Workaholism

UNIT 3

Most workers spend eight or nine hours on the job. They work because it’s unavoidable. They need to make enough money for necessities: food, rent, clothing, transportation, tuition, and so on. They spend about one-third of their lives at work, but they hate it. They complain and count the minutes until quitting time each day or the days until their next vacation. 

By contrast, there are some people who actually enjoy work-in fact, they love to work. They spend many extra hours on the job each week and often take work home with them. These workaholics are as addicted to their jobs as other people are drugs or alcohol.

In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: They accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington DC, for example frequently work sixty to seven hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to: they do it because they  want to. Hundreds of workaholics in New York City tried to go to work even in the famous blackout of 1977. There was no electricity-no air conditioning, elevators, or lights-but  many people went to their office anyway. They sat impatiently on the steps outside their office buildings and did paperwork or had business meetings.

Workaholism can be a serious problem. Because they true workaholics would rather work than do anything else. They probably don’t know how to relax: that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other types of entertainment. Most of all, they hate to sit and do nothing. The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers. In addition, typical workaholics don’t pay much attention to thief families. They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce.

Methods Of Education: East Versus West

UNIT 2

A.              A teacher from a Western country recently visited an elementary school in an Asian country. In one class, she watched sixty young children as they learned to draw a cat. The class teacher drew a big circle on the black board, and sixty children copied it in on their papers. The teacher drew a smaller circle on top of the first and then put two triangles on top of it. The children drew in the same way. The lesson continued until there were sixty-one identical cats in the classroom. Each student’s cat looked exactly like the one on the board.

B.               The visiting teacher watched the lesson and was surprised. The teaching methods were very different from the way of teaching in her own country. A children’s art lesson in her own country produced a room full of unique pictures, each one completely different from others. Why? What causes this difference in educational methods? In a classroom in any country, the instructor teaches more than art or history or language. He or she also teaches culture (the ideas and beliefs of that society). Each educational system is a mirror that reflects the culture of the society.

C.               In a society such as the United States or Canada, which has many national, religious, and cultural differences, people highly value individualism – the differences among people. Teachers place a lot of importance on the qualities that make each student special. The educational systems in these countries show these values. Students do not memorize information. Instead, they work individually and find answer themselves. There is often discussion in the classroom. At an early age, students learn to form their own ideas and opinions.

D.              In most Asian societies, by contrast, the people have the same language, history, and culture. Perhaps for this reason, the educational systems in much of the Orient reflects society’s belief in group goals and purposes rather than individualism. Children in China, Japan, and Korea often work together and help one another on assignments. In the classroom, the teaching methods are often very formal. The teacher lectures, and the students listen. There is not much discussion. Instead, the students recite rules or infomation that they have memorized.

E.               There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these systems of education. For example, one advantage to the system in Japan is that students there learn much more math and science than American students learn by the end of high school. They also study more hours each day and more days each year than North Americans do. The system is difficult, but it prepares students for a society that values discipline and self-control. There is, however, a disadvantage. Memorization is an important learning method in Japanese schools, yet many students say that after an exam, they forget much of the information that they have memorized.

F.                The advantage of educational system in North America, on the other hand, is that students learn to think for themselves. The system prepares them for society that values creative ideas. There is, however, a disadvantage. When students graduate from high school, they haven’t memorized as many basic rules and facts as students in other countries have.

Corrupt Police Officers Bring Shame to Thailand

Paragraph 1

It seems more people are saying that Thailand is becoming a more difficult place to live. When it comes to crime, they may be partially right. The potential for corruption exists when bribery is considered an acceptable practice by the people in authority.

Paragraph 2

So it’s not just the plentiful criminals and robbers roaming around, but also corrupt police officers who are casting dark shadows in the Land of Smiles. Instead of doing their jobs, the crooked Thai cops create trouble by threatening and fleecing people whenever they can.

Paragraph 3

The public is urged to help uncover corruption with advertisements from the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. People are asked to report dishonest government workers without fear of reprisal. But the greed and hunger never stop.

Paragraph 4

In fact, police corruption is not a new issue that just popped up. Everyone knows outlaw police have existed practically forever. But no one dares to openly talk about it because they fear the power of the gun. Policemen are sworn to honor the dignity and integrity of the law, but some of them use their power in the wrong way.

How To Take Test: Scoring What You’re Worth

Unit 1

Taking Objective Test

Objective test are those that include question in a true/false, multiple choice, matching, or fill-in format. Usually the answer is provided but the student must decide among several possibilities.

1. True/False Questions

True/false questions are the  easiest test questions for the obvious reason that you have at least a fifty-fifty chance of getting the right answer. First, be sure you have read the question correctly. Look for words such as always or never, these words often indicate a false answer. Word such as often, usually, rarely or sometimes can indicate a true answer. Decide if the statement is totally true before you mark it true. Answer what the tester intended, now what you read into the question. For example, the statement “General Motors produces compact cars” If the question had read “General motors alone produces compact cars.” Then it would be false. On true/false questions, stick with you first impression. Studies have shown over and overthat your first impression is usually right, so be slow to change your answe, if it is a fairly long statement; it takes more qualifiers to make a true statement than a false one.

2. Multiple - Choice Questions

An important rule to remember when answering multiple-choice questions is to read the answer first. This way, you’ll view answer separately and equally, without “jumping” on the first and easiest one. Look for an answer that not only seems right on its own but completes the question smoothly. If the question asks why something accours, than your answer must be a cause. Try to eliminate any obviously poor answers. Suspect as a possible right answer phrases such as “all of the above,” “none of the above” or “two of the above.” Check the wording of questions to notice qualifying pharases such as “all of the following are true except.....” or “which two of the below are not....” staticlly the least likely correct answer on a multiple-choice question is the first choice. When in doubt, pick the longer of two answers. But, just as in better than leaving the question blank the question blank and getting it wrong for sure.

3. Sentence Complation of Fill in Questions

These generally ask for an exact word from memory. They don’t allow for much error, so make sure your answer is a logical part of the sentence as a whole. Use the length and number of blanks given as a hint. Make sure the grammar is consistent. When in doubt, guess. Even if it’s a generalized guess, you may get particle credit. If you are unsure of two possibilities, include both and hope for half credit.