GAMBLING

 

 

Gambling is a very dangerous thing. At least that’s what I think. I don’t think much good comes of it. People lose their money and then get angry. Sometimes people lose everything they have. The only people who win are the companies, casinos, etc. that organize gambling. I don’t really understand why people would want to risk their money. Most of the time they lose it. The odds are always against you. Gambling causes so many social problems I’m surprised governments allow it. In some countries it is illegal to gamble. This is good. I never understand why people gamble again and again. They must get fed up with throwing their money away. I suppose they always think the next one will be the one they make a lot of money.

 

 

GANGS

 

 

Gangs are becoming a big problem in many countries around the world. We’ve always had gangs, and they’ve always created problems. Recently, things seem to be getting out of control. Gangs are taking over our streets. In many parts of South America, gangs kill because of drugs. In many parts of Europe, gangs hang around on street corners and hassle anyone who walks by. There’s a lot of pressure for young people to join a gang. If a young person doesn’t join a gang, they might be bullied at school. The government always says gangs are a problem, but they never do anything about it. I was in a gang when I was younger. It’s scary when I look back on it. We used to have lots of fights and do many bad things. I never had a knife.

 

 

GANGSTERS

 

When I was a kid, I thought gangsters were really cool. I loved watching gangster movies. Al Capone was almost like a hero to me. I always wanted the gangster in the movie to escape from the police. The movies made gangsters look like heroes. Now I’m older, I think that’s shocking. How can they glamorize the life of gangsters. Of course, we all know gangsters are dangerous. They are involved in many crimes. They sell drugs, traffic children and run prostitution rings. Many gangsters control politicians and policemen. In fact, in many countries around the world, gangsters become politicians. The funny thing is, even now, when I look at gangster movies, I still think the gangster is the good guy. That’s a little worrying.

 

 

GARDENING

 

 

Everybody should take up gardening as a hobby. We can all get back to nature. Thousands of years ago we all did a bit of gardening. It’s one of the most relaxing hobbies I can think of. It’s also very satisfying. I get very excited about gardening. I love planting seeds and then letting nature take over. It’s amazing how quickly things grow. Before you know it, your seeds are beautiful flowers. You also learn a lot about flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. Of course, gardening is also very practical. If you grow vegetables, you can eat what you grow. Vegetables picked fresh from your garden really do taste better than the ones in the shops. Gardening is good for you. It makes you feel part of the Earth.

 

 

GARDENS

 

I really like walking around gardens. Every garden is different. Even two gardens that are next to each other are different. I loved the garden our family had when I was small. I also loved starting my own garden when I bought my house. The best gardens in the world are in England. English country gardens are famous all over the world. The gardeners are like artists. It’s amazing how they make everything so perfect and so colourful. I can sit in or walk through an English garden all day. I also like Japanese gardens. They also have a very special feel about them. Everything is so perfect and you feel really peaceful. I’d like to spend my life visiting different gardens.

 

GLOBAL WARMING

 

 

Global warming is the biggest problem in the world today. Everyone know about it but not everyone is trying to stop it. Many world leaders are more interested in blaming other countries for the crisis. Countries like China, India and Russia say they will not act unless America takes more action. America says it will not act until other countries take more action. It seems a little childish that leaders are acting in this way. The future of our world is at risk and governments can only argue with each other. Many presidents and prime ministers tell us that technology is the answer. They say future scientists will find solutions to save the planet. This is a big gamble. I hope they are right. I don’t believe them, so I’ll continue switching off lights and recycling.

 

 

GLOBALIZATION

 

 

What does globalization mean? We always hear this word on TV and read about it in newspapers. It means the world is now a village – the global village. The world has become smaller. Of course, the world did not shrink and it isn’t a village. Because of better transport, the Internet and more trading between countries, it is easier to do business. Japanese car makers have factories in Thailand; American computer companies employ thousands of people in China. That’s globalization. And don’t forget the millions of call centre jobs in India that workers in America and Europe used to do. Globalization also means it is easier to work in another country. Is globalization a good or bad thing? That’s a difficult question to answer.

 

GOD

 

God created us all. God created life. God created everything around us. I often try to think what was before God. But God has always been there, so there was nothing before God. I wonder why God always appears as a man with a beard in books. He’s also usually a white man. No one knows if God is a man or a woman. God is also different to different religions. Most people in the world pray to God. They ask for forgiveness when they do something wrong; they thank God for bringing good things and ask for God’s help when things go wrong. People who believe in God get strength from their belief. They know that God is looking down on them. One thing I don’t understand is why there is so much killing and bad things in the world.

 

 

GOLD

 

 

I don’t understand the fascination with gold. It’s just a soft metal. It isn’t even the most valuable metal. It’s interesting how almost every culture in the world loves gold. Indians spend a fortune on it. When their children get married they give gold bracelets and rings as gifts. Most of the world’s wedding rings are gold. I know different countries prefer different types of gold. In Thailand, only 24 carat is good enough, but in England, people buy a lot of 9-carat gold. It seems like we have always loved gold. Think how many stories there are from hundreds of years ago about gold treasure. In fact, if you go back further, Egyptian kings and queens had lots of gold. I’ll never forget Tutankhamen’s mask. The gold in that was really golden.

 

GOLDEN WEEK

 

 

Golden Week is such a lovely time to be in Japan. The weather is great and everyone is relaxed. There’s a real holiday feeling all over the country. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The only down side is that the roads are full of traffic. You can spend hours stuck in traffic jams. So I usually stay at home and do things near my house. I love going on picnics in local parks. I’m English so I find it really interesting to see how Japanese people have picnics. Very different from picnics in England. Many people have the whole week off work to celebrate the different holidays. The Emperor’s birthday and Constitution Day are important and so is Greenery Day, but I like Children’s Day. This is when Japanese parents do special things for their kids.

 

GOOGLE

 

 

What was life like before Google? This might look like a silly and strange question, but it is a good one. Google has changed our lives. In an amazingly short space of time, the verb ‘google’ has entered our language. I think everything about Google is amazing. It helps us so much. We can find any information we want just by typing in what we want in the search box. I even like the Google home page. It’s so simple. You know, I can’t remember the last time a day went by when I didn’t use Google for something. I wonder what Google will be like in the future. Only those at Google know. The strange thing about the Internet is that something we don’t even know about yet might come along and totally replace Google overnight.

 

GRAMMAR

 

 

Grammar! Why is English grammar so confusing? I studied grammar for many years at school and I still don’t understand when to use a tense. Is it the simple present or the present perfect? What’s the difference? My teacher tells me to keep visiting grammar websites and doing the practice activities. She told me to look for patterns, but I’m not really sure what she means. She also told me one of the best ways to learn grammar is to read for pleasure. She said that way I’ll keep seeing good grammar and it will slowly come to me. I think the best way to learn grammar is to write and let my teacher point out my mistakes. Do you have any good tips on how to learn grammar?

 

GOSSIP

 

 

I hate gossip. It really gets on my nerves. I really don’t understand why people gossip about other people. My office is full of gossips. They have nothing better to do. Surely there are more important things to talk about. Gossip isn’t true. That’s why it’s gossip. OK, it might be true, but who cares? Gossiping is dangerous. It can make perfectly nice people look bad. I’m not sure if I’ve been the subject of gossip. I’m sure I wouldn’t like it if I was. I have some friends who buy gossip magazines. They love celebrity gossip. That’s even worse than office gossip. At least with office gossip you know the people. Any time someone comes to me to tell me the latest piece of “juicy gossip” or “hot gossip,” I tell them I’m not interested.