1. |
Do you like taking exams? Of course not! Who does? Only crazy people like taking exams. Exams are not only difficult, but they take a lot of our time. We have to prepare for them, sometimes for days or even weeks. We also must suffer that time in the exam room, afraid to breathe normally and glancing nervously at the clock or our watches. (I don't like to take exams.) Unfortunately, many educators agree that taking tests is the fairest and most convenient way to check on a student's ability and progress. I'm afraid that tests are here to stay. (I really don't like to take exams.) |
2. |
Let me tell you about a class picnic we had not long ago. In the fall, the weather in Taipei is the best of the year. This is the perfect time to take a picnic, because it is neither hot nor cold, and it usually doesn't rain then, either. Our class decided to go to Yangmingshan in October to have our picnic. We prepared for a whole week, deciding who would be responsible to prepare what food or activity. Our picnic was a great success. (The temperature was just right, and the sky was sunny. It wasn't cold or hot, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The weather was perfect. We didn't need our sweaters.) We ate a lot of well-cooked food, played games, and sang many songs. I hope we'll go on another picnic soon. |
3. |
Are you ready for the Y2K problem? "Y2K" refers to the Year 2000 ("y" for "year," "2" for the 2 in 2000, and "K" for "kilo" meaning "1000" of something). On the first day of 2000, many computers will not be able to tell the difference between the year 2000 and the year 1900, so many scientists, government officials, business leaders, and computer technicians are warning people about the Y2K problem. (This problem will occur not in 1999 but in the year 2000.) People should be prepared for these computer problems. (The year 2000 will give us many problems because of the computer.) Today, computers help us do almost everything: they help us in schools, in stores, in government offices, and in hospitals. The people of the world may suffer many problems if they do not pay attention to the Y2K problem! (The year 2000 will be the year of Y2K.) |
4. |
What is a juvenile delinquent? The word juvenile refers to a young person, and a delinquent is a person who behaves in an anti-social way. Together, these two words as a phrase refer to any young person, usually one between the ages of about 10-19, who destroys public property or hurts others physically for fun. This is a serious problem. Young people should be preparing for their future by studying and practicing worthwhile skills and hobbies, not breaking things or hurting others. (Juvenile delinquency is a very important matter which needs to be solved.) Parents, teachers, and government officials need to pay more attention to these youths so their and society's future will be better. (This problem needs our attention because it is a very serious one.) |
5. |
Why should we participate in sports? I can think of three good reasons. First, of course, playing sports makes us healthier and strong. (We will be sick less often and we will have more strength. It's good to be healthy and strong.) Another reason to join in sports is to learn to cooperate with others. Most sports are played with partners, so we can learn how to get along better with others. The third and perhaps most important reason is that by playing sports, we can learn to control our behavior better. Learning how to win and lose are important lessons in life. We cannot always win, nor do we always lose. Sports can teach us how to work hard for victory and how to accept defeat graciously. (We must learn how to win and lose in our lives. Winning and losing are important lessons in our lives.) For these reasons, everyone should continue playing their favorite sport or pick up a new one. |
6. |
Some people prefer living in an apartment, but I would rather live in a house. Apartments can sometimes provide us a view which a house cannot. Apartment buildings can be skyscrapers, while houses cannot. (By living in an apartment high up in a tall building, you can look down on the world below. It's like living like a bird in a tall tree.) Apartments are often also cheaper than houses because they are usually smaller, and they don't have much land. However, for me, a house is the place to be. A house always has a ground floor, and I enjoy having my feet on the ground. I am not afraid of heights, but I prefer living next to Mother Earth. Houses usually have yards large or small, and, again, I like being close to the earth. You can grow a lawn, or some trees, or flowers, or fruits and vegetables, whatever you like. (Having a yard lets you grow things. I really like flowers, fruit trees, and a vegetable garden.) Houses also likely have neighbors. People who live in apartments usually do not know their neighbors very well, but those of us who live in houses frequently do. For these reasons, I hope I can always live in a house. |
7. |
You probably won't believe this, but I never watch TV. "How can that be?" you might ask. ("How can a person in the modern world not watch television?" you might wonder.) Actually, I don't miss watching TV at all. Although today we can watch more than 50 channels (if you have cable TV), there are actually very few good programs. That's why people "channel surf"; they have to flip through a dozen channels before they can find even one they might want to watch. (They have to go through a lot of programs to find one they like.) TV programs take a lot of our time to watch, too. I have better things to do with my time like exercising, socializing, and playing sports with my friends, for example. I can keep my family members company, too. (Or I can take exercise or play sports with my friends.) Active people do not have time for television. (If you are a busy person, you probably don't watch much TV.) For these reasons, why watch TV? |
8. |
When I was a little boy, I used to go fishing and swimming in a river not far from my home. All the boys and girls would play in the river almost every day. (We could fish and swim all day long. I have been fishing since I was a kid.) We could take small boats out, too. Today, my children do not go near the river. Why? It is too polluted to use anymore. It is really dirty. Dead fish can be found everywhere along its shores. The bad smell keeps people away from it. This water pollution is a serious problem. The government and industry should clean the river up so we people can use the river again. (We could go fishing or go swimming in it if we did. We could take small boats out into it, too.) We could drink from the river once again. Everyone should do his best to keep nature clean. |