can somebody correct this entry? Thanks Technology has changed the way we shop and spend our money. Nowadays, the easy access to the internet allows us to shop online. Some people think that shopping online has a lot of benefits. However, others think that the disadvantages are greater than the advantages. It is my view that online shopping is a shocking discovery. First of all, you can save money. When you shop online you can find the same product at a lower price, a discount or even a bargain. Secondly, you can save time. People nowadays is too busy and don’t have enough time to go to the shopping centre. Shopping online is easy and quick and you can do it at home or everywhere with your smart phone or tablet. Another advantage is that you can find a review of the product you want to buy on the internet and it’s reassuring, so it’s really convenient. You can buy almost everything on line, music, DVD’s, books… However, the main disadvantage is that there are some risks, for example theft of your credit card number or bank account by hackers. Another disadvantage is that you can’t try things on that’s why some people do what is called showrooming. This is when people go to the shop, try things on and then they buy it on line. To sum up, I strongly believe that shopping online is an amazing way of shopping but people have to be aware of the problems involved. It depends on us what we choose.

Advice on how to pass an exam Study tips and organization The first thing to do when you want to pass an exam is to be prepared. Studying properly requires preparation and don’t leave it until the last minute. - Make sure you have enough space to study and feel comfortable. Find a quiet place to study and try to get rid of distractions in order to concentrate better. - Make a timetable to organize your study, you can also join a study group with friends. - Take regular breaks. - Practise on past exams that may help you to practise and gain confident. Before the exam day Be careful with the date, time and address of your exam. If you have any question, contact your centre and remember to check how long it will take you to go to the exam. - Get to the exam early. - Make sure you bring your identification. - Don’t forget pens and pencils. During the exam Try to relax and avoid getting nervous, this is often one of the biggest problems for students in the exam. - Listen carefully to the instructions and make sure you follow them. Plan your ideas before you write. - Remember to switch off your mobile phone or other electronic devices. - Never talk to other people or try to see what they are writing.

Advice to improve writing Dear Sevim: Thank you for your letter. I'm glad that you have written me asking for advice to improve your writing. I remember when I was learning English; it was very hard for me writing properly. Here are some ideas that have worked for me and it may work for you too. First of all, plan your ideas before you write. Don't worry if you don't remember every word that you want to write. Try to find another word with the same meaning. For instance, you can search words in the dictionary, so you will be able to improve your vocabulary. Secondly, you should read English books and magazines on topics you like. Then, try to get extra writing practise outside your classroom. Next, you can join other students and check your grammar. Finally , it's a good idea listening to pop songs while you read the lyrics at the same time. There are lots of internet sites that give you the lyrics of the most popular pop songs. I hope this help you. Whatever you want, you can count on my support. Let me know is you need anything else and don't hesitate to contact me. I can be reached anytime by email. I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes.

How to make friends Have you ever wanted to make friends and you didn't know how? Do you think that making friends can be difficult? Well, here are some ideas that have worked for me and they might work for you, too! First of all, we have to know ourselves. The question is not only how to meet people but also how to make good friends. Last year I moved to a new city and I felt a bit lonely so I made a list with my hobbies and things that I liked doing in order to find like-minded people and friends with similar values and interests. I love nature so I joined a hiking group and I’ve made some good friends. It’s a bit like joining a group of something that you like doing. That was a way of finding new friends that worked for me. Second, you have to spend time around people. I accepted every invitation that people offered me, so I tried to go out and be social. I like helping people and I also participated as a volunteer so this way I did something good for the community and made friends at the same time. Finally, it’s possible to have a social life and meet new people at any age. I’ve learnt that if you isolated yourself and you stay at home all the time you’re never going to make friends. If you follow these tips, I think you’ll have a much better chance of making new friends. So, have you got what it takes?

The media prefers negative stories to positive ones Nowadays there is a lot of discussion about if the media prefers negative stories to positive ones. This is happening because when people read the news, sometimes they can feel like the only things that happen in the world are terrible. Some people say that this happens because the media always focus on the bad things in life, rather than the good. However, there are others who argue that they prefer good news. First of all , everyday the news not only show us a lot of negative stories related to natural disasters like earthquarques, floods, tsunamis but also related to wars where people are sufering and need help. As an example the war in Syria. Secondly, there are another kind of negative news that are everyday on the television in some kind of channels, for instance “TV 5” that shows the political corruption and gossiping about politicians and famous people. However, there are another channels and newspapers that are neutrals and have more variety of news and programs like sports, science or cinema. More and more people prefer watching this kind of channels and avoid gossip programs and negative stories. In conclusion, I think that despite the fact that there are different TV channels for what each person want to watch, I feel that the media prefers negative stories to positive ones because they have more audience and for that reason I strongly believe that the media needs to be regulated more.

A book review The Shining is Stephen King’s third novel. It is a horror novel that was written in 1977 and it has been a best seller. There is also a film based on the book directed by Stanley Kubrick. The book tells the story about a family. Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and his five year old son Danny become the winter caretakers of the “Overlook” hotel, an isolated place in the mountains of Colorado. However, the hotel is haunted with the evil energy of people who were murdered in the past and that presence influences the father into violence. The book is called “The Shining” because Jack's son, Danny has psychic abilities and can see the horrific events that had happened in the past. “The Shining” is the most terrifying novel I have ever read, I still remember how frightened I was when I read it. Regarding the writing, the book is easy to read and Stephen King has been able to write every chapter with a great sense of reality. I was especially impressed Jack's character and how he changes along the story until he goes completely insane. His strange evolution under the influence of the hotel is really scary. If you have seen the film there are a lot of differences so is not an excuse for not reading the book. I found this book all in all as a masterpiece, it is a tremendous page turner but this is not a book for all readers. I would only recommend it to anyone who likes horror novels.

Teenagers and parents Being a teenager is a very difficult part of everybody´s life. I remember when I was a tennager, it was very difficult to me because I thought that nobody understood me but my friends. I got embarrassed very often, because I was very shy. I think when you are a teenager you feel embarrassed for many silly things. Moreover, I spent most of my time in my room listening to music and I didn´t talk too much with my parents. However, being a teenager have many advantages as well, you don´t have to worry about money because you don´t have big responsibilities, only study and keep your room cleaned. Regarding the relationships, there are a lot of struggles between teens and parents. Often, parents today do not have enough time because they have to work all day long and they can´t play, talk or spend time with their children. The way I see it, it´s a very difficult period because teenagers want to try new things like sex, smoking, drinking and drugs. Their friends are very important for them even it´s the first time they are fall in love and if their friends or they girlfriend have bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs for example they will probably want to do the same. Therefore, I strongly believe that parents should talk with their children as much as they can in order to protect them and avoid conflicts and bad habits for their children. In conclusion, I think for parents the only way to protect their children is to take responsibility of their learning and their lifestyle. Parents should be aware not only of the problems involved but also of the role to be played in protecting their children.

Fitball My favorite hobby nowadays would be fitball. When I am stressed out or I have a bad day, I usually go to the gym and it helps me to relax, to get into a good mood and feel better. I specially love fitball classes, because the way I see it is a great way to workout every muscle in your body. The activity consists of doing exercises with a ball which is an ustable base and it helps me to improve my balance and to strengthen my muscles. To practise this activity you only need to wear sport clothes, a ball which you can get in the gym and a small towel to wipe your sweat, moreover you should not forget water because it is important to keep hydrated whilst you are exercising. It is better if your T-shirt is made of breathable fabric like cotton. I love fitball and I enjoy practising it in my spare time. I would recommend everybody who is interested in sports to do it at least once in her life because everybody can do it and it is very fun.

ONG´s Millions of people around the world are suffering and need help and food due to the war or conflicts in their countries or natural disasters, but we usually look the other way. We don´t realize that is a big problem. Hunger is the most important issue nowadays in the developing countries. Most children die of starvation and illnesses. ONG´s like Save the children, Oxfam or Doctors of the World can provide help in those countries, for example seeds for families to grow food and prevent disabilities and famine or rebuilding devastated areas. In my opinion, NGO´s really make a difference when it comes to help the poor and people in need. They can change their lives. NGO´s very often can give people hope but, the way I see it, Governments should have more implication but they often have economic interests. We, as normal citizens can donate money or food to these organizations in order to help or we can sponsor a child. In a small scale we can help in our own city if we really want through community service participating as a volunteer, for example helping elderly people in their homes or in an organization against domestic violence or homelessness. When you help other people you feel better. We shouldn´t look the other way because it´s a big problem and it´s our problem too.