Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.Video cassette recorders ( VCRs) give more choice in television programs. Many viewers tape shows to watch later. For example, people who work during the day record daytime news programs, talk shows, movies and soap operas. Parents make collections of children's shows to give their children rainy day entertainment. Sometimes a family goes out for the evening. However, their VCRs keep them from missing their favorite prime time shows. With VCRs, people can fully enjoy the convenience they bring and will not miss their favorite television program.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.Cooking in a microwave oven has simplified by hectic life. Instead of having to wait the interminable ten minutes for my morning coffee, I can place my cup in the micro and have hot coffee in seconds. I no longer have to decide in the foggy morning what ingredients must be defrosted for the evening meal. I can now come home at 5 p.m., decide what I feel like eating, and have it defrosted in a master of minutes. The shortened cooking time means I can have full course meals that once took me hours to cook. The microwave also makes clean-up much easier because the dish I cook in is the dish I eat in. Since I have a microwave oven, it saves me a lot of time and gives me much help.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.Jack shouldn’t have taken the gymnastics course. In September, he fell off the uneven bars and got a concussion. A month later he sprained his ankle, after a bad landing off the balance beam. In January, he broke his thumb when he caught it on the bar of the pommel horse. He also broke the support beam in the basement of his parent's home,showing them his skills when he was home for the December holidays. His academic luck was no better than his physical luck: he failed the mid-semester exam in November and the final exam in January in his gymnastics course. The result of his bad luck was that he failed to graduate in May, due to the lack of two hours of physical education credit.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.Alternative energy sources are becoming increasingly attractive as the energy crisis becomes more severe. Solar heating systems, which use the sun's radiation as a source of energy, are a promising alternative energy source. Nuclear power plants are already in operation in several parts of the country. Government and private industry are even investing the possibility of capturing the power of ocean waves and tides for conversion into usable energy. Coal is once again becoming an acceptable fuel as the nation searches for solutions to the energy shortage. Even garbage is seen as a potential source of energy. In some communities , garbage is burned to heat buildings and light city streets. In short, all these sources of energy will become available in daily life in the future.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.Claudia is destined to be an excellent long distance runner. First, there are her physical attributes. She is long-legged and has a tremendous stride. She also has great natural endurance and an at-rest heart rate of sixty beats per minute. Next comes her mental toughness. She is a tremendous competitor who will extend herself to exhaustion to win a race. She has the strength to block out pain and concentrate on her race during those last few hundred yards where most runners tend to wilt.Finally, Claudia surpasses most athletes in dedication. She runs five to ten miles a day in morning and evening sessions at least five days a week. She maintains this schedule ten months out of the year, and while most high school athletes sit out the summer , Claudia trains and competes in AAU competit1on. If she can maintain this dedication for another two years, she has an outside chance of being invited to the Olympic trials.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.All plans should be in writing and someone should be responsible for central coordination. Hence, risks are lessened and opportunities to save money may arise. Coca-Cola, for instance, requires that all overseas marketing plans be submitted to examine the concepts. Previous experiences with similar plans can be reviewed and necessary changes can be suggested. Sometimes central company managers find that similar plans or overseas ventures have failed in the past. Minor improvements tried overseas with success should also be reported. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Coordination not only reduces the chance of errors, it also provides opportunities to learn improved methods.

Read the following paragraph and underline the topic sentences.There are eight persons in my dormitory, and we are all good friends. Since we live in the same dormitory for four years , we know each other better than other students. Although we come from different places and our personality is quite different , we are familiar with each other quickly. We often do something together, such as studying, playing, shopping and watching films. When we meet difficulties, we help each other. When we have something happy, we share it together. Of course , sometimes we have also quarreling and misunderstanding, but we quickly forget it and became good friends again. I believe this kind of friendship will never be forgotten.

Write a note of invitation according to the situation described. Your daughter won the second place in the National Games for swimming. You want to invite your friend to come to your house for a celebration. Make sure to include at least the following points: purpose, time, date, place. (70 - 100 words)

Write a note to a foreign friend thanking for a gift.

Write a message to Jack to tell him something urgent.