From my everyday experience and observation I can stand that grades are very good indicators of knowledge. For several reasons that I will mention bellow I believe that grades encourage students to learn.

First of all, grades show students’ knowledge. If a person gets a high grade on anexamit means that he understands that subject very well. Otherwise, if a student gets a low grade on an exam it means that he does not understand it completely. Personally, when I get a lower grade on an exam then I expected I know that I could be better prepared. So, next time I will spend more time and efforts to fix my lack of knowledge and do my best on the exam. In this case low grades encourage me to learn more. I try to analyze my mistakes and avoid them next time. Also, I try to arrange my time more effectively. I know exactly that I can do better than that, so I collect all my strength and focus on the incoming exam. It is like a new goal or obstacle that one should overcome in order to continue his path. When finally I get a higher grade on an exam I feel satisfaction and I am proud of myself. I think it is a great feeling. I feel stronger, more self-confident and patient. I think these qualities are essential for a person who wants to achieve something and succeed in the future.

Secondof all, students have some kind of competition among each other for higher grades. When a student gets a higher grade then another one, the second student asks himself: “Why do not I have this grade? Is it something wrong with me? Is he better then me? “. I think every student at least one time asked himself this question.

To sup up, I think there is no doubt that grades encourage students to learn, gain more experience, knowledge, be more self-confident and persistent. Moreover, I am sure that these small victories will help students to win and succeed in the future

Films can tell us a lot about the country where they were made. What have you learned about a country from watching its movies? Use specific examples and details to support your response.

Movies were always very popular and there are many reasons for this. First of all, movies are one of the main resources of entertainment. A movie is a perfect way to relax after stressful day or week. Another important reason why movies are so popular is because they are the easiest way tolearn. For example, when people watch a movie that was made in another country they unconsciously learn about country’s traditions, customs, people,language, nature and even climate. In the following paragraphs I will give a couple of examples to support my answer.

I am from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. When I was a little girl and watched movies about Texas I had an impression that Texas was a large and arid desert with big cactuses and hot-tempered cowboys. So, when my husband was invited to work here in Texas two years ago I was absolutely sure that we would live in the desert. However, when I first arrived in Austin I was impressed and nicely surprised because I did not expect to see such beautiful nature with dense forests and blue lakes. It was a real discovery for me that Texas has such beautiful and green places. This is an example how people learn about climate from watching movies.

Also, peoplelearn from moviesabout customs and traditions of another country. For example, living in Russia I learned many things about USA from its movies. I found out about the holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving Day, which are celebrated by the Americans. I learnt about many history events such as Civil War and the War of Independence watching “Gone with the wind” and “Patriot”.

In conclusion, I think that not everything that is learnt from movies is true about the country. Many movie makers tend to exaggerate and even make up many facts about the country in order to please the audience. So, my point is that people should learn about the country from different resources such as books and magazines as well as from movies.

Learning about the pasthas no value for those of us living in the present. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes, from the times when he depicted a herd of mammoth on a wall of a cave to nowadays when he drives a car, watches TV and surfs an Internet. I believe that all achievements that were made by humankind are possible only because people always learnt from their past. In fact, the definition of learning includes the idea of accumulation of experiences from the past with present knowledge. So, I must totally disagree with the statement above that learning about the past has no value.

The first reason for this is that human evolution was possible only because people accumulated their experience and knowledge of ancestors and it helped them to make a step forward.Secondof all, they analyzed their mistakes and tried to avoid them next time. People tried to improve their life by learning from the past. Just imagine that every one would have to discover by himself that 2 + 2 = 4 or that fire can be harmful. Furthermore, all knowledge that we have now is a result of the constant work of our ancestors.

Another important aspect of the fact that our past is essential is that past makes us doubt. Take for example the fact that a few centuries ago people were sure that the Earth was flat. Next generations with their new experience proved that the Earth was round. I believe that it happened not because scientists did not know about previous achievements in this area but because their new observations made them doubt about the well-known fact and they developed the new theory.

In addition, if follow the statement that our past has no value for us then we should not take experience and any advices from our parents. Imagine, that welearnby ourselves how to speak, walk, drive car, cook, read, etc.

To summarize, I think that learning from the past is even more important then our own experience. One can not move forward if he does not realize why and where he is now

Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is bylisteningto the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference.

From my everyday experience and observation I can stand that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. However, some people think that it is wiser tolearnabout life throughlisteningto the advice of family and friends. It does not mean I totally disagree with this way of learning. Moreover, I think that it is wise for a person to take an intermediate position because each of these ways has its own advantages. Bellow I will give my reasons to support my point of view.

From the one side, learning through one’s personal experience brings many benefits. First of all, scientists say that personal experience has greater impact on a person. I have to agree with this. Take for example children. They will not believe their parents that something can hurt them until they try it and make sure in it. Furthermore, most likely they will remember this experience longer. Second of all, people learn how to analyze their mistakes, make conclusions and next time try to avoid them. So, I think it is a great experience that makes people stronger, more self-confident and persistent. They gain more knowledge and experience that will be very helpful and valuable in the future.

From the other side, listening to the advice of family and friends brings many benefits too. Parents with great patience pass down their knowledge and experience to their children. They teach them all they know and they want their children do not make the same mistakes. In addition to those practical benefits, learning from someone’s advice is painless. For example, parents nowadays very often talk to their children about drugs. I think it is a great example when one should not try drugs in order to gain new experience. I think it is a case when children must trust their parents.

To sum up, I think it is wise to combine both of these ways to learn and try to analyze personal mistakes as well as not personal. I think together they can greatly simplify one’s life and make the way to success shorter