Hey Kitos. Hope you’ll read this. =)
Topic:Some people trust their first impressions about a person’s character because they believe these judgments are generally correct. Other people do not judge a person’s character quickly because they believe first impressions are often wrong. Compare these two attitudes. Which attitude do you agree with? Support your choice with specific examples.
When you first meet a person, you are likely to make conclusions based on how the person behaves or how he dresses. However, a lot of people do believe that this tactic isn’t right, as it is impossible to fully understand a person’s character from only one meeting.
On the one hand, drawing conclusions about a person’s character based on first impression may be correct, as you have seen how the person has behaved and you can guess the rest. Most of the times those guesses will be true, as human beings tend to most truly reveal themselves in front of strangers. For example, if you see a man hitting his girlfriend, because she was 5 minutes late, you will probably not want to meet this man again, but will classify him as a jerk you don’t want to have anything to do with.
On the other hand however, we should also consider those who are shy and scared of meeting new people. Because of this fear, they will probably be unable to show who they really are and the way they act will have nothing to do with their real self. For instance, when I was first year in high school, I saw a girl, who was alone and didn’t say a word to anyone else. After a week or two I had already classified her as an outsider and was truly amazed, when I talked to her and found out she had the best sense of humor ever.
As for me, I used to rely solely on first impressions, which has prevented me from getting to know some really great people. Since the girl I mentioned in the previous paragraph became my very best friend, I’ve changed the way I judge people and always give them a chance to prove that they aren’t who they seem to be. This way I’ve not only made new friends, but have also changed this annoying habit I used to have.
All in all it seems that you can’t say which from those two attitudes is the right one, or the better one, as they both have their advantages and disadvantages. However, if you choose the first one, you should try to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are judging.
TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture on the history of the English language
So I am Emma! Don’t know where I got the idea you were a newcomer from. Sorry.