English Class Essay: "Ways To Keep Our School Clean"

Many schools in every country in the world struggles to keep their area clean and comfortable. The most common reason for this incapability is the size of the school and the number of the students. With more than 1.200 students and a school area of 3.5 hectares, it is acceptable to say that Saint Joseph College has done a pretty good job in keeping its area clean. Although there are still some places where we can see garbages laying around everywhere, the whole area is generally nice and clean. However, there are some improvements that can be made.

A. Trash Cans
Although this might be the most common solution offered to garbage problems anywhere in the world, increasing the number of trash cans around the area is still one of the most essential first steps leading to a clean, healthy environment. In Saint Joseph, it is true that we can find a trash can in front of every classroom. However, after the classes are over students are often gathered around the parking lot, library and the school hall area. In my opinion, trash cans provided around these areas are still too small in amount. We can only find one trash can in front of the library, and it is often too full already. This is probably why some students decide they can just throw their garbages to the gutter nearby. Lately, there has been an awful odor coming from that gutter and many students feel disturbed by it. So this is probably a good time for the school to add some more trash cans around that area.

B. Signs
Putting up a "Please Do Not Litter" sign also might be another traditional, cliché solution coming from me but everyone needs to be reminded as much as possible to keep the school area clean. Besides, with a sign that clearly says "please do not litter", people would feel more gutted to throw their garbages in inappropriate places. It doesn't need to be a large billboard like the ones that shows motivational quotes around the school, but as long as it is readable from a good distance, sturdy and can literally be found everywhere then it's good enough. Notice boards around the school might be a good place to start.

C. Animals
Since the guard dogs were taken away, many stray cats can be found roaming around the school area. Unlike our guard dogs, these cats can't be trained to have manners. They don't know where to go potty and where not to go. There is even an orange one that hangs around the dormitory canteen which likes to jump up on benches to beg for food. Besides stray cats, some students also bring their pet dogs to school after class every once in a while. Unless these students can keep their dogs leashed and pick after them (pick up the dog's poops) I believe the school should create a new regulation that prohibits students from bringing any pets to school. Or if that's too harsh, then these students should be at least reminded to be responsible for their pets. If a new rule can't be made, then the teachers should just remind their students in class.

D. School Rules
If littering around the school got included in the school rules and teachers are given authority to punish students who are caught throwing their garbages inappropriately, there will definitely be an enormous amount of complaints coming from the students. But on the other hand, there will also be a cleaner school environment. Students should be encouraged to throw their garbages in a trash can only. If they can't find one then they should keep their garbage with them until they do. Drawers are not trash cans, and those who kept their garbages inside their drawer should get at least a little reminder from the teacher.

These four are all that I can suggest for now. Whatever solution the teachers choose in the end, I hope Saint Joseph would have a cleaner, more comfortable environment in the future. Thanks for your time!

English Task Page 177

DOG PERSONALITY TEST

A young man that has just adopted two dogs met a dog trainer on his way to work. They exchanged polite greetings and then proceeded to have a little chat. The dog trainer told the man; "There's this one way to test whether your dog is aggressive or not. Try to pretend to pass out. An aggressive dog would try to bite you, while a gentle, loving one would show concern by licking your face." 

When the man came home from his office, he decided he should test his two new dogs. He ate his dinner like usual then out of the blue he screamed, held his chest and fell down to the ground. The two surprised dogs walked a few steps towards the man. Then, they glanced at each other and quickly went for the young man's meal. 

English Task Page 153

Orientation

Once there lived an ant and a grasshopper in a grassy meadow.

Complication

All day long the ant would work hard, collecting grains of wheat from the farmer's field far away. She would hurry to the field every morning, as soon as it was light enough to see by, and toil back with a heavy grain of wheat balanced on her head. She would put the grain of wheat carefully away in her larder, and then hurry back to the field for another one. All day long she would work, without stop or rest, scurrying back and forth from the field, collecting the grains of wheat and storing them carefully in her larder.

Resolution	The grasshopper would look at her and laugh. 'Why do you work so hard, dear ant?' he would say. 'Come, rest awhile, listen to my song. Summer is here, the days are long and bright. Why waste the sunshine in labour and toil?' The ant would ignore him, and head bent, would just hurry to the field a little faster. This would make the grasshopper laugh even louder. 'What a silly little ant you are!' he would call after her. 'Come, come and dance with me! Forget about work! Enjoy the summer! Live a little!' And the grasshopper would hop away across the meadow, singing and dancing merrily.
Complication	Summer faded into autumn, and autumn turned into winter. The sun was hardly seen, and the days were short and grey, the nights long and dark. It became freezing cold, and snow began to fall.
Resolution	The grasshopper didn't feel like singing any more. He was cold and hungry. He had nowhere to shelter from the snow, and nothing to eat. The meadow and the farmer's field were covered in snow, and there was no food to be had. 'Oh what shall I do? Where shall I go?' wailed the grasshopper. Suddenly he remembered the ant. 'Ah - I shall go to the ant and ask her for food and shelter!' declared the grasshopper, perking up. So off he went to the ant's house and knocked at her door. 'Hello ant!' he cried cheerfully. 'Here I am, to sing for you, as I warm myself by your fire, while you get me some food from that larder of yours!'

Reorientation	The ant looked at the grasshopper and said, 'All summer long I worked hard while you made fun of me, and sang and danced. You should have thought of winter then! Find somewhere else to sing, grasshopper! There is no warmth or food for you here!' And the ant shut the door in the grasshopper's face.
Moral Value	It is wise to worry about tomorrow today.

Source: http://www.longlongtimeago.com

Fable title: "The Ant and The Grasshopper" by Aesop

Benefits of Being A Dog Owner

Everybody knows that dogs make great pets. They have the ability to make us laugh, and provide companionship to elderlies. But who would have guessed that being a pet owner also has medical benefits? Various researches have shown that owning a pet dog is good for your health--both mentally and physically. Here is a list of five facts about how a dog could improve your health:

1. Monitors Your Blood Sugar Level
According to the Diabetes Forecast magazine published by the American Diabetes Association, a 1992 study found that one-third of pets (mostly--but not limited to--dogs) change their behavior when their owner's blood sugar level dropped. This reaction is most likely caused by the dog responding to the owner's body's chemical changes. The behavior noted in the study soon results in organizations which trains dogs to detect reduction in a human's blood sugar level. Once these special dogs master their training, they would be placed with patients at risk of unstable blood glucose level.

2. Cuts Common Cold Risk
A recent study from the University of California, San Francisco, shows that owning a dog improves your health by lessening your chances of catching the cold. In a study of mice, researchers found that house dust from homes with dogs worked to protect against a common cold strain: the respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. But if common cold is all a dog protects us from, why bother adopting one? Everyone catches a cold every now and then, don't they? Well, that might be true for you, but not so much for younger children. Especially premature or ill infants. The RSV can be fatal to them, and it is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children below one year of age. So instead of selling your dog because your baby brother or sister is arriving soon, why don't you try to help them make friends with each other?

3. Lowers Cholesterol 

According to United States Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a pet dog can lower  your cholesterol. Although it is still unclear how could a dog's presence affect someone's cholesterol level, people who own pets--especially men--have significantly lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than those who doesn't. 

4. Eases Pain 

Are you tired of that persistent recurring migraine? Or do you have a very painful arthritis? Are you a dog owner? If so, you might want to get ready to say goodbye to your pain killers! One study from Loyola University found that people who use pet therapy while recovering from a surgery may need less pain medication than those who do not. How come? Well, we all know how dogs can reduce our anxiety and stress. Apparently, the less anxious you are, the less pain you feel! 

5. Prevents Allergies and Improves Immunity 

Although ineffective with adults, studies show that children with early introduction to dogs are less likely to develop allergies. In fact, the earlier a child got introduced to a dog, the fewer allergies she/he will develop. Doctor Marty Becker, a veterinary consultant, says that danders on dog hairs are natural immunotherapy.However, he notes that the effect is not reversible. Getting a pet as an adult will not minimize your allergies, but it will prevent certain allergies from developing in younger children.

sources:
www.womansday.com

http://abcnews.go.com

http://blog.dogvacay.com