Topic 101 Doing work by hand vs. By machine

In general, there are two ways of making products, one is by hand and the other is by machine. It is undeniable that products can be manufactured easily and efficiently by machine. But for me, I prefer hand-made items for their features (особенностей) of individualism and flexibility.

First of all, hand-made products are more unique and personal. Take birthday cards as an example, instead of same pictures on the printed cards available in the market, well-chosen images such as our own photos printed on a self-made card can surely distinguish (отличать, выделить) the card from others. Owing to its uniqueness, the self-designed card will be of greater value for the person who receives it.

fitter - готовый, подобающий, портной, занимающийся подгонкой

What's more, garments (одежда) made by hand are fitter than machine made ones. Although men's suits and lady's dresses can easily be found in shops that sell machine-made clothes, many people go for tailor-made (на заказ) clothing simply because tailors can make those clothes precisely according to individual customer's measurement and styles. Obviously, the fitness (пригодность; соответствие) of clothing is what those people care about most.

Finally, producing items by hand is more flexible. It releases people from being confined by modes (ограничены стилем, модой, одеждой) that are necessary for machine-made manufacturing. For example, in hand-made pottery making (гончарное ремесло), people can create new designs at any time. While in machine manufacturing, however, modes have to be made in advance (заранее), and afterward (позже) all finished products are based on the same modes and have completely the same looks. If a different look is needed, people must reproduce the modes first. Moreover, there are still some items that cannot be produced by machine because there are no matched modes.

In conclusion, it is easy to get the conclusion that doing work by hand is more flexible than by machine in most cases, so I prefer products that are made by hand.

Topic 102 Should students evaluate their teachers?

I am always amazed when I hear people saying that students have no rights to evaluate their teachers, and that if they do so, they should be regarded as (должны рассматриваться как) dishonest. Even one did not know from concrete examples that schools should ask students to voice what they think of their teachers, one can deduce (приходить к заключению, делать вывод) it from general principals.

It is true that a young man, one of the students, may be conceited (kənsi:tɪd тщеславным), ill-mannered (невоспитанным), presumptuous or fatuous (prɪˈzʌmptjuəs самонадеянным или глупым fætjuəs), but no one will have the ability to make sure that all teachers are not behaving like this. When a student has some fault, it is the teacher's duty to tell him what he should do; on the other hand, when a teacher does wrong, others, including his students, are bound to (обязаны) let him know.

It is as if (Это как если бы), sometimes, that what many teachers have done are devoid (лишённый, не имеющий (чего-л.)) of any mistake, however, the way they taught still deserve improvements. In schools, students try to develop abilities and skills, and prepare for their careers in the future. It is true that what they get from schools may be perfectly adapted to the society during a certain period of time, but the world is not still; it is changing all the time. What is learned today may become outdated tomorrow. As a result, teachers, who are bound to make improvements of what they teach according to the reflections of the society (в соответствии с отражением общества), should be evaluated by their students.

Furthermore, giving students the right to evaluate their teachers help create the air of freedom in schools. This is especially important to inspire (вдохновить) students' thought, and to encourage them to think. If students are not allowed to voice what they think of their teacher, they will have to do what the teachers tell them exactly, only to become robots that can to do nothing other than following instructions.

Taking into account of all these factors, we may reach the conclusion that it is significantly necessary to ask students to express what they think of their teachers, and this does good to the students, to the teachers, and to the society as a whole.