Self Evaluation

This semester we did a lot tasks in our English classes. We wrote some summaries, we had some listening tasks, we had to make power point presentations also we did Moodle tests, ESP test and a lot of other tasks. So today I want to evaluate my work which I did this semester.

Writing summaries was quite interesting for me, but it wasn’t very easy for me because when you are writing summary you need to know some requirements and not all texts which were given to us was easy to read.

Listening wasn’t very hard for me because in school we did a lot of listening tasks and this activity wasn’t new for me and doing it in our English classes I think improved ability to understand English in more ways.

Power point presentations I think is the most interesting task in our English classes and the hardest because you have to read text very carefully and you need to mention the leading points of the text in easy and interesting way and this work takes a lot of time.

Also this semester we did some speaking. First speaking task was short talk and another speaking without preparation and this one was more difficult for me because you don’t have time to prepare for it and it is a little bit stressful.

Other type of our work was Moodle and ESP tests which are really important and a little bit difficult when we talk about ESP test. It was difficult to me because you have to know all definitions and say it in your own way and it takes time to prepare for it. Moodle tests weren’t a hard task because you can look in your notes and etc.

To summarize I want to say that activities in our English classes were quite interesting and hard, but I enjoyed it.

References:
http://englishbyme.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/t_18.jpg

Laughter

First of all when we talk about laughter we should know what it is. Researchers suggest that laughter is an audible expression or the appearance of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy and it may ensue from jokes, tickling or other stimuli. So, like we see people face with laugh every day, but they don't pore over why they are laughing. So, today I am going to talk about why we laugh and about benefits for our health.

The first thing that I want to talk about is what causes our laughter. There are two leading points: biological and psychological. So, when we talk about biological causes I can say that modern neurophysiology states that laughter is linked with the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, which produces endorphins after a rewarding activity. Research has shown that the limbic system is a primitive part of the brain that is involved in emotions and helps us with basic functions necessary for survival. Two structures in the limbic system are involved in producing laughter: the amygdale and the hippocampus. Talking about psychological causes it can be said that common causes are sensations of joy and humor, but a general theory that explains laughter is called the relief theory in which Sigmund Freud suggest that laughter releases tension and "psychic energy". This theory is one of the justifications of the beliefs that laughter is beneficial for one's health. This theory explains why laughter can be as a coping mechanism for when one is upset, angry or sad.
The second thing that I want to talk about is laughter benefits for our health. Like we know laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Moreover, laughter is good for our health because it relaxes the whole body, boosts the immune system, protects the heart, decreases pain, eases anxiety and fear, improves mood. So laughter has a lot of benefits for our health and if we want to be healthy what we should do is smile, when we hear laughter, move toward it, spend time with fun, playful people, and bring humor into conversations.

To summarize I want to say that laughter is an integral part of life, we are laughing every day and we should know that there are two leading points of our laughter: biological and psychological. Also we shouldn’t forget that laughter has a lot of benefits for our health and prolongs our life in three seconds, so what we need to do is smile, smile and one more time smile every day for everyone.


References:
http://helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm
Divergent effects of laughter and mental stress on arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics. Psychosom Med. May;71(4):446-53.
Miller M, Mangano C, Park Y, Goel R, Plotnick GD, Vogel RA.(2006). Impact of cinematic viewing on endothelial function
The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XXIII