1. 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.

　　I grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, so I have experienced the good and bad sides of both. I never thought that I would like living in a big city, but I was wrong. After ten years of living in one, I can’t imagine ever living in a small town again.

　　Small towns and big cities both have some problems in terms of transportation. In a small town, you have to own a car to ensure a comfortable living .you can’t get around without one because there isn’t any kind of public transportation. Big cities generally have heavy traffic and expensive parking, but there you have a choice of taking public transportation. It’s not free, but it’s often cheaper than driving when you consider gas and time, especially if you don’t have a car, you’re better off in the city.

　　I love the excitement of big cities. Small towns have a slow pace. Large cities mean you have to adapt to a variety of situations, like finding a new route to work or trvine a new restaurant. I enjoy that challenge very much. Another part of the excitement of city living is the variety of cultural activities available. There is a wild assortment of theatre music and dance performances available in big cities. These things are rare in small ones.

　　The final thing I think about large cities is the diversity of the people. the United States is made up of people of different races, religions, abilities, and interests. However, you seldom find such a variety of people in a small town. I think that living in an area where everyone was just like me would quickly become boring.

　　Of course, security is a concern, and that one area where small towns are superior to big cities. Still, I would rather be a bit more cautions and live a large city than to feel secure but bored.

　　2. "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 and examples to explain your position.

　　When people succeed, it is because of hard work, but luck has a lot to do with it,too. Success without some luck is almost impossible. The French emperor Napoleon said of one of his generals, “I know he's good. But is he lucky?” Napoleon knew that all the hard work and talent in the world can’t make up for bad luck. However, hard work can invite good luck.

　　When it comes to success, luck can mean being in the right place to meet someone, or having the right skills to get a job done. It might mean turning down an offer and then having a better offer come along. Nothing can replace hard work, but working hard also means you’re preparing yourself opportunity. Opportunity very often depends on luck.

　　How many of the great inventions and discoveries came about through a lucky mistake or a lucky chance? One of the biggest lucky mistakes in history is Columbus’ so-called discovery of America. He enriched his sponsors and changed history, but he was really looking for India. However, Columbus’ chance discovery wasn’t pure luck. It was backed up by years of studying and calculating. He worked hard to prove his theory that the world was round.

　　Success that comes from pure luck and no hard work can be a real problem. For example, consider a teenage girl who becomes a movie star.

　　Imagine she’s been picked from nowhere because of her looks. She is going to feel very insecure, because she knows she didn’t do anything to earn her stardom. On the other hand, think about an actress who’s spend years learning and working at her craft. When she finally has good luck and becomes a success, she will handle stardom better, she knows she earns it.

　　People who work hard help make their own luck by being ready opportunity knocks. When it comes to success. I think that hard work and luck so hand in hand.

　　3. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?  Universities should give the same amount of money to their students' sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

　　I disagree strongly with the idea that the same amount of money should go to university sports activities as to university libraries. Although playing sports is a wonderful way to learn about teamwork, strategy and reaching your goals, it should not be the principal focus of a university education.

　　Students need the most up-to-date library facilities available to get the best education. Many of those facilities are very expensive to buy and maintain. These include computerized programs and access to internet research databases that students can use to find information all around the world. If a university is only offering its students resources of a decade ago, it’s depriving those students of a tremendous amount of information.

　　Even the book and magazine budget of universities has gone up tremendously in last decade. More is being published on every subject, and every university wants to have this information available to its students.

　　It also costs money for universities to keep their libraries open. Students need to have access to all the libraries' research tools as much of time as possible. Because students are young and can stay up all night studying, many universities are starting to leave their libraries open all night during exam periods. This costs money, because the staff has to be paid extra to be there. It also costs money to run the building (electricity, heat) during that time.

　　Students at universities are only going to benefit from their education if they can get to all the tools they need to learn. Sports are secondary to the resources that students need from university libraries. For this reason, libraries should always be better funded than sport activities.

　　4. Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
 
　　People love to visit museums when traveling to new places. I think this is because museums tell them a lot about the culture of those places.    Museums are also fun. It’s almost impossible to get bored in a museum. Every museum will have at least one thing of interest to somebody.

　　When visiting someplace new, you can find out about the culture of that place in many ways. You can go to a movie or a place of worship or a nightclub. Another option is to sit in the park and listen to the people around you. The easiest way to learn about a place's culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums will show you the history of the place you're visiting. They’ll show you what art the locals think is important.

　　If there aren't any museums, that tells you something, too.

　　Museums are fun. Even if you're not interested in art or history, there is always something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call "hands-on" exhibits. These were originally designed to keep children occupied while their parents were looking at exhibits. However, museums have found that adults enjoy hands-on opportunities just as much as children. These exhibits have activities like pushing a button to hear more about what you're looking at, creating your own work of art, or trying on clothes like those on the models in the museum.

　　People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance, in my hometown there's a museum devoted to the potato. This museum has art made out of potatoes. It also tells all about the history of the potato, and sells potato mementos like key chains and potato dolls.

　　People enjoy visiting this museum because it's different. It’s not something they'd find in their hometown and the museum's curator enjoy talking about the Great Potato.

　　Museums are popular because they are about us. They reflect our creations, our values, and our dreams. No matter who you are or what you like, somewhere there is a museum that will amaze and interest you.