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86 PR The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people think that your community would be a good place to locate the university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new university in your community. Use specific details in your discussion.

The first advantage of having a new university built in my community would be the jobs it would bring to the community. Initially, the jobs would be those connected with the actual building of the university structures, such as brick layers and carpenters. Once the building were completed, the jobs would be those on the campus itself. Those would include teachers, office workers, custodians, and librarians.
Not all of the people the university hired would already be members of the community, so that would mean a lot of new people coming to town. Of course, a lot of students would come too. Two advantages of new people in town would be more taxpayers and a more diverse population. With more people paying taxes, there would be more money for schools, libraries and other community needs. With a more diverse population, there would be new stores, new restaurants (to serve different tastes) and new cultural influences.
Of course, there would also be disadvantages. More people living in the community could mean more houses being built. There would be more traffic on the streets, with the combination of new residents and students who bring their cars. Plus, more people would mean more public services would be needed. These services could include everything from trash collection to more schools to hold all the children of the new residents. New services might mean local taxes would have to go up, even though there would be more taxpayers.
Another disadvantage is that the personality of our community would change. It would go from being a place where everybody knows everybody else to a place where a lot of people are strangers. It would become a place with a lot of short-term residents, like the university students, who might not care as much about the town.
Communities always change over time, though, and overall I like the atmosphere of a “college town.” A new university would bring a lot of challenges, but I think it would be worth it.

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87 PR Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults. Other people think that friends are the most important influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with? Use examples to support your position.

Although friends make an impression on your life, they do not have the same influence that your family has. Nothing is as important to me as my family. From them, I learned everything that is important. I learned about trust, ambition, and love.
Your family is with you forever. They are not going to leave you because they find another daughter they like better. They are not going to leave you because they think you are too much trouble. A family is permanent, while friends come and go.
Your parents are your role models. They will encourage you to do your best, to push yourself, and to improve yourself. Friends want you to stay the same: they don’t want you to be different. A family is ambitious for you. Friends are not.
Your family teaches you about love. A family’s love is not judgmental. They love you for everything you are. Friends may love you because you have a new car or because you go out with them on Saturdays. A family loves you. Friends only like you.
Without my family, I wouldn’t know what to do. I wouldn’t feel as secure. I might not have the ambition to go to school. I probably would be afraid to love. My family is my greatest influence.

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88 PR Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer―planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

I think that free time is a precious thing for most of us. When we’re working hard, it’s nice to imagine what we’ll do when the weekend comes. We juggle one idea with another, trying to decide what best suits our budget and the amount of time we have. After all, anticipating free time is part of the pleasure.
It’s good to plan what we’re going to do with our free time. That way we won’t waste any of it trying to decide. It’s so easy to just sit around and think about this or that activity. Before we know it, half the day is gone. If we decide ahead of time, We can get started in plenty of time, and we can get the most benefit out of the time we have. For instance, if we’re going on a picnic, we can get all our supplies ready to go. Or if we’re going to a movie, we can find out the time and how long it’ll take us to get there. Also, if we plan what we’re going to do with our free time, we can invite others to join us. If we wait until the last minute, our friends may have other plans.
On the other hand, it’s also fun sometimes to do things without a plan. We can just leave the house and walk around and see what catches our attention. Often, this is how we discover places we never knew existed. We might end up doing something we never thought we’d try. We might just happen to find ourselves outside a new bookstore or a bowling alley and go in on a whim, because we have some free time.
It’s nice if we can have the best of both worlds. We can plan our free time activities for one day of the weekend, and let the other day plan itself. This way our free time also gives us the enjoyment of having it both ways.

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89 PR People learn in different ways. Some people learn by doing things; other people learn by reading about things; others learn by listening to people talk about things. Which of these methods of learning is best for you? Use specific examples to support your choice.

The effectiveness of a learning method varies from person to person and also from activity to activity. Learning by doing, learning by reading, and learning by listening all have the transfer of information as their goal, but the information is transferred in very different ways in each case. Each has its benefits. In my own opinion, learning by doing is the method that works best for me.
Learning by doing works because it gives a learner first-hand experience. Other methods are more passive; you’re either listening to a conversation or trying to pay attention to words on a page. However, learning by doing means actually participating in the activity. Can you imagine learning how to play a musical instrument form a book? As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Frankly, I can’t think of a way that better ensures one has truly learned than by seeing and doing.
In contrast, reading makes learning less easy to visualize. Not only that, learning by reading often requires extra research, such as looking up unfamiliar words. Also, you might not be a good reader, or you might be learning in a second language. If so, you might find it hard to concentrate or become frustrated by the slow pace. So while reading is fun and useful for many people, for others it may not be the best way.
Learning by listening can be enjoyable. Lively debate is interesting, and interesting things are usually easier to learn about. Plus, unlike reading, you can ask questions if you don’t understand. However, as with reading, it is all too easy to become a passive listener and not truly learn anything. If you get bored, you might even fall asleep while you’re listening! When you’re actively participating in something, you’re more likely to stay alert.
Overall, when it comes to learning. I believe that nothing substitutes for the first band experience that physically doing an activity provides.

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90 PR Some people choose friends who are different form themselves. Others choose friends who are similar to themselves. Compare the advantages of having friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are similar to you. Which kind of friend do you prefer for yourself? Why?

There are a lot of advantages to having friends who are different from you. For one thing, they’ll give you a different way of looking at the world,. Friends who are different can introduce you to foods, music, politics, and books you’ve never tried before. If you’re a spontaneous kind of person, someone who is more scheduled can help you get better organized. You, on the other hand, can help them loosen up a little bit, and do things more on the spur of the moment.
Someone who is different from you won’t have the same reaction to situations. This can be a big help. If you’re the kind of person who gets very impatient waiting for your meal in a restaurant, it helps to have someone calm with you. Your friend can help you keep your temper. If you’re a little timid about standing up for yourself, a more assertive friend can help you develop a little more self-respect.
However, there can also be advantages to having friends who are similar to you. You usually enjoy doing the same things, so you don’t have to argue about what you want to do. Sometimes it’s fun experiencing new things. Other times, it’s more fun doing what you know you’ll enjoy.
All things considered, I think I’d like to have a lot of acquaintances who are different and a few close friends who are similar to me. That seems the best of both worlds.