THE FIRST-TERM TOPICS

6. Talk about some problems that people in these days have to cope with. What are the
changes that you expect to happen for our better life?
Nowadays, people have to cope with a lot of environmental problems. Firstly, it is about
environmental pollution. The emissions from companies, plants, and transportation can
cause the greenhouse effect and global warming. Secondly, it is the lack of space. Due to the
increase in population, people do not have much space, so they have to live in small houses
or apartments. Finally, there is more pressure than in the past. Life is getting more modern,
so people have many works to do, especially work from the workplace. Children also have a
lot of homework and high expectation from their parents.

7. Write a short paragraph (70 words) to tell about ONE problem that your city is
facing. Use the cue questions below.
What is that problem?
What causes that problem?
How does it affect people’s lives?
Are there any solutions to that problem? If yes, what are they?
Model 1 In every city, the worst drawback is traffic jams because people often spend one
hour or more a day stuck in a traffic jam, which makes people feel tired and angry. And it
also causes air pollution. It will cause more and more problems if people don’t solve them
soon. Therefore, I suggest that people should obey the rules of traffic to reduce traffic jams,
and every driver must focus on the roads so that they can reduce traffic accidents, which can
cause traffic jams.
Model 2: Traffic congestion is the worst drawback of city life in my opinion. The increase in
population and the increasing number of vehicles have caused traffic congestion daily. This
issue especially happens when it’s rush time in big cities. It also caused air pollution.
Therefore, city dwellers need to solve this problem. Instead of using private vehicles, we can
use public transport. Moreover, raising our awareness is the most important to reduce traffic
congestion.
Model 3: City life has not only a lot of advantages but also many drawbacks, and the
most serious one is air pollution. It comes from the polluted smoke that industrial
factories and vehicles produce. This kind of pollution negatively affects people’s health
and makes them suffer from breathing diseases. However, city dwellers can easily help
solve this problem. Let’s use public transport to reduce the smoke from private vehicles.
Moreover, planting more trees will make the air much safer and fresher. With these solutions,
city dwellers’ life will be better.
Model 4: There are many disadvantages of living in a big city, and air pollution is the worst
serious problem in urban life. Big cities attract both inside and outside investments which
make the air extremely polluted by smoke from factories. However, it’s easy to solve this
issue. Let’s use public transport to reduce smoke from private vehicles. Then planting more
trees will make the air much fresher.

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8. Living in a big city has a number of drawbacks, do you agree or disagree? What
things should be done to improve the quality of life in big cities?
Living in a city has a lot of drawbacks. Firstly, there are many problems with traffic jams and
traffic accidents. The increase in population and the increasing number of vehicles have
caused many accidents every day. Secondly, air pollution negatively affects people’s health,
and it also has a bad influence on the environment. More and more city dwellers suffer from
coughing or breathing problems. Thirdly, the city is noisy, even at night. Noise pollution
comes from traffic and construction sites. Buildings are often being knocked down and
rebuilt. These factors contribute to making city life more difficult for its residents.
9. Do you like your city? Write a paragraph (70 words) to tell about three things that
you like most about your city.
I live in Vung Tau City and I love it so much. It is a beautiful city with fantastic beaches.
Living in the city provides us with lots of good facilities. We have more chances to get high
education, different kinds of entertainment, etc. It is easy and convenient to move here and
there. In a word, life in the city is comfortable and pleasant.
10. Would you like to live in the countryside or the city? Why?
I like to live in the city because of the following reasons. Firstly, the city has a lot of good
schools for me to attend. Secondly, it’s not difficult for me to find a good job with a high
salary. There are many jobs for me to choose such as to be a worker, a doctor or a teacher.
Thirdly, there are a lot of beautiful beaches, and parks, especially water parks. I can choose
one of these places to relax at the weekend. Therefore, I like to live in the city.
11. Write a paragraph (70 words) to compare the life of children in the past with that
nowadays.
Model 1: The life of children in the past is different from that nowadays. Children in the past
had to go bare-footed to school. They also did not have any homework or exams, so
they had more free time than children nowadays. Besides that, children in the past used
nature as their playground, and they always talked face-to-face with others, unlike
children nowadays, who just stay at home chatting online with friends.
Model 2:
In recent years, many changes have taken place in the lives of children, so they also have a
significant impact on the lives of children.
Previously, children did not have modern devices such as televisions, computers, phones,
etc., so they entertained themselves by bathing in the river, playing hide and seek and many
other traditional games. Sometimes children in the past had to work for their parents
whenever they had free time after school. Meanwhile, children today have all the more
modern devices to support them in learning and life.
12. Write paragraph about one of the wonders of Vietnam that you have ever visited/
are most interested In.
Model 1: Ha Long Bay is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is located in Ha
Long city. You can go there both by helicopter and car. The ideal season to visit Ha Long
bay is in the summer. In Ha Long, you can take a boat to see many fascinating islands and
caves. Moreover, the seafood is very fresh and delicious that you should try it. In conclusion,
Ha Long is an exciting destination that you should visit.

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 Model 2: Ha Long Bay is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is located in
Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province. Although it takes a long time to get there, visiting Ha
Long Bay in the warm summer weather is a great idea. In Ha Long, there are many beautiful
caves and islands. In addition, you can play water sports such as swimming, boating ….
Moreover, the food here is very fresh and delicious, you must try it at least once. In short, Ha
Long Bay is an ideal place to relax after tiring working days.
13. Write about the three benefits that people can gain when using public transport.
You can use the suggestions below for your writing.
Model 1:
Using public transport has a lot of benefits. First, it can reduce traffic congestion. It can help
to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Secondly, people can save more money when
using public transport. Public transport costs a little money per ticket. Finally, it is safer to
use public transport. You can avoid traffic accidents or any risks of using private transport.
Model 2:
There are many benefits when we use public transport. Firstly, public transport helps to
reduce congestion in big cities, especially during rush hour. Secondly, contribute to reducing
the energy required for transportation so that people can save more money when using public
transport. Thirdly, using public transport is safer and more punctual as it runs on a daily
schedule and a planned route.
In short, public transport is essential to our daily lives.
14. Talk about one of the well-known traditional crafts in your hometown or in other
places of Viet Nam.
Bat Trang pottery is an old traditional craft in Bat Trang village, Hanoi. It is about 15
kilometers south east of Hanoi center, on the other side of Chuong Duong bridge. This is
the oldest and most well-known pottery village in Vietnam. The villages have created
famous ceramic and pottery product of high quality. To produce a complete produce,
artisans must follow three primary steps: making product frame, decorating and covering it
with glazes, and baking raw products. The most difficult stage may be interpret what a
customer wants in their order. When artisan totally understand, they will decide the size,
shape and the glaze. Nowadays, Bat Trang pottery is famous not only in Vietnam but also
in the world.
15. Talk about children’s life in the past
In recent years, many changes have taken place in the lives of children, so they also have a
significant impact on the lives of children.
Previously, children did not have modern devices such as televisions, computers, phones,
etc., so they entertained themselves by bathing in the river, playing hide and seek and many
other traditional games. Sometimes children in the past had to work for their parents
whenever they had free time after school. Meanwhile, children today have all the more
modern devices to support them in learning and life.
16. Talk about children’s pastimes in the past
Children’s lives in the olden days were very simple and had a lot of free time. Children in the
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olden days were in rural areas where children often did not have much education, most of
them did not go to school but had to work. During that time, children often create toys for
themselves to play in their spare time, which increases children’s creativity and thinking,
they make them happier in their free time. .Children in the old days used to play outdoors
more which made them healthier. I think although life in the old days was poor, this would
make them creative and have better health with children today. I like the lives of children in
the past , I wish I could experience it.
17. Do you like living in the city? Why or why not?
I really like living in the city because it's great.The city is very convenient, because there
are so many shopping malls, supermarkets and shops, you can buy anything you want any
time, any place.The city also has many schools which provides children with good
education.We can be entertained with the amusement parks and the electronics after the
school hours. In conclusion, I like living in the city
18. Talk about some changes in your hometown
My hometown has changed more positively. The first change is the clothing style of local
people. They are wearing more fashionable clothes with many different modern styles.
Secondly, they have a better life with many up-to-date home appliances such as TV, air-
conditioned; refrigerator. Thirdly, internet has made a big influence on reading habit.
People no longer buy newspaper, magazines. Infrastructure are improved a lot. Schools
have more educational equipment and hospitals are bigger and cleaner. More and more
roads are made of cement instead of dirt like in the past so it is very easy to travel on.
19. Talk about one of the wonders of the world.
Ha Long Bay is one of the seven natural wonders in the world. Ha Long Bay is located in
Quang Ninh province which is in the north of Vietnam. It is nearly 200km from Hanoi. So it
takes you about 4 hours by car. You can also travel there in a coach or even in a helicopter on
Saturday. The best season to visit Ha Long is in summer when the weather is warm and
sunny. Ha Long Bay has many beautiful caves and islands; therefore, you must take a boat
trip to enjoy the view here. You certainly must take pictures to remember the trip better, too.
If you are an active person, you must do the water sports here like swimming, sailing, and
windsurfing. One more thing, you must try the seafood here because it is incredibly fresh and
delicious. With this travel guide, I hope that you will have a wonderful time here in the
number one natural wonder of Vietnam.