The Valdivia earthquake, also known as 'Great Chilean earthquake', is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in human's history. It rated a 9.5 on the Richter magnitude scale and involved several countries.
It happened on Sunday, 22 May of 1960 in Lumaco, Chile, in the afternoon. Chile is a country where earthquakes are not unusual at all (everybody knows that it is one of the places in the world where this type of natural disaster is more common), but this one did not go unnoticed: it lasted about ten minutes and, as a result, brought a tsunami which affected not only this country, but other places such as Japan, Hawai and southeast Australia as well. Due to this, the disaster's consequences turned to be even worse: it was estimated that about a forty percent of the houses in Valdivia, the most damaged town, were destroyed. Besides, the total number of victims was around six thousand dead.
On the whole, Valdivia earthquake was a tremendous natural disaster which caused terrible losses. To the countries where this does not usually happen, it can seem like it is not very important, that it is something happening too far away... but, in my opinion, it is on these situations when humans should be more united, working together to 'rise from the ashes'.
Composition 3a: "Who do you think benefits more from discount shopping, customers or shops? Discuss"
Sales exist since many years ago, so I think it's obvious that it's because it benefits people. But who benefits more?
On one hand, shops sell a lot of things and, although the difference between the expense and the benefit is smaller, they earn money. Not only they can sell all the products of that season which haven't been sold yet but also they can be bought by new customers who weren't used to afford them.
On the other hand, customers can buy many products really cheap and take advantage of the opportunity to get things they couldn't afford before, paying an economical price.
In short, as I see it, both parts take advantages of the discount shopping because customers can buy a lot of things, cheaper than before, which the shops couldn't sell that season by its original price. Moreover, will shops do something for years without benefit? I don't think so.
"Describe any natural disaster you have seen, read or been told about."
Earthquakes are shakins of the surface of the Earth that can be violent enough to destroy cities, villages, etc... And kill thousands of people. I am going to talk about one of the worst earthquakes, which happened in Haití.
Haití, located in the Caribbean, suffered an earthquake the 12th of January, 2010. It was devastating, three million people were affected. The government of Haití estimated that 250.000 residences and 30.000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and medical teams, engineers and personnel support to help Haití and it's citizens. The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country, while the vast majority of casualties were Haitian civilians. the dead inlcuded aid workers, embassy staff and foreign tourists.
In conclusion, things like earthquakes, tornados or tsunamis are impossible to avoid, and when it happens, the consequences are usually terrifying, although there are a lot of natual disasters that aren't noticed. We must be prepared for anything; to help and to be helped.
'If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?' It is a common question for a passionate traveler who is always searching for new experiences. In terms of risk, there are tons of activities and possible plans to do. But which would be the best? In my opinion, it would be an expedition into the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest, also known as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is found around the Amazon river in South America and has an extension of about 5.500.000 square kilometres. This tropical forest is known to house thousands of animal species, insects over all, and to have the highest biodiversity of plant species on Earth. With high temperatures and extreme rainfalls, its climate is a real challenge to the explorer who wants to uncover the secrets hiding in its depths. Furthermore, the unforeseeable nature of the exotic animals makes it even more interesting.
All in all, the Amazon rainforest is a wide and rich place which the human being does not fully know. Thus, it is the perfect chance of going on an exciting adventure full of risks and stunning surprises.
Do you think it is important to recycle? Defend your point of view.
I think recycling is as important as breathing. If Earth were a lung, it would have cancer. Recycling is like smoking a little bit less. But it is not enough. Earth is sick and we are its illness. I know it is not easy to change this but we must do everything we can.
Firstly, we must recycle; I always get angry with my friends when I go to their houses and see that they don't recycle. Also when they throw rubbish on the floor. Actually when they do that I make them take it back and throw it in the trash. Secondly, we must use public transport. I always tell this to my parents. The government is making laws to help the environment directly and to reduce emissions, specially in Madrid. They are making advertising campaigns to keep Madrid's streets clean though I think this is not enough.
To sum up, I think it is essential to provide education values about recycling to educate in how important is this for humanity.
Do you think that aliens have ever been on Earth? Give reasons for your answers.
Nowadays there are a lot of theories concerning the existence of aliens and if they have ever been on Earth. Some people think that they really exist and that they usually come to explore the Earth due to the amount of pictures that have been taken of them or their UFOs. However, the majority of people around the world believe that those ‘proofs’ are not convincing enough. I do think that aliens exist and that they usually come to our planet.
Firstly, a lot of current studies have found some planets in other galaxies that could have life, like water or other kinds of organisms, so it is highly likely that there could be aliens out there. Secondly, aliens do not have to look like the green creatures with one eye and a lot of tentacles as some people think; they could look like humans beings, being easy for them to come to the Earth without being noticed. Last but not least, there are a lot of people who say that they have seen an UFO or an alien; moreover, there are also pictures of them.
To sum up, I think that aliens do exist and that they have been a lot of times on the Earth to visit it or explore it due to the amount of proofs about it.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cycling in big cities?
Cycling is becoming a very trendy sport. In fact, all the important European cities are promoting the use of the bike for daily commuting. It’s a great activity and it’s very healthy too. But what are the pros and cons of it? Some of the advantages can be very obvious, as getting fit without the need of going to the gym, but when you change your car for a bike, you’re also helping to improve the environment and reducing the traffic jams. On the other hand, we should consider that the cities are making big efforts, but they aren’t still prepared for the bikes, and going down the road can be very dangerous, and many riders have been involved in traffic accidents, some of them very serious. Another thing to keep in mind is the high number of bicycle thefts on the streets, so we should be really careful about where to park our bikes. To sum up, I think in a few years most of the cities will be better adapted for bikes, but for the moment is too dangerous to use it daily.
Composition: What would you propose to improve society if you were an influential politician?
Leading a country is a far from petty task, and hence I harbour no doubt whatsoever that one would have to consider all options painstakingly before venturing to bring about any changes.
That aside, were I a renowned politician, I would ensure a proper education is administered, for an unknowledgeable society is deemed to be a malleable one, and to allow people to make headway in their lives.
Another thing that springs to mind is warranting the appliance of cutting-edge techniques in order to make scientific breakthroughs. Last but not least, I would set my sights on raising awareness on various matters that, speaking broadly, cut no ice with the lay man, such as poverty or global warning.
To sum it up, should these judicious suggestions be taken into account, the world would be no bleak place.
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Composition: Valdivia Earthquake
The Valdivia earthquake, also known as 'Great Chilean earthquake', is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in human's history. It rated a 9.5 on the Richter magnitude scale and involved several countries.
It happened on Sunday, 22 May of 1960 in Lumaco, Chile, in the afternoon. Chile is a country where earthquakes are not unusual at all (everybody knows that it is one of the places in the world where this type of natural disaster is more common), but this one did not go unnoticed: it lasted about ten minutes and, as a result, brought a tsunami which affected not only this country, but other places such as Japan, Hawai and southeast Australia as well. Due to this, the disaster's consequences turned to be even worse: it was estimated that about a forty percent of the houses in Valdivia, the most damaged town, were destroyed. Besides, the total number of victims was around six thousand dead.
On the whole, Valdivia earthquake was a tremendous natural disaster which caused terrible losses. To the countries where this does not usually happen, it can seem like it is not very important, that it is something happening too far away... but, in my opinion, it is on these situations when humans should be more united, working together to 'rise from the ashes'.
By Silvia Lamas de Lázaro, 2ºC Bach.
Composition 3a: "Who do you think benefits more from discount shopping, customers or shops? Discuss"
Sales exist since many years ago, so I think it's obvious that it's because it benefits people. But who benefits more?
On one hand, shops sell a lot of things and, although the difference between the expense and the benefit is smaller, they earn money. Not only they can sell all the products of that season which haven't been sold yet but also they can be bought by new customers who weren't used to afford them.
On the other hand, customers can buy many products really cheap and take advantage of the opportunity to get things they couldn't afford before, paying an economical price.
In short, as I see it, both parts take advantages of the discount shopping because customers can buy a lot of things, cheaper than before, which the shops couldn't sell that season by its original price.
Moreover, will shops do something for years without benefit? I don't think so.
Silvia Muñoz, 2ºAB
"Describe any natural disaster you have seen, read or been told about."
Earthquakes are shakins of the surface of the Earth that can be violent enough to destroy cities, villages, etc... And kill thousands of people. I am going to talk about one of the worst earthquakes, which happened in Haití.
Haití, located in the Caribbean, suffered an earthquake the 12th of January, 2010. It was devastating, three million people were affected. The government of Haití estimated that 250.000 residences and 30.000 commercial buildings had collapsed or were severely damaged.
Many countries responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and medical teams, engineers and personnel support to help Haití and it's citizens. The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country, while the vast majority of casualties were Haitian civilians. the dead inlcuded aid workers, embassy staff and foreign tourists.
In conclusion, things like earthquakes, tornados or tsunamis are impossible to avoid, and when it happens, the consequences are usually terrifying, although there are a lot of natual disasters that aren't noticed. We must be prepared for anything; to help and to be helped.
Composition: "An expedition to Amazonia"
'If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?' It is a common question for a passionate traveler who is always searching for new experiences. In terms of risk, there are tons of activities and possible plans to do. But which would be the best? In my opinion, it would be an expedition into the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest, also known as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is found around the Amazon river in South America and has an extension of about 5.500.000 square kilometres. This tropical forest is known to house thousands of animal species, insects over all, and to have the highest biodiversity of plant species on Earth. With high temperatures and extreme rainfalls, its climate is a real challenge to the explorer who wants to uncover the secrets hiding in its depths. Furthermore, the unforeseeable nature of the exotic animals makes it even more interesting.
All in all, the Amazon rainforest is a wide and rich place which the human being does not fully know. Thus, it is the perfect chance of going on an exciting adventure full of risks and stunning surprises.
Silvia Lamas, 2ºC Bach
Do you think it is important to recycle? Defend your point of view.
I think recycling is as important as breathing. If Earth were a lung, it would have cancer. Recycling is like smoking a little bit less. But it is not enough.
Earth is sick and we are its illness. I know it is not easy to change this but we must do everything we can.
Firstly, we must recycle; I always get angry with my friends when I go to their houses and see that they don't recycle. Also when they throw rubbish on the floor. Actually when they do that I make them take it back and throw it in the trash. Secondly, we must use public transport. I always tell this to my parents.
The government is making laws to help the environment directly and to reduce emissions, specially in Madrid. They are making advertising campaigns to keep Madrid's streets clean though I think this is not enough.
To sum up, I think it is essential to provide education values about recycling to educate in how important is this for humanity.
Paula Girolami, 2ºCB
Do you think that aliens have ever been on Earth? Give reasons for your answers.
Nowadays there are a lot of theories concerning the existence of aliens and if they have ever been on Earth. Some people think that they really exist and that they usually come to explore the Earth due to the amount of pictures that have been taken of them or their UFOs. However, the majority of people around the world believe that those ‘proofs’ are not convincing enough.
I do think that aliens exist and that they usually come to our planet.
Firstly, a lot of current studies have found some planets in other galaxies that could have life, like water or other kinds of organisms, so it is highly likely that there could be aliens out there. Secondly, aliens do not have to look like the green creatures with one eye and a lot of tentacles as some people think; they could look like humans beings, being easy for them to come to the Earth without being noticed. Last but not least, there are a lot of people who say that they have seen an UFO or an alien; moreover, there are also pictures of them.
To sum up, I think that aliens do exist and that they have been a lot of times on the Earth to visit it or explore it due to the amount of proofs about it.
Sonia Rodríguez Cañamero, 2ºC Bach
What are the advantages and disadvantages of cycling in big cities?
Cycling is becoming a very trendy sport. In fact, all the important European cities are promoting the use of the bike for daily commuting. It’s a great activity and it’s very healthy too. But what are the pros and cons of it?
Some of the advantages can be very obvious, as getting fit without the need of going to the gym, but when you change your car for a bike, you’re also helping to improve the environment and reducing the traffic jams.
On the other hand, we should consider that the cities are making big efforts, but they aren’t still prepared for the bikes, and going down the road can be very dangerous, and many riders have been involved in traffic accidents, some of them very serious. Another thing to keep in mind is the high number of bicycle thefts on the streets, so we should be really careful about where to park our bikes.
To sum up, I think in a few years most of the cities will be better adapted for bikes, but for the moment is too dangerous to use it daily.
Hugo Sesma
2ºA Bachillerato
Composition: What would you propose to improve society if you were an influential politician?
Leading a country is a far from petty task, and hence I harbour no doubt whatsoever that one would have to consider all options painstakingly before venturing to bring about any changes.
That aside, were I a renowned politician, I would ensure a proper education is administered, for an unknowledgeable society is deemed to be a malleable one, and to allow people to make headway in their lives.
Another thing that springs to mind is warranting the appliance of cutting-edge techniques
in order to make scientific breakthroughs. Last but not least, I would set my sights on raising awareness on various matters that, speaking broadly, cut no ice with the lay man, such as poverty or global warning.
To sum it up, should these judicious suggestions be taken into account, the world would be no bleak place.
Claudia Cucala, 2 Bachillerato A
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