Choice

We are often confronted with a choice between two or more options. Write an essay of about 250 words on a situation you have been in. The first paragraph should set out the situation and the second paragraph should explain your choice with reasons.

Recently, I have had to decide between going to a local college and studying abroad as I am about to go into high school. It has always been my dream to study medicine at National Taiwan University, which ranks first in Taiwan and is among the top 100 universities around the world. It is particularly well-known for its medicine school, the graduates of which all become doctors and underpin the first-class health care sector. On the other hand, my parents have been supportive of my education, giving me ample opportunity within their abilities. They have floated the idea of sending me abroad for my college studies. If I agree, we need to start making preparations as it can be time-consuming to find a good school and get admitted. I also need to take either TOEFL or IELTS to prove my English proficiency.

 

This is not an easy choice to make, but I have decided to go for National Taiwan University. This makes sense because my career aspiration is to become a doctor in Taiwan and I have full confidence in the curriculum offered by the university which fully prepares students for a career in medicine. I also look forward to attending a residency training program in a local hospital where I can interact with local patients, who I wish to help most in the future. The alternative of overseas education is certainly an attractive proposition, but to be able to go to a good college requires considerable preparations, which can be a distraction from my current studies, not to mention the huge expenses involved in studying abroad. One possibility that I will look out for is an exchange program where I can study for a semester at an overseas college, particularly a prestigious one known for its medical training. In a way this is the best of both worlds.

School Facilities

Your school has managed to raise a huge donation for the improvement of facilities and/or learning and teaching in the school. Please write an essay of at least 250 words on how best to use the money. In the first paragraph, you should set out three proposed uses of the money. In the second paragraph, you should justify such uses.

I am pleased to note that the school has recently secured a huge donation from a well-known philanthropist who has a keen interest in the well-being of the school. I also understand the school is inclined to make good use of the donation to improve the school facilities and learning and teaching in the school. This is, in my view, a worthwhile cause and I would like to propose three uses of the funds: to upgrade the gym facilities, to increase the library collection, and to launch an English-speaking campaign.

 

The existing gym facilities were first installed about ten years ago. Because of the students’ heavy usage of the facilities, the facilities are now in a dilapidated state. Some of them are often broken, depriving the students of opportunities to keep fit. The school teams are also adversely affected as the downtime of the facilities disrupts their training schedules. It is therefore essential to upgrade the facilities as soon as possible so as to encourage the students to exercise and provide the school teams with maximum support for their training schedules. As to the library collection, there is room for increasing the availability of more books so as to stimulate the students’ interest in reading. At present, there are few audio-visual resources in the library. They should be increased to appeal to the students as they might find them more attractive than books. The proposed English-speaking campaign is aimed to encourage the students to improve their spoken English and have more confidence in speaking English, the importance of which cannot be emphasised more.

The Important Personality Traits in My Life

      To succeed in society and indeed in life, we should be able to get along well with other people as no one is an island. In my view, respect, empathy and generosity are three important personality traits that are conducive to social interactions.

 

     Respect is the bedrock of healthy relationships. It starts in the family, but does not end there. In the family, there is nothing wrong with the traditional view that children should be respective towards parents and they should be so taught at an early age, but in modern society, parents should also be respectful of children as individuals with feelings and rights. Only through mutual respect can there be love and affectionate relationships. At school, the need for mutual respect is even greater as students with different backgrounds are assigned into classes where they have to learn to get along with each other. Teachers also have an important role to play, not only in ensuring that students maintain cordial relationships and no bullying occurs, but also in setting a good example of respecting others notwithstanding their superior position.

 

     Empathy makes us understand others’ feelings and problems. In a society where individualism is often touted as the key to happiness, particularly among young people, it is essential for us to recognize that not all are as lucky as we are, and they might be in less advantageous circumstances and confronted with various problems. Empathy is the basis for caring and love, enhancing personal relationships and making sure that there is no place for indifference.

 

     Generosity is the willingness to help others and complements empathy in the act of giving something valuable, be it an object, service, time or even love. We should stand ready to help others, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because we do hope that others will do the same when we are in need. This virtuous cycle makes relationships stronger, healthier, and more rewarding, as we all benefit.

 

     To conclude, no one is an island and we all benefit from respect, empathy and generosity, the three personality traits that make social interactions work well.

If I Were to Become a Youtuber

 

    Many people from all walks of life have become Youtubers in recent years because of various reasons. It could be just out of interest as they wish to share with others their interests or passions. For example, if they are good at cooking, they might wish to talk about a particular recipe of theirs in case others might be interested. It could be a means to help others. One fine example of this is a Youtuber called Bob Wells, who is a van dweller and an ardent advocate of minimalist, nomadic life in a van on the road. He dishes out advice on his YouTube channel to anyone who wishes to have a taste of this alternative lifestyle. It could also be a good way to make a living, as shown by various successful Youtubers, who not only get paid by YouTube through ad views, but also get a commission for promoting products on their channels.

 

     If I were to become a Youtuber, I would focus on my labor of love, namely, English. I am an English teacher and is fully aware of the difficulties facing my students. I would therefore like to make videos on tips and advice on how to learn English efficiently and effectively. For those who might take an examination, be it at school or a public one, my videos on examination techniques should be welcomed. I would also like to have a series of videos on grammar topics, answering English learners’ questions and given them a solid foundation in this important aspect of English learning.

My Tiger Parents

 

     No doubt my parents are tiger parents. Whatever I do is never good enough from their perspective because they want me to be a straight-A student, excel in sports, and have musical talents. Unlike my peers, I have a fully-packed行程滿檔 every day and weekends are no exception. My typical day begins at 6:30 am when I get up and ends at 11:30 pm when I can finally hit the sack. The school I go to is exceptionally傑出地 competitive有競爭力的; there are all sorts of weekly assessments評量, the results of which count towards final grades. On one occasion, I failed to get an A in mathematics in Year 5 simply because I got a B in one of the quizzes小考 at the start of a term. The end time of the school day is 3:30 pm, but that ushers in the busiest part of my day as I need to go from one activity to another. Despite my dislike for water, I have been a member of the school swimming team, thanks to my parents’ insistence that this should be part of my CV. Neither do I like long hours of tuition classes where cramming填鴨式 takes the place of 代替 learning. Piano lessons are what I hate most because they are tiring and give me sore fingers.

 

     Although I do not subscribe to my parents’ tiger parenting style, I cannot deny that as a result of such a style, I have become highly competitive in my studies, sports and music endeavors努力. As a straight-A student with accomplishments in sports and music, I have secured得到 offers to a few elite colleges in the US. After years of a hectic繁忙的 lifestyle, I am highly disciplined有紀律的, always guided by a detailed timetable that is conducive有助益的 to good time management. I am also focused on what I intend to achieve and work out how this can be done. That said, if given a chance, I would have done it differently, giving myself a bit of time for daydreaming.

My Pleasure of Living in Taipei

 

提示：在你居住的城市或社區，最讓你感到愉悅的是什麼？請以此為題，寫一篇英文作文，談這個地方最讓你喜歡的面向或事物（例如：人、事、物、文化、制度、自然環境等）。第一段描述你最喜歡的面相或事物；第二段說明它為何讓你感到愉悅，以及你認為可以用什麼方式保有它。

 

     What pleases me most in Taipei is that a large number of historical buildings have been preserved for productive uses rather than being demolished拆除 and replaced by so-called號稱 avant-garde先鋒之作 ones. A modern city is not distinguished by modern buildings; it should be characterized by以...為特徵 a perfect combination of old and new buildings, which makes it all the more important to preserve historical buildings, which cannot be brought back恢復 once gone. Indeed, many world-renowned cities, such as London, Paris and Rome, pride themselves in their heritage遺產, best shown in monuments紀念碑 and landmarks in the form of museums, shopping malls, or even government offices.

 

    Historical buildings mean a lot to me because they have witnessed見證 him my country’s significant and historic moments. As I am a huge fan of history, their mere僅僅 existence is a instant reminder of what happened in the past and our collective journey. In most cases, the buildings are works of art, often designed by famous architects, reflecting art and beauty of a bygone過去的 era. One of my favorite places is a café nestled in an ancient Japanese-style wooden house with a tree in front. It is a serene寧靜的 spot to enjoy aromatic香濃的 coffee that goes well with delicious snacks amid quiet surroundings. It is therefore essential to protect these buildings and for that matter our collective memory by not only letting the buildings stay as they are but also turning them into productive uses that engage the public so that they become part of our lives. Only through this can historical buildings take on a new life.

Get My Toy Dog Back

提示：你在旅行途中不小心把一件珍貴或是别具意義的私人物品遺留在飯店，因此你決定寫一封信，請求飯店的協助。你(英文名宇必須假設為 Henry或 Miranda)寫一封信給對方(對方稱謂統一以敬啟者 Dear Sir or Madam 稱呼），第一段請描述你在什麼樣的情境下遺忘了什麼物品，第二段請說明這個物品對你的意義以及你希望飯店如何協助。

請注意：必須使用上述的 Henry 或 Miranda 在信末署名，不得使用自己的真實中文或英文名字。

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Assistance to be sought

 

     I am writing to seek your assistance in locating a fluffy toy dog which I inadvertently left in Room 234, where I stayed for a few days until last Saturday morning. The toy is small in size, black and white in color, and with long ears. I washed it last Friday night because I had splashed some ink onto it, and left it in the bathroom to dry. As a result, when I in a rush to check out the following morning, I had forgotten all about the toy and left without it.

 

     The toy means a lot to me as it was a birthday gift given to me by my grandmom when I was five years ago. The toy has been with me ever since as it has been my best friend and always reminds me of my beloved grandmom, who sadly passed away two years ago. I will not get separated from it wherever I go. Even on various strips, he is always in my rucksack as I need his company and do not want to lose it. I hope you will appreciate how worried I am now, not knowing if I will ever get reunited with my best friend. I do hope he has found his way to your Lost and Found Section, waiting for my much-awaited reunion. I would therefore be grateful if you would confirm if you have got my toy. If so, could you send it back to me by speed post at my expense.

 

Yours faithfully

Henry

An Unforgettable Team Game

     

     An unforgettable team game for me was the finals in the Inter-Class Basketball Competition when I was in high school. Basketball games were huge popular and very competitive at our school as our school basketball team was unbeatable難以戰勝的 in inter-school basketball leagues聯盟. Winning the finals was not only an honor for the winning team but its team members were likely to be invited to join the school team. The two teams in the finals were the best of the best, having each beaten eight teams. I was lucky enough to be in one of the two teams.

     The team my team was playing against was considered被認為 the better team because its players were taller, with an average height of 6 feet. They had superb極好的 skills in passing and dribbling運球. As expected, we were not off to a good start, trailing behind落後 by 15 points at halftime半場, because they had the ball most of the time. During the halftime break, our coach gave us a pep talk鼓勵的話, reminding us of the importance of team work. They might be taller than us and have better skills, but it was not impossible to outsmart勝過 them through tactical戰術的 maneuvers演習. In the second half, we were a different team, able to narrow the score to 65-67. With five seconds left, I passed the ball to Peter, who made a three-point shoot. With the final whistle, we left the court victoriously as the shoot reversed the score to be 68-67, and our supporters erupted into thunderous如雷 applause掌聲.

My Dream

 

     My dream is to change the way English is taught at school in Taiwan. At present, teachers focus too much on vocabulary and grammar. Learning English has been reduced to memorizing as many words as possible or working out answers to peculiarly特有地 set grammar questions. I do not doubt the importance of a large vocabulary and a good understanding of grammar, but the learning of English and indeed any other language is for the learners to be able to communicate, particularly in writing and speaking.  It is sad to note that遺憾的是 many people, including university graduates and English teachers, find it difficult to write in English or carry out進行 a conversation in English, not to mention更不用說 using the language for work purposes such as making a speech or presentation, or writing a formal report.

 

     At university I will study English with a view to becoming an English teacher upon graduation. I will explore the feasibility可行性 of spending a year in the United States for at least a year so that I can immerse沉浸 myself in an English-speaking environment. Such exposure will definitely give me ample opportunity to speak English and pick up colloquial口語的 expressions. I will focus on teaching pedagogy教學法 that creates an environment where students can learn English for communicative purposes rather than passing tests and examinations. I will be particularly interested in ways to teach students to write and speak well. I will work hard towards my goal of changing the way English is taught at school in Taiwan.  I also hope that I will not be alone in this endeavor努力 and will be able to partner with like-minded志同道合的 teachers in making a difference in society.