Allies

Definition:
Synonyms: associates, partners, followers
Sentences:
1. The US allies has been the difference against the war in the Middle East
2. The Virgin airlines associates and employees are threating with a strike
3. The law firm partners are complaining the lack of parking.

Downfall

Definition: something causing ruin, failure, etc
Synonyms: collapse, fail,
Sentences:

1. The downfall of the housing market affected the banking system.
2. The collapse of the housing market affected the banking system.
3. The faill of the housing market affected the banking system.

Mastermind

Definition: to plan and direct (a usually complex project or activity), esp. skillfully
Synonyms: Brain, architect, organizer
Sentences:
1. Mr. Smith was the mastermind of designing the car.
2. Sara is the brain of the criminal organization
3. Mr. Smith was the architect of designing the car.

Insurgents

Definition: a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, esp. a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.
Synonyms: rebellious, revolutionary, mutinous
Sentences:
1. Iraqi insurgents attacked the American Embassy on Iraq again
2. The United States is making as much as possible to stop the rebellious in the middle East
3. Iraqi mutinous attacked the American embassy on Iraq again

Health Care Reform

Every day after arriving to home I normally take a tea with my mother in law and talk with her about our activities during the day. Sometimes we also talk about the news. This week the news mostly covered the Health Care Reform, so on Tuesday we shared our opinions about it. She said she doesn’t know exactly how it will affect her, but she trusts in Barak Obama and thinks the reform will bring positive changes. I explained her some of the features I heard in the news about the Health Care Reform. Registration fees for Insurances will decrease making them more accessible for people. Additionally adolescents will have access to their parents’ Health Insurance until the age of 26. Also people with disabilities finally will be able to have a Health Insurance. Those were only 3 of the benefits I could remember that day. She agreed with me about the positivism of the Health Care bill.
The next day, Wednesday, we talked about the new demands against the company Toyota. New cases were reported, but the curious thing was that they occurred six or seven years ago. She has a Toyota car so she feels worried about it. She said she will take her car to the mechanic for a general check. Even though she never experienced problems with her car she prefers to prevent any problems.

Skeptical

Definition: inclined to skepticism; having doubt
Synonyms: unconvinced, incredulous, doubtful
Sentences:
1. I’m a skeptical person when it comes to believing in myths.
2. Sara feels unconvinced to have been passed the course.
3. People is doubtful whether the Health care reform is a good change

Similarities and differences between Bolivia and USA

Thesis Statement: There are many differences in the life style between USA and Bolivia
I. INTRODUCCION
A. Life style comparison in 3 main areas
i. Work (similarities and differences)
ii. Family (similarities and differences)
iii. Health (similarities and differences)
II. BODY
A. Work
i. Work daily schedule
1. Bolivia -> 8:00-12:00 14:00-18:00
2. USA ->8 :00-16:00 normally more than 16:00
ii. Work on weekends
1. Bolivia = USA -> if work demands it
B. Family
i. Time to spend with family during the week
1. Bolivia -> Parents can take lunch with their families and spend time with them every day due to short distances
2. USA -> Parents cannot return to home for lunch, only after work in the evening due to large distances
ii. Time to spend with family during weekends
1. Bolivia=USA -> they go out for lunch/dinner, plan different activities
2. EJ: Go to parks, museums, cinema, shopping, etc
C. Health
i. to make an appointment
1. Bolivia ->people schedules an appointment one or 2 days before
2. USA -> people schedules an appointment 1 to 3 months before
ii. Quality of the Service
1. Bolivia -> good quality service
2. USA ->better
III. CONCLUSION
A. Very contrastive differences
B. Work schedules are lighter in Bolivia
C. Distances are a key on making Family ties stronger
D. USA offers a better quality health service
E. I prefer to live in Bolivia

COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY

Lifestyle is a term to describe the way a person lives, which originally coined by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in 1929. Countries have different types of living styles, but also some countries have similarities on some particular behaviors. When I first came to the United States one month ago, I did not notice these particular behaviors. Then only a week later I started to perceive some of them, and at the same time I started to compare them to the ones in my native country, Bolivia. The list of similarities and differences is extensive, but I want to highlight three areas I found really interesting: work, family and health.
In Bolivia the daily schedule at work is pretty flexible as it is divided in two periods. The morning starts at 8:00 and ends by 12:00. In the afternoon work is resumed by 14:00 and goes until 18:00. This gives them enough time to go home and eat lunch there. In contrast, in the United States companies’ schedules start around 8:00 and last until 16:00, sometimes more. Employees have a break for lunch, but they usually bring their lunch and eat it in the cafeteria or buy something nearby. Although during weekends both Bolivian and American employees usually don’t work unless the company demands it.
Another interesting comparison is the amount of time parents spend with their families. While parents in Bolivia have lunch at home daily with their families because of the short distances, American parents do not have the chance to return home due to the large distances and the traffic on the roads which reduces the time spent daily with their family. However they recover part of that time during weekends as they plan activities for their family and friends, like going to the cinema, going to a park, to shopping or simply going out for lunch same as parents do in Bolivia. It is very common in most families in the United States that both the mother and the father are employed full time and have the need to leave their child in a daycare house until he or she get the adequate age to attend school. On the other hand most families in Bolivia prefer to raise their children at home even if that would require the mother to leave her job temporarily.
The last comparison that caught my attention was people common behaviors related to health. Unlike Americans, Bolivian people use to make medical appointments with one or two days of anticipation and they usually get an available space. Americans have to call with at least 2 months of anticipation. Also people in the United States have a strong believe on “having a health insurance is a fundamental need,” that’s why they spend a considerable amount of time looking for the right health coverage. In contrast, families in Bolivia think of having a health insurance as an unnecessary monthly payment. That is because their top priorities are food and home.
To sum up, work schedules are less tight in Bolivia than in the United States. Distances play an important role in how much time parents spend with the ones they love. Finally when it comes about health it’s important to plan ahead if you live in USA. Based on this comparison where would you prefer to live and raise your children? What kind of lifestyle fits better with you? As far as now my balance bend to Bolivia maybe I will change my mind with the time.

Writing Task 2

The issue of children doing paid work is a complex and sensitive one. It is difficult to say who has the right to judge whether children working is ‘wrong’ or ‘valuable’. Opinions will also differ as to ‘learning’ benefits: no doubt teachers and factory owners, for example, would have varying concerns.

An important consideration is the kind of work undertaken. Young children doing arduous and repetitive tasks on a factory production line, for example, are less likely to be ‘learning’ than older children helping in an old people’s home. There are health and safety issues to be considered as well. It is an unfortunate fact that many employers may prefer to use the services of children simply to save money by paying them less than adults and it is this type of exploitation that should be discouraged.

However, in many countries children work because their families need the additional income, no matter how small. This was certainly the case in the past in many industrialized countries, and it is very difficult to judge that it is wrong for children today to contribute to the family income in this way.

Nevertheless, in better economic circumstances, few parents would choose to send their children out to full-time paid work. If learning responsibilities and work experience are considered to be important, then children can acquire these by having light, part-time jobs or even doing tasks such as helping their parents around the family home, which are unpaid, but undoubtedly of value in children’s development. (257 words)

Notes

These Part 2 questions normally would fit into four paragraphs.

Note that this is just one example out of many possible approaches.