Junior english essays TUYỂN tập 150 bài LUẬN TIẾNG ANH HAY

Junior English essays
TUYỂN TẬP 150 BÀI
LUẬN TIẾNG ANH HAY

Junior English essays – Những Bài Luận Tiếng Anh Hay
Road safety

Everyday many people are involved in road accidents. Some are killed. Many more are
injured or maimed. So it is important for us to learn to use the roads properly and safely. No
sane person would like to be involved in an accident.
As the roads are very busy nowadays, we should be very careful when crossing one. It is
safer to use a pedestrian crossing or an overhead bridge whenever one is available. Never cross a
road by dashing across it. That is inviting trouble. If there are no crossings, then we must look
carefully right and left and cross only when it is safe to do so.
Some of us take the bus to school. It is important that we do not try to get on or off a bus
while it is still moving. I tried to get on a moving bus once. It dragged me a short distance and
nearly ran over me. I was lucky to escape with only some scratches on my legs. Also we must
not fool around while in the bus. A suddenly lurch can send us knocking our heads against
something hard.
Using a bicycle can be dangerous too. We must pay attention on the road and never cycle
too far out to the middle of the road. We must obey all traffic rules. Also we must make sure our
bicycles are in good condition with working brakes, lights etc.
These are some things we can do to avoid accidents. However there is no guarantee that

we will never be involved in one. The important thing is to stay alert at all times while using the
roads. We must know what is happening around us. In that way we can take necessary action to
avoid danger whenever we see one. Road safety is very much up to how we use the roads. Use
them carefully and we may be able to use them for a long time. Use them carelessly and we may
never be able to use them again.



maim

to injure a person so severely that a part of their body will no
longer work as it should



dash

move quickly



lurch

to move in an irregular way, especially making sudden
movements backwards or forwards or from side to side

My first day at school

My mother accompanied me to school on the first day. Other parents accompanied their children
as well. We all waited in front of the school office.
Soon a teacher came and led us to some classrooms. There we were put into four separate
classes. This was when some children began to cry as the parents were not allowed into the
classrooms. I did not cry because I had been to kindergarten before. Actually my mother went
home soon after for she knew I would be all right.
It was an enjoyable time for me as I got to know my new classmates. The teacher was very busy
writing down our particulars so we had plenty of time to ourselves.
Meantime some children continued to sob while their parents looked in anxiously through the
windows.
Soon recess came. Some of us headed for the tuck-shop while the rest headed for their parents. I
bought a drink with the money my mother gave me. Getting to know my new friends had made
me thirsty.
After recess we went back to out classroom and my new friends and I managed to coax two boys
to stop crying. In fact, soon we were laughing and playing together. Once in a while the teacher
had to tell us to keep quiet as we were making too much noise.
Still some parents looked in anxiously through the windows.
Finally the bell rang for us to go home. Some of us were very relieved to be reunited with our
parents. I too was glad to see my mother waiting for me at the school gate. I had made many
friends. It had been a wonderful first day at school.



sob

to cry noisily

tuck-shop

A shop where candy and other sweets are sold



coax

to persuade someone gently to do something






A visit to the dentist

My tooth hurt through the night. I had to take a painkiller to lessen the pain. Worst of all I
did not get a wink of sleep the whole night through.
The next morning. I told my mother about my toothache. It was obvious I could not go to school.
So instead she took me to the dentist. I was horrified, but I had no choice.
At nine o'clock we waited outside the dentist's office. The nurse came and opened the door. I was
the first patient. She wrote down my particulars and told me to wait a moment. The dentist had
not arrived yet. Meanwhile the tooth still ached like mad.
The burly dentist arrived and I was ushered to the dentist's chair. Normally I would run away
from the frightening surgery with all its horrible drills and pliers, but I did not. I had to get the
offending tooth out.

So I sat down on the reclining chair while the dentist kept saying some reassuring words. I
relaxed somewhat. He asked me to open my mouth. I did so. He said that the tooth had to come
out. I nodded dumbly in reply.
I felt a slight prick of pain when he gave me an injection, but that was nothing compared to the
toothache. Soon, miraculously, all pain disappeared. Theanaesthetic definitely worked very
quickly. Then before I knew it, the dentist told me that I could go. I looked at him quizzedly and
he told me he had already pull the tooth out. What wonder, I did not even feel it.
The dentist put a wad of cotton over the wound and he told me to keep my mouth shut for a
while. I nodded, smiled and went out into the waiting room where my mother was waiting for
me. The visit to the dentist was not too bad after all.



not get a wink of sleep

not sleep at all



usher

to show someone where they should go



anaesthetic

a drug which is used to make you unconscious when you have
an operation so that you do not feel any pain

Caught in a storm

Black clouds gathered above us, but we were too intent on playing football. We hoped that the
clouds would go away so that we could continue playing.
Our hopes were dashed when suddenly heavy rain began to pour. In a few seconds we were all
soaked to the skin. To make matters worst, lightning flashed dangerously close to us. The
deafening thunder and howling wind did not help either.
We ran towards a large tree under which we had parked our bicycles. The tree provided some
shelter from the rain and we were tempted to remain under it. However we knew that it was
dangerous to stay under a tree during a thunderstorm. So we got on our bicycles and pedalled off.
There was no other shelter available nearby. So I, for one, decided to go home. Since I was
already completely wet, I might was well to go home instead to seeking shelter.
It was just about the fiercest storm I had ever been in. The driving rain made cycling difficult as I
could not see more that a couple of metres in front of me. A car flashed past me. It was too close
for comfort. Perhaps the driver did not even see me. So I thought it was better to stop somewhere
before I got hit by another car.
Luckily I found a bus-stop with a roof. I hurried gladly under the roof even though I had to share
it with a dozen other people who were also soaked to the skin. It was a bit of a squeeze but no
one complained.
For an hour the storm lashed everything around us. We were silent spectators to an awesome
display of power by nature. I felt very small and vulnerable, even afraid; but I could do nothing
but watch.
Finally the rain slowed down to a drizzle and the wind died down. I could still hear distant
thunder but the worst of the storm was over. So happily I got on my bicycle and pedalled home.



dash sb's hopes

to destroy someone's hopes



vulnerable

able to be easily physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt,
influenced or attacked



drizzle

rain in very small light drops



An unforgettable experience

Carrying a passenger on a bicycle is an offence punishable by law. Everyone knows that but still
some of us do it.
I had done it many times before until something happened to teach me never to do it again. It
was not the police. Rather it was an unforgettable, and unpleasant, experience.
It happened one evening when my friend Segaran and I wanted to go and visit another friend
who lived some distance away. I had a bicycle. Segaran did not. So, as usual, he sat side-saddle
on the horizontal bar of the bicycle while I pedalled. We had done it many times before, so it
should not be any problem.
Near my friend's house, we got onto a gravel path made slippery by the recent rain. Still we
managed to wobble along, thoroughly enjoying the rough ride.

As we passed by a stream, I made the mistake of going too near the bank. The rain had softened
the soil and it could not hold our combined weight. One moment we were going along merrily,
the next we were tumbling head over heels into the stream as the bank gave way beneath us.
Splash! Splash! Splash! We plunged into the river bicycle first, followed by Segaran, then me.
Normally the stream is only a few centimetres deep with clear water. When we fell in, it was a
metre deep with foul black water. The water prevented us from getting badly injured but we also
had to pay the price of gulping some of it. It tasted horrible. Segaran got the worst of it for being
sandwiched between the bicycle and me, but it was not too bad. We had only a few cuts and
bruises. Our pride was far more hurt.
We retrieved ourselves and the bicycle from the stream. We were both dirty and soaking wet.
Obviously we were in no condition to visit anyone. So we decided to go home.
We walked all the way home. I had to push the bicycle because its front wheel was bent out of
shape. From that moment I vowed never to carry anyone on a bicycle again. Never again do I
want to be dirty and wet with cuts and bruises all over my body. Once was enough.



gravel

small rounded stones, often mixed with sand



wobble

shake or move from side to side in a way that shows a lack of
balance

tumble

to fall quickly without control



My Classmates

We are a noisy lot, that is what our teachers say about us. This is largely due to Ah Keong. He is
the noisiest of us all. His voice is like that of a bull frog but volumes louder. It seems that he
cannot talk softly. Actually he does not talk, he shouts. Perhaps his living with his family of ten
children has something to do with it.
In this noisy bunch lives a boy who hardly ever opens his mouth. This is Padma, the boy who sits
next to me. He is such a gentle and soft creature that one would think that he is a sissy. This is
not so. No one dares call him one for he is a member of the school's Karate Club.
Then there is Doris, our class monitor. She sits right in front of the teacher's table. She is such a
model student that all the teachers love her. We all love her for she does not boss us around.
She has given up doing that long ago. All she does is to make sure that the teachers have
sufficient chalk and that the classroom is clean.
Right at the back of the class sits our class sleepy-head. Mat seems to need more sleep than
others. He catches cat-naps in between lessons. The astounding thing is that he can fall asleep
almost instantly. The moment the teacher leaves after a lesson, Mat's snores start up and we
know he is at it again. Remarkably he wakes up when the next teacher arrives.
Every class has a clown. Our class has Jack, otherwise known as "Jacko The Clown". He is
always up to some prank or other, putting tails on the boys' pants, frogs in the girls' desks and
powdered chalk on the teacher's chair. So when we hear a girl scream or see men-teachers
strolling around with chalk on the seat of their pants, we know that Jacko has struck again.
The other classmates too have their own unique personalities. Each contributes his or her part to
our class. All in all we are a group of young children who perhaps are a bit noisy at times, but on
the whole are well-behaved and pleasant to be with.

sissy

a boy who other boys dislike and laugh at because they think he
is weak or interested in activities girls usually like, or a person
who is weak and cowardly



boss around

Tell someone what to do, give orders



astounding

very surprising



My neighbours

Many of us live in housing estates. I live in one myself. The one thing about living in a housing
estate is that we have many neighbours.
Next to my house on the right lives a family whose parents seem to be always scolding the
children. I do not know them very well because they always appear angry. Never a day passes
without hearing the children crying and the parents shouting at the top of their voices.

On the other side of my house, however, lives a very quiet and polite family. Mr. Verghese is a
quiet man who seems to manage his family very well. Though he has four children, which is one
more than the other family, I never hear him scold his children. So his children never cry. What a
wonderful family they are.
Further down the road is a family whose radio is switched on most of the time, except late at
night. His immediate neighbours must have a tough time putting up with the noise of the radio.
Then there is a family whose members seem to live in a world of their own. Many times we have
met along the road and not once has any of them even nod his or her head in acknowledgement.
They are not blind or deaf. Yet they can walk straight past as if I am not there at all. I would not
say that they are unfriendly. I guess they are simply not interested in knowing their neighbours.
On the opposite side of the road live Mr. Lim and his family. Mr. Lim is a bird-collector. So
everyday a dozen or more birds sing melodious tunes right beneath his front porch. It is
preferable to the blare of the other neighbour's radio. However the bird droppings can give off an
awful stench.
These are some of the neighbours living near me. There are others that I have yet to meet.
However I am careful not to intrude on their privacy. The friendly ones smile or raise their
hands. The not-so-friendly ones look away. I have to live among them, friendly or not.



put up with

to accept an unpleasant situation or experience



stench

a strong unpleasant smell

intrude

to go into a place or situation in which you are not wanted or
not expected to be



My favourite time of the day

My favourite time of the day is between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. This is the time when the sun is
setting and the air is cooling down. At this time I either go for a stroll, play some games or sit
quietly watching the activities around me.
Sitting quietly doing nothing in particular is what I like most.
The compound surrounding my house is a fairly large one. So my father has planted many trees
in it. Birds of all sorts come to the trees in the evening to sing their sweet songs. I just sit under
my favourite rambutan tree and listen to these lovely songs.
However I cannot just sit quietly all the time. My parents sometimes ask me tomow the lawn or
help them in some gardening tasks. These I do gladly for the air is nice and cool. Working under
a hot sun is one thing I do not like. In the evening the sun is soft and gentle. It is pleasant
to potter around the garden then.
Other times I might go out for a stroll or play games with my friends.
Again it is pleasant to stroll around or play games when the sun is not hot in the evening. In fact
many people come out of their houses to breathe in the cool evening air and to relax a bit, unless
it is raining. This is the time of the day when the playing fields, parks and other recreational
areas are filled with people. I guess it is not only my favourite time of the day. It is many
people's favourite time as well.

mow

to cut plants



potter

to move about without hurrying and in a relaxed and pleasant
way



stroll

to walk in a slow relaxed manner



A Journey by Car

My father bought a new car one day. We were all very excited. He promised to take us to Melaka
to visit my grandparents the coming Sunday.
Sunday morning was bright and breezy. We hopped into the brand new car and soon we were
heading out of Petaling Jaya towards the expressway. My mother sat in the front passenger seat
while my father drove. I sat behind with my younger sister.
As it was Sunday the roads were not very busy. Soon we were on the expressway travelling at a
leisurely pace. My father is a careful driver and he does not drive too fast or dangerously. This
proved to be good for there was a speed-trap manned by the police along the expressway. I saw

some cars stopped by the police. They had obviously been speeding.
Driving along the expressway tend to be monotonous. I actually fell asleep once we passed
Seremban.
When I awoke, we were already at the Ayer Keroh toll gate. My father paid the toll and steered
the car towards Melaka Town. On the way we passed many interesting sights. My father
promised to stop by on our way home. We had to visit our grandparents first.
We left Ayer Keroh and all its factories behind as we journeyed into the town itself. Like all
towns, there were many cars and other vehicles. Also there were many tourists. Melaka has many
places of historical interest and thus this was not surprising.
Finally we arrived at my grandparents' house in Klebang Besar. The journey had taken about two
hours. We stepped out of the car. My grandparents greeted us happily.



expressway

a wide road built for fast moving traffic travelling long distances,
with a limited number of points at which drivers can enter and
leave it



monotonous

staying the same and not changing and therefore boring



stop by

to visit someone brief, usually on the way to another place



A Picnic by the Sea

Teluk Kemang is about 12 kilometres from Port Dickson town in Negeri Sembilan. It is a
popular beach where many people go to and relax on.
It was on one of the days of the Chinese New Year holidays that we had a picnic at Teluk
Kemang. I went there with my uncle and his family. There were five of us, my uncle, his wife,
their two young children and me. My uncle drove us there in his car.
We arrived there at about ten in the morning. The beach was already crowded with other
holiday-makers. Anyhow we managed to get a place in the shade of a large tree and we put our
things there. My aunt laid out a mat for us to sit on.
In double-quick time we were enjoying ourselves in the sea, except my aunt. She just sat on the
mat watching us.
The water was cool and refreshing and I loved splashing it on my cousins. However the hot sun
above can be quite uncomfortable. So after about an hour or so, my uncle told us to sit in the
shade for a while. The sun was getting increasingly hot. So we reluctantly came out of the sea.
In the shade of some trees we built some sandcastles.
Time passed so quickly. Soon we heard my aunt calling us to have lunch. We ran to her and
helped ourselves to the delicious curry she had brought. Then we had several glasses of ice-cold
drink from the Thermos flask.
After lunch we played a while more in the sea. The sun was just too hot. So we walked over to
one of the hotels nearby and washed ourselves with clean freshwater.
When we returned, my aunt had already packed everything in the car. So all of us got into the car
and my uncle drove us back home to Seremban.

lay out

to arrange something on a flat surface



mat

a small piece of cloth



A Nightmare

"Don't eat just before going to bed !" my mother used to tell me. "You might get a nightmare."
How right she was. I never believed her until it happened to me.
It was on a night when I felt hungry just as I was about to go to bed. So I made myself a peanut-
butter sandwich and a large cold glass of milk. After consuming them I went to bed.
Soon I drifted off into a troubled sleep. I dreamt that I was with a group of people looking for an
old woman. I was not sure why we were looking for her but we all seemed afraid of her.
Somehow we had to find her. So there I was,searching high and low for her in frightful places I
had never been before. Sometimes I seemed to be flying while at other times I seemed unable to
move. The whole atmosphere was one of fear, like a dreadful horror-movie in which I was a
victim.
After some searching I entered a darkened room and saw a figure sleeping on a bed. As I got
nearer the figure suddenly threw away the blanket, got up and stared at me. It was an ugly old
woman with shiny golden teeth. She raised her claw-like fingers and walked towards me.
I wanted to run but was unable to. I tried to scream but found that I could not. In horror I
struggled and struggled to get away from the frightful woman.
The next moment I gave a muffled yell and found myself panting on my bed. My goodness,

what a horrible nightmare it was! For a minute or so I lay on my bed not daring to close my eyes
for fear of falling asleep again and continuing the nightmare. Then I sat up on my bed until the
horrible feeling passed. From then on I never eat just before going to sleep.



drift off

to gradually start to sleep



search high and low

search everywhere for something



muffled

a quiet and less clear sound






The Mad Woman

I walk a kilometre or so to school every morning. Sometimes I come across a mad woman

dressed in a dark dirty sari. She probably has not had a bath for years. Her hair is matted, teeth
stained red with betel-nut and eyes blood-shot with the look of madness. I always keep my
distance from her for my own safety for I cannot be sure what she will do next. Also she smells
terrible up close.
It is never pleasant when I see her standing by the roadside. She is by no means violent but she
has the nasty habit of following people who pass by. Normally when I see her I cross over to the
other side of the road just to avoid her. Usually that works. Sometimes she crosses the road too.
So I run. Fortunately she cannot run very fast and gives up after a while.
One morning, as I crossed the road to avoid her, she tried to cross too. I started to run. She
started to run too but tripped on her sari. She fell down hard on the road and lay there in a heap. I
wanted to keep running but I saw that she was in great danger of being run over by a car. So I ran
over to her to pull her to the roadside.
As much as I disliked it, I had to help her. The other passers-by did not seem to bother. So I held
my breath and pull her by her arms towards the roadside. By now people and cars had stopped to
watch. No one helped but at last I managed to drag her to safety.
She opened her eyes and gave me a smile. I could only stare at her dumbly. Then I turned and
hurried to school to wash my hands.
I am going to get a bicycle to cycle to school. It is much faster this way. Also I will not have
to contend with the mad woman again.



sari, saree

a dress, worn especially by Indian and Pakistani women,
consisting of a very long piece of thin cloth wrapped around the
body

matted

twisted into a firm, untidy mass



contend with

to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation






My Hobby

My hobby is reading. I read story books, magazines, newspapers and any kind of material that I
find interesting.
This hobby got started when I was a little boy. I had always wanted my parents to read fairy tales
and other stories to me. Soon they got fed up and tired of having to read to me continually. So as
soon as I could, I learned to read. I started with simple ABC books. Soon I could read simple
fairy tales and other stories. Now I read just about anything that is available.
Reading enables me to learn about so many things that I would otherwise not know. I learned
about how people lived in bygone days of magic and mystery. I learned about the wonders of the
world, space travel, human achievements, gigantic whales, tiny viruses and other fascinating
things of our world.
The wonderful thing about reading is that I do not have to learn things the hard way. For
example, I do not have to catch a disease to know that it can kill me. I know the danger so I can
avoid it. Also I do not have to go deep into the jungle to learn about the tiger. I can read all about

it in a book.
Books provide the reader with so much information and facts. They have certainly helped me in
my daily life. I am better equipped to cope with living. Otherwise I would go about ignorantly
learning things the hard way.
So I continue to read. Besides being more informed about the world, I also spend my time
profitably. It is indeed a good hobby.



bygone

happening in a past time



cope with

to deal successfully with a difficult situation



informed

having a lot of knowledge

A birthday party

Fiona is my neighbor. She turned twelve recently and her parents held a birthday party for her. I
was one of those invited.
The party began at about three in the afternoon. There were about twenty of us children gathered
in Fiona's house. We were all dressed in our best clothes. Everyone, especially Fiona, wore a
happy smile.
We gave our presents to Fiona and she happily opened them. It must really be exciting to receive
all those presents.
After that Fiona's mother served us soft drinks and delicious tidbits. We then played some
games like "Musical Chairs" and "Treasure Hunt". The winners were given prizes.
At about four-thirty Fiona's mother brought out the birthday cake. It was beautifully decorated
with pink and white icing. Twelve colorful candles sat in the middle of the cake. We all sang
"Happy Birthday" to Fiona after which she blew out the candles and cut the cake. We clapped
out hands eagerly.
We helped ourselves to slices of the delicious cake. Then we continued our games.
Finally at about six in the evening the party came to an end. We were all tired but happy. The
parents of the other children came to collect them. I helped Fiona and her mother clean up the
mess we made. After that I walked home which was only two doors away.



dressed

wearing clothing of a particular type



titbit / tidbit

small item of pleasant-tasting food



clean up

to make a person or place clean and tidy



My favorite TV cartoon characters

My favorite cartoon character is Dishonest John, or DJ, for short. Dressed in black and uttering
his famous "Nyak, ah, ah" laugh he makes life difficult for all those around him. However, as
always, he will be outwitted and all his deviousplans will fail. So every week I watch him go
about his antics only to lose in the end. He is such a character that many of my friends have even
adopted his laugh.
Another favorite character of mine is Big Baby Huey in the show "Casper The Friendly Ghost".
Huey is such a overgrown lumbering but innocent baby duck who goes around happily
defeating the bad guys without really trying to. He is quite a sight to watch as he sucks on his
milk bottle and then knocks the lights out of the sly fox who tries to take advantage of him. It is
bad luck for anyone with bad intention, for soon Huey will show him that it does not pay to do
bad things.
There is one more character who is my favorite. He is Yogi Bear who lives in Jellystone National
Park. This lovable rascal and his little buddy Boo Boo Bear always seem to be getting into
trouble with the park ranger. Yogi's favorite pastime is pinching food from the park's visitors.
The ranger's unending task is to stop Yogi from doing it.
All in all, cartoon characters are great fun. They show us what people can get up to. I am sure all
of us who watch these shows are entertained by them.

devious

not straightforward



lumber

to move slowly and awkwardly



rascal

One that is playfully mischievous, dishonest person







Things I like to do

I like playing the guitar. Though I am not very good at it and am still learning, I can play some
tunes. I spend quite a lot of time playing the guitar so much so I get scolded sometimes by my
mother. I suppose I do tend to spend a bit too much time with it. Anyhow, playing the guitar is
very enjoyable.

I also like taking evening walks around my neighborhood. In the evening the air is cool and
refreshing. The children are busy playing and the neighbors are friendlier. So I take
leisurely strolls, sometimes stopping to play with other children and sometimes stopping to chat
with the neighbors.
Another thing that I like doing is getting up late in the morning. During weekdays I have to get
up early or I will not get to school on time. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, it is so
pleasurable to just lie in bed in the morning without having to get up and hurry to school. Again I
tend to lie too long in bed and my mother has to come and tell me to get up.
Listening to the radio and watching television are also things I like to do. Of course I do not
listen and watch everything. I only tune in to my favorite programmes and enjoy myself while
seated on my favorite chair.
There are other things that I enjoy doing too but there seems to be not enough time to do them
all. So I generally just stick to doing those I mentioned plus any others that I have time for.



stroll

to walk in a slow, relaxed manner



stick to

to limit yourself to doing one particular thing



Fruits of Malaysia

Malaysia lies in the tropics and is blessed with plenty of rain and sunshine. Many types of trees
and plants grow here. Among them are those that bear delicious fruits.
The "King of Fruits" is without doubt the durian. It is an oval-shaped fruit about the size of a
rugby ball. Its skin is green or yellow and covered with many sharp thorns. Inside, however, the
yellow flesh is soft and sweet. Its smell is very strong. The locals love the durian, but foreigners
find the smell hard to bear.
The durian is a seasonal fruit. It normally is in season twice a year. So are other fruits like the
mangosteen, langsat, duku, rambutan and mango. We consume these fruits in great quantities.
Other fruits like the papaya, pineapple, banana and star fruit are not seasonal. They are
obtainable at all times. Again we consume these fruits in large quantities. In a hot country like
Malaysia, fruits provide us with much needed water and other nutrients that are vital for health.
Often the fruit-stalls are crowded with people waiting to buy a slice of papaya, pineapple or
watermelon to quench their thirst.
We are lucky to have such a huge variety of fruits. In addition to that we get imported fruits like
apples and grapes, but they are usually more expensive. So we spend our money mainly on local
fruits. I would say that it is money well-spent.



the tropics

the hottest area of the Earth



langsat

East Indian tree bearing an edible yellow berry

quench

to satisfy your thirst by having a drink






An Accident

The road in front of my school is a narrow one. It is also very busy. Every afternoon when school
is dismissed the road becomes almost impassable as children, bicycles, cars and buses jostle and
struggle to use it. Sometimes a policeman is there to help things out, but generally chaos reigns
and we have to be careful not to get involved in an accident.
A few accidents had already occurred. I was a witness to one.
If happened just after school. As usual the road was an utter mad house. Children were running
across the road to get to their cars and buses. Cars and buses honked angrily at them.
Just then I saw a young boy make a dash across the road. There was a loud blare of horn, a
squeal of brakes and I saw a car knock into the boy. He fell as though his feet were swept from
under him.
Fortunately the car was not moving very fast and the driver managed to stop the car before a
wheel could run over the fallen boy.
All traffic stopped. I ran over to the boy and saw blood on the road. He was bleeding from a cut
on his head. A man came and examined the boy. Then he lifted the boy and carried him to a car.
They sped off, presumably to the hospital.
Many people surrounded the driver who looked dazed and bewildered. A policeman came to
calm things down.
As there was nothing I could do, I turned and walked down the road carefully. It was terrible to

witness an accident. I certainly would not like to be involved in one.



jostle

to knock or push roughly against someone in order to move past
them



dazed

very confused, unable to think clearly



bewildered

confused



A Fire

It was twilight time. I was watching television in my house when I heard an explosion. More
followed. So I went outside to see what the matter was.
A column of dark billowing smoke told me the story. There was a fire raging a short distance
away.
I got onto my bicycle and pedalled in the direction of the smoke. A couple of kilometres later I

came upon the fire. It was a row of motor-workshops and they were burning furiously.
The police and fire department had already cordoned off the area. I watched from a distance. A
crowd had already gathered and we gaped with amazement at the spectacle presented by the
burning shops.
The fire rose to about twenty metres and it lit up the whole area even though the sky was already
dark. The firemen desperately sprayed streams of water into the fire to control it. Now and then
explosions can be heard as gas cylinders blew up in the intense heat.
For more than an hour the fire raged. I could see anxious people trying to get near the workshops
only to be held back by the police. They were obviously the shop-owners trying to save their
shops. Actually they could do nothing but wait for the fire to be extinguished.
Finally the blaze died down and darkness enveloped us. The workshops were totally razed. Only
red-hot embers remained where they once stood. The crowd thinned and I too got onto my
bicycle and cycled home.



cordone off

If people in authority, such as the police, cordon off a building or area,
they put something around it in order to stop people from entering it



gape

to look in great surprise at someone or something, especially with an
open mouth

ember

a piece of wood or coal, etc. which continues to burn after a fire has no
more flames



A Robbery

Sam helps his uncle look after the latter's sundry shop. Business is brisk and Sam is kept busy
most of the time.
One evening at about 8 p.m., just as Sam's uncle was about to close for the day, two men on a
motorcycle stopped outside. They got off and walked into the shop. Sam thought that it was odd
that they should be wearing dark glasses at night. Anyway who was he to question what another
should wear?
Sam was about to ask the men what they wanted when both of them drew pistols from their
pockets. One pointed a pistol at Sam and the other at Sam's uncle. Sam froze and stared at the
pistol pointed at him. He could not believe his eyes. These two were robbers wearing dark
glasses to conceal their identities!
The next moment Sam and his uncle were made to lie face-down on the floor. Sam heard the
cash register ring and the drawer open. Then he heard a shuffling of feet, the roar of a motorcycle
starting up and suddenly all was quiet.
Sam looked up. The robbers were gone. Sam shook his uncle who was stillprostrate on the
floor. They got up. Sam's uncle ran to the cash register. The robbers had taken every cent from it.
The robbery had happened so quickly. It took less than a minute for the robbers to come and
vanish with the day's takings.
Sam's uncle shook his head. At least the robbers did not harm them. The only thing left to do was
to inform the police and let them handle the case. As for Sam, he learned to be wary of strangers
who wore dark glasses at night.

A Busy Street

Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur has got to be one of the busiest street, if not the busiest, in
Malaysia. To be in it just once is to know the meaning of the word "busy".
I happened to be in it a few days before the Chinese New Year. On both sides of the street were
hawkers with all sorts of goods for sale. Fruits, cakes, fireworks, food and other things were
displayed openly for people to come and buy. The five-foot ways were not big enough, so the
hawkers and their customers actually spilled into the narrow street itself making it
a hazardous place for drivers and motorcyclists. Every few seconds a horn sounded as the
vehicles crawled cautiously among the throng.
There were so many people there that if I had not been with my father I would probably have got
lost. My father knew his way around. So I held on tightly to his hand as he led me through the
crowd. A number of times I nearly knocked into someone, or rather, someone nearly knocked
into me. Everyone seemed to be in a rush and nobody seemed to care whether they trampled on
another.
We were there to buy some cakes for the New Year. At the shop we had to wait a long time
before we could pay for what we wanted. The shop was crowded with other shoppers.
After our purchase, we made our way carefully out of the street. Once outside, the air felt so
much fresher. Though we had to walk some distance to our car, it was so much more pleasant
than walking among the crowd of frenzied shoppers along the busy street.



hazardous

dangerous

throng

a crowd or large group of people



trample

to step heavily on something or someone, causing damage
or injury



My favorite subject in school

My favorite subject in school is Mathematics. It is my favorite because I never have difficulty
with it and always get good marks in tests.
I suppose I am lucky to be born with a clear-thinking brain. So ever since
young,manipulating numbers and figures came easy to me.
The wonderful thing about Mathematics is that, besides some formulae, there is nothing else to
remember. Every step in solving a problem is done logically. Other subjects like History and
Geography require a lot of memory work. Remembering dates and other facts is hard work
compared with the ease and simplicity of mathematical reasoning.
While Mathematics is simple to me, some of my friends have great difficulty with it. I do not
really understand why. They get stuck with simple problems and often give up. So I help them
out when I can.
The one advantage I have in being good in Mathematics is that I do not have to spend a lot of
time on it. Homework and tests are a breeze. So I have plenty of time left over to study other
subjects. Sometimes I feel sorry for my less fortunate classmates who get scolded in class for not
completing their Mathematics homework.

Anyhow I have come to realize that human beings can be so different in their abilities while they
look similar otherwise. Some of us are lucky to be good in some things. Others may not be so
lucky.



manipulate

to control or influence skillfully



reasoning

the process of thinking about something in order to make a
decision



breeze

something which is easy to achieve



The haunted house

Everyone says that the old house at the end of the road is haunted. It used to be the residence of a
rich family but now none of them would stay there. So the house is vacant and uncared for. The
compound is filled with over-grown weed and grass.

My friend Jack and I decided to find out once and for all if what people said was true. So one
evening, we bravely entered the house and prepared to spend the night there. We brought along a
powerful torchlight, two sleeping-bags, some food and drinks, and a portable stereo set.
The early part of the night was no trouble at all. We sat on our sleeping-bags and listened to our
favourite music.
Twelve midnight came. We felt a bit sleepy. So we switched off the stereo set and crawled into
our sleeping-bags. However sleep was impossible. There seemed to be a heavy atmosphere
hanging around us. The darkness was oppressive and there was a strange soft whining noise
coming from upstairs.
We dared not go up to investigate the noise. So we lay quietly in our sleeping-bags and hoped
that the noise would go away. But it would not go away.
Actually it got louder and louder. Then it sounded like someone moaning. Jack hurried out of his
sleeping-bags and switched on the torchlight. We could see nothing except the walls of the
empty living room we were in.
Suddenly there was a loud crash from upstairs and the moans turned to screams. We screamed
too and ran out of the house as fast as we could, leaving behind everything that we had brought.
The hair on the back of my head stood on endfor hours afterwards.
We never dared to go back into the house, not even in the daytime. My uncle had to go
and retrieve the things we had left behind there.
So, is the house haunted ? All I can say is that if you want to know, go and find out for yourself.



whining

long, high, sad sound



make sb's hair stand on end

to make someone very frightened



retrieve

to find and bring back something






My First Ride on a Ferry

The first time I ever rode on a ferry was when I took one to cross from Butterworth to Penang
Island. My family and I had gone to Penang for a holiday.
We arrived at the Ferry Terminal just as the sun was setting. My father paid the fare at one of the
toll-booths and we were ushered into a lane. We had to stop behind a row of cars to await the
arrival of the next ferry.
Presently a light yellow ferry arrived. Cars and motorcycles sped out of it. Then the green light
came for us to board. My father carefully drove the car onto the lower deck of the ferry. It was an
exciting new experience for me. I noticed the words "Pulau Undan" on a wall of the ferry.
As soon as the ferry was filled with cars and motorcycles on the lower deck, it left the terminal
and proceeded towards the island. I stood at the front end of the ferry and watched the
water churn and twirl as the ferry cut through it.
I could see the island a short distance ahead of us. To our left spanned the Penang Bridge. The
setting sun cast a red glow on the whole scene and I must say that it was beautiful.
My sister and I climbed up the stairs to the upper deck. It was filled with passengers who either

sat on the seats there or loitered around the area.
Soon the short ride ended. We hurried back down to the lower deck and got into our car when we
saw Penang Island loom closer and closer.
Finally the ferry docked and my father followed the row of cars out of the ferry. The car bumped
a bit on the uneven ramp but soon we were on Penang itself. My first ferry ride was over.



usher

to show someone the way



loiter

to move slowly around or stand especially in a public place
without an obvious reason



ramp

an artificial slope