Practice task | Tài liệu ôn tập môn anh văn giao tiếp Trường đại học sư phạm kỹ thuật TP. Hồ Chí Minh

Unit 1 Practice task 2 1. A 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. B 6. B Practice task 3 Paragraph 1
The maintenance of order in prestate societies is rooted in a commonality of material
interests. The greater the amount of common interests, the less need there is for law-and-
order specialists. Among band-level cultures law and order stem directly from the relations
between people and the natural habitat from which subsistence is derived. All adults usually
have open access to this habitat: the rivers, lakes, beaches, oceans; all the plants and
animals; the soil and the subsoil. In so far as these are basic to the extraction of life-
sustaining energy and materials they are communal "property." Paragraph 2
Though the United States has spent billions of dollars on foreign aid programs, it
has captured neither the affection nor esteem of the rest of the world. In many countries
today Americans are cordially disliked; in others merely tolerated. The reasons for this sad
state of affairs are many and varied, and some of them are beyond the control of anything
this country might do to try to correct them. But harsh as it may seem to the ordinary
citizen, filled as he is with good intentions and natural generosity, much of the foreigners'
animosity has been generated by the way Americans behave. Paragraph 3
Anthropology is the study of humankind, especially of Homo sapiens, the biological
species to which we human beings belong. It is the study of how our species evolved from
more primitive organisms; it is also the study of how our species developed a mode of
communication known as language and a mode of social life known as culture. It is the
study of how culture evolved and diversified. And finally, it is the study of how culture,
people, and nature interact wherever human beings are found. Practice task 4 The Genius of Leonardo
1. Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, a small village in Tuscany. He was
the illegitimate son of a Florentine lawyer and property owner. His artistic bent obviously
appeared at an early age for when he was 15 he was apprenticed to the painter Verocchio. In
1472 he was accepted in the painters’ guild in Florence, where he remained until 1481.
2. By then Leonardo’s expertise with paint brush and palette, pen and pencil was
already well advanced. And among his early drawings were many sketches of mechanical
apparatus and weapons, evidence of his interest in, and knowledge of things mechanical.
3. Between 1482 and 1499 he was employed in the service of the Duke of Milan, to
whom he was painter, sculptor, musician and technical adviser on military and engineering
matters. His artistic achievements in Milan reached their peak with the mural ‘The Last Supper’ completed in 1497.
4. But his creative energies now were turning more and more to scientific and literary
pursuits. In the 1490s he began monumental treatises on painting, architecture, human
anatomy and mechanics. He set down his observations on these themes in voluminous notes
and sketches, which he would later assemble in his notebooks. There remain of his
notebooks a prodigious 7000 pages, all in characteristic ‘mirror-writing’.
5. Leonardo returned to Florence in 1499, where he painted that most famous painting
‘The Mona Lisa’ (1503). He then went back to Milan and entered the service of the French
King Louis XII. Later he was to work in Rome with Raphael and Michelangelo on designs
for the new church of St Peter. In 1516 he settled in France, at Cloux, near Amboise, where he died three years later.
6. In whatever subject he studied, Leonardo laid absolute faith in the evidence of his
eyes. He was no mere theorist advancing fanciful ideas. He was a practical man, who
designed things that would work, because he could see how they would work.
7. And it is in his ‘things’, his machines, that we are interested in this book. There is
no evidence that Leonardo actually built the machines and mechanical devices he sketched
and described. And in many cases their practical importance remained unrealised and
unrealisable for centuries. There was neither the demand for them nor the technology. Practice task 5
These are the original paragraphs. You will almost certainly have come up with something different. Paragraph 1
Parasites exhibit four features that collectively identify them as such. Firstly, they live
in or on a host, and do it harm. The depth to which they penetrate the host varies, as indeed
does the damage. Fleas, leeches and lice live on the surface and cause superficial injury.
Athlete's foot is a skin disease caused by a fungus living in the surface layers of the foot.
The parasite of sleeping sickness is found in the host's blood wriggling between blood
corpuscles. Secondly, parasites show some simplification of body structures when compared
with free-living relatives. Sacculina (a relative of the crab) shows loss of limbs and is
reduced to a mass of reproductive tissue within the abdomen of its crustacean host. Dodder,
a plant parasite, lacks leaves, roots and chlorophyll. Thirdly, although all organisms show
adaptations to their way of life, in the case of parasites they are often associated with a
complex physiological response, e.g. the ability to survive in regions almost devoid of
available oxygen, such as adult liver flukes, or the hooks and suckers of adult tapeworm.
Lastly, parasites exhibit a complex and efficient reproduction, usually associated in some
way with the physiology of the host, e.g. rabbit fleas are stimulated by the level of sex hormone in their host. Paragraph 2
Still another aspect of pollution is that of solid wastes. In 1920 an average of 2.75
pounds of waste were produced each day by each individual in the United States. Today the
quantity of waste produced is 53 pounds per person, and by 1980 it is estimated that this
will rise to 8 pounds per person. One year's rubbish from 10,000 people covers an acre of
ground to the depth of 10 feet. In one year Americans throw away 48 thousand million cans,
26 thousand million bottles, 430 million tons of paper, 4 million tons of plastic and 100
million tyres which weigh almost a million tons. Paragraph 3
People of the Western world, particularly Americans, tend to think of time as
something fixed in nature, something around us and from which we cannot escape; an ever-
present part of the environment, just like the air we breathe. That it might be experienced in
any other way seems unnatural and strange, a feeling which is rarely modified even when
we begin to discover how really differently it is handled by some other people. Within the
West itself certain cultures rank time much lower in over-all importance than we do. In
Latin America, for example, where time is treated rather cavalierly, one commonly hears the
expression, "Our time or your time?" "Hora americana, hora mejicana?" Paragraph 4
Nutritionists as well as economists and sociologists have interpreted both what the
Victorians ate and how much of it. From the late 1870s onwards, cheap American corn
began to arrive in the country in large quantities, along with refrigerated meat and fruit from
Australia and New Zealand, and in a period when both farmers and businessmen were
complaining of depression, standards of living rose higher than they had ever done. The
change began each day, as Victorian writers frequently pointed out, with the food on the
breakfast table - with eggs and bacon as staple fare for the middle classes - and went on
through tea, high or low, to multi-course dinners or fish-and-chip suppers. The poor were
eating better as well as the rich. The annual per capita consumption of sugar, which had
increased from 18 lb. to 35 lb. between the Queen's accession and 1860, rose to 54 lb. in
1870-99 and 85 lb. in 1900-10; that of tea, which along with beer had now become a
national drink, went up from 1½1b, first to 4¼lb and then to 61b. Paragraph 5
The complexities of biochemistry can be reduced to two fundamental processes. The
first is the way in which living cells develop an energy currency. This, like ordinary money,
can be used to exchange one vital commodity for another. The second is the use of
substances called enzymes as go-betweens to reduce the amount of energy needed to make
many chemical reactions essential to life take place fast enough. Paragraph 6
The conquest of England by the Norman invaders brought about an influx of French
words which went on increasing in volume for more than three centuries. At first it was little
more than a trickle. For a long time the Norman conquerors did not mix much with their
Saxon subjects. There are plenty of indications of this; for the languages, too, moved side by
side in parallel channels. The custom of having one name for a live beast grazing in the field
and another for the same beast, when it is killed and cooked, is often supposed to be due to
our English squeamishness and hypocrisy. Whether or not the survival of this custom
through ten centuries is due to the national characteristics in question it would be hard to
say, but they have certainly nothing to do with its origin. That is a much more blame-less
affair. For the Saxon neatherd who had spent a hard day tending his oxen, sheep,
calves and swine, probably saw little enough of the beef, mutton, veal,
pork and bacon, which were gobbled at night by his Norman masters. There is something a
little pathetic, too, in the thought that the homely old word, stool, could be used to express
any kind of seat, however magnificent, until it was, so to speak, hustled into the kitchen by
the smart French chair. Even the polite, however, continued to use the old word in the idiom
‘to fall between two stools’. Practice task 6
How to stop yourself snoring
Snoring is caused when the airway at the back of the nose and throat becomes partially
obstructed. This is usually due to the loosening of the surrounding oropharyngeal muscles,
but the reasons why this should occur are varied. The most common are smoking, obesity
and the consumption of relaxants such as alcohol and sleeping pills.
As with any common ailment, there are a host of "miracle" cures advertised - but you
should first try a few simple steps to see if you can halt the snoring before adopting more
drastic measures. Lifestyle changes can be the most effective. If you are overweight, a loss
of weight will help to reduce the pressure on your neck. You should also stop smoking and
try not to drink alcohol at least four hours before you go to bed.
Beyond this, try to change your regular sleeping position. Raise the head of your bed
with a brick, or tie something uncomfortable into the back of your pyjamas to encourage
you to sleep on your side. Both of these will help to alter the angle of your throat as you
sleep, and may thus make breathing easier for you.
It is also important to keep your nasal passage clear and unblocked. Allergies, colds
and hay fever can temporarily cause you to snore; nasal decongestants may help, but you are
not advised to use such remedies for long periods. Nasal strips, as worn by sportspeople,
have been proven to reduce nasal airway resistance by up to 30 per cent, so consider these as a long-term alternative.
If this fails, then you may wish to look at the varied snoring aids that are on the
market. They range from neck collars that stop your neck tilting, through to mandibular-
advancement devices (such as gumshields) which reduce upper airway resistance, and
tongue-retaining devices. You can also buy essential-oil products that are added to warm
water and infused or consumed before bedtime. They claim to tone up your palate and unblock your nasal passage.
Finally, if your symptoms persist, visit your GP or contact the British Snoring and
Sleep Apnoea Association (01737
997) for advice. If you do not, your partner might. 557 Practice task 7 Pesticide suicide
As many as 60,000 small farmers in the region of Andhra Pradesh, southern India,
have taken to farming cotton instead of food crops. Some 20 of them have recently
committed suicide by eating lethal doses of pesticide.
Most of the farmers are extremely poor. Attracted by cheap loans from pesticides
traders and the prospect of a quick buck, they borrowed heavily to raise cotton on small plots of land.
Whitefly, boll weevils and caterpillars multiplied and destroyed their crops, despite the
constant application of pesticides. The average yield of cotton fields in Andhra Pradesh fell
by more than half in just one year. Now the farmers are in no position to repay the loans or feed their families.
The suicide of Samala Mallaiah in Nagara village grabbed media headlines. He owned
one acre of land, leased two more and grew cotton on all three. After making a loss in the
first year, he leased yet more land in an attempt to recover. Confronted with falling prices,
mounting debts and pest attacks, he committed harakiri. 'Cotton has given us shattered
dreams,' said one old farmer in Nagara village.
Nearly half the pesticides used in India go into protecting cotton, the most important
commercial crop in the country. However, pests have shown increased immunity to a range
of pesticides. Last year there were heavy crop losses due to leaf-curl, which is caused by the
dreaded whitefly. This nondescript, milky-white fly sucks sap from the cotton leaves,
making them curl and dry up. The fly struck first in Pakistan and north-western India. Then it turned south.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the crop losses and destruction in Andhra
Padresh arose from the repeated application of excessive amounts of chemicals - a practice
actively encouraged by pesticides traders. Practice task 8
Because language plays such an important role in teaching, Bellack and his colleagues
chose to examine in some detail the "language game" in the classroom. They contended that
teaching is similar to most games in at least two respects. It is a form of social activity in
which the players (teachers and students) fill different but complementary
roles. Furthermore, teaching is governed by certain ground rules that guide the actions or
moves made by the participants. By studying the language game, then, Bellack et al.
intended to identify the various types of verbal moves made by teachers and students and
the rules they followed in making these moves. As a result, they could investigate the
functions these verbal moves served and examine the meanings that were being communicated. Practice task 9
To begin with (1), it is necessary to consider the long-term implications of the decision
to increase our dependence on permanent staff in our restaurants. For example (5), let us say
we do go ahead. In this case (12), our reliance on hourly-paid staff will decrease. As a
result (4), costs will reduce, as permanent staff are cheaper than hourly-paid staff. In
fact (14), it is not necessarily the case, especially (15) as there is no way of knowing what
the relative costs of hourly-paid staff and permanent staff will be in ten years'
time. However (3), as a rule (6) permanent staff are more reliable than full-time staff and
this is a genuine advantage. As a consequence (4) of these two advantages, permanent staff
would seem to be a better option. In other words (10), they are cheaper and more reliable so
they are better. In that case (12), it is not necessary to hesitate. Naturally (7), nothing is so
simple. In short(9),costisanunknownfactorandthemosteconomicalchoiceisnotknown. 1. Time/order 6. Generalisation 11. Addition
2. Comparison 7. Stating the obvious 12. Condition 3. Contrast 8. Attitude 13. Support
4. Cause/effect 9. Summary/conclusion 14. Contradiction 5. Example
10. Explanation/equivalence 15. Emphasis Practice task 10
In the following article on Nuclear Hazards, the linking words and phrases were
missing. Here is the orginal text.
There are three separate sources of hazard related to the use of nuclear reactions to
supply us with energy. Firstly, the radioactive material must travel from its place of
manufacture to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are solidly built,
the containers used for the transport of the material are not. Unfortunately, there are
normally only two methods of transport available, namely road or rail, and both of these
involve close contact with the general public, since the routes are bound to pass near, or
even through, heavily populated areas. Secondly, there is the problem of waste. All nuclear
power stations produce wastes which in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of
years. It is impossible to de-activate these wastes, and so they must be stored in one of the
ingenious but cumbersome ways that scientists have invented. For example, they may be
buried under the ground, dropped into disused mineshafts, or sunk in the sea. However,
these methods do not solve the problem; they merely store it, since an earthquake could
crack open the containers like nuts. Thirdly, there is the problem of accidental exposure due
to a leak or an explosion at the power station. As with the other two hazards, this is
extremely unlikely and so does not provide a serious objection to the nuclear
programme, but it can happen, as the inhabitants of Harrisburg will tell you. Separately, and
during short periods, these three types of risk are no great cause for concern. Taken
together, though, and especially over much longer periods, the probability of a disaster is extremely high. Unit 2 Practice task 3 Paraphrase 1
This is not acceptable. The writer has changed only a few words. The new words are
underlined below. The other words are the same as in the original. The writer should also
state the original source: Many researchers have proved that chocolate is good for language
learning because it boosts serotonin levels in the brain and makes learners more cheerful.
Leche and Melk (2001), for instance, researched 300 students and found that those learning
a language often needed more sugar (Miller, 2014). Paraphrase 2
This is partly acceptable, because the writer has paraphrased the sentence. However,
they have not given the source of the study or of the writer they are paraphrasing. These are
added and underlined here: A later study (Leite, 2008 as cited in Miller, 2014) involved 500
university students of Japanese, each of whom was given 100g of milk chocolate every
fifteen minutes for three hours. There are some words in the original sentence that cannot be
replaced (100g, milk chocolate, three hours), so the writer is allowed to keep them in their
paraphrase. The more technical your writing, the harder it will be to replace words. If you
are in any doubt about how much to paraphrase, check with your lecturer. Paraphrase 3
This is a good paraphrase: The above research indicates that too much white or milk
chocolate may be unhealthy, but that small quantities of dark chocolate may lead to more
productive work. Compare it to the original: From all these studies it can therefore be
assumed that moderate amounts of dark chocolate may be beneficial to study, but that larger
amounts of chocolate, particularly milk or white chocolate, may be harmful to general
health. The original information is there, but words have been changed when possible and
the order of the ideas has been changed. Unit 3 Practice task 6
This recipe allows the average cook to create a delicious homemade blueberry
whipped cream pie. Instead of having to buy pies and other desserts from the store, now
anyone can make them inexpensively at home. Making a blueberry pie may take some time,
but the end result is well worth the effort and the wait. The main steps in making a blueberry
pie are not complicated, but one should not forget that there are pre-cooking and post-
cooking steps that are just as important as the main cooking steps. Unit 4 Practice task 1 My Decision to Teach
There are many reasons people decide to enter the teaching field. Some enter because
they enjoy working with people or children, others because they like being off during the
summer months, and still others because of their love for a particular subject. Although all
these reasons are valid, I feel my reasons are much simpler. The bottom line is that I love
kids and enjoy working with them. My desire to make learning a more positive experience
for them has only increased with time.
I knew very early in life that I enjoyed working with children; I am drawn to their
eagerness to learn, their trusting nature, and their inquisitive minds. It has always been a joy
for me to be around children, who are eager to learn. Children are thrilled when an adult
takes time to read to them. After hearing a story only a couple of times, they are like a tape
recorder set on replay. Their thirst for knowledge is overwhelming. At the elementary level,
children also tend to have a very trusting nature. They rely heavily on their elders for
guidance. Most children are very honest with their feelings and don't try to hide them. This
is a crucial time in a child's life; it is a time when teachers and parents should be molding
them for the future. It seems their minds are always working on something which makes
them extremely inquisitive. Their curiosities seem never to be satisfied. Children are always
asking "why?" even when they know the answer. The inquisitive child wants to know the
how's, when's, and where's of everything.
Because of my early interest in children, I developed a strong desire to teach;
consequently, I sought out jobs that allowed me varied experiences with children. My first
experience was baby-sitting. Here I quickly learned that children must be told precisely
what to do. For example, "Go wash your hands with soap and dry them right now." Or,
"You must take your shoes off and then you may get into the bathtub." From the many
baby-sitting jobs I had, I soon discovered that if I did not have a plan the day would be total
chaos. As early as thirteen I became familiar with the need for structure and creativity when
dealing with younger children and found myself loving every minute of it. The challenge of
actually teaching came when I volunteered to assist a teacher at our church with a room full
of second graders. They were extremely demanding as they all wanted to talk at the same
time and everyone wanted to be a helper. Some of the children could write, draw, and even
sing while others barely muttered a sound. Each child was a challenge in his or her own way
which I found exciting. Since money has obviously never been the reason people become
teachers, the rewards for me became apparent as I spent some time teaching at a day care
center. It is the gratification I receive when I see children become stronger because of my
efforts. It is the satisfaction of being able to help others learn things about the world that
they never imagined existed. It is the look of accomplishment when children have mastered
writing their names for the first time.
Through these previous experiences with children, my desire to become a teacher was
confirmed; now the opportunity to fulfill my dream has come, and it is my desire to make
learning a positive experience by promoting creativity, positive attitudes, and a sense of
self-worth. Having a son who is about to leave elementary school has shown me the
importance of creativity in keeping the interest of students. Children need variety to keep
them motivated. They need visuals. They also need "hands on" learning whenever possible.
Class participation is vital to keep them focused. Subjects need to be presented in a non-
threatening manner so that the student does not become discouraged. For example, one can
present material in the form of a game. Subjects can also be presented through art. Next,
positive attitudes need to be promoted. Students need to feel that their opinions matter, and
it is important to help children set goals so they can see their accomplishments. Finally, a
child should be made aware of his self-worth, for it is critical to his development. Positive
strokes, something we as individuals never get enough of, are important to a child's social
growth. Teachers and parents should be quick to point out the child's strong points and
encourage him to use them whenever possible. Most importantly, every child needs to know that he is special.
My decision to become a teacher is based on my enjoyment of working with children,
my experiences with children, and my personal desire to make learning a positive
experience for children. I get satisfaction and a lot of love from the children I teach. I feel
that I can make a difference in somebody's life. I feel God has given all of us a gift to do something; teaching is mine. Practice task 2 Rings to Ruins
According to recent statistics, there are more divorces now than ever before. At the
rate things are going, the divorce rate may soon surpass the marriage rate. There are many
reasons for such a high divorce rate, but one of the main ones is that people do not realize
what they are getting themselves into when they marry. Couples do not realize that marriage
is a job that must be worked at continuously in order for it to go well. Because many
couples marry for the wrong reasons, a breakdown in communication results, which leads to
a couple's growing apart. This process, all too often, ends in divorce.
People marry the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Of course, they seem to be the
right people and the right reasons at the time the decision is made, but the trouble really
begins here. For example, many couples are too young when they marry. They meet in high
school or college, "fall in love," which is really just lust, and know that they have found the
person they are going to marry. Further, many young girls think that they are ready to
marry, but many times they simply want to get out of their parents' house. The situation may
involve abuse in some form or another, or the girl simply may not be getting along with her
folks and sees marriage as a way out. She believes that if she can just make a home of her
own everything will be fine. She looks on the young man as her salvation, and he begins to
see himself in that role. In addition, she may also be pregnant. This situation always makes
things worse for the young couple. The coming baby takes many choices away from the pair
and adds many responsibilities that they are just not prepared to take on. There are financial
burdens to be dealt with, such as hospital and doctor bills, as well as the burdens of trying to
be parents when they themselves are little more than children. The frustration and the stress
of all these burdens can be devastating to everyone concerned, which makes the situation all the more tragic.
When people get married for the wrong reasons, they usually find that they have
trouble talking to one another once the first bloom of passion starts to fade and they get
down to the business of every day living. The problems probably are not as simple as
whether or not he squeezes the toothpaste from the middle or the bottom, or if she prefers
movies to basketball. Those kinds of problems can be fixed or compromised. They do not
have to get in the way of the relationship unless the parties involved allow them to. The real
problems are basic to any relationship. Each spouse has to know what kind of person he or
she is and what he or she believes in and wants out of life. The spouse must then be able to
communicate those beliefs to the other person. If this cannot be done, then everything is
lost. When marriage partners stop talking and listening to one another, then arguments start.
The arguments are usually over little things and stem from the frustration of not being able
to communicate. The individuals then begin to feel isolated because they do not know what
is expected of them or which way to turn. What they do is turn away from each other. They
may not like what they are seeing in their marriage, but they don't have a clue as to how to
fix it because they don't know how to talk and listen to one another. Walls have now been erected between them.
At this point the two people involved begin to look at different things and different
people to try and find satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives. They take a new job, or
spend longer hours at the one they already have. Staying at work is a good excuse to stay
away from home and all the problems there. They may not even recognize or acknowledge
this excuse to get away from their marriage. Another path that may be taken is the
development of new interests or hobbies, which usually follows with the development of
new friends. Most of the time the individual looks for interests and hobbies that do not
include the spouse. This decision may or may not be made on a conscious level. Sometimes
the futility of the situation takes over and the only thing on a person's mind is getting out
and away from the spouse. This way of thinking only leads to disaster. The two people
either stay together and wind up being miserable, or they separate and divorce. Either way
there is unhappiness for everyone involved.
Divorce has touched us all either directly or indirectly. There are normally no winners
involved; everyone loses something. Things could begin to get a little better, however, if
prospective couples would take some time to get to know each other better. When couples
learn to communicate with one another and work to keep those lines open, there is growth
together, not apart. This process does take a lot of work, but the rewards can be life sustaining. Practice task 3 Flunking out of College
College is a fun, exciting, and challenging experience for most students, but for some,
it is simply too much to handle. Few high school students are aware of what college life is
like. Unlike in high school, college classes usually require a large amount of time spent
outside class, working for the class, and some students do not understand the importance of
this. A surprisingly large number of college freshmen have extremely poor time-
management skills, which can lead to more time spent partying than studying, which is the
main cause of failing tests. All of these are causes of the students ultimately flunking out of college.
Many students entering college have extremely poor time management skills. One
major problem is procrastination. Some students will wait till the night before a project is
due before starting it, quickly rushing through the project, making careless errors, and
getting little rest that night. Another self-destructive habit many college students have is
cramming for tests. Often this cramming session takes place the night before, or even the
morning of, the test, wherein the student tries to cover many weeks worth of material in a
few hours. This method of studying is almost worthless because the student will never retain
any of the knowledge he or she "studied. Yet another sign of poor time management is lack
of proper rest. Fatigue can cause loss of concentration during lectures, and careless errors on
exams increase greatly when a student is tired. Sometimes students may be so exhausted
they actually fall asleep while studying; nobody can learn through osmosis. With all that
time already devoted toward class and study, some students add additional pressure to their
schedules by getting a job. 'While this job may be necessary, many people will schedule
themselves for more hours than they can handle, not leaving enough time for study or
homework. Supervisors will sometimes threaten to fire a student if he or she is unable to
meet the assigned hours, so some students will work 8 or 10 hours after being in class in the
morning. After hours spent in class, then a full day spent at work, many students are simply
too exhausted to productively study or do homework. But the most obvious sign of poor
time management is attending parties instead of studying.
As a result of bad time-management skills, students will sometimes attend parties
instead of completing necessary assignments. Partying, undoubtedly, is one major attraction
of college, but time spent partying is time not spent studying. Many incoming college
freshmen think they can get by without studying, so they decide to party instead; this
attitude can be suicidal for the student's GPA. Unlike high school, college classes move
quickly through large amounts of material, and students can quickly become overwhelmed
with the work load. Those students who chose to party instead of work can easily fall
behind. When out partying, students can easily lose track of time, staying out till the early
morning hours instead of getting their much needed rest. Everyone knows "time flies when
you’re having fun"; this is doubly true when spending time with friends. When alcohol is
added to the mix, it only makes keeping track of time harder. Often times students decide to
stay out "for a little while," but they quickly lose track of time, and before they realize it,
morning has come. Even worse than simply losing track of time is passing out someplace,
not waking up till late next morning, and possibly missing a class. The aftereffect of
drinking, hangovers, can also take a heavy toll. It is almost impossible to concentrate with a
pounding headache and a super sensitivity to light and sound, and the desire to sleep
through this agony can cause students to miss class entirely. Those who are actually able to
attend class, despite the hangover, will have a mind so fogged they will never be able to
concentrate properly, causing a much higher incidence of careless errors. Thus partying, and
poor time management in general, can quickly result in failing test grades.
The tangible result of such bad time management is when exams are handed back,
often with failing grades. Even a single failed exam can severely hurt a student's GPA. Most
college courses only have three or four exams, which can count as much as thirty-three
percent of the final average. Instructors do not take pity on students who do poorly on
exams; usually no extra credit is offered. Exams that are missed entirely often cannot be
made up. In most cases, professors do not schedule makeup exams. The few makeup exams
that are given are rare, and usually require proof that it was for reasons beyond the control
of the student that he or she missed class. Students who do take makeup exams face a
revised version of the original test, which can be much more difficult. Students who are-
barely passing a class can end up failing that class entirely with one bad test. Many students
are required to take classes that are difficult for them; these borderline classes require
almost constant work just to maintain a passing grade. In these classes, the student's average
is usually just barely above passing, making each test crucial to the student. So if a test is
missed entirely, the student has little hope of passing for the semester.
College is a new and challenging experience for all incoming students. Few high
school students are aware of what college life is like, and some are totally unprepared to
meet the demands of college life since most classes require a significant time investment
outside of school. Poor time management and heavy partying lead to failing tests, which
ultimately can cause the student to flunk out of college. Nobody wants to fail college, but
some students simply do not realize what is necessary to pass.