Yêu cầu chung
Question 1 - 10.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 1 to 10.
Technology, Deterrence and the Battle Against Waste Crime
Illegal waste dumping is frequently dismissed as a local inconvenience; however, in practice it constitutes a highly organised and financially lucrative form of environmental crime. In England alone, such activity is estimated to cost the economy approximately £1 billion annually, while simultaneously imposing long-term ecological and social damage. Against this backdrop, the government has announced the establishment of a 33-member drone unit intended to enhance the detection and investigation of unlicensed waste sites. Far from being a symbolic gesture, this initiative represents a strategic shift towards a more assertive and technology-driven enforcement model. [I]
The announcement coincided with the conviction of Varun Datta at Birmingham Crown Court. Datta orchestrated the illegal disposal of more than 4,000 tonnes of municipal waste across 16 sites, including protected land and a historic manor property. By falsely declaring that the waste would be transported to a licensed facility near Sheffield, he redirected it to unauthorised locations nationwide. [II] The court ordered him to repay over £1 million, reflecting the financial benefits derived from his activities, in addition to compensation and prosecution costs. [III] Although his custodial sentence was suspended, the substantial financial penalty was intended to undermine the economic incentives that often make waste crime attractive to organised groups.
Central to the revised strategy is the expanded role of the Environment Agency, which now integrates advanced surveillance technologies into its investigative framework. Several drones will be equipped with lidar systems capable of generating highly detailed topographical maps, enabling authorities to identify concealed or rapidly changing dumping sites. Officials argue that such innovation is necessary because organised offenders have become increasingly adept at exploiting regulatory gaps and avoiding conventional inspections. In this sense, technological monitoring is presented not as an optional enhancement but as a proportionate response to evolving criminal methods. [IV]
Nevertheless, questions remain regarding whether surveillance and financial penalties alone can deliver sustained deterrence. Critics contend that suspended prison sentences may dilute the perceived severity of the offence, potentially weakening the overall message of zero tolerance. Moreover, effective enforcement is resource-intensive and depends upon coordination between national regulators, local authorities and private landowners. Without consistent collaboration and long-term funding, even sophisticated technology may struggle to reverse entrenched patterns of illegal disposal.
Ultimately, while drones and harsher penalties are unlikely to eradicate waste crime entirely, they signal an effort to recalibrate the balance of risk and reward that has historically favoured offenders. By combining technological precision with legal accountability, policymakers appear determined to demonstrate that environmental crime will no longer remain a low-risk, high-profit enterprise. (Adapted from https://www.theguardian.com/am)
According to paragraph 1, the establishment of the drone unit is best understood as an attempt to ______.
offset the economic losses caused by environmental offences
increase the number of personnel responsible for environmental compliance
address illegal dumping through a more proactive and technology-oriented enforcement approach
replace conventional inspection methods with fully automated monitoring systems
Giải thích Linear thinking
📌 Dạng Inference chúng ta nên làm cuối cùng, sau khi đã làm các dạng câu hỏi khác nhé DOLBIES, bởi vì lúc này mình đã đọc và hiểu nội dung của bài rồi.
Dùng 😎 Linearthinking để đọc hiểu từng đáp án, sau đó so sánh với thông tin tương ứng có trong bài đọc.
Step 1: Read the question ❓According to paragraph 1, the establishment of the drone unit is best understood as an attempt to ______. → Câu hỏi yêu cầu: tìm mục đích của nỗ lực thành lập đơn vị máy bay không người lái.
Step 2: Compare the options
A. V - bù đắp offset NP - tổn thất kinh tế the economic losses Nguyên nhân - bởi vi phạm môi trườngcaused by environmental offences
Khoanh vùng thông tin:
Keyword: "economic losses", "environmental offences" → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 1: “such activity is estimated to cost the economy approximately £1 billion annually” ; “the government has announced the establishment of a 33-member drone unit … to enhance the detection and investigation of unlicensed waste sites”
So sánh:
Bài đọc nêu thiệt hại kinh tế là hậu quả của illegal waste dumping.
Nhưng drone unit được lập ra để enhance detection and investigation → tăng phát hiện và điều tra, không phải để bù đắp tổn thất kinh tế.
offset economic losses ≠ enhance ... detection and investigation → ❌ Sai
B. V - tăng increase NP - số lượng nhân sự the number of personnel Mục đích - chịu trách nhiệm về tuân thủ môi trường responsible for environmental compliance
Khoanh vùng thông tin:
Keyword: "increase", "number of personnel" → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 1: “the government has announced the establishment of a 33-member drone unit …”
So sánh:
Bài có nhắc đến 33-member drone unit, nhưng trọng tâm ngay sau đó là intended to enhance the detection and investigation và đây là “a strategic shift towards a more assertive and technology-driven enforcement model”.
Tức là con số 33-member chỉ là thông tin mô tả, không nói rằng chính phủ muốn tăng nhân sự phụ trách compliance.
33-member unit ≠ increase personnel → ❌ Sai
C. V - xử lý address NP - việc đổ rác trái phép illegal dumpingBằng cách - thi chủ động hơn, định hướng công nghệthrough a more proactive and technology-oriented enforcement approach
Khoanh vùng thông tin:
Keyword: "illegal dumping", "technology-oriented enforcement approach" → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 1: “to enhance the detection and investigation of unlicensed waste sites” → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 1: “this initiative represents a strategic shift towards a more assertive and technology-driven enforcement model”
So sánh:
Bài đọc: tăng cường khả năng phát hiện và điều tra + chuyển đổi chiến lược + mô hình thực thi dựa trên công nghệ
Option C: giải quyết vấn nạn đổ rác thải trái phép thông qua cách tiếp cận thực thi chủ động hơn và hướng đến công nghệ
technology-driven enforcement model = technology-oriented enforcement approach
strategic shift / more assertive = more proactive → ✅ Đúng
D. V - thay thế replace NP - các phương pháp thanh tra truyền thống conventional inspection methods Bằng - hệ thống giám sát hoàn toàn tự động with fully automated monitoring systems
Khoanh vùng thông tin:
Keyword: "replace", "conventional inspection methods", "fully automated" → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 1: “to enhance the detection and investigation of unlicensed waste sites” → Dẫn chứng ở đoạn 3: “technological monitoring is presented not as an optional enhancement but as a proportionate response …”
So sánh:
Bài đọc nói dùng công nghệ để tăng cường việc phát hiện / điều tra.
Không có thông tin nào nói thay thế hoàn toàn cách kiểm tra truyền thống, cũng không nói fully automated.
enhance ≠ replace completely → ❌ Sai