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Do you prefer to live in a city or in the countryside?
It’s difficult for me to provide you with a straightforward answer in terms of where I prefer to live because both situations have advantages as well as disadvantages.
Firstly, living in a city is usually easier and more comfortable as you are closer to basic facilities such as shops, schools or health centres. It makes your life easier since you can often go quickly to anywhere on foot or by public transport without using a car. It’s extremely important in case of emergency when having good access to a hospital is paramount. In addition, living in a city makes it easier to keep in touch with your loved ones.
However, cities are normally so crowded and noisy that it can be rather stressful, especially to calm people. Furthermore, flats are usually small and gardens are uncommon. Whether or not it’s a problem depends on your needs, taste and expectations. Pollution is an important disadvantage as well, since it can make your quality of life worse.
On the other hand, living in the countryside is relaxing and peaceful as you aren’t annoyed at noisy neighbours or bustling traffic. These disgusting noises are replaced with the songs of birds. You can also live a healthier lifestyle and enjoy nature. For example, it’s possible to go daily for a pleasant walk through the countryside or to access to organic products, which are healthier and tastier.
Nevertheless, some people are prone to feel alone and depressed if they don’t have regularly contact with other people. Having a car is also mandatory and if you work in the city, commute will take you a long time.
That being said, I prefer to live in a city although I have to admit that I sometimes miss the peace of the countryside.
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My New Year's Resolutions
I have made my New Year's resolutions just as every year, but I hope to be able to fulfill all of them for the first time.
First of all, I'll try to go to the gym more often in order to be healthier and lose a bit of weight. In my opinion, this resolution is the most difficult to keep because I haven't enough free time and I'm also quite lazy, so I prefer reading or watching a film instead of exercising.
Secondly, I really look forward traveling on holiday but I can hardly afford it. So I would like to save some money by not wasting it in things which I don't actually need. For instance, I haven't gone to the sales yet because I have enough clothes and discounts are pretty unappealing.
And I wish not to be so untidy and disorganized, as the tidier you are the less time you waste in putting things in order. I have managed to keep my house tidy so far and I hope it becomes a habit soon.
Since it's said that you need only 21 days to create a daily routine, I hope all my resolutions are easier to fulfill next months.
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Education system
Social welfare and economic development depend greatly upon the quality of the education system. It has a paramount importance in contemporary societies by teaching knowledge and professional skills as well as by guaranteeing equality of opportunity and instilling values such as justice, tolerance and solidarity.
However, Spanish education system is one of the worst education systems in developed countries according to OECD's PISA report. Our main problems are truancy and bad marks which are detrimental to student's future job opportunities. Despite having a longer schedule than Finland, we have less excellent students, maybe because our classes are focused on theory instead of resolving problems.
In order to improve our education level, experts suggest paying more attention to teaching abilities and adapting curricula to labor market's requirements. Moreover, parents should be more involved in their children's education, for instance, promoting reading and providing the motivation to improve. Finally, an education deal between the main political parties is necessary to prevent the typical spanish education system's instability.
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Getting older
Almost everybody is afraid of getting older and undergoing great physical, psychic and social changes. Firstly, your body usually turns weaker and more awkward so keeping the same life style is more difficult than ever before. Moreover, the elderly sometimes have to deal with low self-esteem as they must accept others physical changes such as gray hair and wrinkles. Besides their new appearance, old people often suffer for poor memory, loss of mental agility and even senile dementia which damage their personal autonomy and quality of life greatly. Lastly, they tackle stereotypes (for instance, the belief that the old are bad-tempered, clumsy and stubborn) as well as neglect by their own families.
On the other hand, getting older have also a bright side since you gain experience and knowledge becoming wiser. In fact, Eastern societies are more prone to taking into account the advice of the elderly in order to take advantage of his wisdom. Nowadays, old people are also healthier and more active than a century ago, thanks to medical developments and a previous healthier lifestyle. In this sense, most of them can lead an independent, busy and stimulating life, for example, spending their free time going to parties, traveling or developing other hobbies. All in all, we should consider getting older not as a problem but as a chance to live a more peaceful, interesting and wiser life.
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Some sentences
Please, feel free to correct them if they don't sound natural, despite they are gramatically right. Thanks!
1. Surprisingly, I got the job even though I was late for the interview because of the traffic.
2. Mary always does her homework, even if she is tired. She is really hard-working and responsible!
3. My brother has lived in London for ten years and therefore he has a good command of English.
4. They don't like to have children as yet, they both are quite young.
5. Despite being ill, Tom went to job and finished his task. He is so workaholic that he has never taken a day off!
6. Both my father and my mother are afraid of flying so they usually travel by train instead of by plane.
7. Neither my boyfriend nor I often go on holidays since we can ill afford to.
8. James won't give up smoking unless the doctor advise him to.
9. This fruit is plenty of vitamins, you should try it before saying it's disgusting.
10. I can't stand that someone lie to me, I appreciate honesty the most.
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CHRISTMAS
I'm very happy because Christmas is coming. In Spain, it's traditional to set up a nativity scene instead of a Christmas tree, although the latter is becoming more and more usual. In fact, I prefer a Christmas tree and my boyfriend and I usually decorates it the 8th of December which is public holiday in Spain. However, streets are decorated much earlier so you can enjoy a pleasant walk by the city centre. Another different between Spain and other countries is that most gifts are not brought by Santa Claus but the three wise men which come the 5th of January. The main disadvantage of our tradition is that children can't enjoy their new toys for all the holidays.
Be that as it may, what I like the most about Christmas is that the whole family get together and share a great Christmas Dinner. I'm really looking forward to go to Malaga, where my family lives, in order to celebrate Christmas Eve with them. We usually eat canapés, seafood and turkey, and we have traditional Christmas sweets such as "turrón" or "mantecados" for dessert. Even though I love sweets, I try not to eat too many and thus keeping my weight down. When I was a child, we used to sing Christmas Carol and wait impatiently for Santa who give us a small present after dinner. Nowadays, we drink and chat until late which is wonderful because my cousins live in another city so I can only see them in Christmas.
I spend New Year's Eve with my boyfriend's family in Madrid every year, and we go out with our friends after dinner. We always go to a New Year's party although I don't like it very much because these parties are too crowded and expensive. I spite of the fact that I have to study hard during the holidays, I'm sure this Christmas will be wonderful!
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Health and illnesses
Being healthy is one of the most important things in life. Fortunately, I don't have any chronic disease or allergy and both my blood pressure and my cholesterol level are fine. Moreover, although I have sometimes got a cold or had flu, I have never had any serious disease.I know from my own experience that flu is much worse than merely a cold because you have a high temperature, headache, muscular pains and even vomits which is really discomforting. Despite this fact, I have never been vaccinated because the risk of getting ill is higher among children and the elderly than adults.
My only problem is that I have short sight but it can be easily solved by means of glasses or contact lens. I prefer wearing contact lens instead of glasses because the former look better and are more comfortable, especially to do sports. However, I'm aware that wearing contact lens too hours isn't good for my eyes. For this reason I usually wear glasses when I have to study and I turn to contact lens to go to the gym or if I go out and I want to look smarter.
The more you take care of you, the healthier you are. So I try to eat in a balanced way, sleep seven hours a day at least and go to the gym several times a week. Nevertheless, it's often a rather difficult task because I'm so busy that I don't have enough time to cook or exercise.
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Hi everyone!
Hi,
My name is Laura and this is my first time in Italki. I'd like to improve my speaking and writing skills in order to pass my English Exam. I'm going to introduce myself.
I'm from Málaga, a southern spanish city, but I've been living in Madrid for five years. I moved to Madrid because I found a job in a laboratory just after finishing my degree in Biology. Although my contract ended after four years, I stayed in Madrid studying to be a civil servant. I love Madrid because there are many beautiful places to sightseeing and my boyfriend lives here. However, I miss my family and my friends because I can't go to Málaga as often as I would like to. Apart from my loved ones, what I miss from Málaga the most is the beach, specially in summer because swimming and sunbathing are rather relaxing and delightful.
I'm really keen on reading, going out with my friends and watching TV series. Furthermore, I'm fond of my two dogs which make my life more cheerful and lively. They are very affectionate and charming, and I enjoy going for a walk with them in the park. I also enjoy traveling but, unfortunately, I can ill afford to go on holidays as yet. Nevertheless, I hope I can visit interesting and exotic countries such as Japan, Thailand or China in the future. I would also like to go back to London because it's such a wonderful place that I would like to know it deeper. I have to reckon that I don't like doing exercise very much but I tend to go to the gym twice a week because I'm aware that it's healthy.
I'm waiting for your corrections. Thanks in advance.
By!!
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