Technological improvements change our lives day by day through several ways. Television is one of the most considerable innovations which alter our daily life in many a different way. However, this subject seems to be surrounded by a whole lot of controversy since day one. Some people think that television has destroyed relationships among friends and family, given that watching television takes much time away that can otherwise be used in interpersonal communication. Others believe that television has not destroyed or even debilitated such communication among most people. I firmly believe that the damage attributed to television is really exaggerated and that such damage is most likely attributable to other factors.
Considering that communication among family and friends in modern countries has decreased in the latest years, it might be easy to blame this problem on television since its expansion generally coincided with the decrease in time we spend with our close ones. Nowadays people have very little time to do many things they used to do in the past, such as going out with the family or visiting friends. However, I believe this situation is more likely due to increased pressure from work, school, and the economy, not because they watch TV in their leisure time; therefore, it is very hard to say that TV has destroyed communication among people.
Moreover, television is certainly a good way to improve our communication when used properly. We can always watch TV with our friends and family members; we can laugh and speak while watching TV, and most importantly, we are sure to benefit from the vast doors of knowledge that it opens for people everywhere.
While some argue viewing television destroys the communication between viewers, I would contend that watching the shows together allows for a wide range of conversation to take place between those people.
All in all, I really disagree that television has destroyed communication among family and friends. If used properly, television not only improves such relationships but also broadens people’s knowledge and views.
In the past there used to be a popular belief that all the wisdom of the world was contained in the books. Today; however, practical people are aware that books can only give guidelines, but they cannot predict or prevent the real courses of events. A wise man once said, “Experience is the child of Thought, and Thought is the child of Action. We cannot learn men from books.” Personally, I fully agree that experience provides more knowledge than books do for a wide variety of reasons.
In prehistoric times, when literature and books were not invented, people used to gather knowledge through experience alone. They observed animal behaviors in different situations and so they became acquainted with animal’s habits and tempers, which led them to become more effective hunters. Even in our present time, scientific research has found that babies start getting to know everything around them from the moment they come into this world. A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on Earth the more experience you are sure to get.
Moreover, there is another aspect of knowledge gained from books that I would like to discuss- their indifference to personality. That is to say that books may contain world known truths, but they may not be valid for every person. A book only offers theoretical aspects on an issue while experience gives a more practical view on a certain subject. This is the main advantage of experience over books: personal involvement in a situation is a better teacher than any lesson contained in even the best book.
In sum, I do agree that books are incomparable sources of knowledge and wisdom and we cannot do without them, but mankind has a proverb saying “seeing is believing”, which describes the importance of experience. In my opinion a certain truth does not prove valid until it is experienced on a personal level; it is then that we can say full knowledge has been acquired.
In today’s fast paced life, it is very important to get things done faster. Spending more time in the kitchen means devoting less time for other daily activities. Nowadays half cooked food or ready to cook food available in the markets have definitely improved the way people live in numerous ways.
Just a couple of years back, the process of cooking was very long and was bound to get you exhausted at the beginning of the day itself. Today; however, cooking has become a very easy process and thanks to the latest technologies. One of the uncountable advantages of today’s cooking is that it saves a lot of money. Buying groceries is not at all costly; with a limited number of groceries many kinds of dishes can be prepared. It is also a good idea to entertain others at home without taking them out to costly restaurants.
Furthermore, eating with family members makes the bond grow stronger, and a dining table is the best place to unite everyone, allowing for daily communication to take place between family members. Also, cooking at home gives us more choices and a wide variety of personally-created new dishes, along with the freedom to eat anything we want without bothering to wait in long queues.
To conclude, eating at home made food add spice to our daily life and help us lead a happy and healthy life. It is important to eat a healthy and fat free food, and we can meet our food requirements only if we cook. The saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” should by all means be changed to “the way to anyone’s heart is through his or her stomach”!
It is an indisputable fact that parents have a major influence on their children, from the way of thinking to the trifle everyday habits; children tend to get their basic knowledge and norms from them. However, in terms of teaching, some think the influence of parents on a child can be the most important influence given to a child in life, while others believe only a systematic education would fully build their foundation of knowledge step by step at schools. I believe there is no denying parents’ role in a child’s life, but a parent could by no means substitute for a teacher.
Those who are in favor of giving parents the credit for being the best teachers argue that because parents spend the most time with a child, their influence should be greater than any other’s. However, I believe it is not a matter of quantity but that of quality. In such a changing world, we may find that our parents’ knowledge is becoming obsolete. Youngsters; however, are always the fist to get in touch with new ideas and technologies. The elderly are not always used to such rapid changes, resulting in conflicts between parents and children. Therefore, to catch the tide of such changes, it is of the best interest for the young to learn from the open world instead of from the obsolete knowledge of their parents.
Moreover, the bond between child and parents is so tight that parents cannot give the objective instruction that a schoolteacher can. Some parents tend to spare their children from hard work and, to the extreme; some even spoil their children by allowing them to do everything the children want. All these are resulted from parents’ love toward the children. From an objective angle; however, hard work is sometimes a necessary step toward success. Of course, parents should not be blamed for loving their children but such love may become an obstacle for objective instruction.
All these are not to say that to learn from parents is useless. In fact, even in such a rapidly changing world, parents do possess lots of experience that a child can benefit from. However, for the young to get the most needed knowledge, they should not solely rely on what they learned from their parents.
- evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
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Adapted from Dana Gioia, “Why Literature Matters” ©2005 by The New York Times Company. Originally published April 10, 2005.
A strange thing has happened in the American arts during the past quarter century. While income rose to unforeseen levels, college attendance ballooned, and access to information increased enormously, the interest young Americans showed in the arts—and especially literature—actually diminished.
According to the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, a population study designed and commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts (and executed by the US Bureau of the Census), arts participation by Americans has declined for eight of the nine major forms that are measured….The declines have been most severe among younger adults (ages 18–24). The most worrisome finding in the 2002 study, however, is the declining percentage of Americans, especially young adults, reading literature.
Those individuals at a time of crucial intellectual and emotional development bypass the joys and challenges of literature is a troubling trend. If it were true that they substituted histories, biographies, or political works for literature, one might not worry. But book reading of any kind is falling as well.
That such a longstanding and fundamental cultural activity should slip so swiftly, especially among young adults, signifies deep transformations in contemporary life. To call attention to the trend, the Arts Endowment issued the reading portion of the Survey as a separate report, “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.”
The decline in reading has consequences that go beyond literature. The significance of reading has become a persistent theme in the business world. The February issue of Wired magazine, for example, sketches a new set of mental skills and habits proper to the 21st century, aptitudes decidedly literary in character: not “linear, logical, analytical talents,” author Daniel Pink states, but “the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities, to craft a satisfying narrative.” When asked what kind of talents they like to see in management positions, business leaders consistently set imagination, creativity, and higher-order thinking at the top.
Ironically, the value of reading and the intellectual faculties that it inculcates appear most clearly as active and engaged literacy declines. There is now a growing awareness of the consequences of ignoring reading to the workplace. In 2001 the National Association of Manufacturers polled its members on skill deficiencies among employees. Among hourly workers, poor reading skills ranked second, and 38 percent of employers complained that local schools inadequately taught reading comprehension.
The decline of reading is also taking its toll in the civic sphere….A 2003 study of 15- to 26-year-olds’ civic knowledge by the National Conference of State Legislatures concluded, “Young people do not understand the ideals of citizenship… and their appreciation and support of American democracy is limited.”
It is probably no surprise that declining rates of literary reading coincide with declining levels of historical and political awareness among young people. One of the surprising findings of “Reading at Risk” was that literary readers are markedly more civically engaged than nonreaders, scoring two to four times more likely to perform charity work, visit a museum, or attend a sporting event. One reason for their higher social and cultural interactions may lie in the kind of civic and historical knowledge that comes with literary reading….
The evidence of literature’s importance to civic, personal, and economic health is too strong to ignore. The decline of literary reading foreshadows serious long-term social and economic problems, and it is time to bring literature and the other arts into discussions of public policy. Libraries, schools, and public agencies do noble work, but addressing the reading issue will require the leadership of politicians and the business community as well….
Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded. These are not the qualities that a free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose.
Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society. In your essay, analyze how Gioia uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Gioia’s claims, but rather explain how Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience.
Critique
In the article, “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, Gioia makes an argument claiming that the levels of interest young Americans have shown in art in recent years have declined and that this trend is a severe problem with broad consequences. Strategies Gioia employs to support his argument include citation of compelling polls, reports made by prominent organizations that have issued studies, and a quotation from a prominent author. Gioia’s overall purpose in writing this article appears to be to draw attention towards shortcomings in American participation in the arts. His primary audience would be the American public in general with a significant focus on young generations. (millennials)
In his introduction paragraph, Gioia employs a distinct contrast with several listed positive changes in American life such as increased college attendance and increases in income, with the focus of his article: the fact that the interest young Americans show in art has declined. This tool is utilized to establish an emphasis on his primary point by highlighting it as a negative development relative to other changes in American life. This literary tool serves a strong purpose by acting as a vehicle to draw the audience into the principal issue addressed by the writing.
In paragraph 5, Gioia utilizes a synergistic reference to two separate sources of information that serves to provide a stronger compilation of support for his main topic. By citing a quotation from author Daniel Pinks who states, that the talents individuals require for success in the 21st Century are not, “linear, logical, analytic talents,” but ones that provide, “the ability to create artistic and emotional beauty, to detect patterns and opportunities,” and “to craft a satisfying narrative,” Gioia is able to build his point with the agreement of a respected individual. He then immediately follows with a statement that business leaders like to see, “imagination, creativity, and higher order thinking” as qualities for individuals in management positions. This dual utilization of claims from two separate sources conveys to Gioia’s audience the sense that the skills built through immersion in the arts are vital to succeeding in the modern workplace which aids in logically leading his audience to the conclusion that a loss of experience with the arts may foreshadow troubling results.
In paragraph 6, Gioia follows up on the point established in paragraph 5 by introducing a negative example of the consequences of loss of the arts with a focus on literacy. Gioia cites a 2001 poll on the National Association of American Manufactures stating that poor reading skills ranked second among its employees surveyed for skill deficiencies while 38% of employees believed local schools inadequately taught reading comprehension. Gioia’s presentation of a numerical statistic based on a major employer adds significant logical weight to his argument by providing an example of the effects of a deficit in experience with art and literature. This may affect his audience by providing a more accurate depiction of the true problems caused by disconnection with arts while possibly choosing an example they could personally relate to.
Overall, Gioia provides an strong logical argument that disconnection with the arts is troubling for America. He employs strong logical connections and establishes real-world foundations for his point.
- evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
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Adapted from Paul Bogard, “Let There Be Dark.” ©2012 by Los Angeles Times. Originally published December 21, 2012.
At my family’s cabin on a Minnesota lake, I knew woods so dark that my hands disappeared before my eyes. I knew night skies in which meteors left smoky trails across sugary spreads of stars. But now, when 8 of 10 children born in the United States will never know a sky dark enough for the Milky Way, I worry we are rapidly losing night’s natural darkness before realizing its worth. This winter solstice, as we cheer the days’ gradual movement back toward light, let us also remember the irreplaceable value of darkness.
All life evolved to the steady rhythm of bright days and dark nights. Today, though, when we feel the closeness of nightfall, we reach quickly for a light switch. And too little darkness, meaning too much artificial light at night, spells trouble for all.
Already the World Health Organization classifies working the night shift as a probable human carcinogen, and the American Medical Association has voiced its unanimous support for “light pollution reduction efforts and glare reduction efforts at both the national and state levels.” Our bodies need darkness to produce the hormone melatonin, which keeps certain cancers from developing, and our bodies need darkness for sleep. Sleep disorders have been linked to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression, and recent research suggests one main cause of “short sleep” is “long light.” Whether we work at night or simply take our tablets, notebooks and smartphones to bed, there isn’t a place for this much artificial light in our lives.
The rest of the world depends on darkness as well, including nocturnal and crepuscular species of birds, insects, mammals, fish and reptiles. Some examples are well known—the 400 species of birds that migrate at night in North America, the sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs—and some are not, such as the bats that save American farmers billions in pest control and the moths that pollinate 80% of the world’s flora. Ecological light pollution is like the bulldozer of the night, wrecking habitat and disrupting ecosystems several billion years in the making. Simply put, without darkness, Earth’s ecology would collapse….
In today’s crowded, louder, more fast-paced world, night’s darkness can provide solitude, quiet and stillness, qualities increasingly in short supply. Every religious tradition has considered darkness invaluable for a soulful life, and the chance to witness the universe has inspired artists, philosophers and everyday stargazers since time began. In a world awash with electric light…how would Van Gogh have given the world his “Starry Night”? Who knows what this vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?
Yet all over the world, our nights are growing brighter. In the United States and Western Europe, the amount of light in the sky increases an average of about 6% every year. Computer images of the United States at night, based on NASA photographs, show that what was a very dark country as recently as the 1950s is now nearly covered with a blanket of light. Much of this light is wasted energy, which means wasted dollars. Those of us over 35 are perhaps among the last generation to have known truly dark nights. Even the northern lake where I was lucky to spend my summers has seen its darkness diminish.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Light pollution is readily within our ability to solve, using new lighting technologies and shielding existing lights. Already, many cities and towns across North America and Europe are changing to LED streetlights, which offer dramatic possibilities for controlling wasted light. Other communities are finding success with simply turning off portions of their public lighting after midnight. Even Paris, the famed “city of light,” which already turns off its monument lighting after 1 a.m., will this summer start to require its shops, offices and public buildings to turn off lights after 2 a.m. Though primarily designed to save energy, such reductions in light will also go far in addressing light pollution. But we will never truly address the problem of light pollution until we become aware of the irreplaceable value and beauty of the darkness we are losing.
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Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved. In your essay, analyze how Bogard uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Bogard’s claims, but rather explain how Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience.
Critique
In response to our world’s growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article “Let There be dark”. He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions.
Bogard starts his article off by recounting a personal story – a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter about night darkness, the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess. He builds his argument for the preservation of natural darkness by reminiscing for his readers a first-hand encounter that proves the “irreplaceable value of darkness.” This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims.
Bogard’s argument is also furthered by his use of allusion to art – Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” – and modern history – Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light”. By first referencing “Starry Night”, a painting generally considered to be undoubtedly beautiful, Bogard establishes that the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite. A world absent of excess artificial light could potentially hold the key to a grand, glorious night sky like Van Gogh’s according to the writer. This urges the readers to weigh the disadvantages of our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting. Furthermore, Bogard’s alludes to Paris as “the famed ‘city of light’”. He then goes on to state how Paris has taken steps to exercise more sustainable lighting practices. By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2 AM”. This furthers his line of argumentation because it shows how steps can be and are being taken to preserve natural darkness. It shows that even a city that is literally famous for being constantly lit can practically address light pollution in a manner that preserves the beauty of both the city itself and the universe as a whole.
Finally, Bogard makes subtle yet efficient use of rhetorical questioning to persuade his audience that natural darkness preservation is essential. He asks the readers to consider “what the vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?” in a way that brutally plays to each of our emotions. By asking this question, Bogard draws out an attention to his readers about the affecting power of an untainted night sky. This rhetorical question tugs at the readers’ heartstrings; while the reader may have seen an unobscured night skyline before, the possibility that their child or grandchild will never get the chance sways them to see as Bogard sees. This strategy is definitively an appeal to pathos, forcing the audience to directly face an emotionally-charged inquiry that will surely spur some kind of response. By doing this, Bogard develops his argument, adding gutthral power to the idea that the issue of maintaining natural darkness is relevant and multifaceted.
Writing as a reaction to his disappointment that artificial light has largely permeated the presence of natural darkness, Paul Bogard argues that we must preserve true, unaffected darkness. He builds this claim by making use of a personal anecdote, allusions, and rhetorical questioning.
- evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Adapted from Theresa Brown, “when people contaminated their land.” 2013 by the New York Times Company. Originally published August 17,2013.
When we talk about air or water pollution, the reactions garnered are stronger. This is because we can see the effects caused by the pollutants and their extent very clearly. It is normal human psychology to believe in what you see first-hand. Our land on the other hand is living a nightmare too. We may not be able to see the effects with clarity, but land is being polluted and abused constantly and we are unable to calculate the damages incurred. Land Pollution has come to become one of the serious concerns that we collectively battle.
Land pollution, in other words, means degradation or destruction of earth’s surface and soil, directly or indirectly as a result of human activities. Anthropogenic activities are conducted citing development, and the same affects the land drastically, we witness land pollution; by drastic we are referring to any activity that lessens the quality and/or productivity of the land as an ideal place for agriculture, forestation, construction etc. The degradation of land that could be used constructively in other words is land pollution.
There are many reasons for land pollution; Deforestation carried out to create dry lands is one of the major concerns. Land that is once converted into a dry or barren land, can never be made fertile again, whatever the magnitude of measures to redeem it are. Land conversion, meaning the alteration or modification of the original properties of the land to make it use-worthy for a specific purpose is another major cause. This hampers the land immensely. Also there is a constant waste of land. Unused available land over the years turns barren; this land then cannot be used. So in search of more land, potent land is hunted and its indigenous state is compromised with.
Moreover, with more agricultural activities and with growing human population, demand for food has increased considerably. Farmers often use highly toxic fertilizers and pesticides to get rid of insects, fungi and bacteria from their crops. However with the overuse of these chemicals, they result in contamination and poisoning of soil. Such harmful activities happen every day while the world is watching in silence and total ignorance of the future consequences on land and therefore humans.
Industrialization is a common reason for land pollution. Due to increase in demand for food, shelter and house, more goods are produced. This resulted in creation of more waste that needs to be disposed of. To meet the demand of the growing population, more industries were developed which led to deforestation. Research and development paved the way for modern fertilizers and chemicals that were highly toxic and led to soil contamination.
We cannot ignore Construction activities as a major reason for killing nature on our land. Due to urbanization, large amount of construction activities are taking place which has resulted in large waste articles like wood, metal, bricks, plastic that can be seen by naked eyes outside any building or office which is under construction.
Other issues that we face include increased temperature, unseasonal weather activity, acid rains etc. The discharge of chemicals on land, makes it dangerous for the ecosystem too. These chemicals are consumed by the animals and plants and thereby make their way in the ecosystem. This process is called bio magnification and is a serious threat to the ecology.
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Write an essay in which you explain how Theresa Brown builds an argument to persuade her audience with the idea that ignoring the reasons of land destruction can lead to severe consequences. In your essay, analyze how Brown uses one or more of the features in the directions that precede the passage (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
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Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Brown’s claims, but rather explain how Brown builds an argument to persuade his audience.
Every room in a house plays a special role in our lives. The living room
mainly provides people with a place of entertainment, the dining room a place of having dinner, the storeroom a place of storing sundries, the study room the place of studying, and the bedroom a place of sleeping. In my opinion, among all these rooms , the bedroom is the most important room in a house. This point of view is based on the following reasons.
First of all, people commonly spend most of their life in bedrooms.
Normal people spend 7-9 hours in the bedroom. That is about one third of a whole day. If people pay enough attention to their bedroom, they will actually make most of their lifetime better. For example, if people have fresh air in their bedroom, that means they breathe fresh air in one third of their lifetime. As for other rooms, since people do not have to stay in them such a long time, their importance are much less.
Secondly, bedrooms provide people their own private space. Different people have different tastes. In this private space, people can assign the environment as they will. They can decide the color of the walls, the arrangement of the furniture and the decoration in their own bedrooms. Furthermore, if they want to be completely alone for thinking independently or just for quiet, staying in their own bedroom will be the best choice. This is another reason why a bedroom is the most important room of a house.
Lastly, good bedrooms can always help people have a good sleep which can make them recover from the stress gained from their daily work and will allow them to prepare for the following day. Suppose having not slept well for several days, people will be slow both in their thinking and action and they may even feel ill. On the contrary, with a good sleep, people will have a good mood and good energy. In the daytime, they will act effectively and they will properly do a good job. Thus their confidence will be increased. Therefore, bedrooms are the most important, since it has a big connection with the quality of other aspects of people’s lives.
In conclusion, if you want to make most of your time better, if you want to enjoy a really private space and if you want to be best prepared for the following days, give enough attention to your bedrooms. Bedrooms provide us the basic factors in our lives. Therefore, the bedroom is the most important room in a house.
There are many items that are either made by hand or by machine.
For example, clothes are made both by hand and machine. My preference would be machine made clothes because the most merchants would have them for sale during certain seasons and, therefore, they are not as expensive. There may be one or two disadvantages to the clothes made by machines. However, I believe that there are for more advantages. The reasons for my view are as follows.
One of the minor disadvantages of machine made clothing is it’s quality. For instance, I would often purchase my clothing that is imported from Hong Kong or Korea, which has better quality than that made of my own country. In general machine-made clothes are produced in large quantities according to season. When the season changes, another line of fashion will be on its way out for sale. Consequently, many businesses would not use higher –quality materials to produce its line of clothing. The main disadvantage of a machine-made clothing is the quality of the materials being used.
The advantages far out weigh hand made clothing because clothes made by machines are produced faster. Due to the quicker production, people can have access to the latest styles and colors. For instance, swimsuits, pants, shirts, tops ,etc…. have different types of styles, colors, and cuts. Due to seasonal trends, the majority of the people do not worry very much about the quality of the clothes.
The second advantage of machine-made clothes is the price. Because these clothes are produced in larger numbers and the quality is lower, the pricing will also be lower than hand made clothes. Due to mass production of machine-made clothes, merchants will be able to purchase a certain line of fashion in larger quantities. With larger quantities of the same fashion on the market, the prices will also be cheaper. This will be a positive situation for the consumers, who would like to spend as little as they can, but still want to remain in fashion.
Although I agree that there are disadvantages to machine-made clothes, I feel that the advantages are more important. Machine-made clothes can bring the latest fashions from Japan and certain western countries. In addition, the price is lower.
Therefore, In my opinion, these advantages play an important role in the consumers’ decision to purchase clothes.
Children’s development plays a crucial role in building their physical and mental characteristics.
It’s known that children are able to absorb all necessary information provided by their parents and other adults. Their unlimited curiosity for discovering new interesting facts could help their development, especially in their early ages. We know that nothing could raise children’s interest and attention as high as various gifts we present to them.
Hence, every gift for a child should contain particular purpose to help in child’s development. In my opinion, a perfect gift for a child could be Lego toys.
I strongly believe that Lego, known for its impressive building sets, acclaimed and praised by pediatricians worldwide, has its versatile capabilities to help children develop creative, logical and imaginative skills gained during playing with this terrific invention. Children could create and construct many different objects, depending on their ideas and enthusiasm. They could spend hours and hours playing with this amazing toy, constructing from simple squares to intricate and complex objects such as electric automobiles, airplanes and spacecrafts.
The quite interesting fact of this toy is that parents could observe the developing processes of their children in a short period of time. This advantageous aspect of Lego toys, in my opinion, could allow for significantly important increases of logical and organizing skills. These skills could be accomplished faster by children who use Lego toys than by those children who do not have access to these toys.
As a result, this advantage could provide much better results in children’s’ future school classes, especially in Algebra and Geometry.
Generally, toy-building sets, such as the previously mentioned Lego, could effectively develop many important skills and characteristics. These skills will only benefit children’s future abilities to think, organize and make correct decisions. Also, the most important fact is that children’s development could be improved significantly during playing time with Lego toys rather than doing complicated exercises, resulting in a slow progression. And as a result, this perfect gift could bring development, fun and enhanced imagination to children and their parents.
If a student only has one vacation each year, even if it is a long vacation, he or she will then have a long boring school term after the vacation.
I believe that students should have several short vacations throughout the year for several reasons.
The first reason is that several short vacations mean several short school terms. The schools can arrange the year’s curricula in several short terms more clearly, more efficiently and more effectively. Every subject will have a clear start and end and can be taught intensely. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to arrange many different subjects in one long term. Schools may have to split the long term to fit in a different courses, or let all the subjects take turns in one week. This situation really confuses the students.
Another reason to have several short vacations is that parents will have an easier time in arranging their children’s free time. It’s easy to deal with a short vacation than a long vacation. Parents can send their children to short term holiday , camps , or just have them travel around. But it is almost impossible to let them to do those activities throughout a long vacation. Needless to say, it’s much easier to find a short time baby sitter.
Furthermore, several short school terms can help to keep students’ interest in their studies. Every time when they return to school after a vacation, they will be refreshed and willing to learn. On the other hand, a long boring vacation will bring exhausted students back to school.
On the other hand, a long vacation may have some benefits,
For example, students can attend an extra curricular summer school to learn new information from some extra courses. High school and college students could also have the opportunity to find part-time jobs to make some extra money.
Nevertheless, for all the reasons I mentioned above, only one vacation will make school life boring. So I support the position that students should have several short vacations throughout the year.
Advertisements, one of the symbols of a modern society, are prevailing in every area of the world. Widespread and influential, advertisements are capable of convincing people to purchase commodities that they do not need. Among various factors that contribute to the phenomenon is the temptation of seemingly lower prices, the influence of celebrities and, in some cases, the exaggerated functions of the products.
The foremost reason for the phenomenon is that hardly anyone is able to resist the tempting low price, which is a trick played by the sly and shrewd merchants. For example, there are always so many products on sale that few of us are able to be sensible and rational enough not to be lured by the huge price tags with ”sale” on them. As a matter of fact, the buyers are hooked by the seeming discount. By frenetic and irrational shopping, people would stock up piles of items that they actually will not be in need of in the foreseeable future or even for the rest of their lives
Another subtle explanation rests on the fact that celebrities, who have been paid a considerable sum of money, play an important role in the effect of advertisements. Some famous stars are so influential and companies focus their attention on them and make the best use of their fame. As a result, a group of loyal fans would rush into stores and go into rapture if they are fortunate enough to possess one of the advertised items. Consequently, both the stars and the sellers benefit from the commercial game, regardless of what the consumers obtained.
The third convincing reason I would like to mention is that the exaggeration made in the advertisements by the merchants is also deceitful.
It is, undoubtedly, confusing and puzzling for ordinary consumers to distinguish the unqualified ones from millions of products presented in front of them. In addition, a majority part of the merchants, some of whom are inadequate and inferior, are in the disguise of appealing appearances. Consequently, if is of no wonder that consumers would buy products preached to be perfect, a considerable number of them are nothing but a waste of money. Naturally, it is probably too reckless to maintain that advertising is a matter of cheating since some accompanying merits also come along with it, such as the aesthetic values.
However, the minor advantages will never prevent us from concluding that advertisements attract consumers to purchase useless products, because of their so called discount, the effect of celebrities and the boastful description.
Playing games plays a significant role in people’s daily lives. You can always see children playing soccer or basketball in parks, and adults enjoy themselves with the bridge game in clubs. Games that we play may become more and more complex as we grow up, but our enjoyment has never changed. It gives us lots fun, and meanwhile teaches us about life.
First of all, playing games teaches us about the strategies which we can apply in our real lives. In fact, most games’ original ideas come from real life. For instance, chess imitates the battles between two countries. During the game of chess, we need to analyze what situation we face , evaluate our assets, guess what our rivals would do in next steps and make the best choice from several possibilities. In real life, when we meet a challenge, we usually analyze the situation and estimate our ability and decide what to do next. Therefore, games are mirrors of real life.
Playing games also teaches us how to deal with other people. We learn about teamwork during the game, when games are played in teams like soccer or basketball. Nobody can win the game by himself even though he is strong and runs fast.
Everybody should communicate with his co-players. Also, in real life, no one can survive without other peoples’ help and cooperation. A man who gets along well with his co-workers is likely to be successful in his career.
Meanwhile, playing games also focuses our mind and energy to reach the goal, and teaches us to divide a difficult problem into several relatively smaller and easier tasks and solve them one by one. Playing games also teaches us to adjust our plan when a situation changes. Finding a good job is never easy, especially during an economic downturn, as we are currently experiencing. At this moment, we may go to school to pursue a higher degree instead of job hunting. It is those games such as chess that teach us to adjust our strategies and pace ourselves in real life.
Life is not a game, but games surely teach us a lot about life.
Television benefits children by broadening their world in allowing them to see and hear about places and people that they would not otherwise seen and heard about. It can also be used as a medium to educate children in subject matter their parents do not understand through viewing educational programs. Having a child watch educational shows can provide parents with a cheap form of baby sitting, which provides parents with added savings that can be used on household expenses. This is not to say that television has no negative impact on children – it does- especially when there is no supervision of the content of what children watch. But the overwhelming impact is positive.
Firstly, television benefits children by broadening their world in allowing them to see and hear about new places. This is especially the case for children growing up in rural areas where the number of people they know through direct contact is small and one-dimensional, i.e, the people all look and think much the same way.
Additionally, children in rural areas may not often have the opportunity to travel very far from where they were born. C0nsequently, television provides the wherewithal for children to launch themselves into a much wider world- even if it is in the realm of the mind and not the realm of the body. The sum of this influence is to provide children with a basic knowledge that transcends what they can learn from their local area and increases the chance that individuals so exposed can be more appreciative of the differences that comprise our multicultural world.
Secondly, television benefits children by educating children in subject matter their parents do not understand through viewing educational programs. Television, through satellite and cable hookups, now is capable of providing countless educational programs in subject matter as varied as Cantonese to Apache; from using solar energy to wine making in a tub; from making your own bar-b-q to advanced algebra. Never before has so much knowledge been offered by so many expert teachers without one ever having to leave one’s home.
Television benefits children by providing parents with a cheap form of babysitting, which provides parents with added income that can be used on household expenses. Well, we all here of the” irresponsible ” babysitter-television. However, if monitored carefully, this “irresponsible” babysitter can provide far more information than a bored teenage babysitter taking nips from parents’ booze bottles and clipping her nails, while telling the kids to shut up as she makes her way to and from the refrigerator, making a serious dent in the family’s food supply.
None of this argues that exposing children to television doesn’t have a down side—it certainly can. For example; television can have serious sexual content and extreme violence, which is not good for innocent young minds
But if properly monitored with a working filter, this can be dealt with.
Every city has one or more zoos. For a while, people thought that a zoo has no useful purpose. If I were faced with this issue, I would think that zoos are useful. In the following discussion, I would like to reason and provide evidence to support my viewpoint.
The first reason, is that zoos are often used as places to preserve endangered species, such as the giant pandas and tigers. It is the conservation of animals that is the most important function of a zoo. With the advances in reproductive technologies, which assist in breeding captive animals, the zoo has become the most important place for animal conservation. Thanks to zoos, certain species of animals have been saved from extinction. Such animals are bred in captivity and when they are ready to survive in the wild, are reintroduced to their original habitat- in the rain forest of Brazil, for instance.
In the second place, children can obtain direct knowledge about a variety of animals by visiting zoos. They can see what a tiger is like, hear various sounds of birds and tell one animal from another. If there is no such a place, how can they make contact with animals? They may never have a chance to see various animals even though they learn about many from books. When I was a little girl, I liked animals very much, especially birds. I could not feed them for myself, so the zoo which was located near my home was the place I went to most frequently. And I really love these places.
Finally, a zoo is a place for fun. In fact, this is why it is so good at educating the public about the importance of conversing wildlife and the environment: it puts fun into education. Seeing pictures is not the same as seeing animals close up. What makes visiting a zoo so enjoyable is our close contact with the animals. Therefore, a zoo not only attracts many tourists from other countries, it also allows us to see, without having to leave our home city, big cats and exotic animals of distant countries.
In summary, I believe that a zoo has some useful purposes to serve: to preserve endangered species, to educate the public about wildlife, and for its visitors to have fun. So a zoo, of course, is a useful place for us and we should have them.
Everyone is entitled to have an opinion. When it comes to opinions, though, there’s a difference between the majority of people and celebrities like actors, athletes, and rock stars. If you’re an average person, only your family and friends care about your opinion. If you are famous, the whole world listens, or so it seems sometimes. Is this the way if should be?
I do not think so.
We shouldn’t pay attention to famous people’s opinions just because of who they are. Being a famous basketball player doesn’t make someone an expert on environmental issues. However, that basketball player has a better opportunity to be heard than most people do. If that player feels very strongly about an issue, he can use his fame to draw attention to it and get other people involved. That way they can help and draw attention and needed dollars to that issue.
People who are rich put their money behind a cause. In the same way, famous people are using their most valuable asset. In their case, it’s not money. It’s their name recognition. Should people pay attention to what they think just because of who they are? I don’t think so. I also do not think we should discount what they think just because of who they are.
They have a right to their opinion. If their name draws people to that cause, all the better for the cause.
I think too often we categorize people and try to keep them in their place. Celebrities have brains and should be allowed to use them. When they’re advocating a cause, their opinion should be just one of many factors we use to evaluate that cause.
The 20th century has been a century of advances and developments: the emergence of the internet and web technology.
When I think of the 21st century, I am afraid to say that nothing but bad comes to my mind: overspreading epidemics, increasing religious conflicts and resource overusing.
The first thing that has hit my head is the overspreading diseases which modern medicine has nothing to help overcome them. For example, in Asia, there where hundreds of people who had a new disease called “SARS”, a killer responsible for over one hundred deaths. In Hong Kong and Vietnam, the bird flu infected large numbers of poultry and caused childrens’ death.
In the United Sstates, the West-Nile virus is feared among the public, since it transmits through mosquitoes. All of the diseases are new to humans because of their rare genetic structure. Such diseases challenge modern medicine. However, there is only prevention but no cure.
Another thing which is on everyday news is the religios-related terrorist activities. Even now, the American-Iraq war has seen increased tension in spite of the numerous cease-fires. Some people say that this is a war between Christianity and Islam, others insist that this a war aimed for power over oil. As a result, innocent children and the public are sacrificed for this so-called “cause”, meaning justice or security. It is hard for me to understand how much more human beings are evolved than animals, if we can only use force in this high technology time.
The last, but not least, thing that occurs to me is the concern of natural resources. Despite the fact that we are running out of available natural resources such as clean water, oil, and natural gas, our life is becoming more and more convenient. This means we will consume more energy than ever. This is also a vital problem for human’s existence.
For the three factors I have mentioned above, I believe that there are some challenges in this century, although I doubt whether they will lead us to a happier future than our present.
A kid can recall all the gifts he/she received on the last Christmas.
He/she can tell exactly who sent the gifts and can describe them in detail.
The most amazing fact is that even for the old, who normally have bad memories, the situation is still the same where he/she still remembers his/her birthday present from his/her 10th birthday. The reasons for this circumstance are complicated, yet fairly interesting.
First of all, a present bounding with both reality and spirit is something related to one’s memory . For instance, a diamond ring represents a romantic night with a sweet proposal; a teddy bear stands for the evening when the whole family treated their daughter as a dear princess; a second- hand car is the exciting celebration of adulthood. All presents are memorials of the important moments in life, which we will never forget. Such is human nature, we live in the past rather than in the present.
Secondly, almost all the presents are deliberately selected. Somebody give us a present to express the feeling how he/she cares about us. They want us to remember them through the gift. Therefore, the gift is often unique and distinctive. It can be a souvenir bought at a tourist attraction, a man-made craft which prints our name on the button, or something that we had been looking forward to for a long time.
Additionally, some gifts are practical and useful. Every time we use them, we will remember the happy hours when there were cheers and laughter, when people cried “hurray!” Take myself for example; I am wearing a watch from my aunt. It is a hello-kitty watch which reminds me of my aunt, a warm-hearted, gentle lady.
As a conclusion, gifts and presents, standing for the most precious parts of our lives, are often deeply rooted in our hearts.
Everyone needs money to support his family and enjoy life. I believe that is one of the most important reasons why people go to work. While an average person just earns a basic salary, some famous athletes and entertainers earn millions of dollars every year. Why is that so? Do these people deserve such high salaries? Before answering these questions, let me ask you another question, where does your salary come from? The answer is: from our employers. Right ! those famous athletes and entertainers make a lot of money for their own employers. Because of their skills and achievements in sports or performing. Other people would like to pay money to watch them playing or acting. This is a part of the nature of human beings. From this aspect, they earn what they are worth, and they deserve what they earn.
In addition, usually those athletes and movie stars have some special talents in a certain area.
Athletes are experts at some specific sport such as baseball, basketball, football and so on. Movie stars are good at performance art. Average people can not reach that level, no matter how hard they try. People who watch their games or movies can obtain happy experiences and enjoyments, which can enrich people’s lives and benefit people’s health. Without sports and movies, our lives would be much boring and less pleasant.
Furthermore, those famous people sacrifice something to get what they have. For example, almost all athletes suffer from injuries because of heavy trainings and physical competitions to win games. Movie stars have to face the fact that average people are not only interested in their movies, but also interested in their personal lives. This is also an integral part of human beings.
Do not be jealous of those famous athletes or entertainers, although we all admire the millions of dollars they make. They have talents, they make us happy and they sacrifice something, either injury or privacy. They earn their own paycheck.
For ages, reading and writing have been vital aids of the intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth of mankind. With rapid changes in society and the scientific advancement of the human race over the decades, the necessity and importance of reading and writing has increased remarkably. It has become a pivotal skill a person should learn to be successful.
Several reasons account for the lesser importance of reading and writing in the past .
Firstly, education was restricted to certain sections of the society and not everyone benefited from its advantages. Only the learned few enjoyed intellectual satisfaction. Knowledge was not shared freely due to lack of proper means of communication, thus preventing many from realizing the benefits of education and learning.
Secondly, technology was not so advanced in the past. Hence the general pace of life was slower than it is now and people did not feel the need to keep themselves abreast of affairs around them. In other words, the need did not arise for mass awareness and participation in efforts for intellectual enlightenment through reading and writing. Nevertheless, writing was more popular than reading, since it was the most common means of communication- in the form of letters.
However, at present, the scenario has changed considerably. Innovation and change are integral parts of life. Now advancement in technology marks the day. To cope with the rapidly evolving new ideas and concepts, reading has become more important now than ever before. Invention of high-tech gadgets and state- of- the-art information systems in areas of communication, transport and general business demands more awareness about contemporary events and changes. With advancement in technology, man’s eagerness to succeed has increased . Consequently, the realization has dawned on him that such dreams can be materialized through intellectual advancement- a feat possible only through self- reading and personal research. The invention of computer has commenced an age of electronic communication and online commerce.
Although writing letters has decreased considerably with the advent of electronic mail, it will take some time to make our varied businesses paperless. Thus though reduced, people still do some writing, usually in forms of documents, memorandums, business contracts or research papers. Education has made people more aware of his potential and reading and writing has become instrumental to man’s success in today’s competitive world.
They will have the possibility to learn any job that interests them.
By volunteering to help an elementary school child learn to read, I am helping him