WRITING TOEFL ESSAYS LIFE IN THE CITY

WRITING

TOEFL ESSAYS

LIFE IN THE CITY

Life in the city is full of activity. Early in the morning hundreds of people rush out of their homes. Soon the streets are full of traffic. Shops and offices open, students flock1 to their schools and the day's work begins. The city now throb2 with activity, and it is full of noise. Hundreds of sightseers and others visit many places of interest in the city while businessmen from various parts of the world arrive to transact business4.

Then towards evening, the offices and day schools begin to close. Many of the shops too close. There is now a rush for buses and other means of transport5. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to reach home. As a result of this rush, many accidents occur. One who has not been to the city before finds it hard to move about at this time. Soon, however, there is almost no activity in several parts of the city. These parts are usually the business centres.

With the coming of night, another kind of activity begins. The streets are now full of colourful lights. The air is cooler and life becomes more leisurely. People now seek entertainment. Many visit the cinemas, parks and clubs, while others remain indoors to watch television or listen to the radio. Some visit friends and relatives and some spend their time reading books and magazines. Those who are interested in politics discuss the latest political developments. At the same time, hundreds of crimes are committed6. Thieves and robbers who wait for the coming of night become active, and misfortune7 descends upon8 many. For the greed9 of a few, many are killed, and some live in constant fear. To bring criminals to justice10, the officers of the law are always on the move11.

Workers and others who seek advancement in their careers attend educational institutions which are open till late in the night. Hundreds of them sit for various examinations every year. The facilities12 and opportunities that the people in the city have to further their studies and increase their knowledge of human affairs are indeed many. As a result, the people of the city are usually better informed than those of the village, where even a newspaper is sometimes difficult to get.

The city could, therefore, be described as a place of ceaseless activity. Here, the drama of life is enacted every day.



NEW WORDS:

1. Flock (v)
(gather) s'attrouper, s'assembler
Everybody is flocking to see the exhibition.
Tout le monde vient en masse pour voir l'exposition.
In summer people flock to the sea.
En été les gens vont en foule au bord de la mer.
People flocked towards the park.
Les gens se sont dirigés en foule vers le parc.
Crowds flocked to the stadium.
Des foules de gens sont allées au stade.

2. Throb (v)
(of heart, pulse etc) battre fort;
(of engine) vrombir; (of tom-toms) vibrer
A city throbbing with activity.
Une ville palpitante d'activité.
My finger is throbbing.
J’ai des élancements dans le doigt, Familiar, colloquial mon doigt me lance.
My head is throbbing.
J’ai une douleur lancinante dans la tête.

3. Sightseer (n) touriste

4. Transact (v)
To transact business with somebody.
Faire des affaires avec quelqu'un.
The business was successfully transacted.
La transaction ou l'affaire a été conclue à notre/sa/etc satisfaction.

5. Means of transport
Moyen de transport

6. Commit (v)
(carry out) (crime)
Commettre
To commit suicide
Se suicider
To commit a crime
Commettre un crime

7. Misfortune (n)
Malheur, malchance
I had the misfortune to……
J’ai eu le malheur ou la malchance de……

8. descend upon (v)
(attack) (group of people) s'abattre ou tomber sur

9. Greed (n)
(a) (for material things) avidité, cupidité greed for fame/power
la recherche avide de célébrité/pouvoir
it's sheer greed!
c'est de l'avidité pure et simple.
(b) (gluttony) gourmandise


10. To bring s.o. to justice
Introduire une action en justice contre quelqu'un
Intenter un procès contre ou à quelqu'un


11. On the move
En marche
Ne jamais rester en place

12. Facility (n)
(means) (usu pl) facilities
Aménagements
The village has few shopping facilities.
Le village ne compte pas beaucoup de magasins.