1. Speech that somebody delivered and you heard. Speech by a famous person In my life I heard many speeches.

But here I would like to discuss with you a speech which my principal delivered when I was in 10th class and it was on the most burning issue nowadays - that is GLOBAL WARMING. My school principal is very famous person in my home town and is known for his oratorial skills. He talked on the topic of global warming. The whole globe is involved in it. The way he described the causes and effects was very interesting.

It was an eye-opener for me. We humans are the causes and we humans can lessen it. He also told us how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming. Then he told us about the effects of global warming. Firstly is the rise in the sea level. This is because of the melting of mountain peaks.

Second effect is changing climate. We all know that summers are getting hotter and winters are getting colder. Finally, we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. This is because mosquitoes and flies prosper in the heat. He also told how to lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like

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Not cutting down trees. Planting more trees. Using recycled materials. Saying no to plastic bags.

I felt very enlightened after listening to his spellbinding speech. I try to avoid using plastic bags and also accept recycled material even though quality is low. 2. An interesting news story that you watched on TV I have watched many interesting news stories on TV A news story that I saw recently was on Global warming. I saw it on Star news Channel. It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it. The way they showed the causes and effects was very eye catching. It was an eye-opener for me. We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it. The news article told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming. Then it told me about effects of global warming. There are three main effects. Firstly there is rising sea level. Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates. That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler. Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. T his is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat. The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags. I felt very enlightened after seeing this news story. I decided to start using recycled things immediately

3. An Interesting news story that you read in paper I read the Tribune daily. It gives many interesting news stories. The news story that I am going to talk about here is on Global warming.

I read it in the editorial section of the paper. The editor Mr H K Dua had presented the article in a very nice way.

It caught my attention because global warming is a burning issue these days. The whole globe is involved in it. The way he wrote about the causes and effects was very eye catching. It was an eye-opener for me. We humans are the cause and we humans only can lessen it.

He also told how the pollution caused by cutting trees, having more industries, growing number of cars and other human luxuries is leading to global warming. Then he told about effects of global warming. There are three main effects. Firstly there is rising sea level. Secondly we are having longer summers and extreme climates. That is to say that the summers are hotter and the winters are cooler. Finally we are having epidemics of diseases like malaria and dengue. This is because mosquitoes and other insects prosper in the heat.

The news article also told how we can lessen this phenomenon by simple measures like not cutting down trees, planting more trees, using recycled materials and saying no to plastic bags. I felt very enlightened after reading this news story. I decided to start using recycled things immediately.

4. An interesting place in your Home Town Favourite Restaurant OR There are many interesting places in my home town but here I am going to talk about Haveli It is on the national highway between Jalandhar & Phagwara. Actually it falls in the suburbs of Phagwara. There are many restaurants which I frequent but here I am going to describe Haveli.

 I like it because of the delicious & quality food , quick & prompt service & a friendly atmosphere. It is always swarming with people & brimming with activity. The food is priced at very normal rates. It is a huge place with a seating capacity of about 200 people. The interior is decorated to simulate a traditional Punjabi village scene. Handicrafts adorn the walls which give the place a very ethnic look. The food served is mouth watering & delicious. The restaurant is very clean & hygienic. The waiters are amicable & friendly. In the evenings Punjabi cultural songs & dances are per formed by various artists. It is a must visit place for one & all It is so interesting that one can never feel bored there.

5. Changes in your life Change is the law of nature. My life has also seen many changes. I would like to talk about here about some changes that are worth mentioning. I used to be a very fat and chubby child. A real couch potato. Then one day there was a drama competition in school. I was given the role of a fat and dumb girl/boy. Everyone laughed at me. I decided to change that image and I started exercising daily. I stopped eating chocolates and candies. The changes became obvious and in six months I was a new person. I felt more confident and active. You know what, I even got better in studies

Then I made new friends. I used to be an introvert. I started going out and meeting people. I started finding the world a better place. Another change that I would like to talk about here is in my nature. I used to spend all my money on chocolates. Once I helped a poor class fellow with some stationery material. I found great happiness in it. I used to live for myself only. But I found a new meaning of life. So you see maam, changes are a part and parcel of life.

6. A positive change in your life The one positive change in my life was joining the ILETS course. I had learnt English before that.

I started learning English in my school days but when I joined IELTS, I was exposed to in international English. I never knew English had these four areas. I never knew English was so beautiful. The training centre where I went was exclusively for English and they spoke only English. It gave me a lot of ideas, confidence, vocabulary and enthusiasm. My teachers were excellent. Some student over there were my role models. I could improve my accent and my pronunciation. They were always motivating us is to talk. Ear lies, I used to sky away when any body was speaking English. Now I find myself totally changed for the better. If I get a good band, I can go abroad and my life will be totally changed. So, joining the ILETS has brought a positive change in my life

7. Educational tour (museum) Educational tours are routine part of school curricula these days. I too went with my school to an educational tour It was to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Museum at Khatkarkalan, Banga I was in 10th class at that time. I remember how much we enjoyed. We learnt a lot about our freedom struggle also The museum displays memorable belongings of the martyrs of Punjab

The museum was inaugurated on the 23rd March, 1981, on the 50th martyrdom day of S. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev The museum reminds us the toil, sweat and the sacrifice which Bhagat Singh gave for the countrys freedom I was awe-struck by the magnificent grandeur of the big bronze statue of Bhagat Singh at the entrance of the museum What moved us most were the half-burnt ashes of S. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev The blood-stained newspaper in which his ashes were brought is also displayed A copy of the Bhagwad Gita with Bhagat Singhs signature is also displayed

Bhagat Singhs family photographs, his jail diary and original documents of Lahore conspiracy are also displayed The museum brings alive the life and times of this iconic revolutionary.

8. Family apart from your family A Family you like A family is a basic building block of society

I know a lot of families and I am well connected to the families of my aunts and uncles. So, I belong to an extended family. The family I am going to describe here is of my aunt Jyoti. She is my fathers sister. My Uncles name is Jagtar and they have two children Deepa and Roop. They live in Phagwara in Hargobind Nagar.

 I like their family a lot because even though my uncle and aunt are very well off, as they are both doctors, they are very down-to-earth. Even their children have no airs about them. They are liked by all people in my family.

Both aunty and uncle are very magnanimous and always willing to help others with their time and money. Deepa is doing here masters in biotechnology and Roop is doing mechanical engineering. Aunt and uncle are known for their hospitality. At least once a week their invite us all over for lunch or dinner. We also invite them over quite often. Whenever somebody in the family is not well you can depend on aunt for help Their home has warmth in it which cannot be described in words.

All the time aunt and uncle seem to have minor quarrels with each but they take it in the lighter vein and in fact are very amusing. In fact you enjoy being with them.

The way aunt and uncle run their family and their nursing home and still have time for all of us is amazing. They are indeed an ideal family.

9. Polluted City Well maam pollution is a big problem these days There is hardly a place which is absolutely pollution free Here I am going to talk about a city Ludhiana which is very very polluted It has all sorts of pollution air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution I went there last week In fact I go there quite often as my relatives live there Ludhiana is the industrial hub of Punjab Industries dump their effluents in the surrounding area and this causes water pollution

The population of Ludhiana is far more for its size and this has given rise to slum areas in the outskirts

The people in these slum areas are mainly labourers from other states They too litter the place. There are many vehicles also which cause air pollution Whenever I come back from Ludhiana, I heave a sigh of relief Phagwara is relatively pollution free There is so much air pollution in Ludhiana that my eyes start watering.

10. Law which is good There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time. All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general. Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos. The law I am going to talk about here is Ban on smoking in public places. This law was made effective from 2nd October 2008 It is the birth date of father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi

In this law, smoking is strictly prohibited in public places , such as hospitals, courts, bus stops, cinema halls and so on If any person is caught smoking in public places, he can be fined Rs. 200 Smoking is very bad for health It is bad for the smoker and also for the passive smoker There are many diseases caused by smoking like Lung cancer Chest infections like Coughs (bronchitis) If a pregnant woman does passive smoking then the child can be born with defects

11. Law which is good There are various laws imposed by the govt from time to time. All these laws are for the benefit of the society in general. Without these laws we would be living in utter chaos. The law I am going to talk about here is PNDT act i.e. Pre Natal Diagnostic technique Act. This was first enforced in 1994 and then amended in 2002.

 In this there is a fine of Rs 1 lack, imprisonment and cancellation of the registration of the Doctor who is caught doing the test. It is a disgrace for the Indian society which considers the birth of a girl child as a bad investment in future. She is considered a consumer rather than a producer and this narrow view point has led to practices like female foeticide. The situation is worst in Punjab. In many parts there are only 700 girls per 1000 boys. This decline in sex ratio might lead to degradation of moral values of society resulting in

- Polyandry - violence against women - red trafficking. This low is being strictly implemented but still there is a fear that there is a fear that these practices are going on in the back street. I feel that law alone is not sufficient . Other measures likeProviding old-age-pension to parents who have no son. Free and compulsory education for girls. Job reservation for women and equal share in property would also help.

In the end I would like to say that all of us have to work together to form a gender balanced society.

12. A time when you helped someone

Man is a social animal a part of society. In a society everyone needs help of someone or the other I have also given and received help many times Here I am going to talk about a time when I helped a needy classfellow

Her name is Suman I remember I was in 10th class She did not have money to buy books Her father suffered a heavy loss in business and was hospitalised because of depression I used to receive hundred rupees per month as pocket money I used to spend it all on chocolates I am very fond of chocolates I gave all the money to her I remember how her face lit up She bought the books Since then weve been the best of friends At that moment I found a great happiness I had never experienced such a feeling before I realised that some things can give more joy than eating chocolates I remembered the saying To have enough to share To know the joy of giving To thrill with all the sweets of life Is living

13. Best Friend A person with whom you like to spend time with My best friend is Sukhwinder. I really like to spend my time with him. I met him when I was in the 4th class in the Govt Primary School where I studied. I like him because he is an honest and straightforward person. He was a very happy mentality. Whenever I was in trouble he used to come and help me.

He tried to be very understanding and never fought with me. In class I was weak at maths and he used to help me. I had a very bad handwriting and he helped me to improve my handwriting also. He has a habit of reading. His father has subscribed to the Readers Digest magazine. I started reading because of him. He is a very loving, caring and affectionate person. So, he became a very intimate friend. Now also he lives near my house and we spend our evenings together. We go for movies together, do shopping together and even play together.

14. Favourite movie ( BAGHBAN) I have seen many movies but the movie I like the most is Baghban. IT is directed by Ravi Chopra. The lead roles are played by Amitabh Bachan and Hema Malini.

The movie shows the selfish attitude of today children and how they take their parents for granted. After Amitabh Bachan retires his four sons are very reluctant to look after them. Amitabh and Hema are supported by an adopted son who really loves and respects them.

Fortunately Amitabhs book Baghban turns out to be a bestseller and he becomes rich overnight. Now his selfish children again swarm around him like bees around honey .

This movie gives the message that when parents look after their children, they should save money for their rainy days that is their old age. After seeing this movie my respect for my parents grew and I began to look at things from a different perspective.

16. Historical Place (Golden Temple)

India is a diverse country. It has a rich historical background.

The place I am going to talk about here is the golden temple or Harimandir Sahib or the temple of the god . It is a place of stupendous beauty and sublime peace. It is situated at Amritsar in Punjab. The sikhs all over the world daily wish to pay obeisence at Shri Harimandir Sahib.

Although the 4TH guru of Sikhs guru ram dal had the idea of this temple , but it was made by the 5TH guru Guru Arjan Dev ji . It look 16 years (from 1588-1604)to complete this temple.

The temple is surrounded by a large lake of water, known as the sarover which consists of amrit (holy water or Immortal vector). There are 4 entrances to the temple which signifies openness and acceptance. People of all castes ,creed ,religion and sex are welcome here .

However, everyone must cover their head as a mark of respect, remove their shoes and wash feet in the small pool of water . People from all nooks and corners of the world flock to see the golden temple . I go there once a month to prostrate before the god. Whenever we have guests, then a visit to the golden temple is always on our agenda.

17. A famous person you would like to meet I would like to meet many famous people but here I am going to talk about Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam OR A person I admire the most is Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. He is our former president. Dr Kalam was born in a very poor family in the southern parts of India at Rameshwaram.

 The reason why I admire him is that his life shows how & ordinary boy from a deprived class (poor family) could reach the highest level of the nation. He became not only the best rocket engineer but also the first citizen of the nation.

It is true that he described his posting as the president as a piece of luck but his achievement as a rocket engineer were absolutely because of sheer hard work. He is role model for one & all. The success of Dr Kalam depended on the fact that he was willing to grow daily. He learned everything that come to him &was looking for thing to learn.

The real success of Dr.Kalam is in his application of the discipline, what he learned, in other fields also. That is why he could contribute to artificial limbs of lesser weight.

In him we find a person with insatiable quest for knowledge & with great love for suffering fellow beings. 18. A book you read recently ( Favourite book) I have read many books but here I would like to talk about the Wings of Fire by Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. OR My favourite book is the Wings of Fire by Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. That is the best book. It is his auto-biography. It was first published in 1999. This book became popular only after Dr. Kalam became the president of India. He was sworn in as the president of India on 25th July 2002. Mr Arun Tiwari helped Dr Kalam in writing the book. Dr. Kalam says why he wrote his autobiography. This book is very motivating. From this book I came to know all about the life and achievements of Dr A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Dr Kalam was born in a very poor family in the southern parts of India at Rameshwaram.

The reason why I admire him is that his life shows how & ordinary boy from a deprived class (poor family) could reach the highest level of the nation.

He became not only the best rocket engineer but also the first citizen of the nation.

It is true that he described his posting as the president as a piece of luck but his achievement as a rocket engineer were absolutely because of sheer hard work. He is role model for one & all. The success of Dr Kalam depended on the fact that he was willing to grow daily. He learned everything that come to him &was looking for thing to learn.

The real success of Dr.Kalam is in his application of the discipline, what he learned, in other fields also. That is why he could contribute to artificial limbs of lesser weight.

In him we find a person with insatiable quest for knowledge & with great love for suffering fellow beings. I like everything about the book. There is nothing that I dont like Another book he wrote is The Ignited Mind

19. Photograph I have a collection of many photographs in my album.

Here Im going to describe one in which my cousin and I are standing with our grandparents in our farmhouse. There is a small round table on which there is a cake.

I remember vividly, it was the golden jubilee celebration of my grandparents. My aunt baked and iced the cake at home. Shes an expert cook. She only clicked the photo. Thats why she is not there in the picture. But her presence can be felt through the cake. Only the four of us were there in the picture.

Last year when I celebrated my parents silver jubilee, I wished in my heart that I celebrate their golden jubilee too. The tablecloth which is spread on the table was embroidered by my grandma. She had a gifted hand in needle and thread work. Both my grandparents are no more in this world now. I really treasure this photograph as this brings back nostalgic memories of my childhood.

Now I have a digital camera in which I capture precious moments. Maybe one day my children will value them.

I like painting and drawing too but cant find enough time for these arts out of my busy schedule. 20. An event which made you happy Recent happy event Happy and sad events are a part and parcel of our life. The happy event I am going to talk about here is the wedding of my cousin. I attended this wedding on 15th January. My cousins name is Deepa. She is my maternal aunts daughter. All our relatives and friends were invited.

Actually the whole week before 15th was busy in the pre wedding celebrations like tilak, sangeet, mehandi and haldi. On the day of the wedding, the marriage palace was decorated like a bride. My cousin also looked beautiful in her sequin spangled lehanga. The baraat came at 5 p.m. High tea was served in which there were lots of cakes and snacks. Then there was the jai mala. The bride and groom exchanged fresh flower garlands. Then we all danced and enjoyed to the beat of music. After the sumptuous dinner all the guests departed and only the close family was left. Then the priest set up a small fire and the remaining ceremony took place around the fire. The doli took place early morning.

It was a very tearful moment for all of us but we were all happy from deep inside as my cousin was beginning her new life. Such celebrations are very common in my country.

Since then I have not attended any such ceremony but there is another wedding in the family next month.