abc 13

01. Do you think that homework should be abolished? Discuss its value Homework is a bitter pill for many students. Teachers always give homework. They are given to help students to revise what has been done in the class and also the finish task set in school which the pupil could not finish on time. Education and mastery of knowledge, is a matter of skill so the more practice one has the better skill. There are skill subjects and knowledge subjects. Both these categories require drill and repetition. The teacher, to some extend, drill the student in the class but each individual student cannot be expected to do the same amount as skills of students vary from each other. Homework need not necessarily be repeating what has been done in the class, it may be more study. The student goes through references and acquires more and better knowledge. The world of knowledge is so wide that the class alone cannot bring everything into the grasp of the student. So the student must take up some initiative of his own. This is one of the purposes of homework. The school also must see that the students are overburdened homework. The teachers must see to it that the homework is distributed evenly throughout the week. Still there are subjects like mathematics or transcription in the lower classes which require daily attention. There are other aspects of school work which can be attended to during the weekend, for example, map making and drawing diagrams. Simply because some boys find homework too much to cope up with, it cannot be abolished. The school should provide some facilities, so that the boys can conveniently attend to their home work and the teachers can come willingly forward to help such boys. 02. Nowadays environmental problems are too big to be managed by individual persons or individual countries. In other words, it is an international problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree? An essential problem of the 21st century is world pollution. Currently the environment is so much contaminated that urgent measures should be taken. The single individual cannot be blamed for the world pollution, however every person should take care of his or her habitat. In addition, it is vital that environmental issues should be treated internationally. Lately, many presentations, conferences and international summits are held regarding waste treatment, recycling, soil and water contamination. Surely joint efforts and consolidation can only help in the mutual war against the environmental disaster, which is going on. For instance, governments should offer support to companies and organizations, involved in manufacturing, industry or agriculture in order to find environment friendly approaches. These could be special law regulations, recycling programs, helping courses in order to implement ISO certificates and many more. However, the influence of individuals over environment should not be ignored. If we do not confess that our planet is our home, we will never be able to take adequately care of it. We have to contribute every day to the preservation of nature and environment. For example, always remember to save energy by switching off lamps, computers and everything that we do not use. Our next obligation is to separate waste and throw bulk only in the designated areas. Driving vehicles can also be environment friendly. For example, we have to avoid accelerating the engines too rapidly or using the air condition in the country, where it will be better to save energy and simply open the windows. To sum up, environmental problems should be handled by local and international authorities also. Every single person should take care of environment and moreover we have to bring up our children to be conscious citizens of a clean and preserved planet. 03. The difficulties in learning English and how to overcome them Beginners of foreign language always meet difficulties from the outset. For me, I had to overcome these problems when I started learning English. English pronunciation is my first obstacle. The pronunciation in English puzzles me a lot because the same letter has different sounds. For example the letter “a” in “bath” is not pronounced in the same way of that in “bathe”. The “ou” in “South” is also different from “ou” in “Southern”. Generally verbs and nouns are pronounced differently although they are written the same. Record is a good example to illustrate it. In order to solve this puzzling question I carefully study The A.P.A (The International Phonetic Alphabets) which helps me pronounce English words correctly. In order to have an accent just like the native speakers, I often listen to tapes and repeat after them, trying to imitate them. Moreover, my everyday conversation with the foreigners I meet in the street will enable me to acquire a proper accent. Compared with French, English grammar is much easier. However, this does not mean that learners meet no difficulties in learning it. It took me a long time to learn how to master the tenses in English grammar, to endeavor to do as many grammar exercises as possible and read various grammar books. In writing English, English language has its own style. In order to drill writing skills, I have tried to read famous novels of distinguished America and English writers. I enjoy the humorous style of writing in Mark Twain’s masterpieces, the elaborate and polished style of George Eliot and the sentimental and lyrical style of John Keats. After long and hard years of English study, how pleased I feel when I am able to read English and American authors without any obstacles and difficulties at all. 04. 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. New words: 1. various (adj): khác nhau, thuộc về nhiều loại, đa dạng 2. transmit (v): truyền đi (qua các phương tiện thông tin đại chúng) 3. progress (n): sự tiến bộ, sự phát triển 4. confer (v): trao tặng, bàn bạc, hội ý, hỏi ý kiến 5. role (n): chức năng, vai trò 6. philosopher (n): nhà triết học, triết gia 7. psychologist (n): nhà tâm lý học 05. Describe your schoolmates and whom do you like best I have many schoolmates, but Long is the one I like best of all. He is the biggest boy in class. He is about fourteen years old, his shoulders are broad. He is good as one can see when he smiles. I already know several of my classmates. Another one I like too is named Hung. He wears chocolate-colored trousers and a catkin cap. He is always jolly. There is little Nam, a poor hunchback, a weak boy with a thin face. Near him is Ba who is very well-dressed. On the bench in front of me, there is a boy who is called Thanh. His face is as round with a small nose. He possesses a special talent; he knows how to make a hare’s face and they all get him to do it and then they laugh. And there is another curious fellow – my neighbor on the left Hai – small and thick set, with no neck, a gruff fellow, who speaks to no one, and doesn’t seem to understand much but stands watching the master without winking, his brow lined with wrinkles, and his teeth set and if he is questioned when the master is speaking, he make no reply the first and the third time he gives a kick. And beside him there is a bold, cunning face belonging to a boy named Lam, who has already been expelled from another school. There are, in addition, two brothers who are dressed exactly alike who resemble each other to a hair. But the most handsome of all, the one who has the most talent, who will surely be the head this year also, is Hai Anh. Truly I like Hai Anh, the son of the blacksmith, the one with the long jacket who seems sickly and pitiful. It is said that his father often beats him so he is very timid and every time that he addresses or touches someone, he says “Excuse me” and gazes them with his kind, sad eyes. But Long the biggest is the best of all, I think. 06. In your opinion, what is the most difficult skill of studying English? Men who learn English as a foreign language often say that writing is more difficult than any other skills. As the fact of the matter, most native speakers of the language have to make their efforts themselves to write accurately and effectively even on what they are well aware of. Needless to say, it is not easy at all for a non-native speaker to do something that an average native speaker usually considers a difficult job to do. Here are three reasons which, in my opinion, can answer the question why writing becomes the most difficult skills. Firstly, writing requires good grammar. A non-native person has to remember a large number of rules in structure which are quite different from their own language. This is a very big problem if he or she learns the grammar with an English native teacher at the beginning. The teacher cannot help to point out the distinct differences between the two languages. In this case, the learner must figure out the differences themselves and even outline some rules to convert from their own language to the target language. Secondly, people are often known to spend less time to write than to listen, to speak and even to listen. Learners learning the language in their country are proved to read more than any other skills while learners learning overseas must listen to the language most of their time. In any cases, they spend little of their time for writing. It is clearly known that an average person spend the most for listening, the second most for speaking, then reading and finally writing. Thirdly, when students of English as a foreign language write something, they have a big question in mind whether what they write is correct or incorrect. Who can answer the question for them and help them recognize the mistakes. It is, in many cases, the teacher who is teaching them and is ready to give them a hand. The problem however I want to mention is that the teacher does not have enough time to correct for all of them if there are more than ten students in the class. When the teacher corrects the writing for just some of them, the other students cannot recognize their own mistakes. Without correction, the mistakes may be repeated many times and become bad habits which are hard to adjust. In conclusion, writing is the most difficult skill that learners of any foreign language may face. To be good at it, learners must give much effort. 07. Describe a teachers’ day Teachers’ Day falls on the twentieth of November. Every year, our school will celebrate this day by holding a concert specially for the principal and teachers. This year was no exception. On that day, the whole school proceeded to the hall after morning assembly. Every class was involved in the concert. There were dances, sketches, mimes and songs. All the performers did their best and the concert was a great success. After the concert, we went back to our classes to have our class parties. My classroom was transformed into a party hall. When our form teacher came into the class, she was very surprised indeed. We had food, drinks and presents for her. Some of us even made cards for her and she was very touched. At the end of the day, everyone was in a good mood. I felt that, as students, we should thank our teachers for teaching us our lessons so patiently and cheerfully. What better opportunity is there for us to show our appreciation than on Teacher’s Day? 08. Education is very necessary. Do you agree? Whether or not education serves the right purpose in our society is a difficult question to decide. Very often people do not take up professions for which they are trained; at other times they do not get the opportunity to use their training. When most education at the school level is either free or subsidized, it becomes essential to examine the question in great detail. Is education really necessary? Did we not live before this quantitative expansion took place, before education began to be imparted to members of all classes? In Britain till mid-nineteenth century education was class privilege. For generations our people have depended only on life to educate them and they have all learned through experience. Even at a higher stage of education mere theoretical knowledge is not enough; it has to be related to actual experience. Many young engineers and technicians find that what they have learned in their schools and colleges is not of much use to them and they have to learn everything anew once they take to practical work. Knowledge is the only thing which can come to the help of mankind. Education is one we cannot neglect. If we want young minds to grow and be aware of the world around them, if we want our country to be in the forefront or at least on par with other countries, we must educate our people for all advanced knowledge and for peace and war education is necessary. We can never be free if we depend on other countries for the technical know-how. Today war is not a mere matter of bravery of courage. Wars are won or lost on the basis of literacy. Modern weapons are so sophisticated that an illiterate soldier cannot use them. Education is not a mere ability to sign one’s name. It is the basis of something much more important. Even basic hygiene and cleanliness are connected with the level of education. To some extent they are also connected with the economic situation. Education helps to solve both the problems at one go. With better education better jobs will be available. There is no time to dilly-dally about matters related to education. If we want progress, we must ensure minimum education for all. 09. Tell about your hobby in free time. My hobby is stamp collecting. When I was still only a baby, my mother began to collect for me. Of course, she did not let me touch the stamps until I was old enough not to spoil them. I remember that it was on my fifteenth birthday that she first put them into my hands. They were in four fat books, but since that time I have added three more, so that now I have a bigger collection than any of my friends. How do I get my stamps? I have never bought a single one from a shop so my collection has really cost me nothing. My father, who works in a big office, sometimes brings me home stamps from many countries of the world. And I have friends both here and in other lands who send me stamps in return for ones which I send to them. Now that I am working for my living, I do not have as much time as before to spend on my stamps. But in the evenings, what can be better than to sit down at a table with my precious books, arranging new stamps in them, writing in the names of countries, or, if I am too tired, only looking through the stamps already in the books? Each stamp has a story to tell me of far countries and strange peoples. I see pictures of men and women, birds and animals that I have never seen. But my stamp collection does not make me think only of the past. Just as my mother collected for me, so I, too, am collecting for my future child. What better way will there be of interesting him in history, geography and languages, and of making these subjects live for him instead of being only things in school books? If I pass my hobby on to him, he will bless me for it as I have blessed my mother for her wise action. 10. Examination day often makes many pupils worry Do you agree? The most exciting day in the life of a student is the day during the final examination for class promotion. He prepares himself well for about a month before the examination and still he has his fears and hopes on the day of the examination. Even a student who neglects his lessons sits up to make his eleventh hour preparation. A boy who studies hard may feel confident once inside the examination hall for the first paper. Every student is anxious to know whether the question papers would be difficult or not, except a few who do not take their question papers would be difficult or not, except a few who do not take their lessons seriously. Most of the children eagerly look forward to the examination day. Unlike the other days, examination days are usually quiet. Every one seems to browse his notes for the last time before going into the hall. Every minute seems precious before the bell goes as it provides the last chance to check the facts properly. Sometimes the last minute reading may help you to score marks. It is indeed a day of excitement to every child who takes his or her lessons seriously. 11. Ways to help students enlarge their vocabulary It is a self-evident truth that a good command of a language requires a knowledge of both its grammar and vocabulary as structural patterns serve as building blocks that hold lexical items together. Therefore, in addition to teaching grammatical rules, English teachers must help their students enlarge their vocabulary. Teachers can first help by raising students’ awareness of the importance of vocabulary learning and expansion. As can be seen, not all students are fully conscious of the necessity of having a wide vocabulary of English. Some students may emphasize the acquisition of linguistic structures over that of vocabulary because the former, in their opinion, can help them operate effectively inn English. However, it is not difficult to find cases in which it is words, not grammatical structures that help one get his message across Second, teachers can help students enrich their vocabulary by teaching words in context. The reasons for this technique are not difficult to understand. For one thing, the environment in which a word occurs with other words that will decide which meaning of the word is intended. Lexical items should thus not be presented to student in isolation; they should be presented in clear and meaningful contexts so that students can work out which sense of the word concerned in used. Moreover, teachers can promote students’ vocabulary learning and expansion by teaching words in relation to other words. It is highly recommended that specific words such as red, blue, yellow should be related to the generic term color, that words like happy should compared with happily, happiness, unhappy, unhappily and unhappiness, that words like book should be extended to notebook. One more thing that teachers can do to help their students to widen their vocabulary is to train them in dictionary using skills. Naturally, teachers cannot provide students with all the words they need. So dictionaries will serve as their best source of reference outside class time. And that is the reason why students should be given practice in using dictionaries. Then teachers can spend some of their class time showing students how to use the dictionary they have recommended. In conclusion, there are just a few ways in which teachers can help their students enlarge their vocabulary. It is hoped that with the help and guidance from the teacher, students can first discover the value of vocabulary learning and expansion in language learning and then develop strategies to increase their vocabulary. 12. What I wish to be when I grow up I am still very young; yet, I already have an ambition. I would like to be a businessman when I grow up. Most parents today want their children to become doctors, lawyer, engineers or accountants. My parents too want me to be a doctor or a lawyer. But I wish to be neither of them. I wish to be a businessman. As a businessman I can be independent, and rich. I shall not have to take orders from others. I shall look after my own business. Even if I make any mistakes, I shall not have to answer to anyone, though I might suffer some loss for some wrong decisions. I shall also not feel tired of working for long hours. As the business will be my own, I shall be prepared to work day and night, for this will only make me richer. In business, hard work is necessary; but hard work also brings much money. Yet most people are afraid of business. They say that business does not always make a man rich. Instead, it often ruins a man. But most of the richest people in the world are businessmen. Few people grow rich by earning salaries. All these explain why I would like to be a businessman. 13. What career would you like to choose after leaving school? Today, it is not easy to choose a career. Hundreds of students pass various examinations every year and compete with one another for positions in the various professions which are not so many as there are applicants. I would, however, like to choose teaching as my career. Teaching is an interesting career for several reasons. As a teacher I can learn many things, especially if I teach to an udder-secondary school. If I teach History or English, for example, I have to read many books to make my teaching lessons more interesting to my pupils. Thus, I can acquire more knowledge of the subjects that I teach than what I can learn from the class text books. It is indeed a fact that a teacher learns a lot from the class text books; but that is hardly enough to make the teacher's lessons interesting to pupils. A good teacher must therefore read many other books. Again, as a teacher, I have to speak well so that my pupils will be able to understand my instructions well. In this way I can improve my powers of expression. Even my pronunciation of words will improve to great extent. Further, as a teacher, I shall have enough leisure to read and prepare for various examinations. It is possible today to sit for many important examinations by studying entirely at home. Thus, I can acquire important qualifications. Finally, as a teacher I will be respected as an educated person. People will assume that I have certain qualifications and show their regard for me and the opinions that I express. Thus, I shall be able to live a happy life. New words: 1. career (n): nghề nghiệp, sự nghiệp 2. applicant (n): người xin việc 3. upper-secondary school: trường trung học, phổ thông, cấp ba 4. pronunciation (n): sự phát âm, cách phát âm 5. leisure (n): thời gian nhàn rỗi 7. entirely (adv): hoàn toàn, toàn vẹn, trọn vẹn 7. qualification (n): khả năng chuyên môn, trình độ chuyên môn, tiêu chuẩn chuyên môn, văn bằng, học vị 8. respect (v): kính trọng, tôn trọng 9. assume (v): cho rằng, thừa nhận . people grow rich by earning salaries. All these explain why I would like to be a businessman. 13. What career would you like to choose after leaving school? Today, it is not easy to choose