15 TOPICS hhhhhhhhhhhhh

1. SOMEBODY YOU ADMIRE MOST
Of all my relatives, I like my uncle Thanh the best. He is my mother’s youngest brother. He is never
married and lives alone in a small house in the countryside about four kilometers away from my
house. Uncle Thanh is in his late fifties but he is quite young in spirit. He has a dark complexion
with short, black curly hair which makes him look so manly. His eyes are deep and bright with thick
eyebrows and when you meet him the first thing you notice is his charming smile. His face is a little
wrinkled now, but I think he is rather attractive. Uncle Thanh has a good sense of humor; he is really
good at telling jokes. What we always do when we visit him is sit around to listen to his jokes which
are so funny that we just can’t help laughing. But the best thing about him is that he cares so much
about others. Whenever you are upset or worried about something, he is always there to share your
sadness, to encourage you to be strong and he always finishes the conversation with humorous words
which help us forget all our worries and feel happy again. He is definitely the sort of person you can
always go to if you have a problem.
He likes reading, writing books, painting and gardening and he often goes for a long walk
every morning over the rice fields. He is very kind and willing to help whoever in need of his help.
He is both active and generous but also very strict if you misbehave or disobey. He teaches us how to
behave and get along with other people. I have learned a lot from him. I will always love him and I
hope I would be as good as he is when I am at his age.
2. YOUR IDEAL HOUSE
If I could live anywhere I like, I’d choose a modern house in the center of a medium – sized
town. The town would have all the normal modern facilities like banks, cinemas and supermarkets.
Ideally, it would also be of historical interest with a pagoda or old tempers, but it shouldn’t be too
popular with tourists. It would be close to water of some kind – perhaps a river or a lake. There
would be parks and other open spaces around. I wouldn’t want it to be in a seaside resort but it
shouldn’t be too far from the coast.
My dream house is made of brick and wood. There is an old – styled gate, a swimming pool
and a small yard with green lawn at the front. There is a garden behind the house with a bed of pretty
flowers. It is an eight-room house with four rooms downstairs including the living room, the library,
the dining room and the kitchen and four rooms upstairs, three bedrooms and one bathroom.
The living room is large and light. It has a sofa, two armchairs, a floor lamp and a fireplace.
There is also a bookcase, a large rug on the floor and some beautiful pictures on the walls. The

kitchen is large with a gas oven, an electric cooker, a fridge, a cupboard and a sink. The bedrooms
are air-conditioned. There is a LCD television, a DVD player and a spring mattress bed.
One more thing, my dream house should be in a friendly neighborhood where people are nice
and helpful as I enjoy getting on with people around.
In short, my dream house has all the conveniences. I wish to have one like that in the future
so I am working very hard to make my dream come true some day.
3. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TELEVISION
Since its appearance, television has played an important role in our daily lives and has
obviously become the most popular pastime for human being today. Just about everyone watches
television and just about every household has a television set. Everyday and night people glue their
eyes on their sets watching their favorite programs and no one denies the benefit it brings to human
being.

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To begin with, television is such an excellent mean of entertainment which informs us about
things happening around the world. Sitting in an armchair, a person can watch all events taking place
in the far-off places with best pictures and detailed comments. Also, television keeps us up to date
with the latest developments around the world, providing us with a variety of documentaries which
are very informative so we learn a great deal from these. In addition, there is a wide range of
programs on television which aim at people of different ages. We have music, movies, contests, quiz
shows, cartoon... which are well-made to satisfy every viewers’ needs.
Apart from the good things that television brings us, however, there are also some drawbacks
which can cause great harms to television addicts.
First, there is always the risk of making a habit of watching television which can cause a lot
of troubles if one watches it too much. When one is addicted or attached to television, he or she will
become a kind of slave to it and spends hours just watching it without doing anything else. Next,
when people stick to television, they seem to forget what they did before it, they don’t talk much
with others or if they do, just about what’s on the television and the problem is that the whole

generation growing up addicted and neglected other things. Moreover, children are exposed to
rubbishy commercials, violence, sex... on television and they may imitate what they see on it. People
will become lazy, gluing to their sets instead of going out because television seems to cut us off from
the real world.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong in watching television programs but they must be done
in moderation.
4. SAMSON THE MOST PERSPECTIVE TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF THANH HOA
Located 16 km east of Thanh Hoa city, Sam Son is one of the most beautiful seaside towns in
the North of Viet Nam with beautiful beach and potential ecotourism. The town has a kite-shaped
sandy beach which stretches over the distance of 5 km along the coastline. The sea is crystal clear in
the summer without the mixture of silk which rarely has big waves creating such an amazingly
magnificent beach on earth. There is a mountain, Truong Le standing in the southern side of the
beach with rocky cliffs erecting out to the sea forming a beautiful landscape.
There are several temples worshiping different deities built in the neighborhood including the
Vong temple of To Hien Thanh, a famous mandarin from Ly dynasty; Doc Cuoc temple which was
built to worship Doc Cuoc Deity who, according to legend, sacrificed himself to save local people
from the sea monsters and brought peace to the region; the temple of Co Tien worshipping the merit
of a fairy who used her magical medical treatment to cure many villagers’ lives and died leaving the
magical remedy to the villagers. There is one beauty spot on the top of Truong Le mountain known
as Trong Mai stones (male and female stones) which is closely linked to the legend of a faithful love
story of a young couple.
Sam Son today consists of 5 wards with 16 historic relics, some of which are ranked as
national cultural and historical relics making Sam Son a place of rich traditional features. After its
100 year anniversary in 2007, Sam Son has been developing rapidly with 310 hotels and rest houses.
The infrastructures have been improved to receive 15 to 20 thousands of tourists a day. The system
of services is being reordered, administrative management has been strengthened, economic
structure has been reformed to meet the needs of visitors and create jobs for local people.
Sam Son is striving to become one of the most attractive tourist destinations of Viet Nam and
together with its great potentialities there will be no doubt for it to reach the economic goals in the
near future.

5. EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS IN VIETNAM AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Education and Training is not only the decisive factors which has a great effect on the development
of the intellectuality and creation of Vietnamese people and humans but also a critical acceleration to
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promote the nation’s industrialization and modernization to quickly and steadily step forward to
integrate into the global economy.
Over the past few years, together with good attentions from the government and great efforts
of educational sector, the education and training of Viet Nam has made some remarkable steps. More
money has been invested in education; educational facilities have been fully supplied in large scale
and intellectual standards of our people have improved which have made great contribution to the
renovation process, the building and defending the country.
There are, however, some drawbacks in the educational system in Viet Nam. First, the aim
and viewpoint haven’t been specified; there is a weakness in the education programs, lack of
qualified teachers; the quality of education is low in both schools and universities. In addition,
schoolbooks are overload with too much knowledge which are difficult to follow. The methods of
teaching are out of date and passive with little or no practice. Educational problem is a big issue
which needs to be solved.
Something must be done to solve these problems and I personally think that the methods of
teaching in most schools and universities in Viet Nam should be changed. The role of teachers
should be as a controller or guider not just supplier. The information in textbooks should be reduced
to a limit so that it is easier for students to follow especially in primary schools where student are too
young to master all the information and knowledge in their books.
Also, we should apply many advanced teaching methods from other countries especially
those which have good reputation in education and training such as Britain, USA, Singapore....
Education and training should work closely with reality, experiments and practice should be included
more in the lessons.
Finally, the government should give much priority and attention to education and training and
sees it as the critical sector in the development process of the country. To do this, we need to

socialize our educational system which requires the efforts from not only the government but also
the population as a whole.
6. TRAFFIC PROBLEMS AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
The traffic problem in Viet Nam has always been a pressing issue in the society. Thousands
of people are killed every year in traffic accidents and thousands more are suffering from injuries in
hospitals.
This is because the traffic system such as roads, vehicles are not of good standard which have
helped to cause traffic jams everyday in big cities. Moreover, traffic laws is not very strict so people
often violate or ignore it. Also, the attitude of people taking the traffic is very bad, they do not follow
traffic light; ignore the signs and always can’t be bother to wear helmets. During rush hours, the
streets are full of vehicles of all kinds trying to make their ways ahead without caring about traffic
rules and orders. A lot of efforts have been made by the government to solve the problems but the
situation still hasn’t been improved.
There are some solutions to this problem as following:
First, stricter rules should be given to delivering driving license and people who violate
traffic laws should be fined heavily. Also, the traffic infrastructures need to be of good standard with
separated lanes for different kinds of vehicles.
In addition, traffic laws should be popularized in larger scale so that everyone is aware of
following the traffic orders; vehicles which are too old should be banned from taking the traffic.
If those solutions are solved I believe that the traffic problem in Viet Nam will be improved.
7. THE ECONOMIC POTENTIALITIES OF THANH HOA
Thanh Hoa has an area of 11.106 sq km. It shares the border with Son La, Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh
in the North, Nghe An in the South and the country of Lao in the west with the boundary of 192 km.

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The province opens to the East Sea in the East with 102 km of coastline. Thanh Hoa has great
economic potentialities and is now on the process of development and integration.
Highland and plain comprise most area in Thanh Hoa with mild climate, high rate of rainfall

and abundant forest products. Also, Thanh Hoa has good potential of hydroelectricity. The plain is
the third largest in Viet Nam with the characteristic of a delta area built up by the silk of Ma, Yen,
Hoat rivers. The coastline is long and rather flat which boasts a popular beach – Sam Son which is
suitable for raising aquatic products, allocating industrial zones and developing sea economy. Places
which are high potential include Nga Son, Southern Sam Son, Nghi Son.
Thanh Hoa has a monsoon climate with four distinctive seasons, high rate of rainfall which
create an ideal condition for developing agriculture, forestry and fish-breeding. The natural resources
are abundant with large areas of forests which are home to many precious animals such as:
elephants, dears, monkeys, wild boars, reptiles and different kinds of birds.
According to the 2005 statistics, Thanh Hoa has a population of 3,67 million with 7 ethnic
groups including Kinh, Muong, Thai, H’mong, Dao, Tho, Kho Mu. The young labor resource is
plentiful with good academic standard. Commercial banks are allocated all over the province. The
supermarkets in the city and trading markets in the countryside have been developing fast. The
traffic system such as road, railway, and waterway is convenient and suitable for economic
development.
Thanh Hoa has great potentialities for developing tourism. It is listed as one of the main
points of national tourism program with thousands of historic relics together with beautiful
landscapes such as: Sam Son beach, Hai Tien, Hai Hoa seaside resorts, Ben En national park, Tu
Thuc cave, Cam Luong fish stream, Tien Nong stock garden.
With such potentialities and the open policies for investments and the hospitalities of Thanh
Hoa people, Thanh Hoa’s economy has been growing rapidly and is going to be one of the strongest
in Viet Nam.
8. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET
Today, together with the advanced breakthrough of information technology, computers and
the internet have been playing a vital role in our society.
In the first place, computers and the internet are means of study, research, education...,a mean
of entertainment which enables us to communicate effectively with each other in different ways such
as email, online chatting... There are various things to entertain on your computers including games
online, listening to music online, watching movies online or downloading your favorite programs
from the net to your computers... Computers have never been so popular especially when people use

them to connect to the webs. They connect us with the outside world informing us with all the
updated news and events taking place in the far-off places. Thanks to them, our lives are more
convenient and comfortable than ever. Just a few clicks, you can find all the information you need in
such a fast way about every fields you want without going to the library.
Also, computers and the internet help to make people get closer to each other. You can talk to
a friend of yours who is half way around the world in a very cheap and convenient way. Moreover,
computers and the internet are very helpful in education, people who, for some reasons cannot go to
schools or colleges can study at home on courses made for them on the net.
There are, however, some bad things about them which are sometimes very dangerous to
people who use them.
First, as it provides us with a lot of entertaining programs like games, music, movies so
people are easy to get addicted especially young people and children. They forget all about their
schools, homework and other things sticking their eyes to the computer screens. They lose touch
with their families and friends living in an imaginary world of violent games which are going on and
on everyday. In that case, the internet is not cheap, it is very costly and time consuming as well.
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There are also many bad websites on the internet which can easily ruin one’s life if he or she is
addicted to them.
We don’t deny the benefits that computers and the internet have brought to human but we
shouldn’t let the most amazing invention of human beings become the harmful machine which
destroys our lives.
9. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Today, the industrialization and modernization in our country are developing rapidly. The economic
growth is high and the standard of living has been improved.
However, together with that economic growth, there are environmental pollutions which
result from the process of economic development. We have water pollution, air pollution... These
pollutions are getting worse and worse and seriously affecting the lives of people and the
environment.

Pollutions have been caused by many of human’s activities such as: industrial and
agricultural operations, traffic, littering, garbage dumping to rivers and seas...... The air is so dirty in
some cities that sometimes it is difficult to breathe. Green house effect is caused by air pollution
which makes the climate warmer and warmer. The overuse of some chemical substances has
damaged the ozone layer which has led to many natural calamities such as flood, erosion, landslide,
drought, forest fire...affecting greatly on the world’s climate and threatening the lives of human
beings.
The environmental problem in Vietnam is a pressing issue which needs to be solved as soon
as possible. There are some possible solutions to this problem.
Firstly, factories shouldn’t be built near the residential areas and the waste water processing
system should be of proper standard. Secondly, harmful chemical substances should be limitedly
used in agriculture. More trees should be planted in cities and the practice of deforestation should be
heavily fined. People are advised to use public transports or bicycles instead of their own vehicles to
avoid eliminating smoke into the air. Also, manufactures which have high risk of causing pollution
shouldn’t be allowed to run their business.
Finally, the public awareness of pollution should be changed. There should be more programs
to educate people how to keep the environment clean and not to throw trash everywhere
The protection of the environment should be taken more seriously by both the government
and the residents so that we can live in a world without any risk of having unhealthy lives.
10. SOME CHANGES TO MAKE THANH HOA CITY A MORE ENJOYABLE PLACE FOR
ITS RESIDENTS AS WELL AS VISITORS.
With good advantages of natural tourism resources and favorable topography and transport system,
Thanh Hoa city has become one of dynamic economic centers in Viet Nam.
However, to become an appealing destination to visitors, some changes should be made to
make Thanh Hoa a more beautiful and attractive place for its residents and visitors.
In the first place, the city infrastructures need to be improved. Streets should be widened,
electricity, running water, environment protection, tree planting....the culture of behavior should be
paid a lot of attention by both the city government and its residents. This is the most important thing
in the tourism culture especially when we are on the process of integrating into the economic global.
Next, the cultural potentialities should be developed; more festivals and tourism activities

should be held in order to attract tourists coming to Thanh Hoa. Entertainment centers need to be
improved.
The travel agencies needs to be improved to meet the higher demands of tourists with many
tours held to explore the distinctive features of the province.
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We should also upgrade our traffic system which means more roads should be built. The city
should call for more foreign investments to come and should also create more favorable conditions
for promoting and advertising tourism.
The city should be divided into sections such as: the center of shopping, entertainments,
administrative center but keep the natural scenery.
The socialization of tourism should be strengthened to raise the role of tourism in the
development of the city.
With all those changes, I strongly believe that Thanh Hoa will soon become one of the most
tourist attractions in Viet Nam in the future.
11. LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND HOBBIES
Different people of different ages enjoy doing different activities in their free time and obviously
there are different kinds of hobbies that people are after nowadays.
Hobbies and leisure activities in the modern world are somewhat different from those in the
past when people used to do some traditional things that had been existed for thousands of years and
had been passed from generation to generation. Those activities seemed to link closely to their
traditions and customs and mainly were something that they did everyday when there was no work
or when they got bored and had nothing to do. Those things people did in their free time were
originated from their work when they got so interested in doing them and they turned out to be their
hobbies such as fishing, hunting, collecting things...which had something to do with the nature.
Places they did their favorite activities were normally lakes, forest, fields, mountains... and things
they used were natural material objects. More hobbies were created and added, some of which from
ancient times have been lasting for such a long time and growing more and more popular even until
today such as fishing, drawing, horse riding, collecting objects... The reason why those ancient

hobbies and leisure activities still exist among many of modern interests is not because they are
antique or cheap but because those help people relax, entertaining or find their inner peace. They
help people escape from the hard working hours with work, cars, noise, pollution, social
relationships to lock themselves in their own world.
With the development of the society, the younger people today have hobbies of their times.
Many new kinds of hobbies have been created together with the advance of modern technology.
People do things in their free time using means of modern equipments such as computers, internet...
hobbies are no longer something that is quiet or peaceful but exciting and sometimes crazy.
In short, whatever forms that hobbies may become, they still keep their characteristic which
are things for people to take a change for a while in their lives, to help them satisfy with what they
do and enjoy life more. It depends on how you feel and what moods you are in or which taste you
have got to go for different hobbies. So you can go fishing to enjoy the peaceful moments on your
own or go to a noisy dance floor to get excited with your friends. It doesn’t matter of what you do
but the matter of satisfaction and pleasure that you will get.
12. YOUR HOME VILLAGE OR HOME TOWN
I come from a small town of a western district of Thanh Hoa province. My home town is located on
the south bank of Ma river and to me it is probably one of the best places I have ever known.
Although it is a small town but very beautiful and the things I like most about it is that it is clean and
peaceful. The town has every thing that its people need such as markets, stores, schools, a hospital, a
post office, a bank, restaurants and so on.
I went to primary school, secondary school and high school in my home town and I had such
an enjoyable time there. The schools I went to were nice and modern with helpful teachers and
friendly friends. There is a big river flowing pass the town which creates such a very beautiful
landscape. When I was a child, I and my friends used to go to the sandy bank of the river to play our

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games, to lie down on the sand and enjoyed the view of sunset or swam in the cool and fresh water
on hot summer days.

There is a very good ice scream shop near my house which sells best ice scream. We used to
spend all our pocket money buying those sweet cold creams after school. There are also some
restaurants where you can eat good food quite cheaply. However, the best place in the town is the
100 year pagoda built during Ly dynasty to worship a local hero. The pagoda is not very big but it is
said to be very sacred. It is popular to people in the neighboring areas and attracts thousands of
visitors coming to enjoy the sight or pray for luck and wealth during its anniversary day.
The people in my home town are quiet but very friendly. They are hard working and very
proud of the town. Environmental problems are paid special problems by local people and everyone
is aware of keeping the streets and roads clean.
The best time for you to come to my home town is during its festival days which take place
during Tet when the streets are decorated with flags, people wear traditional costumes and there are a
lot of activities celebrating the festival. There is a lot more I want to tell you about my home town
but if you want to see it all with your own eyes I suggest you should pay it a visit some day and I’m
sure you won’t regret it.
13. THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF GOING TO UNIVERSITY ABROAD.
Today, more and more students are going abroad to study, People have different reasons to choose to
study abroad, some go for higher education, some for better teaching and studying environment and
others for better degrees which can enable them to get good jobs in the future. Universities in
countries like Britain, The USA, Australia, Canada, and Singapore... are popular worldwide for their
high advance of educational systems which attract thousands of foreign students coming to study
each year. Obviously there are many benefits that a person can get when they choose to study
abroad.
In the first place, studying in universities abroad means that you will get a degree which is
recognized all over the world. Therefore, you will be at great advantage to get a good job when you
apply for it back in your country. This is because the educational system in those universities is very
advanced, different methods of teaching as well as learning are used by the best teachers and
professors coming from many countries around the world. In addition, you will have an opportunity
to modern teaching facilities which offer you a wide range of majors and credits. Besides, studying
abroad offers you a chance to get to know different cultures, to meet different people coming from
all over the world, to improve your understandings and the knowledge of English as well.

However, for many people, studying abroad has certain disadvantages that you will have
when you decide to go to an overseas university.
First, it is very costly which means you have to pay a great deal of money for the fees and
expenses and for most people it is so expensive that they cannot afford to go. Most universities now
require good knowledge of English which can cause a lot problems to learners whose English is not
of good standard.
Second, you will definitely have difficulties living in a country which you have never been to before,
you have no family, relative there to help you and you have to manage your life on your own.
Moreover, the difference of culture can be a problem too and there is a high risk of being bullied,
isolated or even threatened...and finally, you will miss your home, family, friends so much and for
some people it will affect the study making it hard for them to keep up with schoolwork.
All in all, studying abroad is good but it doesn’t mean the only way for you to get your
future. It all depends on you, on how you feel, what ambition you’ve got and very important how
much can you afford. What I want to conclude is that if you work hard and believe in yourself you
will be successful either studying at home or abroad.
14. THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH IN YOUR LIFE AND WORK
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English has been playing an important role in our social life especially in the period of
industrialization, modernization and integration. It is a means of communication which links people
of different cultures, from different countries to get close to each other.
As for me, I think English is very useful and knowing English is an advantage and it gives
me a very good chance to understand the world in my own view and judgment.
Nowadays, English is a language of instruction in most countries and it has become the
international number one official language in the world. Knowing English enables me to watch my
favorite programs on cable TV, to listen to my favorite music and enjoy the best movies made in
Hollywood. Also, English really helps when you operate a machine such as TV, remote control, a
cooker... the machines you buy have instructions so it is very good for me to understand what it tells
so that I can run or install the machine in a right way.

It helps ma a lot when I use my computer or explore the net as all the instructions are in
English. I also gather a lot of information written in English on the net to improve my knowledge of
a subject I’m interested in and get to know about different cultures all over the world and the best
thing is that I can travel to many countries around the world without feeling any problems of
language difference to meet and make friends with different people.
In my work, to know English gives me such a good advantage over others as I can operate
machine like computers, printers, fax machine and install some soft ware in the PC. In my job,
sometimes I receive documents most of which are written in English so I can easily understand and
get the work well done. I also have to travel from place to place in my job and sometimes go abroad
to attend a festival or a workshop and to do that I must know how to communicate with people in
English which is really helps me through and make my work a lot easier.
For some people English may not be of that importance but to me it is some thing that gets
me through my life. I think it is the most beautiful and useful language in the world which has
helped me a lot both in my life and my work.
15. YOUR JOB AT PRESENT AND HOW YOU SEE IT IN FIVE YEARS’ TIME
At present I am working as a lecturer at a university. I enjoy it here and teaching is probably my
favorite I would say.
My subject is economic and I love it, dealing with all the matters of economic situations and
statistics has always been my interest. It is very interesting to stand in front of hundreds of students
and explain to them the knowledge of economic and help them to solve their problem. Sometimes it
takes a lot of patience and efforts but you will never know how good it feels when we finally make it
clear and the admiration of the student as well as the satisfaction of getting the solution solved gives
me a lot of satisfaction. I think work satisfaction is very important when you do your job and I get it
here with the subject I am teaching, the university I work and the students I teach. My life is happy
here and I get on very well with my colleague and students and get all of their respects. My job is
well-paid as well which means I can enjoy doing my job without worrying about money. That is
another good thing about it. Other lectures in my department are friendly and helpful, they are very
good lectures, we often have discussions about some economic problems but in a very positive way.
I also learn a lot from them.
I love my job at present and I don’t think I will continue to do it in five years’ time from now.

I hope I will stay like this but I also have to work very hard to get more teaching experiences and
knowledge to go further in my career to be the head of the department when I can be able to help
other colleagues and students to train more people with good knowledge of economic to make
contribution to the building of our country./.

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