TOEFL ESAYS 011-020

AD Agreeing or Disagreeing 11

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students’ sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

I disagree strongly with the idea that the same amount of money should go to university sports activities as to university libraries. Although playing sports is an important part of education, libraries are fundamental. Students cannot study without them and they require a lot of financial support to maintain up-to-date technology, to keep new books and magazines on the shelves, and to keep them operating.
Students need up-to-date library facilities to get a good education. They need computerized programs and access to Internet research databases. It costs money to have these things available, but they are fundamental to education. If a university offers its students only resources of a decade ago, it deprives those students of a tremendous amount of information.
Although we get a lot of information from computers and the Internet, university libraries still need to maintain a complete book and magazine collection. Every day new information is published on every subject, and every university wants to have this information available to its students. Again, this requires money.
It also costs money for universities to operate their libraries. University libraries are usually open for long hours and during this time they use heat and electricity. Most important, a university library needs a well-educated, knowledgeable staff. In order to be able to hire the best people, they have to be able to pay good salaries.
University students are only going to benefit from their education if they can get all the tools they need to learn. Sports are secondary to the resources that students need from university libraries. For this reason, libraries should always be better funded than sports activities. (271 words)

EX Giving an Explanation 12

Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

People visit museums for a number of reasons. They visit museums when traveling to new places because a museum tells them a lot about the culture of those places. They also go to museums to have fun. People also are usually interested in museums that feature unusual subjects. It’s impossible to get bored in a museum.
When visiting someplace new, you can find out about the culture of that place in many ways. The easiest way to learn about a culture, though, is by visiting its museums. Museums will show you the history of the place you’re visiting. They’ll show you what art the locals think is important. If there aren’t any museums, that tells you something, too.
Museums are fun. Even if you’re not interested in art or history, there is always something to get your attention. Many museums now have what they call “hands-on” exhibits. These exhibits have activities such as pushing a button to hear more about what you’re looking at, or creating your own work of art. Everyone, from child to adult, enjoys these hands-on activities in museums.
People also enjoy visiting museums about unusual subjects. For instance, in my hometown there’s a museum devoted to the potato. This museum has art made out of potatoes. It also tells the history of the potato, and sells unusual items such as potato dolls. People enjoy visiting this museum because it is so unusual. There is no other place like it.
People everywhere like museums. They like learning about interesting and unusual things. No matter who you are or what you like, there is a museum that will amaze and interest you. (274 words)
PR Stating a Preference 13

Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Although many people prefer to eat at restaurants because it is easier than cooking at home, I prefer to prepare food at home. I believe it is much cheaper and healthier to eat at home, and it can be more convenient, too.
While eating in restaurants is fast, the money you spend can add up. When I have dinner at a restaurant, the bill is usually $25 or more. I can buy a lot of groceries with that much money. Even lunch at a food stand can easily cost seven or eight dollars. That’s enough to feed the whole family at home.
Eating at home is better for you, too. Meals at restaurants are often high in fat and calories. When you cook at home, however, you can control what you eat. You can cook with low-fat and low-calorie ingredients. Restaurants also often serve big plates of food. You may eat a full plate of food at a restaurant “because you paid for it,” while at home you can control your portion size. You can serve yourself as little as you want.
It may seem more convenient to eat