"I went to the University of Washington and majored in English Literature. I went to graduate school because I really enjoyed learning. Afterwards, I started my career at Boeing as a web content editor. I’ve been there for 3 years now. Although my emphasis is in writing, I like numbers. I think solving logic problems and riddles are quite fun. I also enjoy jogging, reading, and watching movies."

Topic 1 DESCRIBE YOUR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL AS ACHILDMy first day at school is a day I will never forget. I went to school for the firsttime when I was only seven years old but I can recollect all the happenings on that day.The day before my school opened, my father asked me to keep my books ready.The next morning, I woke up very early. Then I bathed and dressed myselfneatly. Then my father took me to school. In the school I saw a number of new boysand girls waiting in the corridor. They were all like me in the school for the first time. Iwas then taken to a classroom.For sometime, I found myself helpless, but it did not take much time for me to befriendly with other students. After two periods, they began to tease me, I was muchannoyed. During the recess time, all my classmates gathered around me. One pulled myshirt while another pulled my ear. A third boy challenged for a fight. I was frightenedand began to cry. My teacher seeing me crying came to me and asked me why I wascrying. When I told him my “story”, the teacher punished the boys, and from that timeonwards they stopped bullying me. We had no lessons on the first day. But lessonsstarted from the second day. I was really happy to be in school on the first day. It wasindeed a memorable day.Topic 2: Your favourite hobby and why you enjoy itEverybody has his or her own hobby. For me, my favorite hobby is readingbooks.My father was not only a writer but a researcher as well. He had a greatcollection of books on many fields: literature, science, art, fiction and non-fiction. Afterhis death, I inherited the most valuable treasure which has been preserved carefully upto now.

As I have a large collection of books of my own now, I usually spend hoursreading and thinking about facts described in each kind of books. Sitting comfortably inan arm-chair in the library with a book open on my knee, I recall my father who wasabsorbed in his reading, perusing the poems of John Keats, William Words Worth,Chateaubriand and Lamartine. I still hear his sonorous voice reciting rhythmical lines ofpoems in Kim Van Kieu’s story while his face was radiant with ecstasy and raptures.Through books I see many countries rise and fall. Kings and Presidents passbefore my eyes and I can follow the history of nations. Each book has a story to tell meof remote countries and strange people.I am greatly indebted to books indeed. For me a good book is not only a truecompanion but also a well-experienced teacher guiding me through my life. It has themiracle to relieve my suffering and my hardship and reveal to me strange and newhorizons.Reading books broadens my mind and improves my knowledge. Instead ofindulging myself in futile entertainments, I am often keen on reading books which arealways a source of comfort and relief to me and I am determined to preserve myfather’s valuable treasure for my posterity.In a few words, the reading of books contributes to the moral and intellectualformation of a man’s personality.Topic 3. How to be happier?Happiness is something everyone wants to achieve. While on the surfacepeople may seem to be looking for money, recognition, or other things, what theyactually seek is happiness. Unfortunately, many people never reach the level ofhappiness they desire.

While I can’t claim to be the happiest person in the world, I do learn somethingabout it. So here I’d like to share 20 ways to find happiness in your life.But, before we start, we should agree on something: our happiness is ourresponsibility.Your happiness is yourresponsibility. Don’t blame outside condition orother people if you’re not happy. While things around you could change and go bad, itis you who decide how you will respond to them. You candecideto be happy.With that in mind, here are 20 ways to find happiness in life:1. Stop comparing yourself with others Comparing yourself with others won’t do you any good. You will either feelproud when you are above, or feel jealous and frustrated when you are below. None ofthem brings true happiness. So stop comparing yourself with others and simply be yourbest.2. Count your blessings There are so many things we should be grateful for, but we often forget them. When you realize how blessed you are, you will certainly be happier. We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’thave, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.You can start with some simple things we take for granted.3. Find your inner voice To find true happiness, you must first find your inner voice. Slow down and takesome quiet time for soul searching. What will make your life meaningful? What is truehappiness for you? By knowing what your heart says, it will be easier for you to alignwith it.4. Reconnect with your childhood dreams Your childhood dreams can give you clues about your true calling. So discoverthem and reconnect with them. Get them back into your life. Childhood dreams are important.