Andrew Carnegie An Eminent Business Man - 1063 Words

Hero or Villain? Noteworthy. Andrew Carnegie managed to overtake the business world by storm single handedly. During the Gilded Age, were the economy grew and the rich flourished, he managed to develop wealth and prosper from steel. Despite his actions being genius, they were far from heroic. Carnegie should be considered an eminent business man. Andrew Carnegie, although not a heroic figure, is a legend to the business world due to his innovative pioneering, business techniques, and leadership expertise. Furthermore, Andrew Carnegie was gifted with a vision on unique ideas. In 1872, Carnegie seized the opportunity to partner with Henry Bessemer, the inventor of steel, and build a steel mill (Document 1). Carnegie realized that iron didn’t have the capacity to succeed, because of its fragile structure. As a brilliant business man, he managed to overcome the situation. Yet, that was not is only unprecedented idea. Carnegie was unimpressed with Horizontal integration, which was a method that composed of strategical prices that eventually led your competitor out of business. Andrew Carnegie revolutionized the business world with his contribution of vertical integration. Vertical Integration allowed a company to controls its production and distribution (Document 5). In other terms, the company would buy out all the means to make their product (Document 5). Carnegie bought out all aspects of productions ranging from Iron Mining Companies to Boat companies and Port FacilitiesShow MoreRelatedHerbert Spencer Essay13142 Words   |  53 PagesTheories Social philosophy in the latter part of the 19th century in the United States was dominated by Spencer. His ideas of laissez-faire and the survival of the fittest by natural selection fitted very well into an age of rapid expansion and ruthless business competition. Spencer provided businessmen with the reassuring notion that what they were doing was not just ruthless self-interest but was a natural law operating in nature and human society. Not only was competition in harmony with nature, but itRead MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesquiet way. In the area of costing, Michael has undoubtedly deepened our understandings of both conceptual and practical issues, in recent years providing a voice of reason amidst all the consultancy excitement of seemingly new ways of costing the business world. He has played a similar role in the area of accounting standard setting, both taking forward the British tradition of the economic analysis of financi al accounting and, of possibly greater significance, providing some very original analysesRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesTrust Others? 280 glOBalization! Forming International Teams in a Virtual World 291 Myth or Science? â€Å"Asians Have Less Ingroup Bias Than Americans† 292 An Ethical Choice Should You Use Group Peer Pressure? 294 Point/Counterpoint Affinity Groups Fuel Business Success 298 Questions for Review 297 Experiential Exercise Wilderness Survival 299 Ethical Dilemma Is Social Loafing Shirking? 300 Case Incident 1 Negative Aspects of Collaboration? 300 Case Incident 2 Herd Behavior and the Housing Bubble (and Collapse)

Shadow Kiss Chapter 1 Free Essays

string(48) " wake me up and shake away what I’d seen\." One HIS FINGERTIPS SLID ALONG my back, applying hardly any pressure, yet sending shock waves over my flesh. Slowly, slowly, his hands moved across my skin, down the sides of my stomach to finally rest in the curves of my hips. Just below my ear, I felt his lips press against my neck, followed by another kiss just below it, then another, then another. We will write a custom essay sample on Shadow Kiss Chapter 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now †¦ His lips moved from my neck toward my cheek and then finally found my mouth. We kissed, wrapping ourselves closer together. My blood burned within me, and I felt more alive in that moment than I ever had. I loved him, loved Christian so much that – Christian? Oh no. Some coherent part of me immediately realized what was happening – and boy, was it pissed off. The rest of me, however, was still actually living in this encounter, experiencing it as though I was the one being touched and kissed. That part of me couldn’t break away. I’d merged too much with Lissa, and for all intents and purposes, this was happening to me. No, I told myself sternly. It’s not real – not for you. Get out of there. But how could I listen to logic when every nerve of my body was being set on fire? You aren’t her. This isn’t your head. Get out. His lips. There was nothing in the world right now except his lips. It’s not him. Get out. The kisses were the same, exactly as I remembered with him. †¦ No, it’s not Dimitri. Get out! Dimitri’s name was like cold water hitting me in the face. I got out. I sat upright in my bed, suddenly feeling smothered. I tried kicking off the covers but mostly ended up entangling my legs even more. My heart beat hard in my chest, and I tried to take deep breaths to steady myself and return to my own reality. Times sure had changed. A long time ago, Lissa’s nightmares used to wake me from sleep. Now her sex life did. To say the two were a little different would be an understatement. I’d actually gotten the hang of blocking out her romantic interludes – at least when I was awake. This time, Lissa and Christian had (unintentionally) outsmarted me. In sleep, my defenses were down, allowing strong emotions to pass through the psychic link that connected me to my best friend. This wouldn’t have been a problem if the two of them had been in bed like normal people – and by â€Å"being in bed,† I mean â€Å"asleep.† â€Å"God,† I muttered, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My voice was muffled in a yawn. Couldn’t Lissa and Christian have seriously kept their hands off each other until waking hours? Worse than being woken up, though, was the way I still felt. Sure, none of that making out had actually happened to me. It hadn’t been my skin being touched or my lips being kissed. Yet my body seemed to feel the loss of it nonetheless. It had been a very long time since I’d been in that kind of situation. I ached and felt warm all over. It was idiotic, but suddenly, desperately, I wanted someone to touch me – even just to hold me. But definitely not Christian. The memory of those lips on mine flashed back through my mind, how they’d felt, and how my sleepy self had been so certain it was Dimitri kissing me. I stood up on shaky legs, feeling restless and †¦ well, sad. Sad and empty. Needing to walk off my weird mood, I put on a robe and slippers and left my room for the bathroom down the hall. I splashed cool water on my face and stared in the mirror. The reflection looking back at me had tangled hair and bloodshot eyes. I looked sleep-deprived, but I didn’t want to go back to bed. I didn’t want to risk falling asleep quite yet. I needed something to wake me up and shake away what I’d seen. You read "Shadow Kiss Chapter 1" in category "Essay examples" I left the bathroom and turned toward the stairwell, my feet light on the steps as I went downstairs. The first floor of my dorm was still and quiet. It was almost noon – the middle of the night for vampires, since they ran on a nocturnal schedule. Lurking near the edge of a doorway, I scanned the lobby. It was empty, save for the yawning Moroi man sitting at the front desk. He leafed halfheartedly through a magazine, held to consciousness only by the finest of threads. He came to the magazine’s end and yawned again. Turning in his revolving chair, he tossed the magazine on a table behind him and reached for what must have been something else to read. While his back was turned, I darted past him toward the set of double doors that opened outside. Praying the doors wouldn’t squeak, I carefully opened one a crack, just enough to slip through. Once outside, I eased the door shut as gently as possible. No noise. At most, the guy would feel a draft. Feeling like a ninja, I stepped out into the light of day. Cold wind blasted me in the face, but it was exactly what I needed. Leafless tree branches swayed in that wind, clawing at the sides of the stone dorm like fingernails. The sun peeped at me from between lead-colored clouds, further reminding me that I should be in bed and asleep. Squinting at the light, I tugged my robe tighter and walked around the side of the building, toward a spot between it and the gym that wasn’t quite so exposed to the elements. The slush on the sidewalk soaked into the cloth of my slippers, but I didn’t care. Yeah, it was a typically miserable winter day in Montana, but that was the point. The crisp air did a lot to wake me up and chase off the remnants of the virtual love scene. Plus, it kept me firmly in my own head. Focusing on the cold in my body was better than remembering what it had felt like to have Christian’s hands on me. Standing there, staring off at a cluster of trees without really seeing them, I was surprised to feel a spark of anger at Lissa and Christian. It must be nice, I thought bitterly, to do whatever the hell you wanted. Lissa had often commented that she wished she could feel my mind and experiences the way I could feel hers. The truth was, she had no idea how lucky she was. She had no idea what it was like to have someone else’s thoughts intruding on yours, someone else’s experiences muddling yours. She didn’t know what it was like to live with someone else’s perfect love life when your own was nonexistent. She didn’t unde rstand what it was like to be filled with a love so strong that it made your chest ache – a love you could only feel and not express. Keeping love buried was a lot like keeping anger pent up, I’d learned. It just ate you up inside until you wanted to scream or kick something. No, Lissa didn’t understand any of that. She didn’t have to. She could carry on with her own romantic affairs, with no regard for what she was doing to me. I noticed then that I was breathing heavily again, this time with rage. The icky feeling I’d felt over Lissa and Christian’s late-night hookup was gone. It had been replaced by anger and jealousy, feelings born of what I couldn’t have and what came so easily to her. I tried my best to swallow those emotions back; I didn’t want to feel that way toward my best friend. â€Å"Are you sleepwalking?† a voice asked behind me. I spun around, startled. Dimitri stood there watching me, looking both amused and curious. It would figure that while I was raging over the problems in my unfair love life, the source of those problems would be the one to find me. I hadn’t heard him approach at all. So much for my ninja skills. And honestly, would it have killed me to pick up a brush before I went outside? Hastily, I ran a hand through my long hair, knowing it was a little too late. It probably looked like an animal had died on top of my head. â€Å"I was testing dorm security,† I said. â€Å"It sucks.† A hint of a smile played over his lips. The cold was really starting to seep into me now, and I couldn’t help but notice how warm his long leather coat looked. I wouldn’t have minded wrapping up in it. As though reading my mind, he said, â€Å"You must be freezing. Do you want my coat?† I shook my head, deciding not to mention that I couldn’t feel my feet. â€Å"I’m fine. What are you doing out here? Are you testing security too?† â€Å"I am security. This is my watch.† Shifts of school guardians always patrolled the grounds while everyone else slept. Strigoi, the undead vampires who stalked living Moroi vampires like Lissa, didn’t come out in sunlight, but students breaking rules – say, like, sneaking out of their dorms – were a problem night and day. â€Å"Well, good work,† I said. â€Å"I’m glad I was able to help test your awesome skills. I should be going now.† â€Å"Rose – † Dimitri’s hand caught my arm, and despite all the wind and chill and slush, a flash of heat shot through me. He released me with a start, as though he too had been burned. â€Å"What are you really doing out here?† He was using the stop fooling around voice, so I gave him as truthful an answer as I could. â€Å"I had a bad dream. I wanted some air.† â€Å"And so you just rushed out. Breaking the rules didn’t even cross your mind – and neither did putting on a coat.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said. â€Å"That pretty much sums it up.† â€Å"Rose, Rose.† This time it was his exasperated voice. â€Å"You never change. Always jumping in without thinking.† â€Å"That’s not true,† I protested. â€Å"I’ve changed a lot.† The amusement on his face suddenly faded, his expression growing troubled. He studied me for several moments. Sometimes I felt as though those eyes could see right into my soul. â€Å"You’re right. You have changed.† He didn’t seem very happy about the admission. He was probably thinking about what had happened almost three weeks ago, when some friends and I had gotten ourselves captured by Strigoi. It was only through sheer luck that we’d managed to escape – and not all of us had gotten out. Mason, a good friend and a guy who’d been crazy about me, had been killed, and part of me would never forgive myself for it, even though I’d killed his murderers. It had given me a darker outlook on life. Well, it had given everyone here at St. Vladimir’s Academy a darker outlook, but me especially. Others had begun to notice the difference in me. I didn’t like to see Dimitri concerned, though, so I played off his observation with a joke. â€Å"Well, don’t worry. My birthday’s coming up. As soon as I’m eighteen, I’ll be an adult, right? I’m sure I’ll wake up that morning and be all mature and stuff.† As I’d hoped, his frown softened into a small smile. â€Å"Yes, I’m sure. What is it, about a month?† â€Å"Thirty-one days,† I announced primly. â€Å"Not that you’re counting.† I shrugged, and he laughed. â€Å"I suppose you’ve made a birthday list too. Ten pages? Single-spaced? Ranked by order of priority?† The smile was still on his face. It was one of the relaxed, genuinely amused ones that were so rare to him. I started to make another joke, but the image of Lissa and Christian flared into my mind again. That sad and empty feeling in my stomach returned. Anything I might have wanted – new clothes, an iPod, whatever – suddenly seemed trivial. What did material things like that mean compared to the one thing I wanted most of all? God, I really had changed. â€Å"No,† I said in a small voice. â€Å"No list.† He tilted his head to better look at me, making some of his shoulder-length hair blow into his face. His hair was brown, like mine, but not nearly as dark. Mine looked black at times. He brushed the unruly strands aside, only to have them immediately blow back into his face. â€Å"I can’t believe you don’t want anything. It’s going to be a boring birthday.† Freedom, I thought. That was the only gift I longed for. Freedom to make my own choices. Freedom to love who I wanted. â€Å"It doesn’t matter,† I said instead. â€Å"What do you – † He stopped. He understood. He always did. It was part of why we connected like we did, in spite of the seven-year gap in our ages. We’d fallen for each other last fall when he’d been my combat instructor. As things heated up between us, we’d found we had more things to worry about than just age. We were both going to be protecting Lissa when she graduated, and we couldn’t let our feelings for each other distract us when she was our priority. Of course, that was easier said than done because I didn’t think our feelings for each other were ever really going to go away. We’d both had moments of weakness, moments that led to stolen kisses or saying things we really shouldn’t have. After I’d escaped the Strigoi, Dimitri had told me he loved me and had pretty much admitted he could never be with anyone else because of that. Yet, it had also become clear that we still couldn’t be together either, and we had both slipped back into our old roles of keeping away from each other and pretending that our relationship was strictly professional. In a not-so-obvious attempt to change the subject, he said, â€Å"You can deny it all you want, but I know you’re freezing. Let’s go inside. I’ll take you in through the back.† I couldn’t help feeling a little surprised. Dimitri was rarely one to avoid uncomfortable subjects. In fact, he was notorious for pushing me into conversations about topics I didn’t want to deal with. But talking about our dysfunctional, star-crossed relationship? That was a place he apparently didn’t want to go today. Yeah. Things were definitely changing. â€Å"I think you’re the one who’s cold,† I teased, as we walked around the side of the dorm where novice guardians lived. â€Å"Shouldn’t you be all tough and stuff, since you’re from Siberia?† â€Å"I don’t think Siberia’s exactly what you imagine.† â€Å"I imagine it as an arctic wasteland,† I said truthfully. â€Å"Then it’s definitely not what you imagine.† â€Å"Do you miss it?† I asked, glancing back to where he walked behind me. It was something I’d never considered before. In my mind, everyone would want to live in the U.S. Or, well, they at least wouldn’t want to live in Siberia. â€Å"All the time,† he said, his voice a little wistful. â€Å"Sometimes I wish – â€Å" â€Å"Belikov!† A voice was carried on the wind from behind us. Dimitri muttered something, and then shoved me further around the corner I’d just rounded. â€Å"Stay out of sight.† I ducked down behind a bank of holly trees that flanked the building. They didn’t have any berries, but the thick clusters of sharp, pointed leaves scratched where my skin was exposed. Considering the freezing temperature and possible discovery of my late-night walk, a few scratches were the least of my problems right now. â€Å"You’re not on watch,† I heard Dimitri say several moments later. â€Å"No, but I needed to talk to you.† I recognized the voice. It belonged to Alberta, captain of the Academy’s guardians. â€Å"It’ll just take a minute. We need to shuffle some of the watches while you’re at the trial.† â€Å"I figured,† he said. There was a funny, almost uncomfortable note in his voice. â€Å"It’s going to put a strain on everyone else – bad timing.† â€Å"Yes, well, the queen runs on her own schedule.† Alberta sounded frustrated, and I tried to figure out what was going on. â€Å"Celeste will take your watches, and she and Emil will divide up your training times.† Training times? Dimitri wouldn’t be conducting any trainings next week because – Ah. That was it, I realized. The field experience. Tomorrow kicked off six weeks of hands-on practice for us novices. We’d have no classes and would get to protect Moroi night and day while the adults tested us. The â€Å"training times† must be when Dimitri would be out participating in that. But what was this trial she’d mentioned? Did they mean like the final trials we had to undergo at the end of the school year? â€Å"They say they don’t mind the extra work,† continued Alberta, â€Å"but I was wondering if you could even things out and take some of their shifts before you leave?† â€Å"Absolutely,† he said, words still short and stiff. â€Å"Thanks. I think that’ll help.† She sighed. â€Å"I wish I knew how long this trial was going to be. I don’t want to be away that long. You’d think it’d be a done deal with Dashkov, but now I hear the queen’s getting cold feet about imprisoning a major royal.† I stiffened. The chill running through me now had nothing to do with the winter day. Dashkov? â€Å"I’m sure they’ll do the right thing,† said Dimitri. I realized at that moment why he wasn’t saying much. This wasn’t something I was supposed to hear. â€Å"I hope so. And I hope it’ll only take a few days, like they claim. Look, it’s miserable out here. Would you mind coming into the office for a second to look at the schedule?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"Let me check on something first.† â€Å"All right. See you soon.† Silence fell, and I had to assume Alberta was walking away. Sure enough, Dimitri rounded the corner and stood in front of the holly. I shot up from my hiding spot. The look on his face told me he already knew what was coming. â€Å"Rose – â€Å" â€Å"Dashkov?† I exclaimed, trying to keep my voice low so Alberta wouldn’t hear. â€Å"As in Victor Dashkov?† He didn’t bother denying it. â€Å"Yes. Victor Dashkov.† â€Å"And you guys were talking about†¦Do you mean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was so startled, so dumbstruck, that I could barely get my thoughts together. This was unbelievable. â€Å"I thought he was locked up! Are you saying he hasn’t been on trial yet?† Yes. This was definitely unbelievable. Victor Dashkov. The guy who’d stalked Lissa and tortured her mind and body in order to control her powers. Every Moroi could use magic in one of the four elements: earth, air, water, or fire. Lissa, however, worked an almost unheard of fifth element called spirit. She could heal anything – including the dead. It was the reason I was now psychically linked to her – â€Å"shadow-kissed,† some called it. She’d brought me back from the car accident that had killed her parents and brother, binding us together in a way that allowed me to feel her thoughts and experiences. Victor had learned long before any of us that she could heal, and he’d wanted to lock her away and use her as his own personal Fountain of Youth. He also hadn’t hesitated to kill anyone who got in his way – or, in the case of Dimitri and me, use more creative ways to stop his opponents. I’d made a lot of enemies in seventeen years, but I was pretty sure there was no one I hated as much as Victor Dashkov – at least among the living. Dimitri had a look on his face I knew well. It was the one he got when he thought I might punch someone. â€Å"He’s been locked up – but no, no trial yet. Legal proceedings sometimes take a long time.† â€Å"But there’s going to be a trial now? And you’re going?† I spoke through clenched teeth, trying to be calm. I suspected I still had the I’m going to punch someone look on my face. â€Å"Next week. They need me and some of the other guardians to testify about what happened to you and Lissa that night.† His expression changed at the mention of what had occurred four months ago, and again, I recognized the look. It was the fierce, protective one he got when those he cared about were in danger. â€Å"Call me crazy for asking this, but, um, are Lissa and I going with you?† I had already guessed the answer, and I didn’t like it. â€Å"No.† â€Å"No?† â€Å"No.† I put my hands on my hips. â€Å"Look, doesn’t it seem reasonable that if you’re going to talk about what happened to us, then you should have us there?† Dimitri, fully in strict-instructor mode now, shook his head. â€Å"The queen and some of the other guardians thought it’d be best if you didn’t go. There’s enough evidence between the rest of us, and besides, criminal or not, he is – or was – one of the most powerful royals in the world. Those who know about this trial want to keep it quiet.† â€Å"So, what, you thought if you brought us, we’d tell everyone?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Come on, comrade. You really think we’d do that? The only thing we want is to see Victor locked up. Forever. Maybe longer. And if there’s a chance he might walk free, you have to let us go.† After Victor had been caught, he’d been taken to prison, and I’d thought that was where the story had ended. I’d figured they’d locked him up to rot. It had never occurred to me – though it should have – that he’d need a trial first. At the time, his crimes had seemed so obvious. But, although the Moroi government was secret and separate from the human one, it operated in a lot of the same ways. Due process and all that. â€Å"It’s not my decision to make,† Dimitri said. â€Å"But you have influence. You could speak up for us, especially if†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Some of my anger dimmed just a little, replaced by a sudden and startling fear. I almost couldn’t say the next words. â€Å"Especially if there really is a chance he might get off. Is there? Is there really a chance the queen could let him go?† â€Å"I don’t know. There’s no telling what she or some of the other high-up royals will do sometimes.† He suddenly looked tired. He reached into his pocket and tossed over a set of keys. â€Å"Look, I know you’re upset, but we can’t talk about it now. I have to go meet Alberta, and you need to get inside. The square key will let you in the far side door. You know the one.† I did. â€Å"Yeah. Thanks.† I was sulking and hated to be that way – especially since he was saving me from getting in trouble – but I couldn’t help it. Victor Dashkov was a criminal – a villain, even. He was power-hungry and greedy and didn’t care who he stepped on to get his way. If he were loose again†¦well, there was no telling what might happen to Lissa or any other Moroi. It enraged me to think that I could do something to help put him away but that no one would let me do it. I’d taken a few steps forward when Dimitri called out from behind me. â€Å"Rose?† I glanced back. â€Å"I’m sorry,† he said. He paused, and his expression of regret turned wary. â€Å"And you’d better bring the keys back tomorrow.† I turned away and kept going. It was probably unfair, but some childish part of me believed Dimitri could do anything. If he’d really wanted to get Lissa and me to the trial, I was certain he could have. When I was almost to the side door, I caught movement in my peripheral vision. My mood plummeted. Great. Dimitri had given me keys to sneak back in, and now someone else had busted me. That was typical of my luck. Half-expecting a teacher to demand to know what I was doing, I turned and prepared an excuse. But it wasn’t a teacher. â€Å"No,† I said softly. This had to be a trick. â€Å"No.† For half an instant, I wondered if I’d ever really woken up. Maybe I was actually still in bed, asleep and dreaming. Because surely, surely that was the only explanation for what I was now seeing in front of me on the Academy’s lawn, lurking in the shadow of an ancient, gnarled oak. It was Mason. How to cite Shadow Kiss Chapter 1, Essay examples

Wildlife and People free essay sample

Do you agree or disagree? Use your own experience and knowledge to support you idea. 5: Most universities and colleges spend rather long period in fundamental theories and elementary course. But students regard these kinds of knowledge useless, and pay less attention to it. Some people think that university should not provide theoretical knowledge, but to give practical training beneficial to the society. As for me, I think this view is reasonable in some aspects. First of all, the theoretical knowledge just handles problem is an abstract concept. It must combine with real job. For instance, as everyone know, with the development of society, work position more and more need experienced and technical talent, especially in Shanghai of China, one of the biggest city throughout the world. So, more offering practice training to university students can help them to adapt to the society better. Therefore, the theoretical knowledge losing contact with reality is nonsensical. Secondly, the theoretical knowledge comes from practice. Any theoretical knowledge is obtained form the work of practicing. The universities provide practical training to students, making them understand the theoretical knowledge deeply. Some people think visitors to other countries should imitate local custom and behaviors. Some people disagree. they think the host country should welcome culture different. Discuss the tow views, and give your own opinion. 4: Recent years, because traffic is convenient day-by-day, people have more chances to travel around the world. The plane can make us reach any corner of the earth in a short time. Some people think visitors to other countries should imitate local custom and behaviors, but some people disagree. As far as I am concerned, necessary imitation is, in contrast, a wiser choice. As a famous saying goes, do as they do when in Room. The knowledge of local custom can help outside people adapt to the new environment rapidly. For instance, a Chinese student came to Britain, he can imitate British life style. In this way, he can understand British habit more thoroughly, thus, make himself live a more comfortable life in Britain. In addition, the cultural uniqueness that should be maintained need more attention. If people did not adhere to their national symbol especially in foreign country, these treasures would disappear. Take American hug for instance. Opposed to it, Chinese people greet each other with a formal handshake instead of warm hug. Because of this, different countries know each other to a greater extent. On the other hand, it is generally believed that outside cultures take a significant role in shaping the new world. Without taking back foreign customs home, a traveler can do nothing to help promote his or her country’s civil variety, In conclusion, according to the above reasons, the transformation to total reference to foreign customs gain an upper hand over the persistence in cultural identity abroad. Version 00110 Many world languages and cultures are dying out. Give possible reasons and your recommendations. Nowadays, international communication has become more and more important. But many world languages ad cultures are dying out. In this essay, we will examine the problem of languages and culture dying and the solutions. Firstly, as the technology improves, people around the world are relying more and more on electronic devices to communicate with each other. Take internet for example. In order to make international conversations, people attempt to talk and send e-mail with the commonly-spoken language, say, English. As a result, cultural uniqueness will fade away gradually. Secondly, some of the world languages and cultures are not being learned widely by children. As what happens in China, Chinese youngsters tend to avoid speaking as their elders do. Because of their contact with foreign cultures, they prefer imitating some odd sayings and behaviors. That is also the way Peking opera is dying out. In order to solve the problems illustrated above, I offer two solutions in this special occasion. For one solution, people might record the culture and languages on books or tapes, making sure our descendants can learn or use them in the future. The second solution is to increase the awareness of the importance of national cultural identity among young people. From the above analyses, the important thing is to learn the elder’s tongue and culture before it is too late. Otherwise, we will lose them. V120 What are the purposes of places such as museums and how should they be funded? : As we all know, museums are unreplaceable places for human beings. However, more and more museums have to face the serous economic problem nowadays. Therefore, many people doubt museum’s significance. On the contrary, I am a firm believer that museums is still of great importance. Firstly, museum is considered the historical symbol that it exhibits traditional culture of a nation. Nations of difference have different culture and history. Taking the history and revolution museum for example. The museum is the best way to let the Chinese youngsters enjoy their ancestor’s history and let visitors and foreigners know what china was like century ago. Secondly, museum could help improve people’s love for art and beauty. As a result, museums aiming to exhibit artist paintings, photos and the like can never be replaced. For instance, the greatest art museum in Paris represents things alike every year. Without it, we would not have a so keen taste for beauty. For one solution, the government ought to buy all museums. If museums belong to government, it means main economic problem of museums is solved. The second solution is that society ought to donate lots of money to maintain development of museum. The museum protects out history and culture, so we have obligation to support progress of museums. All in all, it is museums, along with other institutes, that enrich our dull lives. Only by permanently funding them can we share the magnificence. V105 Some people claim that the disadvantages of cars are more than the advantages, do you agree or disagree? With the development of science and technology, the cars have already become the important component in our daily life gradually. Cars make our life convenient and swift. However, too many cars have caused very serious social problems. Some people claim that the disadvantages of cars are more than the advantages. I doubt it. Since one century ago, the auto industry has been developed at full speed worldwide, and has brought the enormous progresses to our life. For example, the car is the most convenient tool of transportation. We can be on and off duty by car every day; we can go to travel by car on the vacation; we can utilize the cars to deal with some emergency too. The car is playing an important role in our daily life. They make our rhythm of life faster and faster and make our business become more and more efficient. On the other hand, the development gives people countless employment opportunities too, such as manufacturing industry, repairing industry and maintaining industry. We are enjoying the convenience that the cars bring to us; at the same time we can utilize the auto industry to support ourselves. Furthermore, it is not impossible that a global nuclear war would break out. As a result, none of all creatures on the earth can escape this disaster so that from then on the civil history comes to an end. From the discussion above, it can be concluded that we would confront both opportunities and crises. The advanced science and technology could obtain merit and drawback. So what I hope to see in the future is that we can enjoy healthier and longer life and that more and more science and technology will be employed in the peaceful way. 2. Some people claim that the increasingly frequent business and cultural communications are positive whereas others hold a different opinion. Discuss. Although a slight mention of the past pastoral life arouses a nostalgia and reminiscent beauty, which is unexceptionally characterized by isolation and somewhat disconsolation, various and frequent communications in business, education, scientific research, and even the daily life are flooding the existent values, ideas, and ideals. Inevitably, this social phenomenon provokes a storm of commendation and criticism as well. Frequent communications in various fields among cultures and people undoubtedly benefit individuals’ life. Almost every citizen becomes the beneficiary of the communications. People around the world today are able to enjoy otherwise unavailable products and services. For instance, it is due to the international communication in business that people in China can enjoy such high quality products as Mercedes Benz from Germany, Titoni watch from Switzerland, and IBM computers. All these cases demonstrate one thing: communications contribute to human beings. Not only are diverse array of communications in the international spectrum positive to individuals, they also have been exerting significant favorable influences on family life. It was virtually incredible to imagine an international family five decades ago, but today on account of the rapid development of communications and transportations, religious and racial discriminations have almost entirely â€Å"gone with the wind†. It is no longer an â€Å"abnormal† thing that a Chinese husband gets married with a Japanese wife. Such international family, as scientific research warrants, is a welcome development in terms of both biological and political elements. In fact, the advantages of communications are also shaping and reflecting the general human civilization development. If God, as Bible says, created different languages among men, then men all over the world today are able to work together, pray together, and struggle for freedom together. The communications are actually a process of globalization. This is the trend of sustainable development. With communications, people become brothers and sisters rather than enemies. Humans share the planet with the wild animas who have contributed a lot to our society and economy. But today, the world is poised on the brink of the largest wave of extinctions. So we have to do something to protect wild animals. Firstly, faming to feed the growing human population is one of the chief cause of extinction. From this millions of hectares of forests and natural vegetation have been cleared for agricultural use. Secondly, excess mining has destroyed the habitat of wild animals. Then came the threat of illegal logging, poaching and smuggling. Wild animals are now facing severe problems, but fortunately more and more people begin to realize the value of wild animals to our human-beings environment. As we know, wild animals together with wild plants consist of a complex ecosystem, which is significant to our natural environment, providing clean water, clean air and various resources. They are so connected and interacted that even extinction of several species will lead to a disaster to the whole ecosystem. Furthermore, the variety of species and genes founding wild animals are critical resources that could be utilized in each country’s development, especially in science and medical. In history, many ideas of famous inventions originated form animals such as ultrasonic fro bat. Moreover, there are still so many undiscovered fields of science, maybe we can get use of one kind of wild animals one day. Before this, we had better keep them protected, particular to some rare species. Someone said safeguard of wild animals is a waste of resource, but I do not agree. It seems that we would spend some time, wealth and manpower on this meaningless thing. Actually we also do this for human being ourselves. Wild animals have no place in the 21st contrary, and the protection for them is a waste of resource. To what extent, do you agree or disagree with the above statement? With the rapid progress of society, people’s living standard is dramatically improved, with more convenience and resource coming to us. However, our living environment at the same time is getting more polluted. One effect of this phenomenon is that there is not enough space for wild animals to survive, and many people hold an opinion that it would be a waste of resource to protect wild animals. Nevertheless, I think exactly the opposite way. The environment is a comprehensively biological life cycle, with human beings, animals and plants playing affecting each other accordingly. Wild animals occupy an essential position in the life cycle. Let’s look at a very simple example. Although snakes are very dangerous and frightening, they can catch mice, and mice can destroy the crop as well as sanitary surroundings. Here it is easy to understand that if there are not enough snakes, the number of mice would grow rapidly, doing more harm to us. Then , should not we protect the snake? Actually, we are saving resource by doing this because trying to save something that is already destroyed seriously costs more. Secondly, in present, quite a number of problems such as desertification and rivers dried up, caused by excessive exploitation of natural resource, have arisen an increasing number of people aware of environment protection. More and more places, I think, should be planned for wild animals in 21st contrary. Thus, it is obviously noticed that more trees are planted and more wildlife conservation areas are planned, ensuring that wild animals will be under protection. As we can see from the improvement, in the 21st contrary, wild animals would be leading a happy life. To sum up, we cannot live without wild animals due to their profound effects on us. For this reason, we should try our best to protect them. Let’s remember one thing—protecting wild animals is equivalent to protecting ourselves. Wild animals have no place in the 21st contrary, and the protection for them is a waste of resource. To what extent, do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Biological diversity has never been as threatened as it is today as a result of the process of human civilization. The various forms of pressure created by human activity have destroyed natural balance, led to the deterioration of natural habitats, genetic erosion and the rarity, even disappearance, of a number of plant and animal species. As the pace of civilization accelerates, more people, taking more space, needing to use more natural resources, engaging in ever-growing consumption, impose sever deterioration on the habitat of animals. An increasing number of people come to realize that the disappearance of animals will result in serious threat to the equilibrium of ecosystem. Simply put, the extinction of hawks, rat-eating bird seen in many regions, will result in the rapid propagation of rats. And rats, further, will destroy the prairies and threaten the other animals like gazelles, zebras, and others, who live on grass and green lands. The coexistence of animals and human beings creates perfect harmony and brings about vividness to our planet. It is hard to imagine what our world would be like without animals. Sociologists also point our that the disappearance of animals can cause social and economic problems. Animals trade, as a supporting sector to the world economy, was very active before. As the step of economic development accelerates, the gap between the city and the countryside becomes more and more overt , which arouses colossal concerns. Take a further look at the phenomenon, there are three major causes. Firstly, the insufficiency of investment in the rural areas accounts mainly for the issue. China, for example, covers a very large area. Due to the emphasis on the development in the coastal areas, the government devotes more investment in the large cities, such as shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. The investment, undoubtedly, is repaid by the threefold increase of economy and commerce in these cities. However, this is not the case in the rural area and the western regions. The lack of investment barriers the productivity and economic development and sharpens the gap between the city and the countryside. Secondly, the low education level in the rural areas contributes partly to the gap of living. Education is the prime force of productivity. Keeping this in mind, many countries and governments give priority to the development of education. China’s education witnessed a rapid growth in the past decade. However, the education level in the countryside still keeps very low. The enrollment of primary schools and secondary schools is much lower compared with the advanced regions, not to mention the developed countries in the world. Without good education, the development of economy and technology would be dream difficult to be realized. Finally, the influx of migrant workers to the cities form the countryside deteriorates the undeveloped conditions in the rural areas. The life style in the urban areas is very attractive to the people in the countryside. To seek more working opportunities, many people abandon the fertile lands and leave them uncultivated. If the situation continues, it will lead to serious unbalance of economic and regional development. To sum up, only when the government renders more concerns over the issue can the gap between the cities and the countryside be bridged. The gap of living in cities and the countryside is larger and larger. What are the reasons in your country and how to reduce the differences? When you look back to the last contrary, amazingly you will find that not only had all world’s largest populated cities experienced different population growth rates, but also the difference between the city and the ountryside had grown accordingly. Two reasons of mine can examine the tendency as following. The glamorous city life allures lots of human resources to move to the city, taking major contribution to the gap. In the city, there are many advantages to attract those talented people to settle down—more job opportunities, cultural activities, sporting events, if you name them. Therefore, even those well-educated people who are originated from the country intend to lead a dynamic city life instead of returning to face the static country view. If the rural government can work out some favorable policies such as low prices of land occupied for industrial uses, with the combination of low cost of workforce, investors are willing to establish factories in the countryside. The improvement of employment situation will enormously help pull back some intellectuals and lessen the gap. (104words) In the second part, I would mention the factor of transportation. Supporting sentences: the vital resistance of economic development in the countryside is the inconvenient transportation. It has been witnessed in China that almost all leading cities are scattered along the coastline. They take advantages of sea, air and other sophisticated transport facilities to enjoy high economic growth rates. I suggest that the central government should fund on infrastructure for the whole nation, including rural areas, to build up a nationwide transport network. Consequently, tourism as well as housing in the countryside will be boosted, and the difference between the city and the country would be minimized. (94words) To sum up, intelligent resources would determine who is the winner or loser of the intense competition; moreover, transit system also play an important role in developing economy.