medical services they require while taking car of the professional needs of doctors.
5. Some people say that older people should live with their adult children, while others think that they should live in homes specially built for old people. Which do you think is better practice?
These days, it is difficult to say whether the practice of living alone or with one’s adult children is more amicable for the elderly. This would depend entirely on the relationship between members within a particular family to determine which option is more suitable. However, I can say that the traditional practice of the extended family where elderly people enjoy love and respect from their family members in addition to food, clothing and shelter appears to be diminishing to a great extent.
In this essay, I will examine some of the reasons for this change in the following discussion. In recent times, several factors have created a great impact on family structuring; the replacement of extended families with nuclear families, choosing to have fewer children due to rising population and economic pressures, an increase in the umber of women who go out to work, and the migration of younger family members to cities to find better paying jobs. For those senior citizens caught up in these changing times, expectations that they may have had for their twilight years are now shifting.
Family solidarity is valued by most people in every society; therefore it is natural that caring responsibilities between generations should be brought forward for consideration. In our increasingly urbanized world, the occurrence of old people’s homes and silver towns is becoming more commonplace.
Living independently from one’s adult children and one’s extended family often requires a lot more autonomy and decision-making in later life. Many grey-haired individuals possess their full mental and physical faculties until they are very old and are quite capable of looking after themselves. Others, however, are not so fortunate and are therefore more dependent on family members and professional care-givers.
What remains true, for elderly people living alone or with their families, is that people’s attitudes towards senior citizens have to change in order to promote active citizenship for elderly people. Even in our modern industrialized societies we have to make older people feel valued so they are not looked upon as a liability by their families or their communities.
6. With the development of market economies advertising has become a dominant feature in the television industry. Despite the wealth of information that is brought to us by television, there still exists strong criticism against TV advertising. What is your opinion?
For the past several decades, advertising on TV has been at the center of heated debate from both within and outside the entertainment and advertising sectors. In no other time in history have we seen a form of entertainment that is so widely accessible to the masses. Oftentimes, television is the only type of entertainment that underprivileged families can afford and it is not unusual to find TV in some of the world’s remotest areas. Notably, children make up a major part of any television audience, a fact that TV advertisers are well aware of. In this essay, I will investigate some of the adverse effects television advertising has on viewers within market economies around the globe. Television has its benefits of which we are all conscious, and no one could deny that it is an educative tool for audiences, especially young viewers. However, television is also a form of communications mass media and is often employed as a manipulative tool by many advertisers working in industry.
In fact, TV advertisers are well aware that children are captive audiences who are vulnerable to the hard sell, the flashy images, and the recurring images that implant messages into their receptive minds. Research has shown that there is a direct association between television commercials for junk foods, snacks and candies and mounting levels of obesity among children.
Excessive consumption is the hard and fast result of television advertising in market economies all over the world, Researchers are also concerned that TV advertising places excessive pressure on men and women to center undue attention on their appearance. An overemphasis on the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products at all costs is another feature of advertising on TV. Many men and women now fear being unattractive or old because of the information relayed to them through television advertising.
In addition to the points raised above, television advertising is intrusive into audiences, viewing time. How often have you found yourself captivated by a program on TV to be interrupted by a bombardment of unwanted commercials? Governments should therefore ensure that the amount of television advertising time is kept to a minimum, as it is more often than not an unwanted nuisance factor in our modern market-driven lives. In their hearts, I believe people just want to be able to relax in front of a television.
7. Many old buildings are protected by historic trusts and international organizations such as UNESCO. However, some people think that old buildings stand in the way of progress. How important do you think it is to protect old buildings？
Historic buildings provide a physical link to our past. This link allows us to develop a sense of orientation about our place in history. We can learn from the past, and through safeguarding our historic buildings, can continue to benefit from the accomplishments of our ancestors.
Of course, most people would be hesitant to knock down a historic building in favor of creating a new apartment complex or an office block to meet the rising needs of a growing population and a changing economy. This is where the question of what is “historic” and of value to a particular community comes into play. Age is a decisive factor for a historic resource, but it must be defined in relative terms. The definition of “old” will differ with a person’s perspective in time and the resource being considered. A convenience store that is 25 years old might be considered historic, while a university campus might not be considered historic until it is 50 or 75 years old.
All too often, we have seen and continue to see neighborhoods being bulldozed in the name of progress. Under gentrification, housing prices rise in the previously poor neighborhoods, so that renters there either have to relocate or absorb elevated rental costs. What should stand in the way of progress is not only history but practicality and a thorough assessment of what is more beneficial for everyone concerned. Only when it is more costly to keep up a building or a district should town and city planners consider redevelopment as an option.
Historic buildings are an important building block in the flow of our culture through time: a child visits a historic civic building to learn more about what it means to be a native of his or her hometown; a city resident on a historic farm learns about pride and dedication in working the land. Historic buildings are studied to tell us about the use of materials and resourceful solutions in everyday living.
Historic buildings are vital for our prospective future. These assets need protection. We cannot afford to lose the physical materials, ideas, skills and understanding of our past. Entertainment 1. Television is a very powerful medium of influence over large populations. There are many positive aspects to television. For example, it is an educational tool. However, many people feel that it is doing irreparable harm. Present an argument to highlight your opinion on this matter.
Numerous educators have envisioned television’s possibilities as an instructional tool and have sought acknowledgement throughout the industrialized world. Educational television in the developing world has also included training which directly affects the quality of life of its audience. For example, in areas where televised broadcasts are very low, audiences may gather at community centers to view programs on hygiene, literacy, child care and farming practices. In this respect, educational television equips the group with matter-of-fact information to improve living standards. Such broadcasts best exemplify the global aims of educational television.
However, television broadcasting evolved as a profit-making entity. Within this system, efforts to employ the medium for educational purposes have always struggled to stay alive, nearly besieged by the overflow of entertainment intended to attract audiences to commercials that have educated viewers in another way---to become active consumers.
Television does not have to be violent or offensive to have a negative effect. Excessive television viewing of any kind has obvious psychological and physiological effects on spectators. We refer to this as the “couch potato” syndrome. Several studies have recorded that even benign television content lessens our creativity and imagination, decreases physical activity, and increases obesity. In the case of young viewers, lowered grades, decreased ability to handle stress and conflict, and higher levels of aggressive behavior with peers have also been clearly documented.
The most studied issue that points to the irreparable harm of television has been the impact of media violence on children. Over a thousand academic studies have been completed, with remarkably consistent results: media violence makes our kids more hostile, less tolerant, and more frightened of the world around them. Watching violence desensitizes children to genuine acts of violence.
Despite its apparent possibilities and the early visions of pioneer broadcasters, educational television has never reached it fullest capacity as an instructional medium and the negative effects of TV viewing continue to outweigh the benefits.
2. Outdoor recreation such as mountain climbing, camping and hiking bring us closer to nature and are ideal activities to encourage family bonding. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Outdoor recreation can best be described as leisure time which involves the pleasure and use of natural resources. These days, leisure pursuits vary from popular forms of recreation such as walking, swimming, and cycling, to other less-prevalent activities such as nature painting, surfing, and snowboarding. According to many people the most imperative reasons to recreate are fun, fitness and family time. Clearly, many families participate in outdoor recreation as a way to bond.
While many families continue to bond over family meals at home or in front of the television, a growing number do so through outdoor activity. These dynamic families are balancing their contribution in recreational activities with work, laundry, house cleaning and homework.
Many families make use of outdoor recreation as a means to establish bonds and transmit key values to children. A sizeable number of people feel that recreation strengthens the family as a unit and the children as individuals. Not only does it teach younger family members to appreciate nature but it also helps children to develop important physical skills. More often than not parents say recreation’s capacity to build self-worth and personal growth and help children develop important interpersonal skills are the most important reasons to see children active.
In addition to strengthening family bonds, outdoor recreation can be seen as one of the foremost reasons to care for the environment. Indeed, a sizable number say the key driver for environmental protection is to conserve recreation areas and national park.
It is generally accepted that the key to environmentally safe recreation is responsible behavior. In addition, people argue that outdoor recreation benefits the environment because it gives them a reason to care about environmental protection. It goes without saying, therefore, that if people would follow the rules in parks and recreation areas, there would be no significant effects of their land use on the environment. All in all, outdoor recreation brings us not only closer to each other but to Mother Nature herself. Education 1. Over the past 20 to 30 years there has been a noticeable trend away from many forms of discipline within the family. A recent survey highlighted the fact that most people feel that parents are too permissive with their children. Present an argument to highlight your opinion on this matter.
Approximately forty years ago, there was almost complete consensus regarding the cultural norm which allowed parents to use corporal punishment on their children. The acceptance of corporal punishment was so profoundly imbedded in those days that there was little difference among races, regions, genders, and educational or income groups at that time.
First and foremost, I think it is important to examine why there has been a trend in recent decades away from using conventional forms of discipline in the family. A major structural change in developed and developing societies has been the shift toward a post-industrial economic system. Employment in manufacturing has declined drastically, as has the demand for unskilled manual workers. There is an increasing demand for professional, technical, and clerical workers. These are positions which, at a minimum, demand literacy and computational skills. You may ask, what has this shift in socio-economic forces got to do with changing trends in family discipline?
It has been suggested by leading researchers in the field of sociology that parents who hope or expect their child to
attend university and be employed in non-manual work occupations tend to avoid using corporal punishment. Instead, what parents aim to provide their children with is anticipatory socialization for social roles in which what is needed is information and negotiation skills rather than physical strength. To the extent that these findings are correct, the norms and practices of most post-industrial societies should be moving away from the use of corporal punishment in child rearing.
Given the rising youth crime rate in recent times, however, there may be a tendency by some parents to reconsider corporal punishment. I would say that some people, and not most, believe that parents are being too permissive of their children’s negative behavior. Moreover, those people who continue to favor corporal punishment are likely to perceive recent trends away from conventional forms of discipline as a threat to the family and morality. This is the dilemma that modern-day parents and law makers are faced with.
However, what is interesting to note is that it is still not a criminal offence to use corporal punishment on your children. This fact tells us exactly how far we have come away from corporal punishment as accepted practice. The choice to use or not to use corporal punishment still resides within the family.
2. Since reading is important for a good education, we should encourage our children to read extensively. However, as there is an abundance of undesirable reading matter, there should be heavy censorship to restrict access to it. What is your opinion?
Many would agree that reading extensively is good for young people but some would argue that the consequences of reading too widely may be far from constructive to the often impressionable minds of youngsters in their formative years.
Censorship that is carried out for the benefit of children and teenagers is often based on the supposition that they have to be sheltered from “indecent” material that might damage their development in some way---whether in art performances, in books, or on a website. One may ask, however, where this assumption comes from, and to what extent is it true? In this essay, I will attempt to present both sides of this argument in order to establish my position on this issue of censorship and young people.
First and foremost, there are many people out there who champion the freedom to read widely which stems from a belief in the freedom of expression. They argue that this is part of the democratic process. Nonetheless, that freedom has been under constant attack by private groups and public authorities who are trying to remove certain books and journals from sale, to bar particular books from public schools, to silence and censor newspapers and magazines, and to basically restrict all “contentious” materials which may land in the laps of the general public. As far as I can see, however, censorship of reading materials leads to the repression of creative thought.
Furthermore, in recent times we have witnessed an increasing trend in children’s literature that is more realistic to life, with subject matter that takes into account many aspects of the world around us. For example, sex and homosexuality are being presented in a lot of young people’s literature in order to promote greater understanding and tolerance. Divorce and separation are also being dealt with in some children’s literature as is child abuse, drugs and violence, etc. However, it is these realistic books that have people (mostly parents) outraged.
The final point that I would like to make is that the freedom to read extensively should be promoted but where children are involved, control should be exercised by access to materials and not through censorship.
3. Some people think that co-educational schooling is good for students while others hold that single sex education is better than co-educational schooling. What is your opinion?
In today’s modern world women find themselves in every possible position in society and are no longer relegated to separate spheres from men. Likewise, it is no longer required that women go to separate schools from men, or is it expected that women will learn different skills from their make counterparts.
Nowadays, young women can still to some extent choose whether or not to attend a single-sex school, although that choice is slowly disappearing with the rise in popularity of co-educational schools. I hope to explore the two sides of this phenomenon while discussing the trends in single-sex education in my response to this question.
The argument is multi-faceted with some single sex school advocates arguing that separate education for girls can
play a vital role in a young woman’s development as she learns to assert herself in a more comfortable environment. Others in favor of co-ed schools argue that a separate education cannot be equal and is in reality detrimental to young women in that they are deprived of opportunities to assert themselves around men.
Now with our entry into the 21st century, women are experiencing more and more equal opportunities with men, although they are still far from their ultimate goal of egalitarianism. It remains true that many learning environment are often male-centered and to a great extent the working-world is still male-oriented.
With each new year, we are seeing more women apply to institutions of higher education and there are now as many, if not more women in tertiary education. Having said this, however, women still occupy far fewer positions as presidents of leading companies and they represent only a small number of those politicians in governments the world over.
I believe that the advancement of coeducational institutions was and is important to the future equality of women but so is the survival of contemporary all-female learning institutions.
4. Although education in many developing countries is not compulsory, an effort should be made to ensure that all children between the age of 5 and 15 years attend some form of schooling. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Schooling is the type of learning that occurs within recognized educational institutions and networks. This is an important distinction insofar as the skills one acquires in schools and colleges are recognized by society. This validation of one’s learning enhances one’s chances of moving upward through the ranks of society to achieve a greater standard of living. For this reason alone, an effort to educate children from developing countries must be made at all cost.
In order to satisfactorily answer this assigned question, I believe it is important to define what the flip side of not having an education means for children from developing countries between the age of 5 and 15 years. The real danger that exists here is the trap of young uneducated people falling into what is categorically referred to in the developing world as child labor. There is a clear link between child labor and poverty which I would like to bring to my readers’ attention.
In many developing countries, parents, whose families exist on the poverty line, are often faced with having no food to provide their family with, so they force their children to do heavy work to ensure their family’s survival. It would seem that poverty is the principal cause of child labor. Nonetheless, child labor continues to feed the poverty cycle. Therefore, what is required of this situation is a break in the vicious circle between child labor and poverty. This can only be achieved through an increased emphasis on education. The answer rests with education programs that occur in conjunction with children’s work. Abolishing extreme forms of abusive child labor is obviously the first measure that should be taken as this type of work hinders children’s health and their ability to work in the future. However, it would appear too early to make full-time education compulsory in cases where children still have to earn a living to survive.
What is important to remember is that the extensive use of child labor in developing countries slows down economic growth and social development. Moreover, a population that lacks sufficient skills and education perpetuates poverty and reduces overall progress.
5. Some people think that if one wants to succeed in life, then one must have a formal university education. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
The ancient Chinese sage, Confucius, is renowned for his adages and he had many things to say about living and learning. The following quotation from Confucius may shed light on this essay question:” Study without thinking and you are blind; think without studying and you are in danger.”
Most people would agree that everyone receive a general education through the experiences that life offers them. Some of us--- the more privileged---engage in formal schooling which is one of the many ways of gaining an education. In its ideal form, formal education imparts knowledge and contextual understanding of the world we live in. Through courses of study we can be exposed to ideas that we may not have come across ourselves; for more often than not, the culture of learning has been created by individuals and cultures that have proceeded us or by those who are situated far from our present location.
In this increasingly global world, standards are being set for education whereby those who hold university degrees