ERP narrative 01---(a) 27

When my mother was ill
My mother is not the kind of person who likes to command others to work. Most of chores are done by her. Although she does not have a job, it seems that she is busier than my father and me. On the contrary, if I have any time to relax, I would not even like to move a finger to do anything else. My mother would like me to study rather than helping her, so I hardly do chores.
On the evening of a Friday, I came home from school. I began to complain in a loud voice when I found that dinner had not been ready yet. What really surprised me was that my mother who was supposed be in the kitchen was still lying on her bed! I wondered what had happened to her. Perhaps my voice woke her up or she has been awake since I went to school, she said something in a murmur.
‘I am not feeling well today. My neck and my waist are aching painfully, so I could not do anything at the moment. Your father will come home very late, you’d better cook for yourself.’
Looking at her debilitated face, I decided to cook for her first and then sent her to the hospital. However, I have never cooked before, even a bowl of instant noodles. Cooking used to be the work of my parents, but this time, it was my turn. I was already twelve years old so I must take the responsibility to help my mother.
After asking how to cook instant noodles, I walked into the kitchen with nervousness but also determination.
‘Firstly, turn on the gas stove and the ventilating fans. Secondly, add water to the iron pot. Thirdly, put noodles and condiment in the pot……’
I repeated and follow my mother’s instruction with especial carefulness. Nearly every minute I took the pot’s lid off and checked whether the noodles were ready or not. As soon as the noodles were done, I tried some. The taste was too insipid because I added too much water to it. Hastily, I add a spoon of salt and pepper.
My mother seemed very cheerful when I provide the ‘dinner’ for her. She ate up the noodles with joy and praised that it was devious. However, when I tasted the soup, it was too salty to drink. I knew she wanted to encourage me.
Twenty minutes later, as soon as I washed the dishes, I sent her to the hospital. When I knew that she was painful because she has done too much housework without having a good rest, I felt very guilty. I did not do well as a son whose duty was to help his mother. But I am proud that I have tried my best, and I help her more frequent now.
If my mother did not ill, I would not have a chance to do chores like an adult. During that day, I have learned how tiring and boring doing housework is. I could understand how fatigued my mother suffers every day. However, I am glad that now I am a good helper of my mother. I know I should be more independent so I will not act like a duck in a thunderstorm when my mother has to leave me someday. Nobody wants to be burdensome instead of helpful. Independency can help us overcome any problem.

personal response of The Evolution of Goodness

According to the passage, the author tells us two explanations for why human beings are willing to do good to others. One is that altruism spread if there is enough genetic relatedness between you and the recipient and the cost of altruism is less than the benefit of it. The other explanation is called reciprocity, which means that individuals are willing to be altruistic to someone who will also be altruistic to them in return. However, these are only the answers can be found in evolutionary biology, there are also other explanations for altruism. I have seen someone helped people whom he did not know, this cannot be explained by the two reasons above. I think it is because every human being are born with a sympathetic heart, it is our nature to be altruistic.

Another Introduction

Orchard Road in Singapore can be considered a paradise of shopping, and it is also the most important part of Singapore because of its economic status. In order to make Orchard Road a better place for shopping, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had a $40-million makeover of Orchard Road. However, I do not think it worth so much money refurbishing Orchard Road because the changes were so inconspicuous but people are expecting tremendous changes, it just disappointed them. Furthermore, the construction of Orchard Road affected a lot of people. Actually, the government can use the money more properly. Can you imagine that when you go to Orchard Road to see the "great changes" , however, you cannot notice any changes of it, how will you feel? When you drive your car to Orchard Road for shopping, but you find that many areas are blocked, will you feel disappointed? And what Orchard Road under construction looks like now? "Tak-tak-tak......" "U00-oo-oo......"

Commentary--Orchard Road(27)

Orchard Road in Singapore can be considered a paradise of shopping, and it is also the most important part of Singapore because of its economic status. In order to make Orchard Road a better place for shopping, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had a $40-million makeover of Orchard Road. However, I do not think it worth so much money refurbishing Orchard Road because the changes were so inconspicuous but people are expecting tremendous changes, it just disappointed them. Furthermore, the construction of Orchard Road affected a lot of people. Actually, the government can use the money more properly.
People are bothered in many aspects. Firstly, the noise from the construction work was almost unbearable. People who live there complain a lot because they could not have a good rest hearing such loud noises. Instead of a shopping center, what greets them is“Tat-tat-tat……” Many tourists are annoyed by the noise as well. Secondly, many shoppers are limited to access to certain areas because these areas are blocked. For example, Dan Stevens, who was on holiday, wanted to go shopping with his wife, but they found it difficult to find their way around because of the blocked areas. Moreover, the one-lane closure causes lots of traffic jams. These annoyances will certainly affect the business in Orchard Road----shopkeepers do not earn as much as they used to do, and customers cannot get goods they want. Obviously, the makeover is disadvantageous for both mall owners and customers.
It seems that $40 million is not used properly; it can be used for other more significant purposes. Many people claimed that they did not notice the change of Orchard Road at all, they thought that for $40 million, the government should make great changes to surprise them, however, what they saw really let them down. When I went to Orchard Road last week, I noticed nothing except the glass panel. I do not understand why STB spent such a large sum of money to make changes which are really inconspicuous. Although the money is mainly used for landscaping, cutting-edge street lighting, energy saving and glass panels as well these contributions are not remarkable enough. Instead of close one lane to widen the walkway; the government could improve underpasses between shopping malls so that there are no traffic jams any more. Besides, we can upgrade the escalators between Far East Plaza and Royal Plaza hotel. This will be more effective.
In conclusion, I think that spending $40 million on Orchard Road facelift is unseemly, because it annoys people in many aspects. For example, some areas are blocked, and noise from the construction disturb others a lot. Moreover, people feel disappointed since the changes can hardly be noticed. As a result, the money should be used more properly.

What is an exposition?

The exposition is the beginning part of a story. It is where we meet the characters, find out the setting, and get the background about the story line. It is the material that sets up whatever will be the central conflict in a story. Exposition is telling, not showing, and passive rather than active. It is a narrative summary of events that if not handled carefully, can disrupt the flow of action, bore the reader, and make it sound as if the author is lecturing the reader.