MUET Essays 2

MONEY It is truly undeniable that in this science and technology millennium, we can hardly live without money. Even buying something small such as sweet will cost you some money. However, this does not mean that money can buy happiness, unlike the misconception of most people in the world. In fact, wealth is a far cry from happiness. If you disagree with me, let's look at the reasons for my stand. Firstly, one of the main gates to happiness is to stay healthy. Maybe some people think that when one is rich, he can be healthy or it does not matter even if they have diseases because these rich men have lots of money to pay their medication. This is totally wrong. Good health is acquired from a healthy lifestyle progressively and not in a day. With lots of money we are tend to temp ourselves to exotic, luxurious food. If this food is taken excessively, it will lead to obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension and other serious illness. Moreover, rich people are probably lack of exercise as they hardly walk outdoor due to 24 hours-service debar fetching them about causing them to be at a higher risk of getting these unnecessarily health problems. How a person can enjoys his life and feels happy when he is confined to a wheelchair or bed-ridden. He would not even be glad spending his money and time curing his sickness. Therefore, wealth cannot bring happiness. Professionals like doctor, nurse, lawyer, engineer, food technologist and accountant earn a lot of money per month. They are considered the high class citizens who can afford large, expensive house with huge beautiful gardens. But do they really enjoy the pleasures of life? Most probably not because they are simply too busy with their work. They frequently burnt the midnight oil in their work place. It is even more miserable if they have to turn their home into a working place. Most specialists have to stand-by 24 hours in case of emergency calls from the hospitals. Hence, they can hardly spend any relax, restful night at their home even if they posse a huge two and a half storey bungalow with a beautiful garden and artificial waterfall. Successful businessmen may always have a chance of flying to all parts of the world when they go out station to make business. However, very few of them can really take it as a holiday as a treat for themselves for their schedules are always full and they are so stressful with their works. Even fewer businessmen can ignore urgent, pursuing calls from their clients or office when they are going for holidays or resting. In other words, one can make lots of money but he may not enjoy even the beauty of nature around them or the branded, expensive things with them. So what is the use of money when we do not even enjoy a meal properly and discontented with lives. One with a moderate income can feels happier if he leads a simple life and be grateful with what he has. Finally, a children or a teenage brought in moderate family is better than in a rich family. As the sons or daughters of billionaires, their parents will give them whatever that they want in material. These children or teenagers get a lot of pocket money from their parents and can afford to buy many expensive things like branded, latest handset, expensive clothes and branded sport shoes. But the question is, are they happy if their parents are always working with only an Indonesian maid to accompany them. If they are asked to choose between wealth and love from their parents, I believe that they were undoubtedly choose love. A healthy family is not created for the children. These children mentally are not as healthy as those being cared and loved by their parents. Children need parents who can listen to their problems and give them words of wisdom, teaching then day by day. Parents who are not rich may not be able to buy branded things to satisfy their children but with more communication and understanding, these teenagers will understand the difficulty of their parents in earning money, learning to be thrifty. In short, money does not promise a happy, caring family. Money may be able to buy a lot of things but not love, friendship, health and others. These are the main ‘ingredients’ for a happy life. Thus, it is a controversy if money can bring happiness. Even, if we can afford many things we desired with lots of money, we may not be happy and enjoy our lives if we are always dissatisfied with what we had, yearning for more. Thus, I stand firm that money cannot bring happiness.

Persuasive Essay Example: Cell phones - One of Our Greatest Technologies Misused Cell phones have lost their meaning over the years. These small devices were once developed to get in contact with someone else in case of emergencies, and now talking on the phone while driving has turned out to be a way of life for millions of American drivers. More than 85 percent of the 100 million cell-phone subscribers frequently talk on the phone during driving.(www.smartmotorist.com) Talking on the cell phone while driving should be illegal, because of the dangers they cause. Driving while using the cell phone is one of the major problems here in the US. Cell phones should not be used while driving. This matter is too dangerous to let it go unnoticed. According to the essay, Yes, Prohibit Their Use, which appeared on the congressional quarterly’s web site on March 16, 2001, the Harvard Center for risk analysis printed a study in 1999. They appointed a crash risk factor to using cell phones. In the summer of 2000 it came out to 450 to 1,000 fatalities each year. The NHTSH says that for every fatality, there are 666 property-damage and injury-producing crashes. There are about 300,000 and 650,000 different crashes due to cell phones! This same essay states that Japan is one of the 14 countries banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving. The accidents caused by the use of cell phones dropped by 75 percent the next month, proving cell phones are not necessary parts of the driving nature. There are major dangers connected with driving and cell phone use. Drivers have to take their eyes off the road while dialing. Also, drivers can get so deep into their conversations that their ability to concentrate may be dangerously limited. This jeopardizes the safety of the people inside the vehicle, and the pedestrians outside. In order to drive safely, the driver should be able to put 100% of his or her focus on the road. Cell phones are simply a huge distraction while driving. It is understandable that there are some cases where the use of a cell phone is needed. In these cases, I agree with the author of Yes, Prohibit Their Use, the driver should pull-over somewhere safe to use the phone. If someone receives an incoming call, he should wait until the car has come to a complete stop. Then he should proceed to use the phone. If he feels that the emergency is urgent enough to take action right away, then the person should use the hands free headset. Only in emergencies should cell phones be used. Some people argue that there are other distractions other than cell phones. While using a cell phone when driving may not be the most unsafe distraction, studies prove that it is the most common cause of car crash accident, and common cause of death here in the US. The use of cell phones while driving should be banned in Philadelphia, because many people die due to distraction of cell phones. Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year. (www.livescience.com/technology). Another reason to not use the cell phone while driving is devastating the many lives of the victims and their families in the case of an accident. When driving, cell phones should not be allowed. Help the statistics decrease not increase.

The Importance of Studying English

It is a big concerned for teenagers nowadays as they are unaware of the importance of English language as they tend to ignore to learn the language. Students’ attitude towards the language is also crucial to make sure that these teenagers can face the future world better by learning English language as it is an international language. Although the government has repeatedly told us of the importance of English, many students are still not bothered about studying it seriously. There is also a campaign that still on to make all the Malaysian becomes a better English learner, which is ‘Enhance Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia, Strengthen the English’. English is the most important and the most useful language in the world today. There are many reasons why you should study the language properly. First and foremost, English will definitely help you a lot when you want to further studies. Almost all books at university are written in English in all subjects. Plus, it is a compulsory for any candidate to pass English with credit before entering any universities. So, if you are poor in English, you will blow you chance for better education or worse, you are going to have a big problem studying at university. The second reason why you have to study English well is that it will help you to get a job. When you go for a job interview, the interviewer will surely talk to you in English. The first impression you should give in order to success and have the job is, to respond in English fluently. Your chances of getting the job are very slim if you stutter while interviewing. A good command in of English will also help you greatly in your job. If the company you work is actively involved in international trade, you have to speak to prospective customers in English. Miscommunication might occur if your English is bad. And this will put your company at risk and you will likely be dismissed if this happen. Good English will also help you a lot when you travel. Every country in the world studies English. Even the roadside stall-holders in China speak fairly good English! At least some of the people you meet on your travels in other countries can understand English. The language is certainly practical when you are lost in your trip. Communication problem will not happen if you can converse well in English. Inevitably, English is one of the languages used in any airport in the world in making announcement. Knowing English well, therefore, make travelling overseas easier. Besides all these, entertainment is one of the major advantages you will experience if you good in English. You will enjoy television’s best programmes. We must admit that many of the best programmes are produced by the Americans and British companies. High self confidence influenced by the programmes will indirect inculcate in yourself when you are fluent in the language. Quality time is worthily spent if you understand and enjoy the programmes. Based from all the above elaboration, I hope that students will see the importance and realise how importance the language is for their own future. Although it is a second language in our country, it is now a main language all over the world.

Haze: A Danger to Health

The haze is a constant phenomenon faced by Malaysia and her neighbouring countries. The haze is basically pollution of atmosphere, which is clogged with pollutants and other substances from forest fires. The haze is a direct effect of forest fire in Kalimantan and other parts of Indonesia due to slash and burn method of farming. The Indonesian authorities appear to have no power to control farmers from practising such methods. The haze is further worsened by open burning practised by most Malaysians. Open-field burning of rice straw by the rice planters and open burning of dried leaves and garbage done by the public are a few examples that done by Malaysian. Many are ignorant of the health effects of open burning. During the haze, hospitals and clinic often report a dramatic increase in respiratory problems, lung infections and asthma attack. The Air Pollution Index (API) usually indicates the hazardous and dangerous levels of pollution during this period. The haze has long-term side effects. Prolonged inhalation of polluted air will result in serious lung infection which particularly affects the elderly. The government must play its role to reduce the haze treat. It has to cooperate with the Indonesian authorities to stamp out forest fires. The culprits must be brought to justice, either through healthy fine or prison sentence. Constant vigilance would ensure the perpetrators do not repeat their offence. The government should also raise the public awareness of the dangers of forest fire. Continuous campaign of the cause, solutions and steps-need-to-be-taken to reduce the haze need to be promoted through all types of social media like television, radio, newspaper and even via internet. The authorities should also provide assistance to farmers and introduce more sophisticated forest clearing methods. In Malaysia, strict laws must be imposed to penalise those who practise open burning. On-going campaigns on the dangers of open burning should be intensified. Individuals too have a role to play. They must participate in every campaign and stop burning. Students can advise their parents not to practice open burning. Every individual has to remember that we do not own the world, but instead we lent it from our future generations. We must protect our world so that our grandchildren would have a healthy earth to live.

FAITH Feeling thankful is how I feel now. The greatest present to receive is the sense of content and gratitude that I feel. No matter how much I earn or the value of properties I owe, without sharing, how life can be? Few years back when I was in school, my mind was set on money and branded items. No matter how badly life has for me, nothing can bring me further away from my set-mind. From many hardships, I struggle for a presence, a name, a status. I need to let people know what I have and what I can achieve. As time passes and sky is unlimited, people change so do I. I turn to God. I turn to my family. I turn to my faith. Nothing can make me feel more content than myself. I need to satisfy my own need before I make my way to the world. Love, Peace and Happiness are what I believe now. As I mention earlier on, faith is the tool for all lives. Imagine a world without faith? How can one trust someone or something? Take for an example a relation between two sexes. Both need to gain the trust and belief before embarking a journey together. It’s a journey of understanding as well as respect. Nothing can bring two down with the concrete tools both have. No matter how much money is flowing in my bank accounts or how many properties waiting in my list, as long as I don’t feel content with myself, nothing would. All these are material visions that count only for a short period of happiness. I want a long lasting happiness. A happiness that can be shared by everyone even passer-by. I turn my life to myself, family and GOD. It revolves with them. Not that I’m a 100% believer in God but somehow or another, it smooths my daily life whenever I trust on something. I believe what comes around goes around in life. Why one should feels frustrated and irritated when aim is not reached? Why? Ask yourself deep in your heart? Is it worth the temper-rush? The best way to do is to look at the problem with a smile on your face and a relax heart. Turn back and don’t let your anger out from your box. Think appreciation that mistakes are made and told to you. All you need to do: CHANGE. It is as simple as ABC. In life, if only one can recognize the significant of Trust, Understanding, Faith and Love our world is in its greatest condition.

THOUGHTS OF SHARING Some of us may be selfish to share our study tips yet deliberately disturbing the others while they are doing their works. Some might agree with such an attitude as a secret weapon for crucial examination namely UPSR, PMR and SPM. But don't you agree that sharing is actually the happiest thing we can do? We can share meaning that we have the capability. Sharing brings more knowledge and ideas to be exchanged. Nobody will improve much if they are reluctant to share. In fact, when we initiate to share, we will definitely get more and more feedback which may be beyond our knowledge. 3 people are better than only 1. More minds contribute more thoughts. That's why group discussion is highly recommended for it is an proven effective way to catalyst our improvement of study. Study is only a part of our life routine and being student is merely our temporary role . Actually that time is our precious moment to develop into a better person. One cannot know and experience everything with limited ages . However, we can gain unlimited knowledge and lesson once we start to share and exchange. By sharing, we know more, we continue our learning and without we can realise , we have fostered good friendship and become a better individual. Let's have a very simple example,every of us owns one box of biscuits. Every box of biscuits have different flavour. If we are kind enough to reciprocate our biscuits with each other, then we get to taste a variety flavour of biscuits. Similarily, sharing and exchanging is something mutually profitable for every of us. Through sharing,we apply our knowledge and subsequently we gain more. Do share your knowledge with others as if you intend they share theirs with you. Only those who are generous to share and humble to keep on learning deserve to possess more power, wealth and knowledge. Being students,we are still learning and painting our lives with endless colour and school should be the safest platform for us to practice our behaviour. Here,sharing makes more sense to complement each other. Nothing can be accomplished without a cohesive teamwork. One cannot be successful without any assistance provided by the others. Frankly,have you shared your fortune,wealth and knowledge with your friends? If not, try your best whenever you are still able to do so. When we are stepping into the working world, seldom do we have such an opportunity to share and enjoy anxiety-free student lives. A real success is more than just a straight A result or thousands and one certificates but whether one really enjoys the process towards success. And sharing will be a must for the particular joyful process.

DOES SCHOOL PREPARE US FOR LIFE ? The school days are crammed with facts and figures, encompassing various subjects ranging from English to Mathematics. All of these require students to learn, memorise, understand and to be tested. Besides grades and examinations, the school also encompasses a wider curriculum including character moulding, citizenship building and personality development. Indeed, I think the school does prepare us for life. Firstly, the school teaches us self-discipline. We learn to keep to a schedule and to adhere to the timetable. We also learn to appreciate time and to be punctual. Moreover, we are trained to plan and manage time wisely. We also abide by and respect rules and regulations. The disciplined students will grow up to be disciplined adults and they will do well in their future undertakings. The school also helps to fortify our determination and perseverance. We learn to fulfil the demands of the school. We also learn to meet deadlines and hand in the homework on time. Moreover, we learn to face stress and pressure. In school, students learn to overcome challenges. Students with strength of character will be well-prepared to face the challenges of work and life in the future. Co-curricular activities are part and parcel of a student’s life. They help to mould students’ character and personality so that students learn to be confident. They help to hone the leadership qualities in the students themselves. Students learn to work together and co-operate with others. They also learn to appreciate good values like esprit de corps. Students learn to contribute positively and to put their best foot forward besides to take success and failure in their stride. We as the students learn to honour values of sportsmanship and fair play. Through co-curricular activities, students also learn loyalty, commitment and responsibility. When they grow up, they will work well as a team with others and committed in serious work. The school is a micro-society. The everyday social interaction is an excellent preparation for life in the society outside. In school, students have the opportunities to interact with other students from varied background, creed and race. Indirectly, they learn tolerance, acceptance and understanding. The students also have the opportunity to work and to mingle together. This can help to foster an open mind and promote unity. Just mention the word ‘school’ and images of grades and examinations come to our mind. Indeed students spend a lot of time and energy preparing and sitting for examinations. Along with that they gather a string of qualifications as well as knowledge and skills. They are crucial since they are the stepping stones and the foundation for the future. They can help students to secure a good job and successful career. In short, school does prepare us for life. It helps to nurture and to build strong character in ourselves. School also prepares students with the necessary ‘tool’ so that students can fit into society and contribute positively to the nation and people in future.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD A LOT OF MONEY When I was small, I often dreamt about being rich as my parents were quite poor. We had difficulty making ends meet each month. So, if I had a lot of money, I would certainly fulfill my dreams. First and foremost, I would buy a house for my parents, preferably a bungalow, in a quiet town. I would equip the house with the latest technology so that it would be a smart home. My mother would have a state-of-theart kitchen as she loves cooking. I would also get a maid to help her with the household chores. I will ensure that my family is comfortably settled in this house. The second thing I would do is to go on a world tour with my parents. I have never been overseas but I long to see the places I have only read or dreamt about. First, I would like to visit Europe, especially Italy, the city of romance. I would visit all the museums and buildings I have heard so much about. My next stop would be Hong Kong or China. There is something mystical about China and her people. This would be my dream come true. Apart from that, I could finally go on a shopping spree, which is my favourite pastime. Thus far, I could only go window shopping and if I had a lot of money, I would go into these stores and buy whatever I fancy. Just imagine that for once in my life, I do not need to look at the prices of the items that I like. I could just shop till I literally drop. The salesgirls would be hovering near me with their latest outfits and my wish would be their command. Ah, I would not be ignored anymore as I walk into their stores! Besides shopping, I would also remember the poor and the less fortunate. First, I would certainly build a better home for the orphans in my town. In fact, I would also sponsor their education till they could stand on their own. They would receive an allowance monthly and I would definitely take them shopping. Finally, I would take the opportunity to further my studies. When I was younger, my parents could not afford to send me overseas. So, I would love to pursue a course in interior decorating in London and once I graduate, I would like to set up my own business with the rest of the money. They say that a fool and his money are soon parted. Thus, I would be very careful with how I spend my money. I would invest my money with my parents’ advice and keep some for rainy days.

Which do you prefer, living in the countryside or living in the city? Countryside I think living in the countryside is far better than living in the city. There are numerous of reasons why living in countryside is the better than the city. The scenery, the streets, the people and the paced are totally different compare to the city. The first outstanding characteristic about the countryside is that it is beautiful and peaceful. The air is fresh and the surroundings green. This is because the countryside is free from pollution, be it air, land or noise pollution. There no such perfect peaceful view that you can see other than in the countryside. There are no crowded streets and heavy traffic in the countryside. Thus there are no fumes from cars and smoke from factories buildings to pollute the air. The trees surrounded the countryside help the people from inhaling the polluted air. The freshness smell of plant somehow helps the people of the countryside to have a healthy life. Furthermore, people in the countryside are more conscious of keeping their surroundings clean and so there is little throwing of rubbish everywhere, only at designated places. This is unlike the cities where if the garbage trucks do not collect the rubbish disposed by household or restaurants, the city will be overflowing with rubbish! This will attract the mosquitoes, fly, rats and wild dogs to pollute their surrounding that will cause them to have diseases like dengue and cholera. Thirdly, heavy traffic and crowded streets increase the level of noise pollution. The honking of cars in the streets is continuous and the crowds on the roads increase the hub of activity. There are also sound of the machine used in manufacturing factories, loud radio in and out the mall. These add to the noise of the city. Even if one lives in residential areas, one is never far from busy streets. However, in the countryside, life is slow-paced. There is no need to rush around because there are not too many places to go. Most places are close by and people can walk or cycle. Less vehicle used, so less fumes is released. The most heart-warming thing about the countryside is the attitude of people. People are friendly and helpful. If there are any happy or festive occasions, everyone pitches in to help. This feeling of cooperation and neighbourliness is what separates the countryside from the city. In the city, people are too busy to take note of the people around. Some hardly even know their neighbours. So they would not even be bothered about what happens to people around. This is why the crime rate is increasing in the city because bystanders do not rush in to help if a crime is committed on the streets. The pace of life in the countryside is slow so people have more time to enjoy life as the day goes on. Thus, for me to enjoy the quality of life, I prefer to live in the countryside. 489 words City In my opinion, one has not experienced life until one has lived in the city. There is so much to see and experience in the bright lights of the city that you cannot get in the countryside. Here in the city, you can learn about how to get along with people of different types, encounter varied situations and solve problems. All these help a person to grow in maturity. After all, experience is the best teacher. In the countryside, however, you only move around people you are used to. So, you seldom encounter strangers or new and demanding situations. Life is more mundane and routine-like. Staying in a secure, safe place does not allow for one to gain new experiences and grow in maturity.

Furthermore, young people need a life that is exciting and pleasurable. It is the city that offers you entertainment- cinemas, parks and eating places. Here you can hang out with friends and family members. Life as fast-paced and this keeps you active and alert all times. And when it comes to educational opportunities, the city abounds in this. There are good school and libraries that are necessary for your mental development. Furthermore, there are places like museums and educational centres where you can go, to increase your knowledge. Such places that offer you entertainment or learning opportunities are of course not available in the countryside. For entertainment, there is only the occasional festive celebration or marriage feast or fishing outing. Some may find this appealing but not me. Moreover, opportunities to widen your knowledge are limited in the countryside. Another point in support of living in the city is the available of jobs. In the city, you can find a job that suits your qualification or interest. If you find a job unsuitable, you can always move to another. This, naturally, increases your earning power and you have better chances of a more comfortable life. Of course, one may argue that one can live in the countryside and work in the city but this will only incur extra expenses and unnecessary inconveniences. Thus, for all the reasons mentioned above, I think that life in the city is better than living in the countryside. After all, you are young only once.

Social Networking Website

A large number of internet users have joined social networking websites. A social network service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people. For example is for those who wants to share interests and, or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user which known often as a profile, his or her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service. In a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. In the last five years, they have been growing up more and more popular. This increase in their popularity has led to a large number of members. One of the many reasons why Yahoo!, MySpace and Facebook social networking websites have increased in popularity is due to the fact that they cover a wide variety of different topics, issues and interest. They do not just focus on one particular group of individuals or one particular issue. Their policy is to invite as many types of internet users to join as possible. By this, it gives members a wide selection of online friends to choose from. If you are looking to join a social networking website that is more focused on creating friendships or partnerships between internet users preferable with the same interests, then you will want to focus on social networking websites. They have a particular focus. The prevalent websites focus on important issues, topics and hobbies, such as pet owners, religion travel and others. So before you join, think of an issue you are interested in and sign up for the website that focuses on that issue. What really sets them apart from other websites? What is so special about them? These are questions which have been asked by many who show interest in joining. Primarily, it is the community. As mentioned, such social networking sites tend to focus on a particular topic, issue or hobby. This means that if you are a keen traveller and you would like to speak to other keen travellers, you will want to join a traveller’s networking sites. The difference between these social networking sites and traditional ones is that you will automatically be paired with hundreds, if not thousands, of other internet users who share the same interests, views or beliefs as you. This is a big bonus to the members. Another benefit to joining the social networking website is that you are, in a way, safer than those who are members of other networks. Most of them require activation before joining the site. Before activation can occur, many users are required to state their reasons for wanting to join the network or they may be required to fill out a small questionnaire pertaining to determine whether or not they have a genuine interest in the topic focused on by the network in question. By pairing you with a group of individuals who share the same beliefs, views and interests as you do is advantageous to members. It means that you do not have to spend hours researching a person or speaking to them just to learn what they are or are not interested in. Therefore, this enables you to jump right in and start making friends, almost as soon as you are granted access to the site that you have chosen. This service gives the social networking websites a great edge over other websites.

Pollution

Pollution is an issue of concern in the modern world that we live in today. There are many types of pollution, namely air, water and noise. Pollution in our environment will undoubtedly affect our quality of life. Our naturally beautiful world becoming ugly because it is suffering from the effects of environmental pollution. Pollution can also cause various health problems and other negative effects. Air pollution is caused by the emission of toxic gases from vehicles, factories and open burning. Nowadays, there are more and more vehicles on the road as society gets more affluent. More and more people strive to have a better quality of life by having the convenience of driving to their destinations instead of taking public transportation. Automobiles provides transport to millions people around the world to enable them to travel to their workplace, school and other places, therefore, the air around us is getting more polluted by the carbon dioxide that is emitted. Carbon monoxide is another type of gas which harmful to the environment as it can cause the reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream. Another example of contributor to the air pollution is the manufacturing factories. The manufacturing of products in factories to meet the growing demand of society is also causing air pollution. Factories release toxic gases to the environment. Some factories also use coal to generate heat and energy. As a result from the burning of coal, carbon dioxide is released into the environment. Besides factories, many people are still practising open burning as a way of disposing their household wastes. Although burning our household wastes is a convenient way of getting rid of our rubbish, it is harmful to the environment as it contributes to the worsening of the air quality. As a result, air pollution causes people to suffer from health problems such as chest pain and asthma. In extreme cases, people can contract lung cancer. Water pollution is also a problem that we are currently facing. The marine life is the first to suffer from water pollution as they depend on the nutrients in the water to survive. As a result, we are robbed of beautiful sea corals and unique species of fishes. Besides ruining our marine heritage, the disappearance of marine life will affect the livelihood of fishermen, not to mention our source of food. Water pollution is caused by harmful waster from industries, farms and sewerage systems which are dumped into our sources of water such as rivers and lakes. This irresponsible act contaminates our drinking water and can cause serious health problems and can even culminate in death. Noise pollution is another form of pollution. Noise from heavy machinery and vehicles can cause hearing problems and in extreme cases, deafness. As there is growing number of vehicles on the road, we are exposed to noise pollution every day. The government in advanced countries encourage their citizens to take the public buses and trains by providing an affordable and efficient transportation system. This effort discourages people from driving their private vehicles and consequently reduces the number of vehicles on the road. We must work together to reduce pollution so that the future generations can live in a healthy, unpolluted environment. As the saying goes, precaution is better than cure. Lets hands on hands together by recycle and conserve the world for the better future.

Friends Friends are people whom we turn to when our spirits need a lift. They are always by our side through thick and thin. They stand beside us even when our disposition is not perfectly right and will fight for us if we are oppressed. Therefore, it is clear that friends play a vital role in shaping who we are today. But what qualities exactly do we need to look for in a friend? A friend should always be caring towards you. He or she should take interest in your problems no matter how big or petty your problem may be. A friend should be able to sit beside you and encourage you to keep your chin up even when everyone else is against you. A friend’s empathy and lovingness will also replenish your worn-out soul and will make you realize how important a friend really is. Apart from that, a friend should be an honest person. An honest friend will dissipate any worries that he or she is lying towards you. A friend’s honesty will enable you to trust his or she’s opinion when it comes to telling you the truth about yourself. For example, an honest friend will remand you on your declining grades and will ask you to work harder while a dishonest friend will see it with a blind eye. Therefore, an overall improvement in yourself will be noticeable if you have an honest friend. Moreover, a friend should be generous both emotionally and knowledge wise. A friend who is generous ought to be able to connect with you and provide emotional support. He or she should also be generous when it comes to sharing knowledge. A true friend must be ever-ready to help you when you are inept in certain subjects. A friend can easily guide you towards understanding the subject matter better as he or she is often on the same page as you. The only difference is that you can’t quite grasp the content of the page per se. Besides that, a friend must also be able to humour you. Humour plays a quintessential role in making your day more lively and enjoyable. Friends who pull your leg and mess about will indefinitely make life seem so much better. As they say, laughter is the best medicine and a little levity on rainy days is always welcomed. In conclusion, friends are people we spend most of our time with. Thus, we have to be selective when it comes to choosing our friends.

A Prominent Malaysian Leader

As the fourth and most dynamic Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad will indelible impression on the sands of Malaysia for many years to come. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister, and one of the longest-serving leaders in Asia. Born on 20th December, 1925 in Alor Setar, Dr. Mahathir is the son of a teacher. He is the youngest of nine children of a school teacher and a housewife. His father, Mohamad Iskandar, was of Indian descent, being the son of a Muslim and a Malay mother, while Mahathir's own mother, Datin Wan Tempawan Wan Hanafi, was Malay. He is married to Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah binti Haji Mohamad Ali, they have seven children, four sons and three daughters. From an early age, Tun Mahathir had the importance of education drummed into him by his father, who was also a strict disciplinarian. After his early education at the Maktab Sultan Abdul Hamid in Alor Setar, he enrolled at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in the University of Singapore. Armed with a MBBS degree in medicine, he set up his own clinic, the Maha Clinic in Alor Setar. As a doctor, Tun Mahathir came into close contact with people from variety of social strataand enjoyed a close rapport with them. He understood their problems. Thus, when he was thrust into the politic limelight, he strove to fulfil the needs of the people. He was first catapulted into the world of politics when he became the Member of Parliement for Alor Setar in 1964. After holding a number of portfolios, including Minister of Education, Minister of Trade and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister, he finally became the Prime Minister on 16th July, 1981. The country flourished with Dr. Mahathir at the helm of the government. His contributions to the nation are so immense and par excellence. He has left his mark in every aspect – in politics, economy or education. Realizing that government-owned enterprises are neither efficient nor profitable, he initiated the privation policy in 1983. This had immediate effect of cutting down bureaucratic ineptitude and operational cost while at the same time generating more revenue. With collapse of the prices of agricultural commodities in the eighties, Tun Mahathir decided that it was time to shift the nation’s focus to more profitable areas. Thus, he started the industrialization programme. Reputed as the country’s top salesman, he showcased Malaysia to investors abroad in a bid to woo them. As a result of the heavy industrialization drive, major projects like national car project or PROTON and the steel company, PERWAJA, together with other mega project were launched one after another. Next, realizing that industrialization would require a good infrastructure, he set about improving it. The Mahathir era saw a successful completion of the North-South Highway, the East-West Highway, the Multimedia Super Corridor, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang and many more. An astute politician, he charted the growth of the country’s progress from the day he took office. He envisages that Malaysia can only attain the status of a fully developed country if it becomes an industrialization one and this ambition has been his main agenda during his tenure. With this in mind, he announced Vision 2020, his most ambitious vision. Frank and outspoken by nature, Tun Mahathir speak without fear nor favour. This has been the hallmark of thus much respected statesman. The inefficiency of local and international organizations has always come under his scrutiny and criticism. It has been almost two decades since Tun Mahathir took over reins of the government. It has undoubtedly been the golden era for Malaysia with many notable achievements.

Is tuition necessary? Discuss.

Tuition is the act of teaching, especially to people in smaller groups or individuals. It is extremely common among Malaysians, especially primary and secondary students. When asked if tuition is really necessary, different people have different opinions. From my point of view, tuition is necessary and I provide my reasons below. In this competitive world, students undoubtedly need some extra assistance to help them perform better academically. Tuition is necessary to complement their school work, especially when it comes to the more difficult topics and challenging areas. Additional practice is required to help improve the students' understanding. Through having private tuition, students are able to obtain extra helpful tips from their teachers and thus they are more likely to excel in their studies. When having tuition, students get to learn in smaller groups or on a one-to-one basis. This is certainly advantageous to timid students as they get the opportunities to speak up and ask questions. In a typical Malaysian public school, a class usually comprises about 45 students. Among so many classmates, the shy and introverted ones normally find it difficult to ask any questions they have while attending classes. Such problem can be solved through having tuition. Furthermore, students are able to get personal attention and develop good study skills with their teachers' help. Since the group is small, it would be easier for teachers to spot students' weaknesses and help strengthen them. In other words, through close collaboration with their tuition teachers, students are able to learn and improve more effectively. Through receiving tuition, students get to occupy their time wisely. This is especially true for latchkey kids. Undeniably, it is better for students to spend their time studying and revising for examinations rather than wasting time socialising with the wrong crowd. Things can go really wrong when students get into wrong company. Even though tuition fees can be expensive and tuition may take up too much of students' time, the benefit far outweighs the negatives. Through having tuition, students are able to acquire unrivalled mastery of a particular subject. Therefore I firmly believe that tuition is absolutely a necessary tool for students to strengthen their weaker subjects and boost their self-confidence and morale.

Are smartphones a necessity?

"Mom, my birthday is approaching. May I ask for something from you and Daddy?" Farah asks her mother. "Of course my dear. What do you want?" "Can you buy me an iPhone 6 as my birthday gift?" Well, it is not uncommon for teenagers today to ask for something expensive and high-tech such as smartphones from their parents. This epoch has been a witness for the rapid development in the world of electronic devices. Nowadays, many companies compete with one another to invent something advanced to attract people to buy their products like smartphones. However, are smartphones really a necessity? It is undeniable that most students today dream to have at least one smartphone. Some of them are willing to scrape up money by doing part-time jobs just to fulfil their dreams. One of the reasons why the device is highly-sought after by students is because of its Internet browsing feature. Such feature makes information searching much more convenient. For instance, in universities, when lecturers give students assignments which require the use of the Internet, smartphones certainly come in handy. With this device, students can save their time and complete their work faster. Apart from that, smartphones can also be useful when we face difficulties in finding a location. The devices come with GPS and all we need to do is to install the Google Maps app and our smartphones are ready to assist us to move from point A to point B easily. This function enables us to find our way in strange neighbourhoods, cities, countries and any other places on earth and explore them. Therefore, smartphones have undoubtedly benefited mankind greatly. Other than that, as human beings, we always impress our peers with something fun, enjoyable and state of the art. Smartphones definitely meet the criteria as many varieties of apps with different functionality can be installed in them. There are social media, games, education, voice recorder, music, radio and many other types of apps. Apps like Facebook, Skype, WeChat and WhatsApp allow us to communicate with people all over the world instantly. Games, for example, give us an opportunity to relax ourselves and improve our reflexes. For Muslims, there are many applications that provide the information about the prayer time, Qibla direction and the Quranic reference. All of these apps can only be installed in smartphones. That is merely one of hundreds of reasons why one should have a smartphone. In a nutshell, it is apparent that smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives. However, just like most things in life, a smartphone can be both a boon and a bane. As a 'full-brained' device that currently possesses the most functionalities and features, we should use this device wisely and make sure that it does not control our lives.

The simple steps to happiness

There was someone who was seated on a particular side and edge. He pondered over his problems. His poor face brought out emptiness and did not show any tranquility. Where had his happiness gone? Happiness. It is a very simple word but has a profound meaning. Every day, people try to achieve happiness through their own ways. They are willing to work hard to achieve it. What they do not realise is that there are many alternative and simpler ways to get happiness. Let me share with you a handful of simple steps to happiness. The simplest step to happiness is being loved. It does not mean you need to seek a boyfriend or a girlfriend. It is more than enough to feel happy just with the love from your family members, as they are the ones who want the best for you. They are by your side during both your happy and sad times. As the saying goes, 'shared joy is a double joy; and shared sorrow is half a sorrow'. Thus, I believe that having love from our family members is equivalent to having happiness. Other than that, socialising with one another is also one of the ways to achieve happiness. Except for recluses, most people are reluctant to live far away from their communities. I believe that to live happily in a community, people should make friends. According to an Oxford dictionary, friends are people who have the same interests and opinions as ourselves, and will help and support us. That is indeed true. Friends are important as they are the complement to our lives. We can have fun and socialise with our friends. We get to learn to respect and tolerate one another as well. You will feel like the luckiest person alive if you have intimate friends who really understand you. Health is one of the determining factors in achieving one's happiness. Do you think the diabetics feel happy when the doctor gives them insulin injections? Do you think the kidney patients are delighted when they know that they need regular renal dialysis to stay alive? It is extremely difficult for someone suffering from sicknesses to be happy. Hence, last but not least, one of the simple steps to happiness is by having good health. With good health, we can savour our lives and have the freedom to carry out any activities ranging from diving to hiking. We do not have to worry about contracting gout or having a heart attack. It is obvious that we can live life to the fullest when we possess good health. In conclusion, there are many ways to reach happiness. The question is, why do we usually choose the harder steps instead of the simpler ones? Some people are willing to work hard to achieve happiness by acquiring wealth. Well, in my opinion, we may be able to buy luxurious items and lead a life of luxury with wealth but we can never buy happiness with it. I pray for a growing realisation of this fact. Real happiness is when we are being loved, have great buddies and need not make appointments with specialists.

Examinations - Good or bad?

When asked if examinations are good or bad, the answers of different individuals will certainly differ. Some people have the opinion that examinations are good while the others disagree. From my point of view, examinations are good. I have my own reasons for saying so. The first reason is that examinations help student to identify their strengths and weaknesses in certain subjects. After an exam, students will have a better idea which subjects they are weak at. They can receive private tuition or put in more efforts to improve their performance in the weaker subjects. From examination results, teachers are able to identify the weaker students and assist them to do better. Examinations also help to show a student¡¯s learning ability. For example, PMR results help a school to decide which stream students should be in for their upper secondary education. Without PMR, the streaming of students would be much more difficult. The second reason is, examinations help students to manage their time properly. Most students will study hard in order to pass their exams with flying colours. Since examinations motivate students, they will spend more time on their studies and plan a timetable. When students spend more time on their studies, they can avoid involving themselves in unhealthy activities such as smoking, getting into bad company, wandering in town, spending too much time on the Internet, playing too much computer games, drinking alcohol, et cetera. With examinations, students will make wise use of their allowance. They tend to spend their pocket money on reference books so that they can increase their knowledge. For instance, when a student purchases books like the model essay books, they can improve their essay-writing skills. Apart from that, students can also buy past year exam paper workbooks or model exam paper workbooks for practising purposes, since 'practice makes perfect'. This can also help them to get used to the exam format and they will likely sit for the exam with confidence. Examinations are good because they are the driving force for students to study hard. In return, they acquire knowledge which comes in handy when they grow up and start working in the society. Without examinations, most students will not really make an effort to study hard as there is no motivation for them to achieve success. In a nutshell, although there are disadvantages for students to have examinations, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Therefore, I strongly believe that examinations are good.

"The Internet is mostly a good thing." Do you agree? Support your opinion.

Many people depend on the Internet for their work and personal life. Though the Internet has shortcomings and drawbacks, it is mostly a good thing. The Internet has brought us a lot of advantages. With the Internet, we can search for information easily and conveniently. For instance, we are able to get the information on health from the Internet easily. This can save us the troubles of visiting the library to get it. In fact, we can get information on any topic from the Internet. For example, if a person wishes to buy a car of a particular brand, he can visit the company's official website and learn more about the car. He can also get details such as the retail outlet address and telephone contact number in order to visit the showroom and to test drive the car. Besides that, it is fast and convenient for us to send messages through email. There are usually no limits on the amount of texts that can be sent through a single email. Furthermore, we can also attach files and documents and even pictures to it. Nowadays, we can contact our friends and families easily through the use of special software such as 'Skype' and 'MSN'. The invention of the Internet has made communication much easier. With the Internet, we can make use of the Internet banking service provided by our banks to pay bills online. We need not visit bill payment counters and queue up to pay our bills. This can save us parking fee, time and troubles. We can also shop online using the Internet. We have a wide variety of goods to choose from as we access the Internet to visit online shopping websites such as 'Amazon' and 'Ebay'. When we purchase goods, we can pay using credit cards or online payment processors. Goods purchased are usually delivered to the home address of the buyers. Some websites even provide free return service if a buyer finds the goods in a bad condition or finds them to be unsuitable. Students find such websites useful when they want to buy reference books for their studies. Other than that, we can also use the Internet to entertain ourselves. We can watch film shows and short videos on websites such as 'YouTube', 'Tudou', et cetera. We can also listen to the latest hit songs and music. More and more people are using the Internet to earn money online. Some people works full-time while the others do so on a part-time basis. They have the convenience of doing so in the comfort of their own homes. People who have online businesses need not open shops or employ many workers. Therefore, they are able to reduce their expenses considerably. In a nutshell, though the Internet has its disadvantages, its benefits far outweigh its disadvantages. Thus, I agree that the Internet is mostly a good thing.

WILLPOWER

All of us wish to achieve many things in life. But usually many of us do not succeed in achieving anything. And often we tend to curse our fate or misfortune. But the fact is that we have only ourselves to blame for our failures. Is there such thing as fate? If our Will-Power is strong, we can easily overcome all hurdles. The concept of fate is man-made. It is not enough that we wish to achieve something. We should have the proper willpower to carry out our planes.

Even a cursory study of the history of human civilization tells us that all great things have always been achieved by men of will. Great men become great because from childhood onward they had willed to be great. The notable achievements of science, art and literature are all the result of endeavours of MEN OF WILL who worked against heavy odds to achieve their goals.

Without such determination, we will not be putting in enough strength to make our plan a success. Apart from that even when the scope of our plane looks rather dull, we will look out for fresh opening for success. On the other hand, a good plane with enough scope will not succeed if there is lack of WILL. So what matters is that we have the proper drive or determination to carry on with our planes in the face of obstacles.

A few examples would suffice to drive the point home. Columbus could discover America only because he stood firm against all the storms of difficulties that threatened him. Nothing could deter him from the path that he had chosen for himself. Mr. and Madam Curie could discover Radium - a great boon to humanity - only because they were persons of WILL prepared to lay down even their lives in the pursuit of their ideal.

Great conquerors, like Napoleon, were all men of determination whose will force carried everything before it. Coming nearer home, we get the inspiring example of Hillary and Tenzing who stood against all the dangers of high altitudes in their resolve to reach the top of Everest. Urged by immense WILL-FORCE, Gandhi demonstrated to the world conclusively that it is WILL that counts and not the physical might.

To sum up : WILL is a great force both for good and evil. It makes impossible things possible. The story of man’s progress from chaos to order, from barbarism to civilization, is nothing but a story of his WILL POWER pitted against all the hostile forces of nature. This WILL POWER can be achieved by one of us by continuous process of concentration on noble objectives. Once acquired, it will enable us to have our way in all things.

TEENAGER LIFE SPM ENGLISH ESSAY EXAMPLE

Esaay sample usable: life of teenager, how to become a good youngster, Current Malaysia teenager problem. A life time of energetic and new pursuits, it teaches the young the vagaries of life for life is a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved. This is the period of life where one experiences the new meaning of education, friendship, extra-curricular activities, love, understanding, care, disappointment, success, failures and awareness. Training in all aspects is given for one to achieve the maximum results and to gain widely in order to prepare oneself for the adult life. Being overenthusiastic many use this golden opportunity, to grab the best by striving and reaping the best. Many do not rest on their laurels and concentrate on their ambitions, aspirations, goals , dream, and targets While other waste this by mixing with wrong company and neglecting their studies, well being and bright future. They laze around , gossip, indulge in unhealthy activities and are begged down in life due to the lack of knowledge, qualification, skills and positive values. The young must be made aware that life is something that must have proper planning, organization and goal setting. The teenage life is deemed to be the foundation of a life time. Therefore, it must be understood that “Not Life but a Good Life is to be Valued” Equipping oneself with the right skills, tact and qualifications at this age is vital for the survival and success in adult life for the young to make good use of the lessons, coaching, tutorials and instructions they get. This will indeed out them well ahead of their competitors The teenage life is one of the pertinence for the young to reap the fruits of their labor. Emotional changes, physical changes and spiritual changes should spur the youngsters towards optimism. In sequence with life’s trials and tribulations, teenage life is a duration for one to learn to overcome obstacles and to face the challenges of a changing life style. In truth, this is the best time for one to gain immensely.

FIGHT GLOBAL WARMING

There has been a considerable increase in the average temperature of earth in the past century. This rise in temperature is attributed to the effects of global warming brought about by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This phenomenon is called Global Warming. The effects of global warming are numerous. The main culprits in the issue are excessive discharge of green house gases in the atmosphere.

The effect of global warming is very evident on the animal kingdom also. Some animals have become extinct due to loss of their natural habitat or their inability to evolve to the rapid changes in the climate. Also there is a change in their life style because of the changes in the seasons. The migrating birds have changed their time of travel and also their place of migration. The effect of global warming can be felt on seasons too. There is shift in season cycle, as the summers are getting longer than the winters. This has affected the animals and made them to change their lifestyle accordingly, and those who failed to do so have perished or on the verge of extinction. The global warming is also responsible for the introduction of some new diseases. The bacteria are more effective and multiply much faster in warmer temperatures compared to cold temperatures. The increase in temperature has led to increase in the microbes that cause diseases. Global warming is also effecting the crop production, as the crops are getting destroyed by the sudden change in temperatures or sudden on set of rains. Also the flash floods and other natural calamities affect the crop. As a matter of fact, because of global warming, the earth’s atmosphere is getting more unpredictable with heavy rains in the areas, which have scanty rainfall or drought in the areas, which received good annual rainfall. The months of rainfall has also getting affected. But there are some people on the other side of the wall also, they believe that the global warming is a natural process and cannot disturb our ecosystem. The earth’s surface mean temperature was even higher a long time ago, and the ecosystem has evolved from that temperature to this. So it can evolve further. But the changes that are happening now are rather fast compared to earlier times.

How Internet Affects Life

Nowadays, the use of Internet is increasing especially among adolescence or more accurately, students. The Internet issue is discussed by the adults and parents. Most of them are worried that the use of Internet is dangerous to their kids. Some others said that Internet may bring benefits to their children especially to those who will be sitting for an examination. On my opinion, Internet has both benefits and drawbacks. First of all, let me talk about the benefits first. As we know, Internet is mostly used by students. By surfing internet, students can visit various websites to assist their studies. The examples of popular websites are tutortv.com , unicliq.com , and tutor.com.my. They can visit the websites and revise their studies in more exciting way. Some of them are free. Students can visit it anytime they want. The websites also provide useful notes and exercises. At the same time, students can get additional information that they cannot find it in books. For instance, they can go to 'Google' or 'Yahoo' search engines to search for more ideas to write an essay. In short, Internet provides vast informations and knowledge which is very beneficial for the students. Next, Internet also provides lots of social networks such as Facebook , Twitter, MySpace and many other. Through these social networks, we can add more friends and make new friends. We can also know friends from other country as these social networks are used internationally. Other than adding friends, we can also strengthen our relationship with our friends and family who are staying far away from us using Skype. We can see them in front of our eyes eventhough they are actually far away from us through web camera. Besides, Internet also offers entertainment. We canwatch videos of our favourite artists by just one click through 'Youtube' website. We can also watch favourite movies without paying. Plus, there are many artists born from 'Youtube'. So, fans can know more about the artists from Youtube. Meanwhile, 4shared.com provides tracks, videos and files that can be downloaded for free! Internet users can enjoy themselves at anytime watching their favourite artists' performance for free. Internet does not only offer benefits for students but also to those who want to gain more money. It also provides business opportunities. As for example, mudah.my gives a wide room for surfers to promote anything they want to sell. Through this, people with no job can gain money and support their lives by doing the online business. However, as I said earlier, Internet also brings bad effects to its users. Firstly, it can encourage cyber crimes. Besides that, students who spend too much time on Internet may neglect their studies and do not finish their homework. This should be avoided as studies are important especially to teenagers. Although Internet can add more friends to our list, yet, it still can develop anti-social behaviour. Not all of the users use Internet to make friends, someof them only play video games or just sit down wayching videos on Youtube. They will only sit and ignore what is happening around them. The worst thing is, they may not realise that there is an earthquake out there! This anti-social behaviour may leads to health problems. The users will just stay at home and sit in front of computer and this will cause them to be lazy couch potatoes. It will also lead to obesity. Next, most students will not attracted to surf knowledgeable websites, but wasting their time on other non-beneficial things. Wasting timeon Internet can cause students to neglect their studies. Not only time is wasted but also money. With the uses of more electricity non-stop, utility bills may increase dramatically. We just not pay for the electric bills but also internet monthly bills. The conclusion is, everything has its own benefits and drawbacks. However, it depends on how we are using it. If we spend more time using it for benefits, we will get positive effects. But if we use it more to non-beneficial things, we will get negative effects. So, it depends on you.

How to Manage Stress and Lead A Healthy Lifestyle

Get Enough Support It is important to not feel alone when you are going through such a stressful time. Firstly, educational support is necessary to ensure you can raise any issues or concerns about the syllabus or exams- advises that a high level of tutor support will help all students to perform to the best of their abilities. Secondly, reach out to family and friends and don’t be afraid to let them know if you are struggling with revision or with exam nerves. It is surprising how reassuring a few calming words from those who know us best can be. Channel Stress A healthy outlet for stress is through exercise. Undertake an activity or sport that you enjoy, whether that be running, cycling or getting together with friends for some team sports. Some experts suggest Jiu-Jitsu can be extremely important in the process of learning as a martial art can encourage an increase in confidence for the student. This confidence, alongside channelling some of the stress that builds up at exam time, is the perfect antidote to your nerves. Eat Well To ward off coughs and colds and to ensure that your brain has enough energy to keep it fuelled through all those days of revision you need to eat a well-balanced diet. This should include: protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, plenty of fruit and vegetables and of course the occasional treat to keep you going. Don’t eat too many sugary items though, as this can lead to your blood sugar taking a dive, which in turn can leave you feeling particularly tired and anxious. Also remember to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Dehydration can lead to tiredness and an inability to concentrate, not what you need when there is a large amount of revision to be done. It’s easy to skip meals, or to make something quick and not very nutritious, when you feel like you should be studying all the time. However, this is not going to stand you in good stead during exam time. You also need some time away from your books and laptop, so mealtimes can be the perfect excuse to relax a little and catch up with friends and family. Avoid Stimulants Alcohol and cigarettes are never a great health choice, and if you are turning to them because of stress, they are not going to help. The same is true, but to a lesser extent, of coffee and energy drinks. They might give you an initial boost but they are soon going to lead to you feeling exhausted. Where possible steer clear of all stimulants during revision and exam time. Get Plenty of Sleep Another important factor is to get plenty of rest, both whilst you are revising and during the time that you take the exams. It might seem a good idea to stay up late and go over your notes again, but it is far better to do it when your brain is refreshed and well rested in the morning. The other factor is that when we are tired even small issues can seem a lot worse and this can magnify the stress that we are feeling. The best way to get to sleep before an exam is to switch off from all laptops, screens and mobiles at least an hour before bed. Take a bath and then just relax for a while, maybe read a book that has nothing to do with your coursework. All of these healthy living ideas will add up to you feeling much more relaxed and in good form in time for your exams. Probably the final piece of advice is to keep your exams in perspective. Even if you feel that a paper doesn’t go very well it’s best to put it behind you and move on to the next one. It’s always difficult to tell if you have done well or not and furthermore worrying isn’t going to help you get a different result. Keep focused on the last day of exams and before you know it the summer will lie ahead, free of study and stress. Why Students Should Eat Breakfast Every Day

A lot of people, especially young people, go though the day without having breakfast. Many people believe that it is not necessary, or they say that they don’t have time for that, and begin their day with no meal. I believe that everyone should eat breakfast before going to their activities. The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of breakfast, especially for students. The first reason why you should eat breakfast before going to school is for your health. When you skip breakfast and go to school, you are looking for a disease because it’s not healthy to have an empty stomach all day long. It’s very important to have a meal and not let your stomach work empty. All you are going to get is gastritis and a lot of problems with your health if you don’t eat breakfast. Another reason for eating breakfast is because you need food for to do well in your classes. You body and your brain are not going to function as good as they could because you have no energy and no strength. When you try to learn something and have nothing in your stomach, you are going to have a lot of trouble succeeding. A lot of people think that they should not eat because they are going to feel tired, but that’s not true. Breakfast is not a very big meal, and on the contrary, you’re going to feel tired if you don’t have breakfast because you have spent the entire previous night without food. The last reason to have breakfast every day is because you can avoid diseases if you eat some breakfast in the morning. If you don’t eat, you are going to get sick, and these diseases will have a stronger effect on you because you’re going to get sick easier than people who have breakfast every day. You have to realize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you cannot skip it without consequences for your health, your school and your defense mechanism. It is better to wake up earlier and have a good breakfast that run to school without eating anything. It is time for you to do something for your health, and eating breakfast is the better way to start your day.

Why You Should Not Smoke

I am sure that you know that smoking harms your body. Then why do you continue smoking? Maybe you do it because you haven’t really become conscious about all the effects that smoking has. There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t smoke. Some of them are that smoking affects your health, that you spend a lot of money on cigarettes, and that when you smoke you are not respecting people around you. The first reason why you shouldn’t smoke is that smoking affects your health. If you smoke, your physical condition will be negatively affected, so it will be very difficult for you to succeed in sports. Also, smoking produces lethal diseases like cancer and reduces the length and quality of your life. Maybe you don’t notice all the physical effects of smoking immediately, but you surely will be sorry one day. The second reason why you shouldn’t smoke is because of all the money that you spend on it. Maybe you start smoking only when someone offers you a cigarette, but there will be a day when you will feel the need of a cigarette. By this time, you will pay whatever to smoke, and each time you will smoke more, so you will spend more money. All the money you would spend on cigars could have be spent in something better, don’t you think? The last reason why you shouldn’t smoke is out of respect for the people around you. When you smoke, you not only harm yourself, but you also harm all the people around you. So you mustn’t be selfish; you should at least avoid smoking in front of people who don’t smoke. Also, many people don’t like the cigarette’s smell, so they won’t enjoy your company. Would you like that? I have said just some reasons of why you shouldn’t smoke, so I hope that now those of you who smoke are able to think a little and try to make a smart decision. In addition to all the reasons I’ve said, I would like you to think about how much you love yourself and then whether you want to continue harming yourself. Think also about all the people who love you, like your family who doesn’t want to see you suffering or sick. If you decide to continue smoking, what a pity. But if you decide to stop smoking, congratulations! Remember that "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Why Women Should Not Have an Abortion

Many women in the entire world have abortions. Women believe there are many reasons to abort such as fear of having or raising a child, rape, or not having enough money. But whatever the situation, there is never an acceptable reason to get an abortion. Some important reasons why women should not abort have to do with human values, religious values, and values of conscience. The first reason why women should not have an abortion is related to basic human values. Women need to think about their unborn babies who are not responsible for this situation. These unborn babies should have the privilege to live and grow into a normal person. Women need to be more humanitarian and less egoistic with these babies. On the other hand, the baby doesn’t know how or why he is here. It is not necessary to kill a life; there are many other solutions to resolve this problem short of abortion. The second reason why women should not abort has to do with religious values. In almost all religions, a woman is not permitted to have an abortion. If they do, their religions will punish them. In some religions, for example, a woman cannot take communion after having an abortion, and before taking communion again, she must do many things as a form of penitence. In whatever religion, abortion is punished and for this reason, women should not abort. Finally, the third and most important reason why women should not abort is the related to her conscience. When a woman has an abortion, she will always think about the baby she might have had. She will always think about the future that could have happened with her baby which will always remind her that she killed it. Because she has had an abortion, she will never have a good life, and her conscience will remind her of what she had done. Because a woman who has an abortion can’t forget about what she has done, these thoughts will always be with her, and the results can be calamitous. There are many reasons why women should not have an abortion. The truth is that women need to think about the consequences that can occur before having sexual relations. I think that the effects of an abortion can be very sad for everyone involved, both for the woman who has the abortion and for the family who lives with her.

Why We Should Not Compare Ourselves With Others

In our culture a lot of times people advise us to compare ourselves with others. "You should be like your father," "You can win; the others aren’t as good as you," "You must be the best of your class," etc., and this is not always the best way of thinking. There are many reasons to change this way of thinking and begin to compare ourselves only with ourselves. This is the way it should be, and in this paper I will discuss some of the most important reasons for this. The first reason to avoid comparing yourself with others is that there will be always someone better than you. It doesn’t mater in which aspect, but it is always true. Therefore, you could feel inferior to others and maybe without a real reason. For example, you can be an incredible architect and the best of your generation, and this can make you feel incredibly good, but if someday someone is better than you are, you could feel sad although you are still the same incredible architect that you were before. The second reason to elude this kind of comparison is that you will always find someone worse than you, but as opposed to the first reason, this can make you feel better than the others, and this feeling can turn into a horrible pride. For example, if you are the second best student of your class, and one day the very best student leaves the school, you will then be the best one although you are still only as good as you were before. These two first reasons leads us to a third one: If you want to be better than the others, you don’t need to improve yourself; you only have to make the others look bad. If I want to be the leader of the group, but you are the leader now, what I need to do is to make you look like a traitor or stupid and then I can take your place. Then I will be better than you. A fourth reason to stop comparing ourselves is that the one who compares him/herself with others is judging, and this doesn’t help us develop as human beings. Nobody knows the internal reality of the other; nobody knows his/her story and his/her most deep intentions, and when we judge it’s harder to accept the others. The last but most important reason to avoid comparing ourselves with others is that when we do, we can be tempted to copy them, to do the same things, and to act and think like them. The problem with this is that if we copy someone, we will never know who we really are and what we really want, and then we will never grow spiritually. For all these reasons and because we are unique, we should not compare ourselves with others, only with ourselves. The only comparison pattern that we really have is our consciousness. So, if we use this pattern we will not feel less or more than others; we will not try to make others look bad; we will not judge so much; and we will accept ourselves as we really are. In other words, we will live happier.

Happiness Humankind can’t continue their lives without desires. If one wants to be happy, surely, he has to discover his best desires that provide him a happy life. Some of these desires that help to continue our lives can be acceptance in our relationships, a good family life and strong social relations. Trying to satisfy these desires has a great meaning to achieve happiness for me. To start with, however embarrassed I am about this desire of mine, I have an obsession to expect people to accept my thoughts and manners in every situation. Yes, this is not a good characteristic and sometimes makes me an antipathic person but trying to be accepted by someone can give you happiness, too. Besides, if you can manage to make someone love you knowing and accepting all about you, I think that is the absolute happiness. Furthermore, it seems to me that family is the basic source of happiness. Certainly, I can’t always be a good guy and sometimes I make them upset but I can’t stand seeing them upset. Therefore, I try to do whatever necessary to make them happy. Consequently, when I see happy family faces, I feel deeply happy. Thirdly, to have friends is one of the most meaningful aspects of life. I believe that one should have three very warm friends at least. For example, I can’t bear loneliness and if I couldn’t share all my heart with these warm friends, I believe that I could never be happy. As a consequence, if you feel like me, it will be worth improving your close relationships in order to be happy. To recap, humankind has a short life but he is given a lot of desires to be happy. Moreover, if one wants to discover the meaning of his short life, he should look for it in desires. Whether he finds it or not, he will taste happiness just by looking for it.

HAPPINESS Everyday in one way or another we are trying to find happiness in a complete chaos, that is what all we are struggling for. Actually, temporary happiness is everywhere if we want to find it and search for it. Sometimes it is just as close as a cute kitten to us, sometimes giving a hand to someone who is in need of us is enough. Even taking a breath may give somebody the absolute happiness at times. But what if we leave temporary happiness alone and decide to construct our lives on basic principles of permanent happiness? Certainly these principles depend on one’s characteristics and point of view. In my opinion, social relations, acceptance and independence are the most important elements of permanent happiness in life. To begin with, social relations are very important for me to be happy in the general drift of my life. I should have good relations with the people around me for peace of my mind. If I have close and intimate friends with whom I can share my troubles, worries and also my joy, then it means that I have beaten the life up to a very considerable point. In my opinion, someone who has real friends has the most valuable treasure of life. In order to obtain this treasure, I make my friends among the people whose principles resemble mine, whose characteristics best suit me and who are sincere. Besides friends I try to have good relations with the people I encounter somehow everyday, like neighbors, acquaintances, teachers, relatives and the others. The second element of continuous happiness for me is acceptance: to clarify, acceptance of my characteristics, behaviors, choices and desires. At one point, it can be defined as the acceptance of my existence as a real individual. As long as I am accepted and taken as I am, I can make right decisions for myself. To accomplish this, I explain that I do not want unnecessary criticisms from the people around me. Unless the things I do or think affect anybody, the others should not poke their nose into them. It is none of their business to interfere with me about the subjects that only interest me.

In the third place, learning to be independent is very important for me to reach real happiness in life. I should be self-sufficient enough to continue my life without too much assistance of the others. Sometimes we are left without our families, sometimes none of our friends stand by us or at times we may get into a position where we have to do things just by ourselves. We live our lives not as a team but as an individual, so we must learn to cope with it as individually as possible. To be an independent person, I try to be selfconfident and to be a self-confident person I try to obtain different qualities in different fields. Furthermore, I believe my power, love myself with all my faults and endeavor not to repeat them but to learn from them. To sum up, if I acquire success in social relations, independence and acceptance, then it means that I have the golden key to make happiness an enduring element of my life. Obtaining all these elements may not be very easy, they may be achieved only in the long run but there is something we should always bear in mind, achieving the real and permanent happiness in life is not that easy, either.

Causes and Effects of Uncontrolled Urbanization If you are an urban dweller, you may know the real meaning of urbanization. However, this does not always indicate your sufficient insight in the “uncontrolled urbanization” topic too. To form a causal chain, it is right to say that more jobs, more services in the urban side and absence of land in the countryside force people to migrate to larger cities which brings about uncontrolled urbanization. As a result, some problems arise such as unemployment,inadequacy of infrastructure/services and some environmentally unwanted events as well as unpleasant demographic incidents. To begin with, it is a good point to dig up the reasons for people to come to larger cities. First of all, by all accounts, cities are perceived to offer a wide variety of job opportunities on the grounds that there are very different branches of businesses in cities. Inasmuch as unemployment level is hugely high in the rural areas and the work is only about farming in contrast to countless business sectors in chief cities, more and more people choose searching for their chances in the metropolis. Secondly, comes another significant reason: There are better services in cities. As a matter of fact, transportation is extremely developed so as to make use of time efficiently. Medical services are supported with the latest technological improvements, there are unbelievably modern hospitals. Besides, education is taken into account seriously. There are very high-quality schools with excellent teachers, teaching with upto-date techniques. None of these can be found in the rural areas, at this stage. Apart from these pull factors causing migration to big cities, there is a strong push factor stemming from absence of enough land. It would be very hard and useless to cultivate the land if it is too small to make an agricultural production. One important thing triggers this incident increasingly during the last years; namely, division of land. To explain, in the rural areas when someone dies, the inheritance would usually be the land. Yet, the land is divided into many parts due to the fact that in the countryside it is common to have lots of children and they all have rights to take one part of the inherited land. Therefore, what they get are useless small lands rather than a gigantic land which is capable of making a great deal of agricultural production itself. The inability to do the only thing, farming, again brings about migration to big cities with the hopes of making money. As mentioned earlier, all these facts and figures necessitate uncontrolled urbanization, in the midst of the causal chain. So, what are the side effects and drawbacks of this growth? The first main problem is unemployment rate in the cities, no doubt. Imagine that a city with a population of 5 million people and everything is fine, everyone has work. Then, other citizens of the same country – especially from the rural areas – see the opportunity to have a better life and migrate to this city. Another 1 million people may be OK, 2 million might be accepted due to newly created sectors; nevertheless, if another 5 million people come to this city, what will be the result? Excess unskilled labourers will certainly occupy everywhere. There will be a dramatic rise in the unemployment level owing to the limited capacity of workers. Looking from a different angle, since young adults come to cities before their families, unemployment will reach a maximum point that is defined by the term “unable to cope with”. The next shortcoming is, of course, inadequacy of infrastructure and services. This uncontrollably growing kind of urbanization results in so much pressure on the infrastructure that no means of infrastructure can respond to any needs of urban life effectively. For instance, when there is a sudden rain, there would be floods all over the city, but in fact, there should not be by the help of regular working sewers and drainage. Garbage removal is another bad aspect as well as destroyed roads and the inconsistencies of the power supplies. Electricity and natural gases have innumerable problems as a consequence of this denial of service. Services sectors are also in deep trouble. There do not seem to be any noticeable investments in transportation; hence, it cannot meet the needs of city residents. For the expensiveness of highly equipped private hospitals, urban crowds choose the state hospitals mostly and this leads to very long queues indeed. As a result, people cannot get a good examination in medical centers. Education is also badly hurt; because, children are made to receive education in incredibly crowded classrooms such as 60-80 students in one classroom.As you see, the teacher cannot show the same interest to every child and that drops the learning level sharply in this so-called educational system.

Within this type of urbanization, some unwanted events occur, specifically environmental e.g. pollution and deforestation. Factories and motor vehicles pump large quantities of carbon dioxide and other waste gases into the air. More vehicles mean more pollution. For example,the poisonous gases coming from the vehicles result in acid rain that damages trees, buildings and can kill fish in lakes and rivers. Rivers can also be polluted by industrial waste from factories. Deforestation, on the other hand, is very widespread in recent years; large areas have been destroyed, as the trees are cut down for wood or burned to clear the land for building universities, shopping centers, skyscrapers and so forth. It is not wrong to say that this unplanned urban growth influences accommodation in the form of illegal buildings by ruining the nature and natural beauties. The last impact is about unpleasant demographic results. At this point i.e. the last ring of the overall causal chain, there is a mini chain relevant to demography. When the uncontrolled urbanization occurs, the most noticeable effect is overpopulation in chief cities. In the meantime, this flow causes depopulation in the rural areas. Subsequently, this contributes to a decrease in agricultural production. Besides, there are a lot of crises in the urban side, there is an economic one in the countryside too. It is appropriate to give this incident as an example for lose-lose principle if two sides are considered opposites. In conclusion, uncontrolled urbanization is a very deep subject existing in the middle of a causal chain with causes; for example, more job opportunities and better services in urban life in contrast to absence of land in the rural areas and effects; such as unemployment, insufficiency of infrastructure, unwanted environmental events and unpleasant demographic theories. In the right hands, urbanization can determine or at least influence the destiny of a city and may be a turning point for its existence and optimistic future, whereas in unstable and unplanned conditions, urbanization creates nothing but a real mess. Therefore, migrants to an uncontrolled urban side may meet the worst disappointments in their lives instead of hopes of making easy money; because, it is not perpetually true that “Roads are paved with gold.”, especially in today’s world…

“Many students in schools show a lack of interest and motivation in their studies. Discuss the reasons why they are academically uninterested.” In every school, while there are hardworking students, there are also lazy students who are not interested in anything about school. They just come to school, sit at the back of the class, talk and disturb the others. There may be some reasons for such behavior such as family, peer influence and financial problems. The most common factor which influences the academic performance of students is family. If the parents are interested in how their child is doing at school, the student will be more interested in his lessons too. Educated parents generally show more interest in the academic performance of their children; however, this should be a practice common to all families not only to the educated ones. When the parents are not interested in the success or failure of their children, the child will not care about school or lessons, and will perform poorly. In schools, the best-known students are the ones who do everything except for studying. They seem the coolest students at school and everybody admires their reputation. When the parents fail to show any interest in their children, they are likely to become one of those students who look cool but display no academic achievement. Because in these ages teenagers do not understand the importance of useful things, they do trivial things which seem really important among their peer group. Their only aim is to be well known at school and have a group. Studying lessons, then, is not one of the ways to become popular at school. The most important factor for the lack of interest on part of a student is the financial situation of his family. There are some students, for example, who think even if they pass the university exam, their families will not be able to find the money needed for their education. Apart from this, some students have to work after school; as a result, they cannot concentrate on their studies. When the difficulty of the lessons is added to this list, school becomes a nightmare for these students. It is possible to rescue these underachieving and academically uninterested students from this fate. The parents and the students themselves may be warned, or the government can give financial aid to these students. Maybe it is very difficult to completely solve this problem of student apathy and lack of motivation, but we can at least ameliorate it.

VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY The term “violence in the family” refers to male violence against females. It means that men are generally rude to women both physically and psychologically. Concerning this issue, a study has been conducted by Family Research Institute in five different geographic regions of Turkey on married women about husband violence against wives. The results of this survey indicate that two independent variables seem to be related to approval of violence. One of the variables is the number of children, which affects the women’s approval of male violence in the family. Data on this relationship show a complex link between the two: the number of children influences the intensity with which a woman approves male violence. They increase parallel to each other: while the number of children rises from 1 to 6, the approval percentage rises from 10 to more than 40. The second variable shows the linkage between the age of women and their approval of male violence. As age rises, the degree of approval rises too. However, there is a sharp increase between the ages 35-40 and from 40 onward it continues to rise. The women’s approval of male violence stems from different factors such as education level of both genders. If men had enough awareness to respect women, violence would be decreased. In the same way, if women were educated, they would have financial independence or at least they would know their rights and would act accordingly. Financial independence gives women the right to divorce. Therefore, a woman who has enough money to support herself and her children does not have to tolerate an unhappy life with her husband who resorts to violence. Another factor that determines the degree of violence approval is modernization. In other words, traditional values that are observed among women and certain segments of the society are the cause of approval. For example, years ago women could not do anything without asking their husbands first. Although such conservative beliefs seem too old-fashioned to be accepted today, they still apply. The wicked belief against women who are divorced or widowed is the other factor that has an effect on approval of violence. Women are afraid of becoming a widow because of this common attitude. Lots of men are very merciless in their treatment of women; they treat them as if divorced women are strange creatures or as if they are guilty of some immoral crime. Therefore, women cannot venture a divorce fearing persecution. As a result, being a woman in Turkey is difficult but being a divorced woman is more difficult than this, so lots of women have to accept and live with their husbands’ violent acts. Something must be done for women but a lot of people think that there are more important issues in the country that need handling. For this problem to be solved, people -without any discrimination- must be educated on women’s rights. It must be accepted in the wider society that women have to be seen as humans not as slaves. Only after people understand this, women will gain the status that they really deserve in the society.

Write a Short Essay on Friendship Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. A person who has true friends in life is lucky enough Friendship makes life thrilling. It makes life sweet and pleasant experience. Friendship is indeed, an asset in life. It can lead us to success or to doom. It all depends on how we choose our friends. True friendship is a feeling of love, sharing and caring. It is a feeling that someone understands and appreciates you as you are, without any exaggeration, flattery and pretensions It gives a feeling that you are ‘wanted’ and that you are ‘someone’ and not a faceless being in the crowd. A true friend stands by you through thick and thin. True friendship knows no boundaries or demarcations of caste, creed, race and sex. Friendship is both good and necessary. Man cannot live all alone. He is a social being. He needs someone to share his joys and sorrows. Generally, it is only the people of the same age, character and background, mentality, etc., who can understand him and understand his problems. Friends are needed for support and for sharing. Friendship is an elixir which is essential for a happy life. They are needed to turn to when one is in trouble, and facing difficulties. According to the great Roman Statesman Cicero “Friendship increases happiness and diminishes misery by doubling our joy and dividing our grief”. Friends are needed in every stage of life. Friendship has no age limit. Every group of peoplechildren, youth, elders, very elderly people, etc. have their friends. However, it is better to have friends of the same age group and cultural backgrounds. We need to select our friends very carefully. We have to remember the maxim “All that glitters is not gold”. In the same manner, we must not be moved by apparent show of friendship. Many remain with us in the guise of good friends and lead us to the wrong path. Today, many youngsters have become social nuisance mainly due to wrong company and bad friends. We spent much of our time with them. Their mental outlook, behaviour, attitudes affect us too. Therefore, we have to choose our friends very carefully. We have to distinguish between fair-weather friends and true friends. True friends remain with us through thick and thin while fair-weather friends are found only during sunny days. Lasting friendship is indeed, a blessing. Good friends are great pillars of life. They help us to stand tall and erect in life. Friendship can make or break us. It can lead to good careers and proper living. It does not matter how often you meet your friends, but how much you care and feel for another in good times as well as in bad times. True friendship is a great asset in life.

Peer Pressure: Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making Say you're sitting around with some friends playing video games and someone mentions a particular game that happens to be one of your favorites. "Oh, that game's easy. So not worth the time," one of your friends says dismissively. The others agree. Inwardly, you know that it is a game you happen to enjoy quite a lot but, outwardly, not wanting to debate the issue, you go along with the crowd. You have just experienced what is commonly referred to as peer pressure. It is probably more accurate to refer to this as peer influence, or social influence to adopt a particular type of behavior, dress, or attitude in order to be accepted as part of a group of your equals ("peers"). As a teen, it's likely you've experienced the effect of peer influence in a number of different areas, ranging from the clothes you wear to the music you listen to. Peer influence is not necessarily a bad thing. We are all influenced by our peers, both negatively and positively, at any age. For teens, as school and other activities take you away from home, you may spend more time with your friends than you do with your parents and siblings. As you become more independent, your peers naturally play a greater role in your life. Sometimes, though, particularly in emotional situations, peer influence can be hard to resist—it really has become "pressure"—and you may feel compelled to do something you're uncomfortable with. What scientific research tells us about peer influence "There are two main features that seem to distinguish teenagers from adults in their decision making," says Laurence Steinberg, a researcher at Temple University in Philadelphia. "During early adolescence in particular, teenagers are drawn to the immediate rewards of a potential choice and are less attentive to the possible risks. Second, teenagers in general are still learning to control their impulses, to think ahead, and to resist pressure from others." These skills develop gradually, as a teen's ability to control his or her behavior gets better throughout adolescence. According to Dr. B. J. Casey from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, teens are very quick and accurate in making judgments and decisions on their own and in situations where they have time to think. However, when they have to make decisions in the heat of the moment or in social situations, their decisions are often influenced by external factors like peers. In a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), teen volunteers played a video driving game, either alone or with friends watching. What the researchers discovered was that the number of risks teens took in the driving game more than doubled when their friends were watching as compared to when the teens played the game alone. This outcome indicates that teens may find it more difficult to control impulsive or risky behaviors when their friends are around, or in situations that are emotionally charged. The positive side While it can be hard for teens to resist peer influence sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, it can also have a positive effect. Just as people can influence others to make negative choices, they can also influence them to make positive ones. A teen might join a volunteer project because all of his or her friends are doing it, or get good grades because the social group he or she belongs to thinks getting good grades is important. In fact, friends often encourage each other to study, try out for sports, or follow new artistic interests. In this way, peer influence can lead teens to engage in new activities that can help build strong pathways in the brain. As described in the article "Teens and Decision Making: What Brain Science Reveals," neural connections that are weak or seldom used are removed during adolescence through a process called synaptic pruning, allowing the brain to redirect precious resources toward more active connections. This means that teens have the potential, through their choices and the behaviors they engage in, to shape their own brain development. Therefore, skill-building activities—such as those physical, learning, and creative endeavors that teens are often encouraged to try through positive peer influence—not only provide stimulating challenges, but can simultaneously build strong pathways in the brain. While we are constantly influenced by those around us, ultimately the decision to act (or not to act) is up to us as individuals. So when it comes to decision making, the choice is up to you.

That Friends Have Greater Influence Than Family On Young Adults

In my view, young adults are influenced the most by their friends. Although families have significant influence on their adolescent members, the effects that friends have on teenagers are much stronger. This will be proven by analyzing the facts that adolescents tend to spend a lot of time with their friends, be affected by peer pressure, and avoid their parents.

First of all, young adults prefer spending their time with their friends and hanging out with them. Take myself for instance. I am a teenager, and I usually have the feeling that staying at home with my parents is somehow boring. In fact, I like to go to school where I can meet a lot of my friends, and chat and play with them. Also, I love going to parties in which there are a lot of teenagers so that I can make new friends. Hanging out with friends is one of the most interesting things I can do while being a teenager. I believe that other young adults have the same interest. That is the reason why they hold a lot of parties, trips and even volunteering activities. Young adults want to be more sociable and outgoing. Because young adults spend a lot of time with their friends, they are strongly influenced by them.

Secondly, young adults are significantly affected by peer pressure. When a teenager joins a group, under peer pressure, he or she has to change in order to conform to the trends in that group. The most obvious place where peer pressure of teenagers can be seen is in school. In school there is a large group with subgroups inside. A member of a group must adjust his attitude and action to fit in the group, which can be a positive or negative adjustment. If a student is put in a group with other ambitious and hopeful members, he or she will try not to be excluded. The reason why an adolescent is affected significantly by peer pressure is that he or she does not have enough maturity to choose what is best for them. Instead, he or she feels it is right to do the same thing as other members do. For that reason, young adults are affected greatly by their friends.

Thirdly, young adults tend to avoid their parents. During one's childhood, it is obvious that one is influenced the most by the family. However, the influence of family becomes smaller as a person grows into a teenager. Apparently, there are a lot of things that an adolescent cannot easily talk about to his or her parents, such as sexual problems. They discuss such issues with their friends instead. Moreover, parents usually misunderstand their children when they grow up, which may even lead to arguments. If this is a continuing problem, teenagers will avoid their parents because they do not want to cause disagreement. Therefore, an adolescent is less influenced by family than by friends.

To conclude, people have the tendency to be influenced by their friends more than by their families when they grow into teenage age. The influence from friends can be positive or negative, however, and is essential to the development of a person. When the person matures, that kind of influence will decrease.

Formal Education Tends To Restrain Our Minds And Spirits Rather Than Set Them Free The claim put forward is that formal education limits our minds and spirits rather than allowing a broad perspective to develop. I partially agree with this opinion , education allows exploration of different perspectives and opening our minds to different possibilities, yet limits our mind to scientific explanations only. Formal education inculcates in us the ability to reason and encourages us to question a fast variety of hypothesis and accepted beliefs. Formal education is about questioning and looking a variety of different thoughts. For example in the social sciences different opinions on a particular topic of philosophy are taught,in order to broaden the insight of students; it opens up the students minds on how there is not one answer to one topic. However, it can be argued that formal education promotes a scientific explanation to everything, thinking that is unscientific is considered untrue. This is in a way restricting our mind to logic only, shutting it out to preternatural or spiritual explanations. For example in science we are taught only about the making of the world through evolution, France even banned antievolution books favouring creationism in schools, the alternate explanation of mans creation through creationism is never taught. To conclude formal education frees our thinking on some aspects of life , while restricting it on others.

Educational Institutions Should Dissuade Students From Pursuing Fields Of Study In Which They Are Unlikely To Succeed. Students go to school to learn and prepare for their future careers. It is the Educational institutions’ responsibility to teach, equip and prepare their students for their future by providing them with the appropriate knowledge they will need. But is it the Institutions’ responsibility or call to dissuade their students from pursuing the field of study which they think they will unlikely succeed? The answer to this question is no. The Educational institution is not in position to do it. Their main job and responsibility is to teach and prepare their students for their future career or field of study. No one but the student himself knows if he/she will succeed or can do it and it is only the student who has the right to decide for himself.

No matter how hard or impossible it is to succeed in one field of study, it is only the person who will take it knows or can tell if he/she will succeed or not since it is he who will do it for himself not other people. A person’s dedication, hard work and commitment can make the impossible possible. Also a person’s future should not be judged or be based on his/her performance in class because we don’t know exactly what causing the student to fail or why the student is not doing good in class because there are a lot of factors to be considered like lack of resources, not so good professors, environment etc… One’s success or future success should not be based only on school performance. A lot of my classmates in high school are on the average side who made it big and succeed in their chosen fields compared to those who are on the top of our class, which are expected to be successful in any filed of study they will decide to pursue.

Educational institutions are there to guide, mold and teach their students to be successful not to dissuade or prevent them in pursuing what they want to do or take in the future. What ever the student wants to pursue, it is the Educational institutions’ responsibility to help and support them achieve it.

Facts About Friendships, Peers, and Adolescence Friendships that emerge during adolescence tend to be more complex, more exclusive, and more consistent than during earlier childhood. New types (e.g., opposite sex, romantic ties) and levels (e.g., best friends, cliques, and “crowds”) of relationships emerge, and teens begin to develop the capacity for very close, intimate, and deep friendships. The adult perception of peers as having one culture or a unified front of dangerous influence is inaccurate. More often than not, peers reinforce family values, but they have the potential to encourage problem behaviors as well. Although the negative peer influence is overemphasized, more can be done to help teenagers experience the family and the peer group as mutually constructive environments.

Facts about the teen-parent relationship during the teen years: 

Parent relationships are not necessarily undermined by peer relationships. During adolescence, relationships between parents and teens are more often re-negotiated rather than rejected. During adolescence, teens become increasingly autonomous and take on more adult roles. They also develop their own ideas and start mapping their own lives. They begin to spend more time with and value their friends more than they used to. Thus, it might seem as if they are starting to cut ties with parents and reject their ideals. In fact, rather than cutting off ties, teens are just renegotiating the parent-child relationship. What this means is that they are beginning to shift the relationship to incorporate their increasing independence and maturity. As teens become more mature, the type of relationship they have with their parents naturally begin to shift as the teen begins to mature.

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While it seems that teens are influenced by their peers, parents continue to be the most influential factor in their lives. Despite fears parents have about their teens rejecting their values and beliefs, parents continue to be of significant influence. Teens report having political, religious, and general beliefs similar to their parents, and consider their parents as being highly significant and influential in their lives. Positive relationships between parents and teens also equip youth to have healthy relationships with friends. Teens who have high quality relationships with parents also report having a positive relationship with their peers.

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Parent-adolescent conflict increases between childhood and early adolescence; although in most families, its frequency and intensity remain low. Typically, conflicts are the result of relationship negotiation and continuing attempts by parents to socialize their adolescents, and do not signal the breakdown of parent-adolescent relations. Parents need to include adolescents in decisionmaking and rule-setting that affects their lives.

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Parents who continue to communicate with their teens, even when there are conflicts, actually maintain closer relationships. While it might seem futile to talk to teens when it leads to conflicts and disagreements, most teens continue to report having a close relationship with their parents, and as mentioned earlier, they still report parents as being a significant influence on their

lives. So parents need to continue talking to their teens and maintaining an open line of communication, rather than simply trying to avoid disagreements.

Facts about peer friendships: 

Teens often have multiple layers and groups of friendships. Unlike in childhood, when friendships usually meant two or more close friends, teens often have multiple friends and belong to multiple groups. They might have intimate and close relationships with one or a handful of individuals, and might also belong to one or more ‘cliques’ or groups of friends that have similar demographics (sex, race, socioeconomic status), orientation towards school, and other interests.

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Peer friendships are dynamic. This simply means that peer friendships may change. For instance, while teens can have friendships that are long term, they often move from one clique to another, and they might develop new friendships and lose others.

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Peers tend to choose those who are similar to themselves. Whether it is gender, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or interests, teens tend to gravitate towards those who are more similar to them.

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Peer friendships can be a healthy venue for positive youth development. Peer friendships can be a safe place for youth to explore their identity, learn about social norms, and practice their autonomy. Healthy friendships provide youth with social support for dealing with some of the challenges of adolescence, and can also provide youth with some of the most positive experiences during those years. Many teens report having some of the happiest and most fun moments with their peers, likely due to shared interests as well close relationships. Effective Strategies for Coping with Peer Pressure

While the point has been made here that peer influence and peer pressure do not necessarily have to be negative, peer pressure can lead youth towards unhealthy and unsafe behaviors. To minimize the negative effects of peer pressure, youth, parents, school and community leaders must come together to establish workable and effective strategies to guide teen behavior and to support their transition from children to mature, responsible adults. Here are several strategies to consider (partly based on Brown, 1990): 1. Nurture teens’ abilities and self-esteem so that they are equipped to foster positive peer relationships and deflect negative pressures. Adolescents with positive self-concept and selfworth will be less likely to be easily swayed to follow others’ negative influences. It is essential that these aspects of positive development should be encouraged in youth. 2. Encourage positive relationships between significant adults and teens. Parents, teachers, school counselors, other relatives and professionals should try to have constructive and positive relationships with teens. These can serve as good models for healthy relationships, and can be a venue through which the teens can feel valued and where they can develop positive views about themselves. Youth should know that they can go to these caring adults for help or advice about their peer relationships.

3. Encourage diverse relationships. Parents, teachers, community leaders, and clergy can model appreciation for ethnic, gender, socioeconomic status, religious, and other differences and support cross-group friendships. Schools and youth organizations can assist by encouraging youth from diverse backgrounds to work and play together. 4. Support parent education programs for families with teenagers. Parents need to be better informed about the dynamics of adolescent peer groups and the demands and expectations teenagers face in peer relationships. Information is available through various sources including books, some parenting magazines, and other publications such as this one. Keep your eye out for programs particularly targeted towards families and teen issues that might be available. Seeking information is not a sign of weakness, and showing interest in these issues might actually show your teens that you are concerned about them. 5. Equip youth with the skills necessary to resist negative behaviors, as well as to make good decisions. Teens will inevitably be confronted with situations where they will have to make a decision whether or not to engage in certain behaviors, whether to give in to peer pressure, and also to make other difficult decisions. It is essential that youth are given the necessary skills to analyze the situation and make the appropriate decision. This includes helping youth develop the skills for ‘costs vs. benefits’ analysis — teaching them to look at both the negative and positive sides to making a decision. For instance, if being pressured to smoke, the teen should be able to think about what the possible desired outcomes are (e.g., peer acceptance, looking “cool,” feeling excitement about trying something new) with the possible undesirable outcomes (e.g., becoming hooked, the health issues, smelling bad, the financial costs). 6. Teaching youth exit strategies or ways to say ‘no’ to negative pressures. It is best to try to deal with peer pressure before it even happens. Talk to youth about potential scenarios, and think through strategies together on how to deal with those scenarios if they arise. This could be done by discussing hypothetical scenarios or even role-playing. It is helpful to think about these things ahead of time rather than dealing with situations as they occur or trying to recover after they happen.

Do Friends Change a Teen's Attitude? Social activity often increases during the teenage years, so parents might worry about the possibility of friends changing a teen’s attitude, including important values related to school, work and morals. In fact, peers do have the ability to affect a teen’s attitude. This can have a positive, negative or neutral effect, according to clinical psychologist Neil Bernstein in a NBC News article, “Sex and Peer Pressure.” Since parents can’t directly supervise their teen all day, explicitly talking about peer pressure and the influence of friends can help him build resilience and the confidence to make the right decisions. Teens are often with friends when making the decision to take risks, according to a 2011 Psychology Today article, “How Peers Affect the Teenage Brain.” Experts with the Association for Psychological Science state that peers can influence risk-taking behaviors, including dangerous driving, sexual experimentation or experimentation with substances. It’s possible that the wiring in a teenager’s brain provides short-term rewards for risk-taking and peer approval, downplaying the potential negative outcomes of a risky situation. Friends could also change a teen’s attitude toward shoplifting, making the activity seem socially acceptable or less risky compared to other crimes, according to child development experts at the Kids Health website. Teens might be positively influenced to have increased confidence levels, thanks to friends, especially when it comes to social networking, according to Common Sense Media. Many teens believe that interacting with friends online helps them develop social skills, become less shy, feel popular and experience sympathy for others. They may be more open-minded about meeting new people with similar interests or reconnecting with old friends. Friends can positively influence teen attitudes toward new experiences, expanding their worldview, according to the Scholastic website. For example, a teen might decide to sign up for volunteer work if peers are helping out in the community. If your teen’s friends value earning good grades, this might improve her attitude toward school. In this way, friends might impact your teen’s decision to learn a new language, try a new sport or experiment with art. Friends often set and reinforce the parameters of cool versus uncool behavior, according to Neil Bernstein. Although definitions might change depending on the school or social circle, typical “uncool” behaviors include having an intense interest in schoolwork, overly obeying parents or attempting to socialize with another student who is considered socially undesirable. In general, socially acceptable behaviors might include wearing certain clothing styles, being good at sports or using sarcasm with parents. Friends might influence your teen’s attitude toward preferring or not preferring certain movies, athletic teams or celebrities.