Journal Question #5

Cigarettes.  Lots of smokers start when they are teenagers, and the earlier you start to smoke, the harder it is to quit smoking later on.  Even if a smoker knows that smoking causes lung cancer and other diseases, he can't stop.  Here's the question: why do teenagers start smoking? 

Journal Question #4

Is it important to have a girlfriend/boyfriend?  Think of your situation now, as a teenager, in high school, working on learning English as well as learning other subjects.  Where does having  a personal relationship with someone - someone more than a "friend" - fit into your life?  What do your parents think?  (Does that matter?)

Journal Question #3

Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day, an American holiday that celebrates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor who sailed for Spain.  Of course, Columbus didn't discover America - there were lots of people there already, whom he called "Indians" because he believed he had discovered a quick way to India.  Some people think Columbus' arrival in North America (or Central America) was a disaster for native Americans: beginning with Columbus, Europeans enslaved, killed, drove away, and, in general, brutalized them.  What's your view?  Is Columbus a hero or a bad guy?  Was his "discovery" a good event in world history?