ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM LEVEL 6
Yachay, Ecuador
Contents 1. Portfolio letter 2. Response essay 3. Literary Analysis 4. Interpretation essay 5. Argumentation essay 6. Final research project essay 7. Additional materials (pictures/videos/other works) 8. Thank you letter.
Portfolio Letter
Jorge Perea Apartment I1-4 December, 15th, 2016 Dear portfolio reader, Hello, my name is Jorge Perea. Thank you very much for reading my English Language Portfolio. This letter is a collection of all my best work in English. Also, it includes my experiences about of this and previous levels of English. In this time, I keep learning and performing my first foreign language. Moreover, this semester helped me to polish my writing and speaking skills and this assignment is a great proof of it. This letter is one of my best works in English. I really love it and I hope you appreciate it too. At the beginning of this semester, one of my goals has been be responsible. In fact, my best achieve at this level was to be able to get it. For instance, in the last semester I cared little or nothing about English class. Even, it was not about procrastinating, but about not giving importance to my English course. Specifically, there was no interest in learning English. But now, in this semester I have learned to arrange my schedule, my tasks and assignments at the right time. I have learned to organize in a better way, and that has given results. Secondly, I have continued to improve my writing and speaking skills. This is clearly reflected in the essays that I have written. Without doubt, in writing these essays, I have developed the ability of criticism and reasoning in a better way. By all means, I have discovered many new things with all my written essays. E.g., I really felt proud when I wrote my Response Essay because before I did not know that buying illegal drugs was the seed of the violence. I had never considered the trouble about acts of violence like prostitution, kidnapping and murders, which exists because people buying illegal drugs.
Now, with these goals achieved, I am totally ready to leave the English Language Program at Yachay. I am convinced that from this moment, I will bring with me great moments with friends, the teacher and myself. Furthermore, as a student of Yachay Tech, I need to keep improving myself. I have grown since the beginning of the semester and I need to stay on that road. This is not the end, I will continue developing my English, beyond the limits. Pass this level of English does not mean that I will stop to learn English. Indeed, one of my wishes is become the best student and I need to catch it. This is not all, there are some little issues that I need to improve. These things include keep practicing my speaking, pronunciation and fluency. The last thing that I need to do is speak more with native speakers, in the future I hope to have succeeded. Thank you one more time for reading my portfolio. I hope you enjoy reading it. Gratefully, Jorge
Response Essay
Buying illegal drugs promote the violence Jorge Alexis Perea Armijos Yachay Tech University
Want to make ethical purchases? Stop buying illegal drugs (Berlanga, 2016). Have you considered this situation before? Have you ever bought drugs? If you answer was ‘yes’ to any of these questions then please keep reading this article; or even if you know somebody that buy or use drugs, please keep reading. The purpose of the author in the following lines is to call the society to stop buying illegal drugs, which are the seed of violence. In this article, Mario Berlanga shows evidently an unnoticed illustration in our society: The big trouble about acts of violence like prostitution, kidnapping and murders, which exists because people keep buying illegal drugs. Mario Berlanga announces a great analysis in his article addressing the violence in our society, especially in North America. He posts six issues that bring the purchase of illegal drugs. In the beginning of the article, he mentioned the desire of the young American people of “save the world” and immediately he expose a right factor of which he noticed: The seed of the violence in our society is the purchase of illegal drugs. There are a lot of complications that are formed in the streets of North America and without doubt Berlanga has made an elaborate contrast cited some of most relevant. A strong point which I agree with is the way the author came immediately to the central point and how from there he has been crumbling all features around it. In fact, I am totally convinced of when people buy illegal drugs, they do grow the narcotic industry and consequently promote illegal activities that relate to this illegal business. On account of this issues, people should reconsider the real problems facing the world and which we must find a solution. In other words, an excellent way to help the world and the beings who live in it, it is to stop contributing illegal small or medium businesses, such as selling drugs. Even, to give another little example, stop buying items of dubious origin. These are totally real examples that
illustrate the problem significantly. Which in turn, by supporting these businesses, people incentive more illegal activities that are harmful to society. Notwithstanding, people continue buying illegal drugs and that is the reason for the big circle of the drug keep turning in a prosperous way, no doubt about it. For instance, the sales are successfully when drug dealers get sell all their commodity. As a result, people can think that the ‘sale of drugs’ is a huge success. Nonetheless, the real factor that promote enrichment in the drug trafficking is smuggling them across the border. Besides, the principal objective of contraband is control each place throughout road. For that reason, the contraband is the principal action to generate the higher amount of money, and this is the principal thing to obtain several customers. Here is where can be seen the initial point of the violence, since these criminals fight to have all control over each step in the road, in the border crossings and even ports. Likewise, violence is equal to or greater from this point. Because, as anywhere else, there is a big competition; and as a consequence new ways of violence are produced. Kidnapping and murders are the examples most usual and most common in countries like Mexico, where Mexican cartels command. Following by prostitution, extortion, music and software piracy, and even human trafficking. Several journalist and policemen are killed daily, but the worst is the loss of multiple innocent lives. This violence just exists to avoid that other criminal groups can grow up and after they can take the control and manage the business of the illegal drug. Furthermore, Berlanga does an illustration of how this country (Mexico) has suffered for many years the violence of several cartels of drugs, even it existence is general knowledge of US citizens, which are more the 30% of purchases worldwide. In other words, people of US know exactly their existence (drug’s cartel) and how they manage the illegal business of
the drugs. Everyone have all heard or even every person has seen acts of crime by drug gangs; similarly, Berlanga has had a close encounter with this type of violence. He describes the experience of his friend Maria, who regrettably lost to her son of 14 years old; in this case she only was trying to running away with her family of the forced recruitment of her son, they lived in a low class neighborhood in Monterrey and her refusal causes the murder of her son in revenge mode. That sounds horrible! Mexico keep this terrible violence and even so Americans still continue spending billions of dollars buying illegal drugs (Berlanga, 2016). By all means, statistics are very clear: the business of drugs move more than $150 billion per year, and that amount exceeds noticeably the amount that government invert in education. Americans are used to buy illegal drugs without think in consequences and that is the eye of the hurricane in all this problematic. Because for this reason nobody can do anything, that is to say that any government can finish once and for all with this. Unlike the reality, if Americans at least would reduce the amount of consumption of illegal drugs, government could counteract them and their power would reduce significantly. Nobody can disparage the option of reducing the purchase of each person; in each sale there is a considerable reward for the cartels. For instance, consider this: a usual customer spends around $100 per weekend; and consequently e.g., $500 is equivalent to get a new rifle and $700 is an approximate of the salary of a man related with the cartels (Berlanga, 2016). Finally, if the people who are reading this essay consume some kind of drug, even if it is occasionally, please, they need to reconsider in reducing their use. These people can save lives just reducing the times when they buy illegal drugs. Also, if you are not using illegal drugs, you can help to resolve this problem saying to others the danger of buying illegal drugs, you can convince to other telling them about all terrible consequences that have this
business. “Lives are at stake� (Berlanga, 2016). Without doubt, since now you know that buy illegal drugs is not a victimless crime, all this have terrible consequences and we can stop it!
References: Berlanga, M. (2016, September 27). Want to make ethical purchases? Stop buying illegal drugs. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/opinion/wantto-make-ethical-purchases-stop-buying-illegal-drugs.html?_r=0
Literary Analysis
Essay about prompt #2 Have you ever felt your body has been in a big place, even when you had been in a little room? Do you think that being alone with yourself could be the elixir of your freedom? These things were lived by Mrs. Mallard. She was the main character of The Story of an Hour. Mrs. Mallard was a terrible example of a wild dreamer woman. Woman of the oldness did not have the enough freedom and they suffered for saving their thoughts and feelings. In this occasion, Chopin shows how a little dorm can become a big field of thoughts that increases freedom. Undoubtedly, the author gave a great example about how woman let see their strong soul after the storm passer. “Free Body and soul free�, these little sentences were the message of Mrs. Mallard for herself. This sentence shows how Mallard was illuminated by feelings of love, bravery and of an incredible tolerance inside her. Once time opened their thoughts and feelings she realized how lucky she was. She could not believe to be siting with a calm face, feeling the air entering for her ears through her window. In other words, the reader could also feel the amazing emotion when she realized that she was living her freedom. Therefore, as a reader, you can feel the experience about of this. The beautifulness of getting freedom is connected emotions that we show. People could think that they have the power of freedom all days at any time. Unlike Mrs. Mallard, maybe we can not realize the freedom that we lose livings with the daily routine. That means that people broke their emotions and for that reason they could not show it. But we can learn a little about the experience of Mrs. Mallard, the good things. In order to take the good things about this people could leave their fairs and show their emotions. In that way, people could live their freedom. Freedom is in all places, even it is living inside of you. Mrs. Mallard was an amazing example about it. In fact, she lived her freedom in a little dorm without anymore, only with
the open window. In addition, it seems that she lived strong trouble before that but it was necessary that she would meet with herself. After it happened, she could stay alone and consequently she could give love to herself. Next, she would be calmed but, to end the purpose would be happy? Undoubtedly, Mrs. Mallard learn us with her experience, how after all places around of us, we cannot lose our emotions and forget our freedom because this freedom lives inside of us, beatings at any time. Freedom does not mean to be in a extend place without rules, freedom is more than that freedom is our emotions and feelings that are born on the deepest of ourselves. In other words, freedom is there and need to catch them and live the experience by own selves.
References Chopin, K 1894). “The Story of on hour�
Interpretation Essay
A MYSTERIOUS WORLD THAT OVERCOME OUR IMAGINATION
Have you ever thought how close you have been to the stars? Or maybe you just stopped to think: What is there over the clouds? Outside of the Earth, there are an infinity universe full of awesome things that the human eye cannot always see. Planets, stars, nebulae, wormholes, galaxies, etc. Places where the extraordinary majesty of the universe is shown in a totally imposing. In these days humanity wants to explore the universe because they are interesting in discover what they can find. People need to know that we are not the only ones in the universe because it is so big and it is in a continuous expansion. Therefore, scientists have discovered amazing things that many years ago we could not imagine on them. In this 3D presentation, Jerome Donna tries to show us the huge size of universe and how small we are. On his creation, Donna uses instruments like spotlights, music and 3D effect to represent the wonders that the universe has and to show us how it actually is.
First, when we watch this presentation we feel surprised, because these things were impossible to do many years ago and also for the message that the author gives us. In this presentation, the most important and innovate thing is the 3D effect that catches all our attention since the first moment. This effect helps the author to create a representation of things that are far away from us and, also creates the effect that provide us the sensation of being in another place. 3D effect could create things that we know and things that are product of the imagination of the authors, giving like result awesome projects like Donna did. This effect was created many years ago but their creators did not get their goal because they had less tools and many problems to fix. However, today all the technology that we have has made possible to perform this effect without problems and with a cheaper cost. Secondly, if this presentation would had just images, it would be boring because people just would see forms that maybe had sense or not. Besides that, this could become monotonous
at some point. Nonetheless, it is not good for the author because he wants to give a message to the public. This is the reason why it must be something that goes with the presentation, and it is the music. When we see the presentation we probably think that it was easy to made it because the author is a professional and he had been doing the same job during many years. However, I think this kind of job is a difficult one, because the author has to have a great knowledge on music to do it, due to he has to fix the music to goes according to the images. This activity is very important because music helps the author to give his message, but if the music is not correct the message could be distorted and the public could get confuse about that.
Jerome Donna uses instruments like spotlights or dynamic lights that help him to create a more realistic effect of the things that he is projecting and at the same time bring support to the 3D effect. For example, when he tried to represent the stars, to reach this objective was indispensable the use of spotlights in a determinate altitude to simulate them, their bright and provide a spatial environment during the presentation. Other example is when the author shows us the sun, he had to use dynamic lights to recreate a solar flare and with this produced the feeling like we were in the space, face to face to the sun. Donna did a great job mixing the 3D effect and the spotlights because he got a great impact on the public. Finally, this projection undoubtedly caused a swirl of emotions. The stage set with the magical and epic sound of the musical notes next to each scene of the universe impacted notably on the beating of the observer, who was amazed from beginning to end. In the beginning there were many stars in the universe, that is why the viewer was totally excited by what he was seeing. The viewer felt adrenaline to be there, curiosity of what he would continue to observe and in the end, was almost of being in shock when feeling the immensity that surrounded it in the universe. These images were so extraordinary that they can hardly leave your heart and mind.
In conclusion, this work of art has shown how great and spectacular our universe can be, from small particles to an imposing sun in our solar system. In each image of Donna’s projection, he showed perfectly how infinite the cosmos can be outside our vision. Donna is a genius doing this kind of things because he has to know about many aspects like light effects, 3D effect and also music. This is a hard work and he has to be careful with everything, even the small things because during the presentation everything has to be perfect. I think that he got give us his message, and at the same time he caused the emergence of various feelings in the public, such as curiosity, joy, excitement and even great astonishment about how incredible is our universe.
Argumentation Essay
People Should Never Have One Global Language
What would happen with your identity if you lost your native language? This question is born with the idea of having an only global language. Are we prepared for it? People would need to change their habits, customs, and priorities, but the mast important to outsider is that they would lose their identity. Really a bad idea would be to have only global language due to use only speaking language would carry a lot of disadvantages. The principal disadvantage of using one global language would be the loss of our identity. Indeed, this trouble would be the main reason that does not allow to have one global language. Since the birth, we learned several things about the place where we born. Moreover, this place is very related with our language, and also all of this have a certain emotional value language is more than just a method of communication it is a large link to our personal identity and that is too important to lose. Another important point of speaking one universal language is the loss of large amount of cultural diversity. Lakeside, this a loss of knowledge high. Learning a foreign language is often accompanied by an appreciation for the music, food and a way of life of a private place. For that reason, we know information about people beliers, ideologies and the most important: their common history. Unlike of people that support all facts, there are people that believe that using a global language brings more solely and development to our world because with that people can understand each other in a better way. For example, if everyone speaks the same language, people could have more opportunities of work, travel and investigate around the world because the world would open doors for everyone. But it is not completely easy like it seems
because if everyone had the same opportunities, there would be more challenges and therefore would be harder to get something. In fact, it would be a total disaster in all the word. In addition, there are not facts that can validate this posture because there is not enough about that.
Finally, people should never try to impose unique language for all the world because that brings more disadvantages than advantages. Undoubtedly, we would lose our identity and cultural diversity, our mother tongue is totally related with our beliefs, priorities and the most important with our history. Also, having only global language a lot of trouble in the world, like the difficulty to go something related with jobs and business.
References: Cancio, C. 2016. What if everyone on earth spoke the same language? Retrieved from. http://scienceshowstofworks.com/science-vs-mgth.
Final Research Project Essay
In which countries is it beneficial to have a college degree? Jorge Alexis Perea Armijos Yachay Tech University
Abstract This paper explores three published articles that report on results from research conducted in which countries it is beneficial to have a college degree. In this paper, there are several facts and test that show to South America as the continent that best rewards university graduates for being able to graduate from university. Specifically, Brazil, Chile and Colombia are the countries that lead these actions. Not all countries have the same benefits when people graduate from college. However, nowadays, no one in the world can deny that Companies value more education. In the following lines, the reader will discover how the individual economy of an average person is affected by having a university degree. Moreover, this includes the fact which youths cannot have many opportunities to get jobs. Also, this paper examines valuation and competition given to the university education. At the end, the reader will see if all economic benefits that provide these countries will be enough to make him consider having a university degree.
Have you ever thought that the best for your economy is to have a degree? Having a college degree not only involves seizing a great deal of knowledge, it also means several economic benefits that not many can enjoy. Besides that, this has more benefits like getting influences, which in the end also offers economic welfares. Can you believe that South America has the best countries that reward to young boys if they have a college degree? Young people who quit their studies do not have many opportunities to get jobs. Undoubtedly, having a college degree is an important factor for the economy of each person. This can be seen in many countries like: Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Costa Rica where people who has a degree earn more money than people who do not. An important factor to take into account is valuation and competition given to the university education in each country. For these reasons, people should study at college. Countries of South America are the best market for the University degrees. A great example of this is Brazil, where graduates of the University has a lot of economic benefits. Furthermore, in this country people who has a degree earn more than four times more than those who finish secondary. In the second place, graduates with masters or doctorates get on average a little more than two times more than people who have only bachelor’s (Martins, 2016). In the meantime, it is totally true that people who have a higher level of skills will gain larger benefits. But this is not all, according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in Brazil only 14% of adults completed university studies; this is a great reason why university graduates are so well rewarded economically, due reaching that academic stage involves the conquest and total mastery of valuable skills acquired at the University (Martins, 2016).
A big trouble to youths without a degree is the difficulty of can to get a job. Doubtedly, it is almost of general knowledge that each teen without academic preparation has a limited number of places of work. Their options are reduced by the popular thought that having a diploma or degree is the main factor of a worker's skills. Indeed, large companies and people in charge of hiring staff, strongly believe that in the labor market education is worth the effort; that is the reason which companies are interested in recruit staff with university education. For instance, people who had a degree tended to increase their income with age, instead people who had no college education saw their income fall over time. To exemplify this idea in a better way, it is only necessary to observe the case of Colombia, which is the third country where university graduates are best paid. Surpassed only by Chile and Brazil, Colombia is the country where people can earn more than twice the salary of those who started working immediately after leaving high school. That is to say, having a high level of education translates into higher incomes and less unemployment. Valuation of the university education system and competition for a place in the university can play in the economy of a country either as an agent of economic gratification or as an obstacle that prevents the deserved retribution of each university graduate. To put it in another way, ease of access to university education reduces the competitive ability to attend college. That is to say, in the countries where university is more reachable, it is more likely to be less profitable. For example, this can be clearly seen in countries like Sweden, Norway and Denmark where ease of access hinders a better economic retribution. In contrast, Brazil and Colombia are the opposite example of this; in these countries, there are a lack of the access which benefits in a way those who graduate from the university, due tariffs are relatively expensive. E.g., Brazil not even 32% of young people finished secondary education, and this is another reason why university graduates are guaranteed to earn much
more than the national average income. This also explains the reduced number of adults with a college education (Martins, 2016). Taking into account the fact that many people are either unemployed or employed in jobs that don’t call for any academic preparation at all, it is natural understand that, people believe that going to college is not an investment at all. In the same way, most of the people have the belief that in the current days the educational value of university has been losing credibility; certainly, no one warns college students that current performance that they have is no guarantee of future performance. That is to say, the skills that they have now it does not guarantee them to have a job for several years. In the second place, there is a big cluster of students and ex-students fighting against with the weight of their college loans (Leef, 2013). Others affirm that going to college does not guarantee a person's productivity increase because an employee is rewarded for his abilities rather than for his credentials. As we can see investing in college may not be a good idea, however today it is very necessary to have at least one degree to get a good job. Notwithstanding, these illustrations are only simple perspectives of a few people. One of the best examples to disprove this is that people cannot find a job due to the bad economy of the world. Hence, the probabilities of finding a job in the working world without a degree decrease considerably. It is totally true that: several jobs need people with credentials and degrees. In fact, in the field of education you will not be able to find a teacher giving classes without a degree, or a rector directing an institution without having gone through college before. Obviously, to teach someone, it is necessary to have had a very good previous teaching. On the other hand, the University offers other benefits that cannot be measured with money. In fact, higher education boosters keep believing that college is worth and still a good investment. In addition, there will be nothing compared to the education and principles acquired in the university. Investing in higher education will be one of the best choices that
people can make. In the future, the reward will come and with much more value due to the great demand of jobs. To conclude, is a totally fact that having a degree brings several economic benefits. Nowadays, having a degree is a strong weapon that allows people destroy ignorance, build knowledge, and get several job opportunities. Indeed, these benefits bring more benefits in economical and academic ways. Of course, Brazil, Chile, Colombia are the best examples of the countries that reward having a degree, in these countries not all people can finish university. To demonstrate, the percentage of people who finished university is 21% in Chile and 22% in Colombia. In addition, no one can deny the fact of that in nowadays Companies value more education and skills. There is a big impact in the system for those who give up studying; and for that, youths cannot get jobs. For all these reasons, people should consider having a degree. References: Martins, A. (2016, September 15). ¿En qué países te beneficia más tener un título universitario? Retrieved 9, 2016 from: http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-37367457 G. (2015, November 28). ¿En qué países se gana más por tener un título universitario? Retrieved 9, 2016 from: http://gestion.pe/empleo-management/ranking-que-paises-segana-mas-tener-titulo-universitario-2149653 Leef, G. (2013, June 12). Don't Buy The Hype, College Education Is Not An Investment. Retrieved December 9, 2016, from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/06/12/dontbuy-the-hype-college-education-is-not-an-investment/ Additional materials (Photos and links to videos, etc)
REFLECTIONS Some experiences lived in this semester…