145 A friend of yours has received some money and plans to use all of it either

# to go on a vacation

# to buy a car.

Your friend has asked you for advice. Compare your friend’s two choices and explain which one you think your friend should choose. Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

Trying to decide how to use your money is always tough. Should you use your money to buy a car or go on a vacation? Both afford lasting pleasure, but of a very different kind. From a vacation you get the pleasure of doing wonderful things and of totally relaxing and enjoying yourself. The memories you bring home with you can give you that same pleasure again every time you think of them.

A car also gives you pleasure, every time you drive it. There’s the pleasure of not having to depend on public transportation. You can go places off the beaten track, where public transportation doesn’t go. There is also the pleasure of being independent. You are able to go anywhere your car can take you, without depending on others.

A vacation gives you the opportunity to learn new things and meet new and interesting people. However, it’s only for a short period of time. A car gives you the same opportunities on a smaller level, but on a more regular basis. With a car, you can go someplace new every weekend. You can also join a car pool. That way you can share travel expenses with the new people you meet.

Some people might say that spending your money on a vacation instead of on a car is being impractical. But nothing is as satisfying as a really good vacation. It’s mentally and physically healthy. It gives you a chance to get away from all that is familiar to you and see the world from a new perspective. It lets you do nothing but play, the way you did when you were a child. Being able to play, even for a short period of time, is absolutely necessary for everyone’s mental health. I would choose the vacation, because we all deserve to indulge ourselves sometime.

146 The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer.

Now that we are in a new millennium, we can assume there will be changes in the world. I predict that the changes will be in the areas of information dissemination, global alliances, and family structure.

In the past decades, the computer was responsible for changing the way information was organized. Now, the computer plus the Internet is changing the way information is spread. Information will now be universally available to anyone with a computer. You will not have to go to libraries to do research; you will not have to travel to visit scholars; you will not have to go to a bookstore to buy a book. You can do all of this from your home on the computer.

In the past decades, the nations of the world aligned themselves with the United States, the former Soviet Union, or with one another in a loose alliance. In the future these alliances will be more fluid. Some countries will align politically with one country, but economically with another. Some countries will share technology and other information, but will not trade together. Some countries, which have long been enemies, will align militarily for regional security.

The family structure will not be based on a mother/father/child pattern. Single parent families will be more common and often the child will not be a biological child of the single parent, but will be adopted. Other family structures like domestic partnerships will become more accepted.

Whatever the changes may be, whether in the way we receive information, the way nations align with one another, or the way family units are defined, you can be sure that there will be more change. Change is a constant.