DISCUSSION TEXT

Dear all my beloved XII IPA students,

I’m so sorry that I can’t come to your class today due to some circumstances. So you have to study  on your own.

What are you are going to do are :

Ø  Learn the five of discussion text below

Ø  Answer the questions

Ø  Rewrite one text that you like most on your exercise book

Ø  List 10 difficult words and write the meaning

Ø   

Thank for your attention

Love,

Anita

DISCUSSION  TEXT

to present information and opinions about issues in more one side of an issue (‘For/Pros’ and ‘Against/Cons’)

KIND OF TEXT	PURPOSE	GENERIC STRUCTURE	LANGUAGE FEATURES
DISCUSSION	to present information and opinions about issues in more one side of an issue (‘For/Pros’ and ‘Against/Cons’)	1. Issue 2. Arguments for and against 3. Conclusion	1. Using Simple Present Tense 2. Use of relating verb/to be 3. Using thinking verb 4. Using general and abstract noun 5. Using conjunction/transition 6. Using modality 7. Using adverb of manner

Read the following text and answer the questions on your exercise book

 TEXT 1

There are a lot of discussions whether children should be given homework or not.

            Some people claim that children do enough work in school already. They also argue that children have hobbies that they want to do after school, such as sports or music. A further point they make is that a lot of homework is pointless and doesn’t help the child learn at all.

            However, there are also strong arguments against this point of view. Parents and teachers argue that it is important to find out whether children can work on their own without the support from the teacher. They say that the evening is a good time for children to sit down and think about what they have learnt in the school.

            Furthermore they claim that the school day is too short to get anything done that needs doing and it makes sense to send home tasks like independent reading or further writing tasks that don’t need teacher support.

            On balance, I think that some homework is a good idea but that it should only given at the weekend when children have more time.

Answer the questions

1.             What is the text talking about?

2.             What reasons are presented by those who are against homework?

3.             What reasons are presented by those who are pro homework?

4.             What is the writer’s suggestion about the homework?

TEXT 2

         Some high school and college students have part time jobs. They do them at different time; before school, after school and at weekends. Some people believe this is good. By doing part time jobs students earn money, and therefore they learn to be independent. They help themselves and their families financially. They appreciate for it, value of money more than students who just ask their parents for it.
         Some people, however, think that students should not work. They believe that students have two full time jobs already, growing up and going to school.
According to them, part time jobs make the students tired. Tired students cannot study well. They tend to lose their temper easily. They also tend to fall asleep in class, and when they do, their classmates usually make fun of them. According to these people education is more important than money. Students should not do part time jobs

5.             What  is the text about?

6.             What are the advantages of  having part time job for the students ?

7.             What are the two jobs of the students?

8.             What arguments are proposed by those who dissagree with the part time job for students?

TEXT 3

SHOULD EXAMINATIONS BE ABOLISHED?

Many people say that examinations should be abolished because they are not the best measure of students’ capabilities. These people believe that students can study on their own and do better without the nagging worry and pressure exerted by examinations.

            Yet, there are persuasive reasons to show that examinations should not be abolished. It is insufficient that teachers assign homework and correct it. Because this is not done under supervision, they can not be sure that it is really the work of the students themselves. Moreover, homework is not a test of student’s ability; homework is more a method of merely keeping him occupied.

            Nowadays, in the hunt for jobs, students need to produce some evidence of their capabilities. Prospective employers like to see copies of examination results; this is the only way a student’s qualifications can be judged. This attitude greatly encourages the use of examinations, if not making them a necessity.

9.      What information do we get from the text?

10.  How to judge the student’s qualifications?

11.  Why do some people disagree to abolish examination?

Text 4

TO BIOENGINEER OR NOT TO BIOENGINEER

Bioengineering which is a process in which a set of genes from one plant is inserted into another plant is a hot topic for debate these days.

Those who are in favour of bioengineering could lead to bigger crop yields and “new and improved” fruits and make it possible to grow the most desirable crops. In addition, they look at bioengineering as a high-tech version of cross pollination, which happens naturally with certain types of plants.

However, those who are against bioengineering say that there may be dangers of genetically altered food. There is no telling what the long-term effects of bioengineering. Furthermore, they add that because it is difficult to control cross-pollination when genetically modified crops interbreed with conventional crops, there is also the risk that some of native or non modified species would be extinct.

We have no idea how bioengineering would impact not only the people who eat the crops, but also the wildlife that feeds on them and the environment as a whole.

12.  The text mainly discusses about....

13.  What is the risk of bioengineering according to those who against it?

14.  What can we imply from the text?

TEXT 5

Gene Splicing

            Genetic research has produced both exciting and frightening possibilities. Scientists are now able to create new forms of life in the laboratory due to the development of gene splicing.

            On the one hand the ability to create life in the laboratory could generally benefit mankind. For example, because it is very expensive to obtain insulin from natural sources, scientists have developed a method to manufacture it inexpensively in the laboratory.

            Another beneficial application of gene splicing is in agriculture. Scientists foresee the day when new plants will be developed using nitrogen from the air instead of from fertilizer. Therefore food production could be increased. In addition, entirely new plants could be developed to feed the world’s hungry people.

            Not everyone is excited about gene splicing, however. Some people feel that it could have terrible consequences. A laboratory accident, for example, might cause an epidemic of an unknown disease that could wipe out humanity.

            As a result of this controversy, the government has made rules to control genetic experiments. While some members of the scientific community feel that these rules are too strict, many other people feel that they are still not strict enough.

15. What are the benefits that people can get from gene splicing?

16.        What will scientists probably do to provide the people’s need for food?

17.    What can we infer about the writer’s attitude toward gene splicing?

GOOD LUCK