Proficiency Masterclass, Unit 5: Letter

Dear Sir,

I am writing with reference to a recent article published on your paper on

thet theme of rules and regulations and would like to express my complete
disagreement with the thesis supported by the author.
After reporting a few soundbites by local citizens furious with the
burgeoning number of fines imposed in recent months, the article went on to
dismiss most of the measures introduced by our council as subtle ways of
raising money and diminishing our freedom. Although recent cuts to the budget
by the governemnt make this scenario highly plausible, the author abysmally
failed to provide data or statistics in support of his argument, thus leaving the
reader incapable of forming his/her opinion.
As well as omitting poignant evidence, however, he also steered clear of
whatsoever example related to the issue. Had he considered smoking, for
instance, the role of new norms would have been crystal clear to him: recent
studies suggest that banning smoking from public places resulted in
uncontroverted benefits to our lifestyle and in a significant decrease in the
number of smokers. The upside of new regulations is also evident in road
safety, where a less predictable trend has been unerathed: not only has the
number of accidents plummeted, but so did car emissions because of reduced
speed limits. This just goes to show that we should be willing to tolerate minor
infringements of our personal liberties when it comes to vital improvements in
our health, safety or the environment.
To conclude, I am firmly convinced that the advantages definitely
outweigh the downsides as far as rules and regulations are concerned. I cannot
stress enough that under most circumnstances coercion is needed in order to
impose a new mindset and eradicate habits which are often rooted in our
routine, as is the case of wearing seatbelts or helmets, smoking and similar
bones of contention.
Yours faithfully,
Paolo Colusso
Proficiency Masterclass, Unit 6: Article

A health magazine has invited readers to write an article about significant

changes to lifestyles in their own country.

New food, new timetables: where is our lifestyle heading to?

There is one thing people nowadays seem to agree on and that is the fact
that we are experiencing the so-called obesity epidemics and embracing
sedentary lifestyles, with catastrophic effects on our health. Seldom do we
happen to read a paper which doesnt feature doom and gloom titles about our
disordered eating patterns or our stubborn refusal to take up physical activties,
but I am beginning to look with scepticism at such long-held assumptions.
First of all, our knowledge of what is good for us is unprecedented: even a
primary school child will be able to reel off the list of food containing saturated
fats or vitamin A and the benefits of a daily jog. On the contrary, if you try and
ask your diabetic grandmother whether you get a higher intake of
carbohydrates from bread or meat she will probably give you a gaping
response. A case in point is the soy fad: we are now veering off to food that
only a few years ago would have been deemed too exotic to end on our shelves
but are now gaining acceptance for their nutritional properties. By the same
token, unlike our predecessors, we are likely to read the ingredients of a
product before casting it into our trolley.
This is not to predict the demise of junk food or unhealthy lifestyles: more
than ever, our daily routine means that carving a daily niche for sports is way
beyond our possibilities and using the car instead of our bike to go to work is in
most of the cases not feasible. Furthermore, although we preach against fast
food, a half-hour lunch break is probably not sufficient to prepare a square
meal.
To sum up, it is true that we have now access to all the information we
need to make the right choices: having said that, new work patterns and the
frenzy of family life makes it all the more easy to slip into unhealthy lifestyles.