Writing about your favourite book: Harry Potter
My favourite book is `Harry Potter and the Philosopher`s Stone`. This brilliant fantasy novel was written by a British author called J.K.Rowling.
The book is about a young boy called Harry Potter, who is a wizard, although he doesn`t realise this at first. He attends a special school for wizards called Hogwarts. While he`s there, he learns about magic spells, and all sorts of magical things happen to him and his friends. At the end Harry has a battle with the evil Voldemort – of course Harry wins.
The thing I like most about the book is that it makes the world in which the wizards live seem perfectly normal and just like ours. I have already read the novel four times and I couldn`t put it down because it`s a real page-turner.
Writing about your favourite book: The Great Gatsby
F.Scott Fitzgerald`s `The Great Gatsby` is one of my favourite books of all time. The book was written in the 1920s and it really gives you the feeling for the world of the `Jazz Age` and the American Dream. Still, the book still seems relevant today.
It tells the story of Jay Gatsby, who is incredibly rich and successful, but always seems to have an air of sadness and mystery about him. He falls in love with a married woman called Daisy Buchanan, but he realises that he can never marry her, and the book ends in tragedy for both of them.
I first read the book when I was at university, and it made a deep impression on me. For me, the moral of the story is that there`s no connection between happiness and money or success. It`s a beautifully written novel which grabs your attention right from the start.
Writing about your favourite film: The Matrix
One of my favourite films of all time is `The Matrix`. It`s an action-packed adventure so I was on the edge of my seat all the way through.
The film is a science fiction thriller, which has a very complicated storyline. It stars Keanu Reeves who plays a computer expert called Neo. Neo finds out that his world has been taken over by intelligent machines, which they use to control people`s minds. Neo and two other rebels (called Morpheus and Trinity) set out to try to destroy the matrix.
What I like most about the film is the photography and the special effects, using CGI technology. These are really amazing and make it look like a computer game. It`s a gripping film indeed.
Writing about your favourite film: Schindler`s List
`Schindler`s List` is one of the most powerful and deeply moving movies I have ever seen. It was directed by Steven Spielberg, who also made famous war films such as `Saving Private Ryan`.
It tells the story of a man called Oskar Schindler who owned a factory in Nazi Germany. He succeeded in saving the lives of thousands of Jews by giving them jobs in his factory. It is an extremely powerful movie, and is based on a true story.
One of the things I like most about the movie is the photography, because it was made almost entirely in black and white. This makes it seem very real, even though it was filmed 50 years after the events actually happened.
Living in the city or living in the country?
Some people prefer the city, others like the countryside: the place where you live should reflect your personality and your lifestyle.
If you live in a big city, everything is very convenient and you never have to travel far to get anything. Shops stay open until late into the evening, and some stay open 24 hours a day. There are always lots of things to do, and you can see all the latest films, exhibitions, and concerts. There are plenty of buses and taxis, and it is easy to get round.
Unfortunately, if you live in a big city you have to put up with all the traffic and the pollution. Some people don`t care about their environment and throw litter everywhere, and the walls are often covered in graffiti.
Living in the country is great if you like doing outdoor activities such as walking and mountain biking. Houses are usually cheaper in the country, and people have more space. A lot of people have their own gardens. The quality of life generally is better in the country. People are friendlier and more relaxed, and there is less pollution than in the cities.
The trouble with living in the country is that it can be a little bit boring sometimes. There is not so much entertainment available, and you often have to travel a long way if you want to see a film or do the weekly shopping.
All in all, there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to both cities and the countryside, so the choice where you live will depend on your personality and requirements.
Is television a good thing or a bad thing?
98% of homes in the USA have at least one television, and on average Americans watch about four hours every day. In other countries, the figures are similar. Television clearly plays an important part in most people`s lives, but this is far from being a good thing.
On the positive side, people use television as a way of entertaining themselves, especially in the evenings after work. After watching a soap opera or reality TV show, people often like to talk about it with their friends the next day. Television also provides an opportunity to keep up to date with the news, and people can increase their knowledge by watching documentaries and programs on practical subjects such as cooking.
Unfortunately, television also has many negative effects. It is not healthy for people to spend several hours on the sofa watching the screen. Sometimes people seem more interested in watching the TV than talking to their family. Furthermore, a lot of programs which are broadcast are of very poor quality. On top of that, there is too much violence on television which may be a bad influence on young people.
In summary, I would argue that although television can entertain and educate us, we must not let it take over our lives.
How has modern technology affected our lives?
Modern technology has had a great effect on our lives, both in the home and at work.
Labour-saving devices such as washing machines, dishwashers, and microwaves have made life much easier, and mean that less time needs to be spent doing things like washing and cleaning.
Unfortunately all the white goods that we buy need electricity, and we are using up the earth`s natural resources. Also when we throw away old fridges, microwaves etc., it can have a very bad effect on the environment.
In the office, computers, email, and photocopiers have revolutinised the way we work. People in different parts of the world can communicate with each other instantly, and business can be done much more quickly. The business world is constantly changing. The end result is that workers have to change jobs much more often and learn new skills in order to keep up with all the latest technological advances.
The advantages of computers
It is difficult to imagine a world without computers. We use them in almost every area of our lives: at work, at school, and in our homes.
Computers have brought many advantages. They make it possible to access huge amounts of information very quickly and do complicated tasks in a short time. Instead of waiting inside a bank to get money from our bank accounts, we can use machines in the streets 24 hours a day. People can communicate with each other instantly by email, and you can buy almost anything on the Internet without having to leave your home. Many people now work from home using a computer, and use the computer in their leisure time for playing computer games or just surfing the net. Children growing up today can`t imagine what life was like before computers. They think it must have been very dull.
Whether we like it or not, computers have profoundly changed our lives.
Why eat organic food?
It is easy to criticise organic food. It is more expensive, it often does not taste very different from ordinary food, and it does not keep well, beause it has fewer preservatives in it. Some people like to buy it because it is the fashionable thing to do. So why should we choose to buy organic food?
Organic food is free from harmful chemicals, for example chemicals used to control weeds and insects. Although ordinary food costs less to buy in the shops than organic food, there is another hidden cost. The cost is the damage that is caused to the environment and to people`s health.
Some people say that we need to continue to produce food in large quantities using non-organic methods, in order to feed people in the developing world. In fact, the controlled use of chemicals and factory farming methods in developing countries can cause the land to become useless for cultivation in only a few years.
For all these reasons, it seems better to choose organic food, so that we can protect our environment for future generations.
What is happening to our environment?
Many people believe that the way we live our lives today is having a very damaging effect on the environment. Here are some examples of the kinds of problems we face, followed by some things that we can do to help protect our environment.
First, pollution from cars, factories, and power stations is causing harmful greenhouse gases to build up in the Earth`s atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping, and as a result our planet is getting warmer. This process is known as global warming. The biggest polluter today is the car. Exhaust fumes are the main cause of poor air quality, which can make people feel ill and have difficulty in breathing. This problem is especially bad in cities, where the number of cars is increasing every year, causing serious congestion and filling the air with smog.
Second, all over the world, wildlife habitats are being destroyed. There are many endangered species that could soon become extinct. Rainforests are being cut down so that people can grow crops and feed the world`s increasing population. Modern farming methods, for example using pesticides and genetically modified crops, are having a very bad effect on the food chain.
Finally, climate change is also making conditions difficult for some animals. In the Arctic, the ice is melting, threatening the survival of animals such as polar bears. Global warming is causing the sea levels and the sea temperatures to rise, leading to serious flooding and violent storms in many parts of the world.
What can we do to protect our environment? Renewable sources of energy such as wind power, wave power, and solar power would be a solution. People could also reduce the amount of energy to use. Furthermore, if we recycled materials such as glass, paper, and metal, the amount of waste produced would be reduced. In a similar vein, if more people used public transport, the amount of pollution could be reduced.
In conclusion, our society produces huge amounts of waste that spoil the environment. If we lived in a more environment-friendly way, we would help ease the pressure on the environment.