University American College Skopje

Skopje

TITLE PAGE

Student: Stela Stojkovska, ID number: 1984/09

“Portfolio of different written production texts”

Term paper in Writing English 2 (ESL 2)

Course instructor:
Gordiana Gjorgova M.A
 Skopje, 2010
COVER LETTER

October 25th, 2010

Dear Mrs. Gjorgova,

My name is Stela Stojkovska, I have been a student at the University

since October, 2009 studying Business Management. I have chosen ESL2 as
a subject of choice, since I love the English language; I have learned it since I
was 5th grade and I spent one year in the United States finishing high-school.
I wrote the portfolio as a term paper for this subject and it helped me
look back on some of the time spent abroad and my trip to Niagara Falls, then
writing a letter to a friend from Germany that I haven’t seen since 1998, it has
reminded me of some of the things I have learnt in my Computer Applications
classes like writing a letter and I chose to write a letter to Stefanija who is a
business partner, I had done some research and learned more about a
problem that we all face with like global warming and how we can help
minimize it, since we can not prevent it. And at last but not the least I
discussed about a subject close to me which is nutrition and whether to go
vegetarian or not, with all the good and bad effects, where I also stated some
of the problems I have encountered myself.
Overall this has been a creative task for me and I’m proud that I
haven’t forgotten how to express myself in English, since I don’t use it
everyday.

Sincerely,

Stela Stojkovska

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Reflections page 4
2. Tips for writing instructions page 5
3. Narrative story page 6
4. Informal letter to a friend page 8
5. Writing a semi-formal letter page 9
6. Writing a discursive essay page 10
7. Argument page 11

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 REFLECTIONS

October 25th, 2010

As I reflect on my work I believe I did well, I stated a lot of facts from

my personal life. I shared some of my fond memories that I would never
forget, I wrote to a dear friend that I miss a lot, reminded myself of the
business type letter form, I discussed a world problem and learned more
about it, and stated facts about a global topic on weight issue.
Now I know that my English is a little rusty since I don’t use it very often
it’s hard to remember some of the words and how to express some of the
things I want to say, but I am very glad that I see that my spelling abilities are
still excellent.
I would like to improve my vocabulary; I think I should read a lot more
books in English as I used to do before, like reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet or
Frankenstein the original editions in high-school.

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 TIPS FOR WRITING INSTRUCTIONS

When writing an essay about providing solutions to problems, in the

first paragraph you should present the problem and what it causes. First do
some research, in this time of computers and internet it is a lot easier for us to
just type out the words on the Google bar and everything appears in two
seconds. Read about all the reasons why the problem has appeared, what
are the side effect, what do the scientists of the world propose on solving it,
etc. Then use your own words to explain it and give your own opinion what
you think should be done to resolve it.

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 Narrative Story
November 11th, 2009

My trip to the Niagara Falls

I will never forget my high-school year in the United States, the time
spent there, the new friends, all the trips we took with my family and school
friends will never fade away. It was an unforgettable experience for someone
at the age of 17, away from my parents and sister.
As I recall it was spring in California, we were preparing together with
my AFS club, planning for weeks with our councillor, to take a trip to Niagara
Falls. We all left for San Francisco airport early one morning and took a short
flight to Chicago and then to Buffalo. When we arrived our host families were
waiting for us, they were all families of students who were members or friends
of the AFS club at the local high-school. The next day we visited the high-
school went to the same classes our friends there took, they were really
friendly and communicative. The next day we took a trip to Buffalo which is a
big city with interesting architecture, and we all took a picture in the centre of
Buffalo at a huge monument at the Lafayette Square. The day was finished
with a pot luck dinner where everyone brought some food and we all had a
chance to talk with each other since our host families were all there. The
following day was reserved for Niagara Falls, when we arrived we were
mesmerized by the beauty of the place, huge quantities of water, the clouds of
mist forming at the end of the waterfalls. We all went down to the river side
where small boats were waiting for us, we all put our capes so we wouldn’t
get drenched, we boarded upon the ship and our short journey to the middle
of the waterfalls began. We were all excited as we got close and the mist of
water was covering us, drops of water were falling on our faces, we were all
laughing but we couldn’t get our cameras out to glorify the moment.
After the boat ride the rest of the gang went to the Canadian side
where they say the waterfalls are even more spectacular. Since we couldn’t
go we had to compromise with a trip to the local Hard Rock Café, where we
had lunch and bought some souvenirs to take back home. When we finished

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we went to the Niagara Falls power plant, we had a small tour and then the
bus came. We all went back to California with smiles on our faces after an
interesting flight and a short ride home to Sonora.
This event and my year studying abroad is something I will always
have fond memories of and something I will never forget.

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 Informal letter to a friend
December 12th, 2009

Dear Sarah,

How have you been? How are things in Germany? I haven’t heard
from you in a long time so I decided to write to you.
Everything has been the same here, I started my new job for a
company that sells children’s toys, it’s not very exciting mostly office work but
the hours are good and the pay is regular. My office is situated inside the
warehouse, I have my own desk and a computer, it’s very cold during the
winter but it’s very nice when it’s summer it’s cooler inside. When we first
moved in there was no one around, you could disappear and there would be
no one to notice. But slowly people started moving in to the neighbouring
warehouses, trucks came by the loads, cars, people all hustle and bustle.
Since I’m a minority there, as a woman all of the neighbours are men, they
keep me company, and always invite me for coffee. The Skopje Fair is near,
so I take walks get my mail from the head quarters or buy some breakfast,
when they have a fair there is a big crowd, a lot of cars and people come from
different companies, but when the fair is over things get back to normal again.
I know you finished your studies, what do you do now, are you still
working at the television station or have you found something else. How
about your personal life, have you found someone special. Well I hope I will
hear from you soon, I have missed you a lot and I miss the time we spent
together in Sonora, you were my best friend there. Write as soon as you can.

Love,

Stela

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 Writing a semi-formal letter
June 10th, 2010

Dear Stefanija,

Thank you for your interest in our company and our products; it would
be a pleasure for us to work with a company as renowned as yours. Before I
send you our offer I would like to tell you a little bit about what we do.
Our company was founded ten years ago by our General Manager and
his wife who work side by side. We stared with wholesale in Slovenia, selling
everything from children’s toys to baby equipment and clothes. When the
business was developed we opened our first store called Pikapolonica, one
place where you could find everything for your child, that’s was our logo
Children’s World. Soon one by one we opened more stores, the business
went up from there and we hired more and more people. Our General
Manager and his partners travel all over the world visiting toy fair’s and
meeting new potential partners to do our business with.
Most of the brands we sell are from European origin, Ecoiffier and
Smoby from France, Dantoy from Denmark, Canpol from Poland, etc. The
products are designed specifically for a certain age; they are of very good
quality and carry all necessary certificates. All the toys have been tested in
Europe by European standards for quality.
We honestly hope that we would start some kind of collaboration, we
would be glad to call you our customers, all of the conditions will be agreed
additionally when we set up a meeting with our General Manager and after
you review our official offer.

Yours sincerely,

Stela Stojkovska

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 Writing a discursive essay (providing solutions to problems)
July 25th, 2010

How can we stop global warming?

Global warming is an environmental problem; it is characterized by rising

average temperature of planet Earth. Most of this since the middle of the 20th
century has been cause by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases,
as a result of human activity. As scientists discuss whether or not this
problem truly exists, people keep wondering how we can all pitch in and help
stop global warming before disaster hits us. There are a few simple solutions
to this problem.
First, use electrical appliances which are environment friendly, replace your
old appliances which emits greenhouse gases with environment friendly
appliances. Or change your regular light bulb with a fluorescent light bulb and
save energy.
Second, because your vehicle is responsible for the source of carbon dioxide
in the atmosphere, reduce their use. Try cycling or walking, use the local bus
transport, this would be also a benefit to your health.
Third, drive efficiently, turn the ignition off on red lights, avoid frequent
acceleration and breaking, this way you will use less fuel and cause less
pollution.
Fourth, since trees absorb carbon dioxide and give out oxygen we should
plant more trees.
Fifth, implement the three R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle your waste.
Sixth, everybody knows that industries are the biggest polluters of the
environment, if we don’t act now by the time we start feeling the results it will
be to late, so raise your voice and act as a responsible citizen of the world.

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 Argument (for and against)

October 18th, 2010

Go vegetarian or not?

As long as some vegetarians like Pamela Andreson are proclaiming the

vegetarian diet, there are other medical experts who claim that this diet lacks
of nutrients in order to be a healthy choice of living. Nowadays some
Associations and scientists are accepting the vegetarian diet as healthy and
complete, as long as some requirements are met.
• Good for fighting disease: the vegetarian diet is recommended to
patients who are dealing with disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Fresh vegetarian food is higher in vitamins and minerals than meat
products, and can provide more nutrients.
• Good for losing weight: most vegetarians tend to eat foods that are
high in fibre, fibre is the key to feeling satiated, and prevents
overindulging. Vegetarians tend to eat less fat.
• Can lead to imbalances: certain nutrients are available only in animal
products, strict vegetarians who consume no animal products, can
suffer from B vitamin deficiencies if no supplements are taken. Iron
deficiencies are also an issue for vegetarians; an alternative is intake of
dark-green, leafy vegetables.
• Difficult for children and special populations: while the diet is relatively
simple for most people, certain groups of populations need special
dietary care in order to maintain good health after giving up meat.
Especially children and teens, which need additional amounts of
calcium and iron for brain and bone development.
I have been on a strict vegetarian diet twice in my life in the past 4 years, I
have lost a lot of weight fast, but when I stopped dieting I gained weight fast. I
have countered health problems like cramps from lack of calcium, low

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immunity, stomach pains, etc. I have found a way to maintain a normal
weight by eating regularly twice a day, not eating after 7 p.m., sleeping
regularly 7-9 hours per day, and exercising regularly two to three times per
week, I have been taking aerobics classes.

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