学习从不同的角度看事情 ♥

父子二人看到一輛十分豪華的進口轎車。兒子不屑地對他的父親說：“坐這種車的人，肚子裏一定沒有學問！”父親則輕描淡寫地回答：“說這種話的人，口袋裏一定沒有錢！”

■你對事情的看法，是不是也反映出你內心真正的態度？


晚飯後，母親和女兒一塊兒洗碗盤，父親和兒子在客廳看電視。突然，廚房裏傳來打破盤子的響聲，然後一片沉寂。兒子望著他父親，說道：“一定是媽媽打破的。”“你怎麼知道？”“她沒有罵人。”

■我們習慣以不同的標準來看人看己，以致往往是責人以嚴，待己以寬。


有兩個臺灣觀光團到日本伊豆半島旅遊，路況很壞，到處都是坑洞。一位導遊連聲說路面簡直像麻子一樣。而另一個導遊卻詩意盎然地對遊客說：“我們現在走的正是赫赫有名的伊豆迷人酒窩大道。”

■雖是同樣的情況，然而不同的意念，就會產生不同的態度。思想是何等奇妙的事，如何去想，決定權在你。


同樣是小學三年級的學生，他們將來的志願同是當小丑。中國老師斥之為：“胸無大志，孺子不可教也！”外國老師則會說：“願你把歡笑帶給全世界！”

■身為長輩的我們，不但要求多於鼓勵，更以狹窄界定了成功的定義。


妻子正在廚房炒菜。丈夫在她旁邊一直嘮叨不停：“慢些、小心！火太大了。趕快把魚翻過來、油放太多了！”妻子脫口而出：“我懂得怎樣炒菜。”丈夫平靜地答道：“我只是要讓你知道，我在開車時，你在旁邊喋喋不休，我的感覺如何……”

■學會體諒他人並不困難，只要你願意認真地站在對方的角度和立場看問題。


一輛載滿乘客的公共汽車沿著下坡路快速前進著，有一個人在後面緊緊追趕著這輛車子。一個乘客從車窗中伸出頭來對追車子的人說：“老兄！算啦，你追不上的！”“我必須追上它，”這人氣喘吁吁地說：“我是這輛車的司機！”

■有些人必須非常認真努力，因為不這樣的話，後果就十分悲慘了！然而也正因為必須全力以赴，潛在的本能和不為人知的特質終將充分展現出來。


甲：“新搬來的鄰居好可惡，昨天晚上三更半夜跑來猛按我家的門鈴。”乙：“的確可惡！你有沒有馬上報警？”甲：“沒有。我當他們是瘋子，繼續吹我的小喇叭。”

■事出必有因，如果能先看到自己的不是，答案就會不一樣。


張三在山間小路開車，正當他悠哉地欣賞美麗風景時，突然迎面開來的貨車司機搖下窗戶大喊一聲：“豬！”張三越想越氣，也搖下車窗大罵：“你才是豬！”剛罵完，他便迎頭撞上一群過馬路的豬。

■不要錯誤地詮釋別人的好意，那只會讓自己吃虧，並且使別人受辱。


小男孩問爸爸：“是不是做父親的總比做兒子的知道得多？”爸爸回答：“當然啦！”“電燈是誰發明的？”“愛迪生。”“那愛迪生的爸爸怎麼沒有發明電燈？”

■權威往往只是一個經不起考驗的空殼子，尤其在現今這個多元開放的時代。


小明洗澡時不小心吞下一小塊肥皂，他的媽媽慌慌張張地打電話給家庭醫生求助。醫生說：“我現在還有幾個病人在，可能要半小時後才能趕過去。”小明媽媽說： “在你來之前，我該做什麼？”醫生說：“給小明喝一杯白開水，然後用力跳一跳，你就可以讓小明用嘴巴吹泡泡消磨時間了。”

■事情既然已經發生了，何不坦然自在地面對。擔心不如寬心，窮緊張不如窮開心。


一把堅實的大鎖掛在大門上，一根鐵杆費了九牛二虎之力，還是無法將它撬開。鑰匙來了，他瘦小的身子鑽進鎖孔，只輕輕一轉，大鎖就“啪”地一聲打開了。

■每個人的心，都像上了鎖的大門，任你再粗的鐵棒也撬不開。惟有關懷，才能把自己變成一把細膩的鑰匙，進入別人的心中

Television

Television has become a necessity to households nowadays. In developed countries, it is estimated that more than ninety per cent of households have at least a television set (Sharif 1999). Television has enamored its viewer, regardless their age (Leigh 2001). According to the American Time Use Survey (2003), American spends most of their leisure time watching television. They are glued to their favourite program all day and night. Hence, television is being blamed for causing viewers to have poor academic achievement, antisocial behavior problem and to be physically inactive. However, I strongly believe that television brings more good than harm as it provides an additional medium for learning, acts as an entertainment to relieve stress and encourage critical thinking.
Firstly, television acts as an extra dimension for learning. Auto-visual medium allows those boring subjects such as history and geography to be presented in a unique and interesting way. It catches the concentration of viewers and allows them to gain more information than those being merely read. Rutherford (2002) claims that by watching scientific program, children can work through the most complicated steps of scientific equation in an enjoyable manner. Television shows also allow young people to experience “eye-travelling”. They can watch the culture and beauty of other part of world and the natural scene of animal kingdom. It helps them to understand cultures of other countries and develop curiosity towards the world. Moreover, kids programs like ‘Sesame Street’ which use animation and puppets to make learning fun attract pre-schoolers. They recognize colours, numbers and alphabets before they begin school. Leigh (2002) states that these children also tend to have a larger vocabulary. In brief, television provides a wealth of information.
Also, television is an essential entertainment for the population as it can relieve stress. After a hard day at work or school, watching television is the best choice for relaxing. By being engrossed in a television show, adolescence can relieve their frustration which is caused by higher expectations that are placed on them. Young people need to forget about their stress for a short while to regroup and gain a more balanced view of problems (Rutherford 2002). It also enables the audience to refresh their mind and get themselves ready to focus on their studies and work. This claim is further proved by UK Time Use Survey (2000). It states that full-time workers choose to spend most of their leisure time on watching television rather than reading and playing games. Thus, television can certainly be solacing and assuasive.
Furthermore, television can help viewers to develop critical thinking. Critical thinking is an essential skill in both social settings and at school (Sharif 1999). Television acts as an engaging medium that encourage critical thinking about important issues on a wide range of human problems ranging from globalization to homelessness (Leigh 2001). For instance, by determining how conflicts are solved in television programs, families and friends can discuss whether or not better solutions are possible. By doing this, our critical thinking can be sharpened.
In a nutshell, television brings a lot of benefits such its role as a learning tool, a gadget to relax ourselves and promotes critical thinking. Again, I would like to strengthen my stand that television brings more good than harm if it is being used in moderation.

Final draft

Junk food is commonly used to describe any food that is perceived to be unhealthy and has low nutritional value (Smith 2005). Junk food is being blamed for the increase in childhood obesity, which can lead to further cases of heart disease and some cancer (Weekends News 2005). Junk food is also being blamed for health, litter problems and behavioral problems. However, sales of junk foods should not be banned in school canteen as junk foods are also a part of a healthy diet; it brings profit to the authorities and most importantly, the restriction could not change the eating habit of students.

Firstly, prohibition on the sale of junk food in school canteen will not change the eating habit of students. As we all know, the eating habit of every child is cultivated from home. For this reason, parents remain to be the primary guide of their kids for adopting healthy eating habits, eat and drink in moderation and do not have snack between meals (Cook 2005). Schools play an insignificant role. Apart from school canteen, students can easily get the junk foods from home or on the way to school. The eating habits of children between 12-14 years old at home that are shown in the Australian Nutrition Journal (2004) stated that only a small percentage of kids have their diet according to the recommended intake. In a nutshell, restricting choices at school is not the answer to the youth obesity problem.

In addition, a ban would reduce the profits earned markedly. By limiting the range of food, in particular the junk food, the profits earned gradually falls (School News 2005). Junk food, such as chocolate bars, crisps, and soft drinks are much cheaper than fresh foods and can help producers reap more profits. Most schools rely on profits from canteens to purchase and upgrade school’s facilities, equipments and software programs which are not covered by school fees. Sufficient profits which are earned from the sale of junk food can also be used to pay the salaries of canteen staff s as school can no longer rely on volunteer staffs. A ban would have a negative impact on education when the school facilities are not well up-to-date and adequate to foster a comfortable learning environment.

Next, junk food also plays an important role in promoting healthy diet. Junk food is not all bad. Pizza which is also considered as one kind of junk food can be nutritious (Cook 2005). Most of the sweets contain no fat can be part of a healthy diet as they are not fattening. Most dietitians agree that all food, including junk food, can become part of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation (Smith 2005). In other words, eating junk food in moderation would not harm and threaten the health of youths.In brief, consuming junk food occasionally is not a problem if we have a healthy diet at home.

In conclusion, junk food should not be banned as restricting the choices would not change the eating habit of kids. Junk food is part of a healthy diet and it brings profit to the authorities. Although it might cause obesity problem, but again, I would like to strengthen my stand on the side which allow the sale of junk foods in school as the students should learn on how to make the choice to have a healthy diet. Restricting the sale of junk food will never nib the problem in the bud.

Junk food - Draft 2

Junk food is commonly used to describe any food that is perceived to be unhealthy and has low nutritional value (Smith 2005). Junk food is being blamed for the increase in childhood obesity, which can lead to further cases of heart disease and some cancer (Weekends News 2005). Besides, junk food is also being blamed for health, litter problems and behavioral problems. However, sales of junk foods should not be banned in school canteen as junk foods are also a part of a healthy diet; it brings profit to the authorities and most importantly, the restriction could not change the eating habit of students.

Firstly, prohibition on the sale of junk food in school canteen will not change the eating habit of students. As we all know, the eating habit of every child is cultivated from home. For this reason, parents remain to be the primary guide of their kids for adopting healthy eating habits, eat and drink in moderation and do not have snack between meals (Cook 2005). Schools play an insignificant role. Apart from school canteen, students can easily get the junk foods from home or on the way to school. The eating habits of children between 12-14 years old at home that are shown in the Australian Nutrition Journal (2004) stated that only a small percentage of kids have their diet according to the recommended intake. In a nutshell, restricting choices at school is not the answer to the youth obesity problem.

In addition, a ban would reduce the profits earned markedly. By limiting the range of food, in particular the junk food, the profits earned gradually falls (School News 2005). Junk food, such as chocolate bars, crisps, and soft drinks are much cheaper than fresh foods and can help producers reap more profits. Most schools rely on profits from canteens to purchase and upgrade school’s facilities, equipments and software programs which are not covered by school fees. Sufficient profits which are earned from the sale of junk food can also be used to pay the salaries of canteen staffs as school can no longer rely on volunteer staffs. A ban would have a negative impact on education when the school facilities are not well up-to-date and adequate to foster a comfortable learning environment.

Next, junk food also plays an important role in promoting healthy diet. Junk food is not all bad. Pizza which is also considered as one kind of junk food can be nutritious (Cook 2005). Most of the sweets contain no fat can be part of a healthy diet as they are not fattening. Most dietitians agree that all food, including junk food, can become part of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation (Smith 2005). In other words, eating junk food in moderation would not harm and threaten the health of youths.In brief, consuming junk food occasionally is not a problem if we have a healthy diet at home.

In conclusion, junk food should not be banned as restricting the choices would not change the eating habit of kids. Junk food is part of a healthy diet and it brings profit to the authorities. Although it might cause littering problem, but again, I would like to strengthen my stand on the side which allow the sale of junk foods in school as the students should learn on how to make the choice to have a healthy diet. Restricting the sale of junk food will never nib the problem in the bud.

random 123

SDO-X..!!

omg, i addicted to it already

reluctant to stop.. xD

you guys know that i am 音乐白痴 right

and my timing and tempo are sucks..

but i still manage to play until the level 4's songs (i know it still very lousy)

haha..很有满足感

i want to wake up at 6.45 2mr !!

i want go for jogging

i had become super lazy to move since i come here ( be4 also lazy to move). Hundred years no exercise ady..

aim : finish 2km in 20 mins

wish me luck guys =)

Junk Food - Draft #1

Junk food is commonly used to describe any food that is perceived to be unhealthy and has low nutritional value (Smith 2005). Junk food is being blamed for the increase in childhood obesity, which can lead to further cases of heart disease and some cancer (Weekends News 2005). Junk food is also being blamed for health, litter problems and behavioral problems. However, sales of junk foods should not be banned in school canteen as junk foods are also a part of a healthy diet; it brings profit to the authorities and most importantly, the restriction could not change the eating habit of students.

Firstly, prohibition on the sale of junk food in school canteen will not change the eating habit of students. As we all know, the eating habit of every child is cultivated from home. For this reason, parents remain to be the primary guide of their kids for adopting healthy eating habits, eat and drink in moderation and do not have snack between meals (Cook 2005). Schools play an insignificant role. Apart from school canteen, students can easily get the junk foods from home or on the way to school. The eating habits of children between 12-14 years old at home that are shown in the Australian Nutrition Journal (2004) stated that only a small percentage of kids have their diet according to the recommended intake. In a nutshell, restricting choices at school is not the answer to the youth obesity problem.

In addition, a ban would reduce the profits earned markedly. By limiting the range of food, in particular the junk food, the profits earned gradually falls (School News 2005). Junk food, such as chocolate bars, crisps, and soft drinks are much cheaper than fresh foods and can help producers reap more profits. Most schools rely on profits from canteens to purchase and upgrade school’s facilities, equipments and software programs which are not covered by school fees. Sufficient profits which are earned from the sale of junk food can also be used to pay the salaries of canteen staff s as school can no longer rely on volunteer staffs. A ban would have a negative impact on education when the school facilities are not well up-to-date and adequate to foster a comfortable learning environment.

Next, junk food also plays an important role in promoting healthy diet. Junk food is not all bad. Pizza which is also considered as one kind of junk food can be nutritious (Cook 2005). Most of the sweets contain no fat can be part of a healthy diet as they are not fattening. Most dietitians agree that all food, including junk food, can become part of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation (Smith 2005). In other words, eating junk food in moderation would not harm and threaten the health of youths.In brief, consuming junk food occasionally is not a problem if we have a healthy diet at home.

In conclusion, junk food should not be banned as restricting the choices would not change the eating habit of kids. Junk food is part of a healthy diet and it brings profit to the authorities. Although it might cause littering problem, but again, I would like to strengthen my stand on the side which allow the sale of junk foods in school as the students should learn on how to make the choice to have a healthy diet. Restricting the sale of junk food will never nib the problem in the bud.

Text Production - Final

What are the potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change and how can they be arrested?

For decades, cars and factories have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and these gases caused temperature to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past centuries (Riebeek 2007). Development to satisfy the demands of consumers is triggering global warming. Global warming basically refer to the rising in average temperature of Earth caused by greenhouse gasses especially carbon dioxide. The rate of warming in the last 50 years was double the rate observed over the last 100 years. Once planet starts to warm up, it's very hard to slow down the process—and almost impossible to stop it completely. Global warming means Big Trouble. Ironically, global warming which is caused by an anthropogenic process will cause a slew of inevitable effect and thus, practical solutions and strategies must be prepared to solve this long-lasting global issue.

One of the inevitable potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea level. Global warming caused an increase in world’s temperature of approximately 2-5 degree centigrade. According to the film An Inconvenient Truth 2007, the melting of land-base ice in both poles contributes to the rising of sea level. If all the ice melts completely, low-lying nations and islands such as Bangladesh, Beijing, Shanghai, Netherlands, Greenland, Florida, Calcutta, Manhattan and California will be at the risk of inundation. Ten percents of the world’s population who lives in coastal area will be affected. The rising of sea levels also will erode coasts and cause more frequent coastal flooding. This will trigger storms, hurricanes, tornados and typhoons to occur more frequently. In short, global warming will cause topographical change in the earth and the world’s map would have been redrawn.

Besides that, the ecosystem is tremendously disturbed by global warming. Erratic weather patterns lead to an emergence of disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes. About thirty newly-emerged diseases are also found, for example, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah Virus, Ebola, Arena Virus and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (An Inconvenient Truth 2007). These diseases are worrying as they are fatal and have the potential to kill vast human population. Rise in temperature is also putting pressure on the ecosystem, the plants and animals that co-exist in a particular climate. Warmer temperature shifted the growing season of flora. Spring which comes earlier forces the migration of animals to start earlier to follow food resources. As the growing season progresses, maximum daily temperatures increase, sometimes beyond the tolerance of the plant or animal. In order to survive in the climbing temperature, both marine, land-based plants and animals started to migrate towards the poles. Species which fail to migrate or adapt will face extinction (Riebeek 2007). In brief, global warming makes the ecosystem to become unbalanced.

Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide gas is the most practical way to curb climate change. (Woodford 2006). Individuals and government must have consciousness and responsibility towards global warming. Individual can contribute by using energy-saving fluorescent lamps, use public transport or car pooling, and reduce the consumption of electricity especially air-conditioner (An Inconvenient Truth 2007). Government should find and develop into alternative renewable energy and environmental friendly transport. Government should also invest in correcting climate change as according to a report, it will only cause twenty percents drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Woodford 2006). Carbon tax is one of the good examples in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide. Authorities should create the awareness among the society via education and campaigns. Every one of us should work together to hinder global warming and save our ailing earth.

All in all, we are witnessing collision between our civilization and the Earth. Ecosystems across the globe are already affected and surprising changes have already taken place. Polar ice caps are melting, plants and animals are migrating, tropical rain is shifting, and droughts are becoming more widespread and frequent. Since greenhouse gases are long-lived, the planet will continue to warm and changes will continue to occur, but the degree to which global warming changes life on Earth will depend on our decisions. Therefore, it is essential that we make the right decision in order to put global warming away once and for all.

Text production draft #2

For decades, cars and factories have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and these gases caused temperature to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past centuries. Development to satisfy the demands of consumers is triggering global warming. Global warming basically refer to the rising in average temperature of Earth caused by greenhouse gasses especially carbon dioxide. The rate of warming in the last 50 years was double the rate observed over the last 100 years. Once planet starts to warm up, it's very hard to slow down the process—and almost impossible to stop it completely. Global warming means Big Trouble. Ironically, global warming which is caused by an anthropogenic process will cause a slew of inevitable effect and thus, practical solutions and strategies must be prepared to solve this long-lasting global issue.

One of the inevitable potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea level. Global warming caused an increase in world’s temperature of approximately 2-5 degree centigrade. According to Al gore, the melting of land-base ice in both poles contributes to the rising of sea level. If all the ice melts completely, low-lying nations and islands such as Bangladesh, Beijing, Shanghai, Netherlands, Greenland, Florida, Calcutta, Manhattan and California will be at the risk of inundation. Ten percents of the world’s population who lives in coastal area will be affected. The rising of sea levels also will erode coasts and cause more frequent coastal flooding. This will trigger storms, hurricanes, tornados and typhoons to occur more frequently. In short, global warming will cause topographical change in the earth and the world’s map would have been redrawn.

Besides that, the ecosystem is tremendously disturbed by global warming. Erratic weather patterns lead to an emergence of disease-carrying vectors like mosquitoes. About thirty newly-emerged diseases are also found, for example, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah Virus, Ebola, Arena Virus and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (Al gore, 2007). These diseases are worrying as they are fatal and have the potential to kill vast human population. Rise in temperature is also putting pressure on the ecosystem, the plants and animals that co-exist in a particular climate. Warmer temperature shifted the growing season of flora. Spring which comes earlier forces the migration of animals to start earlier to follow food resources. As the growing season progresses, maximum daily temperatures increase, sometimes beyond the tolerance of the plant or animal. In order to survive in the climbing temperature, both marine, land-based plants and animals started to migrate towards the poles. Species which fail to migrate or adapt will face extinction (Holli Riebeek, 2007). In brief, global warming makes the ecosystem to become unbalanced.

Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide gas is the most practical way to curb climate change. (Christ Woodford 2006). Individuals and government must have consciousness and responsibility towards global warming. Individual can contribute by using energy-saving fluorescent lamps, use public transport or car pooling, and reduce the consumption of electricity especially air-conditioner. Government should find and develop into alternative renewable energy and environmental friendly transport. Government should also invest in correcting climate change as according to a report, it will only cause twenty percents drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Carbon tax is one of the good examples in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide. Authorities should create the awareness among the society via education and campaigns. Every one of us should work together to hinder global warming and save our ailing earth.

All in all, we are witnessing collision between our civilization and the Earth. Ecosystems across the globe are already affected and surprising changes have already taken place. Polar ice caps are melting, plants and animals are migrating, tropical rain is shifting, and droughts are becoming more widespread and frequent. Since greenhouse gases are long-lived, the planet will continue to warm and changes will continue to occur, but the degree to which global warming changes life on Earth will depend on our decisions. Therefore, it is essential that we make the right decision in order to put global warming away once and for all.

my colourful nails ♥

Again is a random post =D

went karee's room just now

dig her drawer and found all this

teng teng teng teng

look at my fingers..

it colourful and i love it ♥

Production text draft #1

For decades, cars and factories have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and these gases caused temperatures to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C over the past century. Developments to satisfy the demands of consumer are triggering global warming. Global warming basically refer to the rising in average temperature of Earth caused by greenhouse gasses especially carbon dioxide. The rate of warming in the last 50 years was double the rate observed over the last 100 years. Once planet starts to warm up, it's very hard to slow down the process—and almost impossible to stop it completely. Global warming means Big Trouble. Ironically, global warming which caused by an anthropogenic process will cause a slew of inevitable effects to us. Thus, practical solution and strategies must be prepared to solve this long-lasting global issue.

One of the inevitable potential effects of global warming in terms of climate change is the rise of sea level. Global warming caused an increase in world’s temperature of approximately 2-5 degree centigrade. According to Al gore, the melting of land-base ice in both poles contributes to the rising of sea level. If all the ice melts completely, low lying nations and islands such as Bangladesh, Beijing, Shanghai, Netherlands, Greenland, Florida, Calcutta, Manhattan and California will be risk in disappear underwater. Ten percents of the world’s population lives in coastal area will be affected. The rising of sea levels also will erode coasts and cause more frequent coastal flooding. This will trigger storms, hurricanes, tornados and typhoons to occur more frequently. In shorts, global warming will caused topographical change in earth and the world’s map would have to be redrawn.

Besides that, the ecosystem is tremendously disturbing by global warming. Vector for emerging diseases such as mosquito and algae occurs. About thirty newly-emerged diseases are also found, for example, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Nipah Virus, Ebola, Arena Virus and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (Al gore, 2007). These diseases are worrying as they are fatal and have the potential to kill a vast human population. Rises in temperature is also putting pressure on ecosystem, the plants and animals that co-exist in a particular climate. Warmer temperature shifted the growing season of flora. Spring which coming earlier forces the migrating animals have to start earlier to follow food resources. As the growing season progresses, maximum daily temperatures increase, sometimes beyond the tolerance of the plant or animal. In order to survive in the climbing temperature, both marine and land-based plants and animals started to migrate towards the poles. Species which fail to migrate or adapt face extinction (Holli Riebeek, 2007). In brief, global warming makes ecosystem imbalance.

Reducing the emission of carbon dioxide gas is the most practical way to curb climate change. (Christ Woodford 2006). Individuals and government must have the consciousness and responsibility towards global warming. Individual can contributes by using incandescent or energy-saving fluorescent lamps, use public transport or car pooling, and reduce the consumption of electricity especially air-conditioner. Governments should take consideration to find and develop into alternative renewable energy and environmental friendly transport. Government should also invest in tackle climate change as it only caused twenty percents drops in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Carbon tax is one of the good examples in reducing the emission of carbon dioxide. Authorities should create the awareness among the society by education and campaigns. Every one of us should work together to hinder global warming and save our sickly earth. We are strength when we are united.

We are witnessing collusion between our civilization and the Earth. Ecosystems across the globe are already affected and surprising changes have already taken place. Polar ice caps are melting, plants and animals are migrating, tropical rain is shifting, and droughts are becoming more widespread and frequent. Since greenhouse gases are long-lived, the planet will continue to warm and changes will continue to happen, but the degree to which global warming changes life on Earth depends on our decisions.