If you go to school or university, you are faced with a number of exams. Basically, these exams are supposed to test your knowledge and skills. Also, they may motivate you to study harder.
In my opinion, it is really the case that exams motivate students to study harder. Firstly, exams are often a pass to a higher level of education. If you get good marks in examinations, you are admitted to further education. If you fail, you do not get the admittion. So, you make every effort to keep the right to study further. Secondly, exams are a good way to assess your learning efficiency and detect possible gaps in your knowledge. Bad marks mean that your knowledge is flawed and you need to be more disciplined and work harder to do away with the flaws.
But there are people who believe that examinations do not give real motivation to a student. They say that being a good student with excellent marks does not guarantee future prosperity.
Nevertheless, I cannot assent to the foregoing opinion, because being a good student is the beginning of being a good employee or worker who can earn a good living. Highly qualified professionals are always in great demand in any business sector.
In conclusion, exams play an important part in our life, although any exam is a kind of pain. But the saying is: no pain, no gain!
Kate’s Travel Diary
We decided to (0) push on and try to reach Venice by Friday afternoon – before the weekend hordes (16) turned up. Susan was eager to see the city of waterways, as she had never been before, while I wanted to look up an old friend called Davina, who was now studying Italian at university in Venice. Davina had given me an open invitation to more or less (17) drop in at any time, and she was as good as her word, for she not only put us up, but also spent the whole weekend (18) pointing out the sights to us. She had never met Susan before, but they (19) got on immediately, which was a relief. My intention had been to pay her a flying visit, and then head off to Trieste, but we had such a wonderful time that we (20) ended up staying for four days. Venice did not disappoint us, (21) living up to its reputation as the most beautiful of cities.
On a less triumphant note, poor Susan lost her handbag, including a large amount of cash and her bank cards. She ran up a huge bill phoning home and contacting her bank in London. At least she’d had enough sense to (22) take out travel insurance, so this (23) paid for the costs of most of the loss.
