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Miscellaneous
Some people
prefer to live in a big city, while others would like to live in
a small town or in the country.
Those people who live in a big city and those who live in a
small town or in the country lead different ways of life. We
choose where to live according to our preferences and character.
There are a lot of advantages of living in a big city. Firstly,
people have more opportunities to receive good education and to
find a well-paid job there. In any city there are a lot of
educational establishments and a great number of firms which
need qualified specialists. Besides, there is a wide choice of
entertainment in a big city. One can visit concert halls,
theatres, museums, art galleries, cinemas, clubs, restaurants,
cafes, discos and what not. To my mind, a big city gives people
all modern conveniences and cultural opportunities.
However, it is well-known that citizens suffer from a great
number of problems such as traffic jams, huge crowds of people,
dirty public transport and many others. Living in a big city is
dangerous to your health. Factories emit tons of harmful
chemicals; cars exhaust toxic gas and the air is so dirty that
it is hard to breathe. That is why a lot of people prefer living
in the country to living in a big city. In a village one can
enjoy fresh air, beautiful nature and the quietness of
provincial life.
To conclude, it's up to you to decide whether to live in a city
or in the country. But I think that if you are tired of noise,
illumination and crowds, you can always leave a city and have a
rest in the country to improve your health or just for a change
of scene.
Some people
say that it is impossible to feel lonely in a big city. However,
others believe that quite a lot of citizens suffer from
loneliness.
It is rather difficult to live in the world of strangers,
that's why people need friends. They give us a sense of being
protected, emotional comfort and moral support. But is it easy
to make friends when you live in a big city?
To my mind, loneliness is a wide-spread problem nowadays. Living
in a big city many people often feel that they are not noticed
because of the fast pace of city life. You can stand on the
street for several hours and nobody will pay attention to you.
Sometimes you feel as if you suddenly became invisible. A big
city is a place where millions of people live and work, but
still it is very difficult to find a devoted friend in this
indifferent crowd. City life absorbs people and makes them
forget about such essential things as rest, recreation or
friendship. So you can feel lonely even if you are surrounded by
hundreds, thousands or millions of people.
On the other hand, the city offers you a wide choice of places
where you can relax and meet somebody. You can visit clubs,
restaurants, cafes, discos, theatres, museums, art galleries,
libraries, cinemas, parks, health clubs and what not. A sociable
person can easily communicate with other people and make friends
with them. So if you are a good mixer, if you are always
optimistic and have a sense of humour, you will hardly feel
lonely.
To sum up, I think that a big city gives you a lot of
opportunities, but sometimes it can be cold, remote and
indifferent. The main thing is not to despair, but to try to
find friends.
Some people
believe that English should be the only foreign language taught
at school. Others think that German, French and Spanish should
continue.
There are 6000 languages spoken throughout the world. Some of
them including English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and
Arabic are considered to be languages of wider communication
around the world.
I think it is very difficult for an average pupil to learn two
or more foreign languages because there are a lot of other
subjects at school. To my mind, only English should be taught at
all schools because it has long been accepted to be a global
language. It is the language of science, culture, international
politics and economy. Besides, it is the language of most
international business deals and organizations. If you speak
English fluently, you can communicate with people of different
nationalities. I believe that it is better to know one language
perfectly than to speak in broken German, French and Spanish.
But nowadays many people learn two or more languages. Some of
them find it necessary to acquire a second language for
practical purposes such as business. Other people are just
interested in foreign languages. Furthermore, learning foreign
languages has a great number of advantages. People who learn
foreign languages expand their horizons and improve their
thinking abilities. They enjoy social and employment advantages
and they have the chance to get a better job than people who
speak only one language. In addition, a person who speaks
several languages sees the world from two or more perspectives.
To sum up, it's up to you to decide whether to learn one or
several foreign languages. Anyway, if you speak several
languages, you have more chances to make a career and to be
successful.
Most people
say that the English language should be learnt in England.
Others believe that one can easily learn English in one's
country.
People have always tried to find the fastest and easiest way
to learn languages. Is it better to go to the country whose
language they study or to stay at home and read textbooks?
Nowadays millions of people learn English because it has become
a global language. Personally, I think that it is easier to
learn and improve your English in England. Firstly, you will not
have an opportunity to speak your own language and you will
enjoy "total immersion". You will meet different people and have
a lot of speaking practice. To my mind, speaking to Englishmen
or listening to their speech is absolutely different from
sitting in the classroom with a tape recorder and headphones and
repeating some phrases after the speaker's monotonous voice.
What is more, while in England you will be able to see many
places of interest and to learn more about the English
traditions and lifestyle.
However, a lot of people don't have an opportunity to go to
England. So they have to learn English in their own country.
Nowadays everybody can use the Internet to make friends with
people from English-speaking countries and to write e-mails. It
is also very useful to watch TV programmes and feature films in
English. Besides, you should not forget about English books,
magazines and newspapers.
In conclusion, I would like to say it is up to you to decide
where to learn English, but if I had an opportunity I would
certainly go to London to reinforce what I have learnt from
books and to put it into practice.
A number of
people believe that a country is successful if it is ruled by a
clever politician. Others say that an only person doesn't make
the image of a country.
I have always wondered if an individual can create the image of
a country. There were quite a lot of clever politicians in the
world's history, but it is difficult to say whether an only
person can cause important changes in ordinary people's lives.
In my opinion, the politician who rules a country has quite an
impact on its politics, economy and culture. Every country needs
a wise, powerful and intellectual politician at the head. There
is no doubt that the leader of each country holds a lot of power
in his hands. That is why he can make significant changes in
different spheres of people's lives such as education, health
services, business and many others. What is more, the leader of
a country plays an important role in foreign policy. He carries
on negotiations with other politicians, maintains diplomatic
relations with other countries, signs treaties and what not.
However, a lot of people are convinced that an only person can't
make the image of a country because every leader must take the
opinion of his assistants into consideration and work in a team.
Besides, even the cleverest politician can't rule forever. For
example, in our country the leader is elected every four years.
But I think that if the leader of a country is a charismatic
person, he has good chances to make ordinary people believe him
and admire his personality.
To sum up, I believe that the image of every country doesn't
only depend on its leader, but also on many other people. And of
course, it depends on ordinary people who take part in
elections.
Some people
don't care about advertising, while others say that
advertisements and commercials may be very harmful.
Nowadays advertisements can be seen everywhere: in
newspapers and magazines, on the sides of buses, walls of
buildings, shopping carts, subway platforms and trains.
Advertisements are often placed anywhere people can easily see
them. Recently television, radio and the Internet have become
major advertising media.
Personally, I seldom pay attention to advertisements and
commercials. But some commercials are skillfully made and
resemble short films. Consumers, TV stars, industry
professionals and scientists are often asked to share their
opinion about the product which is advertized. Broadcasters
don't want the public to switch the channel during commercials,
that's why they are becoming interesting and entertaining.
However, no matter how tempting they are, ads and commercials
will hardly win my confidence and make me buy some product.
Quite a lot of people find advertising rather obtrusive and
annoying. Indeed, it is very unpleasant when your favourite film
or soap opera is constantly interrupted by commercials. They
reach and motivate large audiences and make people buy a lot of
useless things. Advertisements and commercials can even be
harmful. For example, cigarette or beer advertising can increase
the consumption of these goods and cause problems with health.
In the USA food advertising targeting children was an important
factor in the epidemic of childhood obesity. As a rule children
believe all advertisements as they can't determine the
truthfulness of the message. Some ads are untrue or even
offensive.
To sum up, advertising is necessary for economic growth, but the
government must regulate the content and the influence of ads
and commercials. Advertising must be legal, decent, honest and
truthful.
Some people
prefer buying pirate CDs and DVDs. However, others say that
piracy must be banned.
Nowadays selling pirate CDs and DVDs is a profitable business.
Producing compact discs and digital video disks brings criminal
dealers a lot of money.
To my mind, selling pirate CDs and DVDs is a kind of theft
because people who sell them exercise one of the exclusive
rights of the copyright holder without authorization. Legal
producers of CDs and DVDs suffer considerable losses. Buying
pirate production consumers support the seller's unauthorized
actions. What is more, the quality of these disks usually leaves
much to be desired. So if you don't want to waste your money and
to lose your good spirits, you'd better not buy bad production.
I am sure that it is necessary for governments to provide
criminal sanctions for selling pirate CDs and DVDs.
On the other hand, disks of good quality are usually rather
expensive and not everybody can afford to buy them. Besides,
pirates sell the latest records and so we are able to watch new
films or listen to new songs. That is why a lot of people
continue buying pirate CDs and DVDs. However, I think it is
better to go to the movies or to buy qualitative CDs and DVDs if
you want to enjoy good films or music.
To conclude, if we don't buy pirate disks, their producers will
not get a profit; bad CDs and DVDs will disappear and it will
improve the country's economy.
Some people
are sure that if we want to build relationships successfully, we
must have good manners. However, others say that nowadays good
manners are not as important as they used to be.
If you don't live on a desert island, you meet different
people and communicate with them every day of your life.
Everybody wants to build good relationships with his or her
relatives, friends and colleagues. However, not everybody knows
how to behave in order to win other people's love and respect.
Personally, I think that it is very important to be well-bred
and to behave properly in different situations. A person who has
good manners always produces a good impression. Politeness and
the ability to understand other people will help you build good
relationships and they will make your life easier. To my mind,
nobody wants to communicate with people who are always late, who
can't cope with their negative emotions, who don't respect other
people's point of view and who are constantly irritated and
moody. We should always remember that our words and behaviour
may be offensive to other people and may hurt their feelings.
However, some people do not know how to behave well. What is
more, they prefer to ignore the rules of etiquette. They often
interrupt their interlocutor, speak on a cell phone during a
meeting, point or stare at people and yawn in somebody's
presence. In my opinion, if a person is ill-bred and often
forgets about politeness and punctuality, he or she is not
likely to command other people's respect.
To sum up, people should never think that the rules of etiquette
are useless and unnecessary. Everybody is expected to have good
manners. In this case our lives will become simpler and more
pleasant and social interactions will run more smoothly and
successfully.
Some people
think it is important to be honest, while others say that there
is hardly a person in the world who has never told a lie.
Lying is quite natural and people often do it in case of
emergency, intentionally or even without any reason. Is it all
right to tell a lie or must we be honest all the time?
I believe that a person who always lies, cheats and deceives
other people will never have any real friends. At the same time
it is very difficult to communicate with people who are very
direct and say exactly what they think. Sometimes telling the
truth may hurt other people's feelings. For example, your friend
has had her hair done and asks what you think of her hair-do. To
your mind, she looks terrible. But I think that in such a
situation it would be better to tell a white lie because it does
not harm anyone. One may also tell a lie with the intention to
help another person or even to save somebody's life.
But unfortunately, most people lie to save their face, to derive
some benefit or to avoid a punishment. Sometimes their
dishonesty can be criminal. For instance, some people tell a lie
after promising to tell the truth in a court of law. But lying
often makes things worse, especially after it has been
discovered. Discovery of a lie may spoil one's reputation or
lead to social or legal sanctions. Besides, you can't lie all
the time.
To conclude, if you want to be trusted and respected, you should
be open and sincere. But in some cases truth may be blunt and
rude, so it is better to tell a white lie in order to remain
tactful and polite.
Some people
have a lot of wishes and plans, but they think they will never
come true. Others say that you must believe in yourself and
success will come to you.
Does success come to a person or does a person go to
success? A lot of people believe that if you want to succeed,
you must work hard. But sometimes it is not enough to be
industrious and persistent.
Personally, I believe that self-confidence and the ability to
convince people are necessary for every successful person. Even
if you try to persuade people that your dog is cleverer than any
human, you must be so sure about it that you can make everybody
believe in what you are talking about. Belief in yourself is
very important. If you stammer and look confused, if you doubt
your own knowledge, skills and abilities, you will hardly
succeed.
Many people want to make a career, to win fame, to invent
something that will change our lives and to make the world a
little better. But they think these are only dreams and they
don't believe that they are meant to be great. In other words,
they don't believe in their own success. Such people think that
famous scientists, sportsmen, politicians and celebrities have
achieved success because they are super-talented. But to my
mind, they are not super humans. The most common thing about all
well-known people is that they all have incredible belief in
themselves. In my opinion, everybody has the potential to become
whatever they want, but people have to do a lot to achieve their
goal.
To conclude, you are the one responsible for whether or not you
will succeed. You should develop your inner confidence because
nobody can give it to you. And when you have developed it,
nobody can take it away.
Some people
think that time management skills are not important for success
in both their work and home life. Others are convinced that it
is essential to make good use of their time.
According to some estimates, people waste about 2 hours per
day. Others waste even more time and feel disappointed and
dissatisfied. They find it difficult to keep appointments, meet
deadlines or show up on time for personal engagements. Such
people do not know how they can make their time more productive.
To my mind, time management skills are essential for personal
and career success. If you don't use your time wisely, you can
never get it back. When you are late for an appointment, it can
reflect badly on your reputation. What is more, poor management
of your time can result in lost promotions, failed job
interviews, constant fatigue and stress. Many people failed to
make a career because they did not find the time to do it.
However, some people still think that learning time management
techniques is difficult and unnecessary. So they continue
wasting time on unimportant activities such as gossiping,
watching TV, playing computer games, writing messages to their
friends, taking coffee breaks and so on. As a rule it adds
nothing to their lives and prevents them from doing things that
are really important to them. I strongly feel that such
activities are just a waste of time and energy.
To sum up, time management skills help you use the time that you
have in better ways. They can also help you reduce wasted time
and energy and become more creative and productive.
Consequently, you will have more balance and fulfillment in your
life. Remember that "time is money".
A sense of
humour is usually considered to be one of the most important
human features. However, some people say that humour is not
always good.
The ability to understand and enjoy funny things is called a
sense of humour. A person's understanding of humorous things and
situations depends on his or her age, gender, nationality,
education, intelligence, culture and mood. Many people wonder if
we can we live without humour.
I think we can't. When you are in a tight corner, when you feel
tired or irritated, when the atmosphere becomes tense and it is
necessary to break the ice, the best way out is to joke. Jokes
will help you settle a conflict, reduce tension between people
and change something horrible into something funny. It is always
interesting to communicate with a person who has a sense of
humour. He or she can tell you an amusing story, an anecdote or
a joke. What is more, there is an old saying that laughter is
the best medicine. Scientists have found out that it can reduce
the risk of heart disease and it makes the body release pleasure
chemicals. So people who often laugh are healthier, happier and
live longer.
However, humour is not always appropriate. A joke may provoke a
quarrel and hurt other people's feelings. Sometimes jokes can
point at a problem better than any serious statement. In some
situations humour may be completely misunderstood. Some jokes
are silly, rude and even offensive. What is more, a bad joke may
even turn best friends into sworn enemies
To sum up, a sense of humour is important for everybody. People
who lack it are often dull and grumbling. To my mind, humour
makes our lives more interesting and helps us cope with many
difficulties and problems,
Some people
believe in luck, while others say that it doesn't exist.
We often wish each other "Good Luck!" Some of us believe
that there is the power which is supposed to be the cause of all
events. At the same time many people say that it is silly to
believe in luck.
Personally, I think that certain objects or rituals can bring me
luck. I often wear a "lucky" sweater to attract fortune, use a
special pen during tests or cross my fingers. It helps me to be
more optimistic and to have better moods. I also believe that
some people are luckier than others.
But a lot of people are rather skeptical. They say that it is
silly to wait for something good to happen. According to them,
it is better to work hard and to listen to your intuition if you
want to be happy and successful. Besides, you should be
optimistic and have a relaxed attitude to life. If you don't
think about bad things, everything will be all right. In my
opinion, it is good to rely only on our own powers, but it is
very exciting to believe in some supernatural power that may
change your life for the better.
To conclude, it is up to you to decide whether to believe in
luck or not. Anyway, you should "put your trust in God and keep
your powder dry".
Some people
say they don't care about philosophy. Others are convinced that
it helps us to live.
Philosophy is the love of wisdom. It deals with general and
fundamental problems. A lot of famous writers, poets and
scientists were philosophers too. However, nowadays some people
say they don't understand why we need philosophy. So is
philosophy really important and could we live without it?
I strongly feel that philosophy is an essential part of people's
lives. Most of us have a philosophy on life. Everybody has an
idea of what is right and what is wrong. A lot of people believe
somebody else's philosophy. We often share the ideas of some
religious or political leaders. Some people are true
philosophers: they want to know what we live for; they spend
much time thinking and asking questions.
But philosophy can also cause misunderstanding and conflict
between people. Some of us choose one philosophy to believe,
while others choose a different philosophy. As a result, people
begin arguing and try to make others change their mind. It
prevents them from working together and slows down progress. But
I believe that the existence of different philosophical schools
proves that people have always tried to gain a better
understanding of nature and the essence of life.
To sum up, philosophy helps us understand ourselves and other
people better. In my opinion, it encourages people to think, to
understand different subjects more deeply and helps them make
right decisions.
Some people
say that one should analyze the situation before making a
decision. Others believe that it is better to rely on one's
intuition.
Intuition has been the subject of study in psychology, as
well as a topic of interest in the supernatural. Many people
wonder whether it is worth relying on their intuition.
I strongly feel that the guiding role of intuition should not be
ignored or underestimated. It helps us pattern our behaviour and
make right decisions in uncertain situations and unknown areas.
People of different nationalities, professions and ages use
intuitive judgment. Minor or major decisions are often made
based on instinct and feeling, even when the reason for the
feeling is unclear. We sometimes have an impulse that we should
or shouldn't do something. And these sudden decisions that are
difficult to explain turn out to be the best ones. Besides, in
some situations intuition can save people's lives.
However, not everybody recognizes and trusts his intuitive
information. Some people don't believe that it is worth relying
on intuition. They think that it is eccentric and irrational. Of
course, there are many situations where analysis and rationality
are superior to intuition. For instance, intuition may not be
helpful in determining another's personality. The situation may
not give the observer an opportunity to see the traits that
would indicate the personality. But to my mind, there are many
situations when our intuition can help us find the right answer
to the most complicated question.
To conclude, I think that people should listen to their inner
voice which is sometimes an excellent guide. We should also
develop our intuition and try to understand how it operates and
analyze the situations when it helped us.
Some people
say that ambitiousness is a wonderful quality, while others
believe that it is not so good to be ambitious.
Ambitious people have a strong desire to gain a particular
objective. They want to succeed or to gain fame, power and
wealth. In the history of humankind there are many examples of
people who were extremely ambitious, for better and for worse.
Personally, I think that society cannot survive without
ambitious people. Ambition implies work and discipline to
achieve goals. Ambitious people always know what they want and
work hard in order to succeed. For instance, such people as Bill
Gates, Condoleezza Rice or Tiger Woods have become famous, rich
and powerful because they are ambitious and hard-working.
On the other hand, it is considered that the ambitious person
ignores the collectivity. Such people are socially detached,
they are on their own. They wish to rise above other people. The
ambitious man or woman sees the world as a battle. Rivalry is
his or her principal emotion. Ambitious people sometimes believe
that what they want for themselves is good for everyone and that
the satisfaction of their own desires is the most important
thing. The ambitious individual is also convinced that the
rewards of ambition — wealth, success, power — are worthy of the
sacrifices made on ambition's behalf. But I believe that a
person should not sacrifice his or her family or health for
distinction or material goods.
To conclude, it is difficult to imagine the world without
ambitious people. Our lives would probably become better:
without disappointments, conflict, anxiety, tension and stress.
People would be healthier and they would live longer. Time would
stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human
heart. And our life would become extremely boring.
A lot of
people would like to become famous actors, singers or musicians.
Others say that publicity can be a terrible thing.
Most people dream of being famous. They admire different
celebrities whose photographs are published on almost every page
of many newspapers and magazines. The mass media has created
"the cult of celebrity". But is it really wonderful to be
well-known?
On the one hand, famous people have expensive cars and luxurious
houses. They spend their time travelling, meeting interesting
people and having crazy parties. They lead exciting and
glamorous lives. Besides, celebrities enjoy everybody's
admiration. In my opinion, it is rather pleasant to be
recognized by ordinary people and to receive much attention.
On the other hand, if you are a star, you can forget about
privacy. Paparazzi follow famous people around, newspapers and
magazines publish unreliable information and spread rumours. The
life of celebrities may be spoilt by fans that get their
telephone numbers, wait for them after concerts, send messages
and love-letters to them and follow them everywhere. Famous
people often have to disguise themselves and spend much money on
security. What is more, celebrities often get tired of their
stressful lifestyle and feel depressed. That is why they begin
smoking, drinking and taking drugs.
To sum up, publicity doesn't only lead to success, admiration
and richness. It is also the reason for envy, stress, extreme
fatigue and the impossibility to escape public attention. Many
stars would like to become common people at least for one day so
that not to be recognized in the
streets.
Most people
admire glamorous celebrities and want to lead the same lives
they do. However, others say that glamour is not as magical as
it seems to be.
Nobody heard anything about glamour some years ago. But the
situation has changed drastically lately. Today many women and
girls buy fashion magazines and dream of becoming glamorous and
alluring. But is glamorous life as wonderful as it seems to be?
When I hear the word "glamour" I think about a person who is
beautiful and extremely fashionable and who excites everybody's
admiration. To my mind, glamour is the power of attraction,
fascination and enchantment. Hollywood movie stars are often
seen as particularly glamorous. I admire their beauty, elegance
and style. Stars wear expensive clothes and jewellery, drive
luxurious cars and live in wonderful mansions. They lead
glamorous lives: travel all over the world, meet famous people,
dine in the best restaurants, go to expensive beauty salons and
spas and have crazy parties.
However, a glamorous person produces an impression which is
usually better than the reality. Most stars wear bright make-up,
fashionable hairdos and clothes that make them more attractive,
but many of them are not so beautiful in real life. These
glittering social butterflies only pretend to be glamorous.
Their beauty is artificial and some of them don't really like
their image. When their fans and paparazzi don't see them,
celebrities put on plain jeans and a T-shirt and you will hardly
recognize them if you run into them in the street. Nevertheless,
most ordinary people envy celebrities and their way of life.
To conclude, glamour is a by-product of show business. A
glamorous life may be not as dazzling as we think. Some
celebrities are really tired of their glamorous lives.
Из учебного пособия
"Открывая
мир с английским языком. 150 эссе для ЕГЭ. Готовимся к ЕГЭ" Юнёва С.А. 2011г.
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