Fill in each blank with a suitable word.

It was a sunny afternoon. Charles scratched his head. He was pushing his pie
wagon along the familiar beach, selling his freshly baked pies. However, lately,
the beach-goers were ___1___ for something new. They no longer wanted pies.
These were too greasy and filing. They wanted something light.

"What? Pies again? I wish you have something ___2___ for us !" lamented one of
the beach-goers.

"Nice warm sandwiches would be most welcome," quipped another.

For the first time in a decade, he had to bring his ___3___ pies home. Charles knew
that he needed to change his ___4___. He knew that if he could give his
customers what they wanted, his business would surely boom.

However, his wagon was just too small that he could not offer them a variety of
sandwiches long with his pies. There was no ___5___ at all !

"Something warm .. something light ..." he muttered to himself. Deep in thought,

he walked ___6___ a butcher stall. The butcher was arranging strings of sausages.
Something about the long sausages stirred his ___7___. Then, he walked past a
___8___. Bread of all shapes and sizes caught his attention. Charles paused to look
at the long rolls. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

He decided ___9___ and then to serve sausages on rolls ! However, he needed to

convince his customers that the sausages would be nice and warm. So, Charles
decided to have a hot stove installed right inside his wagon. He ___10___ that if
the customers could see the red hot sausages, then they would definitely be
___11___ to try out his new invention -- sausage on a roll !

It was strange that no one had ever thought of serving a sausage on a roll before.
His invention was a ___12___ and during his first year, he sold about 3700 sausages
on a roll.

How then did it become known as 'hot dogs' ?

Well, like all good food stories, the name happened to be ___13___ by a man
who, being rather impatient while waiting for his turn, shouted, "Give me one of
those hot dogs !" Of course, he referred the sausages as ___14___ as they look like
the elongated Dachshund -- the dogs that have long bodies and short ___15___.
1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
Long ago people knew very little about the world. The ___1___ was thought to be flat.
Hence, if a person ___2___ long enough in one direction, he would finally ___3___ the
edge of the world and ___4___ off.

Today, we ___5___ that the earth is not a flat rectangular block; it is round. We owe
___6___ knowledge to the explorers who made long voyages to find ___7___ routes
and discover new lands. They ___8___ accurate records of the oceans they ___9___
and the strange lands they visited. From these records, they drew up a map ___10___
the world. In this way, they ended ___11___ belief of a flat world.

Though we know the earth ___12___ better today, the spirit of exploration has not as a
result come to an end. The ___13___ for adventure, the urge to set foot ___14___ a wild
shore and the curiosity for far-flung ___15___ are still alive. Besides, not all places on
earth have been fully ___16___. Places like deserts, mountains, oceans and polar
regions ___17___ have secrets and mysteries to amaze ___18___ surprise us. It is
fortunate for us that ___19___ are still many things to be discovered which ___20___ that
the earth remains rich and wonderful.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
The alarm clock rang. Donny left his house bright and early in the morning at 6 a.m. to
go to the neighborhood park for his ___1___ jog. This had been his daily routine for the
past ___2___. As a result of his self-discipline, Donny was very fit and healthy. However,
Donny was not ___3___ like this.

A year ago, Donny was actually severely ___4___. During the annual school health
checkup, the nurse had advised him to seek ___5___ at the hospital and sign up for a
weight loss program. Initially, Donny was ___6___ to go to the hospital. Finally, it was his
parents who ___7___ him to go.

At the hospital, the nurse took Donny's height and ___8___. Then, a nutritionist sat down
with him and discussed his dietary ___9___. She showed him the number of calories he
was consuming each meal and it shocked him. She then worked out a ___10___,
healthier diet for him to follow. It was a progressive plan, aiming to change his diet a
little at a ___11___ so that his body would have a chance to adjust in stages.

A doctor then came and took Donny's blood pressure and ran a blood test on him to
measure his sugar levels. He ___12___ to Donny that he was in an extremely unhealthy
condition. Despite his young age, Donny was actually at ___13___ of heart problems.
This piece of news was certainly a wake-up call for Donny. He did not expect his
condition to be so severe. The last person that Donny met up with was a personal
trainer. He gave Donny tips on simple but effective exercises for losing weight.

Ever since the visit to the hospital, Donny ___14___ his lifestyle completely. He started
exercising more and ate healthily. There were times when he felt lazy but he
persevered. His family had also been very ___15___ of him. Now, Donny is no longer at
risk of health problems.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
(I)

Sore throat is a common ailment and most of us get it from time to time. Perhaps only
a few of us ___1___ lucky enough to escape it. It ___2___ caused by bacteria and
viruses. Haemolytic streptococci, ___3___ instance, causes 'strep throat' a serious type
___4___ sore throat which is more common ___5___ children between the ages of five
___6___ fifteen. Sore throats can be dangerous ___7___. The germs can also cause
infection ___8___ other parts of the body. Usually ___9___ doctor gives a patient
penicillin to ___10___ the disease before the other infection sets in. That is why you
should not take a sore throat lightly.

(II)

I had never felt so tired in my life. All I wanted to do now ___1___ rest my tired feet. I
looked ___2___ for place to sit. They were ___3___ taken up. The hot blazing sun ___4___
not help much either. There was ___5___ tinge of regret when I remembered ___6___
sister's advice. she had told me ___7___ to go shopping. She said that ___8___ would
be a bad traffic jam, ___9___ buses would be packed like sardines ___10___ the
shopping complexes would be crowded. She was right and I wished I had just
listened.

(III)

High up in a tree was a nest. Three little "mynah" birds were in ___1___. Their feeble cries
were carried away ___2___ the strong wind. A sudden gust ___3___ wind blew the nest
down. The ___4___ could not fly and fell a ___5___ long distance to the ground. They
___6___ slightly hurt and kept on chirping ___7___ their mother. Both Tori and Brenda
___8___ going home after school when they ___9___ the cries. Immediately, they
rushed to ___10___ spot and found the birds. Both of them felt sorry for the motherless
birds and decided to keep them.

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10
As a child, Sukasman was fascinated by puppetry but his parents discouraged him
___1___ becoming an artist because they feared he would ___2___ be able to make a
living. Thus, he ___3___ economics. After graduating, he felt uncomfortable with the
___4___ of working in the business field. A puppeteer ___5___ met explained to him that
farmers produce food ___6___ the stomach and business people sell it to consumers,
___7___ artists produce and deliver to the public food for ___8___ heart and for the
mind. This helped Sukasman ___9___ up his mind. He enrolled in an art academy
___10___ took lessons in puppetry.

His work became the ___11___ of much criticism because of the variations ___12___
sizes, shapes and colors of his puppets which ___13___ a deviation from the norm. He
continued to work, ___14___ though he sometimes had to sell his possessions ___15___
order to live when his puppets went unsold ___16___ unperformed. Today Sukasman is
a famous and successful ___17___. He produces leather puppets and performs on
request ___18___ individuals, organizations and groups. He has three workers ___19___
make the puppets he designs. He has also ___20___ stories to be staged by puppets.
Sukasman has indeed come a long way from his early days of discouragement.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
The honey bee is a very unusual kind of insect. ___1___ other insects which live alone,
the honey bee lives as a ___2___ of a community. These bees live ___3___ in what is
known as a bee colony.

The head of the colony is called the queen bee. She is larger than the___4___ of the
bees. Her main task ___5___ the colony is to lay eggs. Most of the ___6___ bees are the
worker bees. These bees ___7___ nectar and pollen from flowers. The nectar ___8___ is
carried by the worker bees is deposited on the hive and then converted ___9___
honey. The worker bees also help look ___10___ the young bees. as soon as the eggs
are ___11___, the worker bees feed the young bees ___12___ pollen and nectar. The
third type of bee found in the colony is the drone or ___13___ bee. The main task of
___14___ a bee is to mate with a new queen.

The queen bee has a life ___15___ of about three years. ___16___ this period, she would
have ___17___ more than half a million eggs. ___18___ the queen bee is dying, a new
queen would be groomed. This new queen would eventually take ___19___ the 'duties'
of the old queen when the ___20___ dies.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
"Would you like to buy a box of matchsticks, mister ?" the little girl asked. The man
___1___ she approached did not even ___2___ to answer her. He shuffled ___3___ in his
great coat, eager to get home ___4___ his cosy fireplace.

The girl was shivering ___5___ the cold. It had been ___6___ continuously for the past
two days. The girl's shoes, ___7___ were already thin were thoroughly soaked. Yet, her
sweet, angelic ___8___ did not lose ___9___ innocent smile. It only made her ___10___
more pathetic when she knitted her brows sometimes. Her feet ___11___ sore with
painful chilblains.

Someone shouted, "Watch ___12___, girl !"

It was too ___13___ ! The coach ws going too fast and the ___14___ had not seen her
earlier. There was barely enough ___15___ for the little girl to take a step back. In her
hurry to get to ___16___, the basket of matchsticks fell ___17___ the snow.

She ___18___ them up, wet and dirty from a puddle of melted snow. The matchstick
couldn't be used now. as she began to make her way ___19___, she realised that she
had lost ___20___ of her shoes in the snow.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
Tammy was just about to put down her school bag when she heard a clicking noise
coming from her room. At first, she was worried that it might be a ___1___ but she
realized that the front door was locked and intact so it was unlikely. Nevertheless, she
walked into her room ___2___.

When Tammy stepped into her room, everything looked ___3___. There was nothing
out of ___4___ and everything was as it should be. The only thing she noticed was that
she had forgotten to turn off the ceiling fan before leaving for ___5___. She could not
___6___ out what the licking noises were so she simply switched off the fan and
stepped out of her room.

Five minutes after Tammy shut her bedroom door, a thunderous crash was ___7___.
Tammy gasped and swung open her door. She could not believe the sight that met
her ___8___. Her ceiling fan had been dislodged from the ceiling as was lying in the
___9___ of the floor ! There was a cloud of dust and bits of ceiling plaster all over the
floor. Tammy stood there for a moment, flabbergasted. When she finally ___10___ her
wits, she immediately rushed to call her father. He told her to leave the room because
he did not want her to inure herself in any way. That evening when Tammy's father
returned home from work, he assessed the damages and called up the electrician.

The next day, the electrician took a look at the fan and said that due to old age, the
ceiling plaster was unable to support the ___11___ of the fan. It was too heavy and so it
gave way. It was a ___12___ thing that Tammy was not in the room when it happened.
She would have been severely injured otherwise. Finally, it was decided that instead of
a ceiling fan, Tammy's father was going to buy a ___13___ standing fan. He was not
prepared to take the ___14___ of another accident happening again. That afternoon,
the electrician also inspected the other fans in the ___15___. If there were any fans that
looked like they too might fall, Tammy's father wanted them removed immediately.
What a close shave it was for Tammy !

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
Suzy put on the white hat and apron that were provided. They were meant to ___1___
keep her hair out of the way and her clothes clean. This was Suzy's first cookery ___2___.
She had enrolled in this class to ___3___ how to make sushi. She loved sushi and
thought that rather than eating at restaurants, it would be ___4___ to make her own.

The teacher of the class was a petite Japanese lady in her thirties. She was very
friendly. she saw that Suzy was just a young teenager, so she ___5___ more attention to
her and gave her more guidance.

The first thing that Suzy ___6___ was to make Japanese rice. It was ___7___ from the rice
that Suzy was used to eating. It was stickier. This made it ___8___ to roll it into shape.

Next, Suzy had to prepare the ___9___ for putting into the rice. She had crab stick,
sheets of seaweed and cucumber. She sliced them into thin ___10___. Then, she
pressed out the rice into a flat, thin ___11___. This was done on a bamboo roll sheet.
Suzy then carefully ___12___ out the prepared ingredients onto the flattened rice.

The last step was to roll everything together before cutting. This was surprisingly
___13___ as each time she unrolled the bamboo sheet, everything would fall apart.
The teacher saw Suzy having trouble and came over to ___14___. She taught Suzy the
right way to roll the sushi tightly.

That afternoon, Suzy had an interesting and fun experience. Now, she could not
___15___ to buy her own equipment and start experimenting at home. she wanted her
family to try her sushi.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
It was midnight when the last guest left. I sighed heavily as I looked around. The living
room was ___1___ of cigarette smell and stale perfume. As I looked around, I ___2___
wet patches of spilt beer on my best Persian carpet. My antique vases were totally
smashed. They had even ___3___ my antique oak tables as ashtrays. These guests of
___4___ had done their best to destroy my expensively decorated living room ! What a
night this had turned ___5___ to be.

I shook my head. The mess would ___6___ hours to clear. Getting ___7___ of the smell
would require days. My housekeeper would had resigned ___8___ the spot if she saw
the mess. i had to do ___9___ fast. I could not afford to lose her ___10___ she is the best
cook I ___11___ ever had

I had no choice. I went to the bookshelf, took ___12___ the book 'The Evolution of Man'
by Charles Darwin and pressed on the wall behind ___13___ . A small hole in the wall
appeared ___14___ my right. I reached ___15___ and took out a long object. Then I
waved it in the ___16___. The room started to clean itself ___17___ . Even the antique
vases started fitting themselves ___18___ so well that one could not tell they had been
___19___. As you might have guessed by ___20___, the long object is a wand, and I am
what they call a witch.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
It had been a long week for Alice. She had been the bridesmaid of her sister's
wedding. However, the wedding preparations had ___1___ long before that.

It was many months ago when her sister and her then boyfriend, Bryan, had come
home for dinner. From the moment they arrived, it was ___2___ that something was up.
Her sister was ___3___ with excitement while her boyfriend seemed very nervous. This
piqued Alice's ___4___ but she decided not to say anything. Bryan even brought along
a cake for dessert.

Finally, dinner was over and Bryan helped to ___5___ the cake. He then ___6___ his
throat and announced in a shaky voice that he and Alice's sister had decided to get
married ! Everyone was ___7___ at first but suddenly, cheers erupted throughout the
house. We all hugged the happy couple and congratulated them. No ___8___ Bryan
had been so jittery the whole evening.

Ever since that announcement, every family dinner's ___9___ was centered around the
topic of the wedding. Every member was caught up in the whirlwind of excitement.
There were ___10___ to be made about when and where to have the wedding, what
the wedding gown was going to be like, who the bridesmaids were and many other
___11___. As such, Alice ended up being one of the bridesmaids.

Alice was surprised at how involved a bridesmaid had to be. She thought she just had
to put on a matching dress and walk down the ___12___ scattering some flowers. She
did not know that being a bridesmaid was like being a personal assistant to the bride.
Duties could include ___13___ things like ensuring the flower arrangements were all
correct to minor chores like making facial reservations for the bride.

On the day of the wedding, Alice's sister was very high-strung. She was ___14___ about
everything. Alice would try to calm her nerves from time to time. By the end of the
wedding, Alice must have done the job of twenty bridesmaids. No wonder she was
___15___. Despite the exhaustion, she was also very happy. She was happy that her
sister had a beautiful wedding that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
Samantha and her friend, Stephanie, were at the shopping center, on their way to the
cinema upstairs. Just as Samantha was about to step into the elevator, she spotted a
___1___ face.

"Mrs Lim! Is it you ? Do you ___2___ me ? It's me, Samantha, your ex-pupil !"

Mrs Lim stared at her momentarily and finally ___3___ into a wide smile. Stephanie was
her pupil many years back when she used to teach in a primary school. Now,
Samantha was ___4___ twenty-two years old. The two of chatted for a while and
___5___ telephone numbers. They promised to ___6___ up one day over a cup of
coffee.

About two months after the chance meeting, Mrs Lim received a text ___7___ on her
phone from Samantha. She wanted to arrange a coffee date with Mrs Lim.

Samantha and Mrs Lim got together a week later. They chatted about the ___8___
when Mrs Lim was still teaching in the school. The memories were still so ___9___ in both
their minds. Samantha told Mrs Lim all about the undergraduate ___10___ that she was
taking. She even wanted to open her very own cafe after ___11___. Mrs Lim was really
impressed with Samantha's achievements. The Samantha that she remembered from
primary school was a mischievous and playful girl. She was always looking for fun,
excitement and adventure. Hence, she would often get into ___12___. Right now, Mrs
Lim could see that Samantha had certainly matured and changed. She was sensible
and knew ___13___ what she wanted to do with her life. Mrs Lim was very proud of
Samantha.

Samantha and Mrs Lim had a really good ___14___ chatting about the good old days.
Before they knew it, it was time to go. However, they agreed that they would ___15___
to keep in contact and try to arrange another meeting again.

As Mrs Lim walked back to her car, she thought about Samantha and several other
pupils whose names cropped up in the conversation earlier. She wondered if they
would remember her after all these years.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
It was a Saturday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs Kerugesu were window shopping at a
shopping centre. As they stood outside a boutique, Mr. Kerugesu spotted a shiny new
___1___ machine.

"Look ! It's ___2___ of those modern computerized machines that tells your weight and
gives you your fortune at the ___3___ time. I think I shall try it," he told his ___4___.

Mrs Kerugesu, however, was not too keen ___5___ the idea.

"Let's ___6___ bother. I don't ___7___ in fortune telling," she said.

Mr. Kerugesu, however, insisted ___8___ trying the machine. He was very curious to
___9___ out his 'fortune'. He stepped on the machine and ___10___ a fifty cent coin.
There was a soft buzzing ___11___ from the machine. A few seconds ___12___ , a slip of
paper emerged. Mrs. Kerugesu took the slip and ___13___ it out to her husband :

"Your fortune : You are a clever and ___14___ person. If you are working, you will
become an employee that ___15___ boss would be proud of. You will become a good
leader ___16___ men. Everyone will listen to you ___17___ you speak. ___18___ you lead,
everyone will follow."

Mrs. Kerugesu paused ___19___ breath.

"It's got your weight ___20___ too," she added.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20
Edward was home with his two sisters. All of them had chickenpox and were being
___1___ at home for two weeks. It all ___2___ with his eldest sister, Jean.

Last Wednesday, Jean came ___3___ from school with a few spots on her arm. Her
mother thought that they were mosquito ___4___ that she had received from school.
She simply asked Jean to take a bath and then to ___5___ some ointment on them.
However, that night, Jean broke out in a fever. Her mother was ___6___ when the fever
spiked through the night and immediately took her to the doctor the next morning. To
make things ___7___, when Jean awoke the next morning, she had even more spots,
this time on her face ! The doctor ___8___ her and diagnosed it as chickenpox. She
was told to ___9___ home for two weeks.

The next day after Jean had been diagnosed, Edward's second sister started to
___10___ symptoms of chickenpox as well. Seeing how the chickenpox had ___11___
from one sister to the other, Edward's mother tried to separate him from them as much
as possible. For the next two days, she constantly looked over every inch of Edward's
___12___ for any spots. He was fine at first, to her ___13___. However, on the third day,
Edward, too, started to have the spots. With a sigh, his mother took him to the doctor
to confirm and true enough, it was chickenpox.

Edward's mother was extremely busy for the next week or so, ___14___ three sick
children back to health. When the three children finally ___15___, their mother was
beyond relief. It had been extremely tiring for her. At least, all of them had chickenpox
at the same time, so she only had to go through this once

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

13 14 15
Road Safety

Why think of road safety at all? It is because of the accidents that occur everyday on the
road, in which all sorts of vehicles and human beings and even animal are involved. These
accidents mean loss of life and loss of property and more often than not obstruction to traffic.
In this age of speed and fast moving vehicles and with the congestion on roads, these
accidents have became almost an everyday affair. So unless everybody is educated on the
importance of road safety, the loss and the sorry spectacles cannot be avoided.

Prevention is better than cure. This holds good even in the matter of road accidents.
Accidents are due to many causes and may occur under different circumstances. The
simplest but at the same time dangerous perhaps is people slipping down on the road caused
by an orange or a banana peel. Without meaning any harm, quite innocently a person may
throw away the orange peel or the banana skin on the road or the sidewalk. When a person,
walking briskly, steps on, it he or she will slip down ending in fracture of bones and sometimes
even more dangerous than that. So people must take care they do not throw the pealings on
the road but should deposit them in a dust-bin. In some countries the offenders are severely
punished. The second cause of accident is due to careless crossing in busy roads. While
crossing one must look to the right and left for moving vehicles and then cross.

Where there are Zebra crossings on the road for the pedestrians to cross, one should cross
along them. One should keep to the margin of the road while walking and the vehicles must
keep to their lanes in busy streets.

In the case of accidents involving vehicles there are many causes. One is trying to overtake
and very often taking risk. Another is wrong judgment in crossing. Sometimes it may be not
caring for the signals. In crowded streets accidents may take place in a snap second because
one does not care for the signal. "Stop, look and go" is the best precept; it will save vehicles
from accidents. But where one takes a foolish step, the result is the inevitable accident. Jay
riding may be another cause. Riding two or three abreast is always dangerous. Especially one
must be aware of this. Scooter riders become victims of road accidents. But if they just wear
the helmet as required by law they could easily avoid fracture and hence death.

Very often the cause of accidents is the failure of the brake system which means the owner of
the vehicle does not bother to keep the machine in good condition. By attending to the
vehicle regularly a lot of miseries could be avoided.

Road safety is a matter of education in which the school can play a significant role. Through
scouting, Red Cross and social education classes, children can be taught the importance of
observing the rules of the road. Children must be taught their limbs and lives are very valuable
and they must not take risk, especially when leaving the school. As soon as the bell goes
children rush out and accidents do happen. Under the circumstances the teachers must feel it
their duty to regulate the traffic near the school. The police can cooperate with the school in
this respect.

To make the people road conscious, the mass media can play a useful role. The newspaper,
the wall poster and the cinema and now the TV come in handy. Shots in the cinema or TV
emphasizing the importance of road safety can be highlighted. There may be speeches over
the radio by the police officials. During peak hours in crowded areas, the police may direct
the traffic and ask people to keep to their lanes.
A clean environment

Lately the environment in most housing areas have seen an increase in randomly strewn
rubbish in the form of discarded plastic bottles, plastic bags and food wrappers of shapes and
sizes. Unkempt hedges and clogged drains add to the general gloomy effect that is brought
up by such neglect.

More often than not, rubbish bins get damaged due to the rough handling by the rubbish
removal contractors. It is easy to imagine that this behavior of the workers is the same in all the
other areas where they go. This is an irresponsible way to handle public property. Such matters
must immediately be brought to the attention of the relevant authorities.

Maintaining the cleanliness of the environment is everybody's responsibility. More often than
not, it is irresponsible behavior that leads to the accumulation of rubbish everywhere. If people
were to be diligent about discarding bottles and plastic bags in the rubbish bins provided, this
problem would not arise. So, it may be suggested that a re-education program be instituted
by the Residents' Association. This may take the form of letters to all the residents as well as
posters placed in strategic places like the office of the RA as well as near the entrance to lifts.

Such efforts should coincide with a communal effort at clearing up all the accumulated debris.
Organizing a gotong royong for the purpose not only clears away the rubbish, it is also a useful
method for the residents of a locality to become more familiar with each other and build up
the communal spirit.

There must be a conscious awareness of the pest population in the locality. Rats and
cockroaches are the most rampant when given the chance. The presence of cats in a
neighborhood can work wonders to reduce the rat population. Pest control is a serious matter
that has to be reported to the correct authorities so that they may send professionals who are
trained to handle the poisons usually used to control pests.

An important factor in controlling mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue is

preventive action. It must be ensured that there is no stagnation of water where mosquitoes
can breed. If the mosquito population is excessively high, we can always call the authorities to
conduct fogging activities.

A clean environment can only be achieved when we understand our civic responsibility and
do not behave in a manner detrimental to the upkeep of a clean environment. It is not just the
responsibility of the government to ensure that the environment is always amenably clean. It is
up to the citizens to take up the responsibility to address issues when they are small than to
wait for the government to recognize when a problem has become large and then address it
top down.
Why we should exercise ?

A healthy person is a wealthy person. Wealth is here measured in terms of the person's physical
well-being so that he or she is able to go about and carry out day-to-day tasks easily. He or
she will look good and feel good. To attain this, physical exercise is a must.

Firstly, exercise ensures our good health. Modern-day chronic diseases like heart problems,
diabetes and certain cancers are all caused by the lack of exercise. Conversely, any one
having these ailments will recover better if they include exercise as part of their daily routine.

Another instance why we need to exercise is doctors link the lack of exercise to many people
having one form or another of insomnia. Moreover, when we sleep better, we have better
resistance, to infections. This has been proven by astronauts. During missions, their bodies
physically deteriorate.

Their bones, internal organs, and cardiovascular system are all negatively affected. However,
it has been found that exercise reduces the changes significantly.

Another example of how exercise helps us to feel better is it gets rid of obesity. It burns off the
calories. In our push-button lifestyle, we have become quite sedentary. 'Why walk when we
can take the car' seems to be the way of life for all of us. Nowadays, even shopping is done
online. Moreover, we seem to be only exercising our fingers as we play computer games, surf
the Net and press the control button

to change the channel to our favorite television program. Add that to the Malaysian favorite
pastime of eating, it is no wonder that our young have bellies and double chins.

Lastly, students should exercise at least three times a week for at least twenty minutes per
session, as exercise is a good stress buster. Exercise stimulates different brain chemicals. One of
those chemicals is endorphin which makes a person become less stressed and more cheerful.
Students preparing for their examinations are therefore able to concentrate better. As a result,
they will do better in their examinations.

In conclusion, regular exercise is an effective way by which we can not only feel younger, but
look younger.
Everyone should learn a foreign language

Not many people are interested in spending time, money and effort to learn a foreign
language these days. They think that knowing their mother tongue and English Language is
good enough. This is a pity because there are many benefits in learning a foreign language. I
feel strongly that everyone should learn at least one other foreign language in their lifetime.

The most obvious benefit of knowing another language is that you can communicate more
easily with people from different parts of the world. You will be able to learn more about
another culture and form new friendships. Traveling to other countries would be easy. For
example, if you know French, you will be able to communicate with people in most European
countries, Canada, Africa and even Vietnam. In addition, you will be able to enjoy more
variety in entertainment and reading material. Imagine being able to read and understand
Japanese comics or to watch Korean drama without reading the subtitles.

Learning a foreign language can also help you improve your studies. Students who learn an
additional language besides English are known to do better in English and Mathematics. This is
because the skills involved in learning a new language such as analytical skills are equally
important in learning other things. As you learn a new language, you practise these skills and
become even better. This will help you when you study school subjects. So, learning a new
language for children could be as important as learning music or ballet.

Finally, the ability to communicate in another language is valuable when you want to get a
job. You will have the edge over those who know fewer languages because you will be able
to deal with people from other parts of the world. Being multilingual does not only make it
easier for you to find a job, but also makes you more valuable to your employer. This means
that your salary and your job prospects will be better too.

In conclusion, there are many benefits that come from learning a foreign language. Hence, I
strongly recommend that everyone learn an additional language. The benefits gained are
worth the time and effort spent.
Reading has many benefits

In recent times, reading as a hobby has taken a back seat to playing computer games and
watching television. This is especially true for teenagers today. Most of them find reading
books boring. In fact, young people should be encouraged to read more as reading has
many benefits that other hobbies may not have.

One benefit of reading is that it improves our language. Books are a great way to learn new
words and expand our vocabulary. When we read, we come across new words. The new
words become familiar as we encounter them repeatedly in our reading. We learn how to use
these words correctly and they become a part of our vocabulary. Having a good vocabulary
enables us to express ourselves better both in speaking and in writing.

In addition to language, reading also improves our general knowledge. Through reading, we
can learn a lot about people, places and events among other things. A person who reads a
lot may even know more about a country he has never set foot on compared to someone
who has actually visited the place. A lot of information can be discovered in reading materials
like newspapers, magazines, travel books, instructional manuals and story books. General
knowledge is useful. It helps us to write and speak better. We become more knowledgeable
and more interesting people.

Besides improving our language and general knowledge, reading is also an entertaining
pastime and helps reduce stress. Books are creative works. They can open up a new world to
us. They stimulate our imagination and draw us into the world created by the book. Many
readers find it hard to put down a book once they start reading. A well-written story is
suspenseful and exciting. The reader can hardly wait to get to the ending. This form of
entertainment is healthy and good for our minds.

In conclusion, reading is an entertaining hobby that holds many potential benefits for the
reader. Reading is especially beneficial for students as it improves their language and general
knowledge which will help them perform better in their examinations. Furthermore, reading
helps lessen stress. These are sufficient reasons to take up reading as a hobby.