LEVEL 5

TUESDAY
All Internship Programs Should Guarantee Permanent Employment
Upon completion of their internship programs, young adults have different stories to
tell about their whole experience. Many can impart positive accounts, but more
often than not, those good feedbacks also come with complaints and criticisms.
A common grievance of interns is the apparent exploitation of companies in terms
of workload and the like. Because of this, some people want all internship programs
to guarantee permanent employment to justify the hardships that interns go
through.
If this happens, interns would not need to worry about looking for stable jobs after
completing their internship. They would be more enticed to learn the ins and outs of
the company they are training in and they wouldnt feel taken advantage of
because everything they do is in preparation for a permanent position in the
company.
For companies, the advantage of this change would be getting more out of the
allowances they give interns. It would be like an investment for them because all
the interns they are training would eventually be absorbed into the company. Money
wont be wasted because interns would not end up working for other companies.
On the other hand, some people oppose this automatic employment of interns
because of several reasons. First, it is a very big risk for companies to immediately
offer employment to someone who has not yet proven himself or herself worthy of a
permanent position.

Guide Questions:
1. What are some of the common complaints that interns have about
companies? What might justify all their hard work?
2. How would a guaranteed permanent employment change the way
interns do their jobs?
3. How can automatically hiring interns be beneficial for companies? Why
do some people oppose the idea?
4. Should companies offer permanent employment to interns? If not, what
would keep interns from giving substandard performance?
5. Are internship programs an effective way of looking for potential
employees? Why or why not?

Vocabulary:
grievance - a complaint or a strong feeling that you have been treated unfairly:
Exploitation - when someone uses someone else unfairly for their own advantage:
impart - to communicate information to someone:
WEDNESDAY
The Effects of the Reunification of Germany
As a consequence of its defeat during the Second World War, Germany was divided
into four occupation zones, one for each of the Four Powers: the United States,
Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. This division aimed to develop a united and
even treatment in Germany which was necessary for the postwar recovery of
Europe. However, this did not go as planned because the colonizers ended up
implementing policies and other endeavors that would be for their own advantage
and not Germanys. The division lasted for 45 years. It ended in 1990 when East
Germany decided to join West Germany. This reunification, just like any major and
long-standing political turmoil, created positive and negative results.
Among the most important positive effects of the reunification of Germany is the
Four Powers renunciation of all their authority and power over Germany. In this
sense, Germany did not just become united as one nation, but it also gained its
sovereignty. As years passed, Germany prospered economically, and it regained the
trust of the international market. At some point, Germany became the country with
the strongest economy in the European Union. This economic development allowed
Germany to offer better social security services to its people, and it was able to
restore and create new infrastructure needed by the united country.
On the other hand, there were also problems and adversities that came with the
reunification. Many believe that these difficulties were harsher on West Germany.
One of the first issues addressed during the reunification was the privatization of
East Germanys economy, especially because it had almost no private property.
Guide Question:
What happened to Germany after its defeat during the Second World War?
Describe the positive impact reunification had on Germany.
What were some of the downsides of Germanys reunification?
How important is having sovereignty? Can a country flourish without it? Why do you
think so?
What kind of positive impact would the reunification of the two Koreas have on the
economy of both countries?

Vocabulary:

renunciation - to say formally or publicly that you no longer own, support, believe in
or have a connection with something:
Sovereignty - the power of a country to control its own government:
Adversity - a difficult or unlucky situation or event:
THURSDAY
Should people stop taking medicines and let their bodies self-cure?
It is almost instantaneous for many people to take medicines when they feel
something different going on in their bodies. Some take the strongest antibiotic
without consulting a medical professional beforehand, thinking that it is the fastest
way to treat a slight cold. What these people fail to realize is that medicines should
not be taken lightly. Medicines should be administered through the correct routes,
dosages, and frequencies because if not, they may end up causing more harm than
good. In my opinion, taking medications is acceptable but only to some degree.
People should first allow their immune systems to do their part before
supplementing them with proper medications.
The immune system is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that protect the body
from different kinds of infections. It has two subsystems. First is the innate immune
system which is the bodys first line of defense against pathogens. The second
subsystem is the adaptive immune system or the acquired immune system. It is
capable of creating an immunological memory of pathogens that were already
combatted by the body, so that the next time the body encounters the same
pathogen, the adaptive immune system will have developed a stronger response
against it. This is the part of the immune system that allows people to self-cure, and
it is the part of the immune system that the wrong intake of medications ends up
destroying.
For example, if a person takes the strongest antibiotic to treat a simple cold without
giving the immune system the opportunity to recognize the pathogen that caused
the infection, the next time the person gets infected by the same pathogen, the
body would not have the basic immune defenses to fight it. The person can no
longer depend on his or her innate disease-fighting capabilities, and from then on,
he or she would need to take strong antibiotics to get rid of the infection.
Guide Questions:
1. How do most people treat a slight cold? Why is this sometimes not
ideal?
2. What are the two subsystems of the immune system? How does each
one work?
3. What happens when people take medicine without giving the immune
system to recognize the pathogen?
4. Why do you think some people seem to have stronger immune
systems than others?
5. Should people completely stop taking antibiotics because of
superbugs? Why or why not?

Vocabulary:
Instantaneous - happening immediately, without any delay:
Innate - An innate quality or ability is one that you were born with, not one you have
learned:
Adaptive - possessing an ability to change to suit different conditions