ESL 114 was a very interesting class with a wonderful teacher and pleasing students. It was a pleasure to be in this class both because of its good atmosphere and useful information. Attending this class was like a remedy against all those engineering classes that made me feel unwell or nauseous. Therefore, it was a very good idea to attend the class afternoon and recover from that bad condition. Without doubt I have to say that it was a very helpful class for me. During this semester I have learned many things like the correct use of the articles, construction of well-structured sentences, and finding appropriate information for the essay. And the right use of them has a crucial importance in writing a good essay.
The correct use of the articles is important because of the abundant use of them in an essay. The usage of articles was always a burden for me. Why English do have to use these articles? There are many other languages like Russian, Turkish, and Arabic that are perfect without using these articles. But still, I had to face it and learn how to use them both in my speech and in my essays. I have noticed that it is hard even for the Native Americans to explain the usage of a particular article. Since they use the articles intuitively since their birth they have never thought about this issue and probably never will, unless they are becoming an English teacher. But I wouldn’t say that it is impossible to learn the articles. Our teacher did her best to teach us the basic principles. Tutoring sessions with a teaching assistant was very helpful as well. And to say the truth, articles aren’t that bad at all. It is just a matter of time to get to know them well.
Well-structured sentences are very critical in writing a good essay. It is very important not to have fragments or run-on sentences while writing an essay. Because of the inappropriately constructed sentence a reader might not comprehend the right idea of the sentence. And I should say that I was little confused with the construction of sentences in the beginning. I had problems with fused sentences, also known as run-on sentences. This type of problem usually occurs when two or more independent sentences fused in one sentence without any punctuation marks. And I also had some problems with the usage of comma in separating dependent clauses. But after a while I was able to fully understand and use them in a grammatically correct way. That was not so hard as with the articles.
And the last, finding appropriate information for the essay is also very critical to support the ideas mentioned in an essay. It would be very hard to strengthen the points mentioned in the essay without good supporting details. These details can be summarized from the obtained information and used in a proper way whether to support or contradict the statement. I have begun browsing databases since the first day of the class and often used databases like Academic Search Premier, Lexis-Nexis Academic, etc. It was a little difficult to find proper information for the essay but after hours of research and help of the advisers I was finally able to handle it. One can find very interesting articles related to one’s topic and use them as a supporting example, fact, or statement.
To conclude, I really enjoyed the ESL 114 class. It was a really productive class. I have learned a lot of useful information. And this is the only class where the teacher cares about her students by entertaining sweet candies and tasty cookies to the students. I really did like this class. In this class the students should have felt themselves like being at home.

My home city

There are many eye-catching cities in my country. And one of them is my home city Semey. The town was founded in 1718 by merchants who built seven tents in an empty place. “Semipalatinsk” which in Russian language means “Seven tents” was the name for this place; afterward it was changed to “Semey”. Later, it became a big trade center, so this city has a great history. At the time when it was formed, the town was occupied mostly by intellectuals. Therefore, there are many museums, theaters and public libraries. And if I had a chance to be a representative of my city and present my city to a visitor, I would show everything I could.

First of all, I would take the visitor to our old gate, the entrance to the town, which was a part of the fortress in the past. The Gate was built in 1773 under the direction of an engineer-captain Andreev I.G. After 300 years the gate and the high-angle gun are the only things left in a modern city. The ball bullets, next to the gun, are packed together in the same position as it was 300 years ago. And I was always asking to myself “Did anyone ever shoot from this gun?” Well, I don’t think that it was simply to decorate the gates.

The next place which I would show to the visitor is our huge bridge. Since our town is divided by a wide river called “Irtish”, our modern construction joins together two separate lands. It was built in 2000 by Japanese IHI Corporation and Turkish Alarco Alsim company. It has the same design as The Golden Bridge in San Francisco, except the fact that our bridge is wider. In the one end of the bridge, there is an embankment which is always crowded with walking people. On the other end of the bridge, there is a big aqua-park which is always crowded with joyful children. Moreover, from this bridge, the island, where different types of animals collected from all over the world, could be seen. This beautiful sight is worth seeing.

Also the City History Museum would be very interesting to the visitor because he/she would be able to become familiar with a variety of traditional clothes, ceremonies and food. For example, "Nauryz" festival marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the new year. "Beshparmak" is a very popular dish which consists of boiled meat and small pieces of pastry. There is also a description of many traditional games, musical instruments, etc. And as a part of the tradition, it is obligatory to give the national clothing as a present for the guests, so the visitor would have a good memory about the visit and the city.

In conclusion, there are many captivating places in my town. If I had a chance to present my town for the visitor, I would need at least one year to show him/her all the engrossing sights.

The issue of the ownership rules and copyright rules

The purpose of almost all the comercial companies is to profit from the demand of consumers. Whereas, the purpose of the consumer is to have more for less money. To confront this issue, the ownership rules and copyright laws are made by the distributors who pursue their own interests. When the purpose of the consumer and distributor intersect the questions always arises: Do people have to pay if there is the way not to pay? Are the restriction laws only made for owners of the product to benefit from the consumers? But what is obvious is that the distributor should not play an import role in consumer-creator interaction. Until eliminating the distributor from the creator-consumer interaction, neither creator nor consumer would benefit from the product.

Distributors earn money from out of the blue; if to be concrete, they benefit from the authors talent and ability to create a product which would meet consumers’ demand. When a consumer buys a product, he pays, firstly, for the distributor but not for the true creator of the product. Pat Reynolds writes “In 1952 the publishers (Allen and Unwin) estimated the price for a single volume of The Lord of The Rings would be at least £3 10s”. If we assume that distributors, in our case publishers, gave fifty percent of all the profit to Tolkien we can figure out that he got half of the profit. If we also consider that Tolkien distributed the product by himself and got the same profit, it is obvious that the price for his book would cost twice less than the price established by the publishers. Therefore, if the distributor would be eliminated from the consumer-creator interaction, the products would be much cheaper and vast amount of profit would go into the pockets of authors rather than the distributors.

It may seem impossible for the authors to contribute their work without having distributors. Authors worried about unauthorized publications of their books. In the article entitled “My Word”, Susan Blum says “Booksellers worried about pirates; authors worried about unauthorized publications of their books.” She also brings up the question about “Did the copyright laws protect authors or booksellers?” Blum points out that “those seeking to extend the copyright were booksellers rather than authors.” Hence, it is obvious that copyright is protecting the interests of booksellers rather than the authors' because most of the profit from selling the intellectual work of an author goes into pockets of booksellers. However, with the rapid growth of the internet, authors are able to distribute their works without participation of booksellers. Moreover, authors may apply copyright laws to the electronic versions of the material posted on the internet. This copyright would protect only authors rather than distributors, and the intellectual labor of an author would cost less than the price posted by booksellers.

Finally, by eliminating the distributors from the creator—consumer interaction, both creators and consumers will profit. The purpose of the distributor would not intersect with the purpose of the consumer which would not allow consumers to worry about the restriction laws.

Abortion

Opinion: In my opinion, abortion should be permitted case by case.
Support 1: financial problems/uncertainty
Support 2: risk to health both mom and baby
Support 3: social criticism/pressure

Dogs and cats as pets

Many people in the world have pets. Some people prefer to have dogs and some prefer to have cats. Some people have both dogs and cats. But dogs and cats are very different pets.

First of all, dogs are very messy. One has to clean up animal hair or accidents they have whereas cats are very tidy and don't need any care. When one keeps a dog in a house, there is also a smell in the apartment. Dogs are very dirty and nuisance. But cats are very neat and don’t mess a lot.

Secondly, dogs require much attention. One has to be always around either to walk the dog or simply feed it. Also, one is responsible for the safety of all the people while walking with a dog in the street. But cats are very domestic pets and don’t need to go outside. In comparison with dogs, cats are very smart and don’t represent a danger to humans.

Finally, dogs are very expensive to keep. One should pay much money for visits to the veterinarian. And since dogs are bigger than cats, one should also buy more pet food and supplies for the dog. However, cats are smaller and don’t need to eat as much as dogs do.

To conclude, both cats and dogs can keep a great company. But, in my opinion, having a cat seems to be the right choice.

The right to die

Thesis statement:
Although many people feel that doctors must do everything possible to keep their patient alive, I believe that euthanasia should be legal for thee reasons.

1st topic sentence:
The first and most important reason to support euthanasia is that some patients who have no chance to recover do not wish to be kept alive on machines.
Supporting details:
A well-known example in the United States is the case of Terri Schiavo, a young woman who went into a coma in 1990.

2nd topic sentence:
A second reason to support euthanasia is that medical costs in the United States are very high.
Supporting details:
According to an administrator at a local hospital, daily hospital room charges average $5000 there.
Supporting details:
Nursing home care is also expensive. A nursing home in our area charges $4500 per month.

3rd topic sentence:
The final reason to support legalizing euthanasia is that the family suffers.
Supporting details:
For instance, a cousin of mine who had been in a motorcycle accident was kept on life-support machines for eight years.

Living in a Big city and in a countryside

Thesis statement:

Living in a big city or in a countryside differs in many ways.

There is a fresh air in the countryside whereas the air is polluted in big cities.
It is much safer to live in the countryside whereas it is very dangerous to live in a big city.
However, in a big city one can earn more money than in the countryside.
Additionally, living in a big city allows one to be up-to-date or socially and technically developed.

Compare and contrast

Both of the clocks look quite similar, but the numbers on the clock are different. Even though Salvador Dali's clock seems to fly away, the picture on the left seems like melting. The clock on the right picture is on the box, yet the one on the left rests on a tree. Overall, both of them are good pictures.

Nuclear leaks and meltdowns

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth”. I agree with him and I am really glad that this statement is happen to be rue. One of the most dangerous pollutions is nuclear meltdowns. Over the years, nuclear leaks have become an increasingly dangerous problem with damaging effects on earth, animals, and humans.

The most significant effect done by nuclear leaks is earth pollution. According to Nuclear Energy Agency (2002), the Chernobyl disaster initiated the release of enormous amounts of radiation into the atmosphere in the form of both particle and gaseous radioisotopes, and is the most dangerous aimless release of radiation into the environment to date. Settled on trees, these radioactive particles killed a large swath of pine forest. It was named the Red Forest. The dead pines were bulldozed and buried.

Nuclear leaks, due to their radioactivity, have a harmful effect on animals too. Mycio, Mary (2005) showed in her work that the area of Chernobyl disaster had physical deformities in the plant and animal populations. This abnormality is the negative effect of radioactive meltdown that triggers irreversible consequences. Matter fact that radioactivity can alter genetic material of all the living things for thousands of years.

Also pollution of this source can be deadly for the humans. According to the American Nuclear Society (2008), using the official radiation emission figures and I quote, "The average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the Three miles island plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation received by US residents in a year." However, these low emission figures oppose to the early scientific publications on the health effects and cancer deaths in the 10-mile area around Three Miles Island. Even a small dose of radiation can kill a lot
people.

To conclude, nuclear leaks and meltdowns have very bad consequences

What are the actual and potential consequences of nuclear leaks and meltdowns?

Thesis statement:
Over the years, nuclear leaks have become an increasingly dangerous problem with damaging effects on earth, animals, and humans.

1st topic sentence:
The most significant effect done by nuclear leaks is earth pollution.
- The Chernobyl disaster triggered the release of substantial amounts of radiation into the atmosphere in the form of both particle and gaseous radioisotopes, and is the most significant unintentional release of radiation into the environment to date.
- A large swath of pine forest killed by acute radiation was named the Red Forest. The dead pines were bulldozed and buried.

2nd topic sentence:
Nuclear leaks, due to their radioactivity, have a harmful effect on animals.
- Information regarding physical deformities in the plant and animal populations in the areas affected by radioactive fallout require capture and DNA testing of individuals to determine if abnormalities are the result of natural mutation, radiation poisoning, or exposure to other contaminants in the environment such as pesticides, industrial waste, or agricultural run-off.

3rd topic sentence:
Pollution of this source can be deadly for the humans.
- According to the American Nuclear Society, using the official radiation emission figures, "The average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the Three miles island plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation received by US residents in a year."
- It can alter genetic material of all the living things for thousands of years.

Effects of acid rain

Acid rain is rain that is naturally acidic and has a pH level scale less than 7. Acid rain usually results from elevated levels of sulfuric and nitric acids in air pollution that are formed when gases, like sulfur and nitrogen oxides, dissolve in the water. Over the years, acid rain has become an increasingly dangerous problem with damaging effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure.

Both natural vegetation and crops are affected by acid rain. Damaged and stunted by acidic rainfall, roots are vulnerable to diseases, which cause the death of the plants. Nutrients in the soil are also destroyed by the acidity of the rain. Useful micro organisms which release nutrients from decaying organic matter into the soil are killed off, resulting in less nutrients being available for the plants. Even if the plant survives, it will be very weak and unable to survive climatic conditions like strong winds, heavy rainfall, or a short dry period. For example, acid rain has been implicated in forest and soil degradation in many areas of the eastern U.S., particularly high elevated forests of the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia that include areas such as the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks.

By coming into contact with exhaust gases, acid rain makes a great impact on aquatic animals. Acidic rain drops fall to the ground including the rivers, lakes, and oceans. By changing the acidity of water, acid rain causes decrease of inhabitants’ number in these fresh water bodies. As lakes and streams become more acidic, the amount of fish, aquatic plants and animals that live in these waters decrease. Acidity of water is very important. Although some plants and animals can survive acidic waters, others are acid-sensitive and will die as the pH declines. The change in food chain affects the entire ecosystem. For instance, in New York's Adirondack region, the diversity of life in these acidic waters has been greatly reduced. Fish population has disappeared and loons and otters have moved to other lakes where they can find food. In Canada, over 14,000 lakes have been acidified to the point where they have lost significant amounts of fish.

Acid rain effects can easily be seen on infrastructure. Rapidly, buildings begin to deteriorate after withstanding thousands of years. In spite of the reduction in emissions there is no clear evidence that cleaner air has brought about a reduction in building degradation. This destruction can be explained by the reaction which takes place on the stone surfaces. It is called sulphation. A process where the exposed surface of limestone dissolves away as rainfall washes away the sulphated layers. This result is commonly seen on old gravestones where the acid rain can cause the inscription to become completely illegible.

To conclude, acid rain is a problem that has a harmful effect on almost every thing due to it's acidity. The governments all over the world are trying to come up with a solution. Some already have acted by enacting new laws, some have limited the fuel use, and made power companies clean their facilities and clean their toxins they were putting out.

Thinkin

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What pollutants do you think do the most damage and why?

The issue at the hand is what kind of pollutants do the most damage to our planet. It was and it is still one of the most popular topics to be discussed in the past few decades. What does a pollutant mean? A pollutant is simply a waste. As a human being makes progress in development, the amount of the pollutants produced by him tends to increase. Although there are many pollutants on this planet, I am going to bring only three most dangerous examples of pollutants to which, in my opinion, should be paid more attention. They are freons, heavy metals, and carbon oxides.

Freon, an organic compound which was widely used in the manufacture until 1989. Refrigerator, is one of the well-known products where freon was used. And it was also used in military aircrafts, extinguishers, etc. But the interesting thing about this compound is that it almost never decomposes. And once this compound was created or produced there is no way back. One might still wonder how does this compound effect our lifes. And the answer for that is freons deplete ozone layears. These ozone layers protect living things, including humans, from the solar radiation. Otherwise, there would be no life on the Earth. Fortunately, the use and production of this compound was prohibited by Montreal Protocol in 1989. And this is how responded Kofi Annan for the signed convention, and I quote: “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date has been the Montreal Protocol”.

The next dangerous pollutant is a heavy metal and nowadays they can be found everywhere due to the development of industry. Every developed country tries to use this part of industry as an advantage in economic sustainability. Heavy metals can be used in the gold production, in nuclear power plants, etc. Although heavy metals are part of the planet, the inappropriate use of these elements in the industry can cause many disasters. There are many notorious cases like Chernobyl disaster, Three mile island disaster, etc. Not only it poisons birds and other wildlife in the area, but also it can alter genetic material of all the living things for thousands of years. Pollution of this source can be deadly and have really bad consequences.

The last and most dangerous pollutant is carbon oxide. A human produces carbon dioxide while breathing. And many scientists proved that global warming occured exactly due to the increase of the carbon oxides in the atmosphere. The decrease of snow level, the rise of sea level and temperature are all undesired effects of global warming, or also known as “Greenhouse effect”. To put it differently, “Greenhouse effect” is the increase of the temperature due to the presence of gases that absorb and emit infrared radiation in the atmosphere. And carbon oxide is one of these gases that play a big role because all the organic compounds like gasoline, kerosene, and even coal produce carbon oxide when they are burned. And nature, that tends to balance everything on the planet, can not convert these produced big amount of gases back to oxygen. As an output, the temperature increases and ice tends to melt. This means that our world can end up flooded under the water.

To sum up, there many pollutants that do damage to our planet and also to our life. But the progress in industry and technology makes these three polltants, that I mentioned, the most crucial and dangerous pollutants in 21th century. This topic is very important because every mistake made today will have bad consequences tommorow. And I assume that a human being is the only one who is responsible for preventing those undesired results to happen.

Bek

Introduce

Hey everyone!!!
My name name is Bek...
I am a first year student at the University of Illinois...
My major is Industrial engineering, which I think is quite fun...
I really enjoy this class as I assume everyone in here...
So, if you have any questions about me, please feel free to write me...
Good lucks!

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