103)In your opinion, what is the most important characteristic (for example,honesty, intelligence, a sense of humor) that a person can have to be successful in life? Use specific reasons and examples from your experience to explain your answer. When you write your answer, you are not limited to the examples listed in the question.

Although honesty, intelligence, and a sense of humor are all worthwhile characteristics, I feel the most important one in life to have is sensitivity. A sensitive person is aware of him/herself and the way their actions affect others. A sensitive person knows the place of honesty, intelligence, and a sense of humor.

Honesty is not always the best policy. There is such a thing as a white lie. You don't want to insult someone by saying that their new dress doesn't fit properly or that you wouldn't live in their new house if they paid you. You must be sensitive to when it is necessary to tell the truth and when it is better to tell a white lie.

Intelligence is a wonderful thing to have, but not all intelligent people use their intelligence sensitively. You don't want to show off and make others feel stupid. You must be sensitive to the reactions of the people around you. It might be appropriate for you to admit that you have the right answer, but in some cases, you might have to say, "I think this is the answer, but we might want to check it." A sensitive person would not make someone else look dumb.

A sense of humor is always valued. Different people, however, laugh at different things. You don't want to make someone feel uncomfortable by laughing at his/her mistakes. A sensitive person would understand whether a person could be teased or whether a person would appreciate a certain joke.

A sensitive person would make everyone feel comfortable. A sensitive person understands that people are different and that the values of honesty, intelligence and humor can be applied differently.

102)Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

I think it's a good idea for schools to ask students to evaluate their teachers. This informs teachers of how students react both to their teaching methods and to them as individuals. Teachers can weigh the criticisms and change what they think needs to be changed. Praise from students is also valuable. It can reinforce teachers' opinions about how they're teaching and give them confidence.

It's also helpful for school administrators to hear what students think about their teachers. It keeps administrators in touch with what's going on in the school. It also gives them some idea of which teachers effectively reach the students. However, good administrators know that student evaluations need to be reviewed with a keen eye for prejudice and adolescent attitudes. After all, an evaluation is a good way for students to get back at teachers who expect more of them than they want to give.

Evaluating teachers is also a good exercise for the students. They have to organize their thoughts about what they think of their teachers. In that way, they pinpoint for themselves what they expect of those teachers. They begin to understand what they value in a teacher and what is phony or useless. Evaluating their teachers is also a way for students to think about how they would evaluate themselves. Are they working as hard as they should in class? Is that why their teachers are sometimes critical of their work? Isn't that what a teacher should do-push us to try harder? Thinking about these things can help students do better in class. At the very least, they will understand better what is expected of them.

Student evaluations of teachers also make students feel as if they have a voice in what happens in their schools. It makes them feel as if they're pan of the education process when their opinion is valued by the administration. Finally, it teaches them responsibility.

101)Some people like doing work by hand. Others prefer using machines.Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Many people like to work by hand, in contrary, machine can do numerous great jobs better than human. In my opinion, working with machine has several advantages, such as: safer, neater, and quicker. Machines have offered several jobs that are impossible for human to do.

When people work by hand, the risk of damage is very high. If they don't pay attention carefully during work, parts of body can gone. For example, long time ago, employees of a cannery in steveston, canada, worked by hand. In fact, it was very common that the employees lost their fingers, hands, and other parts of body. Eventually, machines were introduced to the cannery, and, the number of injury people began to decrease.

People can get tired, frustated, bored, or other conditions that affect their work, whereas machine can't. When machines are used, they will produce the same products without any damage. On contrary, no one can make two identical products by hand. There must be a different, whether in shape, condition, size, etc.

Lastly, machines have evolved greatly. They can make any product in vast speed. Probably, when making massive products, no one can rival the speed of machine, even the expert one. When one person can make a pair of shoes by hand per hour, machine can do ten times more.

In conclusion, machines have many great features that are imposible for human to compete it. They have many briliant features, such as: security, neatness, and speed. Thus, working with machine allows people to do better than working by hand.

100)Some people think that governments should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology. Other people disagree and think that this money should be spent on more basic needs. Which one of these opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

Some people think that government should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology, while others do not. As far as I am concerned, this money should be spent on some more basic needs, such as protecting the environment and improving the public service.

In the first place, nowadays the pollution of environment has become the main concern in the advanced society. The research said that human being would not find the clean water to drink if they did not do some work to keep their water clean. There would be no fresh air if every people in the city drive car to go and from work. And there would be no more wild animals if people let the forest be destroyed like what is to be done now. For example, the forest, which is the main habitat of the various animals, has been destroyed. More and more wild animals face the danger of extinction because of the shortage of habitats. Therefore, there are more basic things that a successful government should do such as keeping the water clean, keeping the air fresh, and keeping the animal healthy.

In the second place, some public service, such as the public transportation in the city, also is a big problem. The bus in the rush hours is overcrowded; some people cannot go to work on time because they do not catch the regular bus; some commuters spent too much time on the bus or train because of the traffic on the road. Consequently, government should spend more money to improve their public transportation, which will benefit their people a lot and benefit them instantaneously.

From what I have discussed above, everyone can see that there are more things a government should do than buying computer, such as protecting the environment and improving the public service. Therefore, I think a successful government should spend more money on the basic demands of their people instead of spending as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology.

99)You have been told that dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

I'd rather have the university assign a roommate to share a room with me. As far as I'm concerned, this is part of the university experience. Students should meet new people and be open to new experiences. I like leaving this up to chance.

Actually, even though the university will choose, it's not totally a matter of chance. We all filled out information sheets. The school knows what we're majoring in, what our interests are, and our study habits and our goals. I think they're probably very good at matching roommates using this information. They've had a lot of practice. Besides, if a mistake is made, I can change my room assignment next semester.

If I did want to choose my own roommate, I'd first pick some candidates from the list supplied by the university. Then I'd write to them and they'd write back. Through our letters, we'd find out if we shared common interests, such as sports or movies. More importantly, we'd find out if we liked doing the same things in our free time. Because of my investigation, I'd probably get someone compatible with me. It's a lot of work to go through, though. Besides, the process of finding similar interests isn't all that different from what the university does.

Trying to predict whom I'm going to get along with is not a science. I might choose someone who sounds just like me and still find that the two of us just don't get along as roommates. Besides, I think it would be boring to room with somebody who's just the same as me. I'd rather be with someone who has different interests and likes to do different things. Maybe I'd even get a roommate from another culture. After all, one of the reasons I'm going to the university is to be exposed to a lot of new experiences.

So, I'd rather have the university choose my roommate for me.

97)Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Teachers should be paid according to how much their students learn. Give specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Some communities have decided to base evaluations of teachers on students' test scores. It's these evaluations that determine how much teachers will be paid. I don't think this is a very good idea for several reasons.

First of all, if teachers' salaries are going to be based on how much students learn, then some teachers will start to teach their students only what they need to get high test scores. This means that students will miss out on a lot of education that can't be measured on a test. For instance, one of the best methods to help students understand a subject is encouraging them to discuss it. A common practice is to divide the class into groups, have each group discuss the subject, and then have them report back to the whole class. This kind of shared learning can lead to a fuller understanding. It also teaches students how to discuss and debate ideas. However, it doesn't supply facts to show off on a test.

Another problem with basing teachers' salaries on how much their students learn is that teachers may ignore students who have learning difficulties. Some students learn more slowly than others and need more personal attention. If a teacher is worried about tests, he may feel he has to push the majority of the students to cram facts. That effort will take all his time. He won't be able to help the less able students.

It's true there are teachers who "burn out" after many years teaching and just don't care how much their students learn. Basing their salaries on their students' test scores may improve their efforts. However, it's not fair for the majority of teachers. They deserve and need to be judged by other criteria.

96)People have different ways of escaping the stress and difficulties of modern life. Some read; some exercise; others work in their gardens. What do you think are the best ways of reducing stress? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

Stress is one of our biggest enemies. It affects our health, our personality, and our relationships with others. In order to get rid of stress, I first have to identify the cause. I have different antidotes to stress depending on the cause. The most common types of stress I face are with work, with friends, and with myself.

Work-related stress is the easiest to combat. I simply stop working for a while. If I find myself picking up the same piece of paper four times a day and never doing anything with it, I blame stress. If I find- myself staring at the computer without finishing a report, I blame stress. The best thing to do is to do something else. Sometimes, I get up from my desk and go down the hall to talk to my colleagues, but I don't talk about work related subjects. Other times, I will take a short walk around the block and get some fresh air. Work-related stress can be cured by getting away from the work.

Stress caused by friends is more difficult to cure. Often the cause is more complicated. My friends could have a personal problem that causes them and me both anxiety. Or my friends could be angry at me or vice versa. Here, the cure for stress is talking about the problem and being with my friends. Unlike work, you can't walk away from your friends.

Stress I cause myself is also not so easy to get rid of. If I feel bothered by an exam or anxious about the future, there is very little for me to do. I just have to tell myself that I can only do my best and leave the rest up to fate.

It is important to try to lead a stress-free life. If you can avoid stress by walking away from it (like at work), talking through it (like with your friends) or facing it head on (like with yourself), your health, personality and relationships will benefit.

95)Some people think governments should spend as much money as possible exploring outer space (for example, traveling to the Moon and to other planets). Other people disagree and think governments should spend this money for our basic needs on Earth. Which of these two opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

When we see photographs of starving children, it's hard to say that we should spend billions of dollars on space exploration. But that's just what we should do. Children don't need to be starving, but we do need to explore space. Right now, we have enough money to feed every person on Earth. Children are starving because of mismanagement of resources and simple human greed. Those are problems we can solve right here on earth. That shouldn't stop our need to find out what's beyond our own solar system.

We may never make contact with whatever other species there may be out there in space. Even so, there are still two very practical and positive consequences of space exploration. One is a certainty and the other is a possibility. The certainty is medical research. Yes, we can conduct research here on earth. But much of the research done in space, for example, on the effects of gravity on bone marrow, is making a difference in medicine here on Earth. When we do research in space, we also learn more about space exploration. Also, many of the inventions that were developed for space travel have been adapted to good use on Earth.

The possible consequence of space exploration is finding another planet human beings can colonize. Overpopulation is a huge problem on our planet. People are living longer, more healthful lives, and that's a good thing. But it means there are fewer people dying and more people being born. Eventually we'll have less space, fewer resources, and major distribution problems. If we can find another planet to live on, we can relieve the problems of overpopulation on our planet.

It's a tragedy that there are human beings suffering on Earth. However, if we wait until everyone has a perfect life, we will never explore space-and that, too, would be a kind of tragedy.

94)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.

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 aspects 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 dancing, anywhere around the world have associated preferences 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 are shown public ally to the observers as well as the 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 expressions 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 of the types of instruments characteristics of the culture, and who plays these 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

93)Many students have to live with roommates while going to school or university. What are some of the important qualities of a good roommate? Use specific reasons and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

At first glance it seems very difficult for us to define what are the important qualities of a good roommate. However, after serious considerations we can see that under most circumstances, a good roommate should at least have the following three qualities.

First of all, a good roommate should be open and willing to communicate. There are always issues regarding rent, bills, food and household duties, guests, privacy, noises, sharing and borrowing, to name a few, and interests and hobbies of roommates are not always the identical. There will always be conflicts among roommates. When problems or conflicts arise, roommates must openly discuss the issue and quickly reach a solution to the problem. In addition, a successful roommate situation requires good communication. Take time to talk frequently to each other; chatting with each other helps keep up the basic relationship which can provide the underpinning for a harmonious relationship. Therefore open and willing to communicate is the first important quality of a good roommate.

Secondly, an important quality of a good roommate is considerate and understanding. A good roommate understands what you need; He is a good friend and a good listener, and offer you help when you need it. Of course, you should not depend on your roommate to satisfy all your social needs. Make other friends and get involved in activities is also important, and could leave more private time for your roommate.

The third important quality of a good roommate is that he should be a hard worker, and have the desire to do better. As we know, roommates will always influence each other in some ways. As an old Chinese proverb, one who mixes with vermilion will turn red, one who touches pitch shall be defiled therewith. So like choosing a friend, it is very important to choose a roommate who has good qualities.

Of course, some roommates eat and socialize separately and barely get to know each other. They never become friends. Still, if your roommate possesses the above-mentioned qualities, your residential life will be peaceful and enjoyable.

92)Some people prefer to live in places that have the same weather or climate all year long. Others like to live in areas where the weather changes several times a year. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

There is no denying the fact that whether to choose a place that have the same weather all year long, or a place where the weather changes several times a year is a popular topic which is much talked about. Although it seems that normally we cannot tell which one outweigh the other between these two kinds of places, they deserve some close examination. If three criteria were taken into account, I would prefer living in areas where the weather changes several times a year to living in places that have the same weather or climate all year long. There are no less than three advantages in this as rendered below.

First, varied weather or climate broadens the range of our pastimes. For example, we can go swimming in summer and go skiing in winter. If the place we live in has only hot weather all year long, like Singapore, most of us can never go skiing in our lives.

Secondly, the change of climate gives us opportunities to wear many kinds of clothes. Some say it is a waste of money to buy clothes depending on seasons. However, wearing various clothes, looking at others' fashion, and feeling the change of seasons is very interesting for me.

Thirdly, changing of seasons is good for our health. When winter comes our body's metabolism slows down, and when summer comes it speeds up, so that our body can maintain a good rhythm. Also snows in the winter can kill a lot of bacteria and bad insects, so that in the spring our chance of being infected to a disease is decreased and we can enjoy nice atmosphere and sceneries.

For these reasons, I prefer to live in areas that have several changes of weather. Only these three reasons can make a person draw the conclusion that living in areas that have season changes is better, not to mention there are more.

91)If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask?Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

If I could ask a famous person one question, I would definitely ask about his/her opinion about life. This single question will help me to know about all the aspects of his/her personality. In my opinion, a person’s view about life and the way he deals with life play a very important role in the path of success.

Different people have different opinions about life. These opinions are somehow responsible for their success or failure in life. A successful person has always very optimistic views about life. He considers life as a period of struggle therefore; he expects good results in the future. So, a famous person’s ideas about life could motivate us to do hard work and sincere struggle.

A triumphant person is aware of the hardships and difficulties of life. That is why he knows how to deal with the adverse circumstances of life in order to obtain success and fame. After all, achieving success and fame is not an easy task. A famous person had to face many obstacles in life with firm determination for achieving his goal. Thus, only a victorious person can explain the true definition of life because he had already experienced ups and downs in life.

Moreover, this question can tell us about his approach to life. In this way, we could easily know about his character and various habits. If he regards life as the most beautiful thing then it shows that he has enough patience to bear the troubles of life. On the other hand, if he views life as the worst thing then it is evident that he does not know how to tackle the difficult situations in life and he is impatient, too.

Due to the above-mentioned reasons, I would ask a famous personality his opinion about life. The thoughts and experiences of a renowned person related to life will help us to understand the meaning of life very closely. It will also indirectly reveal to us his secret of success. Moreover, we will be able to learn about his character in detail.

89)If you could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history,what person would you like to meet? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

If I could travel back in time to meet a famous person, I would most like to meet and speak with Siddhartha Gautama: The Buddha. If by "enlightenment" one means a complete understanding of the universe, then Buddha, having achieved "enlightenment", would be fully capable of answering all questions relating to the origins, condition, and destiny of the universe.

Perhaps the first thing I would like to discuss, upon meeting Buddha, would be the events surrounding the birth of the universe. How and why did the universe come into being? Are contemporary physicists correct in assuming that all matter emerged spontaneously from a single point beyond time and space? The Big Bang! And does this theory compliment or contradict the theories of other great religious thinkers who claimed that all life emerged from a primordial source. The "void"

Following our discussion of the origins of the universe, I would like to ask Buddha a number of questions concerning the "human condition." Why are Mankind, the planet Earth and the universe structured the way they are? What is the purpose of life? Why does existence contain such drastic opposites: love and hate, good and evil, joy and suffering?

Having gained an understanding of both the universe and the human condition, I would then like to move on
to a discussion of Mankind's destiny. What is then ultimate fate of the universe, and in turn, life? Is it true, as some great thinkers have suggested, that the universe and everything in it return to the void from which it emerged? And what about God? Is God a personal entity, as some religions claim? Or is God the impersonal source of all that exists? The impersonal source of the void!

Throughout history, intelligent men and women have thought deeply about God, fate, destiny, and the origins of the universe. The opportunity to have these questions answered by one who lived in the not too distant past, would truly be a remarkable experience.

88)Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Telephones and email have made communication between people less personal. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

At first glance, this statement may sound plausible because except from personal contact, every other forms of communication, including telephones and emails, are indirect ways of communication. But shall we get a conclusion that telephones and email have made communication between people less personal? To answer this question, we should look at the following points:

First, telephone and email are more efficient ways of communication. Telephones and email are becoming more and more important for us today. We use telephones for conversations to our friends and family; we use email to transfer important information and documents, even photo and multi-media files. With a phone, we can order services and make enquires regarding a service without physically present in the place, this will save us so much time and energy. In time of emergencies, when it is impossible for us to physically go to a police station or a hospital, we can simply call 911, a emergency vehicle will come to us in ten minutes. Imagine how hard it will be for us if we do not have access to a telephone under emergency situations.

Second, telephones and email increase the chances that people communicate. Although face-to-face personal contact is more close and intimate than making phone calls or sending emails, we actually do not have much time to visit each other. Furthermore, people have their own private life. Sometimes they do not want to be disturbed by visitors. A phone call or an email message is always the most proper and courteous way to make contact with people, and are not restrained by time or occasions. For example, during the Chinese New Years, more and more people make phone calls to our friends and folks, or send electronic cards through email, wishing them a happy new year, instead of actually travel to their friends' house to make a visit.

In conclusion, telephones and email are convenient ways to communicate and can actually increase the communication between people. They maybe less personal, but they are surely more effective means of communication.

87)What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

There were many great discoveries during the twentieth century but I believe that the invention of the aircraft is one of the most important among them. Aviation gives us not only the opportunity to move unbelievably fast but it’s also a great export product for my country and the new technologies’ amplifier. (THE EXPLOITATION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES ??)

One hundred years ago no one could imagINe that it would be possible to travel from Europe to America in ten hours but now it’s common. Only aviation has made IT possible to perform such AN incredible trip. It’s also possible to provide mealS and clothes to the epicenter of A natural disaster right away using huge aircraft like THE Russian AN-225 which could carry a quarter of A million kilos.

My native country is Russia, one of the biggest MANUFACTURERS of aircraft in the world. Our air-fighters and helicopters are very popular in many foreign air forces and they are the important export product. The development and producTION of such goods IS A very difficult problem but the additional cost is also great. Since thESE high-tech products are very useful both for Russia’s prestige and for Russia’s ECONOMY.

At the beginning of the past century A plane was A woodEN vehicle with A tiny engine. But now it’s a very complicated fusion of modern mechanics and electronics AT A huge cost. The development of aviation has often caused outbreaks in other parts of technOLOGY and science from COMPLETION of space fliGHTS to the creation of new materials. Since I’m an engineer I could guess that most of the mathematical approaches, which have been used during the development OF PLANES, are very common in the THE CURRENT automobile industry.

It’s impossible to imagine the contemporary mankind without aviation. The first flIGHT of the Wright brothers LASTED only several seconds but they opened the door to the incredible world of new speeds, new distances and new possibilities.