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1. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. People attend colleges or universities for a lot of different reasons. I believe that the three most common reasons are to prepare for a career, to have new experiences, and to increase their knowledge of themselves and the world around them. Career preparation is becoming more and more important to young people. For many, this is the primary reason to go to college, They know that the job market is competitive. At college, they can learn new skill for careers with a lot of opportunities. This means careers, such as information technology, that are expected to need a large workforce in the coming years. Also, students go to colleges and universities to have new experiences. This often means having the opportunity to meet people different from those in their hometowns. For most students, going to college is the first time they’ve been away from home by themselves. In additions, this is the first time they’ve had to make decisions on their own. Making these decisions increases their knowledge of themselves. Besides looking for self-knowledge, people also attend a university or college to expand their knowledge in subjects they find interesting. For many, this will be their last chance for a long time to learn about something that doesn’t relate to theircareer. I would recommend that people not be so focused on a career. They should go to college to have new experiences and learn about themselves and the world they live in. 2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to have a very good relationship with my parents. They have supported me, given me necessary criticism, and taught me a great deal about how to live my life. Parents can be very important teachers in our lives; however, they are not always the best teachers. Parents may be too close to their children emotionally. Sometimes they can only see their children though the eyes of a protector. For example, they may limit a child's freedom in the name of safety. A teacher might see a trip to a big city as a valuable new experience. However, it might seem too dangerous to a parent. Another problem is that parents may expect their children's interests to be similar to their own. They can't seem to separate from their children in their mind. If they love science, they may try to force their child to love science too. But what if their child's true love is art, or writing, or car repair? Parents are usually eager to pass on their value to their children. But should children always believe what their parents do? Maybe different generations need different ways of thinking. When children are young, they believe that their parents are always rights. But when they get older, they realize there are other views. Sometimes parents, especially older ones, can't keep up with rapid social or technology changes. A student who has friends of all different races and backgrounds at school may find that her parents don't really understand or value the digital revolution. Sometimes kids have to find their own ways to what they believe in. The most important thing to realize is that we all have many teachers in our lives. Our parents teach us, our teachers teach us, and our peers teach us. Books and newspapers and television also teach us. All of them are valuable. 3. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The twentieth century has brought with it many advances. With those advances, human lives have changed dramatically. In some ways life is worse, but mostly it is better. Changes in food preparation methods, for example, have improved our lives greatly. The convenience of preparing food today is amazing. Even stoves have gotten too slow for us. Microwave cooking is much easier. We can press a few buttons and a meal is completely cooked in just a short time. People used to spend hours preparing an oven-cooked meal, and now they can use that time for other, better things. Plus, there are all kinds of portable, prepackaged foods we can buy. Heat them in the office microwave, and lunch at work is quick and easy. Food preparation today allows for more variety. With refrigerators and freezers, we can preserve a lot of different foods in our homes. Since technology makes cooking so much faster, people are willing to make several dishes for even a small meal. Parents are more likely to let children be picky, now that they can easily heat them up some prepackaged macaroni and cheese on the side. Needless to say, adults living in the same house may have very different eating habits as well. If they don’t want to cook a lot of different dishes, it’s common now to eat out at restaurants several times a week. Healthful eating is also easier than ever now. When people cook, they use new fat substitutes and cooking sprays to cut fat and calories. This reduces the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. Additionally, we can buy fruits and vegetable fresh, frozen or canned. They are easy to prepare, so many of us eat more of those nutritious items daily. A hundred years ago, you couldn’t imagine the process of taking some frozen fruit and ice from the freezer, adding some low-fat yogurt from a plastic cup and some juice from a can in the refrigerator, and whipping up a low-fat smoothie in the blender! Our lifestyle is fast, but people still like good food. What new food preparation technology has given us is more choices. Today, we can prepare food that is more convenient, healthier, and of greater variety than ever before in history. 4. It has been said, “Not every thing that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why? “Experience is the best teacher” is an old cliché, but I agree with it. The most important, and sometimes the hardest, lessons we learn in life come from our participation in situations. You can’ learn everything from a book. Of course, learning from books in a formal educational setting is also valuable. It’s in schools that we learn the information we need to function in our society. We learn how to speak and write and understand mathematical equations. This is all information that we need to live in our communities and earn a living. Nevertheless, I think that the most important lessons can’t be taught; they have to be experienced. No one can teach us how to get along with others or how to have self-respect. As we grow from children into teenagers, no one can teach us how to deal with peer pressure. As we leave adolescence behind and enter adult life, no one can teach us how to fall in love and get married. This shouldn’t stop us from looking for guidelines along the way. Teachers and parents are valuable sources of advice when we’re young. As we enter into new stages in our lives, the advice we receive from them is very helpful because they have already bad similar experiences. But experiencing our own triumphs and disasters is really the only way to learn how to deal with life. 5. A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position. New factories often bring many good things to a community, such as jobs and increased prosperity. However, in my opinion, the benefits of having a factory are outweighed by the risks. That is why I oppose the plan to build a factory near my community. I believe that this city would be harmed by a large factory. In particular, a factory would destroy the quality of the air and water in town. Factories bring smog and pollution. In the long run, the environment will be hurt and people’s health will be affected. Having a factory is not worth that rise. Of course, more jobs will be created by the factory. Our population will grow. To accommodate more workers, more homes and stores will be needed. Do we really want this much growth, so fast? If our town is going in growth, I would prefer slow growth with good planning. I don’t want to see rows of cheaply constructed townhouses. Our quality of life must be considered. I believe that this growth will change our city too much. I love my hometown because it is a safe, small town. It is also easy to travel here. If we must expand to hold new citizens, the small-town feel will be gone. I mould miss that greatly. A factory would be helpful in some ways. However, I feel that the dangers are greater than the benefits. I cannot support a plan to build a factory here, and hope that others feel the same way. 6. MA If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer. If I could change one thing about my hometown, I think it would be the fact that there's no sense of community here. People don't feel connected, they don't look out for each other, and they don't get to know their neighbors. People come and go a lot here. They change jobs frequently and move on. This means that they don't put down roots in the community. They don't join community organizations and they're not willing to get involved in trying to improve the quality of life. If someone has a petition to put in a new street light, she has a very hard time getting a lot of people to sign. They don't feel it has anything to do with them. They don't get involved in improving the schools because they don't think the quality of education is important to their lives. They don't see the connection between themselves and the rest of their community. People don't try to support others around them. They don't keep a friendly eyes on their children, or check in on older folks if they don't see them for a few days. They're not aware when people around them may be going through a hard time. For example, they may not know if a neighbor loses a loved one. There's not a lot of community support for individuals. Neighbors don't get to know each other. Again, this is because people come and go within a few years. So when neighbors go on vacation, no one is keeping an eye on their house. No one is making sure nothing suspicious is going on there, like lights in the middle of the night. When neighbors' children are cutting across someone's lawn on their bikes, there's no friendly way of casually mentioning the problem. People immediately act as if it's a major property disagreement. My hometown is a nice place to live in many ways, but it would be much nice if we had that sense of community. 7 How do movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer. Do movies and television affect our behavior? A special concern is whether movies and television make children and society more violent. I believe that movies and television do influence our behavior, both for the better and for the worse. Movies do make people more violent. The more we see violent acts on television, the less sensitive we become to them. Eventually violence doesn’t seem wrong .we may even commit violent acts ourselves. This is especially true because we don’t always realize that violence has consequences. Actors can be killed and come back for another movie. Sometimes we confuse that with reality. We forget that killing someone is permanent. Movies and television also influence our behavior because they make us less active. Looking at films is a passive activity. If we watch too much, we become unhealthy, both mentally and physically. We stop using our own imagination when we see things acted out for us. Mental laziness becomes physical laziness; we’d rather watch sports on to than play sports ourselves. we’d rather visit with the characters on “Seinfeld” or “Friends” than go chat with our own neighbors. Imaginary people have exciting lives. Is it any wonder that some people would rather live a fantasy life than their own? Of course, watching movies and television can also be good for us. It can give us a broader window on the world. For example, seeing movies can expose us to people of different races and cultures. We can then overcome some prejudices more easily. Recently there have been more handicapped people in films, and this also help reduce prejudice. The best influence on our behavior is that movies and television reduce stress. Watching films, we can escape our own problems for a little while. Also, sometime movies show positive ways to resolve problems we all face. While TV and movies shouldn’t be a way to hide from life, sometimes they can help us cope. It is true that movies and television can influence our behavior negatively. However, I also believe that they influence our behaviors in positive ways. How they affect you depends on how much you watch, what you watch, and how you respond to what you watch. 8 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family. I think this is an exaggeration. In my opinion, whether or not television hurts communication depends on what type of program is being viewed. More importantly, it depends on the type of viewer. There are empty programs and educational programs. Empty programs do not challenge people. They have just enough storyline to keep them from switching channels. There are also passive and active viewers. A passive viewer will just watch television without thinking about what be or she seeing. The combination of an empty program and a passive viewer makes communication unlikely. Passive viewers just continue to watch, actually enjoying the fact that they don’t have to think. They won’t break away to talk about programming with friends and family. Even with better programming, passive viewers still won’t think or communicate much. The probably even prefer the empty program because the better programming is too much work. On the other hand, active viewers watching educational programming always want to share what they see with friends and family. “Educational” doesn’t necessarily mean documentaries on BBS. They could be dramas with realistic relationships or action shows with clever plotlines. When active viewers watch programs, they have ideas and talk about them with others. Good programming inspires them to change their thinking and their lives. Unlike passive viewers, they don’t want to watch more and more without thinking. Television may destroy communication among passive viewers. Those viewers probably don’t want to communicate with friends and family much anyway. For active viewers who already enjoy communicating, television is actually helpful! 9 Some people prefer to live in a small town, Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. I grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, so I have experienced the good and bad sides of both. I never thought that I would like living in a big city, but I was wrong. After ten years of living in one, I can’t imagine ever living in a small town again. Small towns and big cities both have some problems in terms of transportation. In a small town, you have to own a car to ensure a comfortable living .you can’t get around without one because there isn’t any kind of public transportation. Big cities generally have heavy traffic and expensive parking, but there you have a choice of taking public transportation. It’s not free, but it’s often cheaper than driving when you consider gas and time, especially if you don’t have a car, you’re better off in the city. I love the excitement of big cities. Small towns have a slow pace. Large cities mean you have to adapt to a variety of situations, like finding a new route to work or trvine a new restaurant. I enjoy that challenge very much. Another part of the excitement of city living is the variety of cultural activities available. There is a wild assortment of theatre music and dance performances available in big cities. These things are rare in small ones. The final thing I think about large cities is the diversity of the people. the 11 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students' sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. I disagree strongly with the idea that the same amount of money should go to university sports activities as to university libraries. Although playing sports is a wonderful way to learn about teamwork, strategy and reaching your goals, it should not be the principal focus of a university education. Students need the most up-to-date library facilities available to get the best education. Many of those facilities are very expensive to buy and maintain. These include computerized programs and access to internet research databases that students can use to find information all around the world. If a university is only offering its students resources of a decade ago, it’s depriving those students of a tremendous amount of information. Even the book and magazine budget of universities has gone up tremendously in last decade. More is being published on every subject, and every university wants to have this information available to its students. It also costs money for universities to keep their libraries open. Students need to have access to all the libraries' research tools as much of time as possible. Because students are young and can stay up all night studying, many universities are starting to leave their libraries open all night during exam periods. This costs money, because the staff has to be paid extra to be there. It also costs money to run the building (electricity, heat) during that time. Students at universities are only going to benefit from their education if they can get to all the tools they need to learn. Sports are secondary to the resources that students need from university libraries. For this reason, libraries should always be better funded than sport activities. 12 Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. People love to visit museums when traveling to new places. I think this is because museums tell them a lot about the culture of those places. Museums are also fun. It’s almost impossible to get bored in a museum. Every museum will have at least one thing of interest to somebody. When visiting someplace new, you can find out about the culture of that place in many ways. You can go to a movie or a place of worship or a nightclub. Another option is to sit in the park and listen to the people around you. The easiest way to learn about a place's culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums will show you the history of the place you're visiting. They’ll show you what art the locals think is important. If there aren't any museums, that tells you something, too. Museums are fun. Even if you're not interested in art or history, there is always something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call "hands-on" exhibits. These were originally designed to keep children occupied while their parents were looking at exhibits. However, museums have found that adults enjoy hands-on opportunities just as much as children. These exhibits have activities like pushing a button to hear more about what you're looking at, creating your own work of art, or trying on clothes like those on the models in the museum. People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance, in my hometown there's a museum devoted to the potato. This museum has art made out of potatoes. It also tells all about the history of the potato, and sells potato mementos like key chains and potato dolls. People enjoy visiting this museum because it's different. It’s not something they'd find in their hometown and the museum's curator enjoy talking about the Great Potato. Museums are popular because they are about us. They reflect our creations, our values, and our dreams. No matter who you are or what you like, somewhere there is a museum that will amaze and interest you. 13 Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Some people like to eat out at food stands and restaurants, while others like to prepare food at home. Often it depends on the kind of lifestyle people have. Those with very busy jobs outside the house don't always have time to cook. They like the convenience of eating out. Overall, though, it is cheaper and healthier to eat at home. While eating in restaurants is fast, the money you spend can add up. When I have dinner at restaurant with a friend, the bill is usually over twenty dollars. I can buy a lot of groceries with that much money. Even lunch at a fast-food stand usually costs five or six dollars for one person. That’s enough to feed the whole family at home. Eating at home is better for you, too. Meals at restaurants are often high in fat and calories, and they serve big plates of food--much more food than you need to eat at one meal. If you cook food at home, you have more control over the ingredients. You can use margarine instead of butter on your potatoes, or not put so much cheese on top of your pizza. At home, you can control your portion size. You can serve yourself as little as you want. In a restaurant, you may eat a full plate of food "because you paid for it". It's true that eating out is convenient. You don't have to shop, or cook, or clean up. But real home cooking doesn't have to take a lot of time. There are lots of simple meals that don't take long to make. In fact, they're faster than eating out, especially if you think of the time you spend driving to a restaurant, parking, waiting for a table, waiting for service, and driving home. Both eating at restaurants and cooking at home can be satisfying. Both can taste good and be enjoyed with family and friends. I prefer cooking at home because of the money and health issues, but people will make the choice that fits their lifestyle best. 14 Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer. Some people may believe that going to classes should be optional, but I disagree. I don't understand how university students can expect to learn anything if they don't attend classes. Personal experience can help people learn about themselves and the world outside the classroom, but when it comes to learning about academic subjects, students need to be in class. In class they receive the benefit of the teacher's knowledge. The best teachers do more than just go over the material in than class textbook. They draw their students into discussion of the material. They present opposing points of view. They schedule guest speakers to come, give the students additional information, or show documentary films on the subject. Also, attending classes on any subject teaches more than just facts. It teaches students how to learn, how to absorb information and then apply what they've learned to other situations. Their teacher is the best one to help them with these skills. They can't learn them just by reading the textbook. Going to class also teaches students how to work with the other members of the class. Many times students will be given group assignments. This is different from what they did in secondary school. Here they're with people from different backgrounds and experiences. In this situation, they learn how to handle working with people different from themselves to achieve a common goal. Going to class also teaches students responsibility and discipline. Having to be at a particular place at a particular time prepares them for getting a job. Being at a place on time with an assignment completed prepares them for a career. In short, by going to class students learn more than just information from the teacher. They also learn how to learn, how to work with others, and how to work responsibly. These are not optional skills in life, so attending classes should not be optional in college. 15 Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer. If you have a good neighbor, you are a lucky person. You have someone who cares about your needs and your property, who is helpful in the little day-to-day situations that come up, and who is supportive in times of crisis. A good neighbor is someone who, for instance, understands that your children may occasionally run across his lawn, even though you tell them not to. He'll realize that children can be careless about things like that, and he won't make a big fuss about it unless it becomes a regular thing. In the same vein, he knows that you'll understand if some of the trash from his trash cans blows across into your yard. IN other words, he is sensitive to the unintentional things that can happen. He doesn't make a big deal about them. A good neighbor is also respectful of your property. For example, she asks your permission before doing anything that interferes with what's yours. This means she wouldn't plant a huge tree in between your houses without asking how you feel about it. If she wanted to put up a fence, she would let you know first. She might work with you to decide where it should be placed. Maybe the two of you would even split the cost. A good neighbor would lend you some milk if you ran out . She'd give you a ride to work if your car was broken, and let your children stay at her house in the evening if you got stuck working overtime. You would do the same for her. Both of you would help make the other's life easier. when something really awful happens to you, like a death in the family, a good neighbor will volunteer to help in any way he can. This could mean something small, like making some casseroles to put in your freezer to feed vesting relatives, Or it 16 It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. I can see both advantages and disadvantages to having a new restaurant built in our neighborhood. I'm worried about traffic and how it will affect our neighborhood. However, I think that it will benefit local businesses and increase appreciation for our neighborhood. Overall, I think it is a good idea. Traffic congestion is always a concern when you build something new. Our streets are narrow, with parking on both sides. More cars traveling through the neighborhood could cause a lot of congesting. Traffic means parking problems, too. Our neighborhood has very few garages attached to the houses. Most of us depend on finding a space to park on the street. If the new restaurant is built, we’ll be competing for those spaces with the restaurant's patrons. Plus, if the restaurant offers wallet parking, it'll be even worse. Valet parkers work in teams to grab every possible space available on the street. I'm also concerned about the type of patrons this new restaurant will bring into our neighborhood. A family restaurant wouldn't be a problem. However, if it's going have a bar and dancing, then there could be problems. The restaurant would stay open later, and people leaving the restaurant might be drunk. Who wouldn't worry about rowdy customers staggering around our neighborhood in the early morning hours, looking for their cars? I have to admit, though, there are advantages to a new restaurant. Our neighborhood could certainly use the jobs the restaurant would provide. Not only that, the money neighborhood residents would earn there would likely be spent at other neighborhood businesses. This would give a boost to those businesses and make our neighborhood more prosperous. A new restaurant would also attract a lot of people to our neighborhood. They could see what a nice area this is to live. That might attract new residents to the neighborhood. That would be a good thing, because we've been losing residents to the suburbs the last couple of years. There are a lot of details to consider, but all in all, I support the idea of this new restaurant in our neighborhood. 17 Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay. Most of us can learn how to do something simple on our own with just a set of instructions. However, to learn about something more complex, it's always best to have a teacher. Teachers bring with them varied and useful backgrounds. They've been trained to teach individuals in different ways depending on their style. For instance, omen students learn better by discussing a topic. Others learn more by writing about it. Teachers can help students learn in the way that's best of each student. A textbook or a manual can only give you one way of learning something. Plus they're only as helpful as your ability to understand them. A good teacher can adapt her teaching to your needs. Teachers help you focus on what you're learning. If you're learning something by yourself, it’s easy to become distracted, and go on to other activities. Teachers keep your attention on the subject. They also approach a subject logically, taking it one step at a time. On your own, it's tempting to skip parts of the learning process you think you don’t need. That can binder your ability to really understand the subject. Learning a subject on your own is a very narrow way of learning. You can only use the information you get from the textbook. With a teacher, you get the information in the written materials as well as the teacher's own knowledge of the topic. Teachers can also provide extra materials to broaden the scope of what you're learning. There's nothing wrong with studying on your own, and a learner can always benefit from some quiet study. For the best possible learning, though, a good teacher is the biggest help you can have. 18 What are some important qualities of a good supervisor(boss)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important. Even though job situations can be very different, there are several qualities that all good supervisor have in common, A good boss treats all her employees fairly. She doesn't single out one employee for better(or worse)treatment than the others. A poor supervisor has favorites. Sometimes she'll even use her favorites to spy on other employees. She expects them to tell her what the others are saying about her. This can cause a lot of bad feeling among employees. A good supervisor gives clear and understandable directions. She doesn't constantly change her mind about what she wants employees to do. She also doesn't get angry with an employee who is confused and needs her to explain the directions again or more fully. Delegating authority well is another quality of a good supervisor. She knows how to use the skills of her employees to best advantage. A poor supervisor insists on doing everything herself. She is unwilling to give any authority to others. A good boss evaluates her employees on a reasonable ser of criteria, not on how she feels about them personally. And she lets the employees know what those criteria are, so they have a fair chance of meeting them. She gives both praise and criticism in a straightforward manner. She also offers guidance when needed. A poor supervisor will criticize without giving any suggestions on how to improve. Most importantly, a good supervisor set the standards for her employee by her own behavior. She works hard and treats employees like valuable assets to the company. This promotes good morale among her workers, and this is of great benefit to her business. 19 Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments spends more money on improving public transportation ( buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay. Governments should definitely spend more money on improving all forms of public transportation. These include buses, subways and trains. This is the best way to preserve natural resources and reduce pollution. As a planet, we’re dealing with a finite amount of natural resources. Once they're gone, they can't be replaced. They can't fill our need for oil and gasoline forever. But we seem to forget that and consume them at an incredible rate. In wealthier counties, some families have two or three cars. As soon as teenagers get their driver's licenses, they’re given cars so their parents won't have to drive them places. Public transportation hasn't been sufficiently developed. Because of this, suburban areas surrounding cities have been allowed to sprawl more and more widely. This means that people can't even go to the store without having to hop into the car. Everything is too far away from where they live. If there were better and more frequent public transportation, people would be able to give up their cars for local driving. As a result of all the cars being driven, we’re dealing with terrible pollution problems. In big cities, there are days during the summer when the elderly and people with respiratory problems are advised not to leave the house. Ten years ago this was unheard of! Now it's the norm. Public transportation would cut down considerably on air pollution. Public transportation also encourages a sense of community. People who travel to work together all the time get to know each other. Car isolate us from neighbors. However, people feel they need to drive because they can't depend on public transportation to fit their schedules. If more money were available, buses, subways and trains could run 24 hours a day. Then they would be available all the time to the people who need them. I always try to take public transportation whenever possible, and I encourage friends and neighbors to try it too. I think we must support public transportation in order to create a better world. 20 It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay. There are advantages and disadvantages to a childhood in either the country or a city. It's hard to say which is better. Growing up in the country means a certain amount of isolation. You're in a small town or on a armband not with a lot of people. Even more important, the people you meet everyday tend to be just like you. Most will be the same race as you, have the same background as you, and will have gone to the same school as you. In the city, the people you meet are different. There are different races and different cultures. You get a more interesting mix. City people tend to come from a lot of different places and move around a lot. So, there isn't the sense of community in the city that you have in the country. People in the city can live in the same apartment building for twenty years and never get to know their neighbors. In the country, everybody knows everybody. For a child, this means the country is more secure. A child can get lost or hurt in the city and have no one to turn to. In the country, everyone’s a neighbor. People in the country feel connected to each other. A child growing up in the city has the advantages of a lot of interesting and exciting place to visit. He or she can go to the zoo, museum, art galleries and concerts. There are a lot of restaurants with different kinds of food. It’s easy to see every new movie that comes out. Child in the country don't have a lot of these activities nearby. All in all, I think a childhood in the city is better because it prepares you more for what real life is like. 155篇大学应背英语课文（二） 21 EX In general ,people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay. Today people are living to be much older than ever before. Some of the main reasons for this are the improved health care and better nutrition available to everyone. Medical care is more available to people. Although not everyone can get the best heath care, everyone can get basic heath care and advice. When people are seriously ill, they can go to a public hospital and be taken care of. Years ago, health care wasn't available to everyone. Some people didn't live near a doctor or a hospital, and others couldn't pay for the care they needed. They made do with herbal medicines or folk remedies. Of course, some of these worked, but not for the more serious diseases. The quality of medical care has improved. That’s also a factor in longevity. Doctors know more now about what causes disease and how to care it ,Years ago, doctors only knew about the most basic diseases and cures. Medicine was not very advanced. You could die from something as simple as an infection from a cut. Now we have antibiotics and other medicines to help cure infections. People are also living longer now because of better nutrition. We 're eating better and more healthfully than we used to . That's reduced the number of people with heart disease and cancer. We try to eat low-fat foods and eat more vegetable and fruits ,which are now available year-round. Improved medical care and healthy eating habits has greatly expanded our life spans. What we need to do now is make sure that everyone in the world has these benefits. 22 Ex We all work or will work in our jobs with many different kinds of people, in your opinion ,what are some important characteristics of a co-worker (someone you work closely with)?Use reasons and specific example to explain why these characteristics are important. We spend more time with our co-workers during a week than we do with our family, Thus, it’s important for our coworkers to be people we can get along with. I’ve worked in a lot of offices, and I've found there are certain characteristics that all good co-workers have in common. A good co-worker is very cooperative, She does her best to get along with others. She tries to keep her end of things flowing smoothly to help others in the office. She realizes that if one person doesn't get her work done, it can hold up everyone else. She has a positive attitude that creates a pleasant working environment. A good co-worker is adaptable. She is not stubborn about changes in schedules or routines, and doesn't object to having her job description revised. That can make life miserable for everyone around her. A good co-worker is willing to change her schedule to accommodate another worker's emergency, She has no problem with new procedures and welcomes changes when they come. A good co-worker is helpful. She pitches in when someone falls behind in his or her work. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. She doesn't keep track of how often she has to finish another's work or take on extra work. Some co-workers do their own job, period. They have no sense of office community. They only want to do their work, get paid and go home. A good co-worker is a sympathetic listener, and never uses what she learns against people. she doesn’t gossip. A bad co-worker uses negative rumors to take advantage of others. Being a good co-worker isn't too hard, but some people just can't seem to manage it. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone could? 23 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Sometimes it is better not to tell the truth .Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. I agree that sometimes it is better not to tell the truth. In some cases the truth is going to hurt someone and no good will be gained by it. If so, then I don't think that person should be told the truth. There are times when a person needs to know the truth in order to make an important decision, There are also times when telling the truth is the only way to help someone who's being self-destructive. However, often telling the truth only benefits the teller, not the person being told. If someone has said something nasty about a person, those words don't need to be repeated. However, what if a person has told a shameful secret to a friend, and that friend has told the secret to others? Then that person needs to know that she can't trust her friend, Otherwise ,she might tell that friend other secrets. What if someone is doing something self-destructive, like partying all night in college instead of studying? Then he needs to be told that this behavior is upsetting his friend who are worried about him. However, if he skips class and teacher asks his friend why he isn't there, it’s not necessary for the friend to tell the truth. He doesn't have to be, but he also doesn't have to give information about his friend's behavior. Sometimes people needs to know the truth before they can make an important decision. Suppose you're selling your house and you know there's water in the basement. Then you should tell the truth about that to anyone interesting in buying your house. If you don’t, you could be in trouble legally as well as ethically! However, you don't need to tell the truth about the cranky neighbor who lives next door. The neighbor may not be as cranky with someone else as he was with you. Sometimes It's better not to tell. 24 AD In some countries, teenager have jobs while they are still srudents. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details. I don't think it is a good ideas for teenagers to have jobs while they are still students. It can interfere with their studies, It can disrupt their home life, and it takes away part of their childhood that their can never replace. Education today is very complex and difficult .In order to learn and get good grades, a student must work very hard and concentrate, This means attending classes from early in the morning until late afternoon, then doing research for projects, then going home and doing homework. It’s a busy schedule for everyone. For someone trying to hold down a job, it’s even harder. Students need all their energy for their studies. If they're working after class at night, they’re going to be tired the next day. They won't be able to concentrate. This will have a negative impact on their learning, and eventually on their grades. Having a job can also disrupt a teenager's home life. Families spend less and less time together. If a teenager has a job to go to after school, he won't be home for dinner. He won't be home after dinner either, and may not get home until late at night, This means he doesn't have a lot of time to spend with his family .If he doesn't have a car, it can mean changes in his parents' schedule ,too. They have to drive him to work and pick him up. The main drawback of a teenager having a job while he's still a student is that he's missing out on the fun of being young. He has a whole lifetime in which he'll have to earn a living. This is the last free time he'll have, It’s the last chance he'll have to hang out with friends and just enjoy himself. Soon enough he'll have to worry about paying the rent and buying food. Jobs bring money, but money isn't everything. A teenager with a job gives us too much. No one should spend all his time at working, and especially not a teenager. 25 PR A person you know is planning to move to your town or city .What do you think this person would like and dislike about living in your town or city? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay. A friend of mine from college is moving to my city, so I have been thinking about what she would and wouldn't like about it, I’d say the quality of life here, as far as fun and activities are concerned, is very good. The quality of life isn't very good, though, in other important ways. Living in a lager city is exciting, but you pay a price for it. There are lots of interesting things to do, and good restaurants with food from around the world. There are museums, art galleries, and lots of movie theaters. However. the crime rate is high, and people have to be careful about where they go at night. There's a lot of traffic most of the time, and finding a parking space can be a problem. There are also a lot of people living here. Sometimes it feels too crowded. In a big city like mine, housing is very expensive. If costs a lot even if you're just renting an efficiency apartment. The good side is that there's a lot of choice about where you want to live and how you want to live. You can find apartment of all sizes in different settings. Houses of equal variety are available for sale or rent. If my friend likes the great outdoors, she might be disappointed. Unfortunately, my city doesn't have a lot of wide open green spaces, and there aren't a lot of trees on the streets. We're not near the ocean, and the mountains are a day's drive from here. Still, we do have some natural areas. For example, we have a beautiful big park. It even has a lake in the middle that's used for ice skating in the winter. There’s a different kind of beauty in the city. Thinking about it, I suppose whether my friend likes my city will depend on whether or not she likes exciting places. I hope she likes a lot of variety as far as housing and activities are concerned. If she does, then this is the place for her. 26 AD It has recently been announced that large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. There would be both advantages and disadvantages to having a shopping center built in my neighborhood. One advantage would be the convenience. I would like to have all those stores close by. Shopping would be much easier and faster because I wouldn't have to drive great distances to get to the stores. A shopping center would mean more choices, because there would be more stores selling different products. I might have a movie theater nearby, because so many shopping centers these days include movie theaters in their plans. Most shopping centers also have restaurants and a food court. That means a greater variety of places to eat in our area. Having a shopping center built in the neighborhood would also mean more jobs for the community. Initially, these jobs would be in the building of the center. Later the jobs would be in the stores, theaters, and food establishments. Of course, these would be some disadvantages, too. Probably the biggest problem would be traffic. A lot of people would be coming to the shopping center. They’d drive through our neighborhood to get to the center. In addition, if there wasn't enough parking at the center, they might look for parking space near our homes. A shopping center might also invite more crime into our neighborhood. Parking lots after dark are a big temptation to robbers. They know people are there with money to spend. The shopping center might also become a place where unruly teenagers would gather. This could cause trouble. Our town would need a community center for them to go to instead. On the whole, though, I think my neighborhood should support having a shopping center built here, It would bring more variety to our shopping, give us the opportunity to amuse ourselves at movies theaters and restaurants, and bring more jobs into the area. 27 AD It has recently been announced that a new movies theater may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. Some people will say that a new movie theater in our neighborhood would be a bad thing. However, I fully support the plan to build one. I feel that a movie theater would bring more opportunities for recreation, reduce teenage delinquency, and lead to several improvements in the town. As it stands, there is little to do in my town. There are no parks here, and there is certainly no nightlife. Additionally, the nearest movies theater is more than thirty minutes away. That is inconvenient for everyone here. Many movies end late at night. Who want to a long drive home at 11:30 p.m. or midnight? Building a new movie theater here will reduce juvenile delinquency, Like everyone else, teens here are bored. They need activities to keep them busy and out of trouble. The jobs that the theatre will provide will help teens, too. We need more businesses that are willing and eager to employ young people. Overall, the new theater will bring many improvements to the town, For example, it will help other businesses. That is because the movie theater will attract customers from neighboring towns. Those neighbors do not have a reason to come to this town now. However, if they are coming here for a movies, they will be more likely to stay here to shop. If we get more visitors, we’ll need better roads. While this may be costly, it will also make travel easier for people living here. We will be able to get around faster, Safety will be improved with the new roads, because they will be in better condition than many that we have now. I believe that our town needs a new movie theater. Again, I support it fully, I hope that others in our community will join me to convince residents and local government. 28 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement ?People should sometimes do things that they do not enjoying doing. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. I agree that people should sometimes do things that they don't enjoy doing. This is a basic part of being an adult. Plus, some things that aren't "fun" are still good for us in the long run. Take personal tasks. Who enjoys going to the dentist? Very few people enjoy having their annual check-up with the doctor. Not a lot of people enjoy changing the oil in their car or moving their lawns. These are all things we do because we have to, not because we want to .We realize that taking care of our physical health is the sensible thing to do .We know that if we don't change the oil in our cars, our cars won't run. We understand that grass grows and if we don't mow it, our lawns will look like tropical forests. Professional tasked are another part of the same equation. No one likes to be stuck with a boring assignment or to be told we have to work with someone no one else gets along with. Sometimes we have to put up with unfair criticism from a supervisor or resentment from those we supervise. If we're in management., we may have had the unpleasant task of having to fire someone. None of these are fun things, Unfortunately, they’re all part of earning a living, something the majority of adults have to do. On the other hand, sometimes doing some thing we don't enjoy doing can lead to enjoyment. Simply by trying it again, we may decide we like doing it .for instance, we may have convinces ourselves we hate to dance. We agree to go to a club only to please someone else. Yet, for some reason, this time we enjoying dancing. We’ve been cheating ourselves of enjoyment without even knowing it. The same can be true of trying new foods or a new type of museum. Doing what we don't enjoy doesn’t always have to be a bother, does it? It’s just part of life. 29 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion. I think the media pay too much attention to the private lives of famous people. Television, newspaper magazines and web sites dig up all kinds of past bad actions. They say that these are true reflections of a person's character. This may be true if they occurred only a few years before, but some of these are things people did as teenagers. People in their forties are expected to explain something they did when they were fifteen. If they killed someone, obviously that's more than a youthful mistake. Usually, though, these incidents involve experiments with drugs or being reckless in a car. They're not something that the public needs to know. The media love to say that the public has a right to know. That's not true. We don't need to know if a movie star or politician has had an extramarital affair. That is something of concern only to the people involved. We do need to know if someone we're electing to public office has been involved in shady business deals, but we don't need to know if he or she defaulted on a loan twenty years ago. It seems the media dig up these facts without giving thoughtful consideration to what might happen. It has an effect on the celebrity's family, especially the children. A celebrity's good name and credibility may be ruined before he or she can prove that rumors are false. If a case goes to court, paying a lawyer can use up all their money. Even if it doesn't come to that, they may find their career ruined. When are we, the public, going to make it clear to the media that we're tired of having to watch this kind of thing on the news? Wouldn't it be better if they would concentrate on more important issues? 30 PR Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed(damaged) by human activity. Others that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The quality of human life has improved greatly over the past few centuries, but Earth is being harmed more and more by human activity. As we develop our technology, we demand more from our planet. Eventually, this will harm people as well. Our planet gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes old growth trees that can't be replaced. Too much fishing may harm fish populations to the point where they can't recover. We are too careless in taking what we want without giving anything back. There are more people than ever, living longer that ever. So is it any surprise that many areas suffer from too much development? Anyone living in or near a city has experienced "urban sprawl". There is a new shopping area on every corner and new houses, townhouses and apartments everywhere. Traffic gets worse and worse because planners can't keep up with growth. Keeping up with human demand is hard enough. Environmental concerns come in last. With growth comes pollution. Companies and communities dump waste into water. Landfills are full of trash. Emissions from factories pollute the air. Barrels of industrial waste and worse, radioactive waste, have no safe place to go. If we're not careful, we can harm our planet beyond repair. People need to respect the Earth and try to preserve it. If we don't, what kind of future will we have? 31. It has recently been announced that a new high school may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details in your answer. I oppose having a new high school built in my neighborhood. Although I know there’s a real need for a new facility, I have to say that I don’t want one built so close to me. I think it would cause a lot of problems. First of all, there are very few teenagers in this neighborhood, or in our suburban subdivision, for that matter. Most of the residents here are either retired or are just starting out with young children. This means that the kids coming to the new high school wouldn’t be walking. They would come on buses or would be driving to the school. Either way, this would mean a lot more traffic on our streets. In addition to the traffic on school days, there also would be traffic whenever there was a sporting event, such as a basketball or football game, or activities at the school. Would there be enough parking in the school lot for everyone attending those events? Probably not. Consequently, those extra cars would end up our neighborhood. My neighbors and I would also be upset about the loss of the park, which is the site that’s been selected for the high school. Mothers with young children gather there every morning for their kids to play together. People my age like to take a walk after dinner. On weekends, that park is a place for picnic and relaxation. We’d be sorry to lose our neighborhood park. I also have some concerns about all those young people being in our neighborhood. Would there be problems with drugs or fights? Could the school district guarantee us that security would be a priority? These are concerns that I don't think can be addressed sufficiently for me to support a new high school in my neighborhood. 32 Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: saying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion. Even though I have lived in the same house, in the same neighborhood, in the same city my entire life. I know I would be happy living in a variety of place. Moving would expose me to new people, new weather, and new housing. Even if I were to move to another part of my city, I would encounter new people. Each neighborhood has a distinct personality. When I move to that neighborhood, I would meet the shopkeepers and residents that shape that personality. I may even adopt part of there manner as my own so I could be recognized as part of that community. If I want to encounter different weather patterns, I would have to move beyond my city. Where I live now, it is the same temperature all year, I would like to go to a place where there are four seasons so I can experience really cold temperatures. I would like to walk in the snow and perhaps go skiing. I could learn winter sports if I lived in the north. Now of course, I live with my parents in their home. It is a one story house built around a courtyard where our family spends a lot of time. If I were to move, I would like to live in an apartment on a very high floor so I could see all around me. I could also meet my neighbors in the elevator and we could get together for coffee in my apartment. The more I move the more I would experience change. I would meet new people in every place I lived; I could move to sample countries with four seasons or even a continent like 33. Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. “Save it for rainy day.” That’s my motto. When I have a choice between spending my money or putting it in my savings account at the bank, I always put it in the bank.I will have a lot of expenses in the future like my education, travel, and unforeseen emergencies. I need to have money set aside for these expenses. Education is expensive. I can’t depend on my parents to pay all my bills. I have tuition, room and board, books, and incidental expenses to pay for. I’ll try to get a scholarship to cover some of these costs, but I know I will be responsible for a lot of the expenses. If I spend my money now, I won’t be able to pay for my education. I need to save money for my education. Travel is also very expensive. I don’t mean vacation travel. I mean travel to get to and from school. Transpacific airfare costs a lot even special reduced fares. I first have to get to school and then, of course, I want to return to my family for important festivals and occasions. Going back and forth will be costly, but worth it. I need to save money for these trips. Emergencies could arrive at any moment. I might have an unexpected illness while I am at school. There might be costs that won’t covered by the school insurance. One of my family members may need help, I will have to send them money. You can’t predict emergencies like this, but you can be prepared. I need to save money for these emergencies. When you are not rich, you cannot spend your money carelessly. You must plan ahead. I know in my life, I will have expenses for my schooling and for travelling to and from my home. I know that I will also have unexpected expenses related to unforeseen emergencies. I must be prepared. I need to save money for these events. 34. You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. The choice between spending money on tickets to a concert or spending money on jewelry is an easy one. Given this choice, I would buy jewelry. The reasons are obvious, jewelry is an investment; it is permanent; and it is fashionable. Jewelry like a gold bracelet for example is a very good investment. It is important for women( and for man, too) to have gold jewelry. If you have some serious financial problem, you could always sell your jewelry to help you over any rough spots. You could not sell your used concert ticket. Jewelry, unless you sell it, is permanent. You always have it ware. Each time you put it on , you will remember the day you bought it. It will give you pleasure for years and years. You could not wear the ticket stub from the concert. Jewelry is very fashionable. I would feel very smart wearing a beautiful gold bracelet or diamond pin. People would comment and tell me how much they loved my jewelry. They would compliment me on my good taste. I would feel very rich with my jewelry. I would have a good investment which is permanent and fashionable. Then, when someone invites me to a concert( and pays for my ticket), I will have something beautiful to wear. 35. You must select a person to teach others to do a job. Which one of the following is the most important for you to consider in making you selection? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Training someone to do a job is an important task. It requires a good education, work experience, and skilled job performance. Of these three requirements, I believe it is most important that a potential job trainer be judged on the quality of his or her previous work. A person may be well educated, but not able to perform a job proficiently. A doctor may know how to treat childhood diseases, but not be able to train medical students to perform surgery. An accountant may be able to balance a company’s accounts, but not be able to help the company’s executives invest their money. A person may have a lot of work experience, but not be able to do the job well. Time is not the best measure of quality. A mother may spend 17-years raising her children, but not be able to train young mothers to care for their infants. A typist may have typed ten-years worth of letters, but may not type over 30 words a minute. A person who does a job well is the one you want to be a trainer. I want to learn to fly a plane from a pilot who has faced a lot of mechanical problems in flight and never had an accident. I want to learn how to make money from a billionaire not form a salaried investment broker. As in all things, it is quality that we look for, not general knowledge or time spent in an occupation. I want others to learn from the best, so they can be the best, too. 36. Business should hire employees for their entire lives. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. In some business cultures, it is the practice to hire workers when they are young and employ them until they retire. In other business cultures companies hire people to do a job and then fire them when they are not needed. To me, the important considerations in today’s economy is job performance: speed and change. Loyalty is not a consideration. Today there is a lot of competition and we need to hire workers who can perform a task well. We need to find skilled workers who can do a job without a lot of training. We need to match the job to the worker, and, if the job changes, we change the worker. Because of this increased competition, we need to be able to produce our goods or services quickly. We need young people who are willing to put in long hours. We need young people who are aggressive and will push themselves to do their job faster. In order to compete, we have to be innovative. By changing our workforce frequently, we can bring in new ideas. We must l The person’s education l The person’s work experience l The quality of the person’s previous work constantly be looking for new ways to do new things. We need fresh workers with fresh points of view. Although a company’s loyalty to a worker and a workers loyalty to a company is a noble idea, it is not practical today. Skilled workers do not want to be tied down to one company; they want the flexibility to improve their opportunities. Change makes the economy powerful. 37. Countries, businesses, and schools are three areas that need good leaders. Choose one of these three areas and describe the most important qualities of a leader in that area. Explain why these qualities are important, using specific examples and details. The principal of a school is one of our first encounters with a figure of authority. Consequently, he or she must be a good example of a leader. The principal must be firm, fair and foresighted which are important qualities of a principal. When a principal announces a rule, you must understand that he or she means it. If a rule requires all students to be in their seats when the bell rings, the rule must be enforced. If students are out of their seats, they should be punished. If a rule requires that students not wear bats in school, the rule must be enforced. If students wear bats, the bats must be taken away from them. A principal must be firm. When a principal enforces a rule, you must understand that he or she will treat everyone equally. If I get caught eating at my desk, I must receive the same punishment that my classmate got when she got caught eating at her desk. If a sophomore is late for school, he or she must receive the same punishment that a senior would. A principal must be fair. When a principal establishes a rule, you must understand that he or she has a good reason for it. If a rule requires that students must participate in extracurricular sports, you should understand that the principal knows that a strong body as well as a strong mind will help us in the future. If a rule requires that students must do two hours of volunteer work in the community each week, you should understand that the principal knows that close involvement in the community builds strong character. A principal must be foresighted. A principal’s job is not as easy one. I only hope that in the future, I can model my own leadership abilities on the ones I observed in school. I hope I can be as firm, fair, and foresighted as my principal. 38 Choose one of the following transportation vehicles and explain why you think it has changed people’s lives. l Automobiles l Bicycles l Airplanes Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. An airplane is a form of transportation that has changed people’s lives. Thanks to the plane, our lives are now faster, more exciting, and more convenient that before. You cannot deny that a plane is fast. For example, the Concorde flies at supersonic speed. A businessman can leave 39. Do you agree or disagree that progress is always good? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Who would disagree with the statement “ progress is good”? Without progress , there would be no change. Without progress, there would be no change in our economy, our standard of living, or our health. Progress is required to keep the economy moving forward. New products need to be developed; new services need to be created. Without progress, our economy would stand still. There would be no change. Without progress, there would be no supermarkets with fress produce brought in from all over the world. Progress is required to improve our standard of living. Our homes today are more efficient and use less natural resources thanks to improvement in home construction techniques. Our clothes are warmer and safer thanks to developments in textile manufacturing. Our educational system is better thanks to the use of the computers and the Internet. Progress is required to improve the heath of the world population. Without progress, there would be no vaccines against deadly diseases like smallpox. Without progress, there would be increased infant mortality. Thanks to progress, our lives are longer and healthier. Progress is a natural state. Without it, we would not evolve. Without it, our economy, our standard of living, and our health would deteriorate. Who could deny the necessity of progress. 40 Learning about the past has no value for those of us living in the present. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. People often say “ Those who don’t understand history will repeat the mistakes of the past.” I totally disagree. I don’t see any evidence that people have made smart decisions based on their knowledge of the past. To me, the present is what is important, not the past. I think that people, the weather, and politics determine what happens, not the past. People can change. We can’t assume that people will continue to hate one another just because they have had hated one another for years. Look at 155篇大学应背英语课文（三） 41 AD The expression “Never, never give up” means to keep trying and never stop working for your goals. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” These are wise words. One should never give up. There is always another opportunity, another goal, or another option. Once I ran for president of my class. Unfortunately, I lost. I lost because I did not promote myself enough. I looked at my mistakes and decided how to correct them. The following year, I ran for president again. This time I gave speeches, called voters on the phone, and banded out brochures. This time I won. Never give up. There is always another opportunity. Once I wanted to study medicine. Unfortunately, I didn’t like science. I failed all my science courses at school. Then I realized that what I liked about medicine was helping people. I changed my goal from healing people to helping people. Now, I’m studying psychology. There is always another goal. Once I wanted to talk with my friend. Unfortunately, his computer was down and I couldn’t e-mail him. His phone line was busy so I couldn’t call him. Mail would take too long so I couldn’t write him. Since I really wanted to talk with him. I got on the bus and went across town to visit him. There is always another option. If you give up, you might as well die. My advice is to always look for another opportunity, another goal, or another option. There is always something else. Don’t give up. 42 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of technology, student nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Technology has greatly improved the way we get information. Students can now get more information, get it more quickly, and get it more conveniently. The Internet and the World Wide Web has opened every major library and database to students around the world. Information comes not only in print form, but also in multimedia. You can get audio and video data. You can get information about event in the past as well as events that unfold as you watch your computer monitor. Information comes at the speed of the Internet, which is to say in nanoseconds. You can type in a few key words in your search engine, and the engine will search the entire www to find information on your topic. You don’t have to spend hours pouring over card catalogs in the library and looking at the shelves. This research is done for you instantly on the Web. It is certainly more convenient to sit at home and do research on your computer. Your computer is open 24 hours a day, unlike a library or office, which has limited hours and limited resources. You can do research in your pajamas while you eat breakfast. What could be more convenient? Technology, especially the Internet, has certainly changed the quantity and quality of the information we get. The speed and convenience of a computer helps students learn more, more quickly. 43 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Games are as important for adults as they are for children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Everyone likes to play games. Games are important at any age to keep your mind sharp, learn new things, and maintain social skills. People say you can’t teach old dog new tricks. Modern research has shown that senior citizens can continue to grow brain cells by exercising their mind. Games are a great way to exercise your mind. By concentrating on the tactics of the game, memorizing moves, keeping track of your opponents’ strategies, you can keep your brain functioning and growing. Some games can teach you a lot. Games that ask questions, for example, will show you what you don’t know. (Name the capital of Albania, for example.) It is always easier to learn something when you realize you don’t know it. When you play a game, you have to be considerate of your opponents. You can observe people’s reactions and the way they interact as they play. It is always interesting to watch people. Maintaining personal contacts is important for everyone. Regardless of your age, playing games can help you keep your mind alert, learn new things, and build friendships. 44 EX Awards and prizes are given for excellence in various fields. Do these awards and prizes serve a useful purpose? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. A prize or award, whether it’s the Noble Prize, the Academy Award, or Best Handwriting Prize, is important. Such prizes can have economic, personal, and social effects that enrich the life of the recipient. Prize like the Noble Prize can be a cash award. But ever for prizes that don’t, like the Academy Award, an actress who wins best actress will be offered more roles and a higher pay than actresses who don’t win the award. Even for the elementary student who received the school’s Best Handwriting award may get a congratulations gift from proud grandparents. The personal benefits of receiving any award are evident. Any award winner is pleased that be or she has been recognized for his or her work. When people receive the Academy Award, they often cry they are so happy. Everyone likes to be with a winner. A person who gets a prize often has many new, best friends. A winner’s social life is much better than a loser’s social life. The winner of the Best Handwriting prize may not be very popular with his or her jealous classmates, however. Awards serve a very useful purpose in that their economic, personal, and social benefits add to the recognition. 45 AD Some people think that human needs for farmland, housing, and industry are more important that saving land for endangered animals. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. In the past, there have been many endangered animals. Now they are extinct. Does it matter? Has our environment been affected by their absence? Has the quality of our own life been changed? The answer to these questions is “Yes.” Yes. It does matter if we destroy an endangered species habitat to develop more farmland, housing or industrial parks. There is a delicate balance of nature. If one small part is removed, it will effect all the other parts. For example, if certaintrees are cut down, bats will have no place to roost. If they cannot roost, they cannot breed. If there are no bats, there will be no animal, or bird to eat certain insects that plague our crops. Yes. Our environment has been affected by the absence of certain animals. Certain flowers are pollinated by butterflies, which migrate from Canada to Mexico. Some of the breeding grounds of these butterflies were destroyed. Now these flowers are disappearing from certain areas. We will no longer be able to enjoy their beauty. Yes. The quality of our life has been changed America used to be covered with giant trees. Now we have to visit them in one small park. Rain forests around the world are being cut down to make room for humans. We will never be able to see or study this fragile ecosystem. I would encourage us humans to look for other alternatives for our farmlands, housing, and industries. We have alternatives; the animals do not. 46 MA What is a very important skill a person should learning in order to be successful in the world today? Choose one skill and use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. The one skill I would choose for success is tolerance. I do not define success economically. I define success socially. To succeed in the future, we will need to be tolerant of one another’s background, opinions, and lifestyle. The world is becoming increasingly mobile. We no longer are able to live and work only with people who went to the same schools and went to the same parties as our parents and we did. Now, we will work directly with people whose backgrounds are completely different from ours. We must be tolerant of these differences as they must be tolerant of us if we are to live and work together amiably. We cannot stop speaking to people or start a war just because there is a difference in opinion. We must learn to be tolerant of one another and respect these differences in opinion. We have to find a common ground, an idea we can both agree on. Once we have agreement on one subject, it will be easier to settle differences in other subjects. Different people have different lifestyles. We must accept these differences even though they may be different than what we are used to. Woman can live on their own, hold important jobs, and raise children on their own. Men can stay home and take care of children. Social roles can change and we must be tolerant of these changes. To succeed socially, you must be adapted to differences. You must be tolerant of all peoples regardless of their background, their opinions, or their lifestyles. 47 MA Resolving problems between individuals or groups is important. What should be considered or kept in mind in resolving problems between individuals or groups? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Conflict resolution is very important. The technique is the same whether it’s between people, between groups, or between nations. You need to find a common ground; you need to learn what both sides want; and you need to plan steps to resolve the conflict. Finding a common ground is the first important step in any conflict resolution. For example, if two countries are fighting, a mediator could do what is the single thing that both counties are concerned about. One answer might be their children’s future. Agreeing on the future of their children is an important first step. The next step would be to try to determine what both sides want for their children. For example, Country X says, “Security from Country Y.” Country Y says, “Security from Country X.” Obviously, they feel threatened by one another. The third step is to plan steps to resolve the conflict. A mediator might ask what would make each side more secure: Stronger borders? Increased trade? Smaller military forces? Once the steps are established, the peace process has begun. I don’t mean to imply that this is easy. Resolving long-term disputes is not simple. But the process can be broken down into three steps (common ground, needs, steps to resolution) and then repeated and repeated until there is peace. 48 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Self-confidence is the most important factor for success in school or at work. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Self-confidence is one very important factor for success, but there are two other equally important factors: knowledge and sensitivity. All three are required for success in any area. One needs to feel one can accomplish a task. If one thinks he or she is incapable of doing something, he or she will not succeed. For example, if you think you are going to do poorly on an exam, you will probably do poorly. It is important to tell yourself that you can do well. If you have confidence in yourself, you will probably do well. Even if you have a great deal of self-confidence, you won’t be able to well on the exam without knowledge. You have to understand your subject very well. With knowledge and self-confidence you have a better chance of success. In areas other than exams, you will need to be sensitive to your surroundings in order to succeed. You will need to know whether to boast about yourself or be modest; you will need to know whether you should take the lead or let others. This is a difficult skill to learn, but an important one for success. To be successful in school or work, you need three qualities: self-confidence, knowledge, and sensitivity. Along, none of these factors will help you succeed. But together, they ensure success. 49 EX Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support our answer. Dangerous sports or activities attract a certain type of person. This person is often a risk taker, an optimist, and a fatalist. People who take risks are found both in dangerous sports and business. But it is a special person who takes a risk with his own life as opposed to his money. My father was a risk taker. He put everything be owned into his business, but he stopped playing risky sports like horseback riding and skiing. Once his business was a success and he no longer bad to worry about providing for us, he returned on the age of 60, to the risky sports that he did as a youth. Someone who plays a dangerous sport must be an optimist. They cannot imagine that anything will happen to them. They never think about breaking their leg while skiing, falling off a cliff while rock climbing, falling on their head while sky diving. They live for the thrill of the moment without a thought to the many things that could go wrong. Rock climbers and sports car drivers must be fatalist. They might plan for potential problems, but once they have done everything they can do, the outcome is out of their bands. A motorcyclist when jumps across a narrow canyon will get the fastest, strongest bike available that will carry him or her across the canyon, however, wind conditions or other problems might interfere and the cyclist my fall short of his goal. 50 EX Which is more important for success: the natural ability you are born with or hard work? Explain your opinion, using specific reasons and examples. Without a doubt, hard work is a much better predictor of success than natural ability. In my experience, I have seen this at work in sports, school, and work. Many athletes have a natural ability to run the fastest mile or kick the ball the most accurately. Unless they work hard though, they will not be stars. They need to train daily, eat properly, live correctly. It takes hard work to be Number One. At school, I have seen many very bright students do poorly on exams. They count on their intelligence to get them through. However, unless they do their homework every day, participate in class discussions, and study for exams, they will be the bottoms of the class. Many salespeople can talk with anyone and convince him or her to buy something. They have a natural ability to sell. They must however apply some hard work to this skill. They must learn a lot about their customers, about the product they are selling, and about the market, they must put some effort into the paper work that goes along with the sale. If they don’t follow through, the sale will not be made. Whatever the area, whether on the playing field, at school, or on the sales floor, a person must not rely on his natural ability along if he or she wants to succeed. They must work hard to be a success. 51 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older (15 to 18 year-old) teenaged children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. No one knows me as well as my parents. No one wants the best for me like my parents. It is natural that I should allow my parents to make important decisions for me. I think all older teenagers (15 to 18 year-olds) should take their parents advice on decisions that concern their education, their social life, and their future careers. My parents have always chosen the best schools for me to attend. They have encouraged me to attend special prep classes to make sure that I was well prepared for the exams. They have given me tutors to make sure that I understood my subjects well. When it comes to choosing a college, I will trust my parents to make that decision. They know what they can afford and what will give me a good education. When I was young, my parents would invite children over to play with me. Over the years, I have become very close to these children. They are like my family. We celebrate holidays and birthdays together. We even go to the mountains together in the summer. My parents do not want me to fall into the wrong crowd. They do not want me to meet and fall in love with someone they do not know. I understand that and I want to make them happy. My father runs a very successful business and my mother is a well-known politician. They are very well connected and they have many friends who would like me to work for them when I finish school. This is a very good arrangement for me. If all children follow their parents’ wishes, they would probably be happier. Parents only want the best for their children. 52 PR Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. Traveling alone is the only way to travel. If you take someone with you, you take your home with you. When you travel alone, you meet new people, have new experiences, and learn more about yourself. When I traveled with my friend, I spend all my time with that friend. We eat together and sightsee together. When I travel alone, I spend my time looking for new friends. It is easy to fine other people, either other tourists or locals, to eat with or have a coffee with. When you share meals with strangers, they become friends. When I travel with a friend, my routine is predictable. We maintain the same schedule that we do at home. When I travel alone, I adopt the rhythm of the place I visit. I might take a nap in the afternoon and eat dinner at 11 pm. I might go to a disco and dance all night. When I travel with a friend, we know how we will react to things. When I travel alone, each new experience requires a new reaction. If I don’t try new things, I won’t be able to decide if I like something or not. Shall I ride an ostrich or eat one? I think it is always important to do things on your own. You can fine new friends, collect new memories, and adopt different ways of doing things. Isn’t that the point of travel? 53 PR Some people prefer to get up early in the morning and start the day’s work. Others prefer to get up later in the day and work until late at night. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. I prefer sleeping late and staying up late at night. This routine fits my body’s rhythm, my work schedule, and my social life. I believe in following my body’s natural rhythm. My body tells me to sleep until I am ready to get up and go to bed when I am sleepy. This means I never get up early in the morning. My body tells me it likes me to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day. Sleeping late also fits my work schedule. Actually I don’t have that much work to do. I can easily finish my work between lunch and dinner. I think that if one works too much, there is not enough time left to enjoy one’s self. My active social life is another reason I prefer to sleep late. Who gets up early in the morning to have fun? No one. Anything amusing, such as concerts, dances, parties, dinners, all happen at night. If I got up early in the morning, I would be too tired to enjoy myself in the evening. I will maintain this pattern forever I hope. I think it is always important to listen to your body and if your body tells you to stay in bed, you should listen to it. By listening to you body, you will never let work interfere with your social life. 54 EX What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The qualities of a good son and daughter---obedience, loyalty, respect---have not changed. Any patent will tell you that, like their ancestors, they expect these qualities from their children. However, they do not always get what they expect from their children. Parents demand that their sons and daughters, regardless of age, obey them. Even if the children are married and have their own children, they should still do whatever their parents ask of them. At last, that’s the way it was. Now, children tend to obey their parents until the children are of college age. Then they feel they are adult enough and can make their own decisions even if these decisions are against the parent’s wishes. Parents also expect loyalty from their children. If there was a dispute in the neighborhood or between families, the parents would expect their children to side with their own family. This quality is probably still very common. Most children today will support their family against others. Parents, of course, demand respect. As people become more mobile, and introduced to non-traditional ways of doing things, this quality may not endure. Parents are sometimes viewed as old-fashioned. Children don’t think their parents can appreciate the way life really is. They think their parents are too old to understand. They lose respect for their parents. Obedience, loyalty, and respect are virtues that are being challenged today. We may not obey our parents, give them the loyalty or respect they wish or deserve, but I hope my children obey me, are loyal to me, and respect me. 55 PR Some people prefer to work for a large company. Others prefer to work for a small company. Which would you prefer? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice. I would prefer to work in a large company rather than a small one. A large company has more to offer in terms of advancement, training, and prestige. In a large company, I can start at an entry-level position and work myself up to the top. I could start in the mailroom and, once I know the company, can apply for a managerial position. In a small company, there is not as much room to grow. In a large company, there are a variety of jobs. I could work in sales, in marketing, in distribution, in shopping, or in any department I applied for. I could be trained in a variety of positions and would have valuable experience. In a small company, there would not be the same opportunity. In a large company, there would be more prestige. I could brag to my friends that I worked for one of the biggest companies in the world. I would always have something to talk about when I met strangers. If I worked in a small company, I would always have to explain what the company did. Working for a small company would not give me the same opportunities for advancement or on-the-job training as working for a larger company would. Nor would I be as proud to work for a small company---unless the small company was my own. 56 EX People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that people work? Discuss one or more of these reasons. Use specific examples and details to support your answer. Although people work to earn money, money is not the main reason people stay in their jobs. They also work because they enjoy working, they receive job satisfaction, and they like the sense of accomplishment. Most people work for work’s sake. They enjoy going to an office, or store, or school each day. They like to interact with other people. They like to help people solve problems, learn something, or get a product. People like to help other people. A lot of people keep the same job because the job gives them a lot of satisfaction. They genuinely enjoy what they do. This is true for most teachers. A teacher’s pay is not very great, but the job satisfaction can be very high. Helping someone learn is one of the greatest things anyone can do. People enjoy their work because they like the sense of accomplishment. They like to know what they finished a project. People, who work in factories, take pride in the car they produce or the television they assemble. When they see a car on the street, they can feel a sense of accomplishment. They helped make that car. Money is nice, but it is not the only reason people get up and go to work each day. I believe that people work because they enjoy the act of working; they find their work personally rewarding; and they like the feeling of a job well done. 57 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Face-to-face communication is better than other types of communication, such as letters, email, or telephone calls. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer. I would have to agree that face-to-face communication is the best type of communication. Face-to-face communication can eliminate misunderstandings immediately, cement relationships, and encourage continued interaction. If you are talking to someone directly, you can see right away if they don’t understand you. A person’s body language will tell you they disagree or don’t follow your line of thought. You can repeat yourself or paraphrase your argument. If you had sent an e-mail, the person may have misinterpreted what you wanted to say. He or she could be insulted and you would have to waste time explaining yourself in another e-mail. When you talk face-to-face, you communicate with more than words. You communicate with your eyes and your hands. You communicate with your whole body. People can sense that you really want to communicate with them. This energy bonds people together. Your relationship with a person can grow much stronger when you communicate in person. Face-to-face encounters tend to go on longer than other forms of communication. An e-mail lasts a second; a telephone call, a few minutes. However, when you meet face-to-face, you’ve made an effort to meet with the person, and the person has made an effort to meet with you. You will probably spend longer together talking. The longer you talk, the more you say. The more you say, the stronger your relationship will be. In summary, if you want to establish a relationship with another human being, the best way is talking face-to-face. When you communicate directly, you can avoid misunderstandings that may occur in writing. You can communicate on levels other than just words and you can spend more time doing it. 58 PR Some people like to do only what they already do well. Other people prefer to try new things and take risks. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. I am not a risk taker. I like to do just those that I am proficient at. I have learned that it is better to focus my attention, do one thing and do it well, and not try anything new. When I was younger, I was always experimenting with a lot of different things. First I wanted to be a dress designer so I studied drawing. I couldn’t’t draw so I decided to be a historian. That suited me perfectly since all I had to do was sit in a library and read. I learned to focus my attention on one subject. I am a very good reader and history is very interesting to me. I decided not to read any other subject. I only read history books. I even focused my attention on Chinese history. I only read history books on Chinese history. I do one thing and I do it well. I don’t like to try anything new. If I read things in another area, I don’t do well. I don’t understand American history or English history. The names are confusing and the stories not interesting to me. I don’t want to learn about anything else. Chinese history is my subject. I may seem a bit stubborn, but I have learned what makes me happy. I don’t like to take a risk with new things. I like to focus my attention on one subject, do it well, and not try anything new. 59 EX Some people believe that success in life comes from taking risk or chance. Others believe that success results from careful planning. In your opinion, what does success come from? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained. If our great explorers and scientists did not live by this creed, where would we be? I think that we must all take risks in our lives, but these must be calculated risks. Like the great thinkers of our time, we must plan carefully, seize all opportunities, and reevaluate our plans. There is no such thing as a chance occurrence. Columbus in his search for the Indies drew maps, plotted his route carefully, and set out. Madam Curie worked diligently in her laboratory recording every aspect of her experiments. You need to have a careful plan so you can measure your success. Even with a careful plan, changes occur. Columbus was looking for the Indies, but ended up in the Caribbean. Lewis and Clark were looking for a river passage west, but discovered much more. You have to be ready to take advantage of new things as they occur. When things go against plan, you must be ready to change direction. Columbus didn’t bring back spices from the East Indies, he brought back gold from the West Indies. It is important to see the positive side of things. Make your mistakes work for you. You will never succeed in life if you don’t take chance. But before you start, you must plan carefully so you are ready to take advantage of every opportunity and turn mistakes to your advantage. 60 MA What change would make your hometown more appealing to people your age? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. I think that people my age would like to have a place to go after school. They could go there to socialize, have meetings, and just relax. In my town, there are a few tea houses, but these are reserved for our fathers and their friends. Teenagers do not go there unless it’s to carry message to their fathers. We need a place where we can meet after school to talk about school and other subjects that interest us. At our own tea house, we could also have meetings. Those would be like club meetings. We could have a debating society, a poetry reading group, or a political club. We could meet after school one night a week and have our meetings. We need a place where we could just relax away from our family. Our home life is very hectic; there are a lot of younger children making a lot of noise in the evening. We need a quiet place to study, read the paper, or just sit. If our town had a tea house reserved for teenagers, it would be good for our parents since they would always know where we were. They would know that we were just socializing, or meeting, or just relaxing with our friends. |
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