Should smoking be banned in public places?

Smokers in America sometimes feel as though war has been declared on them. There is no more smoking in offices, restaurants, airplanes or most other public places. Do you think it's a good idea? Most people think it is.

1. I have friends who smoke. Sure, I don't want them to, but they do anyway. I don't think that banning it in public will work at all. People will do what they want when they want!

Sergei (Russia)

2. I think it should be banned. A non-smoker shouldn't have to suffer just because people have not got enough will power to stop.

Kate (Russia)

3. I think people should stop smoking because it gets young people into smoking and it's not good for the environment.

Sharon (UK)

4. I think that smoking should be banned in public because you are more likely to die of passive smoking than actual smoking!

Linda (Sweden)

5. Yeah — it should be banned. Smoking is a form of slow suicide. It doesn't matter when you start; you can always stop. It's a question of will power.

Joshua (Australia)

6. As an asthmatic I strongly believe that smoking should be banned in public places. If smokers knew how asthmatics felt when they breathe in smoke many people would stop.

Olga (Russia)

7. If people want to kill themselves, let them. But I don't see why we should let them kill others?

Tanya (Russia)

1 Sergei (Russia)	2 Kate (Russia)	3 Sharon (UK)	4 Linda (Sweden)	5 Joshua (Australia)	6 Olga (Russia)	7 Tanya (Russia)

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A – Religion in the UK.

B – What kind of people go to a public school?

C – Poverty and Inequality.

D – Chinese New Year in New York.

E – Different cultures and faiths.

F – Private education - What is it?

1. Americans are proud of their economic system, believing it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives.

Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem.

Similarly periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have helped reduce poverty but have not eliminated it entirely.

The federal government defines a minimum amount of income necessary for basic maintenance of a family of four.

This amount may fluctuate depending on the cost of living and the location of the family.

2. The school system in the UK can proudly call itself one of the most complicated in Europe. Not only it is not the same across the kingdom but also the number of changes that have taken place in the last 50 years have made it equally confusing for a British person and for a foreigner.

Let's start from the beginning. There are two types of schools in the UK: state schools where education is free and private schools where you have to pay. The only thing is that private schools in Britain are called ... pub­lic. Why? A long time ago when education was a privi­lege of the rich, the only schools where poor people could go were funded by charities (organizations that collect money for people in need). As it was public money, the schools for the poor were called public schools. Logical, isn't it? However, in the course of histo­ry many public schools became very successful and turned into expensive private schools but the conserva­tive British continued to call them public schools.

3. Well, the first thing you need to have is money as some public schools charge up to £20,000 a year. There are some grants for bright pupils as well but the places are few and the competition is very strong. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that only six percent of the people in the UK can afford it. The other important criterion is that you have to belong to the right class as the class sys­tem in Britain is still very important. Mostly, public edu­cation is a privilege of the upper middle and upper classes.

4. Don't let anyone tell you that dragons are scary. For Chinese people the dragon is a symbol of strength, good luck and supernatural forces. So every year, they dance through the narrow streets of Chinatown in New York and are meant to bring good luck!

They are brought to life by at least 20 people and may be 100 feet long! Men and boys perform intricate dragon dances with one person manipulating the head of the dragon and the rest moving the body.

Firecrackers are thrown at the feet of the dragon to keep it awake for the cele­bration. (They are believed to sleep the rest of the year.)

As part of this parade, people dress up in bright dragon costumes and dance down the streets.

Following the dragon are people playing drums and gongs, and lion dancers. Lions, too, are supposed to bring good luck.

The Lion Dance is performed by two 'dancers': one at the head and one at the tail of the lion.

As they dance, shop and business own­ers come outside to give them money.

A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks. The noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, pre­venting them from coming into the New Year.

'Gung Hey Fat Choy!' the crowd yells.

'Happy New Year!'

_

5. The main religion in the United Kingdom is Christianity. As the UK is a constitutional monarchy, the Queen is both head of state and head of the Church. There are two established churches in the UK: the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. However, there are also various non-Christian religious institutions, such as Muslim and Hindu.

British schoolchildren normally start their day with morning Christian prayer. However, almost every school has kids from non-Christian back­grounds, so taking part in Christian prayers is not compulsory. All British kids receive some religious education to learn about different reli­gions and religious beliefs. Most schools are mixed schools, which mean children from any ethnic or cultural backgrounds can join them. However, there are also some specialised schools, such as the all-Russian or all-Muslim schools in London.

Making sure that different cultures and faiths coexist happily is not easy. For example, one school in Yorkshire had to 'ban' the famous Three little pigs story because it upset Muslim children's feelings. Muslims believe that pigs are dirty animals (for example, they don't eat pork), so they don't find the story funny at all!

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