CPE Writing

Подготовка и впечатления от сдачи экзамена. Помощь в разборе письменных работ. выбор и обсуждение необходимых материалов. Cambridge English (CPE, CAE, FCE ect.), IELTS, TOEFL и другие.

Модератор: mikka

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#1

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

Feel free to pitch in and post your own essays and comments on the previously posted attempts.
Your criticism is welcome.

Please be advised that it seems to have been quite a while since the last time I wrote down anything related to CPE and I need to get back in shape.)

The changing world of work
Technology has dramatically altered the world of work in the last century. Previously, many tasks that were undertaken by hand are now carried out by machine and many processes are now fully automated. In recent years, many of these changes have resulted from improvements in telecommunications that allow for remote working. These mean that companies can save money as they do not need to accommodate so many staff in one location or pay their employees to travel around the country or abroad.In addition, companies can make savings by being more flexible about where their offices are based.

Work-life balance
Whilst technological changes have clearly had a number of benefits for companies, the same could perhaps not be said for families. More and more people are working from home, which is causing a blur between the boundaries of the home environment and the work environment. It also means that people are starting to work longer and more irregular hours, especially as more and more business is done internationally. Consequently, many families are feeling an additional and unwelcome strain.

The overarching theme of the two texts is how technological advances have irrevocably changed the way we work and our perception thereof. Whilst the author of Text 1 views the issue through the prism of employers and enterprises adroitly exploiting technology to their own benefit, Text 2 sheds light on how the ramifications brought forth by technologies affect employees’ lives.

Inarguably, technology has permeated and subsequently altered each and every aspect of our lives, and the realm of work is not exempt from that notion. Thus, more than a century ago, the advent of the conveyor belt revolutionized the hitherto tedious and inefficient manufacturing procedures. Likewise, the ongoing rapid development of digital technologies allows a long-coveted dream of remote jobs to come to fruition. Gone are the days when the choice of headquarters location was of paramount importance. Additionally, the very necessity to accommodate the personnel in one office or to reimburse their travelling expenses has become redundant. Recapitulating, opportunities for companies to make savings have never been so auspicious.

Be that as it may, what are the chances that the nature of these benefits is somewhat lopsided and skewed towards employers? Are employees equally benefiting from them? Upon closer inspection, remote jobs hide a Trojan horse. Although allowing a greater flexibility, such jobs inevitably erode the line between work and private life, thereby impinging upon the comfort of families. Furthermore, it is not infrequently that remote jobs imply a hectic schedule. Recapitulating, the convergence between work and private life seems to have come at the expense of employees’ freedom.

In my view, technological changes cannot be deemed inherently good or bad. What matters at the end of the day is what we make out of them. Thus, although I acknowledge the fact that technological advances have streamlined our workflow by leaps and bounds, their ramifications often pose an additional problem, warping the balance between work and our private life as well as imposing an additional strain on our families.
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#2

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За это сообщение автора well well well поблагодарил:
VictorB
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#3

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well well well пишет: 10 мар 2018, 19:26 https://www.grammarly.com/blog/clean-up ... kq9lMPXC6v
I'll just leave this here
I see your point. In your opinion, does the essay above seem to be riddled with oddities?
As well as trying to convey a clear and concise message, I was also intent on being succinct and avoiding excessive verbiage.
Perhaps, my lack of practice that has been gnawing at me during the last three weeks when the debates about the fate of the forum were ongoing put paid to my nascent desire to extirpate all these incongruities.
Please disregard the last sentence, I am just making fun of myself.)
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#4

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paveltashkinov пишет: 10 мар 2018, 19:44I was also intent on being succinct and avoiding excessive verbiage.
Didn't happen, as far as I'm concerned ( your writing is as bloated and turgid as it ever was.

I'm sorry I had to pinch in. From now on, I would like to bid you farewell and leave it up to you to try to keep your writing clean and clear from lexical clutter. Wish you all the best, Pavel.
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#5

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The Downside of Tourism
Despite the importance of the tourism industry to local economies there are significant costs to being a popular holiday destination. Local cultures can suffer as the needs of the tourist are given priority. For example, local shops can be demolished to make way for larger retail developments. In addition, the negative effects on the environment are well documented. Areas suffering from scarce water, food and energy resources can see the situation deteriorate with the extra demand caused by an influx of tourists. There will often be a physical impact as well, with increases in local pollution or the effect on the eco-system of large-scale construction. More significantly, the generation of income for the local economy is often lower than envisaged. The majority of income can often go to multi-nationals such as airline companies and hotel chains.

Eco-Tourism
Recent years have seen a growth in what is termed ‘eco-tourism’. The aim of eco-tourism is to unite conservation and communities through sustainable travel. So what are the key elements of eco-tourism? In addition to minimizing the impact of tourism on the environment, successful eco-tourism should also raise the awareness of cultural and environmental issues amongst the local host destination and the visiting tourist. Eco-tourism should be a positive experience for the local community as well as the tourist. Finally, eco-tourism should offer clear financial benefits to local people and to local conservation issues.


The overarching theme of the two excerpts is tourism. Text 1 deems the thriving tourism industry responsible for the acute environmental problems and the aggravation of social climates of popular destinations. Text 2 sheds light on the nascent phenomenon of ecotourism, viewing it as reciprocally beneficial for communities and tourists.
Inarguably, the tourism industry has irrevocably altered the landscape of destination areas across the globe, making hitherto inaccessible places more convenient for tourists. However, it is often the case that the subsequent influx of tourists puts an additional and unwelcomed strain on the already dire local communities and ecosystems. Perhaps, it would be justifiable if the trickled-down distribution of profit ensured that the local communities benefited most. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of the revenues seems to be getting straight to the multinational enterprises such as accommodation establishments, leaving little to the locals.
However, does the rapid development of the tourism industry toll the death knell for the local environments and cultures? Now that we are witnessing a steady growth in ecotourism options, we can have such concerns allayed. Adroitly interweaving cultural and environmental issues into the tangle of vacation packages, ecotourism minimizes the environmental footprint of tourism and promulgates the environmental issues among the visitors and the local population. Tailored in the reciprocally beneficial way, ecotourism offers seem to be successful in achieving both of their main objectives, simultaneously entertaining and raising awareness.
In my view, it would be inherently wrong to assume that the tourism industry is immune to any change. Although it is still far from doing a 180-degree turn towards meeting the demands of the local cultures, it seems to be showing some signs of convalescence. Now that the industry is responsive to both the whims and likings of tourists and the local environmental and social demands, eco-tourism is bound to secure its niche on the market and thrive thenceforth.
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#6

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An online environmental magazine has asked readers to send in articles about places of natural beauty that they have visited. You decide to write an article describing a place you enjoyed visiting, what you saw there and evaluating its importance as a place of natural beauty.

Kenya: An Awe-Inspiring Experience
If you should ever get an opportunity to visit Africa, you should leap at the chance, as that continent hides some of the most fantastic scenery you will ever see. The region boasts an incredible variety of abundant wildlife. Recently, I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks there.
Having established my vantage point inside the comfortable air-conditioned interior of a rented Land Cruiser, I was gazing at the boundless savannah outside the window. The sun glared fiercely from the tangerine-coloured, unclouded sky. Large herds of zebras were masticating peacefully in the distance. The monotonous hum of the engine was occasionally interrupted with a cracking sound when the wheels rode over remnants of a perished antelope and my guide’s repartees.
Down the road, I spotted a small creak which (if the map was to be believed) must have been a tributary of the Pangani river. Looking for a hiding place from the suffocating heat, elephants lined up at the river’s banks, splashing the water onto their backs with a guttural sound. At some distance, a clan of hyenas was prowling in the boundless savannah, skulking amid scattered acacia bushes, while a blithe giraffe, seemingly unperturbed by the surrounding humdrum, was elegantly ruminating on the outstretched branches of fever trees. In the background, hovering above the minutiae of the savannah life, was a snow-capped cone of Kilimanjaro.
As the sun was about to set and my interest started to peter out, we drove back to the village where I had stayed. I sat drinking tea with the old guide who told me tales about the country’s past and the safaris he used to accompany. Looking back, I think that Kenya has a lot hidden gems worth our appreciation. It is a fascinating country with breathtaking scenery and a home for many endangered species that are indirectly protected by tourists who go there to see them.
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#7

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

the snow-capped cone
a lot of hidden gems, конечно
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#8

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Get happy with positive psychology
No more saying, ‘I should and I would if I could.’ Positive psychology turns the focus away from how and why things go wrong and towards how and why things go right.
Critics of the movement say it is akin to the sort of frivolous self-help advice that tells people to smile more and they’ll feel better. However, scientifically speaking, positive psychology views the development of happiness from an evolutionary standpoint. Happy people are healthier and live longer. They make better mental connections, hence they improve systems and solve problems quicker in new ways. They have more energy for other people and contribute to the improvement of society.

Is positive psychology for everyone?
Psychologist Julie Norem questions the assumption that ‘positive psychology is for everyone’, presenting us with an illuminating example. If you know someone who drove everyone nuts in school worrying about how he/she would do in exams and who ended up getting A pluses, you probably know a defensive pessimist. For defensive pessimists, worrying about upcoming challenges is a way of life. But it is also a healthy coping strategy that helps them prepare for adversity. Norem has shown that when defensive pessimists are deprived of their pessimism by being forced to look on the bright side of life, their performance in tasks plummets. For defensive pessimists, positive psychology has a decidedly negative side.

In our stress-ridden world with its unceasing pace and a plethora of challenges and adversities, vagaries and vicissitudes of life are a part and parcel of our very existence. To cope with the challenges the world has in store, people can adapt two different approaches: positive psychology and defensive pessimism.
Positive psychology, the viewpoint whereby people focus on the bright side of things rather than on the negative one, has recently become a subject of vociferous debates. Thus, the critics of the movement suggest that the whole concept of positive psychology is devoid of any rational premise behind it. Be that as it may, the idea can be perfectly explained from the evolutionary vantage point. Happier people show greater longevity and are less susceptible to a vast array of age-related health issues, e.g. dementia. Likewise, their performance in problem-solving, mentally demanding tasks is better compared to their pessimistic counterparts. Consequently, optimistic people often become valuable contributors to our society.
However, couldn’t it be that expecting the worst is also a feasible approach? The case of defensive pessimists suggests that it is not outside the realm of possibility. Thus, bracing yourself and preparing for the worst-case scenario is a tangible option that enables people to face hostility and unpredictability, so inextricably woven into the fabric of the modern life. On the downside, should there be no apparent threats, defensive pessimists’ morale and performance are bound to precipitously decline.
In my view, although there can be no unanimity on the strategy to be adopted, it might lay on the overlap of positive psychology and defensive optimism. Although there is no point in fretting too much about what might happen to us, it is also wise to be on the safe side and exercise caution, lest we be caught unprepared.
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#9

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Relax with a nice cup of tea!

How many of us look forward to a soothing cup of hot tea at the end of the working day! Why is it that in so many countries tea is drunk not only to refresh us, but also to help us calm down after a stressful experience? The truth is that tea contains chemicals that induce a feeling of well-being. Research has shown that green and white tea, in particular, are conducive to relaxation due to their low levels of caffeine. They contain the amino acid L-theanine, which evokes a sense of calm in the brain, yet without a feeling of drowsiness

Yoga for stress relief


Should you crave solitude, solo relaxation techniques such as meditation, will give you the tools to quieten your mind. If, however, you lack the self-discipline to maintain a regular programme, a class setting may help you to stay motivated. It would be better to avoid power yoga, with its physically demanding poses and focus on fitness, as classes that emphasize slow, steady movement and gentle stretching are best for chronic stress relief. Consider your level of fitness and any medical issues before joining. There are many yoga classes for different needs. If in doubt, consult a specialist.

The overarching theme of the two texts is means of relaxation. Text 1 sheds light on the salubrious properties of tea, whereas Text 2 enumerates the yoga options available on the market and evaluates their suitability for different people.
Although soothing and invigorating properties of tea have been known since the Ancient times, not until very recently did tea become a subject of numerous research. Scientists have shown that tea leaves contain a veritable cornucopia of chemical compounds evoking a sense of tranquility. With every gulp of tea, these molecules make their way into our organisms, whereupon they soothe our nerves and vivify our brain.
In our stress-ridden world where sedentary lifestyle has reached pandemic proportions, the popularity of yoga as a means of stress relief comes as no surprise. With more and more people taking up yoga classes, the market seems to have been responsive to the demands of its ever-growing audience thus far, offering a vast array of options tailored accordingly to physical strength of visitors. Although people can be easily tempted to leap at the nearest opportunity, it is nonetheless advisable that aspiring yogi seek a medical advice prior to joining a particular yoga class, lest some vigorous exercises do more harm than good for their wretched nerves.
Recapitulating, yoga and tea (as well as other herbal infusions) have firmly secured their niche in the vast array of popular relaxation means. However, as conducing as they might be for stress relief, they should not be viewed as some sort of a magic bullet. Although they do temporarily assuage our stress, the question of their long-term efficiency is open to debate. Once the onset of chronic fatigue has begun, both natural relaxants and yoga will be of little use to alleviate or postpone it. Therefore, it is best to opt for a less stressful lifestyle if possible.
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#10

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A report: Social networks
The Principal has asked you to write a report on the effects of social networking sites on college students, with reference to the time spent online, their involvement in social activities and their academic performance. You should make recommendations for addressing problem areas

Report on the effects of social networking sites on college students

Introduction
This report aims to shed light on the effects of social networks on college students, the time spent online, how social networks affect the students’ activities and their academic performance.

The time spent online

According to the results of the recently conducted survey, 78% of the students have reported to be spending more than four hours a day online. 15% of the students claimed to be spending from two to four hours online, with the rest 7% spending less than two hours a day on social networking sites.

The involvement of social networks in social activities

The majority of the participants deemed social networks helpful and facilitating the exchange of useful material pertaining to their academic pursuits. Likewise, social networks are often instrumental in fostering cooperation among the students. Thus, they provide the students with a platform whereby they can join discussions, cooperate, learn more about forthcoming college events and get in touch with alumni as well.

Social networks and academic performance

Surprisingly, there does not seem to be the direct correlation between the amount of time the students are spending online and their academic performance. Nevertheless, up to a third of the surveyed have admitted that social networks are a powerful distractor for them. More worryingly, there have been numerous cases when students did not get enough rest before an impending deadline and subsequently failed.

Recommendations

To recapitulate, it is worth advising that responsible use of social networking sites be promoted among the students. To meet this objective, the college should incorporate a brief supplementary Internet awareness course in its curricula. Furthermore, the Wi-Fi hotspots in the dormitories could be tweaked to be shut off from 11PM till 6AM to ensure that the students get enough rest and proper sleep. Provided that all the measures drawn above are implemented, there is expected to be a significant improvement in the academic performance of the students.
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#11

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An online book club which makes reading recommendations has requested reviews of books that readers have liked and given as presents. You have decided to write about a book you recently bought as a birthday present for a member of your family. In your review, explain why you bought that particular book, what was special about it and why it was a suitable choice for that person.

Review: Reappraisals by Tony Judt
I think it would be a safe assumption to suggest that few if any people outside the lofty academic circles heard the name of Tony Judt, let alone bothered to peruse his books. It was with a great surprise, therefore, that I spotted Postwar: The History of Europe Since 1945 on my brother’s bedside. With his birthday impending, I cautiously tested the waters regarding his opinion on the book. With his response in the affirmative, I narrowed my choice of the gift to another book by Tony Judt.
Unlike Postwar, the magnum opus of Judt, which is notorious for its cumbersome and rather verbose style, Reappraisals seems to be a way more succinct and concise. The skeptics should not be deterred by the size of the book which is about four hundred A5 pages: this surgical precision does not come at the expense of the vivid language whose master Judt is. Nor does the veracity of the narrative seem to have been marred in any way. The book comprises a potpourri of different essays and articles written by Judt during the last five years of his life. Adroitly disentangling the mysteries of the twentieth century, ranging from the state of affairs in the nascent states of the ravaged post-war Europe to the masterminds and processes behind the not so distant reunification of Germany, Judt is as objective and impersonal as ever. His sagacity and insightfulness render that book a perfect choice for history enthusiasts, regardless of their academic background. Thus, while historians are bound to find this book enlightening and pertinent, mere mortals like my brother can appreciate Judt’s language and his immaculate, transparent narrative.
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#12

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Commuting by train

Increasingly, people are moving to the countryside and commuting to work every day. If you are one of them, there are numerous reasons to choose the train as your mode of transport. Firstly, you avoid the chore of a long drive, coupled with the frustration of sitting in rush hour traffic once you hit the city. Also, the comfort of modern rail facilities means you have space to work if you are on your way to meeting. Then at the end of the day, you can simply sit back and relax on your way home.

Long-distance commuting: plane, car or train?

Although flying long distances generates more carbon dioxide emissions than going by car, the high price of petrol means that driving from Aberdeen to London, for example, may actually prove more expensive. However, studies suggest that the train produces about half of the carbon dioxide emissions of the car.
So, despite the recent rise in rail tickets, commuting by train would seem to be the best option in both an environmental and economical sense.

Both texts shed light on the issue of commuting, advocating the use of train as the best option both in ecological terms and from commuters’ perspective.
Nowadays, an ever-growing number of people, in their search of the refuge from the tedium and buzz of modern cities, are moving away to the countryside. Accommodating their demand for a convenient means of transportation, national railways facilitate the commuting process, thereby helping their passengers to avoid the frustration of traffic congestion and long driving hours. Furthermore, modern trains provide their passengers with workplace, if need be, or with a place to doze off en route to home.
Surprisingly, trains seem to be the ultimate means of long-distance commuting, especially when compared to others. Thus, although jets are undoubtedly faster and more convenient, their exhaust gases contribute to the ever-exacerbating problem of the greenhouse effect. Likewise, cars do not seem to be a viable option due to the constantly increasing prices of gasoline. With trains bereft of these drawbacks, more and more people choose them as the sole means of transportation.
In my view, although there are some strong arguments in favour of travelling by train, there are also some aspects of rail travel that both texts seem to have omitted. One of these is the fact that train tickets are often expensive, to the extent that sometimes it is best to opt for a low-cost flight rather than for a train journey. Likewise, although rail travel may be more reliable in general, there are some areas where railways are dilapidated and poorly maintained. As a result of this, trains are not infrequently subject to delays. Recapitulating, although there has been a considerable improvement in the railroad infrastructure, trains have a long way to go before firmly securing their place as a reliable and accessible means of transportation.
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#13

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Reflections of a travel photographer
The beauty of a travel photograph is perhaps not the moment you see it, when the memory of taking it is still fresh in your mind. It is that weird moment years down the line, when you come across it in a long-forgotten box, and looking at it evokes a reminiscent glimpse of past travels. You pause for a moment, indulging yourself as memories of sights, smells and sounds flood your brain. In that moment, the photograph isn’t just a picture of a scene. It’s the whole experience of a journey taken, a place explored and people encountered.

Taking good travel photographs
As you arrive at your destination, try to ignore any preconceived ideas about what you will find, and take note of your first impressions. How do you fell as you round that corner and set eyes on the place? What first catches your eye? The colours? The architecture? Sounds? Movement? Whatever it is, keep hold of it, and use it to choose the focus of your photographs. You may find it useful to venture out on initial sojourns without your camera, in order to soak up the atmosphere of the place and consider potential subjects. Then, let your inspiration guide you.

The overarching theme of the two texts is travel photography. Text 1 suggest that photography is a powerful medium evoking distant and bygone impressions of the hitherto visited places. Text 2 sheds light on what is required for an outstanding travel photograph and claims that inspiration is an essential feature of a travelling photographer.
How many times have we been wistfully flicking through packs of our old travel photographs? What have we felt? Why is it that our reminiscences are always mingled with wanderlust on such occasions? Inarguably, photography is one of the most powerful media, capable of stirring a vast array of emotions in beholders. Although we could have felt a fierce excitement when we were capturing these very moments, it is only with the benefit of hindsight that we come to appreciate vividness, palpable ambience and the sense of presence conveyed by a travel photograph. It is so redolent and evocative of all these distant memories and small minutiae of our travels that it forms the whole travelling experience anew.
What are the prerequisites of an immaculate travel photograph? How to keep mediocrity and cliché at bay upon your journey with a camera in your backpack? The answer seems to be simple. Wayfaring photographers should let their inner sense of beauty and inspiration guide them. What is it? The ambience? The vibrant colours? The trickling sounds of a creek beneath their feet? The incessant chirping of cardinals behind the window? Whatever it is, aspiring photographers should make adroit use of their sensual guidance and the feeling of beatitude if something unique is to be achieved. Although sometimes it would be almost impossible to resist the burning urge to take picture of everything travelers have taken glimpse of, it is better that they let the ambience of the place imbibe them beforehand.
Recapitulating, travelling photographs can be deemed to be an art in its own right. As with any other artistic media, traveling photography requires vision, dedication and thinking outside the box. Should these variable be imprinted into a photograph, the resulting picture is bound to leave a lasting impression on its viewers.
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#14

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

these variables, of course, it's just a typo
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#15

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Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful
On the one hand, the idea of having only useful or beautiful items in your house is indeed something we could all aspire to. However, how many of us actually manage to live in that way? In my view, we all tend to accumulate a multitude of possessions which, for one reason or another, we are loath to part with. For instance, there’s a glass bowl that Aunt Minny gave me a few years ago. Instead of throwing it away, I end up keeping it although it’s not really useful or beautiful, Then, there are the souvenirs we bought which, despite seeming a good idea at the time, now don’t really fit in with our décor.

Any old place I can hang my hat is home sweet home to me
As I see it, we are all free to do whatever we like with the place we live in. If we are fortunate enough to live in a place of our own, then that is where we can express our own personality. Interior designers might try to tell us what to do; yet, I feel strongly that your home is what you yourself make it. Therefore, my personal principles would be the following: you should feel comfortable in your own particular ‘space’, you should only follow general guidelines if they suit your particular situation and, finally, you should trust in your own judgement!

The overarching theme of the two texts is interior design. Text 1 puts forward a question: Should our homes be crammed with the memorabilia that is neither useful nor beautiful? Text 2 brings forth a different matter: in our endeavour to make our flats cozier, should we take the advice of interior designer or, rather, rely on our own sense of beauty?
Text 1 claims that purely utilitarian approach of having only purely functional or purely aesthetically appealing items in our homes, however alluring and feasible it seems to be, often fails to endure the test of reality. We are all possessive to a certain extent. Consequently, our unwillingness to part with certain items does not come as a surprise. There are always some belongings we don’t like to dispose of, be it an old clapped-out jukebox or a nice row of magnets attached to a refrigerator.
In my view, the author of Text 1 seems to have made a valid point. Although utilitarianism is an appealing option, it has to compete with our desire to possess, inextricably woven into the fabric of human nature. However, I also hold a view that unless such desire assumes the proportion of compulsive hoarding, our tendency to accumulate different items is an essential part of our existence.
The author of the second text holds a different view on the matter. Thus, home interior can be perceived as a medium whereby people can express their own personalities, penchants and preferences. Furthermore, the author makes a point that when it comes to flat refurbishing, people should exercise their sense of beauty rather than thoughtlessly listening to interior designers.
Personally, I would partially agree with such notions. Interiors of our homes rather veraciously reflect our personalities. Upon entering someone’s dwelling, there is bound to be a multitude of questions springing up in our minds. what has caught our eye? Is the place cluttered? Does it seem immaculate? What kind of person could be living here? As to interior design, I would take the author’s notions with a pinch of salt. Indeed, some people can perfectly design the decorum of their flats on their own, without the benefit of designers’ advice. Be that as it may, there are other people whose aesthetic sense leaves a lot to be desired. For them, consulting designers might be a viable option.
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#16

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Small is good
Not everyone wants to be in big business and create a huge international company but even if you just want to start up a small business, you still have to do it properly and follow certain basic guidelines. A good starting point is to find an area in the market where there is a gap: do something a bit different from everyone else and you’ll have a chance of success. Then you’ll need to do your homework about how to run a business and make sure to get professional advice. Guesswork in this area is not helpful and is more likely to be a recipe for disaster.


Bigger is better
Successful entrepreneurs don’t even see ‘small’ as an option: they think ‘big’ and they will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. They have an overwhelming inner drive to succeed which means keeping an eagle eye on any potential competitors and expanding their business accordingly. What can sometimes be seen as arrogance from the outside is simply a refusal to admit defeat, combined with a steely determination to overcome any obstacles in their path. These entrepreneurs have achieved success not only by accepting constructive criticism and putting it to good use but also by ignoring anything they judge to be negative pessimism.

Both texts shed light on the prerequisites of success essential in the realm of business. Text 1 addresses the issue from the viewpoint of small businesses, whereas Text 2 discusses the matter from the vantage point of successful entrepreneurs.
No matter how small a business to be set up could be, setting the wheels in motion is barely possible without a thorough research of the market. Having established a gap and adroitly exploiting it thenceforth, aspiring businessmen are likely to advantageously set themselves apart from the competition. However, before implementing the final business project, it is highly advisable that a future businessman seek a professional advice, lest the whole enterprise run out of steam and reach a deadlock. When stakes are high, dabbling with the newly-emerged company sounds like a recipe for disaster rather than a salubrious option.
Furthermore, is ‘small’ enough for a successful entrepreneur? Scaling up, we cannot but notice a drastic difference in the attitudes of amateurs and those of experienced entrepreneurs. With the benefit of knowing the ins and outs of the eye-for-an-eye realm of big business, the latter mercilessly dominate there. ‘For those climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy’. Therefore, what the outsiders can perceive as pugnacity and Machiavellianism are, in fact, the prerequisites of survival and the key to success in that highly competitive environment. Furthermore, it would be inherently wrong to believe that those in the highest echelon of business are insular to constructive criticism, since these businessmen are acutely aware of the fact that assuming infallibility is a road to nowhere.
Far be it from me, the author of Text 1 seems to have oversimplified an often tedious and haphazard routine of establishing a business of somebody’s own. Nowadays, the stories of small, privately owned enterprises winding down are rife. Unfortunately, very seldom has the whole idea of starting something brand-new from scratch endured the harsh test of reality. Likewise, without having acumen and perspicacity, will-be businessmen are bound to failure.
On the other hand, Text 2 rather veraciously reflects the reality of the big business. Walking a tightrope, top-echelon businessmen constantly push the boundaries of what is possible and succeed, defying the odds.
paveltashkinov
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#17

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

Your tutor has asked you to write a report on the benefits and drawbacks of your college website. You should consider the visual appeal of the website, the quality and relevance of news and information it provides to students, and how easy it is for students to find what they are looking for. Make recommendations for improvement.


Report on the benefits and drawbacks of the college website

Introduction
The aim of this report is to shed light on the positive and negative features of the college website, assess its visual appeal, usefulness and accessibility, as well as outline some recommendations for improvement.

The visual appeal of the website
The website features a good and consistent use of smooth, mild colours across its main page as well as throughout its subdirectories. The visual features like photographs and animation are used judiciously and do not distract the website’s visitors. However, the fonts used throughout the website seem to lack uniformity and congruity. Moreover, some of the site’s subdirectories are too cluttered with hyperlinks and pop-up screens.

The quality and relevance of the information provided
One particularly positive aspect of the site is that it provides students with high-quality content pertaining to different branches of knowledge. Likewise, the section ‘Useful Links’ features a plethora of hyperlinks redirecting the website’s visitors to a vast array of resources dedicated to exam preparation. Nevertheless, there are some subsections in need of improvement. Thus, the subsection dedicated to the curricula programs seems to have not been updated since 2012. Another area which needs improvement is the article featuring recommendations for aspiring scientists at the bottom of the landing page. Not only is it written in a rather inaccessible language, but it also displays few hyperlinks that do not work anymore.

The accessibility and ease of navigation.
On the whole, the structure of the website is transparent and user-friendly. Facilitating the search of the required information, the search engine interface is present throughout each subdirectory. The search engine’s algorithms are tailored to predict the likeliest search queries with pop-up suggestions. Furthermore, the column of tag words present on every website page makes the search
even easier.

Recommendations
In light of the hitherto mentioned observations, it is advisable that the design features throughout the website be brought into consistency. Furthermore, the section ‘Curricula Programs’ featuring outdated information should be updated. Last, the article on the landing page should be either re-written and updated or removed altogether. Only when all the recommendations drawn above are implemented will the visual appeal of the website be enhanced.
paveltashkinov
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#18

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

You work for a large company. The company is considering ways to reduce its carbon footprint. Your manager has asked you to write a report (280-320 words). In your report you should describe the positive and negative things the company is doing in relation to its carbon footprint and add your own suggestions on how it could improve.

Report on carbon footprint reduction

Introduction
The aim of this report is to outline the number of solutions aimed at carbon footprint reduction which have been successfully implemented by Ecoeco, shed light on the areas in need of improvement, as well as propose a complex of measures that, if acted upon, would enable the company to achieve a further reduction of its carbon footprint.

The already implemented measures
With a view of achieving a reduction in emissions, Ecoeco set up the ‘Zero Carbon’ initiative six months ago. By now, 80% of the measures proposed have been implemented. Thus, the company and its associates managed to reduce its energy consumption by 5% via wider implementation of fluorescent and LED bulbs. Furthermore, the Ecoeco offices in Naperville and Leiden became fully autonomous in terms of electrical power after solar batteries had been installed on the premises and roofs of the office buildings.

The areas needing improvement
One of the areas with the biggest potential for improvement is the company fleet. Thus, 80% of the cars leased by Ecoeco have been reported as having high fuel consumption (poor miles per gallon). Moreover, the company plant located in Woodstock should be modernized. The currently used equipment is reported to have been malfunctioning and inefficient, leading to low products yield and high electricity consumption.

Recommendations and Conclusions
To rectify the existing drawbacks, it is worth suggesting that the company fleet vehicles be replaced with more efficient diesel-engine alternatives. To achieve further reduction of carbon footprint, it is also advisable that employees be encouraged to opt for railroads and planes rather than cars as the means of transportation during business trips. Furthermore, the renovation project for the Woodstock plant is currently being considered by the panel of chief engineers in Minnesota. Should it come to fruition, there are bound to be additional energy savings, higher efficiency and lower CO2 footprint. Concluding, provided that the complex of measures drawn above is implemented, Ecoeco will have achieved its long-standing objective to reduce its carbon footprint.
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#19

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

A science magazine is running a series of articles on invention and discoveries which have revolutionized the way we live. The magazine has invited readers to send in articles briefly describing the invention they regard as having been most significant, explaining the ways in which this invention has impacted our day-to-day lives and why they regard it as more important than other inventions and discoveries that have been made.

Polymers: The Great Past and The Promising Future
When you hear the word ‘polymers’, what images spring up in your mind? A ball pen? A Styrofoam cup? A polyethylene bag? A rubber tire? However quotidian such associations might be, the realm of polymers extends far beyond those inalienable attributes of our modern life. So, why are polymers so indispensable?
Such were the significance and importance of those materials that the 20th century can be described as the century of polymers. The advent of the bakelite resin in 1909 heralded the polymer era. Remember those cumbersome pitch-black receivers of the first telephones from noire movies? These are made of bakelite. What happened during the following thirty years can be described as the polymer rush, when scientists focused their attention on the nascent field. However, it was not until the WW2 when the shortages of natural polymers – silk and rubber – necessitated the mass production of their respective synthetic substitutes – nylon and synthetic rubber. Thereafter, synthetic alternatives to the hitherto natural materials were springing up.
The significance of polymers is impossible to overestimate. Suffice it to say, without polymers, we’d still be sleeping in cotton hammocks, wearing buffalo skins and using wooden boxes to store cereal. Polymers’ versatility, ease of manufacturing, endless potential for modification and a vast array of applications have enabled them to pave their way into our lives, firmly secure their place in the realm of materials and remain unrivalled.
Organic chemists, the masterminds whose wizardry let the polymer industry emerge and flourish, are not resting on their laurels. You can hardly expect that in our highly competitive world, when the choice of material often happens to be the sole factor determining the resounding success of a brand-new product or multi-billion losses. The interest in polymers as the only viable option for many applications is far from tapering off, as the most innovative enterprises are keeping a close watch on recent advances of polymer science. We can rest assured that there are bound to be more innovations making our lives better.
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#20

Сообщение Belka_Teacher »

TASK: A popular English-language magazine has invited readers to send in letters sharing their recent experience of making an important decision. You decide to send in a letter in which you briefly describe the situation and explain the reasons why you took an important decision, and assess what the consequences of that decision might be in the future.
Write your letter. You do not need to write any postal addresses.

Dear editors and readers of Marie Claire,

I’m writing to tell you about a decision I had to make a while ago and which, I believe, will be quite crucial for the my future. I hope that my experience will be of interest and can help someone facing a similar issue.

Let me briefly put you in the picture of what happened. My fiancé and I own flats, but they aren’t none of them are big enough to move in and live together in either of them. So, we've started looking for something that would be suitable for settling down and starting a family. We'd like to live in an area which is not too polluted and within walking distance of a park or a forest. In addition, we don't want our new flat to cost us an arm and a leg, but it has to be big enough to accommodate at least three people and to have room for two working places as we often work from home. Having spent an impressive amount of hours a fair ammount of time on the internet looking for the right option, we’ve finally decided to go for a house in the outskirts of Kiev Kiev suburbs.

Of course, such a decision will influence our lives a great deal. First, none of us has ever lived in a house before, so we are bound to be on a steep learning curve trying to figure out how to maintain our house and garden. Second, not only will we see our friends and relatives less often, but also all trips to the city will be more difficult to manage.

However, for us the benefits of such a decision far outweigh the drawbacks. First of all, we will be breathing clean air and drinking unpolluted water, and this will help us to be in the best of health. Second, we will be a part of a friendly and civilized community, as all the neighbours seem to be decent and pleasant people. And, of course, the house is big enough for all our needs, and it even has a garage and a small garden. I think that there will be room enough to keep some cute rabbits in a cage outside the house.

In conclusion, I do feel a bit scared making such a move, and it will probably be stressful in the beginning, but I believe that living in the countryside suburbs will be much better for my future family in the long run. And I’m already dreaming of sitting in a comfortable armchair in my garden, reading an interesting book, and watching the rabbits frolic.

Kind regards,

Anastasia Bila
За это сообщение автора Belka_Teacher поблагодарил:
well well well
paveltashkinov
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#21

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

Belka_Teacher,
Splendid. However, I think you could have cut down the amount of words. How long did it take to write that letter?
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#22

Сообщение paveltashkinov »

1. Into space

When Armstrong set foot on the Moon, it was a triumph for the engineers and scientists who made it possible. The innovations they were responsible for were immensely beneficial to us all because they could be applied to other fields, although this is not widely recognized. The stark reality is that it is very much in our long-term interest to take space exploration seriously. The most pessimistic forecasts envisage a global population of 16 billion by 2100. To make matters worse, the world’s resources are dwindling rapidly. Space exploration is a first step towards colonising new worlds and potentially solving both problems.


2. Back to Earth

We should never forget that space exploration was originally driven first and foremost by political ambitions and rivalries. This remains the case. Any country wishing to demonstrate its power on the global stage will sooner or later send astronauts into space. We now hear that NASA is demanding a budget of $19 billion. My question is just how many hospitals and schools could this fund? Space exploration is a colossal waste of money, particularly when famine and disease remain the fate of millions. With such problems staring us in the face, it seems that our priorities are wrong.


The overarching theme of the two texts is the impact of space exploration on our lives. Text 1 claims that space exploration has brought forth a wealth of technological breakthroughs that not only firmly secured their niche in our daily lives, but might also hold the key to some urgent problems of today. Text 2 advocates more skeptical approach, deeming space exploration to have been a colossal waste of money and a ground for competition rather than cooperation.
The twentieth century has shifted the paradigm of what is possible. Thus, space exploration epitomized the triumph of human intelligence and the hitherto unceasing yearning to fathom the unknown. Such were the ramifications of space programs that their ‘by-products’ (e.g. GPS satellites) were eventually firmly woven into the fabric of our lives and made them better. Likewise, now that humanity is facing the imminent threats of overpopulation and resource scarcity, scientists are once again turning their gaze towards the prospects of colonizing other planets.
Be that as it may, it would be inherently wrong to believe that space exploration was bereft of any drawbacks. Now and again, we hear vociferous complaints that the whole idea of spending immense amounts of money on space exploration is devoid of any practical sense. In our world, ridden with inequalities, where famine and draught are a part and parcel for millions of people across the globe, how justified such lavish spending could be? Rather than focusing on those nebulous pies in the sky, shouldn’t we draw our attention to more urgent, down-to-earth matters?
In my view, space exploration is a relatively new concept and therefore we are far from reaching the unanimity of opinions regarding its feasibility. Nevertheless, I think that we can be cautiously optimistic about the matter. Thus, gone are the days of the space race when the two superpowers were locking horns with each other, keeping the rest of the world on tenterhooks. Nowadays, space programs offer a fertile ground for cooperation rather than rivalries. Furthermore, I do not subscribe to the point of view that space exploration programs seem to have become be-all-and-end-all and the utmost priority when it comes to funding. Although space programs never come cheap, the amazing discoveries they bring forth definitely outweigh such costs.
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#23

Сообщение Belka_Teacher »

paveltashkinov, I will surely do so and post it here. I wrote it some time ago so I do not remember exactly. About half an hour or so. Task 1 is more difficult for me though. I am not sure it is even C2.
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#24

Сообщение tourist »

Belka_Teacher,
This one is much better. I can see a lot of effort put in this write-up.

Still,a few thoughts ...

-- but none of them are big enough for a family

-- impressive amount of hours --> a fair amount of time

-- in on the outskirts of
https://english.stackexchange.com/quest ... -outskirts
bound to be on a steep learning curve

I don't think this idiom is suitable here, sounds a bit too pretentious even for a posh girl like you )
I would replace it with something simple like we would have to figure out..

-- unpolluted water ?? hmm .. as opposed to water you drink in Kiev ? I'm shocked.

--there will be room enough to keep -->there will be enough space/ there will be sufficient room

--reading a an interesting book a bit of a cliche, it's like drinking nice wine

-- you can hardly call outskirts of Kiev countryside

Well, I won't comment on rabbits )
Последний раз редактировалось tourist 28 мар 2018, 03:29, всего редактировалось 1 раз.
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Belka_Teacher, paveltashkinov
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#25

Сообщение Belka_Teacher »

tourist, just I spent 30 minutes on this one and 15 on the one in my blog. I have learnt my lesson - I should spend more time writing my posts))) Orherwise I will spend even more time reading and analyzing all the corrections.
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