今天为
TASK1
1. What do you think is the best way for the tourists to know a city?
1) Taking an organized tour
2) Visiting the museums in the city
3) Walking down the city streets
Please give specific reasons and details to support your idea.
Personally speaking, the best way for the tourists to know a city is taking an organized tour. First, it is more efficient that touring in a strange city with guides. This helps us have an access to more professional information about the city. And we may get discounts in terms of the accommodation and flight tickets. Second, in fact most things in the museums have little relation to the city’s customs. And it is only a matter of time before we get distracted. Third, walking down the city streets easily leads to that we focus more on eating and shopping and ignore other aspects of the city.
2. Talk about the biggest change in your country over the past twenty years. Please include specific examples and details in your explanation.
During the past twenty years, there have been many changes taken place in my country-China. The biggest change is the generalization of new technologies. Take the Internet as an example. My parents never thought about booking restaurants or buying books only by using one finger pressing on the screen before. Nowadays, we can use the Internet to search the knowledge that we don't understand, buy film tickets in a lower price, and hand out homework at weekend and so on. We are doing things which our parents haven't expected. Citizens' lives have become more and more convenient after the digital technology comes into popular in China.
3. Talk about a popular actor, musician, or artist whose work you do not admire. Explain with details.
I’d like to talk about a Taiwanese pop singer. There are lots of rap parts in his songs, and this is one of the main reasons why I don’t like him-that I’m not a big fan of the rap music. For most of the time I don’t understand what he is trying to say in his songs. They simply don’t make sense to me. The other thing is that he likes to show off a lot. I mean, he boasts a lot and he is too talkative for me to appreciate his personality. There’s one time that I watched a ceremony he hosted, he almost talked the whole time, which was even kind of embarrassing for his partner.
4. Your friend always feels nervous when speaking in front of a large group of people. What suggestions would you give to your friend to overcome this fear?
The following suggestions may be useful for him/her to overcome this fear. First, practice makes perfect. Don’t waste any chance of speaking in public. For this, he/she can practice in front of relatives and friends first and then practice in front of some new friends. Second, be prepared for the speech. He/she may forget the lines during the presentation. This means he/she should spend the time writing a draft or making a note card. So that if unfortunately he/she forgets the lines, he/she can refer to the key points.
5. Teaching is a challenging profession. Even the best teacher can make mistakes. What are the common mistakes a teacher can make?
Well, I think a common mistake that even experienced teachers tend to make is how to attract students’ attention. Perhaps a lot of teachers are really knowledgeable and prepare the classes hard enough, but they don't know how to interact and design the courses. So we may find it difficult to concentrate in class. For example, I remember when I was in my junior high school, my biology teacher was quite experienced, but she only read textbooks, like “frogs, are a kind of amphibian…”. We tried so hard to focus, but it was only a matter of time before everyone got distracted. Honestly, we do want our teacher to interact and communicate more with us, making the class both fun and academic.
6. Sometimes people behave impolitely in public. Describe a behavior you find inconsiderate, explain why.
In my opinion, discussion during the movie is really annoying and impolite. Coz the cinema is a public space, and the process of watching a movie is private, we need a quite environment to get totally involved in the plots; any discussion will be extremely unwelcome and disturbing. Like last week, I went to the theatre to watch the newly released blockbuster, Warcraft. Two girls sitting beside me were constantly making noises, talking, eating popcorn and even giggling, other audience including me were extremely offended, we tried to stop them but failed. Eventually, they were forced to leave, but our precious watching experience was totally ruined!
7. Choose one of the following natural environment and explain why you would like to live there most: mountain, forest, desert, prairie, seashore or somewhere else? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
If I were to choose, I would pick living by the seashore. One reason is I can be closer to nature. There are many species of plants and animals, some of them are exotic and quite fascinating. I can walk on the sand, enjoy the breathtaking view and listen to the sound of seagulls. Life on the seashore is much fun and colorful because there are also many activities I can engage in such as surfing, playing volleyball and so on.
8. Police officers, transportation workers or building designers, which do you think is the most important to a city? Please use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.
As far as I am concerned, I would probably say police officers are the most significant to a city. There are two reasons for it. First of all, police officers are trying their very best to protect people from getting harmed physically and financially. According to a survey, Chinese police officers are one of the best in the world. They are able to solve crime cases efficiently. In addition, people will feel safe under the protection of police officers. For example, because of police officers, there is no need for people to worry about being robbed when carrying much money with them.
9. Your countries now take measures to attract a large amount of foreign tourists to their tourism sites. Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of attracting a large amount of foreign tourists to tourism sites, give examples to illustrate your points.
The advantages of these measures are very obvious. The more tourists attracted, the more tickets sold and the more revenues made. Governments can use this money to repair and maintain these tourism sites. Having more people visit these sites is also good for a country’s public image. There are some shortcomings as well. Some of the famous tourism sites in China suffer from a heavy load of visitors. It’s a shame that some people carve their names in trees and buildings. These marks are ugly and they last forever.
10. Describe a day that you enjoyed the most or was the most special to you. Include reasons and details to support your response.
Well, the most important day for me is the college graduating ceremony last summer. Because that's the last day I spent at school and after that, I would say goodbye to all my student life. I still remember that in this ceremony, a lot of professors and students gave speeches and we received the diplomas individually and after that we went out and took pictures with classmates and professors around the campus. The last day is seriously. I remember I spent at school and after that I would be on a new page so I felt really excited about it.
11. Which of the following do you think is the most difficult and challenging for university students?
1) Being far away from families
2) Finding time to relax
3) Making new friends
Please give specific reasons and details to support your idea.
As I am prepared to go to study in a foreign country, I can imagine that making new friends there must be the most challenging one. First, as a non-native speaker, I cannot communicate with the native speakers very well. As a result, I may stay indoors without contact with the locals. To immerse myself in the local environment, I need to learn how to speak the language so that I can trade ideas with the local people and make new friends with them. Second, I might also feel uncomfortable to speak with people from different countries. I may find it hard to express myself and difficult to swap ideas with other people partly due to my personality. So I need to become open and feel free to talk to the locals. And thus I can make new friends and feel no longer lonely.
12. Describe a time that disappointed you, what happened and what’s your respond?
Well, I would like to say last summer. Lily, one of my best friend, was supposed to pick me up at New York airport but she failed to come because she had no other choice but to finish her paper, or she may fail in her final grade. At first, I felt disappointed because it was the first time to come to this mega city and I am quite unfamiliar with the whole situation. Most importantly, Lily broke her promise. However, I showed my understanding to her, and comfort her by saying I might be able to call a taxi to reach her campus.
13. Which of the following groups would you like to join?
1) Campus newspaper
2) Hiking club
3) Dorm improvement committee
Please give specific reasons and details to support your idea.
Without doubt, I would like to join hiking club. There are several reasons for it. First and most important one is I am a big fan of nature. It offers a great opportunity for me to get close to nature, enjoying the sunshine, breathing fresh air as well as listening to birds’ singing. Besides, in this club, I am able to make some friends who have much in common with me. It will be great to go hiking with some people regularly. You won’t feel bored while hiking. You could also encourage each other when having difficulty going to the top. Furthermore, hiking is beneficial to my health. It could also give me a sense of achievement after I reach the top of a mountain.
14. Which of the following three occupations do you prefer to be?
1) An actor or actress
2) A computer programmer
3) A business owner
Please use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.
As for me, I would definitely like to be a business owner. First, it would be an exciting challenge for me to be in charge of a company and make most profit from it. I always dream to be a founder of a company and have the capability to manage it, just like my father who runs successfully a company for construction materials. What’s more, once I am succeed, I can be a good manager and make my company as a life-long enterprise from generation to generation. This benefit can’t be provided by neither actress nor computer programmer.
15. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: technology devices distance people far more now than before. Please include specific examples and details in your explanation.
I do agree with the statement that technology devices distance people. In the past, there were not so many ways for people to communicate with each other. The most commonly adopted way would be face to face communication. In recent years, new approaches of communication have been introduced, such as texting, calling as well as video chat. People are reluctant to talk with their friends and family in person. All the messages could be delivered instantly just by using their fingers. Spring festival is no longer a time when every family member gets together to spend some quality time. Instead, everybody keeps looking at their mobile phones. The relationship in a family is getting more and more indifferent. In addition, some young people are addicted to computer games so that they prefer to stay at home all the time.
16. Which of the following do you think the school should invest to improve student life: 1) Technology 2) Sports facilities 3) Research. Please give specific reasons and details to support your idea.
As far as I am concerned, schools are supposed to invest into sports facilities so that students could enjoy their life more at school. There are several reasons for it. First of all, with more sports facilities, more students could have access to various sports at the same. They don’t have to waste time waiting any more. It is definitely a great way for students to make friends when participating in team sports. Besides, most students in China are suffering from their study. It is not only beneficial to their health, but also it is a great way for them to release their pressure with the use of sports facilities. They could study more efficiently when they are happy and healthy.
17. If you can have a part-time job at the university, what position would you choose: a lab assistant, a campus tour guide or a library assistant? Explain with details.
Personally speaking, I’d like to be a library assistant. There’re a couple of reasons. First of all, being a library assistant would enable me to be exposed to the sea of books. As we all know, libraries are the main study resources for students and there’re novels, encyclopedias and all kinds of reference books thus I could have more chances to read more if I’m a library assistant. In addition, I adore the peaceful environment in the library so I could enjoy the peace and let off my steam if I worked there. Every time I visit the library in my school, the environment there will help me concentrate better.
18. In every culture there are some customs or traditions from the past that young people no longer follow. Describe a custom or tradition which formed in the past but you wish it is still popular today. Give specific reasons why you wish it still popular.
In my point of view, putting up the Spring Festival scrolls to welcome the Chinese New Year should be a popular tradition that young people still ought to follow. As we all know, on Spring Festival’s eve, Chinese people paste red couplets on their gates to enhance the warm traditional festival atmosphere. The poems on the couplets are usually written by calligraphers who use Chinese traditional writing brush and dip it into ink. The red Spring Festival Couplets symbolize good fortune, good health and good luck in the new coming year. So, it’s really an extremely important custom for Chinese people to inherit.
19. Which course about history are you interested in?
1) Science history
2) Art history
3) History of 20th century
Please use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.
Science history is the most interesting course to me. Learning the development of the principles and laws of nature helps people better understand our world. I can discover the reasons behind tides and gravity and find explanations for those mysterious phenomena. Besides, the course teaches me the chemical reactions and biological facts that will help me to improve my life quality. I can get rid of the wine stain on my clothes with salt or boiled water. Also I know when to take in more sugar and when more protein for my different body needs. So if I ever have the chance to learn a history course, I will choose Science history without any hesitation to learn more about those.
20. Your friend has to work a lot. Please suggest a hobby help him spend his weekend in a more delightful way. Explain why. Please include details and examples in your explanation.
Personally, I suggest my friend play group sports, because there are actually lots of benefits. To begin with, one can stretch his body, and that is very good to one's cardio vascular system, and it is a great way to relax and have fun. By playing sports, one can develop the coordination of different parts of the body and be athletic. Additionally, one can socialize with their peers and make new friends. One can also learn the importance of cooperation and responsibility when playing team sports, they can struggle together for a common goal.
TASK2
1. Do you prefer a big family or a small family? Explain why.
I prefer a big family. I believe living in a big family has many advantages. First, if you grow up in a big family, it is much more interesting and exciting to play games together with your brothers or sisters than do it by yourself. I grow up accompanied by my elder brother and litter sister. We often go out to have a picnic. It is very relaxing. Second, living in a big family means you have a lot of people to turn to when you meet setbacks and difficulties. With their love, you can soon pluck up courage to overcome the problems.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that it is important for young people to learn skills like cooking, sewing and caring for others? Please include reasons and details in your response.
Personally, I definitely think that young people should learn to do household tasks. First, they can develop many important qualities through learning domestic skills. They will learn how to be a responsible person, and that is a cornerstone for them to become a better person. During this process, they will also get a sense of achievement if they do a lot of housework. Additionally, if they have skills like vacuuming the floor, doing laundry, or even walking the dog and doing stuff like that, they can be more independent when they go to a college far away from home.
3. Some people prefer a high-paying job that requires them to travel a lot while others prefer a job that pays less but doesn't require them to travel. Which one do you prefer and why? Please include specific examples and reasons in your response.
I prefer a high-paying job even though it may require a lot of travelling. I will further explain my choice from two aspects. First, I believe travelling can broaden my horizons. I can go to many different places and experience different lifestyles and I don’t even have to pay for the travel expenses. Second, a high-paying job could improve my living standard. I could spend the money as I wish. I could sign up a piano class or travel abroad. I can better support my family and make my parents proud of me.
4. Some people like to listen to audio books, while others like to read paper books. Which do you prefer and why?
Personally I prefer traditional paper books. I have many reasons for my choice. First, reading paper books allows you to read at your own pace. You can even pause for a few minutes if you wish to ponder over the meaning. Second, it’s more convenient for readers to make references, take notes or underline beautiful sentences in a book. Last but not least, books are what an author’s thoughts are all about. You should treasure them up and digest the essence whenever you want to. It is more convenient to scan the contents in a paper book. It is the very advantage that audio books can never match.
5. Some people believe it's essential for a person's education to learn to play a musical instrument while others don't believe music education is important. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.
I think it’s essential for a person to learn to play a musical instrument. There are two reasons why I say so. First, learning to play a musical instrument can give a person a way to express emotion. For example, I have a sister who can play the piano. Every time she was happy or depressed, she would play the piano and it would make her feel better. Second, learning to play a musical instrument makes a person artsy or even develops a person’s artistic talent. Artistic people are more sensitive than normal ones. They can feel something that others can’t feel. This kind of sensation will enrich their lives.
6. Some people prefer to take a vocation in cities, others prefer to spend their vocation in countryside. Which do you prefer? Explain why.
I prefer to spend my vocation in cities for the following reasons. First, there’re so much more to do in a city comparing to being in the countryside. In a city, I’ll never run out of fun activities to do. For example, I can visit museums and watch movies. The things we get to do in the countryside are pretty limited. Second, I don’t drive, so it’s easier for me to get around in a city because there are buses and subways, even taxi services. In a city like Beijing, it’s very convenient to ride the subway which makes it possible for me to visit three to four places in a day.
7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: we learn from failure, not from success. Please give specific reasons and details to support your idea.
I agree that we learn from failure and not from success because we all fail more often than we succeed. And it’s the lessons from these failed attempts that build up our path to our ultimate goal. For example, my father retired as a successful investment banker, but before the last few successful trades towards the end of his career, he actually failed numerous times. There were many times when he overlooked the instability of the companies he was investing in or when he wasn’t able to secure sufficient capital for his fund because he made some verbal mistakes when pitching to his investors. However, all these failures had taught him what he should avoid in the next trade and eventually he succeeded in his goal. Therefore, I believe we learn more from our failure.
8. Some people prefer to share a large house with other students, others prefer to live in a smaller apartment alone. Which one do you prefer? Explain why.
I prefer to live in a large house with others for the following reasons. First, sharing a house with three or four people is much more economical than living by myself. We can split the rent, utility and food cost. All of us can save a lot. We will carpool in the morning, do our part in saving the environment. Second, it’s fun living with a bunch of people. We can enjoy a few beers in the evening without going to a bar, or watch a movie together and talk about it after.
9. Some students prefer to have an early class schedule with classes in the morning. Others prefer to have a late class schedule so they can go to classes in the afternoon. Which one do you prefer? Explain why. Please include reasons and details in your explanation.
For me, having classes in the morning is better because it not only gives me more free time in the afternoon but also prevents me from getting up late. For instance, during every summer and winter break at school, it’s easy for me to sleep until lunchtime or even the afternoon and I always end up wasting almost half of a productive day. However, when I have early classes during the school days, I can go to the library to study or visit some professors at school to discuss any questions I have about the classes. It’s a much better use of time and helps me learn better at school. Therefore, I prefer having morning classes.
10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: parents should not allow their children to participate in any form of sport (football, basketball, ice hockey...) in order to protect their health from any form of injury. Explain why.
Personally, I don't agree with that. I think kids should have their own freedom in choosing the kind of sports they like, including football, ice hockey and basketball. To begin with, although most of the sports can lead to injuries, it should not be decided by the parents which sports is more likely to cause injury. And lots of injuries can be prevented by proper protection, like chest protectors and nice shoes. Additionally, kids can cultivate their competitiveness and build up a strong body, since the above mentioned sports are pretty intensive, and require lots of running back and forth.
11. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: it is easier for people today to lead a healthy life than people 100 years ago. Explain why.
I do agree that people today could live a healthier life than people living in a century ago. To begin with, with the advancement of medicine and technology, some deadly diseases in the past are treatable now. In the past, people might die because of catching a cold. Besides, people today know much more knowledge in terms of how to live healthily. They could start with a balanced diet, eating much vegetable and fruit. Then they are able to do various exercises or sports to maintain their physical health. Last but not least, an increasing number of people become aware of the importance of living a healthy life. They are willing to spend their fortune on it. But people in the past probably care more about their material life.
12. Some students prefer to enter the university immediately after finishing high school. Others prefer to take time off before beginning the university classes. Which do you prefer? Use specific examples and details to explain why.
It’s better to take some time off before going to university. High school is intense and exhausting. Students need a break to release their stress and prepare for their college life. Through talking with different people and traveling to faraway places, they are able to refresh their minds and get ready for the busy life later. In addition, when they are during the break, they have a chance to realize what they really need in the future, so that they can identify themselves and choose the major most suitable for them. It is the most important thing for them instead of squandering their college time away without knowing their value and direction.
13. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that employees should be prohibited to listen to music at work. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
I support the idea that employees should not be allowed to listen to music when they’re doing their work. For one thing, listening to music can be very distracting and the employees cannot concentrate on doing their work and it’s definitely a waste of time. When I’m doing my homework while listening to music I’m easily distracted by the melody of the song and my working efficiency can be much lower. Second, listening to music can influence others in the office as well. Others may do the same thing and that will definitely create a terrible working environment. So I don’t think it’s a good idea for employers to allow their employees to listen to music at work.
14. Do you prefer listening to music or doing nothing when you go from a place to another? Explain why.
I personally prefer listening to music on my way to places for two reasons. First of all, music makes my journey much more enjoyable. For instance, I like to pick out songs I listen to according to my mood and the places I'm going to. Like last weekend, I was invited to my cousin's wedding, on the way to the wedding, I was listening to A Thousand Years, the theme song of the movie Twilight, the music and lyrics are about true and undying love of the characters in the movie so it completely matched the occasion and I would even say that the music made the wedding even more touching and moving to me. Plus, I simply love listening to music, unfortunately now with the exams and papers going on, I don't get to have a lot of time just for music. So I seize every opportunity to listen to some good songs, nothing seems to be a better chance of enjoying good music than when I travel to places. My ears are fully open just to music and I get to have my own space. It's like the only time of day I can truly appreciate music.
15. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that current celebrities (like musicians, actors) set a good example as role model? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Well, I would like to say that famous people nowadays do not set a good example for teenagers, because those teenagers couldn’t tell the right from the wrong. They could only see the bright side of the picture, I mean, those celebrities can lavish money on luxuries, and gain popularity among all young fans. As a result, consciously or unconsciously, those youngsters tend to imitate their behavior, and this can lead to some bad consequences. For example, in china, many top stars are drug adductors. However, some teenagers are more likely to follow them because they think they are cool, and this can lead to a series of bad results.
16. Some people prefer to make friends with people who are very much like them while others prefer friends who are very different. Which do you prefer? Explain why in details.
A friend who is unlike me may be challenging, but a similar friend is familiar and safe. There are advantages to both types of friendship. If a man chooses a friend similar to himself, there is no problem that they will share many common interests. They may have similar goals in life. This means that they will be able to help each other in achieving their goals. Two people who are very similar will feel comfortable with each other and may understand each other's feelings better. Their friendship may be deeper and last longer.
17. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: parents today put more pressure on their children than parents in the past. Use specific examples and details to support your opinion.
Parents today definitely put more stress on their kids because of the global economy recent years. Parents have no choice but to begin to equip their kids with all kind of skills from a very young age. For instance, in my parents’ generation, they didn’t need to be proficient in computers or English and they were able to find a steady job that could support a family. However, when I was little, my mom and dad sent me to English lessons, drawing clubs, tennis team and etc. Everyone in my generation is pushed by their parents to learn more so that they can cope with today’s fast-paced world and won’t be beaten by the peer pressure.
18. Some people prefer to work in an office, others prefer to work from home. Which do you prefer? Explain why.
I'd prefer to work in an office. Firstly, although working at home may be comfortable, but it's kind of difficult for me to be fully devoted to work. Maybe I'll want to watch TV, surf the Internet or even want to take a nap during work time. So it isn't efficient to work at home. Moreover, it's more convenient to communicate with your co-workers or boss when you work in an office, this you can get the assignment more directly and solve problems by negotiating with other employees, which helps you do better and learn faster. So I prefer the traditional way to work in an office.
19. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: protecting the environment is just as important as developing the economy. Explain why. Please include details and examples in your explanation.
I definitely agree with the statement that protecting the environment and developing the economy are equally important. There are several reasons for it. First of all, there is no point in living in polluted place with a huge deal of money. The environment always comes the first for people who are living on the planet. Better economy could offer a better life. But without good environment, it is meaningless. Secondly, terrible environment is bound to hinder the development of economy. For example, almost every kind of industry is in need of clear water. If there is not enough clear water, a huge number of factories will have to shut down. Last but not least, people have to suffer from more natural disasters like sand storm.
20. Some people prefer to shop in big shopping malls, others prefer smaller shops. Which do you prefer? Explain why in details.
I prefer to shop in big shopping malls for the following reasons. First, I can get everything I need at one place, whether it’s clothing, games or electronics. And I save a lot of time traveling between different stores. Second, there are more sales events in bigger stores. There’re always discounts going on in major shopping malls. Also, they are better stocked. Some of the hot items can only be found in such stores when something’s first introduced to the market. Lastly, there’re more entertainments located in or near shopping malls.
另外有一则好消息，针对托福备考，