lc 34 (speaking-dominant)

Topic 2: Some people believe that competition for high grades motivates students to excel in the classroom. Others believe that such competition seriously limits the quality of real learning. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Topic 3: Genetic engineering is an important issue in society today. Some people think that it will improve people’s lives in many ways. Others feel that it may be a threat to life on earth. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Topic 4. International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages? Topic 5: What are the causes of declining mental health among youngsters? What can be done to solve this problem? In your opinion, which is more suitable in the modern world: a broad educational system covering a variety of areas, or one that concentrates on a narrow set of subjects related to a certain job? It is inevitable that as technology develops, cultures must be lost. Technology and traditions are incompatible – you cannot have both together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Give reasons and specific examples to support your answer. It is important to be concerned about international events, even if those events have no direct impact on our lives.

mo bai idk co cai cau truc cung hay phet

random

There has been much controversy revolving around the opinion that in this 4.0 era

I concur with this view, the rationale of which would be provided in the following parts of this essay.

Even the smallest act of caring has the potential to turn a life around, so all individuals should be proactive in informing themselves about current world affairs and responding to changes.

what is the popular perception of language learning in many parts of the world ?

in many parts of the world, learning foreign languages has acquired itself a reputation of being a strenuous and exceptionally challenging task among many of the young. Together with other so-called problems like fear of failure, lack of time or life management skills, all of which are seemingly contributory excuses for mere procrastination, students usually become less motivated to give new languages a chance for immersion.

how would preconception of multilingual learning as an “impossible task” possibly weaken over time.

normalizing the fluency in multiple languages through methods like communication campaigns or media → likely to foster a positive trend among students who would willingly follow their peers and give these languages a try → nurturing their belief in themselves and debunking myths surrounding the tasks they once deemed impossible.

the statement becomes too absolute if it implies that every child should be expected to master several languages regardless of circumstances.

Language education requires substantial time, qualified teachers and appropriate resources, and imposing too many languages on children who are already struggling academically may place unnecessary pressure on them.

generation of commodity is beneficial for national stability and development.

• increase in population and upgrade in standards of living 🡪 more demands for resources 🡪 manufacturing provides citizens with basic needs, the means to work and make money 🡪 contribute to national prosperity.

• expansion of the industry 🡪 able to export products overseas 🡪 further profit-making and consolidation of the nation’s reputation in the international market

manufacturing should occur in moderation

• natural resources serving as fuels are not endless 🡪 take time to recover and regenerate. 🡪 unsustainable manufacturing may leave future generations struggling with resource shortage. Augmentation of production and mass consumption could exacerbate the situation as it leads to the throw-away society characterized by businesses creating new lines of product, consumers keep purchasing the latest models and disposing the current items. 

• environmental consequences accompany the industry (ignition of fossil fuels → pollute the atmosphere
  extraction of underground ores 🡪 disturb the lithosphere and animals’ livelihood.) → devastate the Earth’s ecology, possibly contributing to global warming.

• employees are pressurized to meet growing demands 🡪 increase in workload may cause stress-related illnesses.

Scoring helps students gather motivation to make progress in their studies

• High achievers: praised, rewarded for their excellent performance 🡪 a boost to their confidence, giving them mental strength to make further progress

• Poorer performers: put under peer pressure 🡪 desire to attain a decent score not to fall behind and to keep pace with their friends 🡪 encouraged to work more assiduously

→ Competition can fire students with learning enthusiasm and encourage participation in learning activities, irrespective of their level of performance.

Competition assists students in unlocking/discovering their inner potentials

A timid, self-effacing student can transmute into an active, energetic learner and group activist after competing for high grades. 🡪 without a grading system to motivate personal efforts, students may fail to realize their hidden strengths 🡪 stifle determination in making improvements.

Disagree: In-class competition may bring about undesired and insidious repercussions

1. students can easily misinterpret the ultimate aim of education as achieving the highest grades possible

2. Youngsters motivated by high scores become preoccupied with bookish knowledge 🡪 compromise their social life and activities

• students bribe teachers, examiners to know the test beforehand or to ask for a good academic transcript 🡪 unfair competition, lack of sound knowledge of the subject matter.

• students become discouraged from seeking an in-depth understanding of their lessons, shift their focus to rote memorization just to achieve a decent result. Less emphasis is laid upon hands-on applications and more on attempting the exams.🡪 deterioration in educational quality.

A rethink on the grading system is necessary.

• Teachers should not use grading to judge student’s memorization ability but to evaluate students’ passion and attitude towards learning.

• Teachers should accentuate the importance of the ability to truly understand and put subject matters into practice.

🡪 promote healthy and unbiased competition for high grades while fostering the core values of learning.

what are the effects of genetic engineering that are often discussed ?

The effects of genetic engineering are often discussed in terms of two key areas, which are food production and medication.

the effects of genetic engineering on food production.

Positive: 

• With genetic engineering, scientists can add traits like being insect-resistant, drought-resistant or vitamin-rich into plants and animals -> increase yield -> lower food shortage and malnutrition.

• Example: 500000 children go blind each year due to vitamin A deficiency -> a trait called ‘the Golden Rice’ has been deployed, which contains enough vitamins to cure those children.

Negative: 

• Genetic engineering can trigger gene flow, meaning GMOs could mix with traditional crops and introduce unwanted new characteristics into them -> powerful, exotic species/ superbugs -> ecological imbalance.

International tourism can yield significant value to to both individuals and the society as a whole.
At individual level ?

- Journeys to exotic places in foreign countries can be exciting and fulfilling. → Tourists themselves should derive pleasure and satisfaction from a trip to the tropical savanna in Africa where they can go on a wildlife safari or view tribal life. → While people can find our similar information via televisions programmes, books or journals,  the feeling should be incomparable to being present at the destination. 

- International travel allows for cross-border cultural exchange and deeper mutual understanding between visitors and local people → A Vietnamese holidaymaker who spends a vacation in Italy should enrich his or her culinary knowledge by sampling unique Italian spaghetti in Rome or develop his or her aesthetic appreciation while gazing at exquisite sculptures in Florence. → Italian hosts should broaden their horizon by observing how the Vietnamese visitor holds and uses chopsticks skillfully.

International tourism can yield significant value to both individuals and the society as a whole.
At societal level

- There is an inherent link between tourism development and enormous socio-economic benefits that countries can receive. → As the whole tourism process involves the consumption of services and products, it obviously generates income for individuals and businesses who operate in tourism and related industries. → Tourism also contributes to the national budget in the form of taxes or charges, which should be in turn reinvested into the maintenance and upgrade of the national infrastructure. 

- Tourism industry creates employment opportunities as there are strong demands for labours in travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, airlines or cruises. 

Tourism, if managed unsustainably, could be detrimental to society in various aspects. 

- Cultural aspects have become increasingly commercialized as a way to boost profitability → The prevalence of cultural commodification might result in the loss of authentic cultural values. → For instance, ceremonies and rituals might be curtailed to save time while traditional dress and handicrafts could be amended to cater to the specified taste of foreign visitors. → Such modification robs cultural practices and artifacts their originality and sacredness, while giving foreign tourists a false impression of the significance attached to these elements of culture. 
 - Unsustainable tourism could have adverse environmental implications. Building are constructed at the expense of large areas of primary forest and untouched natural landscapes. Activities in tourism could be detrimental to fragile natural areas. Hiking in the rainforest, snorkelling in coral reefs and climbing alpine mountains are just some of the many activities that can physically impact and damage the natural environment.

- There are also grave concerns about the physical damage to cultural heritage. → Having people tramp through old paths, touch rock walls and lean on sites can cause irreversible erosion and destruction. → Place of worships or cultural significance are also suffering from the deliberate actions of littering, scrawling graffiti or even taking pieces of the site home. 

The youth’s deteriorating mental fitness can arise from both objective and subjective factors.

For objective causes, the detrimental impact of social media should be primarily concerned.

Another objective cause should be the heavy workload and intense academic competition that children have to endure at school. → Children who are exhausted at school, are even sent to extra classes as part of the rat race with their peers. → they tend to be moody or volatile and may end up taking suicide as an escape from the stressful and boring life.

the prevalence of highly curated and polished content can sow the seed of unrealistic expectations: common in the field of beauty and lifestyle, where western celebrities promote cookie-cutter standards of beauty → Young users, then, neglect their true values and mindlessly chase after the standards and trends popularized by famous people. → often end up in severe inferiority complex and inadequacy.

To fully address the unprecedented rise of depressed youngsters, a mutual effort between different members of the society is necessary.

Schools can mitigate this problem by reducing excessive academic workloads, providing accessible counselling and teaching students practical strategies for managing stress. / parents should place greater emphasis on children’s well-being, stop treating academic achievements as the major measure of success and allow their children to engage in activities that are genuinely aligned with their interests.

Teenagers should be taught to embrace themselves, accepting their differences and unique characteristics. Stop treating popular beauty standards as the ultimate measure of their worth. → no longer feel the urge to chase after unrealistic expectations and have the confidence to improve themselves.

è è è lead-in cho pedagogical approach lê hoàng đức

While almost all countries and regions of the world have promoted access to education, their approaches are not necessarily the same. A prompt observation would point out the two prevailing systems: one that covers various areas and the other focuses on particular combinations of career-related subjects. Discussing the superiority of such methods, it is my firm belief that a multidisciplinary education system is more desirable than a specialized one in the present-day context.

advocates of specification in subjects may argue that such a system leads to high levels of expertise in careers.

this holds true in the sense that specialized systems mean more investments for the selected sphere of education → grooms students for a particular career field = not enough.

The market of many fields, especially the so-called top jobs namely IT, marketing, and finance, has been largely saturated, with workers excelling in a field in abundance.

what do students need to ensure their competitiveness ?

to ensure their competitiveness, future job hunters need versatility, which can be cultivated through a holistic education as this promotes exposure to a variety of fields.

Take the example of PwC and KPMG, two of the Big 4 accounting firms in Vietnam. In recent years, they have shown an obvious propensity for applicants with not only an exceptional degree in economics but also impressive transferable skills including computer literacy and foreign language competence, though these may not be directly related to the major in question.

→ students having specialized expertise but lacking well-rounded knowledge would be presented with much more limited prospects and struggle greatly against the fierce competition in the modern workplace.

bleak scenario

Most present-day futurists are no stranger to the bleak scenario of a technology-dominated future world where the ways of life of current homo sapiens are only seen in documentaries and passed-down stories. Indeed, it is believed that the coexistence of technology and cultures is impossible, as the latter collapses when the former thrives.

technological developments are unlikely to undermine the cultural values that are crucial to man’s existence.

Technology is developed with the mere purpose of aiding and promoting human’s survival, and ensuring a comfortable living for our kind. >< many traditions and beliefs, both of which are essential parts of cultures, have already been intricately interwoven with people’s lives, forming the fabric of communities and shaping the way humans coexist, perceive, and interact with one another.

If technology can, by any means, alter traditions, such changes would only happen to peripheral, superficial values but hardly the integral parts.

Illustrative of this is the deeply-rooted, long-standing ideology of Eastern Asians. In the era of modernization and digitalization, different generations of many families in China, Vietnam, or Japan no longer live under the same roof and many superstitious practices have been abandoned; still, communal spirits are honored and age-old customs like keeping the altar of ancestors at home persist.

far from sabotaging traditions, technology can be used to preserve and perpetuate them.

exposure to the elements and the advancement of civilization → natural wear and tear of historical relics as well as the disappearance of some customs are generally unavoidable over time regardless of technological developments.

with modern equipment and processes, how can people learn about past values as well as spread awareness to preserve them.

virtual reality can also be used to recreate life of the distant past, as exemplified by a number of Vietnamese educational websites and programs that utilize digital remastering technology to teach students about the dynasties in the feudal period. Through the photo-realistic depiction of ancient sites and antiquities, current and future generations gain vivid insights into life centuries earlier.

Such technological inventions have helped to record and popularize past cultures; otherwise, the preservation and prolongation process would meet with much greater difficulties, or may not be possible altogether.

the world is fraught with changes and incidents

In this fast-moving modern era, hardly a day goes by without changes and incidents happening all over the globe. From eternal conflicts in North-East Africa to Sri Lanka’s chaos and Europe’s energy crisis, the world has continually witnessed events that cause widespread concern.

actively keeping track of global events will help one learn about the sufferings and hardships of those in other parts of the world and take action accordingly.

Humanitarian crises, natural disasters, or armed conflicts, though not present in some countries, are actually frequent occurrences in others. → Having an awareness of such incidents → provide the much-needed and timely support for their fellows in overcoming challenges → greatly promotes global stability and prosperity.

does paying attention to international events really enable people to help their fellows in need ?

yes: For example, in 2018, a junior Thai football team was trapped underground within a deep cave for more than two weeks and their search attracted intense global interest.

special rescue teams, militaries and resources from about 100 governmental agencies worldwide → the whole group was successfully saved.

Clearly, had it not been for this massive international support, the rescue effort would have met with many more challenges, or may not have been possible all along.

→ In the present turbulent world, such a sense of community and shared responsibility is a beacon of hope for the unfortunates and a testament to humanity.

being concerned about world events can offer foreknowledge of potential issues and model solutions for similar eventualities.

so how does a supposedly unrelated foreign affair is capable of turning the lives of millions of people upside down.

an economic crisis in the Middle East can cause oil prices to escalate and spark serious global unrest. If governments and individuals of other regions stay updated on the affair beforehand, they will be able to make informed decisions, including prioritizing energy conservation and efficiency, and financing developments in self-produced energy, before the crisis worsens. → avoid the painful consequences of fuel shortages as much as possible.

being conscious of foreign events allows citizens and authorities to learn from other countries’ experiences.

Different areas of the world might face similar socioeconomic problems; while some nations succeed in getting out of their undesirable situations, others show fallaciousness in their approach.

By updating what is happening overseas, how can communities learn valuable lessons to handle their own issues.

some regions in Japan have coped with their demographic challenges by implementing a “second-life program” that encourages old workers to launch startups and offering retraining and employment opportunities specifically for retirees.

Such a method of embracing longevity instead of treating it as a burden can be a shining example for European nations with aging populations.