Task 1

1. Describe a skill you are good at. Explain why this skill is important to you.

Well, I am pretty versed in taking photographs, I have a very genuine interest in photographing, and I am very passionate about expressing myself through imageries. I take pictures to record my own life, and it is a very good way to reflect the past, also I like to help others to remember their precious moments by photos, like their weddings, graduation ceremonies and some other special events. I just feel that when I am not using my camera, there is a void in my life. On top that, it is a great way to make friends, I made lots of friends going to places taking pictures, and some of them turn out to be life time friends.

2. Describe an important day in your life.

The most important day in my life was my college graduation day. I graduated from a prestigious university in the Unites States, but it was challenging for me. Four years before I graduated from college, the first time I set foot on the land of America, I felt so isolated and had tremendous language barriers. However, during my four years in college, I not only improved my English language proficiency, but also kept a high GPA and was on the dean's list every year. But, I know that this day does not come easy, it symbolizes the time and effort I put to get my diploma.

3. One of your friends wants to drop out of college. Do you think it is a good idea or not? Why?

I disagree that my friend to drop out of college. Firstly, in china. one needs to work really hard to get in to college and you definitely need a college degree to get yourself a job. it's very hard, if not impossible, for a high school graduate to find a job. Secondly, the benefit of a college education goes beyond getting you a job. To be a well-rounded person with comprehensive knowledge in different fields. One needs to go to college. you study economics to better understand the economy. Psychology gives you knowledge about people's motives and desires. Based on these point I disagree that my friend should drop out of college.

4. A skill you have already learned and want to improve. Describe what you would do to improve the skill.

I would say I want to improve my English language communication skills. Actually, I started learn English when I was 6 years old, and I have been learning English for like 15 years, but what is frustrating is that I still cannot express things in the most natural way. I guess I need to learn the most natural way of expressing myself, to do that, I have to grasp every chance I might have to interact with native speakers. On top of that, since I might have lots of chance to do that, I think I will start watch American TV shows and learn some useful and daily use phrases and use them whenever I can.

5. Which period do you think is the toughest during one's life? childhood, adolescent, or adulthood?

I would say the toughest period during one's life is adulthood. Not like the childhood, we are pursuing our degrees in universities or already doing a job to make a living. In school, we are constantly under lots of pressure, the assignments like problem sets, presentations, research papers are killing us. After graduation, we have to fulfill all kinds of responsibilities as a professional. On the other hand, being a child or an adolescent is much easier, they just have fun and do not have to worry about anything

6. Describe your favorite area in your city.

My most favorite place in the city is the beach area. I was born and raised in a coastal city in China. My most favorite place is the beach area. I enjoy bathing in the sun while appreciating the beautiful scenery alone the seashore, like the blossom and palm trees and stuff, and I can also try out the sea food like salmon, tuna and even some lobsters. Apart from that, the most exciting stuff I can do is sea and water activities like snorkeling, wakeboarding and even jet skiing with my dad. Though one might get a little sun burnt, I think it's worth it anyway.

7. A friend of yours wants to make a big purchase but does not have enough money. What would you suggest your friend do to.

Frankly, there are not lots of part jobs, from which you can make lots of money. However, I think to work in a restaurant part-time is a pretty decent choice. You can choose to be a delivery guy or even wait tables. By delivering food to customers, not only can you get lots of tips from generous customers, you can also get transportation fee paid from them. One can make easily make $ 150-200 a day. Also, you can build up a sense of responsibility from doing this job, on top of that, when the customers smile at you and appreciate your service, you can have a sense of achievement. To be able to make others happy is always a pleasant experience. Based on these reasons, I suggest my friend to work in a restaurant.

8. Describe a gift that you would like to give to your friend.

I would say the gift I would like to give to my friend is an iphone 6 plus. I know it is kind of expensive, but I think it's worth the value. Firstly, it embodies the most cutting edge and state of the art technology, like touch screen, voice control and video camera, stuff like that. With this smart phone, my friend can talk to his friends and family members wherever and whenever he wants. Apart from that, he can download movies to watch on the high fidelity screen, just to kill some time. Last but not the least, with wifi access, he gets to know what is happening around the globe by surfing on the internet.

9. Describe a person that you look up to as a role model. Explain how this person influenced your life. Include details and examples to support your response.

Well, I would say my role model is my friend Iddie, I met him when I was on an exchange program to study in America. I would not say he is a smart or intelligent person, but the fortitude and willpower he has to achieve something he really aspires are so inspiring. He grew up in Ghana, a underdeveloped country in Africa. Though he had lots of setbacks in his life, he never complained about anything, and he just hunkered down and made an effort to make his life better. His passion and attitude for life are so contagious that I always look up to him.

10. One of your friends has suddenly received a large amount of money and has asked you for advice on how to handle this money. What advice would you give to your friend? Give reasons for your answer.

Personally, I would advice my friend to make some wise investment, to begin with, the inflation in my home country is pretty serious, it doesn't make any sense to deposit the money in the bank. He should invest the money into buying some gold, real estate, cuz the real estate in my country maintains such a strong momentum, I bet he can make more money out of this. Additionally, he can also invest the money to assist lots of start-ups, and he should invest in several start-ups in different industries so as to avoid risk.

11. Which of the following activities would you do with friends rather than alone? Taking a walk, watching a movie or travelling.

I would say I like to take a walk alone, my primary purpose of taking a walk is to reflect about my study and life, and I want to enjoy this experience alone and keep it to myself. To find a peaceful time and enjoy that without the presence of others can be pretty tough, since we have to deal with lots of people every day, like classmates, friends, colleagues and stuff. Taking a walk is a great chance to get away with our busy schedule, and find peace within our own heart. If I took a walk with a friend, I might get distracted, thus there is not point of taking a walk with others.

Task 2

1. Some like do jobs with different tasks and others prefer to do the same task every day. Which one do you prefer?

I would like to choose a job that requires me to do lots of tasks. First of all, sitting in the office and repeating the same task again and again can be killing. I will be really bored doing these repetitive tasks, and my working efficiency will be very low. Secondly, doing lots of different tasks can develop myself to be a well-rounded person, now the job market is very competitive. If you are trained to do different kind of tasks in a professional setting, you will be more popular in the job market, thus have a better shot in getting a higher-paid job.

2. Some people believe that it is better for children to grow up in big cities. Others believe that it is better for children to grow up in rural areas. What is your opinion and why?

I would say it is better for children to grow up in big cities. The facilities and the atmosphere will be very beneficial to kids to grow up in a city. For example, kids are likely to get better education, medical treatment, and even social welfare. However, kids that live in the country are not that lucky. Apart from that, a big city is multi cultural and full of dynamics, there are people from all over the country and even from around the globe. Getting a chance to experience different languages, customs and cultures will benefit the kids a lot when they grow up and it will make them a better and well-rounded person.

3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Students should have some working experience such as doing a part-time job before going to college.

I would say students should definitely have some working experience like taking a part time job before going to university. I have the following reasons for support. To begin with, you can make some money out of any part time job, and by saving up lots of money, you probably can pay some part of your expensive college tuition, and buy things you are interested in. On top of that, doing a part-time job helps to make someone a responsible person, by working with co-workers, you can develop social skills and organizational skills, which are fairly important for one's future career, and that might give you a better shot to land a sweet job after graduation in college.

4. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: people should be forced to retire after the age of 65.

Personally, I totally agree with this. To begin with, typically by the age of 65, people have worked for like more than 40 years, and that is a pretty long time, we spend more than 40 years dedicated to different professions; and people deserve the chance to enjoy their retirement at 65 years. Additionally, generally, lots of positions require professionals to be extremely healthy and active in order to fulfill their tasks, our health gets worse with the passing time, lots of seniors around 60 years suffer from cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and stuff; so people at around 65 years old are not as productive, thus they should be forced to retire.

5. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement. Watching TV is not a way to use time.

I think it really depends, TV programs like documentaries can be very informative, and they target different kinds of audience. They cover lots of topics like sports, animal world, history, and even religions. you can really learn a lot about all kinds of stuff. It is very good to watch these shows, however, if someone is indulged in watching meaningless TV programs like different kind of reality shows and even some of the TV sit-coms, it might cast a huge negative impact on their study and work. To sum up, it you are capable of striking a balance between watching good TV shows and meaningless one, watching TV is very good way to use time.

6. Advertisements have too much influence on what people buy.

Personally, I agree that advertisements have too much influence on what people buy. Though economists might think that human are rational being and make choices based on cost and benefit, psychologists might not agree with that, and I think consumers are very much influenced by commercials on what they buy. Frankly, lots of commercials are too much in bragging about their products and cannot even deliver what they promise, like the so-called ultimate vacuum cleaner cannot even remove a slight stain on the carpet, even though in the advertisement, the company portrays their vacuum as the almighty machine, and the Ad is so vivid and persuasive and people believe it, only later find that it is not what it says in the commercial.

7. Some would like a job that requires frequent communication with others, others prefer to get job that does not require any communication. Which one do you prefer?

Personally, I am an extremely extrovert and easygoing person and will be really bored if I get a job without any communication with others. I really cannot imagine a position that is repetitive and boring; I do not think I can be productive and efficient at all. Apart from that, there are numerous benefits when interacting with other, like you can have new perspective on things, and human beings are at least social being. The last but the not the least, lots of job require communication and cooperation with other department in order to make a profit and help others.

8. Do you agree or disagree with the statement that rich should do more to help the poor.

Well, personally, I would say rich should do some charitable activities to help the poor and underprivileged. To begin with, men are social beings, we are supposed to help each other; giving a helping hand and offer some necessities to the unlucky ones should be welcomed the public, and that can help to bind the society as a whole. Additionally, lots of businessmen are actually philanthropist, like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and other business tycoons, they donate hundreds of millions of dollars, and by doing this, not only can they help the poor, they can also promote their business.

9. Do you prefer to live in a place where you have access to transportations and shops or somewhere distant but quiet areas.

Living in a place where there is no noise is absolutely my choice. A place like the suburb or country far away from the noise and pollution is very favorable to me, even though it might not be convenient to live in. I hate the hustle and bustle of the city. Especially, I spend almost all my life living in the city to suffer the noise and be choked by the polluted air, I want to get away from the city. I like the solitude, clear skies, and peaceful evenings in the suburbs or country and it is pretty romantic. Living in suburbs or country makes it possible for me to be close to mother nature.

10. Some would like a job that does not require any travelling; others prefer to get job with frequent travel. Which one do you prefer and why?

Personally, I would to choose a job that can give a chance to travel around. I am the kind of person who likes new and exciting things and exploration. Just staying in one place, I will get extremely bored. I might not have a high efficiency at work and might not be very productive. On top of that, travelling around makes me a well-rounded person. When doing business in different places, I got a chance to talk to locals and get to know their culture, customs and way of living. By interacting with them I can broaden my horizon and have new perspective on things.

11. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement. Teachers should made their lessons fun.

Personally, I totally agree with this, and teachers should always make their lessons more fun. It is really hard for someone especially a kid or a teenager to learn something that he or she might not be interested in, as the saying goes, interest is the best teacher. If the class is very interesting, it will be more intuitive and keep students’ attention. Students can learn more in this kind of atmosphere and will not get bored. On top of that, a good teacher who makes their lessons more fun has a chance to stir students’ creativity, imagination and their enthusiasm in a specific area. All these combined, I would say teachers should make their lesson more fun.

12. Which one do you think is better to help do research, internet or academic books? Explain why

Personally, I would definitely use the internet to do research rather than using academic books. To begin with, with internet, I can just type in the key words of the topic that I am researching, and then the next moment I know, there are millions of sources showing up on the screen, and I can use whichever I need to. It is so instant and convenient. On top of that, most of the sources on the internet is free, if I chose to use books when researching, I might end up spending lots of time without getting anything done, and that is very unproductive, based on these reasons and more, I find it more convenient and effective to use the internet.