“Write All About It”

Centerville High School Essay Contest

Rules

1). Students are asked to hand in essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work. Any essay containing material copied from another source will be disqualified.

2). Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, with the student's name, address, and grade level on a separate sheet of paper.

3). Essays must be turned in by 4:00 P.M. on November 30. They can be brought to Mrs. Elton in Room 104 or to Mr. Markham in the school library.

Essay-Writing Tips

1). Catch your reader's interest—Your opening should immediately pull your reader into your essay. Asking a question or starting with a story, or surprising statement are some good ways to do this.

2). Create a picture—Use active words that show your reader what is happening. Instead of telling your reader that “the room was disordered,” paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives.

3). Have a purpose—Well-written essays do more than just describe an event or express a viewpoint; they also communicate a message.

4). Check for mistakes—Read your paper over to check for mistakes. Ask another student to read your paper. Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you have missed.

5). Format your essay—Neatly type your essay on white paper. Choose an attractive cover for handing in. The computer lab will be open after school from 3:15 to 4:45 P.M. each day this month so that students can use the computers.

Prizes

Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times. Everyone who takes part in it will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity this year.

First Prize: $50 savings bond

Second Prize: Dictionary and reference book

Third Prize: Pen set and journal

Special thanks to the Centerville Writers' Association for the prizes to help encourage our aspiring authors. Good luck to all contestants.

    Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen.Now you are looking for a place where you can improve your English,especially your spoken English.

    Here are some advertisements about English language training from newspapers.You may find the information you need.

Global English Center

●General English in all four skills: listening,speaking,reading and writing.

●3-month (700 yuan),6-month (1,200 yuan) and one-year ( 2,000 yuan) courses.

●Choice of morning or evening classes,3 hours per day,Mon.—Fri.

●Experienced college English teachers.

●Close to city centre and bus stops.

Tel: 67605272           Add: 105 Zhongshan Road,100082

Modern Language School

●Special courses in English for business,travel,banking,hotel management and office skills.Small classes (12-16 students) on Sat.& Sun.from 2:00-5:00 pm.

●Native English teachers from Canada and USA.

●Language lab and computers supplied.

●3-month course: 1,050 yuan; 6 month course: 1,850yuan

Write or phone: Modem language School,675 Park Road,100056

Tel:67353019

The 21^st century English Training Center

●We specialize in effective teaching at all levels.

●We offer morning or afternoon classes,both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.

●We also have a six-week TOFEL preparation class during winter and summer holidays.

●Entrance exams: June 1 and Dec.1.

●Only 15-minute walk from city center.

Call 67801642 for more information

The International House of English

●Three/Six-month English courses for students of all levels at very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00-12:00 am.and 2:00-5:00 pm.

●A four-month evening program for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).

●Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as second/foreign language.

●Free sightseeing and social activities.

●Very close to the Central Park.

For further information call 67432308

    Global GDP in 2030 will be 14% higher as a result of AI (Artificial Intelligence), thanks to improving labor productivity and increasing consumer demand, says a report.

    The report could increase the enthusiasm of economic policymakers and the public, and show the power of technology in changing not only people's daily lives, but also economic activities. However, history tells us that, while technological advancements have brought us benefits, they have also led to great social disorders, by changing the production and labor structures, and forcing many workers to either adapt to the changes or lose their jobs. In the 18th century, for instance, skilled workers rose up to resist the Industrial Revolution, destroying machinery in the early 19th century. We may not see similar protests today, but history should serve as a warning against the application of AI technology.

    While we may gain a lot of benefits from AI, we must work out plans to reduce its negative effect on society, especially for workers. AI can raise productivity and expand GDP, but it can also make non-adaptive workers jobless. In India, some technology personnel have already felt the negative effect of information technology. As technology industries across the world seek increasing support from automation（自动操作）, robotics and big data analysis, some technology workers have already lost their jobs.

    In their 2013 research study, Michael Osborne and Carl Frey from Oxford University estimated 47% of the jobs in the United States are “at risk” of being automated in the next 20 years. They said jobs in transportation and office and administrative support are at high risk of being automated. And Kaifu Lee recently said that robots could take away about 50% of all jobs from humans in the next decade.

    Those estimates may sound sensational and the impact of technological advancements may not be that serious, as they will also create jobs in new industries. However, policymakers should consider how to better embrace the technological wave to bring benefits while taking action to minimize its negative effects. The government therefore needs to work together with business leaders and social organizations, to promote training programs for potentially helpless workers, in order to make them more capable of adapting to the structural changes in industries and job markets in the future.

    In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.

    But in the big cities of Europe like London or Pads, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.

    So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities, other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.

    Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.

    As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. "

    It's wonderful to see crowds in the streets and cinema lights," they say.

    The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the branches of an old willow tree, with good reason to frown, for the world was dragging me down. At this time, a boy approached me. He stood right before me, and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

    In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals (花瓣) all worn. Wanting him to take his flower and go off to play, I managed a smile and then turned to the other side.

    But instead of leaving, he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared, "It really smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it. Here it's for you."

    The flower before me was dying or dead. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

    But instead of placing the flower in my hand, he held it in mid-air. It was then that I noticed that the boy was blind.

    I heard my voice quiver (轻微颤抖), and at the same time my tears shone like the sun. As I thanked him for picking the very best one, he smiled and said, "You're welcome." And then he ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on me.

    I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

    Through the eyes of the blind boy, I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I had been blind. From now on, I promised to see beauty and appreciate every second. Then I held the flower up to my nose and breathed its fragrance and smiled as that young boy.

    In 2012 my wife and I decided to open our bookstore in spite of unfavorable situations. The challenges facing small bookstores were-and remain-significant. Apart from the obvious rise in online selling, the increase in the popularity of e-books has negatively affected independent providers.

    The question is why a new, small-scale（小规模的）provide would voluntarily enter such a challenging market? From a personal view, our reasoning was sound: we wanted to share our love of great books and reading for pleasure with as many like-minded people as possible.

    Having done our homework, one thing became clear. In order for us to succeed, we would have to offer something that none of our larger competitors already provided. And so we started the Willoughby Book Club. We set up our website in the summer of 2012, and we haven't looked back.

    The idea of service is simple. We offer a range of book subscription gift packages, available in three-month, six-month and 12-month options. Our customers choose a package, tell us a little about the person they're buying it for, and we use this information to send the receiver a hand-picked, gift-wrapped book once a month. We also recently decided to give one new book to Book Aid International for every gift subscription sold. These books are sent out to sub-Saharan Africa, supporting the educational work there. Within four months of starting out, we won the Young Bookseller of the Year Award at the 2013 Bookseller awards.

    Our brief journey from new booksellers to award receivers has been challenging and rewarding. The biggest thing we've learned is that, despite the pressures facing independent providers, there is a place for them in the UK market. It's just a question of finding it.