A VISIT TO A BOOK EXHIBITION

Last year, when I was in upper sixth, Puan Juliana took our class to town to visit a book exhibition that was being held in the town hall. We left our school in a chartered bus and arrived at the town at about 9.00 a.m. There were forty of us including Puan Juliana and we were among the first visitors to the exhibition that morning.

As we entered I was taken aback by the sheer number of books on display. I have never seen so many books all together in one place before in my life. I felt thrilled to have the opportunity to take a look at these books on display. I was sure my classmates were equally thrilled.

Puan Juliana told us we had two and a half hours to browse among the books. We were not to fool around and if we wanted to buy any books we were to give it to her so that she could get a better discount. We all promised to behave. Next we plunged among the bookshelves and started to do what we had come for.

There were so many books on display. There were books on hobbies, computers, art and craft, machines and others of general interests. I was especially fascinated by the many books on nature. So I was more or less glued to this section browsing over the beautifully illustrated books of animals and plants. Before I knew it, one and a half hours had passed. I thought I had only an hour left to go over the rest of the exhibition.

I next came upon computers on display. There was a sizable crowd gathered but I managed to get in front to have a look. A man was demonstrating the capabilities of a computer. I was astonished at what the computer could do. So for a good an hour I was stuck there eyes glued to the video display.

Finally, I decided that it was time I had a cool drink. So I left the hall for a moment to do the thing. After a refreshing drink, I returned to the hall to meet the rest of my classmates. Puan Juliana was already waiting for us. One by one my classmates appeared. Some of them had books for Puan Juliana. I did not buy any book. So after all of us had assembled and Puan Juliana had purchased the books we headed out of the hall and into the bus.The bus started and we were on our way home. It had been a pleasant morning at the exhibition.

HOW TO SHOP WISELY

All of us, except for some very few, use money to buy what we need in this world. We do our shopping in various places. Sometimes we are satisfied with what we buy. Sometimes though we do not get our money’s worth and we feel cheated. To avoid being cheated we have to know how to shop wisely. Here are some suggestions on how to do it.

It is good practice to check the price of the goods first. Shops are required by law to display price tags for all items.. Goods that have no price tags are suspect and ought to be avoided. Also it is better if we compare the prices of the goods at various places. We will probably be shocked by the price differences. The money saved on finding the best deal is usually worth the time spent on it.

The expiry date of perishable goods should be checked. Items without expiry dates or that have expired should not be bought. It is silly to buy a cheap can of sardines at a much reduced price only to discover that the contents are inedible when we open it.

When buying something that has to be weighed, it is a good idea to witness the weighing ourselves. Also ensure that the needle reads zero when there is nothing on the balance. It is all too easy to be short-weighed..

Finally, when paying for things bought at the counter, it is good practice to make sure that the prices are correctly entered. Keep the receipt in case we want to return or exchange anything. Count the change after paying for what we buy. In this way we spend our hard-earned money wisely and not waste it.

THE HAZARDS OF SMOKING

THE HAZARDS OF SMOKING

I have to say that I am glad that I do not smoke, for evidence against smoking keep increasing. Smoking certainly is hazardous to health.

A regular smoker is always coughing or clearing his throut. This I observe is the obvious sign of a smoker. My brother, uncle and my friends who smoke all seem to have a perpetual cough. I hear them hacking away every now and then. They take cough drops and other medicines to counteract yhe cough but they do not succeed. The only solution for them is to quit smoking.

Pregnant mothers who smoke may give birth to smaller and less healthy children. So it is not a very intelligent thing to smoke, considering the risks that a smoker has. However intelligence is powerless in the face of constant bombardment of cigarette advertisements via the mass media.

My friends who smoke do not have enough stamina, as they say. They do play games, but I can see that they really do not have the staying power of non-smokers. They tire quickly and immediately after the game the first thing they reach for is a cigarette. Of course they are smart enough not to get caught smoking in school, but the teachers are no fools. Yellow teeth, yellow fingers and smelly clothes are sure signs of a smoker. Usually the teacher says nothing as long as the students do not smoke in school.

The hazards of smoking are obvious such as poorer health, persistent cough, lack of stamina, wastage of money and a possible quicker and more painful path to the grave all await the smoker.

HOW TO REDUCE POLLUTION

HOW TO REDUCE POLLUTION

The world that we live in now is badly affected by pollution. The rivers and seas are polluted also the air and land. Consequently the things we drink, breathe in and eat are all polluted.

This sad state of affairs do no good for our health and well being. Pollution is virtually destroying the place we live in which is earth. Ih pollution is allowed to go on and on we will surely destroy ourselves too. We ought to value our planet for it is only place we can live in. if we destroy it then we also finished.

Eliminating pollution completely is impossible. So it is important that we try to keep pollution to a minimum. There are many things that we can do to reduce it. The very first thing for everyone is yo stop dumping rubbish anywhere they like. Empty cans and bottles, sweet wrappers, plastic bags full of smelly stuff, dead animals, food are items that can be found in the rubbish dumps. Perhaps we could recycle the things we used instead of simply throwing them away.

Motor vehicles are a major cause of air pollution. They emit much exhaust fumes. In big cities this pollution has reached levels that pose a threat to the health of the city dwellers. The only way to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads. This is easier said than done for very few people would want to sacrifice the convenience of having one’s own transport.

Factories and industrial plants are largely responsible for pollution of the air, water and land. The waste they discharge into the rivers and land destroy both. The smoke they emit pollute the air. What they must do is to find ways to reduce their wastes. Also they they have to treat their wastes so that they are less harmfull. Then they have to find ways to reduce the smoke they emit. All these things are required if we are to see any reduction of pollution. At the rate things are going however, we see increase in pollution instead.

Weather we can really reduce pollution and thus save our planet is up to us. Pollute it more and we shall perish..