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Sunday, 2 May 2010

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Importance of learning English

English is an international language. There are over 750 million people speaking English around the world. A person who knows English well can communicate with foreigners easily. It helps us to learn about foreign countries too.

Most books on different subjects are published in English. We can read them if we have learnt the English language well. This makes us more educated.

If I have to travel to a foreign country for my studies in the future and if I know English well it would be easier for me to develop my knowledge with a proper understanding and obtain good results.

English is also an interesting subject, especially because the phonetic sounds are different to those in our own languages. There are twenty six letters which are called the 'alphabet'. All the words of the English language are presented through these letters.

I like the English language and hope to learn it well in the future.


A country I would like to visit

A country I would like to visit is England. The capital of England is London which is the biggest city in the country. England belongs to the European group of countries.

There are many wonderful and interesting places in England such as Buckingham Palace, Kew Garden, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, London Aquarium, London Eye and Old Kent.

The Queen of England is Queen Elizabeth. When the flag is hoisted outside Buckingham Palace we know that the Queen is inside the palace.

I have heard that when a ship passes through the River Thames, the bridge opens and closes. We can go on a boat ride in the River Thames.

The biggest clock tower in London is called the Big Ben. The world's busiest airport is the Heathrow Airport in England. The tallest building in England is the Canary Warf.

Greenery which is called the green belt is maintained around England.

The historical Museum in England is also an exciting place. We can see real skeletons of dinosaurs and mammals.

England experiences the four seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. We can travel by underground trains called the "tube" which travel very fast. Apple trees grow well in England.

Many people visit England to do their higher studies and for employment. Many foreigners visit England because of its historical places. England is a developed country.

England's finest export is the English language.

I wish I could visit England and hope my dream comes true one day.


Autobiography of a pen

I am a fountain pen. I was born in China in a pen factory. I came to Sri Lanka with many of my friends. We were taken to a shop where we were put on display.

As the days passed, many of my friends were taken away by little boys and girls who came to the shop. One day a girl named Rosy came into the shop and bought me.

She was very pleased with me and showed me to everyone. I was treated in a very kind and gentle manner. After she started using me she was praised for her neat, even and beautiful hand writing. Everyday she used me often because she always wanted to write using only me. She also shared me with her friends.

One day her brother took me to school without her knowledge. There I was illtreated. Her brother was not as gentle and kind as Rosy. He scribbled on paper using me, he bit me and worse, he broke my lid. I was very sad, angry and ashamed of my appearance.

As soon as Rosy's brother, Tim went home, he quietly slipped into Rosy's room and kept me on her table and then went away. Rosy knew who had ruined me and scolded Tim severely.

The next day Tim crept back into Rosy's room and broke me. Rosy saw it; she scolded Tim and started crying bitterly. Rosy's mother comforted her and gave her a brand new pen. Then to my horror, she put me into the bin. And now, here I am in the dustbin!


No water, no life

"Can you live without water?' The answer is "No". Water is very valuable to us. Water has many uses. It is used for drinking, cooking, washing clothes, generating electricity, agricultural activities and personal hygiene.

There is so much water in the seas around the world, but we cannot drink it. Rain, wells, waterfalls, tanks, rivers, canals and brooks are some of the sources of fresh water. The two kinds of water are brine water and fresh water.Water comes in many forms such as snow, mist and vapour.

Animals and plants too need water to survive. If there was no water, we would all die. We must stop wasting and polluting water and conserve it because water is our life blood. We should not cut down trees in a haphazard manner.

If people cut trees without taking proper conservation measures, we will have to face a severe drought in the future. We will be destroyed by our own careless acts. Water is the most important natural resource in our environment which must be protected by all of us.


Caring for elders

We are all aware of the seven ages of man. It has been said 'All the world is a stage and we are all merely players on it. So, each person in his lifetime plays several parts.

Our life is cyclic and our roles in life keep changing in a cycle. When we first appear on this Earth we have our loving parents to take care of everything we need. They continue to shower their love and affection throughout life; through thick and thin.

At every stage of our growth or development in life they are beside us. They take it as their bounden duty to see to everyone of our needs, from the beginning of our existence until we can take care of ourselves. However, when we are no longer dependent on our parents and can look after our own affairs, we forget what we owe our parents. Many do not look after even the basic needs of their parents who provided everything for them, when they were small. In some cases they are sent out of their homes, sometimes to end up in the streets. This can be the most inhuman act that challenges the claim that man is superior to all animals, in respect of his relations with one another.

The homes for the aged in most countries are full of desperate, lonely and miserable elderly people who are left in the lurch by their children.

Bereft of all their muscular strength to eke out a livelihood, all sorts of diseases only add to the sufferings and misery of these heroes of the past.

As aged people, they are in their second childhood. What they need is love and affection and the means to spend the rest of their twilight years in peace.

This is not a problem of the poor and downtrodden only. There are many old people living in palatial houses leading lonely lives. They have everything, but no one to love or care for them. Their children are living luxurious lives in foreign countries and even in the same land, but their old parents are left alone without any assistance. They cry in their old-age homes.

Social service organisations have identified the problems of the elders and have introduced several programmes to help them. But what they are doing is not enough. The children must realise their responsibilities towards their parents because they too are going to be parents some day. We reap what we sow. It is comforting to have a day for the elders to remember and pray for them.


New Year celebrations in our school

My school Anula Vidyalaya is in Nugegoda. Mrs. Neelamani Malaviarachchi is the principal. We also have a head for the primary school. She is Ms. Sudharma Peiris.

Our primary school New Year celebrations were held on a big scale. The children wore cloth and jacket.

Many Avurudu games like kamba adeema, kana muttiya bideema and aliyata ahe thabeema were organised. We also had two swings and enjoyed going on them. We played the rabana too.Parents of students helped us to organise these celebrations. They provided us with kavum, kokis, athiraha, kiribath and plantains.

We had an enjoyable day.

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