LIFE STORIES
Lesson 6: Writing
There`s a will, there`s a way
VOCABULARY
Overcome (v) /ˌəʊvəˈkʌm/: vượt qua (khó khăn)
Misfortune (n) /ˌmɪsˈfɔːrtʃən/: bad luck
Adopt sb (v) /əˈdɒpt/: nhận ai làm con nuôi
Obsess (v) /əbˈses/: ám ảnh; be obsessed with/by sb/st
Hesitate about/over st (v) /ˈhezɪteɪt/: do dự
Perseverance (n) /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪərəns/: tính kiên trì
Abandon (v) /əˈbændən/: bỏ rơi, ruồng bỏ
Foster mother (np): mẹ nuôi
Prosthetic leg (np) /prɒsˈθetɪk/: chân giả
Parathlete (n): vận động viên khuyết tật
Motto (n) /ˈmɒtəʊ/: phương châm
Do odd jobs (vp): làm những việc vặt
Poverty is no shame: Nghèo không có gì đáng xấu hổ
There’s a will, there’s a way: Ở đâu có ý chí, ở đó có con đường
1.Read the story of a champion swimmer and complete the blanks. Use the words in the box.
1. adopted
2. obsessed
3. helpless
4. overcome
5. competed
6. misfortune
2.Put the following parts of the story in the correct order they appear in the story.
1. e Story title (Tiêu đề câu chuyện)
2. a Writer`s name (Tên tác giả)
3. d Posting date and time (Thời gian và ngày đăng bài)
4. c Childhood (Tuổi thơ ấu)
5. g Turning point in writer`s life (Bước ngoặt trong cuộc đời của tác giả)
6. b Writer`s ambitions and achievements (Hoài bão và thành tựu của tác giả)
7. f Story`s message (Thông điệp của câu chuyện)
3.Use the given information to write another story of 180-250 words. You can add further details to make your story more interesting.
Poverty is no shame
By Thu Ha
Published: 06:00 GMT, 20 September 
My parents died in a traffic accident when I was ten years old, so I grew up with my grandmother who was too old and weak to work. I had to leave school and did odd jobs to earn a living: selling lottery tickets, washing dishes and doing babysitting. When I was 15, my grandma encouraged me to attend evening classes, so I could improve my literacy and job prospects.
After lots of hardship and effort, I completed secondary education and passed a challenging exam to enter Medical University, which is the dream of many students. However, I could not pay the tuition fees and had to reject the offer. The door to a new life was closed before me. I was completely disappointed and saw only gloomy days ahead. Then something incredible happened: I was awarded a scholarship from The Thanh Nien for college students from poor families. This was really a turning point in my life because I could start my university studies and hope for a better future.
Six years of hard work at the university and of trying to live on a very tight budget came to an end at last. Now I am working as a doctor at a hospital, but I will never forget those difficult days. I am planning to set up and run a charitable organisation to help poor students, as a way to acknowledge other people for supporting me.
I`ve told my own story hoping to encourage other people like me to overcome hard times. Don`t let poverty defeat you and destroy your hopes for a better future. This is my motto.