, uncertain technological outcomes
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn J, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Passage kết luận về “the importance of adaptive policy frameworks capable of responding to evolving technological and economic realities”.
Câu 40: central bank digital currencies
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Questions
- Từ khóa: CBDC, stands for
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn F, dòng 6-7
- Giải thích: Passage giải thích trong ngoặc đơn “central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)”.
Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage
Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| digital revolution | n | /ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˌrevəˈluːʃn/ | cách mạng kỹ thuật số | The digital revolution has fundamentally transformed businesses | undergo/experience a digital revolution |
| technological innovation | n | /ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪkl ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn/ | đổi mới công nghệ | Technological innovations have created new industries | drive/foster technological innovation |
| productivity gains | n | /ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvəti ɡeɪnz/ | tăng năng suất | Companies experienced substantial productivity gains | achieve/realize productivity gains |
| democratization | n | /dɪˌmɒkrətaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | dân chủ hóa, phổ cập | The democratization of market access | democratization of access/technology |
| platform economy | n | /ˈplætfɔːm ɪˈkɒnəmi/ | nền kinh tế nền tảng | Digital platforms have created the platform economy | participate in/emerge from platform economy |
| gig economy | n | /ɡɪɡ ɪˈkɒnəmi/ | kinh tế việc làm tự do | The gig economy has generated new income opportunities | work in/part of the gig economy |
| financial inclusion | n | /faɪˈnænʃl ɪnˈkluːʒn/ | hòa nhập tài chính | Mobile money facilitates financial inclusion | promote/achieve financial inclusion |
| competitive advantage | n | /kəmˈpetətɪv ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ | lợi thế cạnh tranh | R&D helps maintain competitive advantages | gain/sustain a competitive advantage |
| knowledge economy | n | /ˈnɒlɪdʒ ɪˈkɒnəmi/ | nền kinh tế tri thức | The knowledge economy prioritizes intellectual capital | transition to/develop a knowledge economy |
| digital divide | n | /ˈdɪdʒɪtl dɪˈvaɪd/ | khoảng cách kỹ thuật số | The digital divide limits opportunities | bridge/narrow the digital divide |
| intellectual capital | n | /ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl ˈkæpɪtl/ | vốn trí tuệ | Knowledge economies prioritize intellectual capital | invest in/leverage intellectual capital |
| self-reinforcing cycle | n | /ˌself riːɪnˈfɔːsɪŋ ˈsaɪkl/ | chu trình tự củng cố | Technology hubs create self-reinforcing cycles | create/generate a self-reinforcing cycle |
Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nuanced | adj | /ˈnjuːɑːnst/ | tinh tế, phức tạp | The reality proves considerably more nuanced | nuanced understanding/approach |
| creative destruction | n | /kriˈeɪtɪv dɪˈstrʌkʃn/ | phá hủy sáng tạo | Schumpeter introduced creative destruction | process of/force of creative destruction |
| productivity paradox | n | /ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvəti ˈpærədɒks/ | nghịch lý năng suất | The productivity paradox puzzles economists | explain/resolve the productivity paradox |
| temporal lag | n | /ˈtempərəl læɡ/ | độ trễ thời gian | There exists a temporal lag in benefits | experience/account for temporal lag |
| complementary innovations | n | /ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri ˌɪnəˈveɪʃnz/ | đổi mới bổ sung | Organizations develop complementary innovations | require/enable complementary innovations |
| measurement challenges | n | /ˈmeʒəmənt ˈtʃælɪndʒɪz/ | thách thức đo lường | Measurement challenges complicate quantification | face/overcome measurement challenges |
| diffusion rate | n | /dɪˈfjuːʒn reɪt/ | tốc độ phổ biến | The diffusion rate influences economic impact | accelerate/measure diffusion rate |
| network effects | n | /ˈnetwɜːk ɪˈfekts/ | hiệu ứng mạng lưới | Network effects amplify economic value | exhibit/benefit from network effects |
| positive feedback loops | n | /ˈpɒzətɪv ˈfiːdbæk luːps/ | vòng phản hồi tích cực | Network effects create positive feedback loops | generate/establish positive feedback loops |
| general-purpose technologies | n | /ˈdʒenrəl ˈpɜːpəs tekˈnɒlədʒiz/ | công nghệ đa mục đích | GPTs have transformative impacts | develop/adopt general-purpose technologies |
| market concentration | n | /ˈmɑːkɪt ˌkɒnsnˈtreɪʃn/ | tập trung thị trường | Winner-take-all raises questions about market concentration | increase/reduce market concentration |
| incumbent companies | n | /ɪnˈkʌmbənt ˈkʌmpəniz/ | công ty hiện hữu | Incumbent companies face the innovator’s dilemma | challenge/disrupt incumbent companies |
| disruptive technologies | n | /dɪsˈrʌptɪv tekˈnɒlədʒiz/ | công nghệ đột phá | Disruptive technologies can undermine market leaders | embrace/resist disruptive technologies |
Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| convergence | n | /kənˈvɜːdʒəns/ | sự hội tụ | The convergence of digital, biological, physical technologies | technological/digital convergence |
| temporal compression | n | /ˈtempərəl kəmˈpreʃn/ | nén thời gian | Temporal compression introduces novel challenges | experience/result in temporal compression |
| secular stagnation | n | /ˈsekjələ stæɡˈneɪʃn/ | trì trệ trường kỳ | Secular stagnation posits demand deficiencies | theory of/face secular stagnation |
| aggregate demand | n | /ˈæɡrɪɡət dɪˈmɑːnd/ | tổng cầu | Persistent aggregate demand deficiencies | stimulate/boost aggregate demand |
| capital-light | adj | /ˈkæpɪtl laɪt/ | ít vốn | The capital-light nature of digital businesses | capital-light business model/operation |
| skill-biased technological change | n | /skɪl baɪəst ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪkl tʃeɪndʒ/ | thay đổi công nghệ thiên về kỹ năng | SBTC increases demand for skilled workers | theory of/driven by SBTC |
| wage polarization | n | /weɪdʒ ˌpəʊləraɪˈzeɪʃn/ | phân cực tiền lương | Wage polarization emerges as a prominent feature | lead to/experience wage polarization |
| task-based analysis | n | /tɑːsk beɪst əˈnæləsɪs/ | phân tích theo nhiệm vụ | Task-based analysis reveals complexity | conduct/employ task-based analysis |
| intangible capital | n | /ɪnˈtændʒəbl ˈkæpɪtl/ | vốn vô hình | The intangible capital intensity of innovation | invest in/measure intangible capital |
| non-rivalrous | adj | /nɒn ˈraɪvlrəs/ | không cạnh tranh | Intangibles are non-rivalrous in nature | non-rivalrous goods/assets |
| spillover effects | n | /ˈspɪləʊvə ɪˈfekts/ | hiệu ứng lan toa | Characterized by significant spillover effects | generate/capture spillover effects |
| cryptocurrency | n | /ˈkrɪptəʊˌkʌrənsi/ | tiền mã hóa | Cryptocurrencies present challenges to monetary sovereignty | adopt/regulate cryptocurrency |
| decentralized finance | n | /diːˈsentrəlaɪzd ˈfaɪnæns/ | tài chính phi tập trung | DeFi systems challenge central banks | develop/participate in decentralized finance |
| blockchain technology | n | /ˈblɒktʃeɪn tekˈnɒlədʒi/ | công nghệ chuỗi khối | The underlying blockchain technology | implement/leverage blockchain technology |
| techno-nationalist | adj | /ˌteknəʊ ˈnæʃnəlɪst/ | chủ nghĩa dân tộc công nghệ | Techno-nationalist fragmentation risks | techno-nationalist policies/competition |
| technological primacy | n | /ˌteknəˈlɒdʒɪkl ˈpraɪməsi/ | ưu thế công nghệ | Nations pursue technological primacy | achieve/secure technological primacy |
| environmental externalities | n | /ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmentl ˌekstɜːˈnælətiz/ | tác động môi trường bên ngoài | Digital devices impose environmental externalities | address/mitigate environmental externalities |
| inclusive growth | n | /ɪnˈkluːsɪv ɡrəʊθ/ | tăng trưởng bao trùm | Inclusive growth has emerged as central concern | promote/achieve inclusive growth |
Bảng từ vựng IELTS chuyên ngành kinh tế và công nghệ với phiên âm và ví dụ sử dụng
Kết Luận
Chủ đề về tác động kinh tế của đổi mới công nghệ là một trong những chủ đề then chốt trong IELTS Reading, phản ánh các xu hướng toàn cầu hiện nay. Qua bộ đề thi mẫu này, bạn đã được luyện tập với 3 passages có độ khó tăng dần, từ mức Easy với Passage 1 về cách mạng kỹ thuật số cơ bản, đến Medium với Passage 2 thảo luận về năng suất và gián đoạn thị trường, và cuối cùng là Hard với Passage 3 phân tích sâu về ý nghĩa vĩ mô của Cách mạng Công nghiệp 4.0.
Bộ 40 câu hỏi đa dạng trong đề thi này đã bao phủ tất cả các dạng câu hỏi phổ biến: Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given, Matching Headings, Sentence Completion, Matching Features và Short-answer Questions. Điều này giúp bạn làm quen với mọi định dạng có thể xuất hiện trong kỳ thi thực tế. Đáp án chi tiết kèm giải thích cụ thể về vị trí thông tin, paraphrase và chiến lược làm bài sẽ giúp bạn tự đánh giá và cải thiện kỹ năng một cách có hệ thống.
Bộ từ vựng được tổng hợp từ cả 3 passages bao gồm hơn 35 từ/cụm từ quan trọng với đầy đủ phiên âm, nghĩa tiếng Việt, ví dụ sử dụng và collocations phổ biến. Đây là nguồn tài liệu quý giá để bạn xây dựng vốn từ vựng học thuật, đặc biệt trong lĩnh vực kinh tế và công nghệ – hai chủ đề xuất hiện thường xuyên trong IELTS. Các chủ đề liên quan như The role of artificial intelligence in healthcare cũng cho thấy sự liên kết giữa công nghệ và nhiều lĩnh vực khác, giúp bạn có cái nhìn toàn diện hơn.
Hãy nhớ rằng thành công trong IELTS Reading không chỉ đến từ việc làm nhiều bài tập mà còn từ việc phân tích kỹ lưỡng các passages, hiểu cách thông tin được paraphrase, và rèn luyện kỹ năng skimming và scanning hiệu quả. Nếu bạn quan tâm đến các chủ đề tương tự về công nghệ và tác động xã hội, bạn có thể khám phá thêm về Social impacts of aging populations để thấy được cách các yếu tố kinh tế và xã hội tương tác với nhau. Tương tự, việc tìm hiểu về The rise of green energy technologies sẽ giúp bạn hiểu rõ hơn về mối liên hệ giữa đổi mới công nghệ và phát triển bền vững.
Đặc biệt, việc hiểu về công nghệ trong các lĩnh vực cụ thể như The rise of energy-efficient data centers sẽ cung cấp cho bạn kiến thức background hữu ích khi đối mặt với các passages về công nghệ trong thi thực tế. Các xu hướng xã hội như The role of school assemblies in promoting diversity cũng cho thấy cách công nghệ ảnh hưởng đến giáo dục và phát triển xã hội trong thời đại số.
Chúc bạn ôn tập hiệu quả và đạt band điểm cao trong kỳ thi IELTS sắp tới! Hãy thực hành đều đặn với các đề thi mẫu chất lượng và không ngừng cải thiện kỹ năng đọc hiểu của mình.
