toefl essay 5

How important is dance to a culture?

Dance, patterned and rhythmic bodily movements, serves as a form of communication and expression. People of different cultures dance differently and for varying purposes, it can express emotions, tell a story, religious or political needs, their varied forms of dance can reveal much about their life. Therefore dancing plays an important role in a culture. 1) The first characteristic of dance that can tell us about a certain culture is the body movement. By varying physical actions and using different dynamics, human being can fashion an infinite number of body movements. Out of the range of movements that the body is capable of performing, every culture emphasizes certain features in its dance styles. For example, rotating and leg lifting movements in ballet and European fog or pantomime and symbolic gestures may be used in Asian dance forms. 2) Another basic motive of dance is the expression and communication of emotion. People often dance as a way of releasing powerful feelings, such as sudden accesses of high spirits, joy, impatience or anger. This emotional expression way can be seen not only in individual dances but also in the more formalized and collective dances such as tribal war dances or festive folk dances. This motive also plays an important role in any culture. Dancing really plays a special role in culture not only because it is a special way to preserve it, but also because of the marvelous way that it puts so many art forms together. For example: for dancing we need music, for music we need singers and players, the national dances are usually performed with special national costumes... We can easily observe how elegant and without any notion dance makes people develop their imagination and creativity, which later reflect into their national culture. Every society has its own dance. Dancing may mark birth, initiation, graduation, marriage, succession to political office, and death. In some societies dances may be the only events at which young people of different sexes can meet. In contemporary society, dances also provide important occasions for young people to socialise. All these forms of dance profoundly reflect the peculiarity of each culture. In short, through it's various forms; dance is an indispensable art form in a culture.

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Everyone has some fond memories of their past.Each one of us wish to go back in time to enjoy those days again,though we knoe that it is not practically possible. I would love go back in time and place and try to relive the days before I got married.I would want to spend more time with my parents and sister.Enjoy the freedom I had in taking some decisions.I would enjoy doing the same things I used to do,like going to the college,having fun with my friends without having the pressure of going back home soon and look after my husband and kids.I used to enjoy the cool breeze of the small town,where I come from.There was no pollution,no traffic.The flowers would be in full bloom at this time of the year.The night skies would be clear with twinkling stars and the bright moon. Right now,though I enjoy my life to the fullest,I am the one who is taking care of everyone at home,with no time left for myself.In the days before my marriage,I had my mother to take care of me,when I was sick she would sit beside me,rubbing my forehead and soothing me.I would immediately feel better.These days,even if I am sick,I have to cook and clean and there is no one to even share my pain with.I had some financial burden then too but it was not as it is now.I have this constant feeling of pressure to work hard and earn more so that tomorrow my children persue whatever they want to without thinking about money and if they can afford it or not.And the busy city life,the roads filled with dirt,the polluted air that gets into my lungs choaking me at times.I dont have many friends here as I moved here recently and people are so that no one finds time to socialise. But realistically,I am a more confident person than I was in those days.I dont feel I am being watched upon by my mother.I love the house I have now,which is my own,my children and my husband.I am content with the success I have in my career.It is only when I am tired of the monotony and the pressure of adult life that I would like to go back in time and place to the days before my marriage and to my home town,relax under a tree and enjoy the cool pure breeze.

If you had to share a dormitory room with someone, would you rather choose the person yourself? Or have the university choose the person for you?

For the last five years of my life, i have been living with roommates - a long enough time for me to know the kinds of people i prefer to live with, and the kinds that dont want to be around. Which is why, when I was told that I needed to share a room with another girl, I decided to do the chosing myself. This would not be such an easy choice to make, but atleast I had a few points on my side. First of all, I had lived in this one town all my life, and I had so many freinds going to university at the same time as myself, so it would be no problem finding someone willing to share with me. Also, i figured that if i let the authorities chose someone for me to live with, then they probably would chose someone that i had never known before, and becuase it is so hard for me to make friends, i would take a very long time to get used to this new person. With this in mind i decided that letting the school chose someone for me is not a good idea. Also, it would be so much better if i chose someone for myself becuase i have a lot of rules that govern my life and i expect whoever i live with to follow them. I sleep very early at night, something which many young people i know don't do. There is no guaratee that the person the school choses for me is going to sleep as early as I do, therefore the most logical option is for me to find someone that can fit my needs. Also I am a vegetarian, and the slightest smell of meat anywhere around the house can make me get very sick, so i need to be sure that the person i live with either is a vegetarian like myself or is going to remember never to bring meat around me. The most important factor in me wanting to chose a roomate of my own is the fact that i love animals. Wherever i have lived, I have always had atleast three cats living with me. I love animals so much and I possibly can not live without them. Not everyone however shares this same passion that I do, infact, many young people do not have time to care for pets, and don't especially like them, or worst, are allergic to them. For this reason I need to find someone that shares this passion with me, or atleast doesn't mind having pets around the house. If the school was to chose someone with whom I was so live, then for all I know, it could be someone who can not stand the sight of pets. One last reason I would want to chose a roomate for myself is the fact that I have a best freind with whom i have been sharing flats for five years. Now, both of us are accepted into this university, and I would love to continue being with her. We both get along very well, and I don't need to put in extra effort to start a good relationship all over again. For these reasons, it is clear to me that i would never want the school authorities to find a flat mate for me when i can find one for myself - espcially one that will completly suit me.

Does technology cause cultures to become more similar?

I agree that modern technology is creating a single world culture because it disseminates knowledge beyond the geographic borders of a location. When people communicate they exchange ideas and feelings. In the ancient era, culture was passed from parents to children by spoken language. Knowledge, traditions and beliefs were transferred to the youngest through speaking and in some cases writing or drawing. Thus, at that time, culture was very restricted to the tribe, village or the community were they lived. The modern means of transportation, in my opinion, was the first invention that contributed strongly to the spread of cultures throughout the planet. The advance of automobiles, airplanes and ships made incredibly easier to be in other parts of the planet. People started to know more about other cultures and many times introducing to their own culture things learned in other places and countries. The exchange of knowledge and goods started to play an important role in people's life. The café from Brazil, the scotch from Scotland, the cigars from Cuba, the wine from France, the American music, are good examples of how other countries products are rooted in our day-by-day life and our culture. Furthermore, in the past few years we have experienced a new wave of technology. Internet, mobile phones, email, e-commerce, are some words that resume what is present in our quotidian. As never before was so easy to communicate to one another. Consequently the world is creating a whole new definition of culture. It is the culture of mass that transcends the geographical borders, permitting that you feel at home anywhere in the planet. The people's behavior and architecture has been standardized either. Picture yourself, for instance, in a hotel room in Japan, Rio de Janeiro or New York. In most cases you will receive the same treatment in all those places and the interior designs all look the same, as the services provided. The reason they do this is to make everyone fell as he was in his own hometown, not mattering where you are from. In conclusion, modern technology has facilitated our lives enormously. But the price paid for the advancement of technology is that some countries, if they do not stand hard at their beliefs and traditions, they will lose their identity to absorb the globalized culture.

What person from the past would you like to meet?

If I ever had the fortune to travel back in time and meet one famous person from history, it would undoubtedly be Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi selflessly fought for the freedom of his people and strove to lift his country from the dangers of colonisation. To achieve his end, he did not take up arms but introduced a new method of resistance: non-violence. Though his new methods were widely criticised as being ineffective, he was persuaded of the rightness of his principles and held steadfastedly to his beliefs. History proved him right. He must have required great courage and will power to hold on to his beliefs in the face of criticism and protests. In the modern world, it is difficult to find a leader who is as selfless and courageous as he was. He was the first leader to raise the problem of untouchability in India and fought to eradicate it. Though his efforts did not meet with total success, he paved the way for the emancipation of the lower sections of the society which was able to break the taboos in the society and take part in the nation-building activities like never before. Gandhi's ideas and principles influenced other leaders in other countries: Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King used his non-violent methods to seek an end to apartheid and slavery respectively. The influence Gandhi had on the world was best illustrated when Time magazine elected him as one of the Three Persons of the Century after numerous polls conducted in several countries around the world. More than ever before, modern world - wherein leaders are motivated more by the power and control that leadership entails than by a real desire to serve their people - needs a selfless, compassionate and tolerant leader like Gandhi, who influenced his contemporaries and will continue to influence the world in the future.

Choose something to represent your country to other people.

If I was asked to send one thing that represents my country, that is India, then I would send Taj Mahal to the international exhibition.I would send Taj Mahal not only because its a piece of fine art and design which mesmerizes in one look only,but for what it symbolizes and stands up as the divine symbol of love. Every country has something to be proud of or some monument which carries the country's ideologies with it.Well my country's ideology is only love and tolerance, which is rightly conveyed by Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal was build by a Moghul Ruler, Shahjahan in remembrance of her wife whom he loved more than his life.Hence Taj Mahal has that feeling of love and faith embedded within its each and every marble and not a single person on this earth can deny undergoing that feeling of love when he takes a glance at this soulful monument. The same goes with my country, it is a symbol of love and tolerance as it has peoples of various cultures and classes living together and going along with a feeling of love in heart for eachother. Not only amongst people of various castes is this feeling but this feeling has its roots in the family itself where we are taught to respect our elders, and love our fellow-men. And above all the relationship of husband and wife is considered to be divine and about it is said that they are two bodies with one soul. Thus in a country where love,faith,brotherhood and tolerance are considered the most important Taj Mahal would be the obvious choice which could be send to an international exhibition.This I believe would in turn spread the feeling of love and brotherhood among different nations when they realize what history this fine piece of art carries with its beauty and would also increase the respect that my country deserves.

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If two students must share the dormitory rooms at my university, I world rather choose my own roommate. The first reason is there will be a good relationship. Because we have known each other. Obviously I know her personality, habit, hobby and the way of living etc. However if I share a room with a student, who was assigned by the university, it will be a risk I may not know her (him). Then we have to spent time to know each other. If she (he) has a bad habit, like always lay her (his) feet on the desk, leave the dirty dishes in the sink for long time etc, and then I have to spend more time to cope with her (him). The worse thing is if she (he) has a strong character, then I will have more difficulty time to face her (him). The second reason is we can help each other. This is a quite important part. Since we have known well, meaning we know who is good at which subjects, what subject. For example in the evening when we do our homework, we can discuss, communicate and suggest so that we can make progress together. Especially if one of us is ill, the other one can make up the lesson. You can see choosing your own roommate will be a good foundation and beginning to start the life in the university. The third reason is there will be more secure and trust. If I don't know my roommate well, I will always worry my belongings has been locked or not. Has my purse been locate in the safe area? Who touch my computer? However, if we know each other, there will not be this worry. We can help out when we need each other. Overall, I rather choose my own roommate instead of choosing by others. In this way, I can be more relax, save more time on my studies and have time on something worth to do. I wish I could have a good memorize of the life in university.

Is it more important for a government to spend money on space exploration or on the immediate needs on Earth?

In the one point of view, it is one of the man's characters to be curious. He wants to break the limits and learn more. No one can oppose to this quality of human. This curiosity caused many inventions and profits for the people around the world. In the other hand, we live together and we should think about others, have compassion for them and give their due. It is not fair that governments notice on their points and don't think that it may harm other people. In my opinion, governments should spend money for our basic needs on earth and stop spending money for outer space researches. 1) If one person deprived himself and his family from eating to buy and run a car, we may consider him mad. It is not acceptable to spend millions of money's funds and expenditures for space researches while there are many people around the world who have a severe lack of food, water, and hygiene and many other primary necessities. 2) When we see that there is many violent thugs, suicides, robberies and divorces occur in our society and most of these problems are because of lack of money or poverty, It is not conventional to squander this huge amount of money for traveling to space while many essential requirements have not answered yet. 3) Many times, we see from our television or read from news that our earth is in a very bad condition. Deforesting caused many jungles destroyed, air pollution is going to be a very dangerous problem and so on. It is utterly absurd that governments waste this amount of money while our earth, the only place for us to live; situation deteriorates every day so fast. At last but not the least, there are still many troubles in our society and earth in that many people die because of lack of food and water supply in the 20th century what is not a negligible problem. Furthermore, our earth is going to be an intolerable place to live providing we don't find out a solution for it. Its more better to government focus their money on the people and earth problems first and then let space look after itself.

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Modern Technology is rapidly changing the world living standards, resulting in a single world culture. New technologies including internet, electronic media, means of transportation and finally Information technology has a great impact on creating a similar culture across the globe. First of all, internet and email has changed the way in which people communicate with one another. Internet is commonly used everywhere to acquire the latest information, news and technologies. Now you can chat with anybody sitting anywhere in the world and know about his/her culture over there. This type of communication and also email affects the lifestyle of the people using these facilities. Secondly, electronic media has done a lot in creating a single culture across the world. News, fashion and entertainment are some of the things which have changed and now you are able to adopt and develop them same everywhere. For example, people living in a third world country are greatly impressed by the life styles of modern countries. This results in the adaptation of their culture and ways of living by them. Developments in the fields of medicine and information technology are spread in the entire world within a few days due to vast usage of internet and modern technologies. Similarly, standards are developed in every field. For example, to achieve a standard in quality we have ISO certifications. In this way, same standards and same culture is achieved in every sphere of life. To conclude, modern developments and technologies have a great impact on the way people live their lives. Technologies like internet, electronic media, developments in the fields of medicine and information have developed a single world culture in the modern world.

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Modern life has become so demanding nowadays that everyone is facing the problem of stress.In order to escape the stress due to work pressure people try out different ways to become stress free. These includes reading,gardening,cycling,playing and many more things as per their choice.For me the best ways to escape stress are listening to music of your choice,going on a short trip and spending time with family.The reasons for the above choices are mentioned below. 1) Firstly ,listening to good music is the best way to escape from stress as because it takes us into a different world.While listening to the sweetly composed tunes it makes us forget all the worldly worries. Also we can listen to music anywhere using portable systems.This helps us in avoiding stress whenever we feel so.Therefore i think listening music is a excellent way to avoid stress. 2) Secondly , going on a short trip refreshes us and helps us to escape stress. Whenever we go for such trips we just leave aside our daily routine and just try to relax.We enjoy doing things out of the daily schedule.So this change simply lifts our spirits and helps us to escape stress. Also whenever we spent time with our family ,we talk our heart out to our loved ones , listen to their sweet thoughts and play like a child with the young ones.All these helps us releasing all our thoughts which creates stress and makes us young and fresh at heart. In conclusion, i would like to say again that listening to music,going for a trip and spending time with family certainly releases stress as supported by the above mentioned points.

What are the qualities of a good roommate?

Most of the students might have lived with roommates while studying in school or university. In most of the cases, it is true when the students went to the universities. I would prefer to have the characteristics of the roommates are co-operative, competitive and generous. 1) The one important quality of the good roommate is the generous, as the student stay most of the time stay with the roommate ,he should be kind enough to share our sorrows and happiness. For instance, during my study in university once I felt sick before annual examinations. My roommate was taken me to the doctor and paid lot of attention till it gets cured. With out his kind, generous nature I would haven't recovered before the exams and I would have got low grade. 2) Also roommate should be competitive. This is because this will increase our studies growth a little bit faster and always try for the highest grade in the exams. At the same time we should not depress by looking at the roommate's progress in the exams. Infact, we should take that progress as a challenge and keep trying for the good grade. For example, I always used to take inspiration from my roommate percentage and used to get the more or less equal percentage with him. This resulted in increasing my position in class from top10 to top5 ranks. 3) Co-operation also one of the important quality of the good roommate. This would eventually helpful in sharing the knowledge of the subject and also resources like reference books and writing material. In my study days, once I couldn't attended the classes for one week due to ill. But as I have got my roommate such a cooperative person , I got to know the course details went on during that week and that was helped me a lot in follow up with the next courses. As a whole from my point of view important qualities of good roommate are generous, competitive and co-operative.

What are good ways to reduce stress?

Nowadays people have stress from their work, study, living in urban areas, and so on. I think exercise is the best way to reduce stress. The developing of vehicles has been decreasing less exercise to modern people. Exercises bring our bodies health and feel refresh. 1) Today, The invention of car made our life more convenient. Most families have at least one car for their commute, shopping and leisure activities. However, when you drive a car to go to work, how do you feel you have to be in a traffic jam every morning? Most of them feel stressful. Trains and subways are also convenient vehicles for people who work far from their houses but if they get on a crowed train every morning and evening, they also feel stressful and uncomfortable. Using vehicles are very convenient but they bring stress and less exercise for people. Some people do exercise such as jogging, walking, play sports, and so on. I think moving our bodies make stronger and healthier bodies. If you do exercise outside, you can see animals, natures, and new view every second. For people who see same view and stay same place while they are commuting, moving their bodies and watching new view will help release their stress. 2) Another effect of exercise makes our body warm and sweat. Good amount of exercise make people's feeling good and refresh. After finishing exercise, they feel their bodies are light and have confidence and self -satisfaction. I think exercise makes people feel good not only physically but also mentally. When people are depressed because of their work or study, exercise will help to change their feeling and mind better. In conclusion, I think exercise is the best ways of reducing stress for modern people. People feel stress because of their less exercise, depression from their work, study, or relationship with their friends and families. If people exercise continuously as their daily role, exercise will be able to solve both physical and mental stresses efficiently.

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Some people prefer to live in places that have the same weather or climate all year long. Others like to live in areas where the weather changes several times a year. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice. I was born in a part of the world where the climate has four seasons and I learnt how much beauty each of these periods can bring to the environments and our lives. I prefer to live in an area where the weather changes several times a year. Although sometimes I experience difficulties in the cold winters because of my bad tolerance to low temperatures, I cannot imagine the Christmas without the white snow making the whole world to look like the pictures from a fairy tale book. There is so much beauty that each season comes with that I do not think I can live in a place where the climate is the same all year long. I might like going in those places for some weeks in winter but not for a longer time. If I were to live in such a place for a life- time, I would miss the spring when the whole nature wakes up. I would miss all the wonderful spring colors, the new buds, the first grass that comes after the gray winter, the trees blooming, the birds that are coming back from warmer places where they lived during winter. The spring is my favorite season, but I love and know to cherish the others as well. Talking about colors, the fall is the next on my list, with all those reddish, yellowish and brownish hues that cover both the leaves and the earth. The ripe harvests, the crops waiting to be gathered are things that bring joy and satisfaction in fall. The summer has its own beauty and in that period of the year the holiday flavor is in the air. In places with temperate climate the vegetation is abundant. The days are sunny and bright. Living in a place with the same climate all year around would be very difficult, as I could not enjoy and cherish the wonderful things that occur every time a new season arrive.

Do you like working with your hands or working with machines?

Some people prefer using machines to do work while others choose to work with their own hands. Personally,I prefer the latter because I find that working with one's hands will reap a greater sense of satisfaction when the task has been completed. Consider a case. Your friend's birthday is coming up. It would be absolutely fabulous if you could send her a gift personally, right up up her door step instead of sending her an electronic greeting card with the computer in your bedroom. Doing things with your own hands brings allows us to appreciate the fruits of labor and hard work. The virtual world is far too distant and unrealistic. Human touch is still the most sincere way to make friends and communicate with your loved ones. Morever, an over reliance on machines will tend to make us less capable in completing simple task. For example :Taking a short ten minute walk to the shop opposite your house to buy some daily necessities will benefit our health because it allows us to exercise our limbs after lying on a couch in front of the televison for over two hours but majority of the people nowadays will choose to drive there instead, claiming that it saves time and strength. Human's natural ability to move and do work has depleted over the years with the invention of machines which enable us not to even move ourselves to get things done. It would benefit and foster family relationships by doing things together such as cleaning the house or clearing the garden with your sibilings instead of ordering the maid-"a human machine" around or following a schedule to take turns to clean up the mess using a vacum cleaner in less than half an hour. Nevertheless, machines does indeed provide us with a much more efficient and faster way to complete a task in hand like typing a resume or an essay instead of writing it out. It does allow us to survive better in a fast-paced society.

Is it important for students to evaluate their teachers?

Teachers often get a chance to evaluate the knowledge of their students. Some people think that schools should allow students to evaluate the work of their teachers. In my opinion, this is a very good idea, because it will improve the quality of teaching. Also, students would be more interested in attending classes. Finally, the school would improve it's reputation in the community. Firstly, students would have great benefit from such a survey. If students are not satisfied with a teacher, they would be offered a chance to express their opinion. This way they would have their say about their own education. Their opinion should not be accepted as an absolute truth, but should always be heard and taken into consideration. Indeed, bad evaluation by the student population doesn't necessarily mean that the teacher is bad. For example, if students claim that certain teacher is not good, it may mean that the teacher isn't competent, but it may also mean that students don't pay enough attention to what he is saying, or that they should spend more time studying. By expressing their opinion, students can make teachers prepare better for their lectures or explain the content more clearly and with more enthusiasm. Therefore, students would be able to understand the lectures better and consequently to get higher grades. Furthermore, the students would be motivated to pay more attention during classes and to listen to lectures more regularly, since they will be asked to give their own opinion about what they've heard. Secondly, this kind of survey would also be useful for teachers. Good teachers should be rewarded financially or otherwise. On the other hand, the teacher who receives low grade from his students should be sanctioned, for example by lowering his salary. In extreme cases, he should be fired. This way he would be forced to improve his teaching skills in order to keep his job or raise his salary. Therefore, he would become a more competent teacher and better educator. This would improve the overall quality of education in the school. Finally, this survey would be useful for the school and it's reputation. If a school asks students to evaluate teachers, it means that students have their freedom of expression and that they are not intimidated by the authority of the teachers. The school would be more popular among prospective students, who would be more interested in enrolling that particular school. Also, the school would be better funded by its sponsors more appreciated by the community. In conclusion, if the students were asked by the school to evaluate thair teachers, it would benefit everyone. Teachers would be obligated to constantly improve quality of their lectures to avoid bad evaluation. Students would enjoy better education, and thay would pay more attention in classes, since they would be able to influence the quality of the classes. This would improve the reputation of the school, which will be better respected by the community.

Is it more important for a government to invest money in improving technology or to spend money on other things?

There are many people who think that government should spend as much as possible on developing information and communication technology. They think that in twenty first century, development of the computer technology is the root for achieving integrity. While other people disagree, and think that this money should be spent on more basic needs like food and agriculture, road and transportation etc. Both opinions being equally important and logical in its own way, I would support the opinion that the government should spend money on developing or buying computer technology. For many reasons, development of information and communication technology as computer technology has bought a revolution in development perspectives, which I will explain, in the following paragraphs. This is the 21st century, we have various ways to development. Among those, the use of advance technologies is one of the fastest and easiest ways to development. Almost all countries of North America and Europe has given special emphasis on the computer technology as the root for development. And as a result, the North American and European Countries have developed in every aspect. If the money is spent on more basic needs, the people will not be familiar with the modern technologies. It would make them dependent on the government for uplifting their standard of life rather than being innovative. In this aspect, computer technology would play a vital role by empowering the people. It would self-assure people and that would surely lead to development. Despite of the long distance, remote areas, inaccessible and pro-poor condition, through computer technology, they could know what is going on the world. They could learn from the other local communities as well as from abroad. Once people get knowledge about the proper implementation of their ideas, they can manage their indigenous, which would lead to development. Computer technology is the prime outreach media for information and communication. Internet is the fastest and easiest way to communicate. Thus, computer technology helps in bridging digital divide, which is the first step to development. In this way, internet not only helps in development of the country but also helps in globalization. Thus, money spend on developing or buying computer technology is the money spent for sustainable development. People would think globally and act locally which would surely lead to long term development.

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There is a great disagreement over whether it is more important for the government to spend more money on developing or buying computer technology or on more basic needs. If I have to make a choice, I would choose the latter. In my opinion of view, basic needs are more important than computer technology. For one thing, our country is a developing country, the basic needs is the first thing for our government to consider and to pay more attention to. For example, what I have known is a great number of people in our country are still suffering starvation and do not have enough food to eat and clothes to wear. To this point, our government should spend more money on solving such basic problems but not just consider some modern technology. It is not practicable. For another, presently, basic needs is play an more important role in our people's lives than the computer technology. Just imagine what would be like if our people do not have enough food to eat but our government has the most modern computer technology in the world. It is too ridiculous. If the basic needs can not be satisfied completely and the lives of our people can not be improved. People will not feel happy and may hate the government. As a result, the society would be not peaceful and the government would suffer some serious problems. In conclusion, I agree with the opinion that the same money should be spent on more basic needs because our country is a developing country. Of course, to develop and buy computer technology is of great importance to a country's development only after the basic needs was already satisfied.

Would you rather live in a place that has seasons or one that has a similar climate all year?

This choice depends a lot of the place where a person was born. I think this is an easy choice for me. I prefer to live in a place where the weather changes several times a year. What do I say this and why am I so sure? Well I will try to find some good reasons to support my statement. I am living in a country with four seasons in every year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. My city is placed among a lot of mountains and this thing is very important in choosing my decision. For example in winter mountains offers a lot of gorgeous landscapes and many possibilities of spending times. You may go skiing, skating or walk through the white forests. The landscapes of winter are fantastic. After winter comes spring. This is the season of the nature re-birth. After a long period of cold weather a warm time is the best thing you may imagine. I like to walk through forests, to listen to the singing birds. The fields are full of wonderful flowers and the grass is the greenest of the year. After spring comes summer. Sometimes on summer is too hot but summer remains a very beautiful season. It's the season that people prefer to go to the seaside; it is the season of holidays. The last but of course not the least is autumn. I could say this is the yellow period of the year or maybe better the golden period of the year. Of course some people would say that they prefer to live on summer all year long but I prefer diversity. I love seeing the nature in its diversity. I cannot imagine a Christmas holiday, for example, in summer. For me, Christmas means snow, Santa Claus and so on and all of these are specific for winter. These are some reasons that I prefer to live in places where the weather changes several times a year. And I consider these reasons are enough to move in other areas that have the same climate all year long.

Discuss a place in your country that people should visit.

To think of one place which a foreigner should visit if he gets a chance to spend one day in my country is not an easy job. I belong to India which is known throughtout the world for its rich cultural heritage. India has a myriad of monuments and sites displaying the astonishingly beautiful designs and architecture which will definitely attract any foreigner. Still if choosing one out of them is inevitable I would go for the TajMahal in Agra city. TajMahal is the only historical monument of India which was ever included in the wonders of the world. Truly enough its apt to be called a wonder. The grand structure fully constructed in white marble presents such a beautiful sight which cannot leave any heart untouched with its splendour. Its known for its architecture and beauty. Even people possessing least of artistic taste are left awestruck after seeing it. Taj Mahal symbolises love. Emperor Shahjahan had constructed this tomb in the loving memory of his dearest wife Mumtaz Mahal. Nowhere in the world can anybody find another example of such an exquisite memento of love. When a person visits a new country he is generally interested in knowing the history of that country. TajMahal is apt in satisfying this inquisitiveness of the visitors. It carries with itself the history of the Mughal empire which ruled India for around a decade. Foreigners will find ample opportunity to know more about Indian history during the medieval period. Besides, a person visiting TajMahal can also pay a visit to the grand Red fort in the same city. Fort will help in augmenting the visitor's historical knowledge. Taj Mahal is situated in Agra which is a traditional city of India. Till now it has not experienced enough modernisation to be called a metropolitan. This fact is an advantage because it provides a chance to the visitors to observe Indian culture and traditional life style from close quarters. Though there are numerous tourists spots in India, TajMahal in Agra is the one which can attract people from all spheres of life. For some other places like the temples of South India special interest in history and architecture is needed. The growing number of foreigners visiting the monument proves the fact. Hence in my opinion, if a foreigner is visiting India just for a day, there cannot be a better place to visit than the TajMahal at Agra.

Should the salaries of teachers be based on the performance of their students?

We are going to school to get our knowledge. Our parents are paying money for our education and they expect us to get the best one. And how disappointed they are if we are getting bad grades. They are paying money and don't see any result. Their kids do not learn too much. May be it's the teacher's fault. May be parents should pay less money? A lot of parents think like this. But I disagree with the statement that teachers should be paid according to how much their students learn. I think that everything depends on a student and his willingness to study. So why should teachers be paid according to students desire? Teachers help us to understand a lot of things from the books if we cannot afford them. And if students do not want to study, why should teachers suffer? Teachers have been studying for many years. They became teachers through so many difficulties and efforts. As far as I know if you want to be a teacher you have to study a lot. You have to get very good education, because you will take responsibility for the rest of your life-to teach others since you have finished the education. That means that the teachers spent a lot of time, energy to get their degree. And I think that they have already deserved to be well paid. People were always paid for their knowledge. As much as you know, as much as you are awarded. I think that teachers know a lot, in a such a way they should be paid well for their knowledge. And it does not depend on how much their students learnt. I think that there are no bad teachers- there are only bad students. And if the student explains lack of his knowledge because of a teacher, that means that he never tried. He never tried to study, he never tried to ask his teacher for a help, he never wanted to get more than his laziness. That's why I think that teachers should not be paid according to how much their students learn. I believe that every teacher wants his student to get the best knowledge. And it is not his fault that the student didn't want the same thing.