Smoking

A speech of “The Disadvantages of smoking and Tips to stop Smoking.”

Good morning to all teachers and my fellow friends.

In conjunction with the nationwide anti-smoking campaign, I, as the Head Prefect, would like to give a speech on the topic “The Disadvantages of smoking and Tips to stop Smoking.”

It seems today that most of the youngsters including some of us here think that smoking is something common and that it is something that we do not have to worry about. In fact, there are among us here today who smoke without thinking that their actions actually violate the school regulations and they are actually causing harm to their health.

Allow me to highlight the fact that smoking actually brings so many disadvantages. Firstly, smoking can cause health hazard and can lead to diseases like lung cancer and heart problems. You surely do not want to end your life like that. Besides, it is a waste of money. Students tend to use their pocket money to buy cigarettes. Furthermore, when they start smoking, they tend to lack concentration in their studies.

Here, I would like to share with all of you some tips on how to stop smoking. The first strategy on how students can effectively stop smoking is by channeling their energy to studies. You should also be in the company of non-smokers as to avoid yourself from being influenced by those who smoke.

“Health is Wealth”, so, train yourself to do regular exercises such as jogging and swimming. Besides improving your health, it can also help you to forget smoking. Next, get involved in voluntary work. This voluntary service will occupy your time and you will find yourself being further away from smoking.

The last tip that I can share with you is to talk and discuss with ex-smokers on how to kick the bad habit. These people will definitely be the best example to tell you that demerits of smoking.

That is all for the time being and I sincerely hope you have gained something from my speech.

Thank you.

Vocabulary for Disasters

A storm
bad weather
damage to property
flooded low-dying areas
heavy downpour
heavy rain
howling wind
lightning flashed across the sky
power breakdown
raining cats and dogs
roads impassable to traffic
roofs ripped off
rumbling thunder
thunderstorm
traffic congestion
uprooted trees.

A fire
burnt
chaotic
choking
crackling sounds
fire brigade
fire-engine
fire-fighters
flames
pandemonium
panic
panic-stricken
siren
smoke
suffocating
terrifying

A Flood
boats
drown
evacuation centres
gushing waters
rainy season
reaching dangerous levels
relief centres
relief workers
rising rapidly
stalled cars
strong currents
swift-flowing
wading
weather report

An Accident
ambulance
badly injured
bang
collide
dent
first aid
fractures legs/arms
hospital
injuries
knocked down
screeching brakes
seriously wounded
shattered glass
unhurt

Vocabulary for an outings

Trip/Journey

enjoyable
hazardous
highway
luggage
nerve-wrecking
picturesque
pleasant
relaxing
reservations
road
scenery
steep gradient
tiring
unpleasant
winding


Camping
activities
adventures
camp-fire
cooking utensil
exciting
food
firewood
guitar
knapsacks
nearby stream
pitch
songs
tents
unforgettable
water

How you spent your last holiday

During my last school holidays, I spent a few days at my cousin’s house at Morib, a well-known sea resort. I shall never forget that visit.

On the day I arrived at Morib, my cousin told me that he would do to make my stay there a very interesting one. He said that he would make a raft to use it in the sea. Then he would buy fishing net to catch some fish in the shallow water near the coast. When I heard all this, I was very delighted because it was one of the reasons that I had decided to visit my cousin. We then walked up to the beach which is near his house.

While we were there, sometime in the evening, the sea looked extremely beautiful. I saw the islands and hills in the distance, the birds in the air, and a few boys and girls playing on the beach. I also saw some fishermen coming out of the water with their catch. All this was indeed very interesting to look at.

On the next day, my cousin and I collected some tree trunks from the forest nearby. As my cousin’s house is close to the sea, we decided to make the raft on the beach itself. It took us almost the whole morning to make the raft. We then had our lunch and went to Banting, the nearest town, to buy fishing net. After that we returned to my cousin’s house.

In the evening we put the raft on the sea. The water was still high, but the raft floated quite well. My cousin and I sat on it and began to row it by using the oars that we had made ourselves. We felt very happy indeed and continued to row it. We remained on it for a long time, but as it was already getting dark we did not go far. We returned to the shore and tied the raft to a tree.

On the next day, we went out to catch some crabs and fish. We used the net that we had bought and caught a lot of fish. Then, we had our lunch and went out again on the raft. We continued to row it as far as we could. It was really a pleasure to be away from the shore. The sea was calm and we could row with ease. My cousin told me many interesting things about Morib. We then returned to the shore.

In this way, I spent my holidays happily at Morib, a place I shall never forget.

Why should we have good manners?

Good manners are important to live happily among people. Without good manners we are only slightly better than animals.

The modern society consists of more people than it did in the past. These people are of various cultural, racial, religious and professional backgrounds. It therefore requires great powers of endurance and abilities of mixing with people. Good manners enable one to tolerate the disagreeable attitudes of others to a great extent. They also help to promote friendship among the people around.

If one has good manners, that person is respected by those who associate with him or her. Having good manners, however, does not mean that being polite, understanding, and sympathetic when not only outside but also inside his or her home. There are many people who are very kind and polite to people outside their homes, but within their own homes they are worse than the devil himself. Such people do not really have good manners.

Having good manners means being good to others. Our speech and habits as well as our behavior should not hurt the feelings of others or cause them any inconvenience. We should not also talk ill about others or boast about our achievements or personal possessions. We must not laugh at the weaknesses and failures of others. Further, if we are angry we must try to use words in such a way that others are not offended.

If we have all these qualities, we will have more friends and well-wishers. We will also have less trouble from others, and those who associate with us will also learn how to behave well. In this way, our good manners will help to spread better understanding and good-will among others. Thus, we can live a happier life. It is for all these reasons that we should have good manners.

"Money is the root of all evil".

Money is the instrument of exchange, helping in buying and selling and also in fixing a value on things and commodities. It may be in metal or in paper. With the market getting more and more complicated, there are other negotiable instruments which are as good as the minted coins or the printed notes. Money gives purchasing power but this power is not absolute as it is on various factors. In such a case it is termed currency and according to their purchasing power they are termed hard, soft and weak. Though coins and notes are issued by the Government of the country, there is a limit to their minting.

Let us see why money is needed. It is simply because it helps the processor to buy things. The days of battering are gone though it is indirectly resorted to at international level. Money is helpful as a standard of price. Money helps the owner to have power not only in buying things but also in influencing many human activities. Money is used for good things such as using it to build a temple, a church or a museum. Great educational institutions can be built. Students can be helped by providing them with scholarships in furthering their studies. The Nobel Prize would not have been there but for the huge sum of money earned by Alfred Nobel.

Money can buy men as it does things. Thus money plays an important role in fighting and winning elections. Money mars men’s and women’s morals. It is the evil influence in corrupting people. “Sell out” is the new term used for bribery.

There are people who could do anything for the sake of money. Moneyed people can buy many things which the poor cannot do.

With the power of money, individuals as well as states can dictate terms. The Middle East countries have found new wealth because of their oil deposits and they have become a very powerful group.

This kind of power should not go to one’s head. One should remember that the money coming into him was by chance. He must not use it for evil purposes. But wherever there is evil there is usually money involved. Other motivating forces for evil action are jealousy, vengeance, hatred and so on.

Money is normally the fruit of labour. The question is how one spends that money. Great thinkers have suggested that one who has money enough and enough to spare must look upon himself as the trustee of the money and see to it that it is spent in a wise and useful way. There is nothing good or evil about money. It depends on how one puts it to. The same money which could help bring relief to the suffering million can be used to build up armaments. The hope of getting money spurs one into action. The power decides how to spend the money. Money can be used morally or immorally. A morally strong man may not use money in evil ways and vice versa.

An interesting story I have heard

An interesting story that I have heard is about a deserted house in a remote village somewhere in India.

The house had not been occupied for several years after the death of its owner. For some reason no one liked or cared for the owner. Therefore, when he died, he was not buried. His death remained in his bed until it was reduced to its skeleton.

One evening a traveler was passing by this house when it suddenly began to rain heavily. Looking for shelter, he ran into this house, where, to his surprise and terror, he saw a human skeleton. But the rain had not stopped and it was rapidly growing dark. He has therefore no choice but to sit there, in the hope that somebody like him might come in to keep him company. But no one came. It was now too dark to see anything outside. He therefore decided to spend the night in that dark and lonely house.

The rain continued to fall unabated. The wind was strong and there was much lighting. The traveler lay on the floor but he could not sleep with the skeleton inside the house. After several hours, there was a sudden very cold crawling over his body. He was now too frightened to move. After a while, he heard another strange cry. Just at that moment, a lightning flashed across the sky when he saw a large animal jump out of the house through a window which had been open. He now began to pray for his safety.

While he was in this position, some robbers happened to take shelter in the verandah of the house. They began to talk and laugh loudly. Hearing the voices, the traveler began to ask some questions from inside to make sure that there were some people outside. But the robbers were now frightened. They thought that it was the voice of ghost. They ran away as fast as they could.

When morning came, the traveler rushed out of the house and never returned to that part of the country.