surveillance cameras

Nowadays, supermarkets not only make a lot of money for their owners, they also bring them some trouble. How can they prevent theft without annoying their customers? The use of surveillance cameras seems a good solution, but more and more arguments arise with the increasing use of th such cameras. Before giving my opinion, I think it is important to look at the arguments on both sides.
Those who support using surveillance cameras in supermarkets insist that it is the best way to protect the owners’ interests. Firstly, a camera is more effective than security guards. One camera can easily cover an area for which 3 or 4 security guards is needed camera is much more objective. Sometimes our eyes might deceive us, while a machine can record exactly what happens. It can prevent much unnecessary embarrassment, too.
On the other hand, some people voice doubts about the installation of surveillance cameras. The most important reason for their disapproval is that such instruments show distrust of customers. Customers should not be watched suspiciously as if they were prisoners. Cameras can become evidence of a serious violation of human rights.
All in all, the best solution is for both sides to respect each other’s needs. The shopkeeper should place surveillance cameras in such a way that the customer does not feel that he or she is being spied upon. At the same time, the customer should respect the shopkeeper’s concern about theft.
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Happiness

Happiness is a must in life. but what on earth is happiness? Some people are happy when they’ve made money, while other are happy when they’ve found their true love, as for me, I find bliss when I am reading an interesting book in a warm and pretty room. Evidently, 1,000 people will have 1,000 different definitions of happiness. Why is it difficult to define, or rather discover and achieve happiness? I think the major determinant lies in a person’s attitude.
In my opinion, there is little correlation between the circumstance of people’s lives and how happy they are. A moment’s reflection should make this obvious. We all know people who have a relatively easy and comfortable life, and yet are essentially unhappy. And we also know people who have suffered a great deal but generally remain happy. Therefore, happiness is actually of one’s own making. If you have a positive attitude and are determined to find the little happiness of life, you are destined to be jolly.
In the second place, happiness lies in the struggle to be happy. People sometimes go to extremes, and frantically pursue money, power, high social status, etc., which are all symbols of success --- but never of happiness. Perhaps if they shifted their life’s goal from ultimate success to unswerving efforts and to a confidence that they will be successful one day they’d be a great deal happier.
Besides defining it, how do people achieve happiness? No doubt, different people have different ways of going about this task. The following is mine: The first secret is gratitude. All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain; but it is truer to say that complaining leads to people becoming unhappy. The second secret is realizing that happiness is a by-product of something else. The most obvious sources are those pursuits that give our lives a purpose. These can be anything from playing tennis to studying insects. The more passions we have, the more happiness we are likely to experience.
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college student

Current college graduates have a very diffluent road before them. With so many jobs looking for employees with college degrees, the graduate will have many employment options to choose from. However exciting his may seem, the graduate will most likely feel very stressed at having to make this final decision. In such a time of anticipation and excitement, he or she will face some of the most difficult choices of his or her lifetime.
The first choice of the graduate will most likely be whether or not he wantsw to continue this education immediately after college graduation. Although a longer education will mean eventually having a more specified job, this does not necessarily mean a higher salary. In today’s society, it is common to find that doctors, lawyers, and professors make the same amount if not less than computer programmers, engineers, and businessmen. And often the graduate will consider taking time off college to work and make money before returning to graduate school. Although this seems to be the best decision for graduates who are either financially independent or still undecided about career choice, many people begin work and never return to school. This is most likely the result o fa high paying job, marriage, or a feeling that they are suddenly too old to be in college.
If the graduate does not plan on going into graduate school, is choice process is made shorter but not simpler. He is faced with the problem of finding a high –paying job related to his past studies and interests. Often, the parents of the graduate will act as links to other family friends who can act as employers. This may enable the graduate to find a job with a higher pay as well as a friendly, social environment. However, if this job is not what the graduate sees himself doing for the rest of his life, he is tied to a business that is more like a family and feels obligation.
College graduates today face more employment opportunities and higher salaries than any generation in the past. Today’s society offers employment regardless of gender, color, or nationality. With a future that offers so many opportunities and options, it is most important for a college graduated to realize his or her dream and pursue that to the highest extent, for only with that approach can he or she truly find happiness in life.
298

Technology

Recently, the issue regarding the future of traditional technology and methods in the midst of the rapid development of science and technology has been in the limelight. Some people argue that the traditional technology and methods are bound to die out, hence the futility of maintaining them. On the other hand, some people firmly believe that the traditional technology and method will survive the technological revolution. As far as I am concerned, the latter opinion carries more weight.
For one thing, being traditional is quite different from being out of date or obsolete. Tradition is what we inherit from our forefathers, and its being handed down from generation to generation proves its capacity to survive. It is only those things that have weathered arduous trials time after time that can be called tradition; otherwise, they are something obsolete.
For another, the survival of traditional technology and methods does not mean that they linger on in a steadily worsening condition. On the contrary, their existence tends to propel an even accelerate the development of science and technology. If we compare the development of science and technology to the construction of a modern building, the traditional technology and methods can be likened to the foundation. Without a solid foundation, the building is destined to collapse.
In addition, the development of science and technology originates in traditional technology and methods. Thus, development itself does not exclude tradition, but required its assistance.
In a word, development and technological renovation can only be accomplished on the basis of traditional technology and methods. From what has been discussed above, we may safely arrive at the conclusion that traditional technology and methods are far from obsolete, and are bound to contribute more to the development of science and technology.
327

Traffic

Transportation has been developing rapidly in recent years, especially in large cities. However, it must be admitted that, along with the benefits of the rapid development of urban traffic, have come certain problems. One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, is traffic jams in some heavily-populated cites. It has become common to see passengers and drivers having to wait in long lines of buses and cars moving at snail’s space on the streets during the rush hours.
There are several reasons for this problem. First, the number of vehicles is increasing much more rapidly than the building of roads. No sooner has a new road been completed and opened to public traffic than it is crowded with all kinds of vehicles. Second, there seem to be too many private cars and not enough public buses. In most cases, a car carries only one or two people, while it occupies almost half the space a bus does. Third, many people, including drivers, pedestrians and cyclists do not obey traffic rules properly, especially at busy intersections. And this undoubtedly worsens the already grave situation.
In view of the seriousness of this problem, effective measures must be taken before things get worse. On the on hand, the government should invest more money in the building of new roads and the repairing and maintenance of old ones, particularly those in busy areas of cities. On the other hand, the number of private cars in urban areas should be limited while the number of public buses should be increased. At the same time, it is essential that stricter traffic rules and regulations be issued to strengthen traffic control and facilitate the normal and efficient running of all means of transportation. With such effeorts made and persisted in, I am confident that it will not be long before city traffic in united states flows in a smoother and more efficient manner.
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advertisements' influences

At present the mass media, including print, TV and radio, are flooded with advertisements. There is a growing worry among some people who believe that youngsters are adversely affected by them and advocate that something must be done to place restrictions on them. Personally, I share these peple’s point of view.
My first reason for this is that advertisements interfere with the healthy development of young people’s characters. The majority of advertisements are targeted at adults. Therefore, there is often something exclusively for adults involved in them, such as the adoption of provocative language and sexually appealing scenes. However, the opportunity for adults and youth to be exposed to advertisements of this kind is equal. As we know, young people are susceptible to bad influences. Their characters are likely to be warped due to constant exposure to such advertisements.
My second reason is that advertisements often mislead young people in choosing their lifestyles. Advertisers try every means possible to attract people’s attention, so they tend to give advertisements a loud and gaudy touch. A common practice is that movie stars and singers are invited to promote products in advertisements. It is always tempting for young people to follow the fashion blindly without realizing that real life is quite different from the dreamy one that advertisements offer.
From what has been discussed above, we can see that young people are subject to the negative influences of advertisements. The time is right for us to restrict advertisements by eliminating their unhealthy parts and by reducing their appearance, say, in media channels designed for young people.
316

Traditonal Clothes

With the recent rapid economic development, the pace of life is becoming faster and faster. Consequently, few people nowadays like traditional clothes. On the other hand, there still people who consider traditional clothes an inalienable part of our cultural tradition, and suggest that appropriate measures be taken to promote the wearing of our traditional garments. In my view, whether to wear traditional clothes or not is not a very critical matter, and personal tastes should be respected.
As long as they keep us warm and comfortable, we have the right to choose whatever clothes we like. Clothing might be a part of our traditional culture, but we certainly need not be over-sensitive to new things. Compared with those old-fashioned ones, western-style clothes are more comfortable, and the material they use is more environmentally friendly. In some cases, modern clothes are even cheaper and more convenient to wear.
In addition, we needn’t directly associate clothes with our cultural heritage. China’s glorious civilization can be illustrated in many different ways, and some of them are vanishing. For example, in older times, the Spring Festival was always accompanied by the sound of firecrackers. But now, many cities have banned them in china. Tradition, including clothing, is changing.
On the other hand, it might be appropriate to wear traditional clothes on special occasions. In fact, they are now preferred by some people during Chinese festivals and ceremonies. As a consequence, certain types of traditional clothes have become populating recent years. Of course, this is also a matter of personal choice.
In a word, everybody has the right to choose his or her clothes. If you hate traditional clothes, just wear jeans, T-shirts, sweaters or suits; if you like traditional ones, go ahead.
312

school newcomers

It is not uncommon these days for high school or college freshmen to feel lonely on their first day at school. They get lost on campus, fail to catch sight of any familiar ace or have nobody to turn to for help. In my view, this increasingly common and serious phenomenon is an indication of the wide gap between these students’ unrealistic vision of school life and disappointing reality.
Some of the difficulties students encounter concern logistics. For example, they are puzzled as to the location of the students; cafeterias, where to register, or how they can retrieve information from the school library. To tackle these problems, a well- organized “orientation session” starting from the very first day would seem helpful. Students feel more at home if they have a detailed campus map, with every place they need to go marked on it.
More often, students’ sense of alienation arises from their own assumption of inadequacy as they face the new period of an independent life. This is natural enough after long years of childhood, when they were completely under their parents’ control. On their first day in the new environment, they are frustrated to find that what they aspired for --- “a brave new world” --- turns out to be a strange and alien one, and they are afraid that they may become even more disillusioned in the days to come.
Yet, with efforts from both the school and the students, the prospect of their gap being bridged is far from dim. Students should be encouraged and motivated to recognize the fact that they are now beginning to be responsible for them. To make this transitional period go smoothly, students should be given the opportunity to prepare themselves. Schools and colleges can invite prospective students for a brief campus tour before the new semester starts. Junior or senior students can be organized to share their own experiences of campus life with freshman. As a result, students will develop a confident feeling about themselves as capable people.
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