WRITING SAMPLES Part 3

11. What are Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology?

       

Technology can be defined as science applied to practical purposes. It is easy to think about the advantages of modern technology, but what about its disadvantages? Technology today has made life easier and quicker but also dangerous.

        Modern technology makes life easier for people. For example, microwave ovens cook food easily. Dishwashers wash all dirty dishes and dry them. Moreover TVs, personal computers, cell phones and the internet have enhanced the welfare and wellbeing of people worldwide. These have provided various ways of entertainment, have improved people’s lives, helped hem to communicate, and offered them ways to get to distant parts of the world in little time.

        Also, modern technology saves many innocent lives.  Medical science is very progressive and vastly available today. Many life-saving discoveries are
all thanks to modern technology. Without brain scanners, fetal monitors, endoscopes, lasers, radioactive chemicals and computers, a lot of people would struggle with their health.

        On the minus side modern technology has come up with deadly and dangerous weapons such as poison gas bombs and nuclear bombs. And while many people live in horrible conditions and famine, governments spend a lot of money on developing weapon industry. Besides, the weapon machinery pollutes the globe and endangers our environment.

        In addition, modern technology has made us so dependent on it that we feel lost without it. We feel helpless, defeated, and lost if our machines break down. We, also, become so addicted to these tools that we loose all real interpersonal relationships.

        Modern Technology also creates financial problems in families because it has dangled before their eyes a litany of expensive gadgets they cannot afford. Thus, the push-button dreamworld raises people’s material expectations to an unrealistic level. Some people, then, may turn to crime and corruption to increase their material wealth.

        Eventually, everything that we use in life is good or bad depending upon the use. It contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind; to our material comfort and well-being and to our greater understanding of the world we live in. However, we must balance the use of technology with the possibility we may be crushed by these new ways of doing things.

12. Would you like to live in the country or in the city?Why?

Some people think the country is better than the city and others take the city for granted. However, both the country and the city have advantages and drawbacks.

In the country, the air is clean, the water is pure and the environment is beautiful while most cities choke in their own filth and pollution. Also, people there are friendly. A friendly smile while passing is standard in the country and it’s sincere; whereas, in the city few people smile at you. In fact, they are likely to regard you with suspicion if you smile at them. Besides, people in the country enjoy more tranquillity than those in big cities. There is less noise and life is calm and relaxed. Once on foot in the city, you find yourself in an ant colony, or a cage with too many rats. As for food, it is fresher in the country.  Farmers sell fresh produce, which they bring straight from the fields, at their stand just around the corner. Moreover, the city is rife with violence and crimes: Many thefts and murders often take place in the city.

On the other hand, the city has its own benefits. City residents have greater access to health care. When a person falls ill there are good government and private hospital in the city to get treatment. Also, children living in the city can get a good education, because there are better schools in the city than in the village as well as libraries. Besides, people in the city can lead a comfortable and enjoyable life and have access to more social and cultural events. There are a lot of facilities and necessary infrastructure: movie theatres, hotels, clubs, electricity, running water, means of transport etc. Moreover, city dwellers have more job opportunities and possibilities for making money as well as opportunities to progress in their life.

Both the country and the city have special qualities. Our choice –whether to live in a rural or urban area - will depend on factors such as personality, mood, background, habits etc. We should also try to create a world having advantages of both lives.

13. What are the benefits of humor?

According to Wikipedia, humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. It is a birthright, a natural part of life, which has multiple benefits mentally, physically, and socially.

Humor is the best medicine. People who laugh on regular basis have lower standing blood pressure than people who don’t. Laughter exercises almost the entire body and stimulates both sides of the brain. It boosts the immune system making us stronger and better able to fight diseases. It protects the heart, reduces stress, and fosters instant relaxation. It also releases pent-up feelings of anger and frustration and makes us feel good.

Socially, humor is the shortest distance between two people. Humor initiates conversation and generally builds a more trusting atmosphere. Humor unites us, reduces our hostility, deflects criticism, improves our moral, and eases tension, especially when we laugh together. Humor is enjoyed best when shared with others. Our works, marriages, celebrations, friendships, all need humor. Laughs and smiles also help us avoid loneliness by connecting with others who are attracted to genuine cheerfulness.

To develop a sense of humor and make it part of our every day life we need to take life lightly and seek out funny people.  We also need to hang out with children more often to enhance our playfulness and add humor to our life. Besides, we have to watch comedy DVDs and TV shows, read comic authors and jokes, and spend less time with very serious people.

Eventually, we need to learn to see hope in the midst of sadness though not all people have the same taste in humor. There are times when humor is inappropriate to use. So, we have to be aware that humor can be a double-edged sword that can generate a quantal response – either a constructive or a destructive function.

14. Write a descriptive essay: talk about an experience, an event, a place, or a person.

Cultures, traditions and ceremonies differ from country to country. The Moroccan wedding ceremony is special, rich and quite elaborate. The wedding ceremony I attended in my hometown last weekend is no exception.

The ceremony took place in a very large villa which had been built for various celebrations. It was excellently furnished and nicely decorated. It includes embroidered couches, nice sofas, and comfortable upscale furniture.

There were large set tables surrounded by ten chairs each. The light from chandeliers above added to the beauty of the atmosphere. The waiters in their white shirts and black slacks and bowties were extremely attentive, very courteous, and friendly. At 9 o’clock, the guests started to arrive. They were dressed up to the finest. Men were wearing their most expensive and most beautiful attires. Most women dressed up to the nines. They were wearing gorgeous Kaftans or Takchitas or Djellabas – all Moroccan traditional robes. Suddenly the sound of drums and trumpets and the ecstatic singing filled the air. The guests stood up and craned their necks to see the entering bride.  Many began to dance to the tone of the music of the orchestra. The bride and the groom greeted the audience with smiles and hand gestures. Dressed in her Moroccan wedding gown of brightly colored silk and embroidered with gold, the bride hand in hand with her husband walked in slowly followed by three women. The latter are in charge of beautifying the bride and changing her into various traditional outfits. They had adorned her with heavy jewellery and darkened her eyes with kohl. Her hands and feet had also been painted with the henna the night before by a special artist who had used intricate floral and geometric design in the presence of friends and relatives.

After the bride and the groom had sat on their throne facing the guests, the waiters served them milk and dates. The orchestra sang all kinds of Moroccan pop songs. From time to time the bride and groom would go out to change their attire. They wore clothes that represented each region of Morocco: Fassi, Sussi, Rabati and Zemoui clothes. Whenever they changed clothes the band would sing the songs of that region.

Midnight was time for dinner. They served various sumptuous dishes. There were more than three helpings.  

At 4 o'clock, the band was still playing. Then, the waiters served tea and cakes. It was a breakfast for me. I wished the new couple good luck and a blissful marital life. I was sleep-deprived and tired. So, I left.

15. The Effects of Cigarette Smoking (http://www.eslbee.com/effects_of_cigarette_smoking.htm)

There have been numerous campaigns against cigarette smoking communicating that this vice causes death. But a threat to health doesn’t seem to be a good reason for quitting anymore. People somehow block themselves and ignore all the information that is given to them. The purpose of this essay is to discuss three effects of cigarette smoking, besides the broadly mentioned possibility of developing cancer or dying, which are the smell of smoke, the stained teeth, and the cost of doing it.

The first effect of cigarette smoking, and probably the one that the non-smokers hate the most, is that it permeates everything around it. Smokers usually have smelly hair, breath, clothes, and, if they smoke indoors, a smelly room. The stench of cigarette smoke is very penetrating and hard to remove. Even if the person quits smoking the odor remains for a long time.

The second effect of cigarette smoking is one that most people don’t even take into consideration. It stains the teeth yellow or sometimes even brown. Since this effect is long term, most people are not aware of it when they begin smoking. The truth is that a cigarette stain is very hard to eliminate from the teeth, and it will probably end up costing a considerable amount of money. Yellow teeth are disgusting because they give an unhygienic image and make people look older.

The third effect of smoking is that it will eventually end up affecting the smoker’s personal economy. Depending on the country the prices of cigarettes can differ. But even at an affordable price the regular consumption of cigarettes will eventually take its economic toll.

These are only three out of many other effects that cigarette smoking can have, but to any sensible person they are more than enough to realize that smoking is bad. People can’t possibly be proud of calling themselves smokers. It is terrible for health as well as personal appearance. In the end, those who live in poverty, stink of smoke, and have yellow teeth are the people who are affected the most by this life threatening activity.

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