Sample answer

The bar chart shows the amount of different elements required for making 1,000 polystyrene and paper cups.

The production of 1,000 polystyrene cups needs 8 kg of petroleum and 13 kg of other chemicals. These two kinds of elements are heated with great quantities of steam which is ten times as much as other chemicals. This process is rather energy-saving, only costing 0.6 m3 of water and 6 kilowatts of electricity.

However, in the process of making paper cups, the consumption of water and electricity is more than ten times that in polystyrene cups. It also requires more petroleum, with 18 kg being added. It is worth mentioning that the production of paper cups doesn’t need much other chemicals and steam. The amount of other chemicals is less than two thirds of that in polystyrene cups.

Overall, the production of polystyrene cups is environmentally friendly, because it costs less energy and doesn’t need any wood, while 1,000 paper cups almost needs 220 kg of wood.

Task 2

Traditionally, toddlers are raised by their relatives such as grandparents in most countries. However, daycare centres have gained a growing popularity among working parents in recent years. From my point of view, attending a childcare centre has more benefits.

One obvious argument in favor of daycare centres is that it provides children with the professional childhood education. This is because a good daycare centre is normally equipped with well-trained staff who can impart different skills, such as singing, dancing, painting and storytelling, to children through a variety of activities during the day. In addition to the well-organised, structured projects, toddlers are provided with more opportunities to socialize with other peers, which helps them gain confidence and self-consicousness. However, these opportunities are rare to achieve if they are watched over by grandparents.

Opponents feel that a relative care is as effective as children centre. The reason for this is that taking care of a child is never an easy task, as children need constant love and attention. In fact, due to the limited number of caregivers, children are less likely to get the one-on-one care. By contrast, relatives, grandparents in particular, have sufficient time to take care of their beloved grandchildren, which also contributes to the family bond.

I personally believe that no child can become an active and valuable member of any society without intercommunicating with other peers. Therefore, although there are conniving arguments for a relative care, it is better to send them into daycare centers in the childhood period.