The educational system in Syria (L1)
At
the age of six children start their basic education at public schools. This
stage lasts nine years. After that, pupils move to a secondary school where
they go into the tenth grade. When they finish the tenth grade, students decide
to complete two years of study in the literary section or scientific one.
Students usually study a lot of subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology,
geography, Arabic, English and French.
The
most important exams are in the third secondary grade, because students cannot
go on to university or intermediate institutes unless they pass the exams of
the twelfth grade in which they become seventeen or eighteen.
Of course, there are special and
vocational schools, too. Such schools teach students different skills needed
for a particular job or profession. Such students often look for a job after
leaving vocational schools. (140)
Environmental Pollution (L2)
Environmental Pollution has
become a real problem. This problem is complicated, because it is the result of
things that benefit man in general. Both heavy industry and sewage systems
pollute rivers with poisonous chemicals and dangerous pollutants. As a result,
water pollution reduces the amount of pure water, and kills fish in lakes and
rivers. Moreover, carbon dioxide from cars, factories and lorries pollutes the
air which becomes badly polluted and can cause illness, and even death.
As to soil pollution, it is caused by overuse
of pesticides and fertilizers, and this kind of pollution reduces the amount of
land available for growing food. (104)
GLOBAL WARMING (L2)
The gradual warming of the
Earth is called global warming which is the result of the greenhouse effect.
Pouring carbon dioxide "C02" and some other gases threaten the world
climate of our planet because they trap the heat from the sun in the Earth's
atmosphere. If this is the case, the weather will become hotter. As a result,
the polar ice caps will melt and release more water into the oceans raising the
sea levels worldwide. That is why some low-lying islands will disappear, and
other cities will be threatened.
Average
temperatures on Earth have increased by 0.5˚C. and it has been expected
that the temperature may rise by 1.5 - 4.5 °C by the year 2050. (118)
THE OZONE LAYER (L2)
The ozone layer is a layer
of gas from 15 to 50 km above the surface of the Earth. The ozone layer helps
to protect living things from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, which can damage
our skins and cause cancer. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are used in
refrigerators, aerosol cans and in the manufacture of some plastic products,
can cause holes in the ozone layer, especially over the Antarctica.
Some
companies now make their products without using CFCs. For instance, ‘Pif Paf '
cans, which are produced in Syria, are CFCs free insecticides. (92)
BEING GREEN (L2)
Air, water and land are the
natural conditions in which man lives. Therefore, we should try hard to prevent
them from pollution. We can be green by recycling or selling used objects or
things like glass, paper, and plastic because recycling saves energy and raw
materials. In fact, we must take serious steps to improve sewage systems, and
to preserve rainforests which are in tropical parts of the world. Rainforests
help to control global warming because they absorb carbon dioxide.
It is necessary for us to use alternative
energy from the solar power and wind-power as such energy is clean and better
for the environment. Anyway, our children should be taught how to use products
which don't harm the environment and how to economize on natural resources.
(127)
COMPUTER (L3)
At the present time we live
in an age of rapid technological advance, so most people enjoy using these
electronic machines which can be used for many different kinds of work.
Computers can keep and store information, help us in our studies, solve math
problems, control other machines and also provide good entertainment. Moreover,
computers can handle large amounts of data more quickly than human beings, and
they save a lot of time and can replace people in some tasks.
In spite of the capabilities of computers,
they can't do things alone, but they need a person to tell them what to do.
(103)
My Future Career (L4)
Students study a wide variety of subjects
at school in order to have a lot of options for their future careers. As for
me, I would like to be a teacher of English because I have always been
interested in learning this important language. Moreover, it seems to me that
teaching pupils is not a very difficult job for those who choose the teaching
profession willingly. Since I enjoy learning and teaching, and have the ability
to be patient with children, I hope to be a good teacher of English in the
future.
According to my interest, I hope to join the
Faculty of Arts and study English literature. 109
IS TEACHING A TIRING CAREER? (L4)
The teaching profession
needs special skill or training, and teachers should have some qualities which
make them capable of teaching. In my opinion, such a job is tiring, because it
requires a lot of attention and effort. For instance, it is not easy for some
teachers to keep talking to pupils, writing with chalk, reading texts,
explaining difficult points, and listening to all students' questions.
Moreover, some teachers find it difficult to control bad pupils, or to convey
their ideas to lazy students. In general, teachers’ working day is quite short,
but they have to work at home as well.
For these reasons, I consider teaching to be a
tiring career. (111)
MATTER (L5)
Every thing (which) we see
or touch is matter. The whole world around us is made of matter. Matter is
something that takes space and has mass. A dog and a cat are both matter, yet
the former has more mass than the latter. The mass of an object never changes,
but the weight can change because of the pull of gravity. Matter can exist as
solid like a brick, a liquid like milk, a gas like steam, or plasma like
lightning. Plasma is a state of matter that is not common on Earth. In fact,
the state of matter depends on the way in which its particles move. (109)
THE SOLAR SYSTEM (L5)
The solar system consists
of the sun and nine planets. The planets are large bodies in space and they
move round the sun which is the center of the solar system. Our planet, the Earth, receives light and heat
from the sun. The moon goes round the earth once a month and shines at night by
light reflected from the sun. Mercury is the nearest planet to the sun, but
Pluto is the most distant one in the solar system. Jupiter is the largest
planet and it has 16 moons, but Saturn has the largest number of moons. They
are 22 moons. Of course, life in the solar system exists only on the Earth.
(114)
The atom (L5)
An atom is the smallest
unit of a simple substance (element) that still has the same qualities and can
combine with other substances to form molecules. For instance, a molecule of
water ((H2O) is made up of 2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. The atom
is a system. It is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons. The nucleus
is the center of the atom and consists of protons and neutrons. The electrons
move round the central nucleus. Protons have positive electric charges, but
electrons have negative ones. Neutrons carry no electricity. All the atoms of
an element are exactly the same. (107)
The river of life. (Blood)(L6)
Blood is the red liquid
that is pumped from the heart and circulates around the bodies of human beings.
The blood-cells are carried in plasma, which is the clear yellowish fluid part
of blood.
The
average body has about six liters of blood. Blood contains red
blood-cells and white blood-cells. The white blood-cells fight against
infection while the red blood-cells carry oxygen to every part of the body.
Blood supplies the cells with water and nourishment and it also takes oxygen
from the lungs and removes carbon dioxide. The circulation of blood through the
lungs takes only six seconds. The flow of blood is controlled by the heart.
(107)
To lose weight, what do you need to do? (L6)
Calories are units of
energy which food supplies to our bodies. The calories which I need depend on
the amount of energy which my body needs. Therefore, if I am not active and
have extra calories, I will get fat because the extra calories are stored as
fat. However, if I am active, then my body needs a lot of energy. As a result,
the calories that I take in will be used up.
To
lose weight, I should exercise more and cut down on high- calorie foods. In
general, I should abstain from eating empty calories which are found in junk
foods, such as candy and soft drinks. Junk foods are high in calories, but low
in vitamins and minerals. (121)
SMOKING (L7)
Cigarette smoke has a
hateful odor and dangerous effects on health. Breathing in smoke from tobacco
can lead to several diseases from which some smokers die every year. Tobacco
contains nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is an addictive drug and
it can speed up the heartbeat, and raise blood pressure. Moreover, tar can
damage cells in the respiratory system and it can lead to cancer of the mouth
and lungs. Indeed, when carbon monoxide is inhaled, it lessens the amount of
oxygen in the blood. Because of these dangerous effects and its harmful
chemicals, I think that smokers should abstain from smoking. (103)
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