# Environmental pollution is a serious issue and it is important to take steps on

an individual level to reduce it. But now, since it is becoming an international

issue, it is time to take environmental protection to a higher level. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
During much of the twentieth century, little action was taken to encourage
lifestyle changes that are environmentally sound. However, over the last twenty,
significant efforts have been made to educate humanity about the threats modern
lifestyles pose to the environment. It is argued that environmental protection
efforts need to be brought to the fore of global priorities and taken to a more
advanced level of activity. Manners in which this can be done will be analyzed,
namely through the global employment of renewable energy and through the
global educational efforts.
Firstly, renewable energy needs to be developed further to make a difference in
mankinds fight against global pollution. Take solar power, for example. At the
moment, solar power is notably more expensive than petrol, although the gap is
closing quickly. With a little extra push, solar power could become a cheaper
source of energy, thus inciting pollution-causing petroleum industries to shift their
focus to the renewable energy sector. It is for this reason that environmental
protection should be taken to a higher level.
Secondly, a big part of the fight against pollution is educating people about the
measures they can take to help. For instance, advertizing on highly frequented
websites like Facebook could do a lot to raise awareness of the lifestyle people
need to employ to best help the environment. Because online efforts to promote
environmental awareness are low at the moment, it is felt increasing them could
encourage people to be receptive to new lifestyle changes. It is for this reason that
the idea of beefing up the worlds environmental protection is supported.
After analyzing how growth in renewable energy and awareness can help the
current global environmental crisis, it is felt the argument for environmental policy
improvements has been proven.

# Children who are disinterested in subjects such as mathematics and

philosophy should be not be made to study them at school. These subjects
should be optional rather than compulsory. To What extent do you agree or
disagree?
Part of process of growing up is developing oneself as an individual. An essential
key in doing this is experimentation in course study. It is thus disagreed that
children who find certain subjects in school disinteresting should be allowed to
defer their study of them. This will be shown by looking at how trying a variety of
different courses can help a person their strengths and how having a basic
understanding of certain subject is essential for ones life.
Firstly, forcing students to study a variety of courses regardless of their interests
helps these young people realize strengths they perhaps did not know they had.
For example, as young person in Canada, it was compulsory to study English
writing. Like many of the other students, I initially fount this area of study boring
but quickly realized I had natural strength in this area. This ultimately led me to a
career teaching English, which has been both stimulating and rewarding. As my
experience shows, students initially disinterested in certain subject should not
immediately be permitted to bypass them.
Additionally, certain basic subjects should be considered essential for ones life.
Mathematics is a good example here. No one on the planet lives through life
without using mathematics at one time or another. Thus, to provide young people
with an option to discontinue their studies in arithmetic prematurely is doing
these people a great disservice. As this shows, youths should never be allowed to
interrupt their studies in certain core subjects based on disinterest.
As the above discussion has shown, students around the world should not be
permitted to later their early studies on the basis disinterest. It is hoped the
manner in which courses are offered in the developed world never changes. It is
recommended these policies put into action the world over.

# Many people say there is a need to protect the environment, however little
effort has been made to bring these intentions to fruition. How do you feel
about the situation? What action can be taken to prevent further environmental
damage?
Discuss this issue by giving real life examples.

Most would agree the current state of environment is rather grim. Adding to this
problem is the growth of highly populated countries, whose carbon footprint is
increasing at an alarming rate. It is felt that further environmental damage could
be best prevented through improvements in education and technology. Examples
of both will be analyzed to prove this strategy a viable option.
Firstly, protecting the environment begins by educating people about the problem
and helping them understand what they can do to help. For example, in many
North American cities, people tend to use energy recklessly, often without
realizing they action as major contributors to environmental problems. By
distributing information television commercials and then internet, more people
could be made aware of the severity of the problem and told them what they do
to help. Thus, education is thought to play a central role in the prevention of
future environmental damage.
The second preventive measure is technology. For instance, as its technology
develops, the price of solar power is starting to compare with that of other energy
sources, thus making it more economically viable, It is clear developments in
technology help to reduce the price of alternative energy sources and make it a
plausible solutions. Thus improvements in technology are closely linked with the
prevention of future environmental damage.
After conducting this analysis, it is clear that developments in education and
technology lie at the core of a comprehensive strategy to prevent to
environmental problems. It is recommended that the global family makes efforts
to reduce future environmental problems via these methods.

# In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.

Write an essay outlining how you define friendship.

Friendship always has been, and always will be, defined different by different
people. What constitutes friendship to one person may be considered inaccurate
to another. Despite these varying definitions, it is argued that a universal
definition of friendship involves honesty as its base. This will be proven by
analyzing friendship as it exists both at an interpersonal and international level.
At a very primal level, friendship between people is based on honesty. A good
example can be seen when looking at friends who grew up together, from
childhood to adulthood. These kinds of friendships, deemed by most to be of the
truest quality, tend to involve knowing another human being rather intimately.
Thus, it is clear that honesty makes up a basic trait of healthy friendship.
Honesty also proves to be a crucial component of friendship between
international bodies. For instance, historical international allies, such as Canada
and United States, strengthen their friendship when they act with honesty
towards one another. In the case of Canada and the United States, the sharing of
information pertaining to landmass security benefits both countries and creates
healthy inroads between them. Thus, even at international levels, honesty acts as
the basis of friendship.
After analyzing friendship as it exists between people and countries, it is clear that
honesty act as a critical component. Thus, true friendship will never exist without
honesty.

# More and more people are forgetting the meanings behind occasions, such as
national festivals. What do you think are the causes this? What solutions do you
suggest?
Traditionally, festivals were arranged to honor an occasion or individual. However,
in the modern world, people often misunderstand the actual meaning behind
these celebrated days. It is argued that the main causes of this are the lack of
reminders people in their day-to-day lives and the decreasing level of relevance
certain holidays have to lifestyles in the modern world. To tackle these issues,
Internet and television related solutions will be analyzed for viability.
Firstly, one reason behind why people forget the significance of certain occasions
is that they not regularly reminded. To counter this, an idea could be to use
landing pages of popular websites to remind people of the historical context
behind celebrated occasions. For, example the Google often alters the logo of its
page to reflect culturally meaningful days. When people visit the site on holidays
like Christmas and Nowruz, the Google logo is graphically altered to reflect the
festivities, and visitors can click it to receive additional information on the way the
day is significant. As most people access Google on a regular basis, the
effectiveness and educational value of this suggested solution can be seen.
Another reason behind why people are forgetting the meaning of certain
occasions is that these occasions are becoming less relevant to modern lifestyles.
Successful efforts have been made to tackle this through government sponsoring
of TV infomercials that explain how historical events connect to modern life. In
Canada, for example, most nationally syndicated television stations run a brief
series entitled A part of our heritage, which explains how historical Canadian
events, such as the influx of migrants in the 1800s, acted as precursors to modern
cultural practices. As this shows, television can be a very effective way to help
people better see the meaningfulness of their national holidays.
As is clear, website landing pages and dramatized history infomercials are effective
ways to help people understand the relevance behind the holidays they celebrate.
It is thus hoped these strategies are put into place everywhere to stimulate
historical literacy.

# Technology is causing environmental problems. Some people think every

person should adopt simple lifestyles changes to solve this issue but others think
technology will be major part of the solution.
Discuss the both views and give your opinion.
Technology has brought numerous benefits to lifestyles and societies around the
world. But with it, a number of environmental problems have been set in motion.
Whether technologies will ultimately the solution to these is a highly contentious
topic. In this easy, both sides of this debate will be analyzed before a reasoned
conclusion is drawn.
On the one hand, many believe that individuals should adopt simpler and less
technologically-dependent lifestyles to tackle environmental damage. For
example, many international grocers like Carrefour have taken steps to encourage
people to bring their own bags from home instead using the plastic ones
provided. As a result of this simple lifestyles change, several billion less plastic
bags are dumped into landfills every year, which clearly has positive ramifications
for the environment as whole. Thus, it is understandable why point of view has
garnered support.
On the other hand, many people support the notion that one day technology will
develop to the point that it is capable of eradicating environmental problems. For
instance, recently a new bacteria strain has been developed that can break down
toxins produced by rotting garbage in landfills. As these toxins are carcinogenic to
humans, the ability for technology to cleans the environment and regulate itself
can be seen. Thus it is understandable why many have faith that technological
developments will supplant the need for human lifestyles changes.
Following, this look at the varying opinions regarding this debate, it is felt
humanity should draw from the advantages of both camps when devising a
strategy to deal with the environmental problems caused by the new
technologies. In doing so, it is expected that one day humanity will be able to live
harmoniously with nature.

# Some feel schools should be responsible for providing lunch to primary and
secondary students. Others think parents should send their children to school
with box lunches made at home. Analyze both positions.

Everyone can agree that it is important to encourage young people to eat healthy
meals when at school. However, the source of these meals is a debated topic.
Some feel schools should be responsible for providing young people with meals,
while others argue parents best uphold this responsibility. This essay will analyze
both sides of this debate before drawing a conclusion.
Firstly, it is often argued that a standard for healthfulness can be monitored when
meals are prepared and served by the school. For example, most Shanghai high
schools provide students with hot lunches and monthly meal plans that are closely
monitored by the school to ensure all students are eating a balanced and
healthful diet. As this sort of monitoring is not possible when each and every
student is bringing a different lunch from home, the benefits of such an approach
to primary and secondary meal option can be seen.
However, the cultural impact of such a standardized meal practice should be
remembered. For example, major cities like Toronto boas a very ethnically-diverse
student base. As these students are from different ethnicities and backgrounds,
their dietary preferences vary widely. Expecting these students to conform to a
standardized school meal plan may be an affront to their culture and palate. Thus,
there are clear benefits to the practice of parent-prepared meals.
The above discussion put forth several convincing arguments for both sides of this
debate. However, in the interest of the healthfulness of young people, it is felt
that a standardized lunch organized and carried out by a school is the most
beneficial approach to nourishing primary and secondary students.

# Many students take a year after high school in order to work before go to
college or university. Do you think this has more advantages than
disadvantages? Use personal examples to illustrate your position.
The completion of high school marks a threshold into adulthood for many people.
Graduates are increasingly choosing to use this transition period to take a year off
work before continuing studies at university. Although this decision may be
motivated by looking at how pausing the learning process can lead students to
academic disinterest and wasted time.
Firstly, students who break from their studies after high school are more likely to
refrain from completing a college or university degree. For example, several of my
graduating classmates in high school decided to take entry level jobs in sales for
various high tech companies around our city instead of engaging in tertiary study.
At the end of their first working year, the financial gain they experienced enticed
them to maintain their jobs and abandon plans of higher education. As this
example shows, taking a year off before university can lead to a forfeited
education.
Further, often students who decide to work for a year instead of studying at
university look back on this period as wasted time. For instance, students who
take a year off rarely have the opportunity to work for high employers and thus
must resort to engaging unchallenging service jobs that teach them little. Thus,
real world experience, an oft argued benefit to taking a year off work, cannot
really be seen as an advantage when one considers how the students time could
have been used to hone skills valuable to niche specializations. This is yet another
example of how the disadvantages that come from taking off outweigh the
advantages.
After analyzing the above the above points, it has been proved that pausing
formal education after high schools brings about more disadvantages than
advantages. It is advised future university hopefuls do not pander to the
temptation of breaking from a path towards education.