TOPIC 4: ENVIRONMENT

1. Describe a place you have visited with no air pollution

_ Time: Grade 11
_ Destination: Thung Nham Bird Park, Ninh Binh
Last summer, after I had finished Grade 11, my class decided to have a two-day-one-night trip far from
Ha Noi. We chose Thung Nham Bird Park in Ninh Binh as our ideal destination. Our class stayed in a big
stilt house covered with plants and a lake. We spent our two days taking pictures of nature and birds
such as storks, white bitterns and so on. What I particularly enjoyed was the atmosphere in Thung
Nham. Not only was the air fresh but also it had brisk wind. Maybe the lake and trees near our place
cooled down the heat in May. Something else that really impressed me was the specific location of the
Bird Park. There were no buildings and residents’ houses constructed near the park so me and my
friends felt relieved and relaxed as we had successfully escaped from the normal life. I have lots of
unforgettable memories at Thung Nham Bird Park so I plan to visit it again with my friends after Covid-
19 is completely controlled.
2. Describe an environmental problem that has been in the news
_ Time: 2016
_ Formosa
_ Dead fish: 130 tons
In 2016, the company named Formosa caused one of the most serious pollution problems in Viet Nam.
The issue appeared as a hot news in the national media and became a noteworthy topic to discuss. In
April 2016, Ha Tinh Province found a large amount of dead fish near the coasts. After that, this abnormal
phenomenon also happened in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. By the end of April, more
than 130 tons of dead fish were found by residents in those provinces. Not only did this problem have
negative effects on the environment but also affected the income of residents, especially fishmen. After
having analysed sea water in the South Central coast, Vietnamese Government concluded that
untreated wastewater from Formosa had led to the serious pollution. The illegal action of the company
caused anger from the community. Although the Ministry of Public Health has confirmed that the
seawater in affected provinces is good enough for sea creatures and humans, there are still many people
who feel worried about the quality.

TOPIC 1: HEALTH

TOPIC 3: CULTURE

Describe a time you experienced a culture shock

_ Destination: Japan
_ Public toilets: high tech
After having finished the High school Entrance Exam, I enjoyed my summer holiday in Japan. I spent
most of my time visiting famous destinations in Japan’s capital such as Sky tree, Tokyo DisneyLand,
Shibuya District and so on. I was on the cloud nine when I stood in the highest floor of Tokyo Tower.
Honestly, Japan is an ideal country if you want to enjoy nature and peace. Plus, Japanese are really
friendly and their service is one of the best in the world. What imppressed me the most is that what you
see in the advertisement is true. I saw an ice-cream full of topping in the ad and I got the similar one.
Everything was fine until I used public toilets. Japanese’s toilets were much more modern than
Vietnamese’s and they had multiple buttons with detailed instructions. I had to use Google translation
to understand its meaning and struggled to use the jet spray. Although it intimidated me at first, I still
enjoyed using it. I also think that the quality of public toilets in Viet Nam should be improved so that
foreigners as well as residents might feel convenient when walking through streets.

TOPIC 5: SCIENCE

Describe an area of science that you are interested in

_ Science field: Nature
_ Inspirer: Grandfather
_ Future plan: No
I have been quite passionate about nature since I was a child. I spent a lot of time watching natural
documentaries with my grandfather and our favourite channels were National Georaphic and Discovery.
My grandparents had a large garden with various trees and animals. Every afternoon, I went to the
garden and helped them water plants, feed the poultry and sometimes collected fruits. They also gaved
me books about nature, most of them were named “Ten thousand questions Why”. The more I learnt
about the natural world the more impressed I was. When I went to school, my marks in Biology were
good so I joined the Biology team but not long after that, I gave up because I found biology not only
required knowledge about nature but also chemistry, and Chemistry was not my favourite subject. Now,
I no longer pursue this field. Instead, I have interest in language and culture. But I keep watching
Discovery and National Geographic to widen my knowledge and to bring back my memories with
grandfather.

TOPIC 6: HISTORY

Describe a historical event that interests you

_ Event:
_ Timeline:
_ Hero: