Essay - In some countries, an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food. It is therefore necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this opinion.

In some countries, an increasing number of people are suffering from health problems as a result of eating too much fast food. It is therefore necessary for governments to impose a higher tax on this kind of food. To what extend do you agree or disagree with this opinion.      

Nowadays, there is a high proportion of people consuming fast food around the globe. This has caused some severe health problems to these people. Everyone loves fast food because it is delicious. In addition, people can save the time to prepare food to their children especially the parents who are workaholic. They ignore the bad effects of the fast food such as obesity. Therefore, I agree that governments shall impose tax on fast food to some extent.

First of all, I think a higher tax shall be imposed on fast food because the health of the citizens is important to the development of the country. For instance, if a person has his daily meals with the consumption of fast food, he is likely to face the problem of obesity after a period of time. Besides, high blood pressure and high cholesterol will be followed. With the health problems suffered, he is likely to be the worker with the lowest productivity. This will affect the economy of the country as a result.

Secondly, the reason why a higher tax shall be imposed on the fast food is because it can remove the choice of people when making a choice as to what type of food to consume. It is undeniably that people choose to eat fast food as it is cheaper and it can be prepared within minutes. With a higher tax imposed, people will not choose fast food as the cost of consuming fast food will become a burden to their expenditures. Consequently, people will prefer home-cooked food which is much healthier and cheaper.

Many people make the assumption that imposing a higher tax on fast food will not reduce the number of people who suffer health problems. They argue that the advertisements of fast food broadcasted on multimedia such as television could be a reason for people to consume fast food. As fast food advertisements often broadcasted during dinner time, children are attracted to the images of the fried chicken. The result of this is children will ask their parents to bring them to fast food restaurants and enjoy the meals at there. This explains why children face health issues at a younger age. Therefore, I suggest governments can limit the time of fast food advertisements broadcasted on television. The advertisements should be broadcasted during the midnight instead of the dinner time.

In conclusion, I agree that with the higher taxes imposed on fast food, the number of people consuming fast food will decrease significantly and thereby the health problems faced by the people will decrease as a result. However, to solve the problem effectively, government should take action by changing the time of advertisement broadcasted on television. It is undoubted that fast food advertisements portray the fast food during dinner time can affect people in making decision as to what to eat especially when they are hungry.

Nowadays, it is doubtless that food-related illnesses are increasing in our modern society. Furthermore, the issue regarding the impact that eating junk food could have on our health is widely debated. As far as governments’ decisions about taxing fast-food consumers in concerned, I believe that they should find another strategy in order to promote a healthier way of eating.

Firstly, governments should not impose extra taxes on eating habits. Every human being is basically free to act as he or she likes, our behavior should be dictated by some moral and ethical principles, rather than by the fear of a fee. For instance, every patient can refuse a therapy, even if he is in a life-threatening condition, if he thinks that it is better for himself. In the same way, everyone should be left free to eat whatever they want, even if it causes some sort of disease. Governments should, therefore, improve awareness campaigns to prevent food-related diseases, in order to sensitize the citizens towards the harmful behaviors, rather than simply add a tax to the food people buy.

Furthermore, another alternative to the imposition of new taxes, could be an improvement of citizens’ knowledge about nutrition. By giving people the right information about a proper dietary intake, governments could benefit from minor costs in terms of healthcare. For example, in my opinion, nutrition and health courses should be implemented and organized in every school, from the lowest grade of education, up to the highest ones. Thus, in the future, we would witness an increasing self-consciousness about diet-related diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular accidents.----- In conclusion, I strongly disagree with the given opinion, because I believe that governments should pursue other strategies in order to face these problems. Only by increasing the knowledge about the risks of harmful eating behavior, and from a widespread information about the rules of a healthy lifestyle, it is possible to fight against these medical conditions. In this specific case, prevention in the key.

 Contributed by Ratna Parmar

TARGET 9 BAND

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TRAIN YOUR MEMORY TO ATTAIN HIGHER SCORE IN ALL COMPETITIVE EXAM IETS PTE

 

      `Train your memory

 

Tips on how to enhance your power of brain.

 

• Link your ideas or facts with a story to memorize. A particular memory, its time and emotions are strongly connected to each other. If you try you will be able to recollect the time and emotions related to that memory and vice versa for emotion and time. During exams you tend to get nervous and forget even some of the well-prepared answers. But as soon as you come back home, enter your study room and see the tables and books you recollect the answers. So during exams if you fail to remember any answer, just try to recollect its memorizing time and place of memorizing it. You will recall the answer correctly.
• Say No to your worries. The biggest enemy of concentration is worry. Remember it takes lot of efforts to get worried. You make frowns on your forehead. Your eyes see downward. You don’t talk to anyone looking straight into their eyes, because those who are sad find that the world is declining or ending. Your breathing pattern changes. Those who want to be sad have to take shallow breath. Your voice tonality changes. Your body language becomes dull. You will always remain in a leaning position. Most importantly your mind will always visualize the worst thing that can happen to you. You repeatedly tell yourself and others in a sad tone about that (bad) fate of yours.

Now choice is yours. If you want to concentrate you have to change everything vice versa right from your mind to your body language, eyes, tone of your voice, breathing patterns (take long deep breaths) and smile. Whenever something bothers you just change your thinking pattern. Think about some happy moment or event and give a 180 degree turn to your physiology.

·         Fruits are the perfect food for the brain. They take least amount of energy to digest and provide you with maximum energy in return.

·         Drink lots of water

·         Have an hour’s sleep in afternoon. This will refresh you

·         Visualize your goal everyday specially when you wakeup and before going to sleep.

·         No procrastination. Make a list of the tasks to be completed in the morning and before going to sleep check whether they are completed or not.

·         Keep your all senses (sight, hearing, smell, and feeling) receptive. It is from the senses that every information is transmitted to your brain. This as a result will enhance your power of observation.

·         Apply the principal of pain and pleasure. Everything we do is in order to avoid pain or gain pleasure. Here is a powerful strategy that will empower you to take conscious control of your mind. You’ve got to do it deliberately; otherwise, you’re going to be at the mercy of whatever happens around you. Visualize enormous pain for your old habits which you want to change and link tremendous pleasure to the new habit which you want to form.

·         Revision-without revision it is futile to recall whatever you have remembered. Suppose you take 2 hours to memorize a particular topic. The 1^st revision should be done by the end of 24 hrs. Then at the end of 7days. This will help you to retain it for a longer period. While you are studying for longer hours, say 7-10 hrs a day, then a break of 10 minutes after every 50 minutes is suggested in order to retain whatever you study.

·         Use both sides of your brain-Medical science says that the left side of the brain deals with logic, language, numbers and sequence, while the right side is connected with visualization, color, imagination, color, and awareness. However both hemispheres of brain can undertake all kind of activities. You should never say that you do not have the capacity to imagine or weak in a certain subject. In fact, the logical answer is that you have not developed an interest in that particular subject. All you have to do to improve is to use both sides of the brain.

 

 

One of these days is none of these days; today is the day to start the big job.

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THE ART OF LISTENING. ESSENTIAL ELEMEMTS TO LISTENING SKILLS IN IETS AND PTE

 

The Art of Listening

 

CHOOSE TO LISTEN

Three common barriers to effective listening are:

 

1). Stress

2). “Me” Syndrome

3). Brain Speed.

 

LISTEN ACTIVELY

 

Use door openers and tie downs.

To go through the open door and achieve deeper understanding you must provide your conversational partner with feedback. Ask for clarification or repeat in your own words what you heard to verify whether your interpretation is the same meaning intended by the sender. Feedback of this kind does not add your evaluations or opinions to the conversation. But it does, with uncanny consistency, encourage your conversational partner to continue, to get to the “heart” of  what he feels; and it greatly increases the chance of mutual understanding.

 

Listen for ideas and feelings

The good listener is not afraid to listen for ideas and feelings. (The real threat occurs when we fail to listen deeply). Although, negative ideas and feelings may tend to provoke a negative response in you- especially when they are directed against you- you can set your mind on the following principles and determine to enhance the possibility of listening enrichment:

1. As a listener, you can refuse to evaluate or judge the speaker. You can simply, genuinely listen.
2. When you feel you are being judged, you might tell your partner, “I don’t want to judge you, nor do I expect to be judged. If our conversations can proceed on that basis I will listen intently.
3. Aim for understanding and co operation and not manipulation and control.
4. Don’t be afraid of deep feelings because it can be said in fit of anger or frustration. In most cases the release of deep feeling is true representation of ones self.

 

 

 

LISTEN WITH THE HEART’S ‘EAR’

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEARING AND LISTENING

 

Hearing refers to physiological process by which auditory impressions are received by the ear and transmitted to the brain. On the other hand listening refers to an even more complex physiological process involving interpreting and understanding the significance of sensory experience. A baby’s cry, the roar of the ocean, an inspiring speech, the music of great symphony- and other sounds produced within us feeling, thoughts, and actions that an immeasurably enrich our lives.

When a person listens to his partner he actually leans towards him and be inclined mentally and emotionally to understand his partner’s point of view.

Two qualities necessary for listening with the heart’s ear are:

 

1. EMPTHY- The projection of ones own personality into the personality of the other in order to understand him better. It is walking through experiences in the other person’s shoes; it is trying to see the world through his eyes.

 

2. ACCEPTANCE of your conversational partner as he or she is. There is great difference between thinking that a person’s actions have resulted in failure and thinking that the person is a failure. If we can maintain an attidude of acceptance towards the person even when we dislike his actions, we will be psychologically much more ready to listen.

 

LISTEN TO YOURSELF

 

If one does not take the time to know his own mind, to explore his inner most feelings, to understand his own dreams and ambitions, he is not likely to do so with anyone else. When you listen carefully to yourself you realize how you come across other people. Record your voice and play it and you will find out how different your tone of the voice is. By listening to yourself you will come to know which areas of personality needs change.

 

KNOW WHEN TO KEEP SILENT

 

Silence communicates, but the messages vary. The silence of retreat is the sulking attitude which says, “I don’t need to talk to you. I will just think my own thoughts and isolate myself from you.” The silence of anger is the attempt to get even, to lash out by keeping thoughts within, to refuse to give one, the pleasure of company. Then there is a silence of awkwardness which almost shouts, “Help! Let me out of there! I don’t know what to say! Somebody say something!” There is also the silence of support . Without saying a word the silence of support says “I want to take the time to hear you without interrupting you. I want to know how you feel about yourself, your failures, your accomplishments, your future plans.” Your supportive silence can help a friend in a crisis. It is a supportive silence that has the power to help and heal.

 

 CONTRIBUTED BY RATNA PARMAR

TARGET 9 BAND 9034007002