TOEFL Independent Writing
TOEFL Independent Writing
Solving Problem Along or Together
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Which one do you prefer, to solve problems on your own experience and knowledge, or to ask others for advice?
As knowledge and experience serve as two towers in problem-solving, one is often presented with two major paths that pave the way for final fulfillment, either to wrack his brain, just like what happened to Neuton, sitting for many years under an apple tree and eventually figuring out one of the greatest universal rules that govern the whole globe, or to seek for other’s wisdom through their advice, just as in the case of Benjamin Franklin, gathering great minds under one roof and then establishing a most world-renown library. Both ways work. When a practical goal is involved, however, Benjamin Franklin may best be regarded as a role model in this respect, and asking people for advice often turns out to be the primer alternative.
Experience and knowledge borrowed or learned from others’ advice contribute greatly to the effectiveness and efficiency of a goal-accomplishment. Not all experience and knowledge related to problem-solving can be obtained by personal effort alone due to the limitation of the mind and capabilities of each individual. A single thought in someone’s mind is, more often than not, far less shining compared with the group’s wisdom. That explains the famous old saying that one sees further when standing on the shoulders of past great giants; that explains why a great leader is always with greater minds; that also explains why teamwork in cooperation is highly emphasized in the 21st century. Brainstorm and exchange of ideas between different thoughts never fail to enhance the capabilities of each individual involved, a team, a company, an institution, a country, or even the entire global village.
Asking other’s advice instead of getting everything done on one’s own promotes democracy and communication too. In terms of democracy, it is necessary to give others rights and chance to speak since the problem may concern them in different ways, and their saying in turn reflects our respect toward freedom of speech as well as their wisdom. In terms of communication, idea exchange sometimes focuses more than solutions, and hereby better mutual understanding about perspectives, principles, practicalities, and personalities of each other.
Admittedly turning to others for help and suggestion by no means refers to absolute and irresponsible dependence. Consideration upon different thoughts and ideas broadens our mind, enlarges our vision, furthers understanding, enhances more effective and efficient brainstorm, and stresses mutual respect in groups and communities, which undoubtedly gives rise to better, if not the best solutions. As is paraphrased from John F Kennedy, brainstormed, there is litter we cannot do while divided, there is little we can do.
Back Home or Leave After Graduation
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After they complete their university studies, some students live in their hometowns. Others live in different towns and cities. Which do you think is beterr? Give reasons for your answer.
After they complete their university studies, some students prefer to live in their hometowns while others choose to live in different towns or cities. Everybody has his own hometowns or cities. Everybody has his own reason for his preference. After graduation, I will go back and live in my home city. I have made this decision because of the following reasons.
Firstly, my home city is a big city that can offer a lot. There are plenty of opportunities for work, many big libraries for studies, several different museums for visit, and numerous cinemas, theaters, and centers for entertainment. When I go back there, I’ll have no difficulty in finding a job suitable for me and I can make use of all the facilities available there.
Secondly, if I go back to my home city, I can look after my parents. I take this into consideration because I am their only child and they are now weak and getting on in age. If I live in the same city as them, I can visit them very often and help them whenever it is necessary.
Thirdly, if I live in my home city, I will have a lot of friends, schoolmates, and relatives to visit and to turn to for help when I need it. Of course, I could get acquainted with many people and make many friends if I went to live in a strange place, but that takes time. If I go back to my home city, everybody will wait for me and I will be able to settle down comfortably without any trouble and waste of time.
In short, my choice is based on careful consideration of my home city and my family. I think it’s a better and a sensible choice; in a certain sense, it is a must.
Good Neighbor
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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 property, who is helpful in the little day-to-day situation that comes 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 house without asking how you felt 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 visiting 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.
Eating Outside or at home
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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 esamples 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 diner at a restaurant with friends, 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. 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 stop, or cook, or clean up. But real home cooking doesn’t have to take up 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 money and health issues. but people will make the choice that fits their lifestyle best.
Personally,
I prefer cooking at home for several reasons.
Most people believe that eating at stands or restaurants is a kind of time-saving since we need to pro-process the foodstuffs, flavor and cook them, and clean everything up if we eat at home. It seems time-consuming than eating out. But that’s not quite true. There are more choices compared with eating outside and a quick meal is such an answer. For example, we can boil some noodles, vegetables, and eggs and flavoring them with sauces. It just takes 3 min to boil water, and 5 min to finish the cook. On the other hand, if you not satisfied with this, you can prepare more then one meal for each time just as I always did. So, for the next meal, it just takes 2 mins to heat it by microwave-oven. Compared to eating outside, I need to take time to pick a restaurant, make a very hard order since there are so many choices on the menu, wait for the service, and finally, eat it. If we hit a traffic jam or a long waiting list, it takes more.
Dancing plays an important role in a culture.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Dancing plays an important role in a culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
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Around the world, people gather to explore their emotions through dance. The dances are created as part of celebrations, as religious services, as preparation for challenging hunts and warfare and to express sorrow (less often than the other situations). Indeed, dance does play an important role within a culture and reveals a wide range of information about the characteristics of a culture. Three of the most revealing aspect of dance are the nature of the culture’s symbols and art forms revealed in costumes and equipment, the body language (moves and gestures) which give information about social contact behaviors, and frequently the style of preferred music for the culture. Ethnic dances, and certainly popular dance, anywhere around the world have associated preference for costumes and special clothing. Through dancing, the participants are able to reveal and express their chosen role in the garments they choose; social roles in the dance show publically to the observers as well as other dancers. Frequently dancers utilize objects like swords or sticks or hoops or musical instruments to further reveal information about their role in the social story portrayed in the dance. Items such as special headwear and jewelry are further examples of the garments that in general express preferences and culturally significant details about the particular culture.
Dancers, by the very nature of the activity, physically express beliefs and attitudes associated with their specific culture. In many dances, the participants are modeling typical activities of their culture and thus imparting instructions and historical information to the audience. In other dances, one can see the expression of deep emotion: love, worship, grief, strength, anger, etc. and thus obtain clues about the inner feelings of the culture’s individuals. Dance provides an opportunity for others to witness some of the special behaviors associated with activities in the culture. Also, dance is a (usually) public statement so that observers can see how members of the culture treat those who are older members of the opposite sex, more respected members, etc.
The third aspect of dance that reveals much about a culture is the music or singing that is typically a part of the event. Observers can see evidence of the type of instruments, characteristics of the culture, and who plays the instruments as well as how they are used – instruments may be associated only with special events and thus transmit valuable cultural information. Frequently, singing is part of a dance program, and again an observer has an opportunity to observe who is singing and the nature of the voices. I found this aspect of dance particularly fascinating during a brief time I spent in a rural village in Zimbabwe a few years ago.
Dancing is indeed a very important aspect of any culture. It provides a communal opportunity for members of the culture to artistically express emotions while acting out typical activities and concerns in their world. For outsider observers, many valuable details about the culture are revealed.
Live in a City or Town
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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.
The Advantages of City Life
There are undeniable advantages to both lives in a big city and in a small town. The former offers more excitement and convenience while the latter offers a cleaner, quieter, and often friendly place to live. However, despite the advantages of small-town life, I prefer to live in a big city for several reasons.
First, life in the city is more convenient. More goods are available and stores are open later. Also, there is better public transportation so it is easier to get around. I can find almost everything I want easily in the city. Second, there are more ways to spend leisure time in the city. There are many places I can go to meet friends and have fun. The city often attracts the best teachers and companies. There is also a wider choice of jobs so it is easier to move up the career ladder.
For all of these reasons, I prefer to live in the city, Although I sometimes miss the fresh air and quiet life of a small town, nothing can make up for the opportunities that the city offers me. If one wants to be successful, I believe the best place to live in the city.
Agree or not: Success has nothing to do with luck.
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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 reasons and examples to explain your position. The Role of Luck in Success
“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 reasons and examples to explain your position. The Role of Luck in Success
It has been said that when people succeed, it is because of hard work and that has nothing to do with luck. Although I believe that hard work is very important and is the surest way to success for most people, I must disagree with this statement. It cannot be denied that luck plays an important role in success. For example, many important discoveries have been made by accident. There have many cases of researchers and inventors making major breakthroughs while they are trying to solve another problem or create a different device.
Furthermore, there is something to be said for simply being in the right place at the right time-perhaps meeting someone by chance who can offer a good job or rare opportunity. And of course, there are rare examples of gamblers and lottery winners who beat the odds and achieve sudden and unexpected success.
While the influence of luck can not be ignored, this is not to say that one should depend on it and ignore the value of hard work. If one is willing to work hard, I believe that success will eventually be achieved, with or without the added benefit of luck. Moreover, hard work is often an essential ingredient of luck because it enables one to take advantage of a lucky encounter. If the scientist has not worked hard to developed his knowledge and skills, he may not recognize that lucky breakthrough when it comes along. Therefore, my suggestion is not to count on luck to bring you success. Instead, work hard and keep your eyes open for that lucky opportunity.
Construction a Factory Near Your Community
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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.
Having a factory near where one lives brings with it both advantages and disadvantages. An obvious advantage is an increase in the number of jobs, and many people in the community might find employment in the new factory. The factory would bring money into the community in other ways as well. It would have to pay some taxes to the local government, and workers might go shopping or eat at restaurants in the area before or after their shits.
However, the factory would bring some disadvantages, too. Depending on what kind of factory it is. It might pollute the environment and bring down property values. It would be sure to increase traffic in the area, causing congestion and making it unsafe for children to play outside. Finally, the neighborhood would become a noisy, busy place. For all of these reasons, I would be opposed to the construction of a new factory near my community. While the employment opportunities would help the community, I believe it would be better for residents to commute to work and preserve the peace of our neighborhood.
Change one things in your hometown
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If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
My hometown is a large city with a dense population. Because it is crow people and vehicles, the environment is not as clean as I would like it to be. Too many cars and buses polluted the air and also people created a lot of garbage that is not always disposed of properly. If I could change just one thing about my hometown, it would be the environment. I would make it a cleaner and less polluted place to live.
I believe that such a change is important because a person’s living environment greatly affects both his physical and mental health. Bad air quality can contribute to many health problems such as asthma, and improperly discarded garbage can spread bacteria that are dangerous to health. In addition, the environment can greatly affect the way a person feels. When in clean, attractive surroundings we always feel optimistic. For these reasons, I think the people of my hometown should work together to make it a cleaner place to live.
In order to accomplish this goal, we have to not only enact laws to limit pollution but also take personal responsibility for our own actions. Only when people realize the effect that the environment has on their well-bing will they such proposals seriously. Therefore, ew must first inform people of the dangers of a poor environment. Then I believe we can all live happier, healthier lives.
TOEFL Independent Writing
