83 PR Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why?

Should children play more or study more? The question is what will be better for the child. There are benefits to both activities, but the answer depends on the details of the situation.

There are many things that could affect the outcome of the argument. What kind of a school is it? It could be a school where children sit at their desks all day long memorizing dates and facts. Or it could be a school where the teacher helps the children learn what they want to learn. I think the second kind is a lot better for a child than the first kind.

Similarly, what kind of play are we talking about? The child could be alone all day long watching television, which could make him or her bored and lonely. Or the child could be involved in group activities with neighborhood children of the same age, which could help him or her learn how to get along with others.

I think both study and play are valuable, so I would prefer to send my child to a school where there is a combination. I think a variety of activities makes learning easier for anyone at any age.

84 PR The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people think that your community would be a good place to locate the university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new university in your community. Use specific details in your discussion.

The first advantage of having a new university built in my community would be the jobs it would bring to the community. Initially, the jobs would be those connected with the actual building of the university structures, such as brick layers and carpenters. Once the building were completed, the jobs would be those on the campus itself. Those would include teachers, office workers, custodians, and librarians.

Not all of the people the university hired would already be members of the community, so that would mean a lot of new people coming to town. Of course, a lot of students would come too. Two advantages of new people in town would be more taxpayers and a more diverse population. With more people paying taxes, there would be more money for schools, libraries and other community needs. With a more diverse population, there would be new stores, new restaurants (to serve different tastes) and new cultural influences.

Of course, there would also be disadvantages. More people living in the community could mean more houses being built. There would be more traffic on the streets, with the combination of new residents and students who bring their cars. Plus, more people would mean more public services would be needed. These services could include everything from trash collection to more schools to hold all the children of the new residents. New services might mean local taxes would have to go up, even though there would be more taxpayers.

Another disadvantage is that the personality of our community would change. It would go from being a place where everybody knows everybody else to a place where a lot of people are strangers. It would become a place with a lot of short-term residents, like the university students, who might not care as much about the town.

Communities always change over time, though, and overall I like the atmosphere of a “college town.” A new university would bring a lot of challenges, but I think it would be worth it.

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