151. EX Films can tell us a lot about the country where they were made. What have you learned about a country from watching its movies? Use specific examples and details to support your response.

Do you ever watch movies from other countries? Whenever I do, I think about how similar people really are all around the world. Even though the cultures and languages in those movies are different from mine, people all around the world are alike in their goals and emotions.

One time, I saw a movie made in china that showed parents helping their children with their homework. . My parents helped me the same way. Another time I saw a movie from Argentina. It showed school children playing hide and seek, which is a game I used to play with my friends during recess. Seeing these films demonstrated to me that education is a common goal in every country. Parents want their children to learn so their lives will improve. It also showed me that children in schools everywhere wants to play with their friends. Sometimes the games are similar to ours and sometimes they’re different. Still, they all have the common purpose of fun and learning to work together.

Earning a living is another common goal. I’ve often seen that in movies about other countries. In some countries, people choose their careers from what they like and are good at. In other countries, careers are chosen for them following the traditions of their families. But in every country it seems that people care a great deal about earning a living, and working hard is respected.

Showing people having fun together is always an important part of any movies, no matter what country it comes from. People everywhere want to be entertained, and want to spend time with their families and friends. Different cultures sometimes enjoy different activities, but all cultures enjoy some form of sports, music and dancing.

The movies I’ve seen make it clear to me that no matter the cultural differences between countries, people everywhere have the same basic needs and goals.

152. PR Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Study habits are very individual. Some people like to study alone, while others like to study with a group. Personally, I would rather study alone, but I can see advantages to both ways.

It can be very helpful to study with other students. For one thing, you can exchange information about the topic. Not everyone is going to hear everything the teacher says in class. Comparing notes is a good way to be sure you get what you missed. You can also discuss various aspects of the topic. Other students can bring a different perspective to the discussion. They can point out things you may not have thought of  , and help you make your arguments clearer.

Studying with other students can also help keep you focused on studying. If you’re in a study group, you have to be at a particular place to study at a particular time. This is good discipline. The group reviews all the material available and then begins studying. There’s not a lot of wasted time, if things work the way they should.

Of course, it doesn’t help if you’re in a study group that doesn’t take studying seriously. Then you’d be much better of studying by yourself. If you’re trying to study with friends and all they want to do is talk about other things, you’d get more done going somewhere to study by yourself. Being with people who don’t want to study can mean you’ll be constantly distracted. There’ll be a lot of interruptions, and you won’t gain much hearing they points of view on a study subject.

Finally, whether you study alone or in a group depends a lot on your own study habits and on your personality. If you need absolute quiet to study, then you’re better off alone. If you’re a very social person, then you’re better off studying alone, too: you’ll be too tempted to socialize instead of studying. This is the reason I prefer studying alone. When I’m with other people, I want to play, I don’t want to work.

153. MA You have enough money to purchase either a house or a business. Which would you choose to buy? Give specific reasons to explain your choice.

If I had enough money to buy either a house or a business, I’d buy a house. A business may succeed or fail. It’s also possible I might change my mind about what I wanted to do in business. However, a home is a lifetime gift to myself.

Right now I’m in small apartment, with barely enough room for everything. All my furniture and things I’ve accumulated since I left college barely fit. I have almost no closet space left. This means my clothes are always wrinkled because they’re crushed together. I don’t have any place to put my cleaning supplies, nor room for more than one set of sheets and towels. A new house would mean a lot more room for all these things.

I love having plants around. It’s very healthy for the air inside and it’s cheerful to have living things growing in a room. I’d like to have a garden instead. That way I could grow a lot of different kinds of plants and flowers, and I could have a vegetable garden in the summer.

Besides having a garden, I’d like to have a backyard with lots of trees and a small fountain in the corner. I love watching birds and listening to them sing. On the windowsill of my apartment, I put out bird seed every morning. In the hot weather, I put out a shallow tin plate with water in it for birds. The trees and the fountain in my backyard would gibe me pleasure, but they’d really be for the birds. The trees would give them a place to nest, and the fountain would be a source of fresh water when it’s hot.

Can you picture my dream house? A business would only give me money. A house would give me someplace special to be myself.