Topic 11 Sports or library?

When it comes to the issue of the arrangement of the university budget, some people suggest that universities should spend more money on their libraries rather than on student's sports activities, while others maintain the opposite view. As far as I am concerned, the former point carries more weight. I take this view on account of the following reasons.

First of all, libraries are the places that maintain records of traditional theories, which are priceless treasure of human being. To keep these important materials, a lot of special devices have to be purchased. For example, a vacuum chamber that is used to keep a book printed hundreds of years ago may cost a fortune and constant budget has to be applied for its maintenance.

Second point to take into account is that libraries need more money to meet the need of the increasing development of technology. With the exponential leaps (скачками) of the information technology in the recent years, massive amount of information can be easily and instantaneously (мгновенно) obtained through computers and the Internet. Libraries also have to purchase such equipment, which may be very expensive, to meet the student's acquirements (приобретение, приобретённые знания).

Last not least, the quality and quantity of the library indicate the level of a university. Therefore, if one university wants to achieve a better recognition (признание), it must spent more money to improve the overall situation of its libraries. Just as the English proverb goes, "a coin has two sides" those who take the opposite view are partly reasonable that more sports activities and better physical conditions will greatly promote student's health. But with the factors I outlined (я изложил, обрисовал, описал), I still believe that applying more budget on university libraries is much more important than sports equipment.

Topic 11 Sports or library?

I disagree strongly with the idea that the same amount of money should go to university sports activities as to university libraries. Although playing sports is a wonderful way to learn about teamwork, strategy and reaching your goals, it should not be the principal focus of a university education.

Students need the most up-to-date library facilities available to get the best education. Many of those facilities are very expensive to buy and maintain. These include computerized programs and access to Internet research databases that students can use to find information all around the world. If a university is only offering its students resources of a decade ago, it's depriving those students of a tremendous amount of information.

Even the book and magazine budget of universities has gone up tremendously in the last decade. More is being published on every subject, and every university wants to have this information available to its students. It also costs money for universities to keep their libraries open. Students need to have access to all the libraries" research tools as much of the time as possible. Because students are young and can stay up all night studying, many universities are starting to leave their libraries open all night during exam periods. This costs money, because the staff has to be paid extra to be there. It also costs money to run the building (electricity, heat) during that time. Students at universities are only going to benefit from their education if they can get to all the tools they need to learn. Sports are secondary to the resources that students need from university libraries. For this reason, libraries should always be better funded than sports activities.

1. Playing sports is fun. It gives your child something to do and a group to belong to. They have a group of friends that has the same goals and interests.

2. Research has found that kids that play sports, especially girls, are more likely to have a positive body image and higher self-esteem. They also are less likely to be overweight.

3. Kids involved in sports are less likely to take drugs or smoke because they realize the impact that these destructive activities can have upon their performance. Girls who play sports are also less likely to become pregnant.

4. Physical activities are a good way to relieve stress and reduce depression.

5. Sports help kids develop discipline. They learn to set goals and then work to achieve those goals. They learn that by working hard they can accomplish the things that they want to in their lives.

6. Kids who play sports quickly learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. They learn to be a good sport in both situations. It also helps them learn to deal with disappointment and go on.

7. Statistics show that kids who are involved in sports while in high school are more likely to experience academic success and graduate from high school.

8. Sports help develop teamwork and leadership skills. Kids quickly learn that they have to work together as a team to win the game.

9. Motor skills, strategic thinking, and even math skills are learned by playing sports. Students develop strategic thinking as they figure out plays and the best way to get around a player or score a goal. Math skills are used as they calculate scores and stats.

10. Regular exercise increases quality of life. Children who exercise are more likely to continue the practice into adulthood.

Topic 11 Sports or library?

Many universities offer their students a lot of facilities (возможностей) for engaging (для участия) in sports activities besides their normal academic programs. There is a gym and a swimming pool on almost every campus. There are also many other groups like swimming or jogging societies for students to join and enjoy sports during there spare time. On one hand this is a good chance to help students maintain their physical health and fitness, on the other hand it takes up (занимает) a lot of the universities' resources.

"A healthy mind lives in a healthy body." This is one of the main reasons why universities investment big money into their sports facilities. A lot of research concerning the relationship between physical fitness and mental abilities come to the conclusion that a good physical condition creates a strong mental power. One must emphasize that (Следует подчеркнуть, что) the investment on sports facilities is worthwhile and beneficial.

The opposite opinion is that it is a waste of money and resources to investment in sports facilities for students. Many people think that students should concentrate on academic issues. It is more important to spend money on buying books and computers for libraries, because libraries provide students an essential environment for their course studies and research.

In my personal opinion (По-моему личному мнению), when the financial resources are limited, it is more sensible (разумно) to spend money on improving research and teaching facilities like libraries and computers, which are the key issues of a successful university education. Students can always find their own ways to do physical exercises, such as utilizing the facilities in the community. Nevertheless, after satisfying all the academic needs, if there is still some money left, the money should be invested into sports facilities.