1 Talk about your favourite TV channel You should say: • What is it • How often you watch it • What type of programmes does it broadcast and explain why you like this TV channel Model Answer: I not watch TV that much but it is a great electronic and mass media for education and entertainment Sometimes I watch TV, mostly in my free time and among the channels I watch, 'Discovery Channel' is my favourite one Whenever I held the TV remote control in my hand, I look for either a news channel or Discovery channel This is the channel I watch more often than any other channels I watch it for 4-8 hours per week On my day off, if I am in front of TV, I watch the great educational and recreational programs that this channel broadcasts It broadcasts mainly documentary programs focusing on popular science, technology and history But recently they have started showing some other types of programs like reality shows and pseudotechnologies and entertainments There are some unique programs that they present to their audiences like Myth Busters, Unsolved History, automobiles, and occupations etc This channel started broadcasting from 1985 and has become one the most popular TV channels in the world because of their emphasis on high-quality programs I like this TV channel because of the programs and documentaries they present Most of the programmes are thoroughly enjoyable and offer lots of information to the viewers This is one of the great sources for me to learn history, technology and other educational knowledge The picture quality is really nice and this channel is easily available via the cable service providers I found this channel really interesting and I can learn many new things watching it My holiday Last summer, I had a good holiday I never forget that meaningful holiday When I came back my home from my holiday First of all, I went to visit all my uncles and aunts then I and some my friends went to visit all my old teachers We talked about our lives and works very much After that days, I stayed at home with my family I helped my parents to paint the house and did something else I talked about my life in Ho Chi Minh city and my work My parents was very proud of me and I was very happy After my holiday, I came back Ho Chi Minh city to go on working I think that I had a good holiday and I’ll never forget it Studying abroad I will miss my family members and I think for the first few weeks this would be terrible All my life I lived with my family members and being in a foreign country would mean that I can contact them over the phone and have video calls, but can’t spend time with them in person The language barrier would be another problem My English is better than average but still understanding and communicating with people of a different country who have a different accent is sometimes an unavoidable problem Hopefully, this won’t last for a long as I am a quick learner and I will try my best to learn the manner, custom and accent of this country very quickly Another problem that might arrive is loneliness This is going to be a new country and I won’t have any friends and relatives So the first few days would be lonely I guess Travelling and not knowing the route and bus number would be another problem The different kinds of foods in this country might be a problem as I am habituated to eat common types of foods available in my country It might happen that I won’t find foods of my preference near my living place Finally finding a senior student, classmate or a teacher who would spend some time to explain some of the lessons that I might find difficult would be another problem I guess In my country, I always had resources and helping hands for my studies I guess that would not be available initially in a new country where I would go for study I think these are the main issues I will face in first few weeks after I arrive in a different country to study Describe the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large city Nowadays, large cities are becoming more and more inhabited The majority of the population prefer living in a big town mainly because of the great advantages it has compared to living in the countryside However, what are the benefits of this situation, and what are the drawbacks? In this essay, I will explore the pros and cons of living in a large city and try to draw some conclusions Let’s start looking at the advantages One of the main positives of a big town is the large amount of shops available in every corner of the city What I mean by this is that whenever you live, there are some useful stores like supermarkets, banks, tobacconists and clothing stores where you can easily buy everything you need without going to the city center Secondly, living in a big town is a big challenge for evening parties In London, for example, there are so many things to in the evenings like going to the cinema, to the pub or to the park during the summer period Turning to the other side of the argument, traffic could be one of the major disadvantages of living in a big city Many people take the car everyday and it has also been proved that the majority of the families have at least two cars This means that you have to deal with rush-hour traffic on your way to work and on your way back In addition, in a big town there is consequently a lot of smog and this can really affect people’s health To sum up, living in a big city has great advantages but also some significant negatives.You have to weigh up to the pros of enjoying evenings’ nights outside and the availability of many shops and the cons of cope with smog and traffic issues Personally, I believe that the benefits of enjoying the citylife and the comfort of having shops at every corner, eventually overweigh the negatives Please comment on my essay about the advantages and disadvantages of living in a large city The role of men and women in our life Nowadays, the role of women has become much more dominant than it used to be in the past It's the fact we can't deny that the liberation of the women from domestic duties and subservient status has actually brought them an independently social equal position or superior to that of men Furthermore, it's easy to detect in Vietnam that women' role is still changing in both family and social functions in modern community for the better From the archaic centuries in any eastern countries like Vietnam, women had been underestimated for their feeble and forbearing nature Therefore, the sterner sex always claimed superiority of ability and looked down on the fair sex Therefore,only men could study and work while women must be stay at home to take care of household duties That's what happened in the past, how about the moment? Of course, women still housework but now the vocation is also shared with men In some families, the fathers help their wives to pick children up, organize the furniture of the house and even wash clothes or cook meals It seems that domestic duties are ascribed to both men and women since women also have their own jobs like men Women also take part in many social functions of the communities There are women ambassadors, ministers, women commander-in-chiefs and senators in Vietnam They even achieve high positions in their companies or offices In my opinion, women are better managers than men, since they attain such mild and lenient delicacies to settle tense affairs in the most suitable, convenient ways They also get the calmness and composure to face with difficult, puzzling and urgent problems rather than being impatient like men Moreover, women have also got the confidence to stand out among men In conclusion, women's role is becoming more and more prominent in the society Their functions are now quite active and this definitely will make the world better since both men and women can work together to improve and build it more perfect Cause & Effect Essay: Traffic Problems of a Big City Cities like New York, London, and Paris have all had to deal with thousands of cars running through their streets each day Traffic congestion is a big problem for everyone within the city The main reasons why traffic congestion occurs are more cars, poor road management, and poor practices on behalf of employers One of the main reasons why there’s more congestion is due to more cars on the road The adult population is increasing and therefore more people want their own personal transport to get around with As the number of cars increase the chance of congestion also increases It’s why in smaller towns and villages congestion is almost unheard of This is coupled with a lack of proper infrastructure Councils and national governments fail to act on the looming threat of heavy congestion until it happens The city doesn’t expand along with an increasingly car reliant population A single street with a lane on each side before might not suffice in ten years after the population has increased Authorities often fail to convert this into a dual carriageway Alternate routes are also a problem Cities have limited capacity to expand due to poor funding and planning restrictions preventing building on green belt spaces Cities are forced to work with the routes they already have If they can’t increase the number of lanes it leads to congestion Employers can also play a part in dealing with congestion Congestion almost always happens when people are travelling to and from work Traffic congestion has eased in recent years as a result of growing unemployment and the introduction of more flexible work hours By adhering to the traditional 9-5 routines, there’s a greater chance of congestion Everyone has to travel to and from work at the same time each day A lack of public transport, or poor public transport options, will also cause problems If there isn’t enough buses, trams, or local trains people are forced to take their cars to work The ratio of passengers to vehicles decreases, whereas if they were able to take the bus people would feel less of a need to drive their cars In many places, commuters are forced away from public transport by the private companies which run them Increasing fare prices, especially on the trains, make driving a car with its associated high fuel costs cheaper than public transport By pushing people back to their cars again they only exasperate the congestion problem In conclusion, congestion is mainly caused by a desire for people to drive their cars coupled with a failure by local government to act If they invested in more affordable public transport options and a better infrastructure the incidence of congestion would decrease in major cities Describe the environmental pollution in your city You should say: • What type of pollution it is/ are • Cause and effect of pollution • Why it had happen and explain how can this pollution be controlled Model Answer: I live in ( say the name of your city ) and this city has got some several issues related to environmental pollution The major environmental pollutions that this city has are water pollution, air pollution and sound pollution The main reason for these pollutions is overpopulation and a rapid and unplanned industrialisation of this city The city has more than (…say the current population of this city ) whereas the number should have been far less than that It is evitable that a large number of populations in a small city always cause environmental pollution as they use more cars, consume more energy and natural resources and create more wastages ad noises The reason for the water pollution is the uncontrolled number of industries, factories and other constructions that have been grown up beside the rivers These factories and industries produce a large number of chemical and other wastages which directly affects the water Inappropriate and uncontrolled construction is another reason for water pollution in our city The effect of water pollution is severe, the water supply would be affected and the supply of safe and clean water would be threatened A large number of people rely on the water available of the rivers and they would be directly affected Lots of people would get sick due to water pollution and those diseases can become epidemics if not controlled and that results in an immense loss of innocent lives Air pollution is also very concerning in this city and the chemical smoke, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emitted from automobiles and industries are the main reason for air pollution This city has more than million automobiles and thousands of industries which are omitting the dangerous gases, and ingredients which are causing the air pollutions Air pollution is the direct reason people suffer from various dangerous diseases including lung cancer, asthma, heart disease etc In fact the number of people currently suffering from these diseases in alarming and if steps are not taken to prevent air pollution immediately, this number would rapidly increase Sound pollution is produced by the loud horns used by the cars, loud sound used for announcement and cacophony created due to loud sound The airplanes that fly over the resident area created a very loud noise as well Air pollution is a silent killer that causes lots of serious diseases including hearing and brain cancer The air pollution directly affects the natural balance by affecting the wild lives The most important thing to reduce pollution in our city is to create public awareness We are mostly creating that pollution and endangering ourselves, the Earth and other species Without our awareness and strict determination to prevent our city from pollution, we can’t reduce or prevent it Strict laws should be introduced and be applied against any environmental pollution and all the illegitimate industries and companies should be banned The decentralisation of industries and offices can be effective as it would reduce the number of people currently living in this city Job opportunities and other facilities should be improved in the rural areas so that people can manage works in their own cities and villages other than coming to this city The education and morality are two important aspects that help people understand the necessity of keeping the city clean and healthy Your favourite entertainment in your free time I studies during this week, and I have only sunday of I go to the school every morning Sometime I was work even on sunday And I am attending an evening class improve my english I am very busy with my study When I have free time, I read book, newspaper, magazine, listen to music There are many kinds of music avaliable on tapes including everything : rock, pop, dance Sometime I go to shopping with my friends and my relative We often go to the supermaket example : Big C, Vincom, Metro Sometime I go to the zoo, park but my favourite entertaiment is collection stamp I collection stamp when I 15 year old Now I have 500 in collection stamp : bird, tree, person… Your idea of an interesting job To prepare for a good job, we must be highly education acording to me Most people who are going to professional work must have additional formal education beyond the high school level The amount of time needed for with their education varies acording to me the profesion for with they are preparing themselves They must go to colleges and universities to became an engineer, a architect, a lawyer a professor, a science I opinion an interesting job it tobe helpful to ourselves, our families, our country and the society We will be able to choose a career that suits us best and to lead a happy and useful life As for my career : I would like to become a businessman I will travel to foreign countries to transact business, visit various places of interest, contact with all kinds of people and have chances to communicate with them in english I hope that my dream would came true in the very near future 10 Your favourite sport Sport is necessary for everyone Sport not only brings good heath for every body but also brings joy ment for many elderly to live longer so acording to me Sport is good for our heath Most people like sport So I, I like sport because sport is my favourite entertaiment in my free time Futhermore sport is good health for me I like two sport, it is soccer and badminton When I have free time I play badminton with my roommate I play soccer at the last week, I play soccer with my friends class room We are formation the team football I like many football team national example : Manchester United-it football team in england and Real Madrit-it football team in Spain I would like to become a footballer I wish my dream can be true 11 What would you if you were a rich person A rich person No, I don't think because I am not rich But if I were a rich person I would buy a big house in capital and a new limosine Second : I would go to the shopping with my relationship and my friend We go to the some supermaket pasion, vimac, metro I would to travel by air, It more comfortable I would visit to all beautiful places in our country; an around the world : I would travel to Paris, Rome, Newyork, Moscow, China I would see The Eiffel tower, Vatican city, the Statue of Liberty, the Red Square and the temple Tamahal Further more if I were a rich person, I would like go to South Africa see World Cup 12 Advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city As we know, living in a big city is supplied move facilities than anywhere esle However, there are advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city First, I think living in a big city dwellers are provided a lot of society services, such as health care, education, good job and they have much chance to contac or work with foreigners, residents can easily travel fast, thanks to good infrastructure In addtion that, social services help life be easy and comfortable On the other hand, people living in a big city have to suffer from many disadvantages : smoke rising from factories and all kinds of vehicle on the streets makes environment polluted and influence people's health The noise all day and night makes their minds tense Traffic jams happen every day 13 Tell about yourself: Today, I’m very happy to introduce my self My name’s Hải My full name’s Vũ Ngọc Hải I’m twenty years old I’m a first-year student at Thái Nguyên University of Technology My major is mechanical engineering I’m very busy with my studies at school I’m from Cẩm Thủy district, Thanh Hóa province Now I live alone in a rental house near here Everything is still new to me I live in here without my family, my friends… So sometime I feel so sad about that However, I’m believe that I’ll make some friends soon Maybe you’re… I have many hobbies I like playing badminten, swimming, eatting ice-cream in winter, walking in the rain and many other hobbies… In my free time, I usually read books or listen to rock mussic My favourite rock band is The Wall I like the songs by this band Especially I like learning English because English is an international language English is very important for my career in the future When I was child, I wanted to be a teacher like my mother But now my dream is to become a good and a successful engineer in the future I want to make a lot of money I want to have a successful career and a happy family I wish my dream could come true someday I love my life because It’s very wonderful Finally Thanks for your listening!! 14 Tell about your mother: There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my little brother and me My mother is the person I love most in my family Her name’s Hòa She is forty-three years old She is a primary school principal She is not very beautiful, but there is something attractive about her Her face is oval with big black eyes and red lips, which are always smiling She has long black hair, a slim build and a fair complexion Her character is admirable She is very sweet and kind to her husband and children She never gets angry with anyone As a simple person, she does not like wearing expensive clothes and jewels She is very busy with her teaching from early morning until late at night I love my mother very much I miss her a lot when I am away from her for a long time When I am free, I help my mother with the washing, cooking and errands I always obey and respect my mother and try to study hard to please her I wish she would live with me forever 15 Tell about your brother: There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my older brother and me My older brother is the person who understands me best in my family His name is Dương He’s twenty-eight years old He has been maried for five years He is married to a woman named Lan They have two children Their son Nam is four years old and their daughter Huệ is only one year old He is an electrician by profession He works very hard He is very busy with his work from early morning until late at night But he try to spare much time for his family He is not only handsome but also smart Especially, he smiles a lot and when he laughs he makes me laugh too He always makes everyone laugh by his funny stories He is very friendly with everybody He never gets angry with anyone We are both Manchester United fans We love everything relate to MU We usually watch and comment about MU matches It helps us to understand each other better, and makes us happier He always gives me advice as well as money when I run into trouble I’m so proud of him and love him so much!! 16 Tell about your best friend: Everyone of us has at least one best friend Me too, my best friend is a friend who studied in high school with me At that time, I was very bad at English, and it was him helped me improve my English His name is Dương, he is not only handsome but also smart Especially, he smiles a lot and when he laughs he makes me laugh too We studied in high school together We went to school together everyday May be, we are together on every activities Even that we skipped class to play billiards, play Age of Empire game together Although we played game very much, but we was still study very well, because we helped each other in study and never forget to exercise at school We get along very well He understands me and me too We have a lot of the same characters May be those thing made some misunderstanding between him and me But all things had solved Now, we are studying at University, and often get in touch together Indeed, I enjoy him very much 17 Tell about your family: My name’s Hải I’m twenty years old I’m a first-year student at Thái Nguyên University of Technology My major is mechanical engineering Today, I’m very happy to introduce my family There are four people in my family: my father, my mother, my little brother and me My family has lived in Thanh Hóa city since I was born in 199x The first person I want to tell about is my father He is forty-three years old He is a mechanic He works very hard He was very strict when I was child, but he is a person I respect most He knows how to motivate people Especially, I and my father are Manchester United fans We love everything relate to MU We usually watch and comment about MU matches That helps us to understand each other better, and makes us happier With me, he is both a father and a close friend The second person I want to tell about is my mother She is forty-three years old She is a teacher Her character is admirable She is very sweet and kind to her husband and children She never gets angry with anyone As a simple person, she does not like wearing expensive clothes and jewels She is very busy with her teaching from early morning until late at night Finally, I want tell about my little brother He is only six years old He’s really intelligent – really funny My family is really happy home I love my family very much!! 18 Tell about your favourite food and drink: Vietnam is a tropical country So there are many kinds of food and drink to choose My favourite food is Phở Every Vietnamese know a noodle soup which is named Phở They all like Phở and eager to enjoy it Phở has been known as a delicious and nutrient dish It’s Vietnamese national soul food There are two main kinds of Phở: Phở with beef and Phở with chicken I can eat it everyday without boring Besides, I like all kinds of fruits such as banana, mango, orange, apple… When I was child, I very hated eating green vegetables At the first time, I felt that it was really horrible But now I like eating most green vagetables Because green vegetables contain many types of vitamins and minerals It very good for health I like drinking green tea Green tea help to prevent cancer When I feel tired, bored, sad and very sleepy I often drink a glass of green tea It will help me recover Besides, I also like drinking beer So when I’m free, I often go to pub with my friends 19 Tell about your weekdays: My name’s Hải I’m very happy to introduce my weekdays I’m a student so I’m very busy with my studies I usually get up at about half past five in the morning I never get out of bed after o’clock in the morning except Sunday Then I brush my teeth and wash my face I have breakfast with milks or bread After that I go to university I often go to university on foot I leave my house at half past six and come my class at quarter to seven My lesson starts at quarter to seven and finish at half past eleven in the morning Then I come back my house and cook lunch I’ve a quick nap after lunch I get up at about two o’clock in the afternoon Then I my homework I go to market at about half past five in the afternoon After that I cook dinner I’ve dinner at six o’clock in the evening I go to English Clup, after dinner And I com back house at half past eight in the evening Then I my homework At about half past eleven I go to bed I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pilow In my free time, I usually listen to music, read books, watch TV or learn English At weekends, I often visit my relation My life isn’t very exciting but I really like it I love my life Finally Thanks for your listening!! 20 Tell about your favourite thing: My favourite subject is English It is not surprise that my favourite thing is my dictionary It is very important to me I like to look up words in my dictionary My mother decided to buy that dictionary years ago It is a gift which my mother gave me in my birthday My mother bought it in Tiền Phong bookshop Athough it isn't new and beautiful, but I really like it I like the blue color It's clear, fantastic and comfortable I can use it very easily It has got many words It helps me to check meaning of vocabulary words and pronunciation It consists of good structures and clear examples Sometimes, I feel interested in idioms in it I always bring my dictionary to my class So I make progress in learning English I love my dictionary! 21 Tell about your hobby: I have many hobbies such as reading, traveling, playing sports, watching TV, swimming… But I like reading books best I often reading books whenever and wherever I can For examples at weekends, on holidays or before going to bed… When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me a story before I went to bed The stories were so interesting that always felt they weren’t enough So I began to read books by myself I always lose myself in the interesting stories I enjoy reading very much, because books bring me a colourful and limitless world In the past years, most of my knowledge has been obtained from books Books can also teach me how to be a good person Books even can solve many problems for me I will read more good books to improve myself Reading has become a part of my life Everyday, I spend some time reading books, newspapers and magazines I have great fun in reading I love reading!! 22 Tell about a famous person: There are many famous people in the world One of them is Lionel Andrés Messi He was born on June 24, 1987 in the city of Rosario, Argentina Everyone knows him now as the best football player in the world In fact, a lot of people say he might become the greatest player ever He also helped his club team Barcelona win the European Champions League and the World Club Championship Messi grew up playing football He joined his first club when he was five Messi started breaking records as soon as he played his first game for Barcelona He became the youngest footballer ever to play a La Liga game and the youngest to score a goal He helped his team win the league in his first season Messi has an amazing career ahead of him He is set to shine in South Africa Many football experts compare him to the legendary Pele and Maradona This World Cup could be the stage for him to show people he really is the best His skills on the ball, ability to get past defenders and his goal-scoring are breathtaking Top soccer coach Arsene Wenger said Messi is “like a PlayStation He takes advantage of every mistake teams make” He is my football idol! 23 Tell about life in Vietnam: Most Vietnamese people live in houses Most house have gardens But in the city centre most people live in tenements not houses Most office workers go to work from seven o’clock to eleven o’clock in the morning They have lunch with their family They usually have short nap after lunch Then they go to work at about two o’clock and finish at five o’clock in the afternoon They come back home and have dinner in their house after work Children go to school at about quarter to seven and finish at eleven o’clock in the morning After school, they come back home and have lunch with their parents In the afternoon, children go to school at about two o’clock and finish at about half past five Children start primary school when they are six years old and leave high school when they are eighteen years old Shops open at about seven o’clock in the morning and close at about six o’clock in the evening Normally, they don’t close for lunch Most shops open on a Sunday, too Markets and supermarkets close at about nine o’clock in the evening, but most pubs and restaurens close at about eleven o’clock in the evening At the weekend, Most people often visit relations or go to the picnic Vietnam is a beautiful country and Vietnamese people are not only friendly and lovely but they also are very intelligent and hard working I love life in Vietnam! 24 Tell about your past life: I was born and grew up in Thanh Hóa province It is a poor countryside Being born and grew up in a contryside, I found that people are good-natured and good-hearted, plain and hard-working I was their first son I think when I was born, my parents were very happy I could speak when I was one year old My wishes were started when I was a child I wanted to be a teacher like my mother I wanted to make a lot of money I started primary school when I was six I learned how to ride a bike when I was ten That was the happiest time of my life When I was eighteen, I left high school and I took an entrance examination to Thái Nguyên University of Technology Luckily, I got into Thái Nguyên University of Technology You know, before I was so bad at English But when I got to university, I realize that English was very important for me, for my job in the future So I started gettting interesed in English I am still trying to learn English everyday! 25 My favourite food There are a lot of foods but I like meat best I think that everyone always eats meat and meat is popular food Meat is sold everywhere For example: Supermarket, Market Everybody always buys meat for the big party because it is delicious and cheap Meat has a lot of proteins, if everyone eats a lot of meat they are intelligent and strong that’s the reason Why everyone eats meat I like meat but sometimes I don’t eat meat because I have to change different food each day otherwise I will become fatter if I always eat only meat However, I like meat best 26 Life in the city Life in the city is full of activity Early in the morning hundreds of people rush out of their homes in the manner ants when their nest is broken Soon the streets are full of traffic Shops and offices open, students flock to their schools and the day's work begins The city now throb with activity, and it is full of noise Hundreds of sightseers, tourists and others visit many places of interest in the city while businessmen from various parts of the world arrive to transact business Then towards evening, the offices and day schools begin to close Many of the shops too close There is now a rush for buses and other means of transport Everyone seems to be in a hurry to reach home As a result of this rush, many accidents occur One who has not been to the city before finds it hard to move about at this time Soon, however, there is almost no activity in several parts of the city These parts are usually the business centres With the coming of night, another kind of act vity begins The streets are now full of colorful ị lights The air is cooler and life becomes more leisurely People now seek entertainment Many visit the cinemas, parks and clubs, while others remain indoors to watch television or listen to the radio Some visit friends and relatives and some spend their time reading books and magazines Those who are interested in politics discuss the latest political developments At the same time, hundreds of crimes are committed Thieves and robbers who wait for the coming of night become active, and misfortune descends upon many For the greed of a few, many are killed, and some live in constant fear To bring criminals to justice, the officers of the law are always on the move Workers and others who seek advancement in their careers attend educational institutions which are open till late in the night Hundreds of them sit for various examinations every year The facilities and opportunities that the people in the city have to further their studies and increase their knowledge of human affairs are indeed many As a result, the people of the city are usually better informed than those of the village, where even a newspaper is sometimes difficult to get The city could, therefore, be described as a place of ceaseless activity Here, the drama of life is enacted every day 27 Living in a multiracial community Living in a community where there are people of various races could be a rewarding and an exciting experience Such a community is like a small world with many types and races of people in it Everyone, young or old, enjoys listening to stories about people in other lands We read books and newspapers to learn about the habits, customs and beliefs) of people who not belong to our race, but when we live in a community composed of many races, we have the opportunity to meet and talk with people or various races We can learn about their customs and beliefs directly from them In this way, w have a better understanding of their ways of life For ẹ example, in Singapore and Malaysia, which are known as multiracial countries, Malays, Chinese, Indians and others have lived together for several decades They have learnt a lot about the cultures of one another, more than what they could have learnt by reading books or newspapers By living together, they have also absorbed many of the habits of one another to their common benefit Further, living in a multiracial community teaches us how to respect the views and beliefs of people of other races We learn to be tolerant and to understand and appreciate the peculiarities of those who are not of our race In this way, we learn to live in peace and harmony with foreigners whose ways of life are different from ours in several respects We become less suspicious of strangers and foreigners The relationship that develops among the people from common understanding in a multi racial community makes life in such a community very exciting Any celebration of any race becomes a celebration of all the other races Thus, there is a lot of fun and excitement during every celebration In this way, better understanding is promoted among the peoples of the world Through each of the races of the people in a multiracial community, we come to know about their respective countries For example, through the Chinese and the Indians in Malaysia or Singapore we have come to know much about China and India As a result, we have a better understanding of the peoples of China and India as a whole It could therefore be said that life in a multiracial community teaches us many useful lessons in human relations 28 A visit to a famous city A few months ago my father and I visited Singapore, one of the most famous cities in Asia Singapore, a small island, lies at the southern and of West Malaysia A long and narrow piece of land joins Singapore with Johore Hahru, the southernmost town of West Malaysia Singapore is now an independent The city of Singapore is extremely beautiful It is well known for its centres of business and other activities There are many places of interest such as the Tiger Balm Garden, the Botanical Gardens and Raffles Museum There are also many important centres of learning such as the University of Singapore, Science Centre, the Nanyang University and the Polytechnic Being a famous city, hundreds of people come every day from various parts of the world to business or to enjoy the sights of the city Singapore therefore has large and beautiful airports and its harbours are full of ships There are many night schools where people who cannot go to the day schools for some reason or other can continue their studies And, the government of Singapore is still doing its best to make further improvements in the city for the benefit of the people During my stay in Singapore, I went out every day with my father to see the beautiful and interesting places and things in the city One day we went to the Tiger Balm Garden where I saw several statues of people, animals and other strange creature beautifully made and kept The sea near this garden makes this a pleasant place to visit We spent almost half of the day at this place Another day we visited the museum where I saw hundreds of curious things preserved for scholars and others It was indeed an education to see all those things There is so much to learn here that every visit by any person is sure to add to his knowledge I also visited some of the harbours and saw the large ships anchored there The sight of the ships aroused a desire in me to cross the oceans and go round the world I was indeed deeply impressed by the activities at the harbour Then every night, I went round the town and visited some of the parks and other places of interest The numerous sights and the constant stream of traffic kept the city alive I visited a few of the cinemas as well In short, I enjoyed every moment of my stay in this famous city of Singapore 29 An unusual opportunity I had Seldom does one have opportunity of seeing a fight between a tiger and a crocodile I, however, had this opportunity one day when I went with my father into a forest in search of some wild plants I had never been to a forest before Therefore, whatever I saw in the forest interested me greatly I looked t the rich vegetation all round as well as the variety of colourful flowers and birds, large and small I saw the activity of some of the wild creatures, such as snakes, squirrels and insects Occasionally, I heard the cry of some strange animal in pain, perhaps while being eaten by a larger animal I also heard some rustling noises in the undergrowth; but I was not afraid of all these Such things, I knew, were natural to the forest My father whose only interest was in the type of plants he wanted for my mother's garden, however, paid little attention to the sounds and movements in these green depths He continued his search for more and more of those plants until we reached one of the banks of a large river in the forest There we stopped for a while to enjoy the sights around The scene was peaceful Then, to our surprises and honor, we saw a tiger on the other side of the river It was moving quietly and cautiously towards the water for a drink A hush fell upon the jungle My father and I were now too frightened to move from there However, as the tiger put its mouth into the river there was a sudden swirl of the waters, and before the tiger could rush out, it was seized by a huge crocodile The tiger's howl of pain and anger filled me and my father with terrors Yet we waited there to see the end of the struggle between these two lords of the forest and the river The crocodile had the advantage from the beginning It used all its strength to pull the tiger deeper into the water, and the tiger too fought desperately to free itself from the jaws of the merciless reptile; but the tiger soon gave up the struggle and all was quiet again I now felt pity for the tiger which had died just to slake its thirst Then, my father reminded me of the narrow escape that we had ourselves had If the tiger had been on this side of the river, one of us might have died in the way the tiger did, a victim of animal appetite And as we were returning home, I began to think of the struggle for life and savagery that lurks beneath peaceful scenes 29 The value of libraries A good library is an ocean of information, whose boundaries continue to extend with the endless contribution of the numerous streams of knowledge Thus, it has a peculiar fascination for scholars, and all those whose thirst for knowledge is instable The usefulness of libraries in the spread of knowledge has been proved through the years The field of knowledge is so extensive and life is so brief that even the most avid reader can never expect to absorb it all Those who have a love for knowledge, therefore, try to master only a small fraction of it Even this requires reading of hundreds of books, cheap and expensive, new and old But few people are able to buy all the books on the subject in which they wish to attain proficiency It is therefore necessary for them to visit a good library, where they can read a great variety of books on the subject they love Besides, many old and valuable books on certain subjects are found only in a good library Even the original manuscript of an author, who died several years ago, can be found in it, sometimes Today, men everywhere have discovered the benefits of learning More and more books are being written to extend human knowledge and experience Governments and individuals throughout the world are, therefore, opening more and more libraries to enable people to read as many books as possible Libraries have been opened even in the remotest regions of the earth, so that people who are unable to buy books from the towns can still gain access to the various sources of knowledge Mobile libraries serve the people in various parts of the earth The importance of libraries, however, is felt most acutely by students in schools and universities, where most students are engaged in deep studies The number of books that a student has to study, especially at a university, is so large that unless he comes from a rich family, he can hardly buy them all Besides, many of the books may not be available in the bookshops within his reach It is therefore to his advantage to visit a good library Some people even have then own private libraries in which they spend their leisure, reading the books that they have collected over the years and drive great intellectual benefit and pleasure In short, libraries have contributed so much to the extension of knowledge that they have become almost indispensable to all literate men 30 A horrible sight On the main roads of West Malaysia accidents occur almost every day Most of them are caused by young drivers who are long of speed The recklessness has caused the death of even careful drivers What I am about to relate concems the death of some young people, resulting from the reckless driving of a young man On the day in question, I was travelling with my brother to Ipoh As my brother's car was old, he had to drive slowly We left Singapore, our hometown, very early in the morning, so that we could reach our destination before The slow journey soon made me so tired that I fell asleep However, we broke our Journey at Yong Peng, a small town in Johore for some refreshment When we resumed our journey, we saw a number of badly damaged vehicles in front of the Police Station of that town My brother then began to talk about the various accidents that he had seen on that road I began to grow uneasy about the rest of the journey My brother had told me that most of the accidents occurred within a few miles of that town I now began to fear for our own safety Then, suddenly, a car, running at great speed, outtook our car My brother then predicted that the car would be involved in an accident soon After that my heart began to beat fast The car was soon out of sight My brother, however, assured me that I would have an opportunity to see a very bad accident, and sure enough, we soon arrived at a distressing scene The car that had overtaken our car was in a ditch and four young girls were lying dead on the roadside Their faces and clothes were covered with blood Some people were trying to extricate the other occupants, including the young driver, who were still alive in the car But all of a sudden, the car was on fire, and their efforts failed Thus, the occupants in the car were burnt alive, and it was indeed heartrending to hear their last screams Soon a fire engine and the police arrived with an ambulance, but it was too late This was indeed a horrible sight, and even today the mention of accidents reminds me of those piteous screams of the dying ones in that car 31 Discuss the part that money plays in our lives Money plays an important part in our lives In several aspects, it is the most important thing in life It is therefore much sought after Without money we could not buy our food, clothes and all the other things that we need to live comfortably We require money to travel, to buy medicine when we are ill and also to pay for the services rendered to us by others In truth, money is almost indispensable to our survival Most of our activities are therefore directed towards earning as much money as possible We use money not only to meet the basic needs of life but also to pay for our own advancement We use it for education which helps us to live a better life Thousands of students are unable to attend school or continue their studies for want of money Lack of money also causes great hardship and sorrow in hundreds of families Thousands of people are dying everyday throughout the world because they are not able to pay their doctors fee or because they cannot buy nutritious food As money is so important, many crimes are committed everyday in all parts or the world to gain possession of it Some are driven by hunger and desperation to steal, rob, and even kill to get at least what they require to keep body and soul together Others commit the most serious crimes out of sheer greed for money Such people cause much trouble and unpleasantness in society, and to bring them to justice, large sums of money are spent by every government Today, millions of dollars are being spent by the various governments in the world for the betterment of the people Numerous schools and hospitals are being built, and hundreds of acres or land are being cultivated to produce more food for the growing population of the world As a result, the world is gradually becoming a better place to live in At the same time, however, much money is being wasted in producing deadly weapons of war Countries which have more money than the others have become more powerful by strengthening their armed forces This has led to rivalries among the powerful nations, and several parts of the world are in turmoil All this shows what an important part money plays in human affairs 32 Science and its effects One of the most striking features of the present century is the progress of science and its effects on almost every aspect of social life Building on the foundation laid by the predecessors, the scientists of today are carrying their investigation into everwidening fields of knowledge Modern civilization depends largely on the scientist and inventor We depend on the doctor who seeks the cause and cure of disease, the chemist who analyses our food and purifies our water, the entomologist who wages war on the insect pests, the engineer who conquers time and space, and a host of other specialists who aid in the development of agriculture and industry The advance of science and technology has brought the different parts of the world into closer touch with one another than ever before We are able to reach distant lands within a very short time We are also able to communicate with people far away by means of the telephone and the wireless The invention of the printing machine has made it possible for us to learn from books and newspapers about people in other lands Indeed, man's curiosity and resourcefulness have been responsible for the steady stream of inventions that have created our civilization At the same time, however, there have been harmful effects Our machine civilization is responsible for numerous accidents and industrial rivalries among nations Everyday hundreds of people are dying from serious wounds and injuries Further, the rapid tempo of modern life results in widespread nervous disorder Moreover, science, which has helped man to secure control over nature, has also made it possible for him to develop more deadly weapons or war More and more countries are competing with one another in the production of war material But in these instances the fault lies not with science, but rather with man’s intention to misuse the discoveries of science Science is admittedly the dominating intellectual force of the modern age 33 The rights and duties of a citizen Almost every modern state, especially a democracy, allows its citizens several rights; but in return, it expects its citizens to perform certain duties Among the rights enjoyed by the citizen in a democracy are the right to pursue his own affairs as he prefers; the right to express his views, however silly they may appear to others, and the right to move about as he pleases The citizen is considered so important that his rights are protected by the law of the state, and whenever they are infringed, he can secure redress But in a totalitarian state, the rights of the citizen are so restricted that he has practically no freedom The citizen is supposed to exist for the state His interests are always subordinated to those of the state Thus, his duties exceed his rights Even in a democracy, however, the citizen is expected to exercise his rights within the limits of the law He should not or say anything that may affect the rights of others In exercising his right to act as he pleases, for example, he should not try to elope with another man's wife or say anything slanderous about her or anyone In the same way, his actions should not cause injury or damage to any individual or his property He cannot kill as he pleases If his conduct infringes the rights of others, then those who have been affected by his misconduct could take legal action against him and he will be punished according to the law of the state In this way, the state protects its citizens and their rights from the thoughtlessness of any individual in the state This means, of course, that every citizen in the state is expected to his duty to his fellow citizens The citizen is also expected to give his services for the protection of the state in times of war, and to maintain law and order in his state, at all times Thus every citizen who is conscious of his rights should also be conscious of his duties to the state and his fellow citizens 34 The most important day in my life The most important day in my life was the day when my parents decided to send me to school I was then about seven years old I had been playing with the children living around my house for some years I had no thought of ever going to school I enjoyed playing to catch fish from the shallow streams near by Sometimes we went to the forest to catch birds and squirrels, and I had always thought that life would continue to be the same for me But, one day, to my great sorrow, my parents suddenly announced that I was no longer to play about and that I was to go to a school Words can hardly describe how sad I felt at the thought of having to go to a school I had often heard that school teachers were very strict and cruel I had also been told that there were many difficult subjects to learn in school and I could not bear the thought of being compelled to learn them But everything had been decided for me and I had no choice but to go to school Soon after I was admitted to school, however, I discovered to my great joy that learning in school was a pleasure I began to learn about the people and other wonderful things spread throughout the world The teachers were very kind and friendly and they often told many interesting stories The subjects that they taught were also very interesting as a result of all this, I began to take a keen interest in my lessons and I no longer wanted to waste my time playing about Today, I am older and I am in a secondary school, learning more and more about the world around us The knowledge that I have gained has enriched my mind and I have a better understanding of human problems I am also able to speak the English language with some ease, and I know that my knowledge of English will prove of great value in all my future activities I also know that if I can pass all my examinations, I will some day occupy an important position in some profession I might even become a minister in the government of my country or a wellknown person in some way Therefore, when I now think of the day when my parents arrived at the decision to send me to school, I am filled with love for them That was indeed the most important day in my life, a day which has changed the whole course of my life 35 The subject I consider most important Of all the subjects that I study in school, I think that English is the most important subject It is mainly through the English language that we gain access to the various sources of knowledge English is a language which is spoken and understood by many people in most countries of the world It is, in fact, the most important means of communication among the vanous countries of the wodd Knowledge of new discoveries and inventions in one country is transmitted to other countries through English for the benefit of the world In this way English helps to spread knowledge and progress It is true, however, that in the modern age, the study of Science and Mathematics too should be considered very important Science has conferred many benefits in man But it requires little thought to realise that scientific principles cannot be understood well without a good knowledge of a language And, though other languages such as German and Russian are important in the world of Science, it is English that plays the most important role in spreading scientific knowledge There is in fact no branch of study that has not been communicated in English The original writings of great scientists, economists, philosophers, psychologists and others who did not speak and write the English language have all been translated into English Therefore, one who has a good knowledge of English has access to all the sources of information Further, as the English language is used by people of different lands and cultures, it has become very rich It contains so many words, ideas and thoughts that a good knowledge of English enriches the mind and enables one to express oneself well It also helps one to think better and to understand the people of other lands It is for all these reasons that I consider English the most important subject in school [...]... important in the world of Science, it is English that plays the most important role in spreading scientific knowledge There is in fact no branch of study that has not been communicated in English The original writings of great scientists, economists, philosophers, psychologists and others who did not speak and write the English language have all been translated into English Therefore, one who has a good knowledge ... knowledge There is in fact no branch of study that has not been communicated in English The original writings of great scientists, economists, philosophers, psychologists and others who did not speak