托福作文范文：Museums

　　新托福写作考试想拿到高分非常不容易，但是参加新托福写作考试的同学都想要拿到高分，那么研究一两篇优秀范文，可以让我们了解新托福写作的高分要素。

　　From Boston to Los Angeles, from New York City to Chicago to Dallas, museums are either planning, building, or wrapping up wholesale expansion programs. These programs already have radically altered facades and floor plans or are expected to do so in the not-too-distant future.

　　In New York City alone, six major institutions have spread up and out into the air space and neighborhoods around them or are preparing to do so.

　　The reasons for this confluence of activity are complex, but one factor is a consideration everywhere - space. With collections expanding, with the needs and functions of museums changing, empty space has become a very precious commodity.

　　Probably nowhere in the country is this more true than at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which has needed additional space for decades and which received its last significant facelift ten years ago. Because of the space crunch, the Art Museum has become increasingly cautious in considering acquisitions and donations of art, in some cases passing up opportunities to strengthen its collections.

　　Deaccessing - or selling off - works of art has taken on new importance because of the museum’s space problems. And increasingly, curators have been forced to juggle gallery space, rotating one masterpiece into public view while another is sent to storage.

　　Despite the clear need for additional gallery and storage space, however," the museum has no plan, no plan to break out of its envelope in the next fifteen years," according to Philadelphia Museum of Art’s president.

第二篇：托福作文185题范文

托福作文185题范文（上）

TOEFL官方题库范文185例

1. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

People attend colleges or universities for a lot of different reasons. I believe that the three most common reasons are to prepare for a career, to have new experiences, and to increase their knowledge of themselves and the world around them.

Career preparation is becoming more and more important to young people. For many, this is the primary reason to go to college, They know that the job market is competitive. At college, they can learn new skill for careers with a lot of opportunities. This means careers, such as information technology, that are expected to need a large workforce in the coming years.

Also, students go to colleges and universities to have new experiences. This often means having the opportunity to meet people different from those in their hometowns. For most students, going to college is the first time they’ve been away from home by themselves. In additions, this is the first time they’ve had to make decisions on their own. Making these decisions increases their knowledge of themselves.

Besides looking for self-knowledge, people also attend a university or college to expand their knowledge in subjects they find interesting. For many, this will be their last chance for a long time to learn about something that doesn’t relate to their career.

I would recommend that people not be so focused on a career. They should go to college to have new experiences and learn about themselves and the world they live in.

2.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Throughout my life, I have been lucky enough to have a very good relationship with my parents. They have supported me, given me necessary criticism, and taught me a great deal about how to live my life. Parents can be very important teachers in our lives; however, they are not always the best teachers.

Parents may be too close to their children emotionally. Sometimes they can only see their children though the eyes of a protector. For example, they may limit a child's freedom in the name of safety. A teacher might see a trip to a big city as a valuable new experience. However, it might seem too dangerous to a parent.

Another problem is that parents may expect their children's interests to be similar to their own. They can't seem to separate from their children in their mind. If they love science, they may try to force their child to love science too. But what if their child's true love is art, or writing, or car repair?

Parents are usually eager to pass on their value to their children. But should children always believe what their parents do? Maybe different generations need different ways of thinking. When children are young, they believe that their parents are always rights. But when they get older, they realize there are other views. Sometimes parents, especially older ones, can't keep up with rapid social or technology changes. A student who has friends of all different races and backgrounds at school may find that her parents don't really understand or value the digital revolution. Sometimes kids have to find their own ways to what they believe in.

The most important thing to realize is that we all have many teachers in our lives. Our parents teach us, our teachers teach us, and our peers teach us. Books and newspapers and television also teach us. All of them are valuable.

#( Books and newspapers) : Books, newspapers

3. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

The twentieth century has brought with it many advances. With those advances, human lives have changed dramatically. In some ways life is worse, but mostly it is better. Changes in food preparation methods, for example, have improved our lives greatly.

The convenience of preparing food today is amazing. Even stoves have gotten too slow for us. Microwave cooking is much easier. We can press a few buttons and a meal is completely cooked in just a short time. People used to spend hours preparing an oven-cooked meal, and now they can use that time for other, better things. Plus, there are all kinds of portable, prepackaged foods we can buy. Heat them in the office microwave, and lunch

at work is quick and easy.

Food preparation today allows for more variety. With refrigerators and freezers, we can preserve a lot of different foods in our homes. Since technology makes cooking so much faster, people are willing to make several dishes for even a small meal. Parents are more likely to let children be picky, now that they can easily heat them up some prepackaged macaroni and cheese on the side. Needless to say, adults living in the same house may have very different eating habits as well. If they don’t want to cook a lot of different dishes, it’s common now to eat out at restaurants several times a week.

Healthful eating is also easier than ever now. When people cook, they use new fat substitutes and cooking sprays to cut fat and calories. This reduces the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. Additionally, we can buy fruits and vegetable fresh, frozen or canned. They are easy to prepare, so many of us eat more of those nutritious items daily. A hundred years ago, you couldn’t imagine the process of taking some frozen fruit and ice from the freezer, adding some low-fat yogurt from a plastic cup and some juice from a can in the refrigerator, and whipping up a low-fat smoothie in the blender!

Our lifestyle is fast, but people still like good food. What new food preparation technology has given us is more choices. Today, we can prepare food that is more convenient, healthier, and of greater variety than ever before in history.

4. It has been said, “Not every thing that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why?

“Experience is the best teacher” is an old cliché, but I agree with it. The most important, and sometimes the hardest, lessons we learn in life come from our participation in situations. You can’ learn everything from a book.

Of course, learning from books in a formal educational setting is also valuable. It’s in schools that we learn the information we need to function in our society. We learn how to speak and write and understand mathematical equations. This is all information that we need to live in our communities and earn a living.

Nevertheless, I think that the most important lessons can’t be taught;

they have to be experienced. No one can teach us how to get along with others or how to have self-respect. As we grow from children into teenagers, no one can teach us how to deal with peer pressure. As we leave adolescence behind and enter adult life, no one can teach us how to fall in love and get married.

This shouldn’t stop us from looking for guidelines along the way. Teachers and parents are valuable sources of advice when we’re young. As we enter into new stages in our lives, the advice we receive from them is very helpful because they have already bad similar experiences. But experiencing our own triumphs and disasters is really the only way to learn how to deal with life.

5. A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.

New factories often bring many good things to a community, such as jobs and increased prosperity. However, in my opinion, the benefits of having a factory are outweighed by the risks. That is why I oppose the plan to build a factory near my community.

I believe that this city would be harmed by a large factory. In particular, a factory would destroy the quality of the air and water in town. Factories bring smog and pollution. In the long run, the environment will be hurt and people’s health will be affected. Having a factory is not worth that rise.

Of course, more jobs will be created by the factory. Our population will grow. To accommodate more workers, more homes and stores will be needed. Do we really want this much growth, so fast? If our town is going in growth, I would prefer slow growth with good planning. I don’t want to see rows of cheaply constructed townhouses. Our quality of life must be considered.

I believe that this growth will change our city too much. I love my hometown because it is a safe, small town. It is also easy to travel here. If we must expand to hold new citizens, the small-town feel will be gone. I mould miss that greatly.

A factory would be helpful in some ways. However, I feel that the dangers are greater than the benefits. I cannot support a plan to build a factory here, and hope that others feel the same way.

6. MA If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

If I could change one thing about my hometown, I think it would be the fact that there's no sense of community here. People don't feel connected, they don't look out for each other, and they don't get to know their neighbors.

People come and go a lot here. They change jobs frequently and move on. This means that they don't put down roots in the community. They don't join community organizations and they're not willing to get involved in trying to improve the quality of life. If someone has a petition to put in a new street light, she has a very hard time getting a lot of people to sign. They don't feel it has anything to do with them. They don't get involved in improving the schools because they don't think the quality of education is important to their lives. They don't see the connection between themselves and the rest of their community.

People don't try to support others around them. They don't keep a friendly eyes on their children, or check in on older folks if they don't see them for a few days. They're not aware when people around them may be going through a hard time. For example, they may not know if a neighbor loses a loved one. There's not a lot of community support for individuals.

Neighbors don't get to know each other. Again, this is because people come and go within a few years. So when neighbors go on vacation, no one is keeping an eye on their house. No one is making sure nothing suspicious is going on there, like lights in the middle of the night. When neighbors' children are cutting across someone's lawn on their bikes, there's no friendly way of casually mentioning the problem. People immediately act as if it's a major property disagreement.

My hometown is a nice place to live in many ways, but it would be much nice if we had that sense of community.

#2-4(street light) : streetlight

7 How do movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

Do movies and television affect our behavior? A special concern is whether movies and television make children and society more violent. I believe that movies and television do influence our behavior, both for the better and for the worse.

Movies do make people more violent. The more we see violent acts on television, the less sensitive we become to them. Eventually violence doesn’t seem wrong .we may even commit violent acts ourselves. This is especially true because we don’t always realize that violence has consequences. Actors can be killed and come back for another movie. Sometimes we confuse that with reality. We forget that killing someone is permanent.

Movies and television also influence our behavior because they make us less active. Looking at films is a passive activity. If we watch too much, we become unhealthy, both mentally and physically. We stop using our own imagination when we see things acted out for us. Mental laziness becomes physical laziness; we’d rather watch sports on to than play sports ourselves. we’d rather visit with the characters on “Seinfeld” or “Friends” than go chat with our own neighbors. Imaginary people have exciting lives. Is it any wonder that some people would rather live a fantasy life than their own?

Of course, watching movies and television can also be good for us. It can give us a broader window on the world. For example, seeing movies can expose us to people of different races and cultures. We can then overcome some prejudices more easily. Recently there have been more handicapped people in films, and this also help reduce prejudice.

The best influence on our behavior is that movies and television reduce stress. Watching films, we can escape our own problems for a little while. Also, sometime movies show positive ways to resolve problems we all face. While TV and movies shouldn’t be a way to hide from life, sometimes they can help us cope.

It is true that movies and television can influence our behavior negatively. However, I also believe that they influence our behaviors in positive ways. How they affect you depends on how much you watch, what you watch, and how you respond to what you watch.

#1-1 (behavior): behaviors

8 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family. I think this is an exaggeration. In my opinion, whether

or not television hurts communication depends on what type of program is being viewed. More importantly, it depends on the type of viewer.

There are empty programs and educational programs. Empty programs do not challenge people. They have just enough storyline to keep them from switching channels. There are also passive and active viewers. A passive viewer will just watch television without thinking about what be or she seeing. The combination of an empty program and a passive viewer makes communication unlikely. Passive viewers just continue to watch, actually enjoying the fact that they don’t have to think. They won’t break away to talk about programming with friends and family. Even with better programming, passive viewers still won’t think or communicate much. The probably even prefer the empty program because the better programming is too much work.

On the other hand, active viewers watching educational programming always want to share what they see with friends and family. “Educational” doesn’t necessarily mean documentaries on BBS. They could be dramas with realistic relationships or action shows with clever plotlines. When active viewers watch programs, they have ideas and talk about them with others. Good programming inspires them to change their thinking and their lives. Unlike passive viewers, they don’t want to watch more and more without thinking.

Television may destroy communication among passive viewers. Those viewers probably don’t want to communicate with friends and family much anyway. For active viewers who already enjoy communicating, television is actually helpful!

9 Some people prefer to live in a small town, Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

I grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, so I have experienced the good and bad sides of both. I never thought that I would like living in a big city, but I was wrong. After ten years of living in one, I can’t imagine ever living in a small town again.

Small towns and big cities both have some problems in terms of transportation. In a small town, you have to own a car to ensure a comfortable living .you can’t get around without one because there isn’t any kind of public transportation. Big cities generally have heavy traffic and expensive parking, but there you have a choice of taking public transportation. It’s not free, but it’s often cheaper than driving when

you consider gas and time, especially if you don’t have a car, you’re better off in the city.

I love the excitement of big cities. Small towns have a slow pace. Large cities mean you have to adapt to a variety of situations, like finding a new route to work or trvine a new restaurant. I enjoy that challenge very much. Another part of the excitement of city living is the variety of cultural activities available. There is a wild assortment of theatre music and dance performances available in big cities. These things are rare in small ones.

The final thing I think about large cities is the diversity of the people. the United States is made up of people of different races, religions, abilities, and interests. However, you seldom find such a variety of people in a small town. I think that living in an area where everyone was just like me would quickly become boring.

Of course, security is a concern, and that one area where small towns are superior to big cities. Still, I would rather be a bit more cautions and live a large city than to feel secure but bored.

#3-3 trvine?

10 ”When people succeed, it is because of hard work, Luck has nothing to do with success.” Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific and examples to explain your position.

When people succeed, it is because of hard work, but luck has a lot to do with it, too. Success without some luck is almost impossible. The French emperor Napoleon said of one of his generals, “I know he’s good. But is he lucky?” Napoleon knew that all the hard work and talent in the world can’t make up for bad luck. However, hard work can invite good luck.

When it comes to success, luck can mean being in the right place to meet someone, or having the right skills to get a job done. It might mean turning down an offer and then having a better offer come along. Nothing can replace hard work, but working hard also means you’re preparing yourself opportunity. Opportunity very often depends on luck.

How many of the great inventions and discoveries came about through a lucky mistake or a lucky chance? One of the biggest lucky mistakes in history is Columbus’ so-called discovery of America. He enriched his sponsors and changed history, but he was really looking for India. However, Columbus’ chance discovery wasn’t pure luck. It was backed up by years

of studying and calculating. He worked hard to prove his theory that the world was round.

Success that comes from pure luck and no hard work can be a real problem. For example, consider a teenage girl who becomes a movie star.

Imagine she’s been picked from nowhere because of her looks. She is going to feel very insecure, because she knows she didn’t do anything to earn her stardom. On the other hand, think about an actress who’s spend years learning and working at her craft. When she finally has good luck and becomes a success, she will handle stardom better, she knows she earns it.

People who work hard help make their own luck by being ready opportunity knocks. When it comes to success. I think that hard work and luck so hand in hand.

11 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students' sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

I disagree strongly with the idea that the same amount of money should go to university sports activities as to university libraries. Although playing sports is a wonderful way to learn about teamwork, strategy and reaching your goals, it should not be the principal focus of a university education.

Students need the most up-to-date library facilities available to get the best education. Many of those facilities are very expensive to buy and maintain. These include computerized programs and access to internet research databases that students can use to find information all around the world. If a university is only offering its students resources of a decade ago, it’s depriving those students of a tremendous amount of information.

Even the book and magazine budget of universities has gone up tremendously in last decade. More is being published on every subject, and every university wants to have this information available to its students.

It also costs money for universities to keep their libraries open. Students need to have access to all the libraries' research tools as much of time as possible. Because students are young and can stay up all night studying, many universities are starting to leave their libraries open

all night during exam periods. This costs money, because the staff has to be paid extra to be there. It also costs money to run the building (electricity, heat) during that time.

Students at universities are only going to benefit from their education if they can get to all the tools they need to learn. Sports are secondary to the resources that students need from university libraries. For this reason, libraries should always be better funded than sport activities.

12 . Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

People love to visit museums when traveling to new places. I think this is because museums tell them a lot about the culture of those places. Museums are also fun. It’s almost impossible to get bored in a museum. Every museum will have at least one thing of interest to somebody.

When visiting someplace new, you can find out about the culture of that place in many ways. You can go to a movie or a place of worship or a nightclub. Another option is to sit in the park and listen to the people around you. The easiest way to learn about a place's culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums will show you the history of the place you're visiting. They’ll show you what art the locals think is important.

If there aren't any museums, that tells you something, too.

Museums are fun. Even if you're not interested in art or history, there is always something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call "hands-on" exhibits. These were originally designed to keep children occupied while their parents were looking at exhibits. However, museums have found that adults enjoy hands-on opportunities just as much as children. These exhibits have activities like pushing a button to hear more about what you're looking at, creating your own work of art, or trying on clothes like those on the models in the museum.

People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance, in my hometown there's a museum devoted to the potato. This museum has art made out of potatoes. It also tells all about the history of the potato, and sells potato mementos like key chains and potato dolls.

People enjoy visiting this museum because it's different. It’s not something they'd find in their hometown and the museum's curator enjoy talking about the Great Potato.

Museums are popular because they are about us. They reflect our creations, our values, and our dreams. No matter who you are or what you like, somewhere there is a museum that will amaze and interest you.

13 Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Some people like to eat out at food stands and restaurants, while others like to prepare food at home. Often it depends on the kind of lifestyle people have. Those with very busy jobs outside the house don't always have time to cook. They like the convenience of eating out. Overall, though, it is cheaper and healthier to eat at home.

While eating in restaurants is fast, the money you spend can add up. When I have dinner at restaurant with a friend, the bill is usually over twenty dollars. I can buy a lot of groceries with that much money. Even lunch at a fast-food stand usually costs five or six dollars for one person. That’s enough to feed the whole family at home.

Eating at home is better for you, too. Meals at restaurants are often high in fat and calories, and they serve big plates of food--much more food than you need to eat at one meal. If you cook food at home, you have more control over the ingredients. You can use margarine instead of butter on your potatoes, or not put so much cheese on top of your pizza. At home, you can control your portion size. You can serve yourself as little as you want. In a restaurant, you may eat a full plate of food "because you paid for it".

It's true that eating out is convenient. You don't have to shop, or cook, or clean up. But real home cooking doesn't have to take a lot of time. There are lots of simple meals that don't take long to make. In fact, they're faster than eating out, especially if you think of the time you spend driving to a restaurant, parking, waiting for a table, waiting for service, and driving home.

Both eating at restaurants and cooking at home can be satisfying. Both can taste good and be enjoyed with family and friends. I prefer cooking at home because of the money and health issues, but people will make the choice that fits their lifestyle best.

14 Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional

for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

Some people may believe that going to classes should be optional, but I disagree. I don't understand how university students can expect to learn anything if they don't attend classes. Personal experience can help people learn about themselves and the world outside the classroom, but when it comes to learning about academic subjects, students need to be in class.

In class they receive the benefit of the teacher's knowledge. The best teachers do more than just go over the material in than class textbook. They draw their students into discussion of the material. They present opposing points of view. They schedule guest speakers to come, give the students additional information, or show documentary films on the subject.

Also, attending classes on any subject teaches more than just facts. It teaches students how to learn, how to absorb information and then apply what they've learned to other situations. Their teacher is the best one to help them with these skills. They can't learn them just by reading the textbook.

Going to class also teaches students how to work with the other members of the class. Many times students will be given group assignments. This is different from what they did in secondary school. Here they're with people from different backgrounds and experiences. In this situation, they learn how to handle working with people different from themselves to achieve a common goal.

Going to class also teaches students responsibility and discipline. Having to be at a particular place at a particular time prepares them for getting a job. Being at a place on time with an assignment completed prepares them for a career.

In short, by going to class students learn more than just information from the teacher. They also learn how to learn, how to work with others, and how to work responsibly. These are not optional skills in life, so attending classes should not be optional in college.

15 Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

If you have a good neighbor, you are a lucky person. You have someone who cares about your needs and your property, who is helpful in the little

day-to-day situations that come up, and who is supportive in times of crisis.

A good neighbor is someone who, for instance, understands that your children may occasionally run across his lawn, even though you tell them not to. He'll realize that children can be careless about things like that, and he won't make a big fuss about it unless it becomes a regular thing. In the same vein, he knows that you'll understand if some of the trash from his trash cans blows across into your yard. IN other words, he is sensitive to the unintentional things that can happen. He doesn't make a big deal about them.

A good neighbor is also respectful of your property. For example, she asks your permission before doing anything that interferes with what's yours. This means she wouldn't plant a huge tree in between your houses without asking how you feel about it. If she wanted to put up a fence, she would let you know first. She might work with you to decide where it should be placed. Maybe the two of you would even split the cost.

A good neighbor would lend you some milk if you ran out . She'd give you a ride to work if your car was broken, and let your children stay at her house in the evening if you got stuck working overtime. You would do the same for her. Both of you would help make the other's life easier.

when something really awful happens to you, like a death in the family, a good neighbor will volunteer to help in any way he can. This could mean something small, like making some casseroles to put in your freezer to feed vesting relatives, Or it could mean something big, like helping you get through the sadness of the funeral.

I think only someone who has experienced a bad neighbor can really appreciate a good one! A good neighbor can be a good friend. He or she can make all the difference in the world to your life.

16 It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

I can see both advantages and disadvantages to having a new restaurant built in our neighborhood. I'm worried about traffic and how it will affect our neighborhood. However, I think that it will benefit local businesses and increase appreciation for our neighborhood. Overall, I think it is a good idea.

Traffic congestion is always a concern when you build something new. Our streets are narrow, with parking on both sides. More cars traveling through the neighborhood could cause a lot of congesting. Traffic means parking problems, too. Our neighborhood has very few garages attached to the houses. Most of us depend on finding a space to park on the street. If the new restaurant is built, we’ll be competing for those spaces with the restaurant's patrons. Plus, if the restaurant offers wallet parking, it'll be even worse. Valet parkers work in teams to grab every possible space available on the street.

I'm also concerned about the type of patrons this new restaurant will bring into our neighborhood. A family restaurant wouldn't be a problem. However, if it's going have a bar and dancing, then there could be problems. The restaurant would stay open later, and people leaving the restaurant might be drunk. Who wouldn't worry about rowdy customers staggering around our neighborhood in the early morning hours, looking for their cars?

I have to admit, though, there are advantages to a new restaurant. Our neighborhood could certainly use the jobs the restaurant would provide. Not only that, the money neighborhood residents would earn there would likely be spent at other neighborhood businesses. This would give a boost to those businesses and make our neighborhood more prosperous.

A new restaurant would also attract a lot of people to our neighborhood. They could see what a nice area this is to live. That might attract new residents to the neighborhood. That would be a good thing, because we've been losing residents to the suburbs the last couple of years.

There are a lot of details to consider, but all in all, I support the idea of this new restaurant in our neighborhood.

17 Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

Most of us can learn how to do something simple on our own with just a set of instructions. However, to learn about something more complex, it's always best to have a teacher.

Teachers bring with them varied and useful backgrounds. They've been trained to teach individuals in different ways depending on their style. For instance, omen students learn better by discussing a topic. Others learn more by writing about it. Teachers can help students learn in the way that's best of each student. A textbook or a manual can only give you

one way of learning something. Plus they're only as helpful as your ability to understand them. A good teacher can adapt her teaching to your needs.

Teachers help you focus on what you're learning. If you're learning something by yourself, it’s easy to become distracted, and go on to other activities. Teachers keep your attention on the subject. They also approach a subject logically, taking it one step at a time. On your own, it's tempting to skip parts of the learning process you think you don’t need. That can binder your ability to really understand the subject.

Learning a subject on your own is a very narrow way of learning. You can only use the information you get from the textbook. With a teacher, you get the information in the written materials as well as the teacher's own knowledge of the topic. Teachers can also provide extra materials to broaden the scope of what you're learning.

There's nothing wrong with studying on your own, and a learner can always benefit from some quiet study. For the best possible learning, though, a good teacher is the biggest help you can have.

18 What are some important qualities of a good supervisor(boss)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

Even though job situations can be very different, there are several qualities that all good supervisor have in common, A good boss treats all her employees fairly. She doesn't single out one employee for better(or worse)treatment than the others. A poor supervisor has favorites. Sometimes she'll even use her favorites to spy on other employees. She expects them to tell her what the others are saying about her. This can cause a lot of bad feeling among employees.

A good supervisor gives clear and understandable directions. She doesn't constantly change her mind about what she wants employees to do. She also doesn't get angry with an employee who is confused and needs her to explain the directions again or more fully. Delegating authority well is another quality of a good supervisor. She knows how to use the skills of her employees to best advantage. A poor supervisor insists on doing everything herself. She is unwilling to give any authority to others.

A good boss evaluates her employees on a reasonable ser of criteria, not on how she feels about them personally. And she lets the employees know what those criteria are, so they have a fair chance of meeting them.

She gives both praise and criticism in a straightforward manner. She also

offers guidance when needed. A poor supervisor will criticize without giving any suggestions on how to improve.

Most importantly, a good supervisor set the standards for her employee by her own behavior. She works hard and treats employees like valuable assets to the company. This promotes good morale among her workers, and this is of great benefit to her business.

19 Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments spends more money on improving public transportation ( buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

Governments should definitely spend more money on improving all forms of public transportation. These include buses, subways and trains. This is the best way to preserve natural resources and reduce pollution.

As a planet, we’re dealing with a finite amount of natural resources. Once they're gone, they can't be replaced. They can't fill our need for oil and gasoline forever. But we seem to forget that and consume them at an incredible rate. In wealthier counties, some families have two or three cars. As soon as teenagers get their driver's licenses, they’re given cars so their parents won't have to drive them places.

Public transportation hasn't been sufficiently developed. Because of this, suburban areas surrounding cities have been allowed to sprawl more and more widely. This means that people can't even go to the store without having to hop into the car. Everything is too far away from where they live. If there were better and more frequent public transportation, people would be able to give up their cars for local driving.

As a result of all the cars being driven, we’re dealing with terrible pollution problems. In big cities, there are days during the summer when the elderly and people with respiratory problems are advised not to leave the house. Ten years ago this was unheard of! Now it's the norm. Public transportation would cut down considerably on air pollution.

Public transportation also encourages a sense of community. People who travel to work together all the time get to know each other. Car isolate us from neighbors. However, people feel they need to drive because they can't depend on public transportation to fit their schedules. If more money were available, buses, subways and trains could run 24 hours a day. Then they would be available all the time to the people who need them.

I always try to take public transportation whenever possible, and I encourage friends and neighbors to try it too. I think we must support public transportation in order to create a better world.

20 It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay.

There are advantages and disadvantages to a childhood in either the country or a city. It's hard to say which is better. Growing up in the country means a certain amount of isolation. You're in a small town or on a armband not with a lot of people. Even more important, the people you meet everyday tend to be just like you. Most will be the same race as you, have the same background as you, and will have gone to the same school as you. In the city, the people you meet are different. There are different races and different cultures. You get a more interesting mix.

City people tend to come from a lot of different places and move around a lot. So, there isn't the sense of community in the city that you have in the country. People in the city can live in the same apartment building for twenty years and never get to know their neighbors. In the country, everybody knows everybody. For a child, this means the country is more secure. A child can get lost or hurt in the city and have no one to turn to. In the country, everyone’s a neighbor. People in the country feel connected to each other.

A child growing up in the city has the advantages of a lot of interesting and exciting place to visit. He or she can go to the zoo, museum, art galleries and concerts. There are a lot of restaurants with different kinds of food. It’s easy to see every new movie that comes out. Child in the country don't have a lot of these activities nearby.

All in all, I think a childhood in the city is better because it prepares you more for what real life is like.

21 EX In general ,people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

Today people are living to be much older than ever before. Some of the main reasons for this are the improved health care and better nutrition available to everyone.

Medical care is more available to people. Although not everyone can get the best heath care, everyone can get basic heath care and advice. When

people are seriously ill, they can go to a public hospital and be taken care of. Years ago, health care wasn't available to everyone. Some people didn't live near a doctor or a hospital, and others couldn't pay for the care they needed. They made do with herbal medicines or folk remedies. Of course, some of these worked, but not for the more serious diseases.

The quality of medical care has improved. That’s also a factor in longevity. Doctors know more now about what causes disease and how to care it ,Years ago, doctors only knew about the most basic diseases and cures. Medicine was not very advanced. You could die from something as simple as an infection from a cut. Now we have antibiotics and other medicines to help cure infections.

People are also living longer now because of better nutrition. We 're eating better and more healthfully than we used to .That's reduced the number of people with heart disease and cancer. We try to eat low-fat foods and eat more vegetable and fruits ,which are now available year-round.

Improved medical care and healthy eating habits has greatly expanded our life spans. What we need to do now is make sure that everyone in the world has these benefits.

22 Ex We all work or will work in our jobs with many different kinds of people, in your opinion ,what are some important characteristics of a co-worker (someone you work closely with)?Use reasons and specific example to explain why these characteristics are important.

We spend more time with our co-workers during a week than we do with our family, Thus, it’s important for our co-workers to be people we can get along with. I’ve worked in a lot of offices, and I've found there are certain characteristics that all good co-workers have in common.

A good co-worker is very cooperative, She does her best to get along with others.

She tries to keep her end of things flowing smoothly to help others in the office. She

realizes that if one person doesn't get her work done, it can hold up everyone else. She has a positive attitude that creates a pleasant working environment.

A good co-worker is adaptable. She is not stubborn about changes in schedules or routines, and doesn't object to having her job description

revised. That can make life miserable for everyone around her. A good co-worker is willing to change her schedule to accommodate another worker's emergency, She has no problem with new procedures and welcomes changes when they come.

A good co-worker is helpful. She pitches in when someone falls behind in his or her work. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. She doesn't keep track of how often she has to finish another's work or take on extra work. Some co-workers do their own job, period. They have no sense of office community. They only want to do their work, get paid and go home.

A good co-worker is a sympathetic listener, and never uses what she learns against people. she doesn’t gossip. A bad co-worker uses negative rumors to take advantage of others.

Being a good co-worker isn't too hard, but some people just can't seem to manage it. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if everyone could?

23 AD In some countries, teenager have jobs while they are still srudents. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.

I don't think it is a good ideas for teenagers to have jobs while they are still students. It can interfere with their studies, It can disrupt their home life, and it takes away part of their childhood that their can never replace.

Education today is very complex and difficult .In order to learn and get good grades, a student must work very hard and concentrate, This means attending classes from early in the morning until late afternoon, then doing research for projects, then going home and doing homework. It’s a busy schedule for everyone. For someone trying to hold down a job, it’s even harder. Students need all their energy for their studies. If they're working after class at night, they’re going to be tired the next day. They won't be able to concentrate. This will have a negative impact on their learning, and eventually on their grades.

Having a job can also disrupt a teenager's home life. Families spend less and less

time together. If a teenager has a job to go to after school, he won't be home for dinner.

He won't be home after dinner either, and may not get home until late at night, This means he doesn't have a lot of time to spend with his family .If he doesn't have a car, it can mean changes in his parents' schedule ,too. They have to drive him to work and pick him up.

The main drawback of a teenager having a job while he's still a student is that he's missing out on the fun of being young. He has a whole lifetime in which he'll have to earn a living. This is the last free time he'll have, It’s the last chance he'll have to hang out with friends and just enjoy himself. Soon enough he'll have to worry about paying the rent and buying food.

Jobs bring money, but money isn't everything. A teenager with a job gives us too much. No one should spend all his time at working, and especially not a teenager.

24 PR A person you know is planning to move to your town or city .What do you think this person would like and dislike about living in your town or city? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

A friend of mine from college is moving to my city, so I have been thinking about what she would and wouldn't like about it, I’d say the quality of life here, as far as fun and activities are concerned, is very good. The quality of life isn't very good, though, in other important ways.

Living in a lager city is exciting, but you pay a price for it. There are lots of interesting things to do, and good restaurants with food from around the world. There are museums, art galleries, and lots of movie theaters. However. the crime rate is high, and people have to be careful about where they go at night. There's a lot of traffic most of the time, and finding a parking space can be a problem. There are also a lot of people living here. Sometimes it feels too crowded.

In a big city like mine, housing is very expensive. If costs a lot even if you're just renting an efficiency apartment. The good side is that there's a lot of choice about where you want to live and how you want to live. You can find apartment of all sizes in different settings. Houses of equal variety are available for sale or rent.

If my friend likes the great outdoors, she might be disappointed. Unfortunately, my city doesn't have a lot of wide open green spaces, and there aren't a lot of trees on the streets. We're not near the ocean, and the mountains are a day's drive from here. Still, we do have some natural areas. For example, we have a beautiful big park. It even has a lake in

the middle that's used for ice skating in the winter. There’s a different kind of beauty in the city.

Thinking about it, I suppose whether my friend likes my city will depend on whether or not she likes exciting places. I hope she likes a lot of variety as far as housing and activities are concerned. If she does, then this is the place for her.

25 AD It has recently been announced that large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

There would be both advantages and disadvantages to having a shopping center built in my neighborhood. One advantage would be the convenience. I would like to have all those stores close by. Shopping would be much easier and faster because I wouldn't have to drive great distances to get to the stores.

A shopping center would mean more choices, because there would be more stores selling different products. I might have a movie theater nearby, because so many shopping centers these days include movie theaters in their plans. Most shopping centers also have restaurants and a food court. That means a greater variety of places to eat in our area.

Having a shopping center built in the neighborhood would also mean more jobs for the community. Initially, these jobs would be in the building of the center. Later the jobs would be in the stores, theaters, and food establishments.

Of course, these would be some disadvantages, too. Probably the biggest problem would be traffic. A lot of people would be coming to the shopping center. They’d drive through our neighborhood to get to the center. In addition, if there wasn't enough parking at the center, they might look for parking space near our homes.

A shopping center might also invite more crime into our neighborhood. Parking lots after dark are a big temptation to robbers. They know people are there with money to spend. The shopping center might also become a place where unruly teenagers would gather. This could cause trouble. Our town would need a community center for them to go to instead.

On the whole, though, I think my neighborhood should support having a shopping center built here, It would bring more variety to our shopping, give us the opportunity to amuse ourselves at movies theaters and

restaurants, and bring more jobs into the area.

26 AD It has recently been announced that a new movies theater may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

Some people will say that a new movie theater in our neighborhood would be a bad thing. However, I fully support the plan to build one. I feel that a movie theater would bring more opportunities for recreation, reduce teenage delinquency, and lead to several improvements in the town.

As it stands, there is little to do in my town. There are no parks here, and there is certainly no nightlife. Additionally, the nearest movies theater is more than thirty minutes away. That is inconvenient for everyone here. Many movies end late at night. Who want to a long drive home at 11:30 p.m. or midnight?

Building a new movie theater here will reduce juvenile delinquency, Like everyone else, teens here are bored. They need activities to keep them busy and out of trouble. The jobs that the theatre will provide will help teens, too. We need more businesses that are willing and eager to employ young people.

Overall, the new theater will bring many improvements to the town, For example, it will help other businesses. That is because the movie theater will attract customers from neighboring towns. Those neighbors do not have a reason to come to this town now. However, if they are coming here for a movies, they will be more likely to stay here to shop. If we get more visitors, we’ll need better roads. While this may be costly, it will also make travel easier for people living here. We will be able to get around faster, Safety will be improved with the new roads, because they will be in better condition than many that we have now.

I believe that our town needs a new movie theater. Again, I support it fully, I hope that others in our community will join me to convince residents and local government.

27 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement ?People should sometimes do things that they do not enjoying doing. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

I agree that people should sometimes do things that they don't enjoy doing. This is a basic part of being an adult. Plus, some things that aren't "fun" are still good for us in the long run.

Take personal tasks. Who enjoys going to the dentist? Very few people enjoy having their annual check-up with the doctor. Not a lot of people enjoy changing the oil in their car or moving their lawns. These are all things we do because we have to, not because we want to .We realize that taking care of our physical health is the sensible thing to do .We know that if we don't change the oil in our cars, our cars won't run. We understand that grass grows and if we don't mow it, our lawns will look like tropical forests.

Professional tasked are another part of the same equation. No one likes to be stuck with a boring assignment or to be told we have to work with someone no one else gets along with. Sometimes we have to put up with unfair criticism from a supervisor or resentment from those we supervise. If we're in management., we may have had the unpleasant task of having to fire someone. None of these are fun things, Unfortunately, they’re all part of earning a living, something the majority of adults have to do.

On the other hand, sometimes doing some thing we don't enjoy doing can lead to enjoyment. Simply by trying it again, we may decide we like doing it .for instance, we may have convinces ourselves we hate to dance. We agree to go to a club only to please someone else. Yet, for some reason, this time we enjoying dancing. We’ve been cheating ourselves of enjoyment without even knowing it. The same can be true of trying new foods or a new type of museum.

Doing what we don't enjoy doesn’t always have to be a bother, does it? It’s just part of life.

28 AD Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion.

I think the media pay too much attention to the private lives of famous people. Television, newspaper magazines and web sites dig up all kinds of past bad actions. They say that these are true reflections of a person's character. This may be true if they occurred only a few years before, but some of these are things people did as teenagers. People in their forties are expected to explain something they did when they were fifteen. If they killed someone, obviously that's more than a youthful mistake. Usually, though, these incidents involve experiments with drugs or being reckless in a car. They're not something that the public needs to know.

The media love to say that the public has a right to know. That's not true. We don't need to know if a movie star or politician has had an extramarital affair. That is something of concern only to the people involved. We do need to know if someone we're electing to public office has been involved in shady business deals, but we don't need to know if he or she defaulted on a loan twenty years ago.

It seems the media dig up these facts without giving thoughtful consideration to what might happen. It has an effect on the celebrity's family, especially the children. A celebrity's good name and credibility may be ruined before he or she can prove that rumors are false. If a case goes to court, paying a lawyer can use up all their money. Even if it doesn't come to that, they may find their career ruined.

When are we, the public, going to make it clear to the media that we're tired of having to watch this kind of thing on the news? Wouldn't it be better if they would concentrate on more important issues?

29 PR Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed(damaged) by human activity. Others that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

The quality of human life has improved greatly over the past few centuries, but Earth is being harmed more and more by human activity. As we develop our technology, we demand more from our planet. Eventually, this will harm people as well.

Our planet gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes old growth trees that can't be replaced. Too much fishing may harm fish populations to the point where they can't recover. We are too careless in taking what we want without giving anything back.

There are more people than ever, living longer that ever. So is it any surprise that many areas suffer from too much development? Anyone living in or near a city has experienced "urban sprawl". There is a new shopping area on every corner and new houses, townhouses and apartments everywhere. Traffic gets worse and worse because planners can't keep up with growth. Keeping up with human demand is hard enough. Environmental concerns come in last.

With growth comes pollution. Companies and communities dump waste into

water. Landfills are full of trash. Emissions from factories pollute the air. Barrels of industrial waste and worse, radioactive waste, have no safe place to go. If we're not careful, we can harm

our planet beyond repair.

People need to respect the Earth and try to preserve it. If we don't, what kind of future will we have?

30. It has recently been announced that a new high school may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details in your answer.

I oppose having a new high school built in my neighborhood. Although I know there’s a real need for a new facility, I have to say that I don’t want one built so close to me. I think it would cause a lot of problems.

First of all, there are very few teenagers in this neighborhood, or in our suburban subdivision, for that matter. Most of the residents here are either retired or are just starting out with young children. This means that the kids coming to the new high school wouldn’t be walking. They would come on buses or would be driving to the school. Either way, this would mean a lot more traffic on our streets.

In addition to the traffic on school days, there also would be traffic whenever there was a sporting event, such as a basketball or football game, or activities at the school. Would there be enough parking in the school lot for everyone attending those events? Probably not. Consequently, those extra cars would end up our neighborhood.

My neighbors and I would also be upset about the loss of the park, which is the site that’s been selected for the high school. Mothers with young children gather there every morning for their kids to play together. People my age like to take a walk after dinner. On weekends, that park is a place for picnic and relaxation. We’d be sorry to lose our neighborhood park.

I also have some concerns about all those young people being in our neighborhood. Would there be problems with drugs or fights? Could the school district guarantee us that security would be a priority? These are concerns that I don't think can be addressed sufficiently for me to support a new high school in my neighborhood.

31 Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number

of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: saying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.

Even though I have lived in the same house, in the same neighborhood, in the same city my entire life. I know I would be happy living in a variety of place. Moving would expose me to new people, new weather, and new housing.

Even if I were to move to another part of my city, I would encounter new people. Each neighborhood has a distinct personality. When I move to that neighborhood, I would meet the shopkeepers and residents that shape that personality. I may even adopt part of there manner as my own so I could be recognized as part of that community.

If I want to encounter different weather patterns, I would have to move beyond my city. Where I live now, it is the same temperature all year, I would like to go to a place where there are four seasons so I can experience really cold temperatures. I would like to walk in the snow and perhaps go skiing. I could learn winter sports if I lived in the north.

Now of course, I live with my parents in their home. It is a one story house built around a courtyard where our family spends a lot of time. If I were to move, I would like to live in an apartment on a very high floor so I could see all around me. I could also meet my neighbors in the elevator and we could get together for coffee in my apartment.

The more I move the more I would experience change. I would meet new people in every place I lived; I could move to sample countries with four seasons or even a continent like Antarctica which only has two. Wherever I lived, I would experience living in housing particular to that area. I would then be a citizen of the world, wouldn’t I? Could you call me a foreigner if I called everyplace my home?

32. Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

“Save it for rainy day.” That’s my motto. When I have a choice between spending my money or putting it in my savings account at the bank, I always put it in the bank.I will have a lot of expenses in the future like my education, travel, and unforeseen emergencies. I need to have money set aside for these expenses.

Education is expensive. I can’t depend on my parents to pay all my bills. I have tuition, room and board, books, and incidental expenses to pay for. I’ll try to get a scholarship to cover some of these costs, but I know I will be responsible for a lot of the expenses. If I spend my money now, I won’t be able to pay for my education. I need to save money for my education.

Travel is also very expensive. I don’t mean vacation travel. I mean travel to get to and from school. Transpacific airfare costs a lot even special reduced fares. I first have to get to school and then, of course, I want to return to my family for important festivals and occasions. Going back and forth will be costly, but worth it. I need to save money for these trips.

Emergencies could arrive at any moment. I might have an unexpected illness while I am at school. There might be costs that won’t covered by the school insurance. One of my family members may need help, I will have to send them money. You can’t predict emergencies like this, but you can be prepared. I need to save money for these emergencies.

When you are not rich, you cannot spend your money carelessly. You must plan ahead. I know in my life, I will have expenses for my schooling and for travelling to and from my home. I know that I will also have unexpected expenses related to unforeseen emergencies. I must be prepared. I need to save money for these events.

33. You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

The choice between spending money on tickets to a concert or spending money on jewelry is an easy one. Given this choice, I would buy jewelry. The reasons are obvious, jewelry is an investment; it is permanent; and it is fashionable.

Jewelry like a gold bracelet for example is a very good investment. It is important for women( and for man, too) to have gold jewelry. If you have some serious financial problem, you could always sell your jewelry to help you over any rough spots. You could not sell your used concert ticket.

Jewelry, unless you sell it, is permanent. You alw