Topic: Describe an event that resulted in a positive change in your life/ describe a positive change that you made to your life.
Many things have changed since the last time I woke up just in time for lunch. That was when I realized I had been wasting hundreds of mornings in the last few years without accomplishing anything. It was a wakeup call which completely changed me. Now, I’m an early riser and have been for more than 2 years.
They say old habits die hard, which made perfect sense to me when I first started to get rid of my unhealthy routine. There were so many temptations during night time that kept me awake for hours. And it could be anything such as the latest episode of The Walking Dead, a music video that you had been counting down for weeks to be released or you simply just want to meet your deadline because you had been procrastinating for a month and so on. As a result, going to bed after 1 or 2 AM was inevitable. It took me long enough to fully aware of how destructive this sleeping habit could be for me, both physically and mentally, especially in a long run. Therefore, I had no choice but to give up that kind of toxic.
I have learnt a lot since starting waking up early in the morning. The key is starting small and taking one step at a time. It was so tiresome and torturing at the beginning that I tended to get irritated whenever anyone approached me about 10 minutes into my running session. However, everything has its own way of getting better and so is my temper. I now feel fully energized and extremely refreshing in the morning and even more productive at work.
Vocabulary
- Accomplish: to succeed in doing or completing something
- early riser: person who wakes up early in the morning
- old habits die hard: People find it difficult to change their accustomed behavior
- make sense: to be clear and easy to understand
- get rid of: to remove or throw away something unwanted
- procrastinate: to delay doing something that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it
- inevitable: that you cannot avoid or prevent
- tiresome: making you feel annoyed
QUESTION FOR PART 3
1. Is your country changing rapidly?
According to data recorded, economic growth has reached nearly 7% on average in the past few years so I do believe that our country is gearing up and on the right track to build a better future. It can be seen in the number of skyscrapers are being built and the quality of young workforce in comparison with those of many years before. We are also attracting more and more potential investors and continue to establish and consolidate strategic partnerships with countries within and outside the regions.
– gear up: to prepare for an activity or event
– on the right track: to be doing something in a way that will bring good results
– skyscraper: a very tall building in a city
– in comparison with: when compared with somebody/something
– consolidate: to make a position of power or success stronger so that it is more likely to continue
2. What can smart phones do these days?
Smart phones are considered to be indispensable accessories to almost everyone in this digital era due to its convenience and usefulness. Gone are the days when phones can only be used to call or send messages, now they are changing the way we communicate, work and entertain. They are equipped with high resolution cameras for users to capture the moments in its finest. A wide range of applications assisting people in almost everything from personal finance, education to stress-reducing provided by online app stores are ready to be downloaded. With just one light touch on the screen, the world will be in the palm of your hand.
– Indispensable: too important to be without
– communicate: exchange information
– in the palm of your hand: under your complete control
3. Since most people do work on their computers, why do they still need to go to the office?
Personally, I believe it depends on their company’s policy to ensure the communication flow and easy access to needed resources. Most people don’t have self-discipline, which means they are unable to accomplish their tasks without constant supervision or tend to procrastinate until the deadline. This can cause serious trouble and have detrimental effect on the whole project, especially if it’s a teamwork. Therefore, even though people can work remotely from home, companies still do not take risk when it comes to business.
4. Do you think people’s work in the future will be heavily affected by technology?
There is no doubt that would be the case, I suppose. We don’t need to look further to realize that machinery is taking over almost everything that used to need manual labor. Since Henry Ford adopted assembling technique in mass production back in the 20th century, the number of employees working in areas where technology could do 10 times more efficiently has been dropping. Hence, with the speed of innovations being introduced to the world now, we should be embraced for the impact coming from technology regarding our jobs in the near future.
– There is no doubt that: undoubtedly
– manual labor: physical work done by people
– adopt: to accept or start to use something new
– innovation: a new idea or method
– embrace: to accept something enthusiastically
5. Compare the pace of technological progress in the past and in the present.
As far as I am concerned, the pace of technological advancement in the present has completely outstripped that in the past. Take iPhone for example. Every year, a new version of iPhone is launched to meet Apple’s users’ expectation. Sometimes, not one or two, but three different versions at the same time such as iPhone 6, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. There are not only changes in their appearances with new colors or wider screens, the software is also upgraded with more advanced features. Therefore, in comparison with the past, technology nowadays is moving with lightning speed.
– advancement: progress
– outstrip: be faster, better or more successful
