Agricultural pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Agricultural pollution - Research Paper Example Agricultural pollution is often thought of as something that affects only the rural areas or the crops on the farm and the people who grow them.However,agricultural pollution is the one reason why large tracts of land become unusable after some time,why certain groups of organisms die from lack of plant food Agricultural pollution is usually caused by monoculture of plants as well as other wasteful and faulty farming methods that usually lead to the destruction of the soil, the excessive use of insecticides and the exposure of humans to any of the chemicals used on the farm. Agricultural pollution damages not only the ecosystem but also human health, and the solution to this problem is a combination of methods from the joint efforts of individuals, social organizations and the government. Problems There has been much evidence which shows that the problems in the United States concerning agricultural pollution are actually brought about by the very nature of the structure of American farms as well as the nature of the prevailing government policies concerning agricultural lands and farming. Such policies actually favor large farm size and, more importantly, crop monocultures. It is there monocultures, especially corn monocultures, which cause the greatest harm to agricultural lands. As imperatives to diversify crops disappear from the context of American agriculture, what is slowly replacing this is the reward for monoculture, resulting in a lack of rotation and eventually leading to a high degree of vulnerability of the agroecosystem to high inputs of harmful chemicals (Altieri, 2000). The chemicals used in very large farms where monoculture is practiced are actually the ones that become pollutants to the agricultural lands (Altieri, 2000). The explanation is pretty simple. If there is only one type or two types of crops used on a farm, then it is inevitable that pests would easily build up on this type of crops because it would be easy for them to adapt to the m. Moreover, considering that the farms on which a single type of crop is planted are large farms, then the attack of pests is also on a wide scale basis. Thus, a large number of pests would also require a large amount of pesticide. The nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents of these pesticides are actually the ones responsible for the pollution of the farm itself, of its soil and of the nearby water reserve systems. Moreover, one variety of corn, the genetically engineered Bt corn, may have reduced the number of pests that infest it thus reducing the amount of pesticide as well, but the treatment of the Bt corn seed using neonicotinoid insecticides has become the issue instead. According to a 2012 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, these neonicotinoid insecticides are responsible for the collapse of honeybee colonies and other cases of mortality concerning other species of bees. The real problem with this is that â€Å"35 percent of U.S. crops rely on bees and oth er pollinators to be productive† (Expanding Monoculture, 2012). Thus, even if such a genetically modified crop such as Bt corn is planted to offset the usual pests that bother traditional corn crops, there will still be problems concerning the type of chemical used to treat this genetically modified crop. As always, it is clearly evident that there is always a problem with monoculture. As implied from the previously stated information, the planting of Bt corn can eventually even prove to be extremely harmful to the planting of all other agricultural crops (Expanding Monoculture, 2012). Another problem concerning agricultural pollution is the use of new types of herbicides. Some large-scale farmers decide to use genetically engineered crops that are herbicide-tolerant, especially those that are resistant to 2,4-D and dicamba, which are two of the oldest known herbicides. Thus, considering the resistance of crops to these

Impact Of Legislation On Early Years Practice Education Essay

Impact Of Legislation On Early Years Practice Education Essay The purpose of this paper is to discuss current relevant legislation and how the legislation impacts on an Early Years practice. The experiences and outcomes that children receive in their earliest years can lay the foundations for their journey into adult life and beyond. Legislation has been put in place to ensure that children are given the best possible start in life and that they are given the opportunities for them to reach their full potential. Regardless of their individual needs and backgrounds of race, disability or social status, legislation ensures that they all have the same opportunities in order for them to have a good quality of life in early childhood. In addition, children have a right to be part of their community setting and develop their own individual identity. A childs social class is a major factor in the life chances and the outcomes they are likely to receive in later life. The Equality Act 2010 aims to narrow the gap between social classes, tackles barriers that are holding children back and gives everyone the opportunity to achieve their full potential and contribute in their own way to society. Children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to suffer behaviour and language problems than those from more affluent areas. Furthermore, children from affluent areas are more academically ready to start early education by the age of three years old than those from poorer areas. (Source: Elizabeth Washbrook, Bristol University based on the Millennium Cohort Study) Millennium Cohort Study, Exploration of Some Distinctive Results for Scotland These statistics show the need for early years settings to provide efficient and adequate provision for all children. Child centred settings must ensure that they are fully aware of the content of relevant legislation regarding equality and inclusion that enables children to get the best possible start and get efficient learning that meets their needs in order for them to flourish. A nursery Admission policy ensures that the allocation of nursery places is fair and equal and that there is no discrimination in relation to a childs socio-economic background with regards of where they live or parents occupational backgrounds, stops discrimination against non-admittance of a child with any disabilities or additional needs and shows no favouritism towards admissions of children with high academic level and educational attainment. This policy ensures equality for all and that places are free to all children. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/equality-act-guidance-for-education-providers-schools/admissions/ Settings that promote equality and inclusion are stating that they recognise and uphold childrens rights and will actively contribute to the childrens quality of life. Equal opportunities ensure all children are treated according to their individual needs. We want an education system in Scotland that is inclusive of all pupils, encouraging young people to develop, no matter what additional needs they may have. Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/04/26163423 The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 2009 provides the framework of guidance for the support that all children should receive in order for them to make full use of their abilities within their education. Practitioners must ensure arrangements are in place to identify any additional needs and the learning required, and this can be done by getting to know the child and their background and put the child at the centre. Building good relationships with children and their families will encourage the child to feel safe and develop a sense of belonging. By getting to know as much as possible about the child, practitioners can plan experiences that suit the childs knowledge, experience, age and stage of development and build on these to extend the childs knowledge and learning. North Lanarkshire Councils Inclusive Policy suggests that Personal Learning Plans, Individual Education Programmes and Records of Needs are important for a childs effective learning and through assessment and planning, will provide the foundation to ensuring the individual needs of the child are recognised and met. However, when a support plan is considered necessary, settings must take account of views from other people like parents/carers and additional adults within the setting who assist with supporting inclusion and diversity. Some of these include head teachers, Speech and Language and behaviour therapists and Additional Support Needs Assistants. This partnership will ensure close links are maintained between multi-agencies, support services and the childs family and will help to provide opportunities to share information and make decisions about the best way to meet a childs individual needs. Good inclusive settings can ensure that a child is looked after, despite their individual needs and backgrounds, and enable them to get the best out of their education. http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5642 In addition, practitioners and educators should effectively practice equality for all and be aware of their own attitudes of stereotyping and discriminating against issues of race, disability, sex, social status, age and religion and be positive role models in their responsibilities to promoting equality and inclusion in their setting. http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/equality-act-guidance-for-education-providers-schools/admissions/ http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5640 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/04/26163423 Every Child Matters Framework for Inclusion Gender equality a toolkit for education staff Malik, H. (2003) A Practical Guide to Equal Opportunities, Nelson Thorner Chapter 2 Millennium Cohort Study, Exploration of Some Distinctive Results for Scotland The Child at the Centre The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 2009

Lysander and the Whiskey :: Short Stories Alcohol Essays

Lysander and the Whiskey Once upon a time, in a thick enchanting evergreen forest, lived a young man. He was tall but scrawny and his skin was a deep chestnut from spending his life with nature. His hair was assumed brown, but it was soaked in so much filth that it could be a red or even a blonde color. It was summertime and the lad was relaxing on a hammock he built with willow tree branches. His mouth spread open slowly and his chest rose as he breathed in a deep, lazy yawn. He stretched his thin arms high above him, and smiled as he felt his muscles tense. He fisted his hands and rubbed them over his eyes to help unglue his lids stuck shut. His eyes received handfuls of dirt and the boy blinked wildly to cleanse them out. â€Å"Lysander!† the voice boomed, waking the lad from his peaceful trance, and sending him tumbling off his hammock. â€Å"A chariot comes near! Get goin’, ya rascal!† Lysander was dragged up off the ground by his ear. He looked up to see another scraggly boy, with flaming red hair. Lysander hurried to follow the red-haired boy, keeping sight of his freckle splattered back as he rushed to lead the way through the brush. They ran for the main road that passed through their forest. Sure enough, there was a fancy chariot pulling up alongside them. Lysander and his friend jumped in front of it and shouted, â€Å"Yield!† The chariot slowed and an old man peered his shriveled-up face out the side. â€Å"Gentleman, this is private property,† Lysander heaved his chest high as though he were a proud aristocrat, â€Å"The land belongs to my master, Sir Humphrenfrank. I am not to let you through.† â€Å"Oh, crock. I been round these parts an’ I never heard of any Humphrenfrankster. I’d be damned if I was wrong in saying you’re a prankster.† â€Å"Be warned, you oughtn’t show disrespect on land that ain’t yours, sir,† The red-haired boy answered. â€Å"Aw, come off it boys. I gotta get my way through so cut it out with the ploys.† â€Å"In honesty sir, I suppose I can do you a favor. I can let you through if you would pay some small tolls, eight shillings of gold, sir.† â€Å"Eight shillings! I’m not that meek! Boys make an honest five at the blacksmith’s for a week!†

Communication Barriers

Eliminating Barriers to Cross-Cultural Communication through Curricular Interventions By David Dankwa-Apawu (Lecturer) Ghana Institute of Journalism P. O. Box GP 667 Accra, Ghana +233208704133 +233302228336 [email  protected] co. uk 1 ABSTRACT With the world fast becoming a global village, communicating across cultures has become an inevitable reality. On one hand, cross-cultural communication or intercultural communication presents a fine opportunity to foster global peace and prosperity as we mine the potential value of cultural diversity. Also read: Explain the Importance of Ensuring That Communication Equipment is Correctly Set UpOn the other hand, it can present unpleasant consequences if not well managed. The latter seems more prevalent in our world today as a result of the barriers cultural diversity imposes on intercultural communication. Intercultural or cross-cultural communication barriers such as anxiety, uncertainty, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism are caused by inadequate cultural knowledge and the lack of intercultural communicative skills. Eliminating these barriers will require adequate training in intercultural communication and exposure to cultures outside ours.The school provides the best motivation, structures, and resources for training or socializing our younger generation therefore this paper proposes a number of curricular interventions the school can implement to equip learners to overcome intercultural communication barriers. These interventions include the adoption of multicultural education i n our schools, the introduction of literature and cultural studies as subjects, the use of communicative language teaching approach in teaching language, and the use of the new media in the classroom.The justification (for these interventions) presented in this paper is drawn mainly from published accounts and exploratory ethnographic studies. INTRODUCTION Intercultural communication or cross-cultural communication is a relatively new field of study, yet it has generated a lot of interest. Research in this area has been diverse yet interdisciplinary, making it possible to link intercultural communication to a broad spectrum of disciplines such business, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, and psychology. Studies in intercultural 2 ommunication gained prominence after efforts by anthropologists and linguists like Hall and Lado to link language, culture, and communication (Kramsch, 2001). Initial research in the area focused on developing guidelines or principles for training people who were engaged in multinational businesses, international diplomacy, and missionary activities (Kramsch, 2001). Today, however, many new grounds, in terms of research approaches, have been broken, and more and more theories have been developed to deepen our understanding of intergroup communication.For instance, through various studies it has been possible to distinguish between intercultural and cross-cultural communication, with the former focussing on face-to-face communication between people of different national cultures while the latter involves the comparison of face-to-face communication across cultures (Gudykunst and Mody, 2001). But these two areas are two sides of a coin, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably (Kramsch, 2001).More than the pioneering work of early researchers, global dynamics have remarkably made the field of cross-cultural or intercultural communication attractive. Today there is rapid internationalization of every institution and system in our world: school, religion, business, governance, and so on. This rapid globalisation, being fuelled by unprecedented technological advancement in transport and telecommunication, means people of different cultural backgrounds are increasingly getting close to one another to maximise the value cultural diversity offers.But as we get face-to-face with people of different cultural backgrounds the challenge of dealing with our cultural differences and harnessing the potential benefits of cultural diversity becomes enormous. Cultural differences have significant impact on our intercultural communication. They are the source of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, 3 anxiety, and uncertainty, which ultimately result in miscommunication (Stephan and Stephan, 2002:127; Gudykunst, 2002; Gudykunst and Lee, 2002).Studies in intercultural or cross-cultural communication are helping shape many facets of our human interaction by drawing attention to the characteristics of verbal and nonverbal be haviour across cultures, the impact of culture in constructing meaning, the structure and communicative goals of discourses, and factors that influence our ability, or otherwise, to interact and interpret discourse (Kramsch, 2001). Theories and empirical studies in intercultural communication have had serious implications for social action and social change (Rogers and Hart, 2002:14).It is the purpose of this paper to justify the inclusion of activities that promote intercultural training in school curriculums. This paper proposes a number of activities or interventions the school can implement to help learners deal with the barriers inherent in intercultural communication, and eventually equip them to be effective communicators. The justification presented in this paper is drawn mainly from published accounts and exploratory ethnographic studies.KEY CONCEPTS Culture, Communication, and Intercultural Communication In studying intercultural communication many researchers have attempt ed to conceptualise culture and communication from various perspectives in order to appreciate their interrelationship. Generally, culture is conceptualised as a shared way of life collectively developed and shared by a group of people and transmitted from generation to generation (Tubbs 4 and Moss, 1994).Culture embodies many complex elements such as beliefs, values, language, political systems, and tools which together give a group its code or characteristics (Griffin, 2000; Tubbs and Moss, 1994). This code is not imposed by one individual or an external body. Rather, it is â€Å"socially constructed† (by members that make up the group) and â€Å"historically transmitted† (Philipsen, 1992, cited in Griffin, 2000:390). More significantly, culture is owned by a group of people who by consensus accept and share a common code, verbal or nonverbal, reflective of specific values, beliefs, customs, and so on (Barnet and Lee, 2002).Goodenough (1964) views culture not in term s of things or behaviour but in terms of a picture of things a people form in their minds, and their models for perceiving, relating, and interpreting things and behaviour (cited in Barnet and Lee, 2002:276). The convergence one could draw from all these definitions is the fact that each group is bound by a certain unique way of doing things and interpreting things or behaviour. Communication, though variously defined, generally describes a process by which information is exchanged among two or more people in a given context.Ultimately, this process of exchanging information is bound by a purpose: that is, to reduce uncertainty and develop a common understanding among the interactants (Barnett and Lee, 2002). Intercultural communication is thus â€Å"the exchange of information between well-defined groups of people with significantly different cultures† (Barnett and Lee, 2002:277). The process is quite complex in the sense that this exchange of information takes place in a co ntext which is a fusion of significantly different systems. The process also requires conscious attempts by each party at reducing â€Å"uncertainty about the future behaviour of the other party through an increase in understanding of the other group† (Barnett and Lee, 2002:277; Gudykunst, 2002). Clearly, cultural variability (the extent to which cultures differ) is key to any conceptualization of intercultural communication. Various studies have examined cultural variability at the level of power distribution (or power distance), uncertainty avoidance, gender roles, face negotiation, individualism-collectivism, and others (Gudykunst and Lee, 2002; Griffin, 2000).One popular conclusion is that cultural variability is the main predictor of how successful one can be in any intercultural communication encounter. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Gudykunst’s Anxiety and Uncertainty Management Model Gudykunst and associates developed the anxiety and uncertainty management theory to exp lain what happens when we communicate with people of different cultural backgrounds. The theory suggests that when interlocutors of different cultural backgrounds clash in face-to-face interactions, they are confronted with uncertainty (which Gudykunst describes as cognitive) and anxiety (affective) (Griffin, 2000:396).The uncertainty describes our inability to explain actions and reactions of the â€Å"strangers† we communicate with. It demonstrates how unsure we are about the interpretations we impute on the behaviour of the people we communicate with (Griffin, 2000). Anxiety, on the other hand, portrays our feeling of uneasiness and apprehension about what might happen in the intercultural communication encounter. The extent to which we are influenced by anxiety and uncertainty would determine how effective we would be in our intercultural communication (Gudykunst, 2000). 6Although anxiety and uncertainty exert some influence on intra-group communication, their impact is p rofound in intercultural communication. Anxiety and uncertainty filter the mutual understanding that must exist to make any communication encounter successful. But anxiety and uncertainty are not entirely negative. Rather they compel us to approach our communication with a level of â€Å"mindfulness†, a deliberate thought over the communication process. In our state of uncertainty and uneasiness, we constantly become conscious of our choices and in the long run manage the communication situations to minimise misunderstanding.In intercultural communication anxiety and uncertainty are heighten by cultural variability. If the differences between cultures are profound, anxiety and uncertainty would increase when members of the different cultural groups engage in intercultural communication. In a schematic representation Gudykunst demonstrates the underlying causes of uncertainty and anxiety as motivational, knowledge and skill factors. For this paper these factors offer relevant support for the need to incorporate various interventions into our school curriculum to train learners in intercultural communication.The skill factors include our ability to empathise, tolerate ambiguities, adapt communication, and gather appropriate information. Knowledge of more than one perspective, similarities and differences, alternative interpretations are some of the knowledge factors relevant for effective intercultural communication. The motivational factors are needs, attraction, social bonds and openness to information. Clearly, all these factors are not divorced from the traditional aims of education for which schools are established. Fundamentally society has vested in the school the responsibility of 7 quipping the young generation with skills, knowledge, and the right motivation for dealing with personal and societal challenges (Sadker and Sadker, 2003: 140; Ornstein, 1995). It is therefore not out of place if the school realigns its curriculum to accommodate interv entions that would train young people in intercultural communication, a growing challenge in this globalised world. Through curricular interventions proposed in this paper learners would acquire the requisite skills, knowledge, and motivation to manage their intercultural communication in more effective ways. Training in ntercultural, among other things, exposes learners to barriers such as anxiety, uncertainty, stereotypes, and ethnocentrism inherent in intercultural communication and equips learners with skills such as mindfulness necessary for managing intercultural communication. This theory strongly support the need for training in intercultural communication and in my view the school has the space, time, orientation, and resources to offer such training. Communicative Competence Hymes (1972) developed the theory of communicative competence to establish a link between language and culture (Richards and Rogers, 1986:69).This theory asserts that both linguistic knowledge and soci ocultural or contextual knowledge are prerequisites for any effective intercultural communication (Richards and Rogers, 1986:69). Communicative competence highlights the view that language and culture are inseparable. Therefore linguistic competence should go along with a commensurate cultural competence, that is, one described as communicatively competent must have both linguistic and cultural competence.Linguistic competence is demonstrated in the grammatical knowledge one possesses, such as knowledge of words, phrases, and sentences and rules governing their combination in discourse. Cultural competence, on the other hand, focuses on the cultural propriety of linguistic choices in a real 8 communication encounter. Different social situations require different routines that are culturally defined. The competent communicator chooses the appropriate linguistic forms that meet the cultural expectation of the context in which the communication takes place.In some contexts in Ghana, fo r instance, â€Å"Please† is a polite marker not just for requests but all forms of speech acts or discourse, especially with adults. Therefore, it is not uncommon to hear expressions like â€Å"Please, Good morning,† â€Å"Yes, Please,† and â€Å"Please, my name is Kofi†. The speaker with communicative competence would have to vary his routines to meet the differences in cultural expectations. If the same communicator meets a native British the above use of â€Å"Please† would be avoided.The theory of communicative competence lends enough credence to the call for training in intercultural communication in our schools through direct and indirect curricular interventions. Traditionally, our school system has focused on training learners to acquire grammatical knowledge. This paper calls for a commensurate training in contextual competence. Such competence will include knowledge of the different expectations different cultural contexts impose on diff erent communication situations. This knowledge is vital in reducing anxiety and uncertainty which are inherent barriers in intercultural communication.Recent studies in intercultural communication strongly support the need for intercultural training of employees, both domestic and international, in areas of cultural diversity and intercultural communication (Albert, 1994). The position of this paper is that the school (from the basic to the tertiary levels) is a better placed to offer this training. 9 BARRIERS TO INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION Misunderstanding is the ultimate barrier to communication (Griffin, 2000:394). Communication is said to have taken place when interlocutors have been able to reach some common interpretation of their intentions.Even in intra-group communication it is almost impossible to reach absolute understanding. This makes inter-group or inter-cultural communication even more challenging. The existence of cultural variability is in itself a barrier to interc ultural communication. When cultures are widely apart or different, it means the level of cultural variability is high, resulting in high levels of anxiety and uncertainty, which ultimately bring tension and misunderstanding into the intercultural communication situation. To illustrate: I gave a gift to a colleague who came from a different cultural background.My expectation was an extended response of appreciation from him. My disappointment was with the left hand with which he took the gift and the brief appreciation he expressed. He didn’t like, or he didn’t value it. I was worried he would not be nice towards me again. All these interpretations I made reflected my uncertainty about his actions and my anxiety reflected my worry and apprehensions about what might happened. My cultural context reflects a high context type in which more attention is given to interpreting non-verbal behaviours.By sharp contrast my colleague belonged to a low cultural context which stres ses direct and explicit communication, that is, verbal messages are vital in a communication process. 10 Mistranslation Barriers to verbal communication include cultural mistranslation (Tubbs and Moss, 1994). This is common in second and foreign language context. Scholars are divided over how such mistranslation should be perceived (Kachru, 1990). While some have described mistranslation in derogatory terms like â€Å"interference† and â€Å"sub-standard forms†, others have perceived them as innovations which reflect cultural dynamics.But the reality is that in intercultural communication mistranslation undermines understanding. Literal translation such as â€Å"I am going to come† instead of â€Å"I shall return† can be sources of misunderstanding. Expressions such as â€Å"I am going to greet the king† or â€Å"to the white house† or â€Å"to the end room† (meaning â€Å"I am going to the toilet†) are cultural innovations tha t can be sources of misunderstanding in inter cultural communication. Norms and Roles Norms are culturally defined rules for determining acceptable and appropriate behaviour (Tubbs and Moss, 1994).They include those that govern social situations and conversational routines such as greetings, making requests, and expressing various emotions. In intercultural communication interlocutors may be tempted to transfer their cultural norms to contexts that are not appropriate (Richards and Sukwiwat, 1983). Roles are also sources of cultural variability. Roles are sets of norms applicable to specific groups of people in society. In a particular culture, different roles are assigned to men and women, children and parents/guardians, usbands and wives, and so on. In some Ghanaian contexts women are expected to kneel while talking to men; subjects cannot talk directly to a chief except through linguists. Violations of these roles may pose serious threats to intercultural communication. 11 Belief s and Values Beliefs and values impede understanding in intercultural communication. Some interlocutors will not be forthright with information on personal ambition, finances, and career plans because of their beliefs, especially beliefs that assert strong influence of the supernatural on man.Beliefs in witchcraft, for instance, would scare people from giving out personal information to strangers. On the other hand, people would usually readily communicate their values and feelings, especially when such values are being disrespected. Stereotyping Stereotypes are our value judgements about people (Pang, 2001:114). They are born out of our inadequate information about people, making us make unintelligent choices in our intercultural communication. Cultural stereotypes, like any other type of stereotypes, hinder understanding because they exaggerate or overgeneralize what we perceive about people (Tubbs and Moss, 1994).Overgeneralised thoughts result in misinterpretation of actions, th us heightening anxiety, which is a threat to understanding. Almost everyone imposes one stereotype or the other on individuals or groups of people. Stereotypes can be favourable or unfavourable to a group (Pang, 2001). Some stereotypes include perceiving some groups as quick tempered, dishonest, smart, and liars. Generally, stereotypes are born out of our fear of the group we stereotype or the lack of knowledge of the group, or misconceptions, or high levels of cultural variability (Pang, 2001).The media is unfortunately perceived as a strong promoter of stereotypes (Tubbs and Moss, 1994; Pang, 2001). This is because the media is a major source of information about foreigners or strangers. As we watch movies or international news we form exaggerated opinions about the 12 groups represented. Usually the amount of information we gather is limited thus leading us to form such inadequate conclusions. Dispelling stereotypes seems almost impossible, and in intercultural communication the challenge to dispel stereotypes is even more profound.However, since stereotypes are born out of inadequate cultural information or experience of other cultures, cultural awareness and intercultural training can be helpful in dealing with cultural stereotypes. Ethnocentrism Our own cultural experience inadvertently causes us to feel that culture is innate. Hence we are forced to feel or think that our group’s way of life is the standard against which all other groups’ culture should be assessed. Therefore any contrary code or behaviour is considered improper or irresponsible or politically motivated (Hall, 1976, cited in Tubbs and Moss, 1994:443).This tendency to judge the code of other cultures by using our culture as the standard is described as ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism creeps into intercultural communication to filter understanding by heightening anxiety, which, as shown, is a threat to understanding (Stephan and Stephan, 1992). The higher the level of ethnocent rism, the higher the level of anxiety. Cross-cultural awareness is can go a long way to reduce ethnocentrism and, invariably, anxiety and enhance our capacity to handle intercultural communication in effective ways.CURRICULA INTERVENTIONS Curriculum refers to the totality of the experience the school offers learners. It includes both planned and unplanned activities, the physical and socio-cultural environment which impact directly or indirectly on the learner. This paper proposes that the school, through its curriculum, make conscious efforts at promoting intercultural training. Below are the interventions proposed: 13 Multicultural Education With the world shrinking into a global village, nations, businesses, schools, organizations, and our societies at large are becoming culturally diverse (Spring, 2002).On daily basis we are compelled by globalization to interact or relate with people of different cultural origin. To deal with the challenges of cultural diversity there is the ne ed for our schools to adopt the multicultural educational approach. Multicultural education is not just accommodation different cultures in a school setting. Rather multicultural education aims at providing an enabling school environment which equips learners to function in other culture without losing ties with their original culture (Spring, 2002).A multicultural school environment brings together learners of different cultural background for the purpose of equipping them with skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will make them functional both to themselves and to the larger society. Such settings are better posed to respond more effectively to children of different cultural backgrounds and exploit those differences as foundations on which new learning can be built (Tozer, Violas, and Senese 2001). Multicultural education directly or indirectly equips learners to be able to manage the uncertainty and anxiety that usually characterise intercultural communication.Gudykunst’s axiom 37 asserts that when we share a common objective with strangers our anxiety levels decrease and we are able to build the needed confidence in predicting their behaviour. At the very superficial level, just putting together people of different cultural origin under the common goal of schooling or education would help reduce misunderstanding that usually comes from uncertainty and anxiety (Griffin, 200:401) 14 A multicultural curriculum offers an excellent educational environment for learners to learn more about people of other cultures, thus reducing stereotypes and ethnocentric tendencies.Stereotypes results from limited experience or information about other cultures. If learners get to experience other learners of different cultural backgrounds they learn more about their cultures. In Ghana, until recently, secondary schools and colleges were characterised by students of different cultural backgrounds. This provided real opportunities for students to appreciate the cultural diversity of the country. Though each school was culturally diverse there existed a strong common bound in each school, especially during inter collegiate competitions.Here diversity well managed brings unity. This situation is unfortunately being replaced by I proposed that when community schools, which are generally culturally homogenous. community schools are established educational systems should promote diversity in the positing of students to school and colleges. Cultural Studies Not long ago, cultural studies was a subject in basic schools in Ghana and learners were exposed to the diverse cultural groups in the country. Beneficiaries of this curriculum acquired basic knowledge of the different cultural groups.They had the opportunity to acquire, among other things, knowledge of conventional routine differences, differences in political institutions and values. A unique feature of the cultural studies curriculum was the approach. Teachers were encouraged to use resource person s in their communities. These were indigenes of the cultures being represented or taught. Again, role plays, field trips and audio visual materials were included in the teaching methods of the subject.Cultural studies provided a platform for learners to juxtapose their culture with others in order to appreciate the diversity and its prospects, especially in this age of globalisation. 15 Cultural knowledge reduces â€Å"cultural shock† which sometimes leads to negative attitude towards a new culture (DeVito, 2002). Gudykunst’s axiom 41 supports the view that an increase in our knowledge of strangers’ language and culture will produce an increase in our ability to manage our anxiety and an increase in our ability to accurately predict their behaviour (Griffin, 2000:400).Certainly there are enough reasons for the inclusion of cultural studies in our school curriculum. The Study of Literature Literature as a discipline provides an ideal opportunity to integrate cult ural content into the school curriculum (Pang, 2001:224). While providing delight and enjoyment, literature sharpens our imaginations and offers us a vicarious experience in the world we live in (Huck, Helper, Hickman, and Kiefer, 2001:8). Literature offers us the fastest, cheapest, but the most thrilling cruise around the world. The experience we enjoy in literatures is timeless as we read from across the globe.We can also travel as far back as the era of Beowulf, Sophocles, Chaucer, and Shakespeare or fly into the year 2044 in Welwyn Wilton Katz’s Time Ghost. In all these experiences literature offers a unique approach to learning about the culture of people in different parts of the world, how their culture existed, how it is evolving, and how it may change with time. Texts which portray authentic intercultural interactions provide readers with the motivation, knowledge, and skills to overcome anxiety, uncertainty, and other barriers of intercultural communication.The Comp rehensiveness of literature experience provides meaningful ways of reducing stereotyping and ethnocentric tendencies. 16 Language Teaching and Learning Traditional language curriculums focus on grammatical competence while communicative competence suffers neglect. Products of such curriculums usually display high competence in linguistic knowledge but lack requisite skills in handling authentic communication (Dzamishie, 1997; Richards and Rogers, 1986; Richards and Sukwiwat, 1983). What they lack is a basic understanding of the socio-cultural function of language.In second and foreign language learning contexts the challenge has always been which model learners should be exposed to and which language culture should be emphasised. Of course it makes sense to adopt the target or native speaker model, with all the cultural attachments, as medium of instruction. But such a choice without recourse to the changing communication needs of learners will not be appropriate. To address the dil emma of which model to use, Norrish (1978) calls for a liberalisation of views on non standard language varieties. The English language, for instance, has metamorphosed into several Englishes.Therefore, â€Å"to teach only one form of English would seem to be asking for a conflict between the different Englishes in use. † (Norrish 1978:35). The most meaningful approach then is to â€Å"consider the different uses of English in a particular country† (Norrish, 1978:35). The question should be: Which models will serve the communication needs of learners? If learners need English to communicate with native speakers, then the native model should be taught. Similarly, if learners would largely communicate in a typical Ghanaian context, for instance, then the Ghanaian model, with its cultural innovations, should be the model.In so far as it is possible, more than one model should be taught. This is the poly-model Norrish proposes. The poly-model exposes 17 learners to the cul ture behind language. It emphasises socio-cultural or contextual awareness in communication especially between inter-groups. Concerning approach, the communicative language teaching model is popular today (Richards and Rogers, 1986; Dzameshie 1997). This approach focuses on communicative competence. Its curriculum is experience-based and learner-centred (Richards and Rogers, 1986).The content generally includes â€Å"well-selected experiences† that reflect the real life or authentic communication needs of learners (Richard and Rogers, 1986). The value of this approach in intercultural communication is the experience the language curriculum offers. Communicative language teaching addresses learners’ language needs, equipping them to communicate effectively in a world of cultural diversity. The New Media in the classroom The digital age is not only making it easier and faster for us to get closer to each other, it is also making it possible for us to see and know what ot hers are doing.The new media in the classroom provides learners with a window through which they can see people of other cultures. Through virtual tours to places of different cultural backgrounds, documentaries, interviews, and social sites, learners bridge the gap of knowledge they know about people on the other side of their culture. The prospects are tremendous but the challenges are enormous. The digital divide is still too wide for us to be able to explore other cultures. In many developing countries access to the new media is still a luxury. 18IMPLICATIONS The inclusion of intercultural training in our school curriculum is worthwhile for our schools, and the world of work, which are fast becoming culturally diverse. Unfortunately many students, teachers, and school authorities are being frustrated by the diversity invading the school. Training learners and educators to deal with the barriers diversity creates in their intercultural relationships will transform our schools int o peaceful and conducive learning and working environments while preparing learners to face the communication realities in the world outside the school.Intercultural training will certainly link the school with industry or the world of work. If the school provides adequate intercultural training through various curricular activities, it will reduce the cultural shock learners are bound to face after school. Although many disciplines are craving for attention and inclusion in our school curriculum and curriculum developers are overwhelmed by what should be where at what time and with what resource, the best decision lies in counting the cost, weighing the options available and taking bold political and socio-economic steps.Implementing these curricula interventions would involve the realignment of the school curriculum, bearing in mind various needs and interests. In this case there should be a clear policy framework that will guide design, implantation, and evaluation of the new cur riculum being proposed. Again, there would be the need to adequately resources our schools to accommodate the changes proposed. CONCLUSION This paper has proposed that the school curriculum provide space for activities that will train learners to overcome barriers inherent in intercultural communication.There could be many other interventions, but what this paper seeks to suggest is that interventions through the school 19 curriculum should be the first option. Neither educational level nor geographical boundaries are specified in this paper. This is born out of the belief that intercultural relation or communication is real and knows no limits. This paper has provided justification for the inclusion in our school curriculum training in intercultural communication. The next challenge that should attract the attention of researchers is how to design, implement, and evaluate the propose curricula change.REFERENCES Albert, R. D. (1994). Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Training in Multinational Organizations. In Wiseman, R. L. and Shuter, R. (eds. ) Communicating in Multinational Organizations. International and Intercultural Communication Annual. Vol xviii (153165). London: Sage Publications. Barnett, G. A. and Lee, M. (2002). Issues in Intercultural Communication Research. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 275-290). London: Sage Publications. DeVito J. A. (2002). Messages: Building Interpersonal Communication Skills.Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Dzameshie, A. K. (1997). Towards a Communicative Approach to Teaching English as a Second Language in Ghana. In Dakubu, M. E. K. (ed. ) English in Ghana (pp 173-194). Accra: Ghana English Studies Association. Griffin, E. (2000). A First Look at Communication Theory. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Gudykunst, W. B. (2002). Intercultural Communication Theories. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 183-2 05). London: Sage Publications. 20 Gudykunst, W. B. and Lee, C. M. (2002).Cross-Cultural Communication Theories. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 25-50). London: Sage Publications. Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody, B. (2002). Foreword. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 25-50). London: Sage Publications. Huck, C. S. ; Helper, S. ; Hickman, J. ; and Kiefer, B. Z. (2001). Children’s Literature in the Elementary School. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Kachru, B. (1990). World Englishes and Applied Linguistics.World Englishes 9 (1): 3-20. Kramsch, C. (2001) Intercultural Communication. In Carter, R. And Nunan, D. (eds. ) The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (pp 201-206). Cambridge: CUP Norrish, J. (1978). Liberalisation of views on non-standard forms of English. In The British Council. ELT documents: English as an international la nguage. London: The British Council, English Teaching Information Centre, pp. 34-39. Ornstein, A. C. (1990). Strategies for Effective Teaching. Madison: Brown and Benchmark Publishers. Pang, V. O. (2001).Multicultural Education: A Caring-Centred, Reflective Approach. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Rogers, E. M. and Hart, W. B. (2002). The Histories of Intercultural, International, and Development Communication. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 1-18). London: Sage Publications. Richards, J. C. and Rogers, T. S. (1986). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching: A Description and Analysis. Cambridge: CUP 21 Richards, J. C. and Sukwiwat, M. (1983). Language Transfer and Conversational Competence. Applied Linguistics 4 (2): 113-125.Sadker, D. M and Sadker M. P. (2003). Teachers, Schools and Society. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Spring, J. (2002). American Education. Boston: the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Stephan, C. W. and Stephan, W . G. (2002). Cognition and Affect in Cross-Cultural Relations. In Gudykunst, W. B. and Mody B. (eds. ) Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication (pp 127-142). London: Sage Publications. Tozer, S. E. ; Violas, P. C. , and Senese, G. (2002). School and Society. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Tubbs, S. L. and Moss, S. (1994). Human Communication. Boston: McGraw-Hill. 22

Science and People

In some countries young people have little leisure time and are under a lot of pressure to work hard in their studies. What do you think are the causes of this? What solutions can you suggest? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Nowadays, there is a cut throat competition from the beginning when a kid starts going school to getting admission in college and then for a job in a multinational company. It arouses a lot of pressure on youths to work hard in thier studies and thus, they get little time for their leisure activities.Most importantly, the increasing competition shows the lack of school, colleges and other resources with respect to increasing population and other thing is our education system which focuses on working hard on studies and have no or very less significance of other activities like games. There are very few government seats in schools and colleges and to get selected for those seats among thousands of students is a big challenge. Therefore, to win this battle, students have to work hard and sacrifice their free time to studies.However, it is equally important ,as studies, to have some free time for relaxation, refreshment and other physical activities which helps them to grow mentally and physically fit. Secondly, the education system which mainly focuses on studies and has very less significance to other activities. No doubt that education is necessary but the way it is carried to students is equally important. It should be in innovative ways and receptive to new ideas so that students could enjoy while learning instead of taking it as a burden or feel pressurized for it.Thus, in such a way, if students are gaining knowledge while playing or via interesting experiments, the difference between leisure and studies time will go off. Additionally, parents and society are also responsible of this situation of youths today. Some parents show off and compare their children's grade w ith other in a society and to maintain the best status they exert pressure on their kids irrespective of their interests in studies. Youths are the only sufferer who put all their effort to accomplish their parents' dream and to live in society with pride.So the big question is where this situation is leading to and who are affected by this ? Of course, first of all, our young generation who are in this situation and sometimes, they are so burdened that they commit suicide with the fear of failing and in depression. Next, the country whose future depends upon its young generation and if it leads to a tough side then surely it is not going to progress. Furthermore, The solution lies in problems and definitely, we need to increase number of schools and colleges and provide free education to educate more and more people.At the same time we need to maintain the same standards in all the schools and colleges so that there will no differentiation among children from different institutes. Additionally, there is need to have some amendments in education system to make it interesting and experimental. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for students to study history and literature than it is for them to study science and mathematics. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Nowadays students can choose what type of academics they want to learn.Some of them prefer to develop their knowledge in history and literature. However others want to study science and math rather than humanities. The issue what field of science is more important is a very controversial one. Personally, I think that both options have its advantages. From my point, each student has to learn history, literature as well as science and math on basic level. But they can advance in certain knowledge afterwards according to their own talents and preferences. In the following paragraphs I will mention reasons of my opinion. First of all, learning hi story and literature extend our awareness of umankind past and cultural development. Students have to know about their ancestors and their cultural achievements. Moreover, literature introduces them to moral and ethical examples of people behavior as far as a spiritual and humanistic progress. Classical literature masterpieces inspire us to think over main values of humankind. Second of all, our contemporary world develops due to the progress of science and math. There is no business that can work without calculation and analysis. That is why students should not avoid learning basic knowledge in science and math because it might be helpful in their future success in business.We cannot imagine the modern life without technologies which embrace all parts of our lives. It would be better to be aware of technological principles which are based on science and math. Thirdly, I think that students would like to develop their intellect and extend their knowledge because the contemporary pro gress needs intelligent people who are able to accomplish different kind of tasks at the same time and succeed in different social aims. People who have extended minds and high intelligence are more efficient in life and in business.They easy can find their knowledge application and adapt to changing society needs. In conclusion, I must point out that I disagree with the statement that history and literature are more important than science and mathematics. I believe that each of them bring benefits in our lives. Therefore each of those fields must be studied in schools because in our modern society we have to know about the humankind history and cultural achievements as well as the progress in science and mathematics. It is very clear now that English should be the primary foreign language taught in all schools around the world.Learning a different language before English is, in today’s world, a waste of time. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? English has become t he most significant language in the world. Due to this fact studying English as a foreign language dominates over the other languages which last time are considered to be useless in a modern life. I absolutely agree with this point of view. First of all, it is well-known, that the most respectable and popular higher educational establishments and business schools in the world held education process in English.That is mean if you are going to enter such university as Oxford, Cambridge or take MBI course you definitely should have an excellent English proficiency. This necessary condition is almost impossible if you studied another foreign language at school. Secondly, English is recognized as a language of business world. International trades, logistics and manufacturing require English-speaking specialists because all these fields exist and improve due to the international communications and experience. Such exchange of skills and knowledge is possible because there is the one commo n language which is understood in all countries.If you want to be involved into successful business process, to get well-paid job and to have opportunity to be appreciated and promoted you have to speak exactly English well. Thirdly, nowadays English is vital for travelling. Tourism industry is constantly growing and English-speaking personnel serves you not only in the biggest and top hotels, but also in small hotels which are situated at the edge of world. Moreover, many countries introduce the system of English names of streets, subway and bus stations and tourist attractions what makes easier for tourists to find right place during traveling.For these reasons mentioned above I think that studying English as a foreign language at school is substantial and obviously so children should not spend their time on learning other languages which is not so important. __________________ Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for students to study histor y and literature than it is for them to study science and mathematics. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Nowadays students can choose what type of academics they want to learn. Some of them prefer to develop their knowledge in history and literature.However others want to study science and math rather than humanities. The issue what field of science is more important is a very controversial one. Personally, I think that both options have its advantages. From my point, each student has to learn history, literature as well as science and math on basic level. But they can advance in certain knowledge afterwards according to their own talents and preferences. In the following paragraphs I will mention reasons of my opinion. First of all, learning history and literature extend our awareness of humankind past and cultural development.Students have to know about their ancestors and their cultural achievements. Moreover, literature introduces them to moral and ethic al examples of people behavior as far as a spiritual and humanistic progress. Classical literature masterpieces inspire us to think over main values of humankind. Second of all, our contemporary world develops due to the progress of science and math. There is no business that can work without calculation and analysis. That is why students should not avoid learning basic knowledge in science and math because it might be helpful in their future success in business.We cannot imagine the modern life without technologies which embrace all parts of our lives. It would be better to be aware of technological principles which are based on science and math. Thirdly, I think that students would like to develop their intellect and extend their knowledge because the contemporary progress needs intelligent people who are able to accomplish different kind of tasks at the same time and succeed in different social aims. People who have extended minds and high intelligence are more efficient in life and in business. They easy can find their knowledge application and adapt to changing society needs.In conclusion, I must point out that I disagree with the statement that history and literature are more important than science and mathematics. I believe that each of them bring benefits in our lives. Therefore each of those fields must be studied in schools because in our modern society we have to know about the humankind history and cultural achievements as well as the progress in science and mathematics. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for students to study history and literature than it is for them to study science and mathematics. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.The priority of technical disciplines over humanitarians in the tertiary education has been widely discussed in the recent years. Reduction in number and variety of humanitarian classes offered by colleges and universities became the subject of great co ncern in modern society. Although according to late statistics more and more young people are choosing to get a degree in history or literature. It is hard to understate the importance of history and literature in the personal development. In contradistinction to natural science which is based solely on empirical approach history is purely analytical.Students learn to recognize crusial consequences of famous historical events and different regimes. Knowing the past helps to forsee the future. Literature, on the other hand, inspires imagination and creative thinking (e. g. Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings) and raises moral dilemmas(e. g. Dead Souls, Fathers and Sons). However, mathematical and scientific discoveries made incredible technical progress of the last century possible. To this findings we owe the space rockets, television, computers, Internet, life expectancy doubling. The first web camera was invented in the science department of Cambridge University.Also I believe that conducting experiments for science assignment helps students to become observers, to see and understand the world around them deeper, in the same way that solving the equations helps to develop strong deduction and reasoning skills. Taking into account everything mentioned above I am inclined to believe that science and mathematics are important subjects to study, but history and literature are essential for young people’s moral development, because science discoveries and technological progress became dangerous without moral and impossible without creativity.Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for students to study history and literature than it is for them to study science and mathematics. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. The priority of technical disciplines over humanitarians in the tertiary education has been widely discussed in the recent years. Reduction in number and variety of humanitarian classes offered by colleges and universities became the subject of great concern in modern society. Although according to late statistics more and more young people are choosing to get a degree in history or literature.It is hard to understate the importance of history and literature in the personal development. In contradistinction to natural science which is based solely on empirical approach history is purely analytical. Students learn to recognize crusial consequences of famous historical events and different regimes. Knowing the past helps to forsee the future. Literature, on the other hand, inspires imagination and creative thinking (e. g. Alice in Wonderland, Lord of the Rings) and raises moral dilemmas(e. g. Dead Souls, Fathers and Sons).However, mathematical and scientific discoveries made incredible technical progress of the last century possible. To this findings we owe the space rockets, television, computers, Internet, life expectancy doubling. The first web camera was invente d in the science department of Cambridge University. Also I believe that conducting experiments for science assignment helps students to become observers, to see and understand the world around them deeper, in the same way that solving the equations helps to develop strong deduction and reasoning skills.Taking into account everything mentioned above I am inclined to believe that science and mathematics are important subjects to study, but history and literature are essential for young people’s moral development, because science discoveries and technological progress became dangerous without moral and impossible without creativity. Successful sports professionals can earn a great deal more money than people in other important professions. Some people think that this is fully justified while others think it is unfair. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. It is true that sports stars often earn huge salaries.While there are some good reasons why this is the case, I pers onally believe that is wrong for these people to be paid more than other professionals. On the one hand, there are several convincing arguments in favor of sportsmen being paid more than other skilled individuals. First, sport is a very time and effort-demanding occupation. As a rule, a regular sportsman spends about 10 hours a day to keep fit and around 14 hours before going to a competition, which significantly exceeds 8 hours a day – working standard established by the government in most countries.Second, there is a so called â€Å"age limit† in sport. While most best-paid international football and tennis players seem to be relatively young, there are few, if any, sport stars aged 35 and more. Taking the above said into account, it is very unlikely for a sport star to earn fabulous wages throughout his or her whole life. On the other hand, it could be argued that other skilled occupations require less time of efforts. For instance, chief executives or chief financi al officers rarely leave their workplace on time with most of their colleagues.Many of them stay up another few hours so that they can solve all pending questions, many of which require plenty of critical thinking and strategic planning. Furthermore, many people are inclined to believe that such skilled workers as doctors or lawyers make a greater contribution to the society rather than sportsmen do. A surgeon, saving his patient’s life or a barrister, presenting interests of his falsely accused defendant seem to be of greater importance to the state, hence this should be represented in the amount of money these skilled professionals receive.On the whole, there is undoubtedly a great difference in the amount of money earned by sportspeople and other professional workers. However, it is my firm conviction that salary rates should not depend on the area of your employment and sport professionals should gain the same amount of money, just like the other professionals. Improvemen ts in health, education and trade are essential for the development of poorer nations. However, the governments of richer nations should take more responsibility for helping the poorer nations in such areas.Today’s world has been divided into developing and industrialised countrieswhich the main difference between them is the amount of money that governments apply in important sectors such as education, health and commerce. Most of the poorer nations are buried in debts as a result of their unbalanced finances which are reflect in a failed health care, an unstructured education system and a weak international trade. This vicious cycle will continue indefinitely unless wealthier nations show interest in minimizing the worldwide economic differences, as well as taking more responsibility for assisting unfortunate countries.Most of the African countries live in sub-human conditions because of the extreme poverty, upheaval, hunger, disease, unemployment, lack of education and bot h inexperienced and corrupt administrations. The devastating consequences of the AIDS epidemic in those countries could improve if the infected populations receive free drugs to control the disease, have access to health professionals and get information on how to prevent its spread. But this can only be achieved through international help programs in which leaders of the world? s richest countries donate medicine and also send doctors and nurses to treat and educate those in need.Moreover, most of the poor countries rely on selling agricultural products and raw material to rich nations and buying industrialized products from them resulting in a huge financial deficit. Consequently, they borrow a significant amount of money from the World Bank to try to improve their broken economies, but sometimes the money disappears with no significant changes and they cannot even pay the interest to the bank. Regarding this issue, last year the G8, which is comprised of leaders of the eight rich est nations, decided to forgive billions of dollars worth of debt owed by the world? poorest nations. In addition, they developed adequate loan programs to financially assist those countries. In conclusion, leaders of the industrialised countries play an indispensable role in assisting developing nations deal with essential areas such as health, education and trade. Also, their aid is the key to breaking the vicious cycle, which results in poverty and death. Topic 1: It has been claimed that workers over 50 are not responsive to rapidly changing ideas in the modern workplace and that for this reason younger workers are to be prefered.To what extent would or support or reject this idea? 250 words Done In contemporary society, advanced technology has led to achievements in most places, of course, headquarters is not excluded. Therefore, many people, including myself, have an opinion that laborers over fifty cannot adapt to changes in the modern places. First and foremost, most compani es require job candidates to have necessary skills such as: presentation, teamwork, computer and English skills. With older workers, there is a greater change that some of these skills have been forgotten since their trainning many decades ago.Consequently, the government or the companies have to pay a lot of money to re-train old staff. It can not be denied that recruiting young employees is a better choice. Moreover, the over-fifty-year-old workmen face physical problems that make it difficult to memorize new knowledge. For instance: in some modern high tech industries like computer programming, it is easier for younger people to learn a large amount of information. Secondly, the world has been facing a global economy crash. This leads to an increase unemployed workers, not only in developing nations but also in industrialized countries.For example, in England, the unemployment rate in June of this year was 7. 8%, double that of 2008 according the Labour force survey. Thus, the ol d workers should retire to create opportunities for younger people who are full of energy and ambition to icrease the benefit for their companies. In conclusion, using younger employees in modern places is better than relying on older workers. Essay 2: Some people believe that children’s leisure activities must be educational, otherwise they are a completely waste of time. Do you agree or disagree?Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your experience. Done: Education has played an important role in our society. Many people think that leisure activities also have an educational purpose, others say that they are not necessary. From my point of view, I support the former not only because of psychology but also playing importance. The first reason why educational activities are important is the role they play in developing a child’s psychology. In the first stage of life, babies play with members in their family such as their siblings and par ents.The fact shows that if a child is satisfied with whatever he or she wants, as a consequence, he or she would be bad and has negative reactions unless not receiving what he or she wants in the future. Clearly, the more they grow, the more time they spend with their friends. This helps to form their personality, thus, as parents, teaching sons and daughters to know how to choose or make friends, to share something with others and to learn to cooperate is extremely important. Unless they have many difficulties to intergrate into society. Secondly, playing has an important role in the first stages of life.Thus, through this activity, teachers or parents could give children more motivation to learn and teach them . In fact, to help pupils memorise knowledge or attract them to lectures, teachers usually give games such as puzzles or through role games, pupils learn more how to show the emotion or feelings of historical characters. Similarly, at home, parents give legends for their ch ildren to teach principal values such as: honest, kind-hearted, humane and brave in the life as well as to develop their souls. In conclusion, for kids, leisure activities have to correspond to educational purposes to help them develop as much as possible.Essay 3: It has been claimed that workers over 50 are not responsive to rapidly changing ideas in the modern workplace and that for this reason younger workers are to be preffered. To what extent would or support or reject this idea? 250 words Done In contemporary society, advanced technology has led to achievements in most places, of course, headquarters is not excluded. Therefore, many people, including myself, have an opinion that laborers over fifty cannot adapt to changes in the modern places. First and foremost, most companies require job candidates to have necessary skills such as: presentation, teamwork, computer and English skills.With older workers, there is a greater change that some of these skills have been forgotten s ince their trainning many decades ago. Consequently, the government or the companies have to pay a lot of money to re-train old staff. It can not be denied that recruiting young employees is a better choice. Moreover, the over-fifty-year-old workmen face physical problems that make it difficult to memorize new knowledge. For instance: in some modern high tech industries like computer programming, it is easier for younger people to learn a large amount of information.Secondly, the world has been facing a global economy crash. This leads to an increase unemployed workers, not only in developing nations but also in industrialized countries. For example, in England, the unemployment rate in June of this year was 7. 8%, double that of 2008 according the Labour force survey. Thus, the old workers should retire to create opportunities for younger people who are full of energy and ambition to icrease the benefit for their companies. In conclusion, using younger employees in modern places is better than relying on older workers.Essay 4: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion †¢ You should write at least 250 words. †¢ You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Done In contemporary society, the individual freedom is paid to attention more and more. Thus, many people think that teens should be fee to give their decisions even milestone in their life. Others say that they are the responsibility of their parents or older relatives.From my point of view, I completely agree with the former. Noone can denied that children from 15 to 18 passed puberty with a number of physical changes as well as mental ones , for example, a deeper voice and lager adam’apple in boys, and development of breasts and more curved and prominent hips in girls. Similarly, they are mature enough to be entrusted by society with certain taks. For instance, they could drive a vehicle, having sexual relations, serving in the armed forces or on a jury, purchasing and drinking alcohol, voting, entering into contracts, completing certain levels of education, and marrying.In most countries, from adolescence or sooner, the children have criminal responsibility, for instance, from 7 in India to 18 in Belgium. After reaching the initial age, there may be levels of responsibility dictated by age and type of offense, and crimes committed by minors may be tried in a juvenile court, whereas, in preadolescence, it is responsibility of parents or legal guardians This also their legal working age, in the United Kingdom and Canada, from 14 to 16. Since, they could earn money as part-time or full-time if over 16 to raise themselves or to pay some of their basic needs such as: clothes, shoes and books.In conclusion, with certain activities that teenagers are accepted by the society. They certainl y have ability to decide all relating problems in their life. Topic 1: It has been claimed that workers over 50 are not responsive to rapidly changing ideas in the modern workplace and that for this reason younger workers are to be preferred. To what extent would or support or reject this idea? 250 words In contemporary society, advanced technology has led to achievements in most places, of course, headquarters is not excluded.Therefore, many people, including myself, (you may delete this) have an opinion that laborers over fifty cannot adapt to changes in the modern places. (rephrase it) First and foremost, most companies require job candidates to have necessary skills such as: presentation, teamwork, computer literacy and English skills. With older workers, there is (is-singular; are – plural) a greater change that some of these skills have been forgotten since their training many decades ago. Consequently, the government or the companies have to pay a lot of money to re-tr ain old staff. It can not be denied that recruiting young employees is a better choice.Moreover, the over-fifty-year-old workmen face physical problems that make it difficult to memorize (remember) new knowledge. For instance, in some modern high tech industries like computer programming, it is easier for younger people to learn a large amount of information. (Please don’t replace comma with a colon) Secondly, the world has been facing a global economic crash. This leads to an increase unemployed workers (increasing number of unemployed workers), not only in developing nations but also in industrialized countries. For example, in England, the unemployment rate in June of this year was 7. %, double that of 2008 according the Labour force survey. Thus, the old workers should retire to create opportunities for younger people who are full of energy and ambition to increase the benefit for their companies. (expound) In conclusion, using younger employees in modern places is better than relying on older workers. (make this longer) Topic: It has been claimed that workers over 50 are not responsive to rapidly changing ideas in the modern workplace and that for this reason younger workers are to be preffered. To what extent would or support or reject this idea? 250 words DONE:These days, headquarters face paced, technologically advanced. Thus, many people say that between a younger candidate and an older employee, the recruited council should choose the former because of their adaptation to the new environment. I completely disagree with this point of view. The first reason why older employees are valuable is that they have accumulated knowledge over many years in the workforce. The fifty-year-old laborers have more life experiences than fresh post-college job prospects. These older employees have the experiences to finish tasks given by the employers more easily.Similarly, these more experienced individuals also can identify their abilities and choose suitable positions to apply. This is contrary to younger people who apply to any jobs they like, not caring about their qualifications. For instance: www. vietnamworks. com. vn is a reliable website for finding jobs in Vietnam and also helps companies to select the best Cvs for their available positions. This site often complains that there are a large amount of young people who send similar Cvs to all positions that they read on the websites. The second reason, that supports to select older workers, comes from characters of over-fifty workers.They are more mature and careful than younger workers. Older workers have more experience dealing with problems and troubleshooting to fix them. They may be easier to work with because of previous experience working as part of a team. Also, they are more likely to stay in a job at a company longer as young people move more frequently. The facts show that they always accept their jobs not only in good times, but also in the worst situations. Actually, i n this economy crisis, the employers usually choose new workers to let go when cuts need to be made, rather than the older more valuable workforce.To conclude, a Vietnamese saying goes: the older gingers are, the spicier they are. This is similar in the job force, as older workers possess experiences, characters and deserve to keep the important position in firms. They are impossible to be replaced by the young job seekers. Writing Task 2. Topic #1. (Feel free to answer this question. ) Many old buildings are protected by law because they are part of a nation's history. However, some people think old buildings should be knocked down to make way for new ones because people need houses and offices. How important is it to maintain old buildings?Should history stand in the way of progress? In recent year, modern constructions have been appeared so much in many places that many people think that it is a better way to have old architectures replaced by new appartements and offices. In thi s case, I completely support the former. Each country has separate characteristics that are attractive foreigner tourists, for example: France is famous for the Eiffel Towel, Champs- Elysees and Notre- Dame Cathedral, while saying to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and House of Parliament is as same as mentioning to England.Also, the people travel to discover differences cultural significances, constructions, living styles of countries, in case without one of them is less interesting of nations. For example: People do not have to go beautiful landmarks because all is same modern styles. Similarly , it makes to decrease profit in tourism that occupies a big part of national economy. Keeping old buildings is synonymic to maintain history, culture, traditions. Clearly, most old architectures are related to history events or fairy stories in the past, since, it is better for pupils to come those places directly, not only through lectures and books.For instance: The name of Sword Lake in Hano i was concerned to the fairy story that King Le give sword back the turtle after borrowing it to against Northern invaders. Moreover, constructions also possesses cultures and traditions of periods that they have been experienced. In Hanoi, there are 36 ancient streets that is famous for their composition, eating culture, traditional vocational village that the modern ones cannot have. In conclusion, ancient constructions along with history is always important in every and each era. As a consequence, being a citizen of the world we must keep them as long as possible