SAMPLE ANSWER

Last summer, my family went on a vacation to Cat Ba island, which is located in Hai Phong city and I was really impressed with the beach there.

To arrive at this destination, we had to take a ferry from the mainland, a journey which lasted roughly one hour. Fortunately, I was not seasick. When we reached there, honestly, the scenery appealed to me a lot, especially the beach. The beach itself was absolutely breathtaking and the crystal clear water seemed to stretch endlessly to the horizon. In addition, from a distance, huge waves were crashing onto the shore, which sounded like a melody. I was so excited that I just wanted to jump into the sea right away.

On the beach, many people were enjoying the scenery, and some were swimming while their children were making sandcastles. My family quickly checked into the hotel, we changed our clothes and joined the people there. Actually, this vacation gave me the chance to relax and all my worries seemed to fall away. Therefore, I hope that we will be able to enjoy more holidays like this every year.

PHÂN TÍCH TỪ VỰNG 

Ferry: phà

Example: Some people take the ferry every day to cross Hong Kong harbour and arrive at work.

The mainland: đất liền

Example: The island is a short journey from the mainland by ferry.

Roughly: gần như, tương đối

Example: I didn’t count them, but there were roughly 50 students in the exam hall.

Seasick: say sóng biển

Example: During the storm, most of the passengers on the boat felt seasick and they did not recover until they reached the mainland.

Breathtaking: ngoạn mục

Example: My hotel has a breathtaking view of the city – I can see all the famous buildings from the window of my room.

Crystal clear: tinh khiết, trong sạch

Example: The sea is not polluted on Cat Ba island – it is crystal clear and you can see lots of beautiful fish.

Stretch: trải dài

Example: The desert stretches for thousands of kilometres until you reach the sea.

The horizon: đường chân trời

Example: When the ship appeared on the horizon, we knew that it had crossed the ocean safely.

Checked into: làm thủ tục 

Example: We checked into our hotel and the receptionist gave us the keys to our room.

Fall away: giảm đi

Example: When I relax with my friends, my worries fall away and I can just enjoy myself.