#13 Indoors or Outdoors

Some people prefer to spend their free time outdoors. Other people cprefer to spend their leisure time indoors. Would you prefer to be outside or would you prefer to be inside for your leisure activities? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

Some people prefer to spend their free time indoors. Other prefer to spend their leisure time outdoors. My personal idea is that it is always good to enjoy your free time in a relaxing and comfortable place, even if it is indoors or outdoors. If you want to have a time in family, the best place to get together is in your house; but if you want to have a time by yourself, the best place to spend your free time is in a park. Both type of places can give you good and different times.

For a leisure activity in family, it is a good idea to stay indoors for a lunch with your parents, kids and cousins. Even being indoors, the best way to get together with your family is in a house or a quiet place where you can all talk and share this beautiful moment. For example, you can invite your family to go to you home and you can have a meal in the yard of your house. While the kids are playing outside, you can talk to your familiars while you are preparing something for you all to eat. It is an absolutely adorable time to get together on a Sunday morning and stay in family until the afternoon.

A marvelous idea is to spend your free time outdoors if you want to have a time by yourself. You can dress yourself with soft clothes and go out to a really green park in your city. It is a big deal to take your i-pod and listen to some music while you are walking around the park. It is absolutely pleasing to listen to good songs while taking some fresh air and being in touch with nature. It is a great time to clean your mind, look and be in touch with a different place you are not really used to go during the week. You can look at the blue sky, have an ice-cold orange juice. Or, if you are hungry, you can even eat something good and light in a snack bar around the park.

The best idea is to spend your free time in a nice place, even if it indoors, even when it is outdoors. Sometimes, the best choice is to be indoors to spend some time in family. In other times, it is also really good to stay outdoors to get some fresh air. In summary, both kinds of places can provide you absolutely great moments.

Number of words: 417

#13 When History affected me

I remember I was around 10 years old. It was in the end of the morning, here in Brazil, when I was getting back home from school. I was at the bus and I noticed that the radio was turned on. Everybody was trying to listen to the information the station was giving: the Twin Towers attack. I got in my house and my family was all sitting around the television and watching the scene of the airplane hitting the second building. Minutes later, the two most important symbols of the US postcard was all over the floor.

Three or two years ago, when I was already in High School, I saw a documentary about 9/11. That was the first time I could see what exactly happened in the begining of this new century. New York in caos, so many people dying and everybody trying to understand what anybody could explain.

Nowadays, I look back and realize how huge and terrible it really was. And how affected the world got. History and economy were transformed by terrorism. But much more than this: so many lives changed in a very painfull way. In a personal thought, September 11th was one of the recent news story which has affected me the most. In an historical way and even in an emotional way.

#12 Christmas day

It is around the family that people first learn how to live in group. In many tradition, we start learning more about things and people around us. But more than this, we start to learn about feelings and emotions. (39)

In my opinion, one of the most celebrated traditions is Christmas. It is sort of a date to realize simple things in life. The streets get decorated with colorfull lights, people get in a different state of mind of solidarity and union. In a religious way, many families get together to share an uncial moment of joy. (57)

Me and my family always celebrate Christamas at my home. Around three weeks before December 25th, my mother, my brother and I start to build our Christmas tree. Everything gets red and green with beautiful lights around our appartament. When the day comes, my grandmother makes the Christmas turkey and a really good food. My uncles, aunts and little cousins - who are usually distant during the year - come to my home to have this family time. When it is around midnight, my family gets together aroun the Christmas tree. We pray and thank God for the simple things of life that make us in union. So we hug each other and wish "Merry Christmas" and sing a happy song to celebrate life. We share gifts and then, we eat the food while we talk and laugh in a really good mood. (141)

That is why I think that the Christmas night is one of my family's important tradition. It is a really simple date to express the feelings we usually don't have time to show. A day that gets my family together to have a good time to celebrate all of the love we feel. (53)

Number of words: 190

#11 Organization

Some people are very organized, while other people are not so organized. Which type of person are you? Support your response with specific examples.

Organization is a valuable quality. Being organized can definitely bring a lot of benefits. In a personal point of view, I believe I am a very organized woman. For this, I try to be organized in my daily and in my professional life.

It is quite important to be organized, even more in daily life. It helps you to have your things in order. As a consequence, you will be able to find your objects much faster and easier. For example, I try to always fold my clothes and keep them clean and organized in my wardrobe. If you do that, you will easily find your outfit when you need to get dressed rapidly. Another example of my organization is when I take care and organize my books. If you do that too, you will be quite able to find the book when you need to search about something that you have studied some time ago.

Organization is also fundamental for career. This ability will probably help you a lot in your professional life. In my work as a journalist, I realize that people who act in my area have the obligation to be organized. When journalists need to make a report, or even to write an article, they will have to contact the people they need to interview and also have to be aware of the questions they have to make. It is also really important to take organized notes, so journalists can write a good article after the interview. Even while journalists are writing, it is important to them to organize their ideas. In this way, people will easily understand their words and the things they want to say.

In summary, organization is important for personal and professional life. It can bring you benefits and, as a consequence, you will probably act and order your life in a more responsibly.

Number of words: 312

#10 Early in the morning or late at night

Some people prefer to get up early in the morning and start the day’s work. Others prefer to get up later in the day and work until late at night. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

Waking up early and waking up late can both be vantageous. While some people prefer to work late at night and wake up late, others would rather wake up early in the morning and work during the day. In my personal opinion, I do not see any difference between them, because both of them can bring me benefits.

It is a good idea to wake up in the morning sometimes. Personally, I believe that people are able to enjoy much more their day if they wake up early. As a consequence, they will have a healthy routine and you will also be able to get more of their day. When people wake up early, they can enjoy the sun. This habit provides vitamin D to their body and, moreover, it improves their mood. It’s is vantageous for their daily lives to wake up early, read the newspaper while having a good breakfast. It is good to look at the blue sky and see people walking around streets.
Working during the night and waking up late can also be a vantageous choice. Some people feel much more creative and concentrated during the night. Analyzing it, it is much calmer and more silent to work at night. Traffic noises or any other type of sound will probably not bother anyone and their concentration. Another positive aspect of working at night is that people can drive their cars easier because the traffic is calm. As a consequence, people do not lose their time on the roads. If they work with international communication, for example, people probably have to work late at night because of the time zone of the country they are working with. Consequently, they work work much better during the night.

Starting the day early and or working during the night can both be considered good decisions. In summary, these two options are vantageous in many different situations. If you wake up early, you will be able to enjoy your day more; if you wake up late, you can work during the night. It just depends on your personal choice.

Number of words: 371

#9 Integrated Writing

People's attitudes can be classified in two different ways. Motives can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Marnie's story, in this case, gives us a clear example of both kinds of motivation that are given in the reading passage.

Intrinsic motivation is when you perform an activity to have a personal reward. As an example, Marnie, since she was a child, loved to sing and used to sing in every moment of her life. She was always ready to sing and was always invited to make concerts and perform in public.

Extrinsic motivation is when your performance is related to an external reward. As the example given in the lecture, when Marnie was older, she did not feel like she loved to sing, but she was always expected from the audience. Then, a producer invited her to sing professionally and gave her the opportunity to earn a big amount of money. She accepted the offer of the producer even not enjoying singing as she used to when she was younger.

The story about the girl Marnie, in summary, gives an example about extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. When she sang because she loved what she was doing, the motivation is classified as intrinsic. But when Marnie started singing for money, the motivation is extrinsic.

#7 The subject I have never studied

If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.

It is really important to be conscious about the rules and the laws of the place where you live in. It can bring you benefits for you to recognize your rights as a citizen, and it can also help you to work better in your current profession. If I had the opportunity to study a different subject, I would definitely choose Law.

Laws are very important for you to know about the correct and incorrect things people do in daily life. Frequently, some people face so many kinds of problems that may be solved in a judicial way. For example, you go out to dinner in a restaurant. Then, when you are about to eat the food you ordered, you realize there is a huge insect in your plate. In this case, you are completely able to require your rights against the restaurant or the food company. If you are conscious about Laws, it will be quite easier to solve this problem or eventually to know what you need to sue the restaurant.

The opportunity of studying law can also bring you benefits in the area your already work in. For example, if you are a journalist, you must know about some judicial issues you can face when you publish your work. It is quite easy to be sued because, in this profession, most of the works journalists make are published on TV, on radio, in newspapers and even on the internet. As a result, they must also to be conscious about image credits, veracity of the facts and even about the consequences of every article or opinion they publish in a journalistic way. A really common example is when a communication company is sued for bringing out fake news. Consequently, journalists who are conscious about legislation would easily find a way to revert this kind of situations. Furthermore, if they know about journalism laws, they would probably be much more careful because they know the consequences of their job.

Studying Law can be helpful. In summary, to be conscious about laws can make things become easier for your daily life and even for your professional life. As a citizen, you would be more conscious about your rights; as a professional, you would know more about the legal consequences of your work. Certainly, it would be quite useful to study Law if I could study a subject I had never had the opportunity to.


Number of words: 405

#6 What do you do for a good health?

People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.


It is absolutely important to take care of your health. A healthy rotine helps you to be in shape, helps with your humor and mainly helps your body to work in a properly. As a consequence, you will probably live longer and have a better quality of life. For my good health, I practice sports and eat natural food.

For a healthy life, I try to exercise my body at least three times a week. On mondays, I go to a park in my city and jog for one hour and a half. On wednesdays, I usually go to the gym and exercise for one hour and a half as well. On fridays, I go to the club with my friends to play soccer and have fun with the game. Personally, I feel much better when I exercise. My lungs get a different resistence and I definitely feel like I can breathe better. I also get in a better mood and feel much more prepared to work and to study when I practice sports.

To take care of my body and health, I also try eat natural food. For breakfast, I usually drink a smoothie with banana and milk and eat cereals with small pieces of apple and strawberry. For lunch I have rice, beans and a piece of meat - beef, fish or chicken - and eat it with a variety of colorful food: tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, beet, corn, cucumber, broccoli. For dessert, I eat gelly with fruit and cream. In the afternoon, I have a snack with a sandwich with light mayonese, lettuce, tomato, cheese and ham. For dinner, I have soup or eat the same I had for lunch. To take care of my health, I also go to a nutricionist to help me to have a healthy and variable diet.

It is unarguable that natural food and exercises provide good health. Keeping healthy and taking care of your body is essential.These activities are necessary for your organism to work better and also give you a perfect health and a longer life.

#5 Why you should buy a car

A friend of yours has received some money and plans to use all of it either:
• to go on vacation
• to buy a car
Your friend has asked you for advice. Compare your friend’s two choices and explain which one you think your friend should choose. Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

Some people prefere to buy a car rether than going on vacation. In my opinion, a car brings a variety of benefits for daily drivers and also for a long period of time. If a friend of mine received some money and asked me for advice, I would definitely tell him to buy a acquire his own car.

For a daily life, a vehicle is very helpful in locomotion. In the time you want,you can take your car and go to wherever you want. You do not have to depend on people’s rides or even to lose your time waiting for a bus or any other public locomotion device. It is also much more comfortable to sit on your own car and listen to your favorite songs while driving to work or to school, for example. You can sing in a loud voice and no one would even listen or tell you to be quiet.

In a long period of time, a car will also be advantageous for small trips with other people. On the weekends or in a holiday, you can get your car and invite your friends, girlfriend or boyfriend to take the road and go to the beach, for example. You can ask them to share with you the money for the gas if you can not effort just by yourself. But if you have your own car, you can drive to different places and visit cities you still do not know. Depending on the place you are driving to, you can get really tired. Then, you can rest inside your car rather then paying for a night in a hotel.

Buying a car is a really good investment. It can promote much more benefits than just going on a vacation. In summary, it provides shorts and longs advantages that you will probably enjoy in an awful way during a couple of years of your life.

Number of words: 319

#4 Integrated Writing

The listening part gives the solution decided by the president of the Acme Accounting Company to solve the problem of tardiness. First, he presents the different proposes that the final decision was based on.

The first propose was to gve the employees the opportunity to arrive late and, then, stay after their time to leave so they could make up the working hours. But it was considered almost as a bonus, and not as a punishment.

So, the second propose that was given was to punish the employeed with a penalty. In other words, the staff would have to pay for the hours they didnt work.

Both ideas were considered. But the president of the company decided to combine the two ideas. The best conclusion to find a way to solve the tardiness problem was, in summary, to oblige the staff to wirk for their lost hours and punish them with a penalty for getting late.

Number of words: 158

#3 Traveling

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The best way to travel is in a group led by a tour guide. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Traveling to a different country is always an incredible experience. Some people prefer to travel on their own and decide their destination. Some other rether staying in a grup led by a tour guide. In my opinion, a person will enjoy more the travel if he or she go without someone to guide them, but it is surely safer to have someone with them in a different country if they have never been to that place.

Traveling by yourself has many positive and negative aspects. You will make your own decisions to chose what you want to visit and also determinate the time you want to have your meals, go to museums or even to go to sleep. Although, you need to be well prepared to have a good trip alone. You must take maps with you, you have to study the atractions of the place and, of course, you have to know how to comunicate in the local language, otherwise, you can miss some of the atractions you wanted to visit or you can even get lost in an unknown place.

Bad and good aspects also can be considered in a tour grup. You will not have your own independence if you are with different people, but it is always good to have someone to guide you if you are visiting this place for the first time. A guide is usually someone who knows some good strategies. For example, this person probably knows where you can find chieper things to buy, delicious restaurants for you and your group to go or even the best time to visit an atraction.

Both traveling ways have their advantages and disadvantages. You will be free to have your own decisions if you go by yourself; in the other hand, you have to be well prepared for that. If you go with a group, it would be a good idea to follow the tips of your guide even if you are not independent in your trip. In summary, you have to chose what suit you the best.

Total of words: 343

#2 The Aiplane Invention

Choose one of the following transportation vehicles and explain why
you think it has changed people’s lives.
• automobiles
• bicycles
• airplanes
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.


One of the most important transportation vehicle was just invented by the XIX century. In my opinion, the airplane, first flown by a Brazilian living in France called Santos Dumont, is one of the inventions that had revolutionized the human being. This locomotion device had turned available the possibility to visit distant and different places; and had also united countries and cultures all around the world.

People say in an ironic way that distance between countries is not measured in kilometers or miles anymore. The distance is basically measured in flying hours. And it is absolutely true: we all can visit different continents and countries in a fast, secure and comfortable way. Everyone is able to know other places in the world and to discover peculiarities from dissimilar folks. Including some cultural aspects, a trip takes people to get in touch with local food, weather, typical clothing, art and traditions.

After the navigations witch started on the XIV century, all nations has finally developed the possibility to communicate or even to have a relationship with different nations. As a result, the world started to get in touch with different people and, mainly, with different realities. Hundreds of years ago, for example, every country used to think more in an individual way just by the fact it was hard to be in constant touch with people around the earth. Nowadays, we see no boarders among continents. In consequence, the world has started to be insert in international’ s care and responsibilities.

The airplane invention, in summary, has changed the perception of societies. It is for sure an incredible invention which has transgressed transportation, communication, economy and history. It has increased the people’s humanization. In fact, the feeling of an unification of all countries in just "one world" has started to grow.

Total of words: 301

Glossary #2

Feature - característica

Dwarf - anão

Staff - bastão

Loyalty - lealdade

Wicked - perverso

Swept - varrido

Nest - ninho / abrigo

Doubly - suplamente

Summon - chamar

Thy - teu

Alas - "ai de mim"

Reveal - revelar

Ebony - ébano

Glade - parte aberta de uma floresta (clareira)

Fuss - barulho

Perk up - recuperar-se

Glossary

Definitly - definitivamente

Autumn - outono (inglês britânico)

Fall - outono (inglês americano)

Nosy - intrometido

Tens - dezenas

Alleged - alegado = argumentado

Mud - lama

High top - cano alto

Soar - elevar

Wounding - ferida

Leak - Vazamento

Smallpox - varíola

Serum - soro

Hazards - perigosos

Uncharted - inexplorado

Suitable - adequado

Neil Polish - esmalte de unha

Apple Polisher - "puxa saco"

Reindeer - rena

Sleights - trenós

#1 When seasons change

Some people prefer to live in places that have the same weather or climate all year long. Others like to live in areas where the weather changes severial times a year. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.


Every season brings to a city a different look and a different feeling. It is always good to change the weather, change the cloathing and, for sure, change the habits during the year. That's why I definitely prefer to live in a place where I can live in various seasons.

In the autumn, it's totally romantic to walk on the streets and see the orange color of the sleaves. In my city, for example, this is the perfect season to go to the river and watch the sun getting set. The sky turns into so many different collors and reflects the red and yellow tones in the water in a beautiful way.

When winter comes, even the habits tend to change in this season. People wear heavy and trendful clothes: the fashion turns into such an exquisite way. It's the perfect time to "reform" the wardrobes and to start to wear scarves, long coats, boots and gloves. The city smells in a really good way with the aroma of the caffeterias and the unique smell of the wood burning coming out of the chimneys. In the weekends, people usually use their free time to go to the mountains and to relax in a camp house.

The spring is the season to see the plants growing after a cold winter. It is always time to restart to see the colors of the nature in town. Green, pink, white, purple and red: all the gardens and parks get colorful with an incredible variety of flowers and trees. The weather gets a little warm, so it is always good to go out for a walk to be in touch with these nature air.

Daylight saving time: even people's mood change when summer comes. The sun rises earlier and sets later. All the colors get intesive. Even the sky looks in a very ciano tone of blue. It's time to enjoy the taste of many citrical fruits and to drink ice and delicious juices. In this season, it is usually the school vacation time, so lots of families go to the coast to enjoy the warm weather. People wear colorful and soft clothes and have fun going to the beach. In my opinion, summertime is always a sinonimous of happiness.

It appeals monotonous for me to live without these four different types of weather. It is always good to face the peculiarities of every climate. The fact is that a season is not just a weather changing. For sure, a season is also a state of mind.

Number of words: 423