Read the 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 17 to...

Read the 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 17 to 26.

        The alarming surge in human trafficking from Vietnam to Cambodia has emerged as one of Southeast Asia's most pressing humanitarian crises, with thousands of victims ensnared in sophisticated criminal networks operating cyber-scam compounds. [I] These operations, disguised as legitimate employment opportunities promising lucrative salaries in customer service or technology sectors, systematically exploit economic vulnerabilities prevalent throughout Vietnam's rural provinces. Victims, predominantly young adults seeking upward mobility, discover upon arrival that they've been sold into forced labor, compelled to execute online fraud schemes targeting international victims while enduring brutal conditions and severe physical punishment for resistance or underperformance.

        [II] The trafficking pipeline operates with disturbing efficiency through coordinated recruitment networks spanning Vietnam's poorest regions. Agents offering overseas employment circulate through villages, presenting fabricated contracts guaranteeing monthly salaries exceeding $1,000—figures representing transformative income for families subsisting on agricultural wages. Sophisticated deception extends beyond initial recruitment; victims receive detailed orientation materials, fraudulent company documentation, and testimonials from supposed employees. Only upon crossing borders, frequently through irregular channels avoiding official checkpoints, do victims comprehend the authentic nature of their situation when passports are confiscated and escape becomes impossible.

        The scam compounds themselves, concentrated near Cambodia's borders with Thailand and Vietnam, function as modern slavery operations concealed behind legitimate business facades. [III] Victims endure eighteen-hour workdays executing romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and investment schemes targeting predominantly Western victims through meticulously crafted online personas. Failure to meet daily quotas—often requiring extraction of thousands of dollars from marks—results in physical beatings, food deprivation, electric shock torture, and threats against families remaining in Vietnam. Survivors' testimonies document horrifying conditions including sexual assault, forced drug consumption to maintain productivity, and witnessed murders of those attempting escape or becoming commercially unviable through injury or psychological breakdown.

        Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities face extraordinary challenges combating these transnational criminal enterprises. [IV] Despite bilateral cooperation agreements and increased border surveillance, traffickers continuously adapt methodologies, exploiting corruption within law enforcement agencies and capitalizing on jurisdictional complexities inherent in cross-border crimes. Diplomatic tensions periodically surface when rescue operations encounter resistance from Cambodian officials allegedly complicit with trafficking networks or protective of foreign investment relationships with companies operating these compounds. International organizations estimate that tens of thousands remain trapped, with rescue efforts recovering merely a fraction while trafficking continues unabated, sustained by poverty's endless supply of vulnerable recruits and cyber-scam industries' exponentially growing profitability.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Question 17. Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

"Yet the scale of exploitation within these facilities surpasses typical forced labor conditions."

        A. [III]                        B. [II]                                C. [IV]                                D. [I]

Question 18. The word "ensnared" in paragraph 1 mostly means ____________.

        A. deliberately trapped                                B. accidentally discovered

        C. voluntarily recruited                                D. legally employed

Question 19. The phrase "these operations" in paragraph 1 refers to ____________.

        A. humanitarian crises                                B. cyber-scam compounds

        C. employment opportunities                                D. criminal networks

Question 20. According to paragraph 1, what initial deception do trafficking networks employ to recruit victims?

A. They present opportunities as well-compensated legitimate employment in service or tech industries.

B. They target exclusively urban professionals seeking international career advancement opportunities.

C. They explicitly inform candidates about challenging working conditions in customer service roles.

D. They advertise positions requiring advanced technological expertise and professional qualifications.

Question 21. Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 2?

A. Trafficking recruiters exploit economic desperation through systematic deception involving fabricated employment contracts and fraudulent documentation.

B. Recruitment agents provide authentic orientation materials and company documentation ensuring transparency throughout the hiring process.

C. Vietnamese villages experience regular visits from overseas employment agencies offering legitimate positions with competitive monthly compensation packages.

D. Border crossing procedures require official documentation and checkpoint verification preventing irregular migration and trafficking attempts.

Question 22. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A. Victims become aware of the real circumstances of their employment after arriving overseas and discovering that they are not permitted to leave freely.

B. Victims usually realize the reality of their exploitation only after entering another country illegally, when their documents are taken and their freedom is removed.

C. After traveling abroad through unofficial routes, victims finally understand they have been deceived when their passports are seized.

D. It is typically only after crossing borders through unauthorized routes that victims grasp their true predicament, once their passports are taken and escape is effectively prevented.

Question 23. The word "unabated" in paragraph 4 is OPPOSITE in meaning to ____________.

        A. persistent                B. inevitable                        C. diminished                        D. intensified

Question 24. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A. Authorities face difficulties addressing trafficking due to cross-border legal complexities.

B. Many victims are recruited through promises of well-paid jobs abroad.

C. Most victims can freely leave the compounds if they fail to meet work quotas.

D. Victims are often forced to carry out online fraud schemes in scam compounds.

Question 25. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. Trafficking networks struggle to recruit new victims due to increased public awareness and improved economic conditions.

B. The profitability of cyber-scam operations and persistent poverty ensure continued trafficking despite rescue efforts.

C. Cambodian authorities consistently cooperate fully with international rescue operations without bureaucratic obstacles or corruption.

D. Current rescue operations have successfully freed the majority of victims trapped in Cambodian scam compounds.

Question 26. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

A. International organizations effectively combat Southeast Asian human trafficking through bilateral agreements and coordinated law enforcement operations.

B. Economic opportunities in Cambodia attract Vietnamese workers who occasionally encounter challenging employment conditions in customer service industries.

C. Sophisticated trafficking networks exploit Vietnamese economic vulnerability, trapping thousands in Cambodian cyber-scam slavery despite limited rescue efforts.

D. Vietnamese authorities successfully collaborate with Cambodian officials to rescue trafficking victims and prosecute criminal networks operating scam compounds.