What is Better: A City or Suburb? (Final)

When someone is moving to a different home, he ponders: should I move to a city or a suburb? When compared with each other, they have many differences. Then is a city or a suburb a better place to live in? A suburb is a much better to live at. There are many reasons, including that the air in suburbs is cleaner, suburbs are less crowded, and they’re safer.
The first point is suburbs have cleaner air. In cities, the air is polluted from factories excreting greenhouse gases and cars ejecting waste, and there are hardly any trees to give oxygen. Most suburbs are abundant with trees, with almost no factories or harmful gas from cars. If one stays outside a whole day in a city and a suburb smelling the air, there's a large difference. Suburbs are a lot cleaner.
Another reason that suburbs are better than cities is suburbs aren't crowded. Many people, including me, are claustrophobic, meaning that we're afraid of being in enclosed and narrow places. Cities are heavily populated, so it can make anyone who's claustrophobic uncomfortable. In the suburbs, everything is spread out and moving around is a lot easier and safer. You'll have a lot more privacy, because there are less people. This also reduces the chance of somehow losing the way.
Finally, there's more safety in suburbs. In cities, many robberies and other crimes take place. A city's high population makes it more likely to have crimes. Taking a look at the news proves this. Have you heard of a kidnapping in New York, a bar fight in Las Vegas, the robbery in Chicago, or drug dealings in San Antonio? People who live in a city and are scared of being robbed or kidnapped, should definitely consider moving to a suburb.
A suburb is a much better place to be. Although a city isn't too bad, suburbs are the right choice. Suburbs are nice and clean, not so crowded, and are a lot safer than cities. If one has a choice between moving to a city or a suburb, he knows the right thing to do. Move to a suburb!

Should We Lengthen the School Year? (Final)

In a Grade 4 international test taken in 2007, the United States was in a lowly eleventh place, while countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and Kazakhstan, were in the top five. A similar result happened when America was 9th in an 8th grade international, while similar Asian countries were in the lead. Hong Kong, the winner of the Grade 4 international contest, has about 200 days of school, America only has 180. The U.S.' curriculum is far behind other countries in the world. United States should definitely consider lengthening the school year. An extended school year will improve student's performance and increases chances of getting into a good college.
First, a longer school year would make us more competitive. U.S. has the least number of school days in the entire world, and is very far behind what other countries are learning. Many of these countries have longer school years than U.S., such as Japan, with fifteen more days than the U.S. A longer school year could give our country a chance to catch up with its Asian rivals in education. A large number of cities have a very poor curriculum. An extended school year gives students more time to learn new skills and to master new concepts. Many people, even some government officials, such as Senator Peter Mills of Maine, agree with the idea of adding more days to the school year. A longer school year is what we need!
A longer school year also increases the chance to go to a better college. The main purpose of school is to be a preparation for the SAT. School teaches many of the skills, like algebra, reading comprehension, etc., needed to hopefully get a good score on the SAT Everything a student learns in school contributes to what they score on the SAT. Going to a good college, such as Harvard or Yale, is one of the factors for someone to get a good job. With the economic crisis, and job layoffs, kids need all the help they can get to receive a job in the future. A longer school year will do just that. Did you know that an extra hour a day for school can give a student an extra twenty-five points on the SAT? Twenty-five more points on the SAT can give a student who would normally going to somewhere like Rutgers a chance at Harvard. A lengthened school year can give a child a better future.
A longer school year is what America needs at a time like the present. Although America does need the money right now for other issues, such as for the government, and kids need to relax in the summer, an extended school year is valuable. Not only does it improve student performance, but it also lets students get enrolled into a good college. A longer school year is what America needs!

Should I Tell My Friend? (Draft)

Everyone has a friend. A friend is someone important in your life with whom you have an irrefutable relationship. He keeps you company, and is helpful. There could be a few bumps in a friendship at some time, but friends usually forget about it and move on. One thing that could harm a friendship is when sometimes, one has to truthfully tell his friend something hurtful, like when person A wants to tell his friend B that he's really fat, or when someone else wants to tell his friend that he's aggressive. Almost everyone has gotten into that situation before. While many argue against being honest to your friend, even if you tell them something hurtful, I believe that one should always be honest to his friends. Sharing the truth helps the bond of friendship get stronger and can benefit your friend.
First of all, being truthful to your friend allows your bond of friendship to become stronger. Though telling a friend the truth might be offensive to him, it ensures that you and your friend become closer. Telling each other the truth builds up trust between you, and shows your friend that you could keep secrets that he tells you. It also lets you know to your friend that you care about him, and you want him to know something so he could help himself. If you have a friend who's fat, you could tell him that, not meaning to be malicious, in hopes of him trying to get skinnier, or anything related to that. Confiding the truth to your friend could help you become much closer companions.
Secondly, statements that you make to your friend don't mean to be hurtful, and are just trying to help him. Everything that a friend says to you, offensive or not, is really meant to just help him or to comment on something. Being honest to a friend can allow him to recover from a bad trait or habit. Telling a friend he's aggressive is not meant to get him angry or insult him, but to try to get him to hold his temper more often. Mentioned earlier, friends trust each other and learn from each other. If one gives a friend a suggestion, his friend would most likely trust that person, like friends always do. Comments to friends are really meant just to help.
Sometimes, it's best to keep a secret "secret." However having honesty with your friends is imperative. Being honest to a friend allows to become closer friends, and can help your friend recover from something like a bad trait or habit. Friends are your companions forever, so it's important that you help them and tell the truth. Don't be shy! Telling the truth isn't meant to be hurtful, but just a way to help your friend.

Does Every Cloud Have A Silver Lining? (Draft)

There's an expression: Every cloud has a silver lining. Is this true? First of all, the expression means that in every bad situation something good comes out of it. This phrase is believed by many optimists, including me. However, others, pessimists, argue that some bad situations yield nothing good. No matter what anyone says, this expression is true. Anything can be good if you look at it from a different perspective, and in every bad situation, you still have one thing that is always good, which is hope.
First, disastrous situations have a bright side if you look at them from different points of views. Being optimistic can completely nullify the effect of a bad situation. By thinking outside the box, you can determine something good that comes out of something bad. For example, a student gets a bad grade on a science test. He is very distraught, and, suddenly, he realizes that he must study harder on science. He manages to get a passing grade on his report card. Simply just figuring out what good can come out of a bad situation could make you feel better. Hidden in the thick layer of the cloud, there's a shining streak in its core.
Another thing that emerges from bad situations is hope. In every challenge, hope is what drives a person to keep on persevering and gives them the thought that they will succeed they work hard enough. If one has hope, he or she find a silver lining on the cloud. The scenario of hope succeeding against something catastrophic has been mentioned in many stories, including the Greek myth "Pandora's Box." In the story, though Pandora releases all the evil into the world, she manages to trap one thing: hope in her box. Another person who mentioned to be optimistic during bad situations was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said in his inauguration speech "The only we have to fear is fear itself." Along with that, this theme is popular for many fables, like "It Could Always Be Worse." In the fable, a man hates his noisy life, but realizes that it could always be a lot worse, and he starts enjoying life. Hope is what keeps everyone going in a terrible situation. Having hope can allow you to find a silver lining.
At first, any bad situation seems disastrous to you. However, if you think outside of the box and have hope, the situation won't seem very bad. Just believing that a bad situation is good can change everything, and can make anyone feel better. Every situation has a good side that you can find. The plain, blunt truth is that every cloud does have a silver lining. It just depends on how you look for it.