[TOEFL Essay] A Small Town vs. A Big City
Posted by Truong on August 10, 2007
The second essay I decided to post to the blog since I think it’s generally better than the others I’ve written.
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Topic Question: Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
I was born and lived in a small town in the countryside for years until my family moved to Hanoi, a very big city, so I believe I have good experience living in both places. From my perspective, big cities make life more significant and enjoyable. Since the movement to Hanoi, I can hardly think of a possibility to return to live in a small town.
In terms of living quality, I must say a big city is far flourishing than a town. It offers me the chance to expose to a good education, and a healthily competitive environment for me to live in. Also, in a rapidly thriving city like Hanoi, all kinds of services seem so plentiful. I don’t have to ride a bike 10 kilometers to school every morning anymore. Moreover, how convenient it is when markets and supermarkets lie only 50 footsteps from home, and my parents no longer have to travel over 30 kilometers to get medical treatments. We now already have a decent fridge, a TV, a computer and copious amount of clean water, which was always in dearth when I was a child.
The second reason I love this city so much is that I enjoy the abundance of mass media and entertainments here. Once suffered the shortage of newspaper and books, I now listen to hottest up-to-date news on TV twice a day, surf the Internet to find out information, and have access to library to read and research whatever I am inquisitive about. Furthermore, it is various sorts of entertainment, along with media, that play a crucial part of my life. After school I often watch a comedy show on Star World, see a film at night, go out for supper with my family once a week, and go to the stadium every weekend.
Finally, the hustle and bustle of a changing city contributes to motivate me to achieve goals. It took me months to adapt to this changing world when I first came to Hanoi, but soon I realized this animated environment has changed my whole life. Every morning I come to school and compete with my friends in every class for the valedictorian title. Whenever walking down the street I can notice people rushing in a very dynamic fashion. It is the bustling and competitive atmosphere of work within this busy city that gives me the greatest impetus for studying and working for my future, which I believe cannot be found in my old tranquil hometown.
Hitherto, I have never regretted moving to a big city like Hanoi. In fact, the past three years of modern life gave me a lot more than the over ten years of living in the countryside. I love this hurly-burly of city life, all the facilities and comforts I am provided with, a valuable approach to latest technologies, and the exposure to big opportunities. Therefore, I am totally convinced that life in a big city is much better than one in a small town.
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It seems I still cannot get rid of my wordiness. Over 400 words, though tried my best to truncate it.
=> Task: Practice thinking and expressing ideas straightforwardly unless if I want to write a complete essay under time pressure
