TOPIC 5 – Describe a time when you were disappointed by SB or STH
BAND 8.0+
PART 2
Alice (English US)
George (English US)
You should say
When this was
Who or what disappointed you?
What happened?
Explain how you feel about that now.
ANSWER
I have been discontented many times in my life. But I remember vividly that, nearly 10 years ago, I was really dissatisfied when receiving my TOEIC certificate.
After graduating from college, I was doubtful about my career. My major is business administration, but it’s not my dream job. Actually, at that time, I didn’t know what kind of job I would like to do. I was really stressed and panicked. I was in a panic.
However, after taking an English class at an English Center, I was really interested in English, especially in TOEIC. So I made up my mind that I had to change my career to become an English teacher.
The problem was that I was not good at English. To become a TOEIC teacher, I need to have a certificate with at least 900 points per 990 in total.
In order to make my dream a reality, I studied extremely hard. I studied nearly 15 hours a day, waking up around 4 a.m. to listen to the test and learn vocabulary and grammar. I bought a lot of books about TOEIC to learn and learn from the internet as well. I can say that, at that time, I was obsessed with TOEIC, even though I saw myself learning TOEIC in my dream.
After nearly a year of learning TOEIC, I took the first test at IIG VN. And I got 850 points out of a total of 990. It means that I have to take a test again. Holding a certificate in my hand, I couldn’t believe it. I was really depressed and down at that time.
But after that, I thought maybe I didn’t make a lot of effort to learn it. And the main reason is that I didn’t learn from my mistakes. I just did the tests and then checked the answers, but I didn’t pay attention to my mistakes.
So I learned from my experience and learned deeply in 2 months. After every test, I checked carefully to find out why I made those mistakes and learned from them to avoid them the next time.
Hard work always pays off. The result of the next test at IIG VN was 920 points. I was over the moon at that time. And I was very grateful for what I had done.
PART 3
Alice (English US)
George (English US)
- Is it important for people to share their honest opinions about things?
Yes, honesty is one of the most important virtues. I reckon that being straightforward with someone helps me build trust.
And I feel closer to someone when they share or speak honestly to me.
But sometimes, it can be better to tell a little white lie, especially if it’s going to hurt SB’s feelings or to tell them that they have been diagnosed with cancer. It’s not necessary to let them know.
- Is there a good way to give constructive feedback to someone about something?
Oh yes, absolutely. It will be better if we provide them with constructive advice to help them be better.
We need to say something positive first to make sure that we are not too negative or don’t have a harsh tone. Then we will give some feedback and comments so that they can know which areas they need to improve.
Like myself, I used writing corrections with a native speaker. My teacher always gives me some feedback and mistakes that I should avoid and improve to have a better result for the next task, but he always encourages me. It completely helps me a lot.
- What can people learn from feelings of disappointment?
Dissatisfaction can be painful and uncomfortable, but it helps us grow, learn, and improve.
It can act as motivation; it can turn weaknesses into strengths. And we can learn from mistakes, which makes us more resilient /rɪˈzɪliənt/ to reach our goals in the near future.
- Why is being honest important?
From my point of view, being straightforward means choosing not to lie, steal, cheat, or deceive in any way. When we are honest, we build strength of character that will allow us to be of great service to God and to others. We are blessed with peace of mind and self-respect and will be trusted by the Lord and others.
VOCAB
- discontented – adj – (bất mãn, thất vọng)
- Phiên âm: /ˌdɪskənˈtɛntɪd/
- Ví dụ: She was discontented with her job and decided to look for new opportunities.
- Be in panic (hoảng loạn)
- Phiên âm: /ɪn ˈpænɪk/
- Ví dụ: When she realized she had lost her passport, she was in a state of panic.
- make up sb’s mind (quyết định)
- Phiên âm: /meɪk ʌp ˈmaɪnd/
- Ví dụ: After much consideration, he finally made up his mind to pursue a career in photography.
- be obsessed with – adj – (ám ảnh)
- Phiên âm: /bi əbˈsɛst wɪð/
- Ví dụ: She is obsessed with collecting vintage records and spends hours searching for rare albums.
- depressed and down – adj – (chán nản và buồn bã)
- Phiên âm: /dɪˈprɛst ænd daʊn/
- Ví dụ: After losing her job, she felt depressed and down for several weeks.
- pay attention to – v- (chú ý đến)
- Phiên âm: /peɪ əˈtɛnʃən tuː/
- Ví dụ: It’s important to pay attention to your surroundings while walking on a busy street.
- be over the moon – idiom – (vô cùng hạnh phúc)
- Phiên âm: /bi ˈoʊvər ði mun/
- Ví dụ: She was over the moon when she received the acceptance letter from her dream university.
- Virtue – n- (đức hạnh)
- Phiên âm: /ˈvɜːrtʃuː/
- Ví dụ: Patience is considered a virtue; it helps us navigate difficult situations with calmness.
- Straightforward – adj- (thẳng thắn, rõ ràng)
- Phiên âm: /ˌstreɪtˈfɔːrwərd/
- Ví dụ: He appreciated her straightforward communication style; there was no ambiguity in her messages.
- tell a white lie (nói một câu nói dối vô hại)
- Phiên âm: /tɛl ə waɪt laɪ/
- Ví dụ: She told a white lie when she complimented her friend’s new haircut, even though she didn’t like it.
- hurt SB’s feelings (làm tổn thương tình cảm của ai đó)
- Phiên âm: /hɜrt ˈfɪərɪŋz/
- Ví dụ: His harsh words hurt her feelings and made her cry.
- be diagnosed with – adj- (được chẩn đoán mắc phải)
- Phiên âm: /bi daɪəɡˈnoʊzd wɪθ/
- Ví dụ: She was diagnosed with a severe allergy to peanuts and had to avoid them completely.
- constructive feedback (phản hồi xây dựng)
- Phiên âm: /kənˈstrʌktɪv ˈfidbæk/
- Ví dụ: The manager provided constructive feedback to help the employee improve their performance.
- don’t have a harsh tone (không có giọng nói cay độc)
- Phiên âm: /doʊnt hæv ə hɑːrʃ toʊn/
- Ví dụ: It’s important to communicate feedback in a constructive manner and not have a harsh tone.
- deceive –v- (đánh lừa)
- Phiên âm: /dɪˈsiv/
- Ví dụ: He tried to deceive his friends by pretending to be someone else online.
- peace of mind –n- (an lòng, thanh thản)
- Phiên âm: /piːs əv maɪnd/
- Ví dụ: Taking a walk in nature helps me find peace of mind and reduce stress.
- self-respect –n- (tự trọng)
- Phiên âm: /sɛlf rɪˈspɛkt/
- Ví dụ: It’s important to set boundaries and stand up for yourself to maintain self-respect.
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