Expressions

Antarctica - the icy desert

Antarctica is a great land mass located in the southernmost point of the world. It is covered, not with trees, but with layers and layers of frozen water, holding secrets that may still be unknown to man.

However, as each day passes by, this land mass once thought as great, becomes lesser and lesser. It is essential that we save Antarctica, not only for future generations to witness and explore, but also to save all life that has remained on the Earth. If we do not, it is evident that we face the same fate as the dinosaurs before us.

As a continent, Antarctica is by far the driest, coldest and windiest continent on Earth. It is a huge land mass overlying the South Pole and as a result all the land has been buried under tons of ice, due to it being exposed to unbearably cold temperatures for eons (extremely long periods of time).

Most of the water in Antarctica has frozen up, making it one of the driest places on Earth. Due to these harsh conditions, very little animal life exists. Of the few animals that do live in the Antarctic region, the orca or killer whale, the ferocious leopard seal and the magnificent Emperor penguin are the most significant. These amazing animals are highly adapted to life in such a harsh place as Antarctica.

Antarctica is also a treasure trove of hidden mysteries and unexploited secrets. Numerous clues that may help reveal these secrets to the world lie in the depths of the Antarctic ice. A large number of discoveries have already been made here such as the massive skeleton of the woolly mammoth for example.

Antarctica is also one of the last deserted places on the surface of the Earth. A colossal part of the continent has largely remained unexplored, leaving room for even more significant discoveries.

Everything that’s been said all point to one critical fact; that we should prevent the destruction of Antarctica at all costs.

But how are we really bringing this great continent into oblivion (a state in which something has been completely destroyed)? Well, there’s a good chance that you may be destroying it right now.

For every second a car is running or a gas tap is on, it brings Antarctica one step closer to destruction. This is caused because of the harmful gases called green house gases released as a result of these.

Some such gases are methane, CFC gas and the infamous CO3 or carbon dioxide gas. These gases trap heat and eventually make the Earth hotter. It does more than just make us feel bad.

The heat is destructive. It melts the glorious icy glaciers and the vast plains of glacial dunes into nothing more than mere puddles. The ice, once home to all those fantastic creatures sinks back into the sea as if it was never there.

But as well as ridding the Antarctic animals of their home, the disastrous gases contribute to the melting of ice which then flow into the ocean and make the sea level rise.

The rising sea levels inundate land thus destroying the lives of countless humans, and animals.

The message is clear, do all we can to save what’s left of Antarctica and the Arctic or face extinction in the hands of nature’s fury.

Sachira Chandrasekera, Grade 7, Colombo International School, Kandy.

Mother Nature’s gift to us

Trees are very important for our survival. We get lots of things from trees such as oxygen and food. We can’t live without trees.

Trees can protect bio-diversity and the water circle of the environment. But because of destructive activities by people who are selfish, trees and forests are being destroyed. Some people have forgotten the laws of nature; they try to surpass nature. Lots of trees are being cut for commercial purposes.

We are the most developed of all animals through evolution. Our thoughts, behaviour and desires are different and advanced. But we have to share this world with other animals and trees because we are inter-dependent for our survival. We pollute the whole world. But we don’t have a right to interfere with the peaceful lifestyles of animals and their habitats.

As a result of such selfish activities, we will end up with a dead planet in the future. Therefore, lots of conservation programmes to protect the environment have been initiated especially in developed countries such as recycling projects and other instruction services.

In order to protect the environment we must enact strict environmental laws and educate the people. We must take every possible measure to protect trees which are a valuable resource given to us by Mother Nature.

Lakshika Chiranthi Gunarathna, Ke/Dudley Senanayake Central College, Dummaladeniya, Warakapola.

Impact of science on our lives

Science has certainly helped to improve the quality of our lives a great deal. Inventions, such as electricity, the telephone, radio, airplane, steamboat, television and computer have changed our lives in a big way.

In the health field, science has helped make great strides. Today parts of the human body can be transplanted due to research and technological advances made in science. We are also able to contact our relations living far away in a matter of seconds because of advanced communication systems. The television and internet have brought the whole world to our doorstep.

Man has invented submarines to descend into the depths of the ocean and spacecraft to travel far into space. In the near future, it may be even possible to travel from one planet to another. There is no limit to these scientific inventions and discoveries. Out of all these new scientific inventions, the computer is the most important.

Computers are programmed to fly aeroplanes, drive cars and even send rockets to space. Computers have greatly reduced the use of manpower. Man has also invented robots to do various complex and difficult tasks.

But unfortunately some of these developments have also had an impact on the environment and even been instrumental in destroying the balance of nature. Nuclear weapons and plants are a serious threat to the very existence of the human race. Scientific inventions must be used for the betterment of mankind, not for its destruction.

Bushra Uwais, Grade 8B, Ramanathan Hindu Ladies’ College, Colombo 14.

Advantages of newspapers

Newspapers play an important role in society. They bring us news from all parts of the world. Newspapers have become a necessary feature in our modern life. A newspaper is considered to be the cheapest means of obtaining information both at local and international level. News on almost every sphere is carried in the different pages.

There are pages allocated for each field - local news, foreign news, sports news, political news, news on crimes, obituaries, advertisements on various products, the editorial and articles written by readers.

There are also many competitions for children and adults with prizes for winners. Children are very interested in participating in these competitions.

Newspapers educate the people and also keep them well informed. The print media helps to form public opinion on many burning issues.

Newspapers are read by people of all ages as there is reading material that is suitable for every one.

Newspapers render a great service. But it is important that a newspaper should always be truthful and impartial. Then only it will be popular among readers.

Fathima Hafsa Mohideen, Grade 9C (E.M), Al-Azhar Navodhya School, Hemmathagama

Australia, a great country

Australia is a great place. This country has many cities like Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth and Canberra. Many fruits like bananas and mangoes found in Sri Lanka and other fruits like strawberries, other types of berries and apples are available in Australia.

This wonderful country has five states. They are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. There are lots of stores such as Woolworths, Target, Big W,K. Mart and Garden City and lots of restaurants, fast food outlets such as KFC and McDonalds, like in most countries around the world.

In Sydney there are lots of exciting places to visit like the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour. In Melbourne there is a mountain called the Blue Mountain. Before the settlement of people from other lands, there were Aborigines on the continent. They now live on a rock called Uluru.

There are lots of animals in Australia and two animals that are native to this country are the kangaroo and koala. There are lots of animal sanctuaries too. So, come to Australia, and enjoy this beautiful land.

Tharindra Maheasen Yapa, Thornlands State School, Australia.

Friends

Friends are fairies that make your wishes come true,
Friends are rays of sunshine on gloomy days too
They are by your side in happiness and tears,
And help overcome your problems and fears.
Friends guide you to what is right and wrong,
They make sure your sadness doesn’t last long,
They let you soak their shoulders when you cry,
They are always beside you as days pass by.
Friends are people, you can trust,
They keep your secrets and you too must
Choose your friends very carefully
Or your life will end up tearfully.

Ravini Abeywickrama, Grade 8, Stafford International School, Colombo 7.