1 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? There is nothing that young people can teach older people. Use specific reasons and details to support your opinion.
Many of us believe that young people have nothing valuable to teach older people. However that is not always the case. Young people can teach older people about technology, young culture, and young-related social issues.
Young people are usually better at using new forms of technology than older people can learn to use computers from young people. This is true of other technology too. For example ,I taught my grandparents how to use a video cassette recorder when I was thirteen years old. They didn’t know what it could do? Showed them. Now they use it regularly.
Older people are usually not familiar with youth culture, and younger people can help here too. This is important because it can help older people live a more enjoyable life. For example, popular music is generally youth oriented, and older people don’t always listen to it. However, when young people teach them about it, they may come to enjoy it.
MyGrandmother, for example never listened to popular music before I introduces her to it. Note she and I listen and dance all the time. I plan to teach her about another piece of youth culture ---rollerblading----very soon!
Of course, there are more serious issues about which younger people can teach older people. As with computer, today’s children have grown up knowing about AIDS and school violence. That is not true for older generations. Here, again, children can teach older people about things that are important to everyone.
I know there are people who would say “you can’t teach an older dog new tricks.” However, it’s plain to me that the young have plenty to teach the old if they take the time to try. When they do, I think both gain a new appreciation for each other.
2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Reading fiction (such as novels and short stories) is more enjoyable than watching movies. Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.
Reading fiction, such as novels and short stories, is more enjoyable than watching a movie. Of course the images in a movie are much more vivid, because you’re seeing them on a large screen in a dark room. The images you “see” in a novel are only as strong as your own imagination. But the more you read, the stronger your imagination becomes. Reading exercise your imaginative powers. Watching a movie dulls them. Imagination like a muscle needs to be used. Otherwise it can disappear.
When you read, you’re an active participant in your own enjoyment. That’s one reason reading develops the imagination. You’re reading the words on the page and translating them into images in your mind. When you’re watching a movie, you’re a passive viewer. The movie is giving you everything. Nothing comes from you except your reaction to what you’re seeing, and even that can be given you by the movie. Some movie plots are so simple, you can predict what’s going to happen before it does.
Reading fiction also develops your storytelling skills. The more reading you do, the better you become at creating plots and characters. The plots and characters in movies are often very simple, because the emphasis is on action rather than on language or character development.
Still, going to the movies is a great community experience. Sitting in a large theater with a lot of other people is fun. You experience the same reactions to what you’re seeing together. Reading is a one-person experience. It’s a chance to go into an imaginary world by yourself. Both experiences can be fun and rewarding, but I think reading fiction is more enjoyable.
3 Some people say that physical exercise should be a required part of every school day. Other people believe that students should spend the whole school day on academic studies. Which opinion do you agree with? Give specific reasons and details to support your answer.
While physical exercise is important, I do not believe that it is the school’s responsibility to provide physical training for its students. That is something that everyone can take care of on his or her own.
Many students get plenty of physical exercise as part of their daily life or recreation. A student who bicycles ten miles to and from school does not need more exercise. A good physical education program must take a student’s outside activity into consideration. Otherwise, some students will spend valuable class hours repeating physical exercise.
If a school offers such activities, it also suggests that students will be graded on them. The range of possible physical activities is great: football, swimming, weight lifting, ballet, ballroom dance, yoga, skiing, horseback riding, and golf are just a few. However, the number that a school could offer is small. Some students could get bad grades in physical education simply because the school could not provide an activity they enjoy or do well. This seems unfair. Research suggests that participation, not excellence, in these activities determines the physical benefits the body will get.
Another issue is economic. Many schools do not have the money to provide gym facilities, playing fields, and athletic equipment for their students. Other schools are located in cities where that kind of space just isn’t available. A few schools would rather keep money for academic purposes.
Schools can certainly encourage physical activity. They can provide space for notices about activities, events, and classes for physical activities. They can encourage students to plan time away from academic studies to get some exercise. However, I think that providing exercise should not be the school’s responsibility.
4 A university plans to develop a new research center in your country. Some people want a center for business research. Other people want a center for research in agriculture (farming). Which of these two kinds of research centers do you recommend for your country? Use specific reasons in your recommendation.
The importance of agricultural and business research centers cannot be underestimated. Success in farming and success in business each can improve a country’s standing. I think that agricultural research tends to improve the quality of individual citizens’ lives, whereas successful business practices improve a country’s economy in relation to other nations. Choosing between an agricultural and a business research center is a difficult decision. However, I believe that the agricultural research center would be most beneficial because its benefits are more widespread.
Business practices in the United States already serve as a model for many other countries. While we certainly have much to learn, the U.S. already has fairly solid economic basis. Further, businesses are already well-connected internationally. They have the advantage of the Internet and other means of electronic information transmission. I think that a business research center would really only help a few directly. Businessmen would get richer. For the rest of the country’s people, there might be little obvious benefit.
On the other hand, an agricultural research center would help all people. No country can survive without adequate means of food production. While the U.S. is able to produce or import enough food now, that may not remain the case if current trends continue. Natural resources are eroding, and more and more American farms are closing. Farmers need to build stronger networks across the country and internationally, much as businessmen already have done. Ultimately, better systems for farming will help all people. For example, food prices can be reduced as farmers discover more effective means of food production.
Morally, I believe that it is best to do what will benefit the most people. I believe that the university’s decision to build an agricultural research center could do just that.
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