Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

 

Nowadays people have so many things to do that they almost always do not have enough time for it. When we go to bed we carefully think and plan our next day and it continues day in and day out. We wake up, recollect our checklist with things to do and in a few minutes we are already in a car on our way to the office. Often people do not have time for themselves. So, when people have some spare time  they want to use it wisely. Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. However, others prefer not to make any plans. In this essay I will analyze both cases and present my view in favor of planning free-time activities.

 

From the one side, not making any plans and just letting the time pass by for some time have some benefits. First of all, a person can just relax, enjoy the beautiful moments, spend his or her time with loved ones, watch a movie, listen to relaxing music, observe the flowers in bloom from the window, contemplate about his or her life and just slow down the pace of life. I think it is a very good way to eliminate one's stress and tension and just leave all troubles and worries behind.

 

From the other side, careful planning can bring many benefits too. First of all, one can travel. However, traveling requires some planning to be made. For example, one most likely will need a hotel room. So, the reservation should be made beforehand. Also, it is wise to check one's car to avoid breakdowns and have an uninterrupted worry-free trip. Second of all, planning one's activities allows to spend one's free time the way he/she likes. For instance, if I want to play tennis on incoming week-end I will certainly make a reservation for a court because in this case I will not be disappointed with the waste of my time.  Personally, I prefer to make plans for my free time because it allows me to spend my vacation or week-ends the way I want it.

 

To sum up, I think careful planning allows people to derive maximum benefits from their free time. However, I must confess sometimes I allow my self just to stay at home with my friends and family and not make any plans.

 

 

 

Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Some people think that old, historic buildings are no need for the city and they should be destroyed and replaced with modern ones. However, other people believe that historic buildings must be preserved in order to know and remember our past. For several reasons that I will mention bellow I agree with those people who want to preserve old, historical buildings.

 

First of all, by preserving historical buildings we pass our history to our future generations. I think that out children should know their history, learn from it and respect it. People need to know their traditions and customs, which are priceless and irreplaceable. Our history is our knowledge and power. From my opinion we need to preserve and restore historical buildings. By destroying them we show our disrespect to our forefathers and their traditions.

 

Second of all, by by preserving historical buildings a city can attract many travelers. Welcoming tourists a city can get many benefits including money, which can be spent on preserving historical buildings as well as on improving roads and facilities.

 

Also, many tourists means a lot of new business opportunities. Another important aspect of this is that businessmen will be willing to build new recreational centers, hotels, movie theaters, shopping centers to make a city more attractive for travelers.  In addition to those practical benefits, many people will have the opportunity to get a job. All this is good for the economy of the city.

 

To sum up, I believe that preserving old, historical buildings can bring only benefits to a city and all humankind.

 

 

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing a game is fun only when you win. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

 

Playing games is one of the most effective ways to eliminate stress, tension and to learn many things. However, I know some people who like to play only when they win. Personally, I agree with those people who play games in order not to win but to have fun. So, for several reasons, which I will mention bellow, I have to totally disagree with the statement above that playing a game is fun  only for one who wins.

 

First of all, I think that people should understand the main reason of playing a game. In old times people gathered and played different games. It was a great way to find out more about each other, to communicate and learn new. Nowadays, I think that the reason why people play games is the same.

 

Second of all, in addition to the mentioned above benefit playing games is a perfect way to gain more knowledge and experience. It is not important who wins but it is important that everyone makes conclusions and learns to analyze one's mistakes and tries to avoid them next time.

 

Finally, mental and physical games help to develop brain and body. Mental games improve one's ability to think logically, make conclusions and analyze. Also, it improves one's memory. From the other side, physical games help to strengthen one's bones, develop muscles and improve one's health.

 

Of cause, I must confess that it is fun to win and feel the victory. However, I think that the participation in a game is more important then the victory itself. People play games to relax, to eliminate stress and leave their troubles behind and gain more knowledge. One more reason why people play games is that avoiding games or playing them only when one is sure that he is a winner does not make one better. Only when people see their mistakes they can work on them and reach their goals.

 

 

Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Man, through the ages, has undergone any changes from the time when he had to haunt for food to these days when he has to buy it. Some people prefer to buy fresh vegetables, meat and fruits and prepare food at home. However, other people prefer to skip that step with cooking and have dinner at a restaurant. I think that both of these choices have some advantages and disadvantages. Bellow I will give some reasons to support my answer.

Personally, I do not like fast food. So, my choice is always between a restaurant and my home. First of all, I would like to say that cooking is a great tradition. It helps people to relax, reflect on some pleasant moments while peeling or cutting the vegetables. It is a means of eliminating one's stress and tension. Second of all, sometimes I do not want to have something too complicated for my dinner. I just want to have light food like a salad and a glass of milk. So, one of the reasons why I like to eat at home is because I can have what I want at this moment. One more great things about eating at home is that I can sit in front of the TV and watch an interesting program or a movie. Finally, having dinner at home allows a family communicate with each other, be closer  and share some good and bad moments that happened  earlier that day. Besides, eating at home is a great way to save some money.

As for restaurants, I see some positive aspects about eating there too. First of all, I sometimes get tired from peeling, cutting, washing, frying, etc. It does not mean I do it a lot. Sometimes I just use the microwave and a preprocessed food that I bought earlier. I want to have something more delicious than I have in my refrigerator, something that is time-consuming to prepare at home. So, for me it is a good reason to go to a restaurant. There one may meet old friends or just has a great time listening to music and tasting some delicious meats.

Also, restaurants are a good place to celebrate something. One does not have to prepare food for all friend who are coming, wash dish, put in order all that mess after the party, etc.

In conclusion, I think that it does not important where one has one's dinner. What important is that it must be full and nutritious.

 

  

People learn in different ways. Some people learn by doing things; other people learn by reading about things; others learn by listening to people talk about things. Which of these methods of learning is best for you? Use specific examples to support your choice.

People learn through their entire lives. Some people prefer to read many books and gain knowledge from them. Others prefer to learn from their own experience. Also, there are people who prefer to learn from others by listening to their advice and analyzing their mistakes. For several reasons, which I will mention bellow, I think that each of these ways to learn new things has  many advantages. Personally, I think that the combination of these ways is the best way to learn and gain more knowledge and experience.
 
Undoubtedly, learning by doing things is the best way to learn. First of all, one can gain his own experience, which is priceless and valuable. Moreover, some things are impossible to learn without practicing. For example, when children learn how to read they can not perfect in it without everyday practice. Or when a student learn how to type on a computer. He can not just listen to someone or read books about it and then type very quickly. Many things in our life require practice and own experience. Personally, I think that mostly I learn how to do  things by doing them not by reading about them.
 
However, there are some things that are impossible to be learnt by doing them. For example, students learn many things from the books and other different recourses like Internet, magazines, newspapers and even through conversations. Take for example our history or space exploration. People learn about them from books and TV programs. We can not get back in time and experience different historical events except that we do it in our imagination.
 
In conclusion, I think that the combination of these ways will give the best results. However, there is no doubt that personal experience is priceless and irreplaceable, because it gives the great opportunity to analyze one's mistakes, make conclusions and avoid them next time. So, in my case I try to learn thing by doing them if it is possible and if it is not then I use other ways to lean them.

When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.

People may choose to keep their old traditions from their native country or to accept new ones. Keeping the old customs will help one to overcome the cultural shock and the change of the environment. From the other side, accepting the new traditions will help one to adapt and make new friends with residents. In this essay I will give different reasons why people decide to follow the customs of the new country or to keep their own customs.

If one is from the country with strong and old traditions, I think it will be rather difficult for him to adapt to the new customs and moreover to reject his own. That is why some people from the same country try to live together and to create their own community where the old traditions are kept. They can not break the customs that were created by their ancestors. For example, some nations are restricted in certain kinds of food by their traditions. So, they do not go to the restaurants unless their traditional food is served there. Some nations according to their customs have to wear certain types of cloth because their religion tells them to do so.

From the other side, if one is from the country with traditions similar to ones of the new country it will be easy for him to adopt and to follow the customs of the new place. He will not feel much difference. Probably, the most difficult part of his relocation will be to accustom to the new climate.

I think that people of the new country are friendlier when they see that foreigner follows their customs. I belief that traditions of every country deserve respect, especially, when one lives there. In summary, I think that every country has its own beauty and if one wants to find out more about it he will love it.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same amount of money to their students’ sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Some people believe that universities should give more money for the sports activities. They claim that importance of libraries and sports are the same. I can not completely agree with this statement. In the following paragraphs I will give some basic reasons why I think that way.

I am a former student and I know all advantages that can be given by libraries. First for all, it is the cheapest way to prepare for the incoming lecture, to do the homework, to make a research and just to read some books. From my point of view, it is very important to supply the libraries with the new books, magazines, journals and newspaper. Second of all, libraries are the places where students can spend a few hours reading between lectures if their schedule does not allow them to go home. So, libraries must be light and large enough, have comfortable chairs and tables. A third reason, why a good library is so significant for a student, is that it is a free access to computers and an Internet. If a student can not allow to buy himself a computer or an access to the Internet he can use it there. I like libraries because it is a good place to meet and communicate with each other, serf the Internet looking for the last news, read some books that you do not want to buy and just relax to the accompaniment of the pages.

As for sports activities, I think it must be up to a person. First of all, he or she goes to a university to gain knowledge, not lose some weight or work out. Second of all, a student must arrange his or her time in order to have time to exercise. However, I must say that every university should have a few playing-fields, a pool and a fitness center where students may have a rest after strained days.

One more reason to have really good libraries is that it can save not only money but time for students. A person has not to drive to the bookstore to get materials he or she is looking for. So, a library can save time that then can be spent on a sport.

To summarize, I think libraries must stay the main resource of knowledge. So, if a university has some extra money they should be spent on the new books, new software and new equipment for the libraries.