Will there be fewer cars in the future?

In this independent essay for the TOEFL iBT, the writer has to agree or disagree with the statement: In twenty years, there will be fewer cars in use than there are today.

by David Sanchez Redondo
TOEFL Preparation Class

In my point of view there will be fewer cars due to two reasons. First, people will use more public transportation, or we will use more bikes or other kinds of transportation. The other reason is we will run out of oil.

Let’s start with the first reason. Most people, especially in big cities, would say that buying a car is their last option. It is expensive and there are a lot of traffic jams. This change will be noticed less in small cities obviously because there is not a good system of transportation like in big cities. Another reason that there will be fewer cars is the fact that people will use more bikes. It is a good option as long as the cities are adapted for this. London and Amsterdam are good examples of such cities. I think they are the cities of the future, and many cities look up to them. In any case, the more people take care of themselves, the more they will accept this idea.

The other reason is the limited amount of crude oil. It is well-known that someday we will run out of oil.  No doubt that when technology keeps advancing quickly, many things will be affected; one of them is cars. Realizing the fact that twenty years is not far from now (we won’t have cars flying around the cities yet).  Nevertheless, there will be an important change in this industry. Hybrids or electrics will be the cars of the future. However, because all of them will be expensive, families will only be the ones who can afford them, and each family will only be able to buy one car.

In conclusion, imagining cities with fewer cars in the next twenty years is utopist, but we do not have to lose hope. Instead, we can keep visualizing that having three or four cars for every family will indeed disappear for a better, cleaner world.

Practicing collocations

This is a creative-writing assignment to practice verb-noun collocations.

Homer is going to celebrate getting his new job at Trader Joe’s. He used to earn a living composing music in the subway. However, he allowed himself to be influenced by people who told him that he had to realize music wasn’t his future even though he thought he had already achieved great success.

by David Sanchez Redondo
TOEFL preparation class

A wish to travel to Egypt

The Reading & Writing Class recently practiced words that show contrast or surprise (EVEN THOUGH, ALTHOUGH, DESPITE, IN SPITE OF, HOWEVER, BUT, YET) and wrote a paragraph or two about a favorite activity, place, thing, et al, using these words.

Here's Isabelle Dao's paragraph about her desire to visit Egypt someday.

I love traveling around the world. In the future, I want to visit Egypt. Three days ago, I met a classmate who told me that going to Egypt now is dangerous. HOWEVER, I strongly desire to go there. Egypt is the cradle of knowledge, and I need to learn more about this civilization. EVEN THOUGH I learned the stories of this civilization at school and from books, I would like to go to Egypt, myself, with a person who knows this country very well--for example, with an Egyptian guide. EVEN THOUGH this trip will cost a lot of money, I will go to Egypt because it's a dream that I have had for several years now.

My plans and my hopes for Nepal

This article is written by Isabelle Dao, who is currently taking our Reading and Writing class at our Midtown branch. This is titled My plans and my hopes for Nepal and in it, Isabelle talks about her upcoming journey to the highest mountain in the world. This is originally posted on Isabelle's own blog Nepal From Another Viewpoint.

My plans and my hopes for my trip to Nepal:

My name is Isabelle DAO, and I've always wanted to meditate on the "roof ot the world', and this next spring I am going to Nepal. This journey is not just a simple hiking trip around Nepal but also a hiking trip within myself.  This explains the title of this blog.

Itinerary:

This journey is planned for the 20th of April 2013 for 3 weeks. The first step is our arrival at KATMANDOU. We will stay two days in a guest house managed by Mathieu RICHARD. Mathieu RICHARD is a Buddhist Monk (of French origin), photographer, and author, who graduated in Cellular Genetics and has studied with the Tibetan "Grand Masters" of Buddist Meditation. He is particularly interested in the relation between science and Buddhism. He researches the long term effects of mental discipline on the human mind at the Universities of Madison (WI), Princeton, Berkley in the United States and in Switzerland.
After our stay with Mathieu Ricard, my group and I will go to the base of Mount Everest to the East of Katmandou at about 3800 meters of altitude. This is in the Buddhist region of SOLUKHUMBU, in the Sherpa Country, which was once the high spiritual and retreat center of Nepal.

Trekking and Activities:
In the morning, we will go hiking for 3 hours and in the afternoon, we will practice the fundamental techniques of Buddhist meditation, concentration and inner vision. Different techniques will be taught including Yoga, Qi Gong, relaxation, silent walking, isolation, ayurvedic massages and discussions.

The Aim of this Trip:

The goal is physical and spiritual well-being, a return to our basic qualities and to rediscover our senses.

The Teaching: 
The teaching will be conducted by a Nepalese Lama Guide. We will take our time to listen, observe and live the experience and our encounter, as we breath in nature and breath out life. As in my own field of Sophrology, we will strive "to be aware of what we are actually living". Sophrology is the science of conciseness and the value of existence. It is a technique consisting of a set of physical and mental exercises for reducing stress and promoting well-being. 

Feeling comfortable with the energy & the spirit of ambition in NYC

by Vanessa Rueda

Vanessa (third from left) at Bryant Park in Midtown with friends from NYLC 

Today is a special day. I arrived in New York 3 years ago today. It's been a while since I move here from Colombia, and I could write a book about it, but I definitely want to mention one thing that I really love about all my experiences in this city.

On so many occasions, days, parties, business meetings, I've witnessed the rhythm of the city, from personal experiences, professional ones, tourists, friends, everything. Everyone seems obsessed with the energy of New York and of course with the opportunities found here. What I really liked about being an outsider first was being able to see this city as a big chance for success and a powerful force. Later, when you really belong here and become a real New Yorker, you understand why everybody proudly mentions all about what they do or have done in the past or even what they will do to achieve prestige or success.

I've noticed every minute of this crazy, funny and tough city as it talks about this sense of achievement. It's like a mirror or like a fragrance; you always feel it. Even in the most fragile and tough minutes, you can smell an avid aroma.

In the beginning, I didn't like this at all. I remember being in a huge party, maybe it was my first big party. I was anxious because so many people asked me the same questions: so you came to study? What do you do for a living? So you are an artist? What kind of art do you do? What are your plans?

I still remember this and felt the pressure then, but the difference is I'm different now, and I get it. These questions (even if sometimes the people who ask are too focused on themselves to listen) push you to find your own answers, to find a way in this city, to actually find yourself and to finally be able to answer these questions.

So now I'm the one who asks. I understand the aim of asking and answering. It takes so long to feel comfortable answering the same questions, but at the same time, without them, I wouldn't have felt the motivation to achieve so many skills and goals not just professionally but also personally, making tons of things, learning from all these brilliant, kind, fearful people who work hard and stay humble.

I believe that curiosity and being a fulfilled human being are both key to being a good artist.


Vanessa is a fine artist and custom jewelry designer. She has her own line of jewelry. She is also the Arts Projects Coordinator at Sunday Morning NY. She's preparing to take the TOEFL in order to apply to a Master of Fine Arts program. She wrote this on September 25, 2012, the third anniversary of her first day in New York.

AN INTERN IN NEW YORK - 6

This is my last week in New York so, it’s about time to look back and evaluate this intense experience sadly coming to an end.
 

Samuel Johnson once said: “…when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” I think this is true for New York too. I lived in London for a while, but New York makes you feel way more the fact that you are in a place where anything could happen. People from all over the world meet here because they feel they can realize their dreams in a city that has so many things to offer. This was true for me too… Having loved ballet since I was I child, I fulfilled one of my dreams last week when I attended the New York City Ballet Fall Gala at Lincoln Center. I was in heaven...
 

 

Unluckily during the night I heard some noises in my room and the following morning I found out a mouse nibbled my roommate’s bread. This is an example of what it is like living in New York: one moment you are as happy as you have hardly ever been and all of a sudden something bad or disgusting happens (anyway, I have a new room now!!). In the Big Apple you have to get used to living with mice, cockroaches and mad people in the streets that every now and then shock you. In the morning you read the newspaper and much as you find a bunch of adverts of exciting things going on, you discover that horrible things happened near the place where you live or work or like spending time. But Samuel Johnson was right, that’s life and we all have to accept it and prevent bad news to let us down. New York isn’t for sure an easy city to live in, but it helps you test and improve your ability to adapt to and accept different situations life brings on.

There are so many things I will miss when I will be back in Italy… first of all the food!! Although New Yorkers try to eat healthy, junk food is everywhere for the joy of visitors like me who can eat pancakes, French toasts, hamburgers, fries, doughnuts... If you stay here for a short time you really should try everything at least once as I am still trying to do… it’s difficult though because there are too many restaurants offering food from all over the world. As I wrote in one of my previous posts, I will miss the freedom of being who you really are since nobody judges you. The thing I will miss the most is for sure the possibility of choosing a different activity or a place to visit every day, and while doing that having the electrifying awareness I am finally part of the world so far I only had the chance to observe from my couch, far away at home.

In conclusion, I can’t forget giving you my feedback about NYLC: this is a great school with great teachers and a staff that really cares about students. I am not writing that because I have to, but because I have observed several courses during my internship and I find they all are really interesting. Teachers constantly involve students and the communicative approach they use is effective. New York language Center doesn’t focus only on grammar, writing, listening and speaking skills, they also offer courses that give you keys to understand the American slang, help you learn phrasal verbs (such a difficult part of the English language) or give you the chance to discuss current issues. For those who like writing there is also a course called Explore New York: each week you visit a neighborhood and you write about your experience in class. And do not forget the activities you can take part to every week!! New York Language Center is the best choice to learn English and experience the most fascinating and contradictory city in the world.

Elisa

 

AN INTERN IN NEW YORK – 5

After 6 weeks in New York I felt the need to take a break from the chaos, that’s why I decided to visit Philadelphia last Sunday… New York Language Center helps its students organize trips to Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston and Niagara Falls so, even though I still have plenty of things to do in New York, I was tempted to see how the US look like outside the Big Apple.

I recommend you to plan a trip in one of those cities. You usually go by bus, so you have the chance to have a quick look at real America… without skyscrapers and a lot of fast foods and malls. The thing that hit me the most in Philadelphia was the quiet, the fact that you could walk on empty pavements and the absence of a constant traffic noise. I almost forgot how relaxing it is to walk without fighting to clear your own space in the crowd and without rushing because there are thousands of things going on at the same time.

Philly (this is the nickname inhabitants have given to their city) is the perfect place to go if you like history – or Rocky Balboa J. The main places to visit are: the Liberty Bell - a symbol of American Independence, the Independence Hall - the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were adopted. Do not forget The Philadelphia Museum of Art, known mostly because of the role it played in the Rocky films. I am sure everybody remembers Rocky’s character running up the front stairs… If you don’t feel like visiting the Museum you could also enjoy a walk in a lovely park right behind the museum or along the river.

Once I was back in New York I was ready again to take up the delirious and yet lush rhythm the city imposes on you, at least for the last two weeks I will be here...

Elisa