Tag: toefl

For a variety of reasons, people often make choices that have negative results. Later, they regret these choices, finding out too late that bad choices can be costly. On the other hand, decisions that seem completely reasonable when they are made may also be the cause of later disappointment and suffering. What looks like a wonderful idea at one time can later seem like the worst decision that could have been made. Good choices, too, can be costly.

Are bad choices and good choices equally likely to have negative consequences?

There is a proverb that states “Well begun is half done.” As a result, some people probably will make a consequence that a good choice can enhance the possibility of success. Some other people then will perhaps believe bad choices are more likely to have negative results rather than good choices. However, as far as I am concerned, both of the two opinions are not true totally. I prefer to say: “Bad choices and good choices are equally likely to have negative consequences.”

To begin with, admittedly well begun can do help for the following steps and even lead to success. However, there are too many elements that can influence the result of what we do. Sometimes if we cannot deal with these, such as accidents, emergencies, and changes, the success won’t wave his hand to us. So a nice beginning, which we consider “a good choice”, has possibilities to have negative outcome as well as a bad one, which we call “a bad choice”, does. In the same way, let’s see the sides of bad choices. Lots of people regret to make bad choices. Nevertheless, bad choices do not mean we cannot succeed; instead, such a not good start probably will stimulate us to work hard to reach the top of a mountain.

From the perspectives, bad choices and good choices have equally probability to have negative consequences. Cite myself as an instance. On the grounds of my desire to go to US to study, I had to take the TOEFL test. At the first time, I was too confident about myself and I thought my English was good enough to pass the test. As a result, I decided not to prepare for it. The result was doubtless to be failed. Then I prepared for the second test. At the beginning I made a nearly perfect plan for myself, which was called “Steadfast Schedule”. That was really a good start, or I say, a good choice to persistent. However, I again failed in the test eventually. Why? Because I didn’t stick to the schedule and I kept myself doing things out of control of the plan. This case includes two main factors: the good plan and my self control. And the final outcome inclined to the influence of the latter one. Although I had a good start at the beginning, I failed.

Therefore, bad choices and good choices are equally likely to have negative consequences. Whether bad or good the choices are is one of important factors. No matter how the choices are, the outcome, which other factors and elements influence, will have probabilities to be negative,

We often hear that we can learn much about someone or something just by casual observation. We are not required to look beneath the surface or to question how something seems. In fact, we are urged to trust our impressions, often our first impressions, of how a person or a situation seems to be. Yet appearances can be misleading. What “seems” isn’t always what is.

Is the way something seems to be not always the same as it actually is?

My physics teacher always tells me: "Don't believe what you see superficially. And instead, go to do experiments to explore the truth beneath what you see." As I remember his words, instantly, I find that they can be extended to reach a higher position, not only limited in the subject "physics"; it states that the way is something seems to be not always the same as it actually is.

Admittedly, there exist lots of lively instances to support the standpoint, which illustrates that events we experience can tell us lots of truth. When I find my mother is washing dishes, then "My mother is washing dishes" becomes a truth and obviously it is right. When I go to the skateboarding park and see a guy falling over from the skateboard, then "A guy is falling over from the skateboard" is a real thing that is happening.

However, not always can we get right information from what we see. Here is an example happened half a year ago. I was lucky enough to be a volunteer to help people find the room for recruit. There was a tall man, wearing nice looking dress. He seemed polite and gentle to me, and even I dreamed I could be as cool as he was. But I was totally wrong. When it was his turn, he spit out a piece of gum to the floor, stood up, made a face to look at me that seemed I was a dirty rag. I would never forget his behaviors and since then I never remain suspicious that I should not consider anyone at the first look. Another case is from newspaper, talking about a rob happened in a bus. There was a young lady standing beside a handsome man. Nobody could imagine that the lady grabbed the man's wallet and ran away when the bus was stopped, but it took place. I didn't think that was a big deal until I glanced at the photo of the lady. You won't believe the lady is a robber because she seemingly was a woman of exceptional talent and ability. From the two perceptions above, I doubt you, if so, still hold your side that what you see always is real.

Nowadays the first look is pretty important, especially for those who want to get better jobs. As a result everyone prefers to show the best sides to others. This leads to a consequence that what we see is most likely not a whole part of a person. We have to understand that never can we know a person except the person is always under our observation, carefully and clearly. Citing myself as an instance, when I try to be a hardworking guy, I sometimes play for a while. Sometimes I will tell my mother how hardworking I am even though I am not as much hardworking as how I tell my mother I am . But my mother believe me, depending on what I am doing in front her (I have to clarify I don't mean to cheat and tell lies; instead, I feel this is really bad but still I cannot control myself). So here comes the problem I mentioned at the beginning: Don't always believe what you see because sometimes your eyes will cheat on you without purpose.

Topic: It is more important for students to understand ideas and concept than to learn facts.

In spite of the opinion that to understand ideas and concepts is more important than to learn facts for students adopted by major, I, holding an opposite viewpoint, however, firmly maintain that to learn facts is more pivotal for students. To be specific, learning facts has many advantages to help students. The following paragraphs will strengthen the side I have taken.

To begin with, primary among the arguments for my view is the relationship between concepts and facts. It is no doubt that concepts result from facts. In another word, people do research on the facts and then they figure out the concepts for the facts. So here it appears one problem. Concepts probably can show a principle of the facts but nobody can be sure whether the concepts are exactly right forever. For instance, Aristotle stated that of two objects which have the same volume, the heavier one drops faster than the lighter one. This concept was accepted for thousands years until Galileo contradicted it. Facts are changing and no one can say, "This concept is exactly and perfect right."

Another equally important are applications and creations. Why do we need to study? Because we need to use the knowledge to solve vary kinds of problems. When I was a little boy, I did not know how to ride a bike. My mother taught me to do it. I sat on the bike and I fell down many times, but finally I got it. I learned how to ride a bike by doing it over and over and I am sure I cannot do it if I just learn some concepts and ideas about the bike. Also, to study the ideas and concepts limits creations and innovations. When a kid sees a circle on the blackboard, he may say it is an egg or a moon. However, if I tell the kid it is zero, then the kid won't think the circle looks like an egg or a moon any more. Therefore, learning facts is a good teacher.

Besides the two points mentioned above, I would like to add one more that is readily discernible. It gets more fun to learn facts instead of understanding ideas and concepts, and this will improve the interests of studying. Most of the students in China absorb knowledge from books and they feel bored. As a result from sitting in the classroom and listening to the teachers, students reduce their interests of studying and they think learning is a boring process. To take another side, the students in US like to study because they can do lots of experiments and they absorb the knowledge mainly from facts. It follows that students in US are assimilating to study and those in China are assimilated to do the same thing. And I think this is why China is still a developing country but states has already been a developed country.

To sum up, it is more important for students to learn facts than to understand ideas and concepts.

Topic：Most advertisements make the products seems much better than what it really is, agree or disagree.

Despite the opinion that most advertisements make the products seems more ridiculous than what it really is adopted by majority, I, however, holding a different viewpoint, firmly maintain that most advertisements make the products seems much better. To be specific, advertisements, show the merits instead of the bad qualities of the production, if any, with the computer technical improvement. The following paragraphs will strengthen the side I have taken.

Firstly, advertisements always give a kind of information to audiences that "our products are good enough to show them on TV/radio/newspaper". Because people can see advertisements everywhere, such as through media and on the wall, people will have an obscure impact on the product. When people want to figure out what the product is, the purpose of the advertisements accomplishes. Also, some people may think that if the product can be shown on different medium, it should be true and have a good quality. For example, when an advertisement of apple is on and people are watching it, some of them will think the apple is good enough to be shown to everybody and there is a high possibilty that the apple is delicious.

Secondly, along with the development of the science and technology, the computer skills of people develop a lot. We people can find most of the advertisements are improved by the computer techniques. Sometimes when we watch a drink advertisement, we can see the drink flies on the sky and travels trough from Pekin, Illinois to Peking, China. The technique makes advertisements attractive, inviting, and popular. When people watch these kinds of advertisements, they will think something like "Oh god, look at the amazing bottle with a man on it!" Though some people say they don't like advertisement, they still will pay attention on the real creative advertisements because of the fantastic scenes with the computer techniques.

Last but not the least, advertisements devotes to show the benifits of the products, not the bad qualities. As a result, no advertisements will tell audience the disadvantages of their products and if so, they are obviouly recognized stupid. So when people are watching an advertisements, all of the advantages and attractive things will be shown on the screen or newspaper, and people will really like some of the good qualities. Giving the example of the apple advertisements agian, in the ads an apple is shown to be bright and red and probably there will be a beautiful lady biting the apple with her ruby lip and then makes some sounds to show how delicious the apple is. When people watch this, the advertisements improve the taste of the apple and people can fell the taste even. This makes the product seems much better.

To sum up, the advertisements are not just advertisements any more nowadays. They become a kind of art and they will show all the people the good characters of their products. That makes the products seem much better than what they are in fact.