Part 1: Study
1. Describe your education
I started school when I was 7. I finished my primary education 5 years later and I went to secondary school at 12. Then at 16, I made it to a high school for gifted pupils in my hometown. In my country, highschool education lasts 3 years, then I went onto higher education at the Foreign Trade University where I’m currently studying economics.
2. What is your area of specialization?
Well, my major is External Economics. I have mastered the basics of economics and socio- economics, combined with business knowledge mainly related to theimport and export business.
3. Why did you choose to study that major?
I think it would help to fulfill my dream of introducing my country’s agricultural products to the world. Vietnamese goods have a real potential, but they still struggle to make a name for themselves, you know.
4. Do you like your major? (Why?/Why not?)
Yes, of course. Studying economics, especially external economics is interesting and practical. It helps me to keep up with current affairs and it improves my analytical and problem-solving skills as well.
5. What kind of school did you go to as a child?
As a child, I attended a public elementary school. It’s quite a big school in my hometown which provides both high quality education and a supportive environment, so I think I was quite lucky.
6. What was your favourite subject as a child?
Well, I used to be very passionate about drawing when I was a little girl. It was fun to work with brushes and colors, you know, as it was the time when I could indulge in my own creative world.
7. Do you think your country has an effective education system?
To be honest, I don’t think so. Our system hassomehow become unduly stressful, does not promote creativity and the ability to be critical due to the fact that our society still cares way too much about grades and schools consequently focuses on an exam-driven curriculum, which I find quite impractical.
(Possibly) Are you looking forward to working?
Absolutely! It’s great to join the workforce, especially when I can do the job I love. Not only will it pay the bills, but it’ll also give me the joy of making a contribution. It’s hard to be happy and fulfilled without working, you know.
VOCABULARY
Higher education (chương trình đại học) [n] post-18 learning that take places at universities Example: According to a research, nearly 50 percent of Vietnamese students in U.S. higher education are studying either business or engineering, with business-related majors making up 38 percent of all enrollments in 2012/13
- Master (tinh thông, nắm vững) [v] learn how to do something well
Example: She lived in Italy for several years but never quite mastered the language.
- Make a name for oneself ( trở nên nổi tiếng) [idiom] become famous and respected by a lot of people
Example: By the time he was thirty-five, he had made a name for himself as a successful railway contractor
- Keep up with (cập nhật thông tin về cái gì) [idiom] be aware of
Example: Even though he's been travelling, he's kept up with what's going on back home
- Analytical (thuộc về phân tích) [adj] using analysis or logical reasoning
Example: Analytical skills are essential in the workplace to ensure necessary problem solving occurs to keep productivity and other areas of the workforce functioning smoothly
- Elementary school (trường tiểu học) [n] primary school, school for children between 7-11 years old (in Vietnam)
Example: It’s essential that children at the official entry age for elementary school attend classes fully.
- Unduly (quá mức, không chính đáng ) [adj] excessively/ to a level that more than is necessary, acceptable, or reasonable
Example:
For every new parents, the decision about whether to vaccinate his or herchild has been unduly stre ssful
- Exam-driven curriculum (chương trình học để phục vụ cho các kỳ thi) [expression] the courses taught a school, college, which focus on teaching what will be on the exam
Example: Many parents believe that exam-driven curriculum can change their kid’s attitude towards school in profoundly negative ways.
- Pay the bills (trang trải cuộc sống) [ idioms] provide enough income to sustain one’s lifestyle
Example: Being a dentist isn’t so glamorous, but it pays the bills.
Part 2 : Describe a good news, letter, occasion where everybody smiled
Though People mostly send emails nowadays for official and personal communication, the handwritten letter has its own importance as well. Today I would like to talk about a handwritten letter that I received when I was 14 years old. This particular letter was written by my father and I was so excited to receive it that I read it several times. The letter was about the scholarship result, which was my ambition at that moment. and my father wrote me to inform me that I got the scholarship. In his letter, he congratulated me and wrote that he was proud of me.
I was staying at a relative’s house with my mother and sister after my entrance exam to refresh myself cause i had been working so hard the whole year to prepare for the test but and that really made me tired. and one day I found that a post office peon delivered a letter to my uncle. My uncle handed over me the precious letter as it was addressed to me. I found that it was written by my father. I read the letter quickly and was very deliriously happy to learn the news. I was like OMG and i read it again and again to make sure i was not dreamming. My scores were much higher than i had expected so that was my foremost at that time. and then i informed my mother and relatives about it. There was no combination of words that could express their happiness. My mother even cried and she said i made her proud so much and all my family felt so excited and congratulated me cause they knew how hard i tried.
As a kid, the scholarship was very desiring for me and when I found that my family was very happy, that made me happier.
