Task 2
1. If you were to choose a class to study for fun, which one would you choose? An art class or a science class?
Personally, I prefer to choose take an art class. I think it is very relaxing, and at the same time, it can be very rewarding to learn some art, like I might understand how to appreciate delicate artwork, such as, porcelain vase, water color painting, sculpture. Plus, art is the expression of the humanity. Without it, we would have no hope, no aspirations, no joy, just nothing meaningful and enlightening, and one can never underestimate the value of art and music, actually, If you try any form of art, you will get a break from the stresses of life, work and study!
2. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: it is easier for people today to lead a healthy life than people 100 years ago.
Personally, I would say it is easier for people to lead a healthy life style now than the past, now, with the raising livelihood, more people have access to nutritional food, like sea food, for example, salmon, tuna, shrimp and stuff like that. They are high in protein, low in carbs. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration follow closely on the food safety issues, and it is very costly for relevant companies to have some loopholes in their food production. On top of all these, nowadays, people is much more attentive to their health than ever before, with increased campaign on the both public and private side.
3. Some people prefer to read imaginative literature like fictions in their spare time，while others prefer to read real literature or nonfictions, such as historical books and biographies. Which kind of books do you prefer, and why?
Personally, I choose to read fictions, especially science fiction. Not only can I get some knowledge about the frontiers in scientific research, I can also relax myself. The storyline of the novel can be really intriguing, thus when I read a novel, I get deeply involved in the story, and I feel I can connect to the characters so much that nothing can hold me back from finishing it once I start to read a novel. However, when it comes to nonfiction, it would be pretty boring, since the materials are fairly abstract for me to understand, therefore, it might be hard for me to get focused when I read nonfictions.
4. Some people play games for enjoyment. Others play games in order to win. Which do you prefer and why?
Personally, most of the time, I play games for enjoyment. I am the kind of person, who wants to live a leisurely lifestyle, and I am not aggressive or competitive or anything. For me, the whole point of playing games is to relax, and have some fun. Moreover, I am already fed up with peer pressure, as a high school student, I am judged by academic performance, and actually, I am so stressed out. So, instead of fighting against each other, which is intensive, tiring, I prefer to play games for fun and joy.
5. which do you prefer gather information before travel OR do not gather, just experience yourself there.
Personally, I am cautious person, and most of the time, I plan things ahead of time. When I travel somewhere, I do gather information before I visit the place. By gathering information before the trip, I can know which hotel is the most comfortable, where can I eat nice local food, and activities I should not miss out when visiting a particular place. Plus, I might find some taboos in that local area, and get some heads-up or tips on-line, therefore, I can save myself from embarrassment. Most importantly, if I plan my itinerary ahead of time, I will use my time more efficiently, and have a better traveling experience.
6. Do you agree or disagree that to be successful, a person should study in the university?
I disagree that a person should study in the university to be successful. I don't think that people should study in the university to be successful, there are numerous examples to support my statement. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, they drop out of universities and they are very successful entrepreneurs. there are even high school dropouts who started their business and are quite successful. You can learn knowledge from university, but one needs soft skills like how to be people smart person, which doesn't require a person to go to university to learn. Knowing how to deal with people is more important than what you learned in universities. In other words, it is not about what you know, it is about who you know.
7. Some students prefer to study in a library. Others prefer to study at home or in dormitories. Which way do you prefer and why? Include reasons and details in your response.
I would say I'd like to study in the library. The most obvious reason is that it is very quiet in the library, and I can fully focus on my work and nothing can distract me. There are just too much distraction to study at home, I can lay on my bed and play computer games when I feel bored, it is just not that productive compared to studying in the library. Plus, when studying in the library, I feel like people around me are also studying, and that is a motivation for me to concentrate on my own work. For these reasons, I would say I like to study in the library.
8.Some people enjoy indoor activities, other prefer to do outdoor activities. Which do you prefer?
Personally, I like to get out and have some fun, to begin with I have more choices if I choose to do outdoor activities, like climbing mountain, go fishing, go boating or canoeing. However, if I chose to stay indoors, I feel like I would be bound by the activities that I could do. It is much more exciting and relaxing to do activities outdoors, since not only can I keep fit, but also I have a chance to breath fresh air and I am not bound by the limited space indoors.
9. Some people speak out in class, others prefer to listen and quietly observe. Which do you think leads to greater success in school?
Personally, I prefer to speak out and discuss things with my peers. I would say the best way to learn is to speak out my ideas and thoughts about issue in question. It is a great chance for me to develop my confidence when speaking in front of a large audience and possibly I build up my public speaking skills, and it is a very valuable skill for my future career. Additionally, the whole class gets a chance to hear multiple points of view, although some points might not be as thought-provoking, you can learn a lot of stuff beyond the textbooks anyway, and understand how an idea works in real life when people speak out and share their personal experiences.
10. Here are two jobs with equal amount of time and pay. One you need to work with other employees in a group and the other requires you to work individually. Which do you prefer?
Personally, I would like to work in a group with other colleagues, I am an extrovert and outgoing person, and I think it is more fun when there are people around me. Plus, I can also learned the importance of cooperation and responsibility when I am with a team, to achieve something that is assigned to us, me and my teammates struggle together for a common goal, offer each other motivation along the way, and I feel that I care something bigger than myself during the process, and I think this is very meaningful.
11. What kind of job will you choose? A job through which you can get a lot of money or a job through which you can get great personal satisfaction.
I guess it really depends on the scenario, if the job that gives me great personal satisfaction can help me to pay all my utility bills and all other living expenses, I will choose the job that gives me great personal satisfaction. Cuz, one has to work on a profession for a few decades before retirement, a job with high salary might not be the one you really like. One might suffer from constant depression and pressure doing that kind of job and it will be detrimental to both their physical and psychology healthiness. After all, the experience is more valuable than salary.
12. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: artists and musicians are important to our society.
Personally, I would say artists and musicians play a very important role in our community at large, and I have the following reasons for support. To begin with, people nowadays are inundated with heavy workloads, regardless what kind of job they have, like salesperson, managers, lawyers, bankers and even professors. They need to switch off from their work and take some time to appreciate art and music, like watching a movie, or going to see a musical, and that'll will help them to relax and calm down, and even to refresh their mood, thus they might improve their efficiency at work. Additionally, the work by artists and musicians have enormous monetary value, like the masterpiece of Beethoven, the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, not only are they great assets to the country where it originated, but also are invaluable treasure for the whole human race.
13. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: it is better to live close to parents than to live far away from them.
Personally, I prefer to live close to my parents for the following reasons. To begin with, I am family person, and I enjoy to spend time with my families. To spending some quality time once in a while is very important to me, and living close to my parents can help to do that more conveniently. Plus, if we live close to each other, we can constantly look out for one another. Like if I got sick or have some kind of emergencies, my parents can attend me in a timely manner. Also, they are getting old, and they need my immediate care, things can be much easier if I live close to them.
14. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: it is easier for people today to lead a healthy life than people 100 years ago.
Personally, I would say it is easier for people to lead a healthy life style now than the past, now, with the raising livelihood, more people have access to nutritional food, like sea food, for example, salmon, tuna, shrimp and stuff like that. They are high in protein, low in carbs. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration follow closely on the food safety issues, and it is very costly for relevant companies to have some loopholes in their food production. On top of all these, nowadays, people is much more attentive to their health than ever before, with increased campaign on the both public and private side.
15. When traveling, do you prefer to stay at one place for a long time or spend less time but visit more places? Explain you answer in details.
Personally, I prefer to stay at one place for a long time. As for me, the purpose of traveling around is to experience the local cultures and customs, appreciate the natural beauty there. You might have to take your time and interact with the locals, taking photos, and it is quite impossible for one to achieve that if they just leave the place the time they arrive. Additionally, traveling between places waste lots of precious time, which can be otherwise used to experience and understand one single place. Also, it saves you the trouble to plan a complicated itinerary and you don't have to worry about getting stuck on your way to the next destination.
16. Do you prefer to live alone or live with others.
Personally, I prefer to live alone. Actually, I am very private person, most of the time, I keep things to myself. I would get distracted if I chose to live with others who I might not familiar with. Actually, I am highly efficient when I do things without the disturb of others, like when I study I feel more comfortable when nobody is around me. Plus, someone you are living with might have totally different habits and schedule when it comes to when to study or sleep or even watch TV. It would be really disruptive when one wants to study while the other prefers to watch TV.
17. Do you agree or disagree with the statement: employees should be prohibited to listen to music at work.
Well, personally, I think it's a very bad idea to prohibit music in workplace. Actually, listening to music is a very good way for people to release their negative emotions, like sadness, or sorrow, or even anger. Employees might forget about the pressure in life and thus have a higher efficiency in the workplace. Additionally, music keeps people refreshed and spurs creativity and innovation. So, that is why it is a common practice for high-tech to allow the play of music in their office, just so that they can create a relaxing environment and be more creative, and thus make more breakthroughs in their field.
18. Do you agree or disagree the following statement and give reasons: Parents should not allow their children to participate any form of sport (football, basketball, ice hockey.) in order to protect their health and from any form of injuries.
Personally, I don't agree with that. I think kids should have their own freedom in choosing the kind of sports they like, including football, ice hockey and stuff. To begin with, most of the sports can lead to injuries, and it should not be decided by the parents which sports is more likely to cause injury, and plus lots of injuries can be prevented by proper protection, like chest protectors and nice shoes and stuff. Additionally, kids can cultivate their competitiveness and build up a strong body, since the above mentioned sports are pretty intensive, and require lots of running back and forth.
19. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Students should always study in quiet places.
Personally, I think students should always study in quiet places. To begin with, students are likely to concentrate more when studying in quiet places， like in the library or classroom, I can fully focus on my work and nothing can distract me. There are just too much distraction to study in a noisy environment. Plus, when studying in quiet places, like the library, I feel like people around me are also studying, and that is a motivation for me to concentrate on my own work.
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