Write a story based on this line : "By evening, she was running a high fever ...

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Far up in the mountains of Canada, there is an old abandoned log cabin. Once it was occupied by a young couple who wanted to distance themselves from the chaos of this modern world. ere they were miles away from the nearest town. Bob, the husband, made the occasional trip into town to buy supplies whereas !an, his wife, spent her free time by the fire, sewing. "heir life was simply idyllic. "hen, one midwinter#s day, !an wo$e up from bed with a strange ache in her bones. %utting it down to overwor$, Bob shooed her to bed and made sure she rested. "hough !an was impatient to get to her chores, Bob soothed her, "&ela', (ugar. )ou#re overdoing things. *ll these chores will be here when you recover." owever, !an seemed to be getting worse instead of recovering. By evening, she was running a high fever and in greater pain. +n spite of his best efforts, Bob could not manage to ease her suffering. *nd then suddenly, she started to lapse into unconsciousness. +t was then obvious that she was seriously ill. What could Bob do, e had no e'perience in treating the sic$ and !an was getting worse by the minute. e $new that there was an old doctor in town but he lived three miles away, downhill. %ot-bellied and obese, there was no way the doctor could ma$e it up to their cabin. (omething had to be done .uic$ly/ Bob racked his brains but to no avail. "he only thing left to do was to go to the doctor. +n !an#s condition, she could never wal$ that far in the waist-deep snow. Bob would have to carry her/ Bob searched his mind for a way to move poor, sic$ !an. "hen, he remembered. e had once made a sledge so that they could ride together over the mountain. "hey never got around to using it though, because the whole mountain was thic$ly covered with roc$s and trees. e had never found a safe way down, not even once. "Well," he thought, "loo$s li$e +#m going to have to try it anyhow," as he dug out the sledge from the storeroom. "!an may die unless + get her to the doctor, and life means nothing to me without her." With this thought in mind, Bob gently tuc$ed !an into the sledge, got in the front, and with a short prayer for safety, pushed off. ow they got through that ride alive, Bob has never figured out. *s trees loomed up in front of him and 0ust as .uic$ly whi11ed by his side, close enough to touch, he felt relieved that !an was not awa$e to e'perience the ride. +t was all he could do not to scream as collision seemed imminent, time and again, with only inches to spare. *t last, bursting from the mountainside, the town came into view. Barely slowing down, they sped through the icy streets, only losing speed as they neared the doctor#s house. "he sledge, battered through the 0ourney, collapsed in the left s$i as it came to a halt, spilling out its occupants. Bob pic$ed up his !an and made his way into the doctor#s house.

*fter what seemed to be a long winter, !an recovered fully from her illness but Bob never recovered from his fright. "hey moved into the little town so as to be near help in times of crisis, and have lived there ever since. idyllic rack one's brains batter simple and carefree strain to find a solution to damage as by heavy wear

Food preservation
2en have preserved their foods from ancient times in order to $eep the results of harvesting for winter months, for resale, for storage, and for transporting from sea to inland, overseas, or crosscountry. "o do so, they generally used nature#s methods, which are drying, parching and fermenting. %arching is the most natural method, but for many thousands of years, others have also been used. 3irect fermentation of li.uids, usually by the introduction of yeast, has not only preserved li.uids but also enhanced their .uality, the same of course applying to salting. (mo$ing has preserved, and sometimes improved both fish and meat. ic$ory wood is generally used for the fires, and natural 0uices are contained by a slight coating of wood creosote. +t was not until recently that the causes of rottenness were understood, these being the reactions of bacteria, moulds, yeasts and micro-organisms. (ome fermentation and moulds are, of course, necessary in the production of food and drin$4 moulds, for e'ample, being used in cheesema$ing. But the real #brea$through# in preservation against the causes of rottenness came, when it was learnt how to deal with the micro-organisms present in all foods and drin$s, and which react chemically over a period to produce unpalatable or poisonous food or drin$. "here are three basic methods. Firstly, food may be preserved by cooling or free1ing, to a very low temperature when long-term preservation is re.uired. "his was originally done by pac$ing in a mi'ture of salt and ice4 today, cold storage is big business and refrigeration is a highly-developed science. #3ehydration# may be brac$eted with this method, as the principle involved is the same, namely to suspend the operation of bacteria which re.uires normal temperatures for chemical reaction. "his is why reconstituted eggs cannot against dehydrated, and melted ice-cream refro1en. the second method of destruction is by heat-processes, which destroy all the bacteria present in food and drin$. "his process is used before canning foods in hermetically-sealed containers, great care being ta$en not to allow the foods or drin$ s to become re-infested after cooling and before canning. the third method is to preserve by the addition of chemicals, which control or destroy bacteria. this is merely a follow-up of the old systems of salting, smo$ing and candling. 5ventually, the method of #cold sterili1ation# is e'pected to supersede most of the others4 this amounts to e'posing the food-stuffs to ioni1ing radiation. "oday more than mere food-preservation is sought by the consumer, and for this reason, processes are becoming more and more sophisticated. 6uality, economy and convenience are

sought by modern man -- especially modern woman -- convenience is important, the #readycoo$ed# meal is popular, while, in Western, or #Westerni1ed# communities, goods do not sell easily if they lac$ color, a good appearance, natural flavor, the right te'ture, and are free from defects. &O*3 (*F") 5veryday many people are involved in road accidents. (ome are $illed. 2any more are in0ured or maimed. (o it is important for us to learn to use the roads properly and safely. 7o sane person would li$e to be involved in an accident. *s the roads are very busy nowadays, we should be very careful when crossing one. +t is safer to use a pedestrian crossing or an overhead bridge whenever one is available. 7ever cross a road by dashing across it. "hat is inviting trouble. +f there are no crossings, then we must loo$ carefully right and left and cross only when it is safe to do so. (ome of us ta$e the bus to school. +t is important that we do not try to get on or off a bus while it is still moving. + tried to get on a moving bus once. +t dragged me a short distance and nearly ran over me. + was luc$y to escape with only some scratches on my legs. *lso we must not fool around while in the bus. * suddenly lurch can send us $noc$ing our heads against something hard. 8sing a bicycle can be dangerous too. We must pay attention on the road and never cycle too far out to the middle of the road. We must obey all traffic rules. *lso we must ma$e sure our bicycles are in good condition with wor$ing bra$es, lights etc. "hese are some things we can do to avoid accidents. owever there is no guarantee that we will never be involved in one. "he important thing is to stay alert at all times while using the roads. We must $now what is happening around us. +n that way we can ta$e necessary action to avoid danger whenever we see one. &oad safety is very much up to how we use the roads. 8se them carefully and we may be able to use them for a long time. 8se them carelessly and we may never be able to use them again. maim dash lurch to in0ure a person so severely that a part of their body will no longer wor$ as it should move .uic$ly to move in an irregular way, especially ma$ing sudden movements bac$wards or forwards or from side to side

An unforgettable experience
Carrying a passenger on a bicycle is an offence punishable by law. 5veryone $nows that but still some of us do it. + had done it many times before until something happened to teach me never to do it again. +t was not the police. &ather it was an unforgettable, and unpleasant, e'perience. +t happened one evening when my friend (egaran and + wanted to go and visit another friend who lived some distance away. + had a bicycle. (egaran did not. (o, as usual, he sat sidesaddle on the hori1ontal bar of the bicycle while + pedalled. We had done it many times before, so it should not be any problem. 7ear my friend#s house, we got onto a gravel path made slippery by the recent rain. (till we managed to wobble along, thoroughly en0oying the rough ride. *s we passed by a stream, + made the mista$e of going too near the ban$. "he rain had softened the soil and it could not hold our combined weight. One moment we were going along merrily, the ne't we were tumbling head over heels into the stream as the ban$ gave way beneath us. (plash/ (plash/ (plash/ We plunged into the river bicycle first, followed by (egaran, then me. 7ormally the stream is only a few centimetres deep with clear water. When we fell in, it was a metre deep with foul blac$ water. "he water prevented us from getting badly in0ured but we also had to pay the price of gulping some of it. +t tasted horrible. (egaran got the worst of it for being sandwiched between the bicycle and me, but it was not too bad. We had only a few cuts and bruises. Our pride was far more hurt. We retrieved ourselves and the bicycle from the stream. We were both dirty and soa$ing wet. Obviously we were in no condition to visit anyone. (o we decided to go home. We wal$ed all the way home. + had to push the bicycle because its front wheel was bent out of shape. From that moment + vowed never to carry anyone on a bicycle again. 7ever again do + want to be dirty and wet with cuts and bruises all over my body. Once was enough. gravel wobble tumble small rounded stones, often mi'ed with sand sha$e or move from side to side in a way that shows a lac$ of balance to fall .uic$ly without control

My Classmates
We are a noisy lot, that is what our teachers say about us. "his is largely due to *h 9eong. e is the noisiest of us all. is voice is li$e that of a bull frog but volumes louder. +t seems that he cannot tal$ softly. *ctually he does not tal$, he shouts. %erhaps his living with his family of ten children has something to do with it. +n this noisy bunch lives a boy who hardly ever opens his mouth. "his is %adma, the boy who sits ne't to me. e is such a gentle and soft creature that one would thin$ that he is a sissy. "his is not so. 7o one dares call him one for he is a member of the school#s 9arate Club. "hen there is 3oris, our class monitor. (he sits right in front of the teacher#s table. (he is such a model student that all the teachers love her. We all love her for she does not boss us around. (he has given up doing that long ago. *ll she does is to ma$e sure that the teachers have sufficient chal$ and that the classroom is clean. &ight at the bac$ of the class sits our class sleepy-head. 2at seems to need more sleep than others. e catches cat-naps in between lessons. "he astounding thing is that he can fall asleep almost instantly. "he moment the teacher leaves after a lesson, 2at#s snores start up and we $now he is at it again. &emar$ably he wa$es up when the ne't teacher arrives. 5very class has a clown. Our class has !ac$, otherwise $nown as "!ac$o "he Clown". e is always up to some pran$ or other, putting tails on the boys# pants, frogs in the girls# des$s and powdered chal$ on the teacher#s chair. (o when we hear a girl scream or see men-teachers strolling around with chal$ on the seat of their pants, we $now that !ac$o has struc$ again. "he other classmates too have their own uni.ue personalities. 5ach contributes his or her part to our class. *ll in all we are a group of young children who perhaps are a bit noisy at times, but on the whole are well-behaved and pleasant to be with. sissy a boy who other boys disli$e and laugh at because they thin$ he is wea$ or interested in activities girls usually li$e, or a person who is wea$ and cowardly "ell someone what to do, give orders very surprising

boss around astounding

My neighbours
2any of us live in housing estates. + live in one myself. "he one thing about living in a housing estate is that we have many neighbours. 7e't to my house on the right lives a family whose parents seem to be always scolding the children. + do not $now them very well because they always appear angry. 7ever a day passes

without hearing the children crying and the parents shouting at the top of their voices. On the other side of my house, however, lives a very .uiet and polite family. 2r. :erghese is a .uiet man who seems to manage his family very well. "hough he has four children, which is one more than the other family, + never hear him scold his children. (o his children never cry. What a wonderful family they are. Further down the road is a family whose radio is switched on most of the time, e'cept late at night. is immediate neighbours must have a tough time putting up with the noise of the radio. "hen there is a family whose members seem to live in a world of their own. 2any times we have met along the road and not once has any of them even nod his or her head in ac$nowledgement. "hey are not blind or deaf. )et they can wal$ straight past as if + am not there at all. + would not say that they are unfriendly. + guess they are simply not interested in $nowing their neighbours. On the opposite side of the road live 2r. ;im and his family. 2r. ;im is a bird-collector. (o everyday a do1en or more birds sing melodious tunes right beneath his front porch. +t is preferable to the blare of the other neighbour#s radio. owever the bird droppings can give off an awful stench. "hese are some of the neighbours living near me. "here are others that + have yet to meet. owever + am careful not to intrude on their privacy. "he friendly ones smile or raise their hands. "he not-so-friendly ones loo$ away. + have to live among them, friendly or not. put up with stench intrude to accept an unpleasant situation or e'perience a strong unpleasant smell to go into a place or situation in which you are not wanted or not e'pected to be

My Hobby
2y hobby is reading. + read story boo$s, maga1ines, newspapers and any $ind of material that + find interesting. "his hobby got started when + was a little boy. + had always wanted my parents to read fairy tales and other stories to me. (oon they got fed up and tired of having to read to me continually. (o as soon as + could, + learned to read. + started with simple *BC boo$s. (oon + could read simple fairy tales and other stories. 7ow + read 0ust about anything that is available. &eading enables me to learn about so many things that + would otherwise not $now. + learned about how people lived in bygone days of magic and mystery. + learned about the wonders of the

world, space travel, human achievements, gigantic whales, tiny viruses and other fascinating things of our world. "he wonderful thing about reading is that + do not have to learn things the hard way. For e'ample, + do not have to catch a disease to $now that it can $ill me. + $now the danger so + can avoid it. *lso + do not have to go deep into the 0ungle to learn about the tiger. + can read all about it in a boo$. Boo$s provide the reader with so much information and facts. "hey have certainly helped me in my daily life. + am better e.uipped to cope with living. Otherwise + would go about ignorantly learning things the hard way. (o + continue to read. Besides being more informed about the world, + also spend my time profitably. +t is indeed a good hobby. bygone cope with informed happening in a past time to deal successfully with a difficult situation having a lot of $nowledge

My favorite subject in school

2y favorite sub0ect in school is 2athematics. +t is my favorite because + never have difficulty with it and always get good mar$s in tests. + suppose + am luc$y to be born with a clear-thin$ing brain. (o ever since young, manipulating numbers and figures came easy to me. "he wonderful thing about 2athematics is that, besides some formulae, there is nothing else to remember. 5very step in solving a problem is done logically. Other sub0ects li$e istory and <eography re.uire a lot of memory wor$. &emembering dates and other facts is hard wor$ compared with the ease and simplicity of mathematical reasoning. While 2athematics is simple to me, some of my friends have great difficulty with it. + do not really understand why. "hey get stuc$ with simple problems and often give up. (o + help them out when + can. "he one advantage + have in being good in 2athematics is that + do not have to spend a lot of time on it. omewor$ and tests are a breeze. (o + have plenty of time left over to study other sub0ects. (ometimes + feel sorry for my less fortunate classmates who get scolded in class for not completing their 2athematics homewor$.

*nyhow + have come to reali1e that human beings can be so different in their abilities while they loo$ similar otherwise. (ome of us are luc$y to be good in some things. Others may not be so luc$y. manipulate reasoning breeze to control or influence s$illfully the process of thin$ing about something in order to ma$e a decision something which is easy to achieve

Obedience to parents and elders

"o be obedient is to obey the orders of one#s elders and superiors. "here cannot be order unless there is obedience. One has to obey the laws of the country, otherwise the society cannot e'ist. "he laws may be ir$some, 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. "he laws pertaining to property help society continue without hitches and hindrances. 5ven 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. %arents are the best well wishers of their children. From their e'perience, they $now what is good for their children. "hey would never mean ill for them. For the sa$e of the well being of the children, parents insist on obedience. Obedient children grow into fine children. "hey 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. +f the son obeys, he will grow unscathed. "he parents may insist on personal cleanliness, $eeping things neat and tidy, being regular in studies and so on and so forth. +f the boy or girl obeys the parents in such and other things, he or she will surely grow into a finer one. Of course the parents# e'ample may be forceful enough. +f the parent shows how he is obedient, the son will naturally be obedient. "here cannot be a better story than Casabianca on the dec$. "he father had as$ed the boy not to leave the dec$ until the parent returned. "he ship was on fire, the father was dead and other sailors as$ed Casabianca to leave the dec$ and escape for life. But the boy would not leave, for father had as$ed him not to. "he fate of the boy could be conceived but Casabianca has become immortal because he obeyed his father. Being obedient to parents and elders will have to be followed in life. *n obedient servant is always li$ed and respected. But for the un.uestioning obedience of servants big establishments

cannot be run. 8nless one $nows the value of obedience and has been practising it, suddenly he cannot become obedient. (ervants who are obedient are preferred to clever ones. One may argue that blind obedience won#t do good. Where one can prove the other is wrong, strict obedience can be waived. "his happened sometimes4 a 0unior may have a brilliant idea and without infraction of obedience he may put up his idea in the appropriate manner. Obedience, 0ust li$e charity must begin at home. %arents have a duty in bringing up children to be obedient and loving.

ow to ma$e your life successful

What we call life is a very comple' affair. +t is not simply eating, reproducing and finally dying. 5very creature does these. But in the case of man he has to lead a highly complicated life. +t is li$e going through a ma1e and coming out. e is an economic being and a social animal. e has to earn, ma$e a home, loo$ after his people, attend to his obligations to the society and the <overnment. (o in order to be successful, in all these, he has to develop certain .ualities. What do we mean by saying a man is successful, +f in his occupation he can do satisfactorily both for himself and others then he is successful. e must be able to loo$ after his people and bring up good children. +f he becomes a professional man li$e an engineer, doctor or lawyer, ma$ing money should not be the only criterion4 he must also be able to satisfy his clients and be honest at it. +n order to be successful one should develop certain .ualities. *t first he must reali1e his purpose4 in other words what he would li$e to be. "his is the cru' of the problem, for the choice does not come to him. %arents decide it very often for them. ;et us suppose he decides to be somebody in his life. Once having decided he must wor$ for attaining certain standard in that line. Only hard wor$ would ma$e him fit for the 0ob. +t is rightly said that it is => inspiration and ?=> perspiration. One must deserve before desiring. One must remember one#s education does not stop with the school or college. it is a life long process. %rofessional people must $eep themselves up to date. "hen one must get on with others. +n the chess board of life one may find himself in any position4 it may be the all powerful .ueen or simply a pawn. +t must be remembered that given the chance, even a pawn can destroy a .ueen. "his means in a comple' society, everyone finds oneself in a particular position4 there may be some above and some below. One need not be favoring and flattering those above and be arrogant with those below. "What can + do for you# is the correct attitude and having done it go about your duty. +n getting on with others sweet temperament is really an asset4 then only others will li$e to transact with one. One must not be easily irritable nor give irritants to others. "hen one must be reliable. One may be clever but if he is not reliable, he cannot achieve success in a great measure because others will have very little to do with him.

*nother important .uality that would ma$e up for success is doing things then and there. %rocrastination is the thief of time. %ostponement of doing things means swelling of wor$ for the ne't day. * small chin$ may be easily closed today but tomorrow it may be late. +f we analy1e the life of successful people we could easily see they have been through and never postponed doing things. (till another .uality is not to argue. "he other may be really wrong. By pointing out that he has been wrong you are not going to improve matters, on the other hand you can help him correct. *rguing not only ta$es away precious time but also causes irritations. 5specially one#s superior may not li$e situation something li$e this. #)ou may be right, sir#, or #"his is all right#, but #what about our alternative# and so on. One must be capable of learning from e'perience. One must be able to learn from the mista$es of others. Only when nations and individuals fail to learn from the past mista$es, they are ruined. istory is replete wi + am proud to be a citi1en of my country +n his poem of patriotism (cott says if a man is not proud of his country, he will be buried without honor. When a man returns after a travel to his country he must be bubbling with enthusiasm and his heart must be pulsating with 0oy to land on his native soil. We have heard of great martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the sa$e of their country. (o it is only proper and fair that one should love one#s country. "here are many things why one must be proud of one#s country. +t may be due to the climate, natural regions, its people and the government, its tradition and culture and manufactures. "he relation which the country has with other countries is also a point to be considered. Considering the above norms let me say why + am proud of my country. 2y country has an e.uable climate. We are having bright sunshine throughout the year and plenty of rain. "here are virgin evergreen forests. "here are some good rivers, and hills and valleys ma$e the country beautiful. "he sea coast is not straight but has bays so there are some good harbors. Our people are .uiet, hard-wor$ing and peace loving. "hey $now their land gives them plenty in the form of grains and fruits and so one need not be hungry. "he forests have natural wealth and the plantations are rich producing money spinning rubber. Our mines produce valuable tin ma$ing the country rich. We are a developing nation and a lot of good things will have to be done. We have a good government which is democratic in set up. We have had a succession of enlightened rulers who have ta$en measures for improvement. "he upheavals we see in some countries are practically absent in our country and the people are law abiding. Our country has had a long history of several centuries. (everal cultures have flowed in here and so there we see a mi'ed culture. "his is reflected in the way people dress and eat4 the buildings show the effect of these overriding cultures. Our country has very friendly relation with the neighboring countries and we are held in high esteem. Considering all these + am proud of my country.

e uable overriding high esteem

having no change or variation central, most important pride in oneself, self-respect

5nglish : Why it is important to study the language

One may as$ why is it important that we learn how to spea$ 5nglish in our schools, *fter all we live in a region of non-5nglish spea$ing countries. Would it not be better perhaps to learn the languages more commonly spo$en in our part of the world, +n fact the most populous country in the world is China which accounts for more than fifty per cent of the world#s population. the Chinese people don#t spea$ 5nglish but rather 2andarin or their individual dialects. "he answer would be that traditionally the cultures of the world have come to be. broadly classified into two groups the Western and the 5astern cultures. 5nglish has come to represent the means of communication in the West. With more and more gateways being opened to *sia it is imperative that one language be adopted to suit our needs. *s the people of *sia spea$ a diverse variety of languages it would appear that 5nglish would be the logical choice. +n (ingapore, 5nglish is the 7ational ;anguage in a country with a mi'ture of races. (ingapore is also a focal point for trade with the West in this part of the world. 5nglish is taught as a language in our schools to reflect it#s importance in our society. +f this were not so, there is a good li$elihood that in time the strong influence of individual cultures here would result in people only being well versed in their mother tongues. owever (ingapore being a former British Colony and the present education policy have seen to it that most (ingaporeans are bi-lingual, that is able to spea$ 5nglish as well as their mother tongues. *nother factor which has promoted the use of 5nglish as a medium of communication here in (ingapore is the rather significant e'patriate community here. "he process of globali1ation is not restricted to trade alone but also covers all aspects of our life. "he important thing to remember however is that we should not sacrifice or compromise on our uni.ue cultural identity in order to $eep up with the pace of globali1ation. diverse compromise varied or different "o arrive at a settlement by ma$ing concessions

:andalism
:andalism is wilful and deliberate destruction of public property by anti-social and irresponsible citi1ens. +t can be of various forms. +t is not uncommon to see that the walls of buildings are defaced with scratches or ugly mar$s. *nother target of vandalism is the bus shelter. (cratches on the newly painted seats or even bro$en seats at these shelters hardly escape the attention of those who wait there for the bus. +f we travel by bus we will find that seats are often ripped open

and the foam pulled out or vulgar writing on the bac$ of seats. What causes this $ind of behavior, "he reasons are many. (ome youths show hatred for the society and its values. "hese irresponsible citi1ens out of frustrations in life are tempted to do these undesirable acts of vandalism. "hey do not have a sense of belonging or loyalty towards their society or nation. +n some cases it could be for drawing attention to themselves or 0ust a desire to see their names written in prominent places. :andalism is not e'clusive in our society in (ingapore, it could be a social ill in other countries too. *lthough there are strict laws to prevent vandalism in every country it is rather impossible to enforce the laws strictly. One way to eradicate or reduce the rate of vandalism is to instill civic sense into the citi1ens, besides of course, the introduction of compulsory education up to the age of si'teen. :andalism can be curbed to some e'tent if the government law imposes severe penalty on those caught in the act. But the permanent solution is inculcating the right values including respect for public property in all the young citi1ens. +f people start regarding that public property is their property, they will not want to spoil it. (chools can provide a healthy atmosphere for children to form healthy attitudes and this in turn would ma$e them realise the values of discipline in life. *ll of us should reali1e that we deprive our children of their heritage if we deface beautiful things and damage public property. wilful instill inculcate something bad done intentionally to put a feeling, idea or principle gradually into someone#s mind to fi' beliefs or ideas in someone#s mind, especially by repeating them often

3o not 0udge a boo$ by its cover

Write a story to illustrate the above saying + live in a five-storey wal$-up flat. (ince it is not a self-contained area, + used to go to the supermar$et every (aturday to get all my provisions for a wee$. *s my (edan was 0ust slightly over two months old, + would wait until late in the evening when the rush hour traffic would dwindle. "hen, driving along the roads and highways would actually be a pleasure. +t was on one of these (aturday evenings while + was cruising along the Federal ighway, that + found my car suddenly veering to the left. + pulled over by the side of the road to inspect my vehicle. + discovered that + had a flat tyre. + did not have the slightest idea of how to change a punctured tyre. <osh, + am stranded, + thought. + felt vulnerable and terribly alone. + had been fed with all $inds of facts and fiction about what an unsafe place the city was, with all sorts of shady

characters waiting to prey and pounce on isolated targets especially ladies. * number of vehicles whi11ed past me, nobody stopped to find out if + needed any help. 7ight was creeping in. *ll of a sudden, a grey jalopy pulled over 0ust behind my car. * heavyset man in overalls alighted from the car. + too$ in his shabby appearance-stained overalls, un$empt hair and his stubble of grey and white. #What#s wrong,# he as$ed. #* flat tyre,# was the only retort + could manage. e as$ed me to step aside, while he went about remedying matters. + was terrified and + did not dare to ta$e my eyes off from what he was doing. Was he going to rob me of my cash and 0ewelry or was he going to drive off in my brand new car, + occasionally stole surreptitious glances at what he was doing. With deft movements, he changed the punctured tyre. #O.9. 2adam, here#s your car. ave a nice 0ourney,# he said with a big grin. e fished out a hand$erchief from his poc$et and started to wipe out the grime and dirt from his hands. + than$ed him profusely. e 0ust nodded and sauntered past me. *s + turned the $ey in the ignition, + saw him loo$ing furtively over his shoulder to ma$e sure that everything was alright. *s + made my way to my destination. + told myself that + will never again 0udge a boo$ by its cover. jalopy overalls surreptitious deft an old car in bad condition loose-fitting one piece garment worn by wor$men something that is done secretly s$ilful

"he determination to succeed

Write a story to illustrate the saying 'Where there is a will, there is a way.' Ben $ept on wal$ing. +t was a cold night. "he faint outline of houses appeared in the distance. "hen, in the dar$, he made out a dilapidated wooden shac$. Ben $ept his ga1e fi'ed on the house. "his had once been his home. ow long had it been, e could hardly believe that ten years had passed since he left this abode. ow could he forget the hardship, the struggle, the sorrow and the poverty, Ben was the eldest child in a family of si'. ;ife had not been so difficult when his father, the sole breadwinner of the family, had been around. By a cruel twist of fate, his father had passed away in a road accident. Ben#s heart still misses a beat whenever he remembers the tragedy. +t had been the most devastating period of his life. "here were four other mouths to feed. e was the eldest and the others depended on him. *t a time when most other people would have resigned themselves to being helpless victims of fate. Ben had the fighting spirit. e resolved to go on in spite of all the odds being against him.

* typical day for Ben began at dawn. *fter gulping down his brea$fast, he would ta$e the refreshments his mother had made and deliver them to the ca$e seller at the mar$et. e also supplemented their income by helping &oger at the food stall, washing the plates and glasses. With the meager income both mother and son earned, combined with their s$illed husbandry, they had been able to ma$e ends meet. +t was hard to $eep a grip on himself and not lose hope but he endured it for the sa$e of his family, whom he loved. is mother had been the driving force that $ept him going during difficult times but it was his determination to rise above their hand!to!mouth e'istence which made him e'cel in his studies. e had passed every e'amination with flying colors. 3etermination and perseverance enabled him to obtain a <rade One in his high school final test and straight *s in his pre8niversity e'amination. *fter securing a scholarship, he went on to university, graduating four years later with an honors degree in *ccountancy. "hat was the reward for all his efforts. 7ow, wor$ing as an accountant, he finally had the means to loo$ after his aging mother and educate his younger brothers and sisters. is recipe for success was wor$ing hard until one#s ambitions were achieved. dilapidated abode husbandry hand to mouth falling to pieces, old the place where someone lives management of resources have 0ust enough money for one#s basic needs

%reservation of &ain Forests

Tropical rain forests are slowly disappearing from the earth. What is the importance of preserving the rain forests of the world ? "ropical rain forests have some of the most e'citing and diverse ecosystems in the world and are home to more than half of all plant, insect and animal species, many of which cannot be found elsewhere. owever, many people do not reali1e the importance of rain forests to the earth. +n the name of development, rain forests are slowly vanishing from the face of the earth. "he pristine rain forests play a central role in maintaining the water cycle and in controlling the climate. *lmost half of the rain that falls in the rain forest is absorbed by trees through their roots and leaves and later released into the atmosphere during transpiration. +f there are no trees, more surface water will find its way to the rivers and increase the chances of

flooding. "he clearing of forests will also lower the content of moisture in the atmosphere. "here will be fewer clouds and less rainfall, which will, in turn, result in a longer dry season and a hotter climate. &ain forests are thus important to prevent climatic changes. &ain forests help to maintain the o'ygen level of the atmosphere and act li$e air filters. "rees ta$e in carbon dio'ide and release vital o'ygen during photosynthesis. %olluted air is filtered when it passes through a rain forest as dust and other particles are retained by the leaves and branches. (o, rain forests help provide fresh and clean air. "ropical rain forests, with their diversity in flora, are also assets to human$ind in other, une'pected ways. *n estimated @A,=AA species of plants are found here, and new species are still being discovered. 2any of these plants have medicinal uses and tropical rain forests may hold the remedies for diseases previously thought incurable. "he full potential of rain forests as suppliers of medicinal cures has not yet been e'ploited. Once rain forests are cleared, it ta$es many years for them to regrow. For our sa$e as well as that of future generations, it is imperative that we preserve tropical rain forests as they regulate the world#s water level and temperature, chec$ the effects of air pollution and may even be important in the field of pharmacy. ecosystems pristine flora the interaction of plants and other living things with each other original and pure4 not spoiled or worn from use: plants

a1e
Haze is the obscuration of the atmosphere by fine suspended particles of smo$e and other air pollutants. "his condition has afflicted our country on many occasions and the effect has been most unpleasant and potentially dangerous. "he causes of the ha1e have been attributed mainly to forest fires and open burning in a neighboring country. "he situation is further worsened by local open burning and vehicular emissions. (mo$e particles and other pollutants in the air present several dangers to us. "he first is the threat to our health, for e'ample, an increased incidence of respiratory illnesses when the airpollutant inde' B*%+C reaches dangerous levels. %ersons with asthma and other breathing problems in particular have increased health ris$s. For the ordinary person, the smell of acrid smo$e is most depressing. (econdly, visibility is reduced, sometimes to less than one $ilometer. "his increases the danger of traveling on the roads and also of airplanes ta$ing off

and landing. *ll means must be employed to prevent any recurrence of ha1e in our country. Open burning must be stopped completely. Offenders should be punished with stiff fines and possibly a long prison term. For the people in the neighboring country, all help should be given to them to find alternative forms of occupation so that they desist from open burning. *s it is now, many of them rely on the traditional slash-and-burn method of farming that contributes to the occurrence of ha1e. "here is a need to reeducate them so that they stop all actions that hurt the environment. haze acrid desist something such as heat or smo$e in the air that ma$es it less clear, so that it is difficult to see well describes a smell or taste that is strong and bitter and causes a burning feeling in the throat: to stop doing something

Child abuse cases is rising rapidly in our country " <ive your opinion on this issue
and suggest concrete methods to overcome this problem. Child abuse. "wo words that have repeatedly appeared in the newspaper and mentioned over the news ever since the tragic death of toddler Bala (undram -- an innocent victim of this beastly act. "his form of ine'cusable violence does not occur among the poor and uneducated families only but also in families that have so-called high status in society. But more often than not, families that are socio-economically poor are the main abusers in this country. *lthough the main reason for this is lac$ of education, the pressures of city life also contributes to the rise in child abuse cases. ;ac$ of education leads them to thin$ that abuse is the only way to instill discipline in a child. "hough this is very wrong, often, these abusers believe what they are doing is 0ust. (ometimes, when parents have bitter disagreements, their anger is often pro0ected towards the children. *mong the educated batch on the other hand, emotional abuse cases are more common. ere, the child is abused verbally with hurting remar$s. "he child might not have the physical scars as proof, but these internal scars remain for a lifetime. %roblems in the family or among married couple cause a great deal of suffering to the adults and the children as well. 8sually, disappointments in the lives of the adults cause e'tensive depression and anger. "hese people usually vent out their anger on their children who may

not be really aware of what is going on. "he government is doing all that it can to curb child abuse and to create awareness among the educated and the uneducated ali$e. "his public awareness is very important in the sense that it can let people $now of their rights and what action to ta$e in case they witness a child being abused. +t also encourages people to report these incidents so that the abusers can be charged in the court of law. %unishment for abusers should serve as a stern warning and reminder not to repeat the offence. Within the period of punishment, therapy should be given to the abusers, for they too, need help. *part from that, in!depth research should be conducted by doctors and psychologists to find ways to deal with this problem more effectively. We must not let violence and cruelty become a way of life in our society. We have to stand up for our rights and for those who cannot do it for themselves. instill curb in!depth to put a feeling, idea, or principle gradually into someone#s mind to control in great detail

Organ 3onation
Should people sell their organs or donate them ? Why ? "he centerpiece of the argument for those who advocate organ donation is that it is for a noble and worthy cause. ence, monetary gains do not merit consideration. "he second group insists that it is more important that critically-ill patients be relieved of their suffering and given a new lease of life, regardless of whether organs are donated or sold. %ersonally, + am of the opinion that the sale of organs should be prohibited by law. Commerciali1ation of organs would lead to abuse. +f allowed, it will result in the poorer members of our society giving up their organs for more lucrative monetary returns. "he dangers of such transactions are many. "he donor may e'perience health complications. Besides, there are moral and ethical implications. +t means the preservation of the rich patient#s life at the e'pense of the poor man#s life. While + am all for organ donation, + am of the opinion that organ donation should only be carried out with the prior approval of the donor and with the permission of his next!of!kin. Organ donation can give the seriously ill better chances of survival and should be encouraged. For e'ample, patients who suffer from end-stage $idney failure may not be able to afford treatment such as renal dialysis. (o the only practical solution here is to sanction an organ transplant, which will not only ease the suffering of the patient, but will also be cost-

effective in the long run. Organ donation helps to foster human virtues and moral values. Only a caring human being who has strong moral values such as selflessness can care enough for another person. "hey would be ideal to participate in organ donation programs. Organ donation is the ultimate and most sacred gift that a human being can bestow on his fellow man. Organ donation should be advocated for the many benefits it brings. *t the same time, the sale of organs should be banned for moral, ethical and religious reasons. centerpiece lucrative next!of!kin the most important part profitable close relatives

ow to become successful students

Write an article to advise students on what they need to do so that they too can become successful students. 2any people thin$ that a good or successful student is one who studies diligently and gets good grades in e'aminations. owever, this is not true. a successful student is one who is able to juggle his studies and his social life. e is a well rounded student who can balance his study time with other social activities. * good student is self-motivated. e always stays focused in his studies. * good student always sets goals, and the goals he sets must be realistic. Once goals are set, the student must wor$ towards achieving these goals. %ay attention once you are in class. One way of doing this is to sit in front of the class. (itting in front of the class will help to reduce distractions and help you to focus on the lesson. *s$ .uestions and ta$e an active part in the lesson. Becoming involved in the lesson will not only enable you to understand the lesson better, it will also prevent you from getting distracted. Being organi1ed enables a student to e'ecute his wor$ in a systematic manner. it will also enable him to have better time management. * student who is organi1ed manages to get things done on time. omewor$ is given for a purpose. omewor$ reinforces what has been taught in class. "herefore, student should complete homewor$ on time. 3o not procrastinate. %rocrastination is the thief of time. Constant study and revision will enable you to be wellprepared for e'ams. "hen, scoring in e'aminations will be a bree1e. "a$e part in co-curricular activities and always obey school rules. "ime management is important . +f you do not plan and manage your time well, you will be wasting precious time without reali1ing it. 3o not s$ip classes. +f you have to do some other duties, then wait until the lesson is over. *lternatively,

you can attend to these duties after school hours. Only students who are disciplined, diligent and persevering can be successful. (uccessful students are never easily discouraged and are highly motivated. +f you follow all the advice given, you too can be successful. juggle well rounded stri$e a balance having a variety of e'periences and abilities and a fully developed personality to avoid starting an activity without any reason

procrastinate