100 english essays for lower secondary school - part 1 tài liệu tham khảo dành cho học sinh THCS
LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH ESSAYS (PART 1) Road Safety Why think of road safety at all? It is because of the accidents that occur everyday on the road, in which all sorts of vehicles and human beings and even animal are involved These accidents mean loss of life and loss of property and more often than not obstruction to traffic In this age of speed and fast moving vehicles and with the congestion on roads, these accidents have became almost an everyday affair So unless everybody is educated on the importance of road safety, the loss and the sorry spectacles cannot be avoided Prevention is better than cure This holds good even in the matter of road accidents Accidents are due to many causes and may occur under different circumstances The simplest but at the same time dangerous perhaps is people slipping down on the road caused by an orange or a banana peel Without meaning any harm, quite innocently a person may throw away the orange peel or the banana skin on the road or the sidewalk When a person, walking briskly, steps on, it he or she will slip down ending in fracture of bones and sometimes even more dangerous than that So people must take care they not throw the pealings on the road but should deposit them in a dust-bin In some countries the offenders are severely punished The second cause of accident is due to careless crossing in busy roads While crossing one must look to the right and left for moving vehicles and then cross Where there are Zebra crossings on the road for the pedestrians to cross, one should cross along them One should keep to the margin of the road while walking and the vehicles must keep to their lanes in busy streets In the case of accidents involving vehicles there are many causes One is trying to overtake and very often taking risk Another is wrong judgment in crossing Sometimes it may be not caring for the signals In crowded streets accidents may take place in a snap second because one does not care for the signal "Stop, look and go" is the best precept; it will save vehicles from accidents But where one takes a foolish step, the result is the inevitable accident Jay riding may be another cause Riding two or three abreast is always dangerous Especially one must be aware of this Scooter riders become victims of road accidents But if they just wear the helmet as required by law they could easily avoid fracture and hence death Very often the cause of accidents is the failure of the brake system which means the owner of the vehicle does not bother to keep the machine in good condition By attending to the vehicle regularly a lot of miseries could be avoided Road safety is a matter of education in which the school can play a significant role Through scouting, Red Cross and social education classes, children can be taught the importance of observing the rules of the road Children must be taught their limbs and lives are very valuable and they must not take risk, especially when leaving the school As soon as the bell goes children rush out and accidents happen Under the circumstances the teachers must feel it their duty to regulate the traffic near the school The police can cooperate with the school in this respect To make the people road conscious, the mass media can play a useful role The newspaper, the wall poster and the cinema and now the TV come in handy Shots in the cinema or TV emphasizing the importance of road safety can be highlighted There may be speeches over the radio by the police officials During peak hours in crowded areas, the police may direct the traffic and ask people to keep to their lanes Our neighbor Living next to next is the principle of a neighbor Good neighborliness is the ideal to be aimed at and pursued People live in the same neighborhood for many reasons Sometimes it may be aesthetic and very often convenience It may be the nearness to one's office of work, school, traffic centers and so on As the saying goes, no man is an island; he has to live with his neighbors To make life tolerable and bearable one must cooperate with one's neighbor One's neighbor may be temporary as in the case of traveling by bus or train Here the neighbor is with one for a few minutes or few hours Even here if there is understanding between the neighbors the travel will be pleasant Good neigborliness generates good company and especially during travel it helps to take away the boredom There are cases when such travel has culminated in longstanding friendship Whether one likes it or not, one cannot without neighbors Even where houses are isolated as in the case of bungalows there is inevitably the neighbor Normally one may think one can without neighbors because one can command all comforts and services, so the services or the need for a friend may not arise However serviceable the radio or the TV may be in providing the recreation, they cannot supply the human elements The sympathy, the admiration and the appreciation which a neighbor may offer will have a great humanizing influence To share one's view and sometimes even one's sorrows one needs some neighbors Because man is gregarious he cannot live in isolation But all neighbors are not always keeping the cordial relationship Stresses and strains develop because of misunderstandings The cause may be very trivial or flimsy, still tension develops ending in animosity and feud Jealousy may be another cause for such a tension The neighbor may be doing fine, has earned a lot of money, his children are doing well, he gets quick promotions, these and such others may create jealousy Once this is generated, this leads to non cooperation and petty quarrels Very often children may be the cause for strained feelings Children may quarrel drawing the elders into the fray The neighbor's son may pick a flower or a fruit from your garden and an argument may erupt Again he may throw his ball at your window pane damaging it These are not unnatural so far as the younger one is concerned but it is for the elders to view at them with equanimity and make up for it This may read easy on paper but not so in practical life But with some broad outlook one must be able to tolerate Another reason for tension may be the animals Your neighbor's dog may be a real nuisance or his poultry which would come into your garden and eat away the young saplings In all these cases to keep up good neighborliness some understanding between the neighbors is important Small differences can be easily patched up or ironed out Care can at times play the good samaritan and helps the neighbors in a small or big way Nobody is perfect and it is better not to speak disparagingly of your neighbor A cheerful word or a nod or a casual enquiry will strengthen the feeling of good neighborliness Negatively, one must not pry into what the neighbor is or what he does Tolstoy speaks in one of his stories how neighbors should behave A child was wearing a new shirt and the neighbor's child threw mud on it and thus spoiled it Women folk started the quarrel and men folk entered into the fray ending in a few heads broken and so on By then the children forgot all their quarrel and were playing Tolstoy draws a moral from the story namely neighbors must be quick to forget small wrongs done Neighborliness is not only for individuals but it is important also in a great measure between neighboring countries History has got a lot to teach in this respect Unless countries learn to live as good neighbors, there cannot be peace on earth So children must be taught at home and in the school to cooperate with the neighbors and be friendly with them The basic principle is to give and take and to develop a sense that the other man has as much right as you have and some degree of tolerance is very necessary Computer and their uses Perhaps the single greatest invention of the century is the computer The computer is essentially a machine that enables humans to complete tasks that may be time consuming or very repetitive in nature This it achieves by imitating human thought processes In much the same way that humans think using pathways in their brains that conduct minute electrical currents, computers too use tiny electrical circuits which tell it what to The difference being that computers this at incredible speeds In this modern age man has grown to be heavily dependent on computers to carry out all kinds of jobs that were done manually before In banking for example computers allow for millions of transactions to be carried out involving large sums of money which would otherwise require thousands of bank tellers Computers the job in a much shorter time and practically free of any errors Computers are responsible for air traffic control and the running of trains to ensure that travel is made as smooth as possible In factories nowadays computers operate mechanical devices that produce goods we require for everyday living, in such quantities that would be otherwise impossible to achieve if these factories were run by humans alone Perhaps the greatest advancements have been made in the field of communications All of us are by now familiar with the 'Internet' The internet is a collection of computer systems and individual terminals linked up worldwide through telephone lines and other channels It offers a cheaper alternative to communicating with people within a country and internationally through computers It has also been described as an immense pool of knowledge just waiting for applications it has given rise to a new means for countries to carry on trade with each other through 'E-Commerce' It must however be kept in mind that as useful as computers are They are not capable of independent thought and still require human input In recent times scientists have developed' Artificial Intelligence' in computers that may enable them to function independently of man in the future The pleasures of reading Animals may have moments of pleasure but only man has got a lot to with it It is through our sense organs that we enjoy pleasure The sense of smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste each brings pleasure Even the baby as soon as it is born feels the pleasure of sucking and the comfort of being cuddled in the wads of cloth in the mother's lap But for the pleasing smell we will not be able to enjoy our food We are thrilled by the sight of ice capped mountains or the roaring water falls of the Niagara So they are the senses that help us to get pleasure There is no end to the sources of pleasure But reading for pleasure belongs to a higher order and stands as a category by itself While external things bring pleasure to the sense organs, reading brings pleasure to the mind Greater the mind is cultured, greater will be the derived from reading for reading makes a full man Reading is the end product of writing Unless there is something written one cannot read So good writing is a concomitant of reading Man alone can write, in other words put his ideas in black and white In fact even before printing came into being man was writing and it is as old as modern civilization Man can preserve his thoughts and ideas through writing Thus the whole world of literature is there far one to read Now reading material is available for all tastes A scholar may go through serious writing for the sake of enriching his knowledge Another may read a magazine or a picture book for whiling away the time One chooses the reading material according to his moods, his literary background, the time at his disposal and the purpose if any A teenager may like stories of romance and an old man may prefer books on philosophy and religion Some gifted with imagination and the faculty to reflect may read poetry One who takes pleasure in reading always tries to build his library Very often a good library may serve the purpose The greatest advantage in reading is when one comes across great minds Whether you agree with what is there to read or not agree there will not be any quarrel You may pronounce your judgement on the writer There will be no harm if your judgment is silent and not published Given the proper atmosphere like a good silent place, soft light and comfortable seat, one can read and read and enjoy it There are great masters of writing in all great languages of the world English Language abounds in such great authors Again it may be poetry, novel, fiction, drama, travelogue, and letters Biographies and autobiographies, form a sizable part In these days of rush good magazines supply the material for reading For example, one may cite the Reader's Digest In order to enjoy reading, one must cultivate that habit Reading is not the 'be all' and `end all' of life Yet, it can be ennobling There is dignity in reading habit Obedience to parents and elders To be obedient is to obey the orders of one's elders and superiors There cannot be order unless there is obedience One has to obey the laws of the country, otherwise the society cannot exist The laws may be irksome, but, for the overall good of the law one must obey them For instance, the laws to be obeyed on the road ensures road safety The laws pertaining to property help society continue without hitches and hindrances Even in our body our limbs obey the commands of the brains unless they are diseased Obedience is essential for the enforcement of order Obedience includes obedience to one's parents and elders Parents are the best well wishers of their children From their experience, they know what is good for their children They would never mean ill for them For the sake of the well being of the children, parents insist on obedience Obedient children grow into fine children They are not only loved by their parents but also by others connected with the household and by the neighbours When children obey parents they are happy Circumstances as they may be, parents may set certain norms Children may not understand their implications, but if they obey, very often they will steer of dangers For instance, the parent may warn his son of bad company If the son obeys, he will grow unscathed The parents may insist on personal cleanliness, keeping things neat and tidy, being regular in studies and so on and so forth If the boy or girl obeys the parents in such and other things, he or she will surely grow into a finer one Of course the parents' example may be forceful enough If the parent shows how he is obedient, the son will naturally be obedient There cannot be a better story than Casabianca on the deck The father had asked the boy not to leave the deck until the parent returned The ship was on fire, the father was dead and other sailors asked Casabianca to leave the deck and escape for life But the boy would not leave, for father had asked him not to The fate of the boy could be conceived but Casabianca has become immortal because he obeyed his father Being obedient to parents and elders will have to be followed in life An obedient servant is always liked and respected But for the unquestioning obedience of servants big establishments cannot be run Unless one knows the value of obedience and has been practising it, suddenly he cannot become obedient Servants who are obedient are preferred to clever ones One may argue that blind obedience won't good Where one can prove the other is wrong, strict obedience can be waived This happened sometimes; a junior may have a brilliant idea and without infraction of obedience he may put up his idea in the appropriate manner Obedience, just like charity must begin at home Parents have a duty in bringing up children to be obedient and loving My favorite outdoor game Soccer is my favorite game Ever since I joined the school, I have been playing soccer The luscious grass field is very much suited to run, to roll over and kick The game is played between two teams of eleven players each though sometimes lesser number like six or seven may be there in a team Among the players of a team, some may be forwards, others mid-fielders and defenders, and one goal keeper Unlike the other players the goal keeper can handle the ball as the situation calls for As it is a team game, all must cooperate The forwards must be fast, able to take the ball through the legs of the opponent The midfielders help not only in defense but also help the forwards in clearing and supplying the ball Defenders must offer strong defense The goal keeper must be agile, quick to see, correct in anticipation and should kick the ball high and far There are well established rules and foul play will be penalized The referee's job is tough and there have been instances when the poor referee has been man handled by the onlookers It is the bane of the game that the audience turn partisan Among the great soccer nations Argentina, Brazil, England, Russia and Germany are a few The name of Pelee, the great footballer of all times has become a household word among the soccer fans Football is a manly game so I like it Whenever I find time in the evening, I never fail to play for an hour or so I take the forward position because I feel there is more fun in pursuing and heading the ball Those who not know much about the game say it is a rough game Of course there are cases of broken heads, muscle twisting and sometimes even fractures But these are caused when one does not play according to the rules Of course they are inevitable in a game like soccer Nowadays people protect themselves with guards But for the risks the game is all right If it is all soft then there won't be any game at all Life in a high-rise flat Man is the only home making animal He alone can enjoy the warmth of his hearth and family circle Man has evolved from tree dwelling to the modern flat Primitive man was the master of his hut and it was his castle Till recently the house had been a complex affair There were the gardens, barn, poultry, cattle shed and so on The house itself was having different portions spacious enough for all the family members to move about These villas till recently were popular Even today we may come across these villas in the countryside There was good neighborliness In sorrow and joy the neighbor shared They were helping each other in many of life's needs and operations They had enough leisure They had time to sit over a pipe or glass of drink and gossip In short everybody was known to everybody and the society was in one sense self contained But those days are gone though there may be vestiges in remote places The onslaught of Industrial Revolution and the growth of industries as a result have caused the birth and growth of towns and cities Though even in ancient days there were cities, they were the capitals of kings and emperors, otherwise there were not many cities Any student of history could appreciate this point So the growth of cities is a modern phenomenon, concomitant to the growth and concentration of industries In an industrial area space becomes scarce and as more and more families pour in they cannot find space for houses Not only the space but also the cost becomes prohibitive So an average office goer or a worker cannot have the luxury of owning a house Still they want some shelter to lay their heads down when they have returned from their office or factory The answer has been the high rise flats of several floors They are either built by building societies or by the Housing Boards of government These flats are provided with all facilities like water, electricity, good drainage, airy rooms and so on In every high rise flat there may be even lifts to take people up and down In the flats the tenants may be independent But there are more disadvantages in living in a high flat The movement will be restricted and conditioned according to the circumstances One may have to live with all sorts of people, the homogeneity which was the rule rather than the exception will be wanting One does not know who his neighbor is, so though living in the midst of many one may feel lonely Since all facilities are artificially controlled any breakdown in them would paralyze life For instance, if there is any defect in the water system, life will be upset For want of space, one must plan carefully what one must own Whereas in olden days people had enough space to entertain guests and relatives It is the children who would suffer most for there won't be enough space for them to run and play about Unless one has the facility to take them out, they will develop complexes of closed space Since the cannot easily mingle with other children, there may be blind spots in their character Living such artificial surroundings may even tell on their health and growth In short they will feel like caged birds This may be true of even grown ups Further if there were to be accidents like fire or the breakout of epidemics, the high rise flats will suffer most From aesthetic point of view also the flats not add to the beauty of the city In short one may conclude that life in a high rise flat is necessary evil in a big city How to make your life successful 10 develop many human qualities Love, affection, kindness, sympathy, appreciation and many such qualities cannot easily develop in an only child Then again there will be few opportunities to give expression to those qualities When they are not developed, he can't have a healthy growth and he can hardly become a well rounded personality He may not understand the value of mutual help which is very important in life He will become so selfish that he would like to have everything for himself He cannot understand the importance of living with others In a society each member has to live with others, for the welfare of everyone A big rope is after all a combination of many straws and its strength depends on how well it has been twisted So too unless the society is made up of well seasoned members, it cannot stand the onslaught of bad powers So the lonely child without friendship and understanding with others cannot easily fit in a society So weighing all these considerations I would like to have brothers and sisters, not too many for that matter rather than be a lonely child My science teacher I have come across many teachers and I have brushed shoulders with some of them Some I like, some I avoid and some I adore But no teacher is so much loved by all as Mr Lee, my Science teacher Somehow I took a fancy for him from the very first day he took classes for me Mr Lee moves freely with his students but he has got a way of attracting students towards him He has a winning smile and would nod if he sees his students and if time permits would enquire about them Somehow he is interested in the welfare of his students If a pupil is a footballer, he talks football to him If one is a smart boy, he talks about studies In fact I used to wonder how a small head as his could carry all the knew As a teacher he is exacting No one can escape his eagle eye in the classroom or in the laboratory If he sees that things are done properly he is not bossy For instance, he would insist on everything in its place and every work on time In writing the records he won't relax the rules Work is work and it must be done properly and well In this he himself is an example He is always prompt in correcting the work sheets and records To some extent he is fastidious in these things He has a personal approach in these matters and he will call for each student, point out the mistakes and make him correct them It is a pleasure to sit in his class for he will explain his lessons with a lot wit and humor One could easily see how widely he has read for he could quote from the classics to the daily newspaper stories Nothing of interest can escape him Under his treatment even the dullest lesson would become interesting Though he would indulge in jokes, he is not a joker and would never go in for cheap jokes As a teacher he has never been vindictive If he punishes it is not to would but to heal If he feels that a student has taken it too much to his heart, he would have a private talk with him and would convince him that he deserved the punishment His love for the subject and teaching is so apparent that nobody is offended at his punishment By nature, he is one who would easily forgive and forget every student is a nice fellow to him 83 He is an amazingly wonderful man of knowledge He can easily talk on any subject with an expertise, whether it be health, sports, astrology or politics of the day He keeps himself up-to-date and his motto is once a scholar, always a scholar He used to say, rightly too, that one's education does not stop with the school or the college But for all this he is not a pedant and he is easily approachable So many pupils used to meet him to get his advice which he would frankly give Since Mr lee is such a good combination of high qualities and all those desirable things in a teacher, no wonder I look upon him as my favorite teacher, there are other students too who hold him in great admiration Drug addiction : The evils of the habit Our forefathers had spoken of five cardinal sins which must be avoided by all means though they may appear to bring profit or pleasure for the time being The evils are gambling, stealing, murder, unchastity and rugs The history of humanity is full of examples where people have been ruined by following the path of one or other of them A whole nation was brought to disgrace because of opium Why then man takes to drugs ? Some think it adds to pleasure; some others think that it takes away physical weariness Still others take it to forget their worries, while others take it in order to please the company In cold countries they take it to keep oneself warm While in very small dose, drugs may and act as medicine, they can never bring pleasure True they have the doping effect and hence at the spur of the moment the person may act more vigorously but only to find himself weaker later taking harmful drugs in large quantities in time and out of time is addiction From time immemorial man has known to make drugs Today, various kinds of drinks like wine, brandy and whisky are common in the market But consuming these drinks in moderate quantity is not harmful Whereas opium in various forms are all drugs These drugs affect the nervous system especially small brains which control the voluntary action So a man under the influence of a drug is unable to walk and he staggers Since it deadens the senses, the man under the influence of drug does not know what he does or speaks Very often under the influence of a drug he does shameful acts Continued addiction upsets the digestive system, especially the liver, leading even to death A drug does not at all add to mental alertness; far from it The mental faculties will be benumbed In order to forget worries people take drugs because of their soporific effect but exactly the drug is not the answer to one's worry Certainly the drug addiction brings moral degradation The addict himself knows it and so he consumes them only in secret and , no addict openly will come forward to say he is an addict It is against all 84 religious sanctions It leads to immoral and evil activities Socially also an addict is looked down upon and people would try to avoid a drug addict He would be a nuisance wherever he is, at home or in company He would bring untold misery to his people and those around him except in the company of addicts, he would be looked upon as a leper His family also will share the disgrace because people will point the accusing finger at the family Financially it ruins the addict The money would go down the drains as it could be spent for the betterment of him or the benefit of the family So to act wisely, one should by all means avoid drugs A rainy day The rain is welcome because it brings down water to sustain our life All our water sources, rivers, lakes, and underground springs depend on rain water Where there is scanty or no rain desert conditions prevail and life in such areas of the world is miserable Animals and plants not thrive there In fact the most densely populate areas of the world are those which get good rains Of course too much rain is also bad Sometimes rains are not welcome because of the inconvenience it causes, but it is something we cannot without for the very life depends on it For us, rainy days are quite common Most of the year there is good rain That day also the rains came as usual The midday was getting very sultry and the sun on a steely sky was scorching and so it was oppressive to talk along the road even with an umbrella As the hour advanced dark clouds began to appear and very soon the sky was getting darker with heavy clouds One could almost feel the coming rains when cool winds began to lash At first big drops of rain fell down here and there Knowing the coming of rain, people began to hurry The small vendors on the road packed up their wares and began seeking places of shelter Then it started to rain heavily The first rain cooled the hot surface of roads As water began to flow, the drains got their fill and the stream rushed through them carrying all the dirt of the road The drain pipes were full and brought down water with a noise The cars that dashed along the roads did splash water on all sides to the chagrin of the passersby who got drenched In a good rain, the umbrella is no answer Boarding the buses in such a condition was a problem and the streets were wet and flooded One could see crowds of people gather and huddle together in all available places of shelter After an hour the rain stopped The sun began to shine and soon the roads were dry and once again life was busy There was freshness in the atmosphere, especially the trees bore a beautiful green Because it rained during the school hours, children were not much affected as it would otherwise be if it rained in the evening Because of the rain the day was very dull for me My fears in life Fear is a feeling when normal faculties get damped and a sense of helplessness develops It would be interesting to take a close look at what fear is To understand it let us take an example A boy is afraid of a dog because once a neighbor's dog bounced at him and from then on he has a fear of dogs In this case fear is because of the personal damage the dog may cause by biting The fear has got a good aspect about it But for fear many things in the society would not have changed; for instance fear of punishment makes people law abiding Fear of falling sick makes people 85 take care of health and food Fear of losing promotion and even losing the job makes an employee loyal, faithful and so on Fear of death and beyond generally make people pious and God fearing in general fear is essential for preservation Fear when persists becomes a fear complex When there is legitimate reason it is good to have fear But once it has developed into a complex, fear is there even when there is no cause for it Take an instance; for an employee, fear of being dismissed may have developed to such an extent that when his boss calls him for ordinary business the former may shake in his shoes As it is fear is not there in us when we are children Fear grows with us as we grow Elders bring in fear in order to control sights Fear of people, of animals all develop because of circumstances Children in a city very rarely dare to get into the waters of a lake or river or the sea because they are literally bathroom bred Many instances could be cited In my case, I am afraid of losing my rank in the class I have been standing first in the class for some years, so I look upon any rival with jealously After taking every examination I used to exercise my mind whether I would get the first rank This has developed into a complex that everytime the results are announced I am afraid of the outcome I want to overcome some of these fears but they stick on to me like a pitch The value of forest Forests with a quite repose, an air of placid calm and a pleasing natural scenery, since time immemorial, played an important part in the life of mankind What we learn about the African huts of the primitive days ? Wood has been the basic material used by them Let us go as far back to the Merrie England' of the sixteenth century Its beautiful black and white houses depended on wooden structures Even in the modern age when steel plays an important part in the formation of the sky-scrapers, wood still forms an intrinsic part of the smaller modern buildings Soft woods and hard woods are used for various purposes Frames and doors are usually made of soft woods Hard woods are used for furniture Furthermore, wood has played large part in transport The primitive man used wood for making wheels for horse carts which enabled him to move from place to place,; others were dependent on wood for making boats We can also see how great is the need of timber in the making of paper The logs of soft wood are first turned into wood pulp This undergoes certain chemical processes Paper is the end project Nor are the uses of them in other fields less pleasing Some forests provide useful oils, turpentine from the pine, palm oil from the palm and olive oil from the olive tree Forests play an important part in the prevention of soil erosion Addition of huming and vegetable matter by forests, preserves the soil from degeneration They also attract rain clouds Forests shelter wild animals and small insects Climbing shrubs and creepers are protected by them They provide men with beautiful scenery One's eyes are charmed with the soothing luxury of colors, with the soft appeal of endless greenery The joys of gardening 86 I enjoy gardening as a hobby and a leisure activity Most of my friends think it odd for a young person such as myself to have such a hobby They would rather be out playing football I have tried explaining to them the great joy I derive from seeing something I have planted grow and thrive while being carefully nurtured They believe that most things grow on their own naturally without any effort having to be put in I suppose that to a large extent I owe my interest in gardening to my parents who are themselves avid gardeners On most evenings, it is not unusually to see both my parents and I pottering about in the garden As we live in a house with a rather large compound there is always plenty to During the months when rain is sparse all the plants have to be watered daily and during those months with heavy rainfall we have to take care that precious nutrients in the soil are not washed away Healthy and nutrient rich soil is important as our garden is full of all sorts of trees and plants In a constrained area this will lead to a depletion of nutrients which have to be replenished from time to time Our neighbors often remark that our house is the most beautiful and resplendent one in the neighborhood This is due to the fact that the variety of flowering plants we have are kept well pruned so as to promote flowering all year round In spite of the fact that practically every square foot of garden area is taken up by some plant or the other, careful management of the available area has given our house an uncluttered look Fruit trees are a favorite for my father we have rambutan, mango and banana trees in our compound which my father has managed to grow to a certain height so as not to pose a problem to my immediate neighbors As some people not appreciate a garden all strewn with dead leaves All in all I find gardening to be a most satisfying and fulfilling pastime which can contribute to a greener Maldives Household pests and insects Pests and insects are often harmful to health as they are vectors or carriers of the germs of many diseases Some of these diseases are lethal such as the plague which can be spread by rats or malaria and dengue fever spread by mosquitoes Other ailments such as coughs and colds are allergic reactions due to the presence of tiny insects called mites It is important therefore to keep one's home free such pests or insects Common household pests include also flies which are dangerous pests as they settle on all kinds of dirt and their hairy bodies pick up bits of dirt These flies may then land on exposed food leaving the same food contaminated with this dirt Flies are known to spread the germs of bacteria associated with many diseases and must be controlled by not leaving rubbish heaps or refuse lying around as these are breeding grounds for flies Food should also not be left exposed Ants are generally not disease carriers but can be a source of annoyance if present in large numbers They are attracted to food left lying about especially food containing sugar However white ants or termites which attack wood may be a real danger in the home by weakening wooden structures such as staircases Most housewives are only too familiar with the pestilence posed by cockroaches which also spread quickly in the home as unlike other pests they eat almost anything such as leather, cardboard and as they like As they are nocturnal feeders they are hard to eradicate Bed bugs too breed very quickly in beds and mattresses and very soon infest the whole house These bugs feed on human blood and prolonged exposure to them can cause severe skin ailments These bugs are tiny and therefore unseen and it is therefore important to have thorough and frequent cleaning of bed and bedding to keep their numbers in check General election 87 With the coming of popular governments in countries, general elections when people's representatives are elected, have come to stay Even in those countries where dynastic rulers are reigning, elections are held Elections are great occasions and grand ceremonies go along with them Elections decide the fate of a country for a term which may be four or five or even six years Even in the communist countries where the single party is the rule they have a semblance of an election Elections are called according to the rules of the constitution Normally it may be held when the term of the Government is over Or it may be caused when the Government in power is defeated Again the Government in power, may resign and force an election in order to establish its strength When the Government of the day resigns or otherwise, the Head of the State calls for a general election The necessary notification is issued and the election follows It is the duty of the Election Commissioner to plan and hold election in a peaceful way The electoral rolls prepared periodically show who the voters are Now adult franchise is the order of the day and universal All men and women beyond a certain age become voters Though electoral rolls are revised periodically, just before the election, chance is given for the voter to see if his name is on the electoral rolls and if not to apply to the proper authority to have his name included The Election Commissioner announces the program of election, when to hand in nomination, when to withdraw, the date of the election and the date of counting The electoral laws are made public Once the election is announced, various parties aspiring to get into the government choose their candidates Nomination of a particular candidate may depend on many factors It may be local influence, money, political power and so on Once the nominations are scrutinized by the electoral officer and accepted, the candidates start their canvassing to start with, the parties issue their election manifesto which may contain all sorts of promises All kinds of advertisement media are used to draw the attention of the voters The poster war starts and all available spaces in hoarding are filled with posters Leaflets are freely supplied The radio and the television are judiciously used Public rallies are held where the candidates or their party leaders speak at length what they proposed to if returned Individual voters are contacted by volunteers Just before the election, election booths are notified and election officials are appointed Voting will be by secret ballot How this is being done differs from country to country After the elections are over, the next stage is counting In America (the USA) counting is done mechanically and the results are computerized and so the results are known as the election progresses Once the results are announced, the majority party may form the Government Elections are not always smooth in some countries The rival party workers may clash and there will be riots Sometimes the worst in the people surfaces during an election However, elections are held and election is a tool in a modern Government My perfect home At first when I though of a house, I conceived that it must be neither too far nor too near a town If it is too far, one may feel lonely and then there is the question of transport to and from a place I choose It is an elevated land enabling easy drainage and the soil is hard enough The site is spacious allowing ground for the house and a decent garden even from the beginning I wanted that my house must have an elegant and chaste 88 look The house is a four room mansion with a well furnished kitchen and, of course with modern bathroom facilities The living rooms are planned with comfortable seating in view The furniture has been chosen with great car The walls have been painted with soft colors to match the curtains Each room is fitted with a loudspeaker so that one can enjoy the radio program from bed The drawing room is elegantly furnished with sofas and chairs and a table in the center The wall shelves are used to stack books There is a niche for the television and the room is spacious for a small group to watch the programmers comfortably All the rooms are air conditioned The kitchen is a beauty by itself It is fitted with electric grills and things could be stacked neatly in specially designed cabinets it is provided with modern gadgets for grinding or cutting In front of the house is an artificial pool with a fountain singing all the time for the sun, stars and the moon One or two fish troughs kept in the portico add to the beauty of the place There is a garage on one side of the house In the backyard there are a few fruit bearing trees Near the boundary fence of the house there are some coconut trees In front of the house are certain bushes of crotons and flower plants The well kept lawn with luscious green grass is very pleasing to the eye There is also a small playground for children with a swing and a see-saw Purposely I avoided putting up high storeys because in my case space was not a problem Cooking In fact there is nothing deliberate when I learnt to cook Really it came quite by accident as it happens in many cases For example, one learns to swim when he suddenly finds himself in deep water and he has the first lesson in swimming Of course it is a case of "necessity is the mother of invention" One day I had to make tea That was the first time when I went into the kitchen I have seen people making my tea and above all I have always enjoyed my cup of tea But there is a vast difference between making tea and enjoying your cup of tea Then once our Scout troop was camping away from the town and we were in a wood That day we cooked food for ourselves Our Scout master encouraged us to prepare our food Our patrol was in charge of cooking So naturally I had an active part to play That day we cooked rice and prepared some curry was not so nice Still we took it in the right spirit of a Scout 89 Thereafter I took courage to prowl into the kitchen helping mother in the various activities At first of course mother would not allow just to help her washing, peeling, slicing and so on In all her kindness she would show how things should be done Slowly she showed me how to dress food, what ingredients and in what quantity they should be used and to what extent the item must be heated or boiled and so on Now that mother has grown confident that I could well in the kitchen Now and then she leaves me in full charge of the kitchen wherever she has guests or other work to attend to No wonder I am taking lessons on kitchen art now A trade fair There was an industrial exhibition in our town organized by the local chamber of commerce Industries from many countries were well represented Many of the industries were in tune with the spirit of the times There were electrical and electronic products, transport vehicles, agricultural implements, watches and clocks, household appliances and others on display The building was very attractively decorated and separate halls were allotted for different industries the booths were cheerfully arranged and colorfully illuminated In each booth there were guides who explained the working of various exhibits Illustrated booklets were freely available To avoid jamming in any particular booth at a particular time, route was very well marked At the entrance there was an information room During the hours when the exhibition was on there was soft music played there was also a restaurant serving snacks and soft drinks In the mechanical engineering section many types of machines related to different industries were exhibited What interested me was a working bench for carpentry It was power operated and many things could be made in a very short time The electronic section was the most popular Many latest gadgets were there, from the simple calculator to electronic kitchen control With the help of the electronic gadgets the housewife can be freed of many of her chores and cares The watches and clocks section was very attractive Here is an area where the Japanese genius is evident Many types of watches in solid gold real glittering diamonds were displayed There were funny clocks working in ingenious ways The agricultural section was highly representative from tractors, bull dozers and harvesters to various farming implements The humble buffalo and the plough will become obsolete in a few years Dairying was well represented One could see how one gets his bottle of milk almost straight from the cow's udder Food processing, preserving and refrigeration were shown on a sophisticated scale In short the exhibition very well showed the triumph of science and technology I felt that I had gained a lot of knowledge after visiting the exhibition A second visit would be really worthwhile Animals are God's Creatures Too 90 I want to let you know about an event that changed my life many years ago It is a memory that periodically comes and goes, but it is one of the most precious memories that I and my wife share I am thankful that we can remember it together It's a reminder that things are not what they seem and that angels come in many packages We live in College Station, Texas and we were on our way home from Houston, Texas around the Weston Lakes area one Saturday or Sunday morning And when I say morning, I'm talking 1:00 to 2:00 in the morning We were on our way home and decided to stop at a local gas station to get coffee and something to snack on since it was a good hour and a half before we'd reach home When we were done, we got back into our car and before I started it, we noticed a man standing outside in front of the building You could tell that he was a homeless man His clothes were tattered and worn and it looked like he had gone in and gotten him some coffee or something warm to drink since it was cold this time of the year He must have not had enough money to get something to eat That is not something I remember too well, because that is not what "moved" me The next thing I remember is a dog that walked up to the front of the building Being a dog lover, I noticed that she was part wolf and probably part German shepherd I could tell it was a she, because you could tell that she had been feeding puppies She was terribly in need of something to eat and I felt so bad for her I knew if she didn't eat soon, she and her puppies would not make it My wife and I sat there and looked at her We noticed that people walked by and didn't even pet her, like most people when they walk by an animal in front of a store She might not have been as pretty and clean as most, but she still deserved better But we still did not anything But someone did The homeless man, who I thought did not buy himself anything to eat, went back into the store And what he did brought tears to my wife and me He had gone into the store and with what money he may have had, bought a can of dog food and fed that dog I know that this story isn't as inspirational as most stories, but it plays a great part in our lives You see, that was Mother's Day weekend And a lot of people forget that some animals are parents too And animals - not only we humans - are God's creatures too It would be a better story if I could remember all the details, but even without the details, I believe it still gets the message across It took a homeless man, to show me what I should have done He showed me to be better man that day A Burglary 91 Wendy hailed from Ipoh When she was promoted to assistant branch manager and transferred to a branch in Johore Bahru, she had to find a place of her own After some canvassing for an affordable place, she found one on the second floor of a rented walk-up apartment in Tebrau the four-storey building was quite old and there was only one apartment on each floor One day, when she returned from work, she found the door to her apartment slightly ajar Sensing that something was wrong, she gently pushed the door inward The sight that greeted her made her gasp in horror The apartment was in a a mess The couch and coffee table had been overturned the glass door of the display cabinet was broken and everything was strewn all over the floor She realized that her apartment had been burgled The, a sudden thought came to her which made her heart thump with fear What if the burglars were still in her apartment, in her bedroom ? She pulled the door again and left it slightly ajar Then, she ran down the stairs as quietly as she could Once on the ground floor, she used her cellular phone to call the police The police arrived in less than ten minutes There were four policemen and they accompanied Wendy to her apartment The police told Wendy to stay outside the flat while the four policemen, with drawn arms, centered the apartment They carefully searched the apartment for the burglars but it was obvious that the culprits have left long ago The police then sent for the crime technicians The technicians spent more than hour looking for clues and dusting for fingerprint Then, the police asked her to make a careful inventory of her things and to report the stolen items and to give her statement Many weeks passed but the burglars were never caught and Wendy gave up hope of ever recovering her stolen valuables Still, she continued to stay at the same place, but she had taken better security measures and even installed burglar alarm to safeguard her property A Fire James was cycling down a narrow street one evening when he saw thick black smoke billowing upwards into the sky some distance away Though the fire was not visible from where James was, he knew that there must be a raging fire to cause such thick clouds of smoke He continued to cycle down the street and before long, he came to the source of fire An old three-storey wooden shophouse was ablaze Two large fire trucks were already there and the firemen were trying to put the fire out with their special fire-fighting equipment But it seemed that the fire was wining the battle The fire blazed even fiercely in other parts of the building when the fire in one portion looked about to be 92 extinguished There were also cries and wails from women and men These were probably the tenants or owners of the building There were loud sobs and soft weeping by many Others displayed a variety of emotions Some were sad, some were angry and yet some other simply looked indifferent James could also see that there were also some casualties There were three ambulances and James could see that the paramedics were busy transporting the injured onto stretchers and into the ambulances The police had also cordoned off the hazardous area and curious onlookers were kept at a safe distance From where James was, he could feel the intense heat emitted by the inferno In another hour, the fire was finally contained but the shophouse was reduced to a smouldering ruin The firemen packed their equipment and left the scene the three ambulances had also sped off to the hospital with the casualties Only the police were left James took one final look at the burnt wreck and shook his head sadly before cycling off Proper Security Measures Robbery and theft have been the plague of society since time immemorial Though there have been instances when man had to steal food in impoverished countries because of hunger, the bulk of thefts committed are for easy wealth They rob to avoid hard work and want an easy life, thinking that they can get away with their crimes Because such immoral people exist, we have to take proper security measures to safeguard our property Singapore is a prospering nation and her people have become more affluent in recent years Many have their homes and offices equipped with expensive pick-proof locks and some have even installed burglar alarm systems Others keep dangerous attack dogs like the Doberman pinscher and the German shepherd Those who are able to afford the price have employed stern and unsmiling security guards to protect their premises Many people are also very careful with the amount of cash they have in their person, preferring to leave their money and other valuables in banks The widespread us of ATM cards and credit cards have also paved the way for a cashless society this is to prevent huge losses if one's pockets have been picked as the victim could call the necessary banks and financial institutions to cancel his cards before they could be used by the thief There have been numerous arrests in recent years of thieve who have tried to sue stolen credit cards It is a sad fact that even in our progressive country, the threat of robbery and theft is still ever-present, as it is plainly declared in the crime prevention police posters: "Low crime does not mean no crime." 93 The steps we have to take to safeguard our properties have become second nature to most of us Indeed, most of us lock our cars, homes and offices automatically when not in use Those that have been negligent in taking proper security measures to safeguard their property have only themselves to blame if they were to be robbed To be negligent in matters of security is equivalent to putting out a sign that loudly proclaims: "My property is not protected, please rob me !" A Farewell Party We learnt that our form teacher, Mr Yeo, was about to be transferred to another school in a week All the pupils adored Mr Yeo as he was a very good and dedicated teacher He never shouted at us and was very patient with the slower pupils Our class decided to hold a farewell party for this model teacher But we needed to have the permission of the school's principal first Zoe was given the task of writing to the principal for permission to hold the party as her handwriting was the neatest and her language skills were excellent After the letter was written, all the pupils in the class signed the letter and a delegation of six pupils, myself included, went to the principal's office The principal was mildly curious when he saw the six of us in his office We gave him the letter of petition and after reading it in silence, he frowned He said that the request was very irregular but after the six of us beseeched him in earnest, he relented and gave us the permission He allowed us to hold the party during the last period of the following Friday, which would be Mr Yeo's last day of teaching in our school The whole class was excited after getting the permission We gathered together after school and planned for the party After some debate and discussion we finally agreed on the things we needed to On the last period of school on the following Friday, our class monitor, Abdul Ghani, approached Mr Yeo just as he was about to begin the next lesson "Sir, we have obtained permission from the principal to treat you to a simple farewell party." Some of the pupils then brought out the drinks and food that have been prepared by their parents We have left it hidden in a corner so that Mr Yeo would not see it as we wanted to surprise him And surprise him we did! For an instant, he was speechless and his eyes took on a misty look Then, he was back to his normal self again He acquiesced to the treat and my classmate, Sujata, brought a paper plate of fried noodles and a cup of lemonade for Mr Yeo Everyone cheered and clapped as he took his first spoonful of fried noodles After the meal, Mr Yeo gave an impromptu farewell speech He spoke for fifteen minutes, thanking the class for taking the trouble to hold the party and for being such caring pupils His speech was also peppered with sound advice for us Just before the school bell rang to signal the end of the school day, I was given the honour of presenting our farewell gift to Mr Yeo We knew him to be a great fan of mystery and detective novels and so we had bought for him the "Complete Sherlock Holmes" which contained all the stories and novelettes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle When he unwrapped the gift, we saw two large beads of tears rolling down his cheeks He was very deeply moved Then, the school bell rang and each pupil shook hands with Mr Yeo for one last time before heading for home Anger 94 Anger is perhaps the most destructive of man's emotions A man in anger loses his sense of good judgment and does things that he would not even dream of doing when he is calm and collected Once, my elder brother was involved in a senseless fight He was sixteen years old at that time and played soccer with an amateur team While playing soccer with another amateur team, some players of the rival team taunted my brother, who played a defensive role in his team, after one of their teammates had scored a goal My brother was hotheaded at that time and he replied to the taunts quite vehemently This led to the exchange of insults and eventually a fight ensued When he returned home that day, he had blue-black bruises on his face and body He related the whole incident to my parents, after which he was severely reprimanded by my father for his behavior My father advised him to be always level-headed and never to let anger blind him into doing senseless things Every once in a while, we read in the papers of youths and even adults involved in fights with dangerous weapons resulting in serious injury and even death These incidents could have been easily avoided if the parties involved had not allowed anger to spoil their good judgment A person should never act under the evil influence of anger as such rash acts would only lead to suffering and regret A Lesson Learnt Kenny learnt to ride a bicycle when he was nine years old His father had bought a bicycle for his ninth birthday and his elder brother coached him to ride After the usual falls and bruises, he finally mastered the skill of riding the bicycle in a few days Since then, Kenny loved to cycle around the neighborhood in the evenings At first, his parents did not allow him to ride on the roads but as he grew older and more mature, his parents relented and allowed him on the roads and even acquiesced to his cycling to school some two kilometers away At school, Kenny's enthusiasm for cycling rubbed on to his close friends Many of them pestered their parents to buy bicycles for them and soon, one by one, all his friends owned bicycles The boys would come to school on their bicycles and after school, they would go for a three-kilometer ride One day, Kenny was in town where there was an exhibition of bicycle stunts Champion riders and stunt performers showed a variety of skills on the bicycle They could 'wheelies', jump over ropes on their bicycles and `fly' through the air with the aid of a sloping platform Kenny witnessed this exhibition in awe and was duly impressed by the performance When he reached home, he could not contain himself and wanted to try out some of the tricks he had witnessed He mounted his bicycle and rode to a vacant plot of land where he could practice He tried to the 'wheelie' and after some time, he found that he could it Kenny thought that he had mastered the skill and happily made his way home Just a short distance away from his house, Kenny decided to the 'wheelie' on the road As he pulled the handlebars to lift up the front of his bicycle, he lost his balance and fell sideways, colliding with a motorcycle traveling on the lane beside him The motorcycle also lost control and both Kenny and the motorcyclist ended up sprawled on the road The motorcyclist was not seriously hurt but Kenny was bleeding from his head and the skin on his arms and legs were scraped 95 Luckily, the motorcyclist had a mobile phone and he quickly called an ambulance Kenny was rushed to the hospital where he was treated and warded There were lacerations on his head, body, arms and legs He had also fractured his left wrist Kenny spent two weeks in hospital and took more than two months to fully recover Kenny had learnt a valuable lesson on that day The road is not a place for stunts He still enjoys riding his bicycle but he has realized that stunts are only for trained professionals Home Hygiene Pests and insects like the houseflies, ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches and lizards are a nuisance to health and comfort in the home Though many people use generous amounts of insecticides in its many forms - sprays, coils, nets, etc – it seems that it has little or no effect on these creatures The only way to ensure that our homes are pest-free is to make our surroundings as non-conducive as possible for their breeding and presence Mosquitoes are parasites which live on the blood of man and other animals and they are also carriers of deadly diseases such as malaria and dengue fever Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water So, we should never leave any water stagnant for a long period of time We have to ensure that water does not collect in any area surrounding our homes and make it possible for mosquitoes to breed Likewise, drains and pipes should be cleaned regularly Spiders like to spin cobwebs in dark corners inside and outside the house Therefore, it is wise to clean these corners once in a while so that these infrequented corners not become homes for spiders and other creepy crawlies Houseflies breed in rubbish Many people leave their rubbish in open garbage bins which attracts flies The flies will then swarm over to the kitchen and infect the food left open in plates and pans The best way to keep flies away is to keep food covered at all times Rubbish should be disposed in plastic bags tied securely with a knot before putting it into the garbage bin The garbage bin should also be always covered Ants and cockroaches search for bits of food lying about in the house Cockroaches also thrive in filth and dirt Therefore, ensure that the house, and especially the kitchen, is swept and cleaned everyday so that no particles of food are left on the floor All eating and cooking utensils should be kept in pest-proof containers Drawers and cabinets should also be checked periodically to ensure that ants and cockroaches are not breeding within them Therefore, to ensure that our homes are pest-free, we have to adopt cleanliness and hygiene as our way of life My Favorite Author One of my favorite authors is Michael Crichton He has written several best-selling novels such as "Jurassic Park" and its sequel "The Lost World", "The Andromeda Strain", "Eaters of the Dead" and "Rising Sun" He is also the creator of the award-winning television series "E.R." Michael Crichton is a wonderful storyteller He spins his tales with true-to-life characters and his intricately woven plots are realistic It is obvious that Michael Crichton does a good deal of research for all his science fiction novels are based on known scientific facts and sound theories He does not invent unbelievable fantasies, like some others whom I not want to name, to attract readers For example, in "Jurassic Park", Michael Crichton painstakingly portrays the means which the dinosaurs were cloned The scientists first look for 96 preserved blood-sucking insects from the Mesozoic Era trapped in ambers, that is, the hard translucent fossilized resin originating from extinct coniferous trees Next, they look for traces of dinosaur blood in these insects The tiny amounts that they extract from the insects are then used to clone the dinosaurs One can discern that Michael Crichton's knowledge of palaeontology and medical science is truly astounding when they read his two dinosaur novels In "The Andromeda Strain", Crichton tells the tale of a deadly micro-organism brought to Earth by a satellite The bacteria kills people in seconds by clotting their blood solid Again, his immense scientific knowledge comes into play when he writes this novel about how five scientists race against time to find a solution to nullify the effects of the 'Andromeda Strain' This was his first book written in 1969 and after more than thirty years, it is still in print and remains in great demand by readers all over the world Many of Michael Crichton's novels have been made into box-office hits It is undeniable that this master storyteller is able to attract readers and audiences alike regardless of the medium, be it books or movies 97 ... distinguished visitor to my school I study in a national type secondary school in Malaysia It is in Selangor and is one of the progressive schools in the country It is a coeducational school and prepares... the entrance by the Headmaster and the committee members of the school The school band was in attendance The Secretary of the school led the chief guest to the seat After a formal prayer, the... human control in order to provide food, power or companionship My school library Our school library is one of the assets to our school It is the treasure house of knowledge, past and present It