A paper in this category - effectively addresses the writing task - is well organized and well developed - uses clearly appropriate details to support a thesis or illustrate ideas - d
Trang 1Miss Kent You must excuse me now I've an appointment to keep Do
pardon me if I seem rude
Mr Berry Sure, Miss Kent I must thank you for giving me the
opportunity to talk to you
NEW WORDS
bibliophile ['biblioufail] (n) 0gười ham sách
derive [di'raiv] (v) nhận được tử, thu được từ
sobriquet ['seobrikei] (n) b/ét hiéu
fascinate ['faesineit] (v) quyén ra
in turn (adv) tuần tự
Capable ['keipabl] (adj) cd kha năng
exquisite ['ekskwizit].(adj) thâm thúy
facility [fa'siliti] (n) điều kiện dễ dàng
associate [ø'seø ƒiit] (v) kết giao, kết bạn với, giao thiệp với
10 frank [frank] (adj) thắng thắn, thật thà
135 AN UNEXPECTED SITUATION
Một tình cảnh không mong đợt
(Mr John finds himself in an awkward situation He accounts’ a stranger for help)
Mr John — Excuse me
Stranger Yes
Mr John May Ihave your attention, please
Mr John I'm in an awkward’ position You may not believe me My
pocket has been picked I've lost all my money and I can't pay for the journey back home Could you help me, please?
Stranger _I do believe you Pickpockets are very active,in this city By
the way, where's your home?
Mr John In Singapore
Trang 2Stranger
Mr John
Stranger
Mr John
Stranger
Mr John
Stranger
Mr John
Stranger
Mr John
Stranger
Mr John
Mr Rashid
Mr Rashid
Mr John
In Singapore! And this is Kuala Lumpur, almost 500 kilometres away I can understand your plight now Perhaps | can help you How much money do you need?
About thirty dollars I can pledge my ring or my watch to you,
if you can spare me the money
You don't have to pledge anything I'll see how much I can spare (He looks into his wallet)
I'm genuinely’ sorry to put you to so much inconvenience Don't worry about that, please I might find myself in the same position some day
You're indeed very considerate
And you're very fortunate I can spare you more that you've asked for You can have fifty dollars Here you are (He gives the money to Mr John)
But thirty dollars should be enough I don't need more than that
That doesn't matter Please keep the fifty dollars You may need it on the way for incidental* expenses
Thank you very much By the way, I must offer you an apology In my desperation’, I didn't ask your name
I'm Rashid bin Ahmad
And I'm John (They shake hands Mr John continues) Your generosity’, Mr Rashid, has touched’ me deeply I'll never forget this sincere act of kindness You're a true ambassador of your country Please let me have your address I'll return your money as soon as I'm back home
No, please don't return it I'll look you up when I'm in Singapore sometime next month And I too would appreciate®
if you'd let me have your address
Mr John Certainly (The two give their addresses to each other)
You must excuse me now, Mr John I have to be home in an hour's time
Surely I thank you again for your kindness and generosity Do visit me when you're in Singapore
Trang 3Mr Rashid _ [I wiil, certainly This is an encounter I can't forget Something
must be done to get rid of” the pickpockets in this city
Mr John May I repeat that I'm greatly indebted to you for your timely
help
Mr Rashid It's all right (They shake hands and part)
NEW WORDS
1 account for [a'kaơnt fa] (v) giải thích
2 awkward ['2:kwad] (adj]) khó xử; túng túng, vụng về
3 genuinely ['dsenjuinli] (adv) thảnh thật; chân thật
4 incidental [,insi'dentl] (adj) đột xuất; tình cờ, bất ngờ
5, desperation [,despa'rei ƒn] (n) sự tuyệt vọng
6 generosity [,dzena'rasiti] (n) sự rộng lượng, hào phóng
7 touch [tAtƒ] (v) gây xúc động
8 appreciate [a'pri: fieit] (v) cam kích
9 to get rid of (v) tổng khử, bài trư
Trang 4MOT SO DE THI VA BAI LUAN MAU TRONG
CAC KY THI TOEFL VA IELTS
*kx*x+x*+x+«+xx**xkx«Xkk*X*X*$
Ina TOEFL test, the Writing section measures your ability to
compose in standard written English on an assigned topic Your task
in this section is to generate and organize ideas and to support them with examples and evidence
SCORING GUIDE
Readers will assign scores based on the following scoring guide
Though examinees are asked to write on a specific topic, parts of the topic may be treated by implication Readers should focus on what the
examinee does well
Scores
6 Demonstrates clear competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic levels, though it may have occasional errors
A paper in this category
- effectively addresses the writing task
- is well organized and well developed
- uses clearly appropriate details to support a thesis or illustrate
ideas
- displays consistent facility in the use of language
- demonstrates syntactic variety and appropriate word choice
Demonstrates competence in writing ori both the rhetorical and
syntactic levels, though it will probably have occasional errors
A paper in this category
- may address some parts of the task more effectively than others
- is generally well organized and developed
- uses details to support a thesis or illustrate an idea
- displays facility in the use of language
- demonstrates some syntactic variety and range of vocabulary
Trang 5
Demonstrates minimal competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic levels
A paper in this category
- addresses the writing topic adequately but may slight parts of the task
- is adequately organized and developed
- uses some details to support a thesis or illustrate an idea
- demonstrates adequate but possibly inconsistent facility with
syntax and usage
- may contain some errors that occasionally obscure meaning
Demonstrates some developing competence in writing, but it
remains flawed on either the rhetorical or syntactic level, or both
A paper in this category may reveal one or more of the following weaknesses:
- inadequate organization or development
- inappropriate or insufficient details to support or illustrate
generalizations
- a noticeably inappropriate choice of words or word forms
- an accumulation of errors in sentence structure and/or usage
Suggests incompetence in writing
A paper in this category is seriously flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
- serious disorganization or underdevelopment
- little or no detail, or irrelevant specifics
- serious and frequent errors in sentence structure or usage
- serious problems with focus
Demonstrates incompetence in writing
A paper in this category
- may be incoherent
- may be undeveloped
- may contain severe and persistent writing errors
Trang 6
Papers that reject the assignment or fail to address the question must
be given to the Table Leader Papers that exhibit absolutely no
response at all must also be given to the Table Leader
Here are some sample topics and model essays
Topic: Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students Others believe that higher education should be available only to good students Discuss these views Which view do you agree with? Explain why
An important goal of education is to learn about yourself Once you are separated from your parents, you are on your own You are forced to deal with all different kinds of people and issues You make an investment in yourself and in your future
I can understand why some people would think that a college o university education should be available only to good students Higher education is very expensive It might seem like a waste of money to send someone to college who might not be able to handle the course work Higher education is also a big investment of time Maybe it would make more sense for a mediocre student to use that time getting a job and starting to earn money Also, there are trade schools for students who are not academically inclined Here they can learn a trade and a way to earn living Why should they go to college or university? Besides, if they go
to college and fail, this will discourage them and make them feel inferior
I don't agree with this position I think a college or university education should be available to all students I think every student shout have the opportunity to at least try his hand at college classes Yes, higher education is expensive, but it is worth it Yes, higher education is
a big investment of time, but it is a valuable investment If a student finds out he or she can't handle the work, there's plenty of time after that to go
to trade school or find a job Failing at college; or university might be hard on a student's self-image, but learning how to handle failure is one
of the hard lessons of life
I think every student should be given a chance to see how far she can
go Students who were at mediocre grades in secondary school might do very well in a different environment College is more than just going to class It's a time to meet different people, separate from parents, begin to
Trang 7define yourself as a person I.think that's an experience every student should have
`, “
* Topic: 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, preparing for a career in a competitive job market is” the primary reason to go to college At college, it's possible to 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
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 home towns For most students, going to college is the first time they're been away from home by themselves Being independent like this means having to make decisions that they've never had to make before 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 have to do with 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 as much as they can about themselves and the world they live in
“* Topic: 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 greet deal about how to live my life
Trang 8Parents can be very important teachers in our lives; however, they are not always the best teachers
Parents may he too close to their children emotionally Sometimes they can only see their children through 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 values 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 right But when they get older, they realize there are other views Sometimes parents, especially older ones, can't keep up with rapid social or technological changes A student who has friends of all different races and backgrounds at school may find that his parents have narrower views A student who loves computers 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 ˆ
Topic: 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 become too slow for us Microwave cooking is much easier We
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Trang 9can 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 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 can 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 vegetables fresh, frozen or canned They're 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 froma | 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
‹,
“> Topic: Jt has been said, "Not everything that is learned is contained in books" 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't learn everything from a book
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Trang 10Of course, learning from books in a formal educational setting is also valuable It's in school 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 had similar experiences But experiencing our own triumphs and disasters is really the only way
- to learn how to deal with life
Topic: 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
T believe that this city would be harmed hy 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 risk
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? Your town is going to grow, I would prefer slow grow with good planning I don't want to see rows of cheaply constructed townhouses Our quality of life must be considered
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