165.You have decided to give several hours of your time each month to improve thecommunity where you live. What is one thing you will do to improve yourcommunity? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.
I am always amazed when I hear people say thatwe should do something for the community that we live in. As for me, threeaspects, simple but overwhelmingly significant, have governed my decision as towhat should I do for my neighbors: the longing for health, the search for efficiency,and the pursuit of happiness. So I think the best thing I can do is plantingtrees and shrubs that would definitely enhance the quality of my community`s environment.
How is planting vegetation related to allthese factors mentioned above, which seem to be abstract and irrelevant? A recentstudy of a team from Brown University revealed a surprising fact that the photosynthesisand the respiration of plants can absorb 65 times larger volume of carbondioxide and other tiny particles in the atmosphere that may be hazardous topeople`s respiratory systems than the volume of plants themselves. Nowadays,few forms of technology can match the capability of flora in is field. The morevegetation was planted, the more fresh air will be available. Such naturallungs can also help people reliving from eye strain. Conspicuously thisimprovement will contribute much to people`s health.
Another affect, of course, is the freshsmell of vegetation, the clear air and the magnificent green scenery will makepeople whose office is nearby, work more efficiently since they will feel morecomfortable when working in a nature-like circumstance, which is also revealedin the study mentioned above. People in the community particularlythose who are home-office-small-office (SOHO) will benefit a lot from theplanting. No wonder there is a Chinese proverb that ‘Efficiency comes fromnature.’ Peoplewho live in such healthy and efficient living environment of this communitywill eventually arrive at the state of saturation in happiness. This state,which seems to be Utopia previously, will ultimately benefit the large societyeven the whole world. We do, infact, have a long way to go reaching our final goal, but achieving some remainswell within the realm of possibility. From all the reasons mentioned above leads tothis summary that what I would do for my community is planting vegetation.
184. Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Can we say, you may wonder, that study with a group is much more superior than study all by one`s self? People`s interest in this issue has been accumulating recently. In spite of some people`s inclination toward study alone, I hold the strong belief that the advantages of studying with others in a group exceed far than that of study solitarily.
The main reason for my propensity for studying with others is that a group works more efficiently than a individual does. Since all the resource and information can be shared, everyone in the group can save immeasurable time. Thanks to this saving of time, the whole group can do further study or research within the time that used to be insufficient even to just complete the work. A recent study from Brown University revealed the fact that group study is 3 times more productive than study alone. Another research also showed that a group can also make better use of the resource which its members possessed.
The second reason can be seen by every person that a team can solve problems that cannot be done by a single person. Nowadays, with the rapid extension of science and technology, fewer questions can be answer by the knowledge of one or two certain subject. Apparently, a group of many members is imperative. Partners in the group can also find out something that you did not noticed but necessary for solving the problem. No wonder there is an old saying that 'Despite the power you have, you always need companies.'
The last but not the least, studying in a group will develop leadership among its members. Wherever and whenever there is a group, a leader (sometimes maybe more than one) will stand out no matter consciously or involuntarily. As the former United States President Harry Truman once remarked: ‘The buck stops here!’ And this maxim has been confirmed by numerous world leaders who have assumed full responsibility for their actions. But great leaders are not born great, they grow great, that is why group study is superior-help developing leadership.
Judging from all reasons mentioned above, we can arrive at this conclusion safely that group study is matchless.