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   STORY #1

            Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. Canada has a high standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and are encouraged to continue studying at a university. Canada's cities are clean and well-managed. If you travel to Quebec you will hear many people speaking French. These cities have many parks and lots of open space. Canada is certainly a desirable place to live. 

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   STORY #2

       Soon after the spraying had ended there were unmistakable signs that all was not well. Within two days dead and dying fish, including many young salmon, were found along the banks of the stream. Brook trout also appeared among the dead fish, and along the roads and in the woods birds were dying. All the life of the stream was stilled. Before the spraying there had been a rich assortment of the water life that forms the food of salmon and trout — caddis fly larvae, stonefly nymphs, and the wormlike larvae of blackflies. Most of the caterpillars which we have found are the larvae of moths. But now the stream insects were dead, killed by DDT, and there was nothing for a young salmon to eat.

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

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  STORY #3

          The punishment of criminals has always been a problem for society. Citizens have had to decide whether offenders such as first-degree murderers should be killed in a gas chamber, imprisoned for life, or rehabilitated and given a second chance in society. I do not believe that capital punishment--the death penalty--should exist because it is cruel.  Many citizens argue that serious criminals should be executed. They believe that killing criminals will set an example for others and also rid society of a cumbersome burden. Other citizens say that no one has the right to take a life and that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime. They believe that society as well as the criminal is responsible for the crimes and that killing the criminal does not solve the problems of either society or the criminal.

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  STORY #4

Careful...This is tricky!

         Mexico's pyramids and ancient ruins give us a glimpse of the past while its modern cities provide us with the best of today's technology. The pyramids were built by the ancient Indian tribes that lived in Mexico. Its mountains offer cool weather and majestic peaks while, only a few miles away, its beaches tempt us with brilliant sun and white sand. Its elegant restaurants serve the most sophisticated continental cuisine while, across the street or down the block, sidewalk vendors sell the simplest of native foods. Mexico offers visitors a world of contrasts.

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