380 bài luận mẫu Tiếng Anh - Phần 3

eighbour may be doing fine, has earned a lot of money, his children 
are doing well, he gets quick promotions, there and such others may create jealousy. 
Once this is generated, this leads to non cooperation and petty quarrels. Very often 
children may be the cause for strained feelings. 
Children may quarrel drawing the elders into the fray5 The neighbour's son may pick a 
flower or a fruit from your garden. Again he may throw his ball at your window pane 
damaging it. These are not unnatural so far as the younger one is concerned but it is for 
the elders to view at them with equanimity6 and make up for it. This may read easy on 
paper but not so in practical life. But with some broad outlook one must be able to 
tolerate. 
Another reason for tension may be the animals. Your neighbour's dog may be a real 
nuisance or his poultry which would come into your garden and eat away the young 
saplings. 
In all these cases, to keep up good neighbourliness, some understanding between the 
neighbours is important. Small differences can be easily patched up or ironed out. Care 
can at times play the good samaritan and helps the neighbours in a small or big way. 
Nobody is perfect and it is better not to speak disparagingly of your neighbour. 
A cheerful word or a nod or a casual enquiry will strengthen the feeling of good 
neighbourliness. Negatively, one must not pry into what the neighbours is or does. 
Tolstoy speaks in one of his stories how neighbours should behave. A child was wearing 
a new shirt and the neighbour's child threw mud on it and thus spoiled it. Women folk 
started the quarrel and men folk entered into the fray ending in a few heads broken and 
so on. By then the children forgot all their quarrel and were playing. Tolstoy draw a 
moral from the story namely neighbours must be quick to forget small wrongs done. 
Neighbourliness is not only for individuals but it is important also in a great measure 
between neighbouring countries. History has got a lot to teach in this respect. Unless 
countries learn to live as good neighbours, there cannot be peace on earth. So children 
must be taught at home and in the school to co-operate with the neighbours and be 
friendly with them. The basic principle is to give and take and to develop a sense that 
the other man has as much right as you have and some degree of tolerance is very 
necessary. 
1. neighbourliness /'ne1b6l1n6s/ (n) söï aên ôû hoøa thuaän (giöõa haøng xoùm laùng gieàng vôùi nhau) 
2. flimsy /'fl1mz1/ (adj) hôøi hôït, noâng caïn, yeáu ôùt 
3. animosity /%n1'm4s6t1/ (n) söï thuø oaùn, loøng haän thuø 
4. feud /fju:d/ (n) moái cöùu haän laâu daøi vaø gay gaét 
5. fray /fre1/ (n) cuoäc ñaùnh nhau, cuoäc tranh caõi hoaëc ñua taøi, v.v… 
6. equanimity /ekw6'n1m6t1/ (n) tính bình thaûn, söï ñieàm tónh 
338. THE AREA NEAR WHERE I LIVE 
VUØNG NÔI TOÂI ÔÛ 
I am living in the midst of an agricultural community and our house is situated in a 
village. Naturally the people are agriculturalists. Since the village is served by a river 
which supplies enough water almost throughout the year, agriculture is a profitable 
occupation here. There are luscious1 fields of green paddy around and normally people 
raise two crops a year. 
Since they are agriculturalists following traditional farming, there is a set pattern of life 
among them though modernity has recently invaded their homes. Thus most of them 
own a radio and their houses have electricity. Their children go to the neighbouring 
town for their education. Most of them own bicycles and a bus service connects the 
village with the neighbouring town. In fact my neighbours are actively interested in the 
politics. They are no more the innocent rustics,2 they were once believed to be. Some of 
them aspire to hold offices in the village councils. 
These people are looking forward as agriculturalists. Some of them even own tractors 
and almost all of them know the value of good seeds and fertilizers. For them 
agriculture is no more a shaky gamble of the unknown. They use pesticides3 and 
insecticides4 and have built a marketing federation to sell their products at a profit. 
They make use of the bank facilities so that they need not be a pawn in the hands of the 
village pawn broker and money lender. 
Paddy growing is the major occupation though some adventurous farmers have switched 
on to cash crops like sugar cane. They employ casual labour when there is an intensive 
operation as in the transplanting, hoeing and harvesting season. But for those who 
actually own no land, the life of the casual labourer is very often uncertain. In an 
agricultural economy this can't be helped. 
The people when not employed go about in a leisurely way. There is a tea shop in the 
village where people gather for gossip over a cup of tea. If you sit there for some time 
you can learn all about the village. Besides that, the cinema and films seem to be the 
most favourite topic with the villagers since they love frequenting the theatre. 
There is a small school which is not a hot favourite with the affluent villagers. The 
affluent villager prefers to send his children to the Convent or English Schools in the 
neighbouring town. The village school has its strength of students drawn from the lower 
strata5 of the society. The chapel6 is visited by the parish priest once a week on 
Sundays. The Christian community in my village is a minority group. 
1. luscious /'l^~6s/ (adj) (veà muøi vò) ngoït ngaøo, thôm ngoït 
2. rustic /'r^st1k/ (n) ngöôøi noâng daân queâ muøa chaát phaùt 
3. pesticide /'pest1sa1d/ (n) thuoác tröø saâu 
4. insecticide /1n'sekt1sa1d/ (n) thuoác tröø saâu 
5. strata /'str@:t6/ (n) (snh. cuûa stratum) taàng lôùp hoaëc giai caáp trong xaõ hoäi – giai taàng 
6. chapel /'t~%pl/ (n) nhaø thôø nhoû 
339. EARLY MORNING WALK 
ÑI BOÄ VAØO SAÙNG SÔÙM 
This looks like a scientific topic. Yes, an early morning walk is good for one's physical 
and mental health. Of all the recreations that men indulge in, a morning walk is one of 
the most rewarding. The air is fresh and free of dust, smoke and pollution. This is the 
only time that the roads are not crowded with heavy traffic. One can enjoy one's walk. 
As one walks, all care, anxieties or worries fade away. He becomes refreshed with good 
blood circulation and fresh air. 
But is this possible for everyone in a city where life is mechanical on weekdays and 
sombre1 on holidays ? It may not be possible for the young people as they have to go to 
school or colleges. However, this is very good for the old as the early walk is good for 
the health and makes them feel refreshed.2 
In the early hours of the morning, nature is at its best. The dew drops on lush green grass 
and leaves of plants look like pearls. The splash of colours created by flowers laden 
with dew fills the air with fragrance. 
A walk in the big park or along the coast of a bank or a reservoir3 is even more 
charming and rewarding. 
The morning walk is very invigorating. It tunes4 one's body system and prepares him for 
a new day. 
1. sombre /'s4mb6(r)/ (adj) buoàn chaùn, aûm ñaïm 
2. refreshed /r1'fre~t/ (adj) tænh taùo, khoûe khoaén 
3. reservoir /'rez6vw@:(r)/ (n) hoà chöùa nöôùc 
4. tune /tu:n/ (v) ñieàu chænh 
340. CAMPING IN THE HIGHLANDS 
CAÉM TRAÏI ÔÛ MIEÀN CAO NGUYEÂN 
The highlands have their fascination for those who love camping. With its hills and 
dales,1 green valleys, murmuring rivers and silence only to be broken by the chirping2 
of birds, and the buzzing of beetles,3the attraction will be endless. One must be a seeker 
and be willing to keep company with nature, be physically hardy and resolute to face 
hardships have a philosophical attitude and be poetically inclined to enjoy the pleasures 
of camping in the highlands. It would be to have one or two companions to share the joy 
and adventures of camping in the highlands. 
For a city-bred person who is accustomed to noise, dust, smells and all sorts of 
pollutions, camping in the highlands has its thrills from sunrise to sunset. One may study 
the habits of birds and animals. One may enjoy the sky at night with its sentinel4 stars. 
One also can find time to read, draw or reflect. That is why most of the saints of the 
world sought the peace of caves and mountains. 
To enjoy camping, one must be familiar with forest craft even though one need not be 
an expert. For instance, one must enjoy walking, be able to climb trees and hills, be able 
to satisfy with simple food which he has to prepare, and revere the habitat of animals. 
He must be able to pitch his tent and know how to go about preparing the camp site. 
A tent when properly set up will give a certain amount of protection against wind and 
rain as well as shelter for sleeping. A provision box should be well provided with 
necessary things for making food, a few plates, cups and saucers and other necessary 
items for cooking. One must take pleasure in cooking, otherwise there mustn't be 
enough food to last for the period of camping. A radio set or a cassette player with a 
selected list of tapes would help drive away the silence and loneliness of the night. 
Anyway before going on a camp one must plan well to avoid disappointments. Above all 
what is needed is a mind to enjoy it. 
Great philosophers and writers have praised the value of camping in the great open. For 
instance, R.L. Stevenson praises such a life in his "night among the pines". Thoreau, the 
American philosopher has a lot to say about such a life far from the maddening crowd. 
I will certainly enlarge ones views of life and may help one to see the hands of God 
shaping nature around us. 
1. dale /de1l/ (n) thung luõng (nhaát laø ôû vuøng Baéc nöôùc Anh) 
2. chirp /t~3:p/ (v) keâu chieâm chieáp 
3. beetle /'bi:tl/ (n) boï caùnh cöùng 
4. sentinel /'sent1nl/ (n) lính canh, lính gaùc