28/6/13

16/6/13

TOPIC NÓI THEO CHỦ ĐỀ-TỪ VỰNG VÀ MẪU CÂU PHÂN TÍCH

1. Cooking and restaurants

-places: eatery, restaurant, cafeteria
-run of the mill eateries: =typical/average restaurants (idiom)
-swanky restaurant= expensive restaurants
-to eat out=to dine /dain/ out

a. how often do you eat out in restaurants.

cach tra loi: well, I imagine it would depend on........Like for instance,/Like more specifically, If (tinh huong 1), then I'll most likely do....../... Whereas in contrast/on the other hand, if.............(tinh huong 2) I will more likely...............

eg. well, i imagine it would depend on the weather. Like for instance, if it is crisp and fresh (troi lanh lanh de chiu), I will most likely prepare some home-cooked food. Whereas in contrast, if it is scorching or chilly (nong vat va/lanh kinh khung), i will more likely dine out.

15/6/13

HUONG DAN BAI VIET TASK 1 MIEU TA 2 BIEU DO

HƯỚNG DẪN VIẾT BÀI IELTS TASK 1 MIÊU TẢ 2 BIỂU ĐỒ
A.      XÁC ĐỊNH MỐI QUAN HỆ GIỮA HAI BIỂU ĐỒ: SO SÁNH, HAY BỔ TRỢ
B.      XÁC ĐỊNH CÁC TỪ THỂ HIỆN COHERENCE VÀ COHESION SẼ PHẢI SỬ DỤNG TRONG BÀI
C.      XÁC ĐỊNH XEM BIỂU ĐỒ NÀO THỂ HIỆN MAIN FEATURES RÕ RÀNG HƠN
D.      XÁC ĐỊNH BIỂU ĐỒ NÀO CHỨA NHIỀU THÔNG TIN HƠN, KHÔNG LOẠI TRỪ CÓ NHỮNG TRƯỜNG HỢP CẢ 2 BIỂU ĐỒ ĐỀU CHỨA LƯỢNG THÔNG TIN NHIỀU NGANG NHAU


US DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY
XEM DE BAI O CUON TASK 1 CUA MATT CLARK

MỞ BÀI: GIỚI THIỆU CẢ HAI BIỂU ĐỒ VÀ NHỮNG PHẦN CHÍNH SẼ ĐƯỢC ĐỀ CẬP: WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE?
THÂN BÀI: MIÊU TẢ BIỂU ĐỒ ĐẦU TIÊN, VÀ CÁC CONTRASTIVE VÀ COMPARATIVE FEATURES CÓ TRONG CÁC MAIN FEATURES HOẶC TRENDS TRONG ĐÓ.
IN TERMS OF THE BAR CHART,…. NHẬN XÉT RẤT NGẮN VỀ NÉT CHUNG CỦA BIỂU ĐỒ 2 (TRENDS, HOẶC NHỮNG THAY ĐỔI..)
KẾT LUẬN.

VÍ DỤ

A GLANCE AT THE COMBINATION OF THE TABLE AND THE BAR CHART PROVIDED REVEALS AN OVERVIEW OF US DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES BETWEEN 1990 AND 2006.

IT IS INITIALLY NOTICED THAT TOTAL US POPULATION IN 2006 WAS REPORTED TO BE 300 MILLION, APPROXIMATELY 1.5 TIMES HIGHER/LARGER THAN THE 1966’S NUMBER.  IN ADITION, WHILE WHITE AMERICANS MADE UP THE LARGEST PROPORTION DURING THE PERIOD, THE GROWTH RATE RECORDED WAS MUCH LOWER THAN OTHER GROUPS. MORE SPECIFICALLY, AFTER 40 YEARS, THE FIGURE FOR WHITE AMERICANS ROSE  STEADILY FROM SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 167 MILLION TO 201 MILLION, WHEREAS THE BLACK DEMOGRAPHIC AND THE SECTOR OF OTHER ETHNICITY DOUBLED AND TRIPLED IN SIZE RESPECTIVELY. BY COMPARISON, ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER AND HISPANIC EXPANDED THE FASTEST, BY NINEFOLD (FROM 1.5 MILLION TO 14.3 MILLION) AND BY FIVE TIMES (FROM 8.5 MILLION TO 44.7 MILLION) ACCORDINGLY.

IN TERMS OF US POPULATION GROWTH, DESPITE SOME ERRATIC PATTERNS, THE POPULATION IN AMERICA GREW BY TWOFOLD, AS THE BAR CHART SUGGESTS. TO BE MORE DETAILED, AFTER THE FIRST THREE DECADES OF FLUCTUATIONS AROUND 15 MILLION, THE AMERICAN POPLUTATION EXPERIENCED A QUADRUPLE RISE OVER THE 1931-1960 PERIOD, FROM 7 MILLION TO 28 MILLION. THIS GROWTH WAS FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL DROP IN THE SUBSEQUENT 40 YEARS BEFORE US POPLATION FIGURES PEAKED AT 33 MILLION IN 2000.
                               

IN SUMMARY, GREATER EXPANSION COULD BE EVIDENTLY SEEN IN AMERICAN POPULATION OVER THE 1990-2000 PERIOD  AND THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES OCCURRED TO HISPANIC AND ASIAN AMERICANS BETWEEN 1966 AND 2006

13/6/13

CAMBRIDGE 9-WRITING TASK 1-TEST 3

AI BAO CAM 9 LA DE NAO? DE BAI NGAI UP LAM NEN MOI NGUOI XEM DE TRONG CUON CAM 9 NHE, O DAY UP BAI MINH VIET THOI, VI DOC MAY BAI MAU TREN BLOG IELTS MA KHONG HIEU, TRONG KHI CUU IELTS EXAMINER-SIMON THI VAN CHUA CHUA BAI TREN TRANG IELTS SIMON NHE.



TASK FULFILLMENT
THE PIE CHARTS COMPARE DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES IN 3 DIFFERENT POPULATION GROUPS IN 2000 AND REVEAL SOME ESTIMATIONS FOR 2050 IN YEMEN AND ITALY.

IT IS INITIALLY NOTICED THAT IN 2000, WHILE THE LARGEST PROPORTION REPORTED IN ITALY WAS THE 15-59 YEAR OLD GROUP, THE 0-14 YEAR OLDS IN YEMEN WERE IN THE MAJORITY. MORE SPECIFICALLY, UP TO 61.6 PERCENT OF ITALIANS WERE IN THE 15-59 YEAR OLD DEMOGRAPHIC AS OPPOSED TO 46.3% RECORDED IN YEMENT. NEVERTHELESS, BY 2050, AN EXPANSION BY 11 PERCENT IS EXPECTED IN YEMEN, WHEREAS THE PERCENTAGE OF 15-59 YEAR OLD ITALIANS IS FORECASTED TO SHRINK BY ALMOST 15%.

 IN 2000, SOLELY 3.6 PERCENT OF YEMEN’S POPULATION WAS OVER 60 YEARS OLD. THE FIGURES IS PREDICTED TO GROW BY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN 2 PERCENT AFTER 5 DECADES. CONVERSELY, APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER OF ITALIAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE 60+GROUP, WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO DOUBLE IN SIZE AFTER 50 YEARS.
IN TERMS OF THE 0-14 YEAR OLD SEGMENT, BY 2050, ROUGHLY 40 PERCENT OF YEMENT’S CITIZENS ARE PROJECTED TO BE 0-14 YEAR OLDS, 10 PERCENT LOWER THAN THE STATISTICS RECORDED 50 YEARS AGO. ON THE CONTRARY, THE FORECAST SHOWS THAT THE 0-14 YEAR OLD DEMOGRAPHIC IN ITALY IS 11.5 PERCENT, 3 PERCENT LESS THAN THE 2000 LEVEL.


IN SUMMARY, AFTER HALF A CENTURY, THE 60+SEGMENT IN YEMEN AND THE SECTOR OF 0-14 YEAR OLDS IN ITALY ARE EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE MINOR CHANGES, COMPARED TO OTHER GROUPS. 

BÀI VIẾT SO SÁNH 3 BIỂU ĐỒ VỀ CHI TIÊU CỦA 1 TRƯỜNG HỌC

ĐỀ BÀI



Tối nay xem web của Simon, một cựu ielts examiner thì được cái hướng dẫn như thế này, mình dựa trên đó và ý của mình để viết một phần hướng dẫn có thêm thắt chút ít ý tưởng của bản thân và đưa 1 bài mẫu ở dưới của mình (có tham khảo Simon’s approach rất nhiều)
A.      MỞ BÀI:
B.      THÂN BÀI
B.1 OVERVIEW

TÌM RA CHI TIÊU NÀO CAO NHẤT TRONG CÁC NĂM VÀ CHI TIÊU NÀO LÀ NHỎ NHẤT TRONG CÁC NĂM
1.       Phần chi tiêu lớn nhất ở tất cả các năm là tiền lương giáo viên
2.       Phần chi tiêu thấp nhất là của tiền chi cho bảo hiểm
CỤ THỂ:
ĐOẠN 1:
-So sánh giữa lương giáo viên và lương công nhân, dựa vào sự khác nhau giữa xu hướng của hai phần chi tiêu: lương giáo viên tăng, lương công nhân giảm.
ĐOẠN 2:
-Dù tiền chi cho bảo hiểm đã tăng gấp 4 so với năm đầu tiên nhưng nó vẫn là một khoản chi rất nhỏ . resources book và furniture đều nhận được 15% vào năm 1981 nhưng sau 20 năm thì resources giảm còn………… trong khi furniture tăng lên……
ĐOẠN
KẾT LUẬN:

Có thể nhận thấy rằng tiền bảo hiểm chỉ là một phần rất nhỏ so với tiền lương nói chung 


MỘT SỐ TỪ DÙNG ĐỂ GIÚP ĐỠ CÁC BẠN TRONG BÀI NÀY: THE PROPORTION OF SPENDING ON X IS/WAS……………….. THE PERCENTAGE OF EXPENDITURE FOR X WAS…………. X/Y OCCUPIED/MADE UP/ACCOUNTED FOR 25% PERCENT OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE X/Y RECEIVED A SPENDING PROPORTION OF……………… THE PROPORTIONAL SPENDING ON…../FOR……X………WAS………… 25 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE RECEIVED EVENLY 15 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SPENDING THE LARGEST PROPORTION WAS SPENT ON……X Y WAS THE LOWEST COST Task fulfillment
A glance at the combination of the three pie charts provided reveals the changes in spending figures in a British school from 1981 to 2001.

It is initially noticed that over a 20 year period, the largest proportion of the school’s finance was spent on teachers’ salaries, while insurance was the smallest expenditure in each year. More specifically, in 1981, teachers’ salaries accounted for 40 percent. The figure grew slightly to 50 percent in the subsequent decade, however dropped to 45% in 2001. In sharp contrast, workers’ wages, which made up merely 28 percent, fell gradually to 15 percent over the whole period.

In 1981, resources and furniture evenly received 15 percent of the total expenditure. However, after 2 decades, while the percentage of finance funded for furniture and equipment peaked at 23%, a 6 percent fall could be evidently seen in the proportion of resources. In terms of insurance, despite a quadruple growth from 2 percent to 8 percent recorded between 1981 and 2001, the proportional spending on insurance remained to be the lowest cost.

In summary, it is apparent that the spending proportion on insurance was marginal in comparison with salaries percentages. 

10/6/13

READING FOR WRITING (ARGUMENTS ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT)


Retribution

First a reminder of the basic argument behind retribution and punishment:
  • all guilty people deserve to be punished
  • only guilty people deserve to be punished
  • guilty people deserve to be punished in proportion to the severity of their crime
This argument states that real justice requires people to suffer for their wrongdoing, and to suffer in a way appropriate for the crime. Each criminal should get what their crime deserves and in the case of a murderer what their crime deserves is death.
The measure of punishment in a given case must depend upon the atrocity of the crime, the conduct of the criminal and the defenceless and unprotected state of the victim.
Imposition of appropriate punishment is the manner in which the courts respond to the society's cry for justice against the criminals.
Justice demands that courts should impose punishment befitting the crime so that the courts reflect public abhorrence of the crime.
Justices A.S. Anand and N.P. Singh, Supreme Court of India, in the case of Dhananjoy Chatterjee
Many people find that this argument fits with their inherent sense of justice.
It's often supported with the argument "An eye for an eye". But to argue like that demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of what that Old Testament phrase actually means. In fact the Old Testament meaning of "an eye for an eye" is that only the guilty should be punished, and they should punished neither too leniently or too severely.

The arguments against retribution

  • Capital punishment is vengeance rather than retribution and, as such, is a morally dubious concept
  • The anticipatory suffering of the criminal, who may be kept on death row for many years, makes the punishment more severe than just depriving the criminal of life
    • That's certainly true in the USA, but delay is not an inherent feature of capital punishment; some countries execute people within days of sentencing them to death
Some people are prepared to argue against retribution as a concept, even when applied fairly.

Deterrence

Capital punishment is often justified with the argument that by executing convicted murderers, we will deter would-be murderers from killing people.

The arguments against deterrence

  • The statistical evidence doesn't confirm that deterrence works (but it doesn't show that deterrence doesn't work either)
  • Some of those executed may not have been capable of being deterred because of mental illness or defect
  • Some capital crimes are committed in such an emotional state that the perpetrator did not think about the possible consequences
  • No-one knows whether the death penalty deters more than life imprisonment
Deterrence is most effective when the punishment happens soon after the crime - to make an analogy, a child learns not to put their finger in the fire, because the consequence is instant pain.
The more the legal process distances the punishment from the crime - either in time, or certainty - the less effective a deterrent the punishment will probably be.
Cardinal Avery Dulles has pointed out another problem with the deterrence argument.
Executions, especially where they are painful, humiliating, and public, may create a sense of horror that would prevent others from being tempted to commit similar crimes...
...In our day death is usually administered in private by relatively painless means, such as injections of drugs, and to that extent it may be less effective as a deterrent. Sociological evidence on the deterrent effect of the death penalty as currently practiced is ambiguous, conflicting, and far from probative.
Avery Cardinal Dulles, Catholicism and Capital Punishment, First Things 2001
Some proponents of capital punishment argue that capital punishment is beneficial even if it has no deterrent effect.
If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call.
John McAdams: Marquette University, Department of Political Science

Rehabilitation

Of course capital punishment doesn't rehabilitate the prisoner and return them to society. But there are many examples of persons condemned to death taking the opportunity of the time before execution to repent, express remorse, and very often experience profound spiritual rehabilitation.
Thomas Aquinas noted that by accepting the punishment of death, the offender was able to expiate his evil deeds and so escape punishment in the next life.
This is not an argument in favour of capital punishment, but it demonstrates that the death penalty can lead to some forms of rehabilitation.

Prevention of re-offending

It is undeniable that those who are executed cannot commit further crimes.
Many people don't think that this is sufficient justification for taking human life, and argue that there are other ways to ensure the offenders do not re-offend, such as imprisonment for life without possibility of parole.
Although there have been cases of persons escaping from prison and killing again, these are extremely rare.
But some people don't believe that life imprisonment without parole protects society adequately. The offender may no longer be a danger to the public, but he remains a danger to prison staff and other inmates. Execution would remove that danger.

Closure and vindication

It is often argued that the death penalty provides closure for victims' families.
This is a rather flimsy argument, because every family reacts differently. As some families do not feel that another death will provide closure, the argument doesn't provide a justification for capital punishment as a whole.

Incentive to help police

Plea bargaining is used in most countries. It's the process through which a criminal gets a reduced sentence in exchange for providing help to the police.
Where the possible sentence is death, the prisoner has the strongest possible incentive to try to get their sentence reduced, even to life imprisonment without possibility of parole, and it's argued that capital punishment therefore gives a useful tool to the police.
This is a very feeble justification for capital punishment, and is rather similar to arguments that torture is justified because it would be a useful police tool.

A Japanese argument

This is a rather quirky argument, and not normally put forward.
Japan uses the death penalty sparingly, executing approximately 3 prisoners per year.
A unique justification for keeping capital punishment has been put forward by some Japanese psychologists who argue that it has an important psychological part to play in the life of the Japanese, who live under severe stress and pressure in the workplace.
The argument goes that the death penalty reinforces the belief that bad things happen to those who deserve it. This reinforces the contrary belief; that good things will happen to those who are 'good'.
In this way, the existence of capital punishment provides a psychological release from conformity and overwork by reinforcing the hope that there will be a reward in due time.
Oddly, this argument seems to be backed up by Japanese public opinion. Those who are in favour currently comprise 81% of the population, or that is the official statistic. Nonetheless there is also a small but increasingly vociferous abolitionist movement in Japan.
From an ethical point of view this is the totally consequentialist argument that if executing a few people will lead to an aggregate increase in happiness then that is a good thing.

5/6/13

pdojfs

While some people cling to the idea that career choices should be based on graduates’ personal interest, others place more importance on handsome salary. Personally, I support the view that the pursuit of a favorite occupation and a sense of fulfillment/a sense of satisfaction are far more significant than high income.
Initially, there is no doubt that only the job you have been dreaming of can inspire your creativity and maintain your enthusiasm for work. In fact, with the lifetime passion for a particular field, the number of ideas young people would like to launch can surprise every employer. Furthermore, the love for the career may be converted into a great dedication to the job, which cannot be recognized in those, who are financially motivated.  A dramatic example can be evidently seen in the fact that a variety of professors are currently working overtime for months to find out the proof to underpin their studies.

Another fact worth mentioning is finance cannot be compared to the sense of satisfaction you obtain from the job. To be more specific, a graduate who wants to be a tourist guide may found working from   nine to five absolutely annoying. Another typical instance is that an undercover policeman may refuse to do paperwork despite high wages since he opts for dangers, risks and adventures. Apparently, satisfactory working environment and features of a job often outweigh finance. 

Vocabulary for speaking based on topics

Vocabulary for speaking based on topics: outdoor activities and healthy eating ( examples attached)

Sports and outdoor activities
The pursuit of smt (happiness)
Personal interest
To breathe*  the fresh air
To feel the wind in one’s face
The bracing* air (cold but full of energy)
Idioms and phrasal verbs: to opt for smt/to opt to do smt
                       
                  To do smt out in the open air
Eg. How often do you do outdoor activities
Well, as soon as I am free from my work pressure, perhaps every Saturday and Sunday, I tend to opt for outdoor activities as the best way to refresh myself by breathing the fresh air when I have a picnic out in the open air.
Eg. Do you like outdoor activities?
Well, compared to/in comparison with indoor activities, outdoor games are far more favorite, for me at least. Actually, I am extremely into feeling the wind in my face or enjoying the bracing air while playing football or going camping.
Healthy eating

Idioms and phrasal verbs
To pig out on smt (to eat smt much, absolutely smt not very healthy)
To be in good shape/in good condition
Junk food=snack
A fast food joint = a restaurant serving fast food
To munch on smt /to chomp
Eg. Is fast food popular in your country?
Well, in my nation, convenient food is absolutely a favorite choice. First, everybody in contemporary times works flat out/is on the go, therefore, they often munch on burgers or pizzas on the way to work. Moreover, fast food joints are everywhere, thus, they can drop by quite easily.
Eg. Do you think eating healthy food is important?

Frankly speaking, food containing a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals are absolutely indispensable. Initially, they offer us energy and good health. Furthermore, eating healthily can help you be in a good shape since the cholesterol level and sugar amounts are low. 

3/6/13

SHOULD CIGARETTES AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS BE BANNED?



Task fulfillment
It is universally acknowledged that smoking represents a major contributor to fatal diseases. Hence, many people cling to the idea that cigarettes and products containing tobacco should be illegalized by the states for the sake of public health security. Personally, I definitely share the same opinion for several reasons.

First and foremost, both tobacco products and cigarettes contain nicotine, which is actually an addictive substance.  Smokers, therefore, have to spend a colossal amount of money on bulky purchases. Consequently, the individual budget for fundamental demands apparently declines, diluting the quality of their life. Furthermore, the states’ wealth also increasingly pours into medical care for the patients of illnesses resulting from breathing the smoke and the cigarette ash. In fact, this phenomenon can be considered as a waste of both individual’s and government’s fund.

One further argument in favor of prohibiting tobacco products and cigarettes is that they pose particular threats to public health. To be more specific, smoking can be regarded as both indirect and direct causes to incurable illnesses ranging from cardiovascular blockage to lung cancer due to substantial increases in cholesterol level, or in sugar amounts in blood and blackened lungs. Thus, if the governments in the whole world take a prohibitionist approach to these illicit products, there will be a striking improvement in the health security of the citizens.


By way of conclusion, in the face of the harm caused by both tobacco and cigarettes in terms of finance and health to individuals and governments, it is extremely urgent for official authorities/governmental bodies to take legal action promptly. 

ESSAY: THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS INTO NEW SOCIETY

Nowadays, more people are migrating to other countries than ever before. In order to become integrated into society in their adopted countries, immigrants should abandon their old ways and adapt to local customs and codes of behavior. 

Task fulfillment

It is widely acknowledged that a substantially increasing number of people are currently moving overseas. As a result, there is a thorny question raised about their integration into new society. From my own perspectives, besides getting adapted to new rules and attitudes, immigrants have to filter out the home countries’ negative conventions and  develop the precious intangible cultural assets.

On the one hand, there is no doubt that there are particular regulations in the foreign countries that immigrants should comply with for the sake of social order. Obviously, traffic may become chaotic with congestion taking place everywhere if everyone drives on one side of the road. Therefore, it is vital for all these people to be law-abiding regardless of the difference between the regulatory systems in the two nations. Moreover, observing other people’s conventional manners apparently helps newcomers become integrated into the new community more quickly. A dramatic example can be evidently seen in the fact that you will be welcomed in Japan if you show a serious attitude to the job assigned.

On the other hand, it is also vital for immigrants to protect their positive traditions and abandon the negative conventions derived from their motherland. First and foremost, preserving time-honored rituals and customs can apparently promote their patriotism and reduce homesickness. In fact, celebrating distinctively traditional holidays can be considered as an effective way to become more inspiring for the new life. In sharp contrast, it is a must for new settlers to refrain themselves from widely-held wrong assumptions and prejudice. For instance, the notion that children are not allowed to get married without parents’ consent should be eliminated since it is not rationally accepted in European nations and many other parts around the globe.


By way of conclusion, from all the arguments above, I am strongly convinced that for immigrants, while certain adjustments to their predominant social attitudes towards new regulations and lifestyles are inevitable, it is also highly recommended for them to maintain their positive cultural values and irrational suppositions.