Đề ôn thi Đề thi vào lớp 10 Trường THPT Chuyên KHXH môn Tiếng Anh - Mã đề KHXH-151

Today, video games are a global industry, but it all started with one simple idea. In the late 1960s, a television engineer named Ralph Baer (35) __________ a new form of entertainment. He envisioned a device that could connect to a standard television set to play games. His prototype, famously known as the 'Brown Box,' was the first-ever home video game console. Baer, often called the 'Father of Video Games,' demonstrated a simple game of table tennis on his invention, changing entertainment forever.

The 'Brown Box' was a revolutionary concept. It used simple electronic circuits to create dots of light that players could control on (36) __________ television screen. The system didn't have sound or complex graphics like modern consoles. (37) __________, it was the foundation for everything that followed. Baer's team worked hard to refine the prototype, hoping a company would see its potential and bring it to the public.

In 1971, the electronics company Magnavox saw the promise in Baer's invention and agreed to produce it. The following year, the Magnavox Odyssey was released as the first commercially available home video game console. It came with several simple games, and since it couldn't produce color, it included transparent plastic overlays that players placed on their TV screens to create colorful backgrounds. Users enjoyed (38) __________ these basic but innovative games, although the console's popularity didn't immediately (39) __________.

A few years later, a competitor emerged that truly popularized home gaming: Atari. After seeing a demonstration of the Odyssey's table tennis game, Atari created its own version called Pong. A reporter from a popular magazine was very impressed. He later wrote in his article that the new game (40) __________ a huge hit with teenagers. With its iconic sound effects and addictive gameplay, Pong (41) __________ and became a massive success, both in arcades and as a home console.

Despite being overshadowed by Atari, the Magnavox Odyssey holds a critical place in history. It was the machine that proved home video gaming was possible and created a market where none existed before. If Ralph Baer (42) __________ the 'Brown Box' in his workshop, the multi-billion dollar video game industry we know today might have developed very differently, or perhaps much later. His work laid the essential groundwork for all future consoles.

You send a carefully crafted message to your best friend, asking about their day. A few minutes later, you see it: the 'Đã xem' or 'Seen' notification appears below your text. You wait, but no reply comes. Immediately, your mind starts racing. Are they angry? Did you say something wrong? This feeling, often called 'read receipt anxiety,' is a common experience for teenagers in Vietnam and around the world who use popular messaging apps like Zalo and Messenger. It has changed the way we think about communication.

However, the story behind a seen message is often less dramatic than we imagine. There are many practical reasons for a delayed reply. Your friend might be in class, at a family dinner, or driving. Sometimes, a message requires a thoughtful answer, and the person needs time to compose a proper response instead of sending a quick, careless one. Not every non-reply is a sign of being ignored; sometimes, it's a deliberate choice to ensure the quality of the conversation later on. Understanding these possibilities is the first step to reducing texting stress.

The psychological impact of these digital communication tools can be significant. When we don't get an instant reply, our brains can interpret it as social rejection. This can lead to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and even paranoia, as we invent negative scenarios to explain the silence. They were designed to make communication easier, but features like read receipts can sometimes create more pressure and misunderstanding in modern friendships if we are not careful about how we interpret them.

Fortunately, we can develop healthier digital habits to manage this pressure. One effective strategy is to practice asynchronous communication—the understanding that messages don't need immediate answers. Another is to talk openly with your friends about your texting styles and expectations. For example, you could agree that a 'thumbs up' emoji means 'I saw this and will reply when I can.' On some apps, you can even turn off read receipts entirely to remove the pressure for both the sender and the receiver. A simple text like 'Got it, will reply later!' can also work wonders.

Ultimately, navigating the world of digital messaging is about empathy and clear communication. The 'Seen' notification is just a tool; it has no emotion or intention on its own. By remembering that there's a real person with a real life on the other end of the screen, we can prevent small misunderstandings from becoming big problems. Strong friendships are built on trust and understanding, not on the speed of a text reply.