Introduction and summary
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Response: What is your opinion?
I thought this story was cute when I first read it a few days in one of the newspapers I read every day. Other people clearly also liked it, becaue the same story appeared in a science magazine I read and a couple of other newspapers. I was pleased to see it in the BBC News because that meant I could choose it to summarize and respond to here. The video with the BBC News report shows that the rats can control their small vehicles very well, in fact, I'm not sure that I would be able to do so well.I was also surprised that driving relaxes the rats. A couple of my sisters and some of my friends in Australia say that driving relaxes them, but I always found it both extremely boring and very stressful. I was never a good driver, and gave up as soon as I finished high school. I haven't driven for about 40 years now, and have no desire to ever drive again. But I do enjoy being driven around, and when I visit my family in Australia ever year, my sisters often drive me around the local roads of our home area for hours just looking to see what has changed and what is still the same. It would drive me insane, but they obviously do enjoy it. And I like being a passenger, so we're all happy.
I was also surprised that rats could learn to drive. It seems fairly difficult, at least for me, and although the rats don't have to compete on the roads of Bangkok, the video supports the reported results that they really did learn to drive their cute vehicles pretty well – stopping, starting, turning, reversing and all those things that I found very stressful.
I wonder what rats will learn to do next?
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In this example of a summary and response, my summary paragraph (one paragraph only) is 116 words, which is within the limit of not more than 120 words.
ReplyDeleteMy response, which are several ideas that came into my mind, roughly in the order I've written them down, is 308 words, which is safely over the minimum of 200 words.
And there is one question that I hope is interesting for you to respond to in a comment. But we're very flexible about comments — if something else interests you more either in my summary or in my response, you are welcome to write about that and ignore my question.
Your turn!
The image is from the BBC News page. I saved it to my computer and then added it later. I think that the best size for images is small and positioned either left or right.
DeleteBut feel welcome to play around and try things out. If it gets messed up, you can always undo before you save.
Don't get stressed. Learn from the rats and have fun.
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ReplyDeleteFrom my experience, driving itself doesn't make me feel stress, but the bad traffic and a driver with a bad habit of driving always give me a headache. I can remember myself feeling upset when I was stuck in a bad traffic jam longer than an hour, unable to arrive at my destination on time. On the other hand, when most of people were away from Bangkok and left the roads empty, I did enjoy driving.
ReplyDeleteSo when I saw the video of the rat driving, I felt related. Because no roadblock made the driving went smoothly, the rat also got food as a reward, reminded me of feeling good when I drove back home smoothly, had dinner and spent time efficiently afterward.
Aom makes good points. My family live in the country and when my sisters drive me around the country roads, there are almost no other drivers. And of course, the mice didn't have to compete in Bangkok's traffic jams.
DeleteFor my case, I too feel stressful when i drive but that is the result of traffic jam which always happens in Bangkok. Unfortunately, even though I not feel like driving and struck for a long time, driving is still the shortest way or you could say easiest way for me to get myself to Thammasat University every week.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, talking about the rats. It really surprised me so much as I don't really think that a rat could drive a car. I think that with this capability the scientists might try it on the boat next.
In Bangkok, my preferred mode of transport is walking. I chose my home so that I could walk to most places I go, especially my work. It takes me about ten minutes to walk from my front door to AUA. In fact, I like traffic jams because when the traffic is jammed, I can cross the roads more safely. This is especially so for Rama IV in front of Chamchuri. If the traffic is moving, it sometimes takes me a minute or more to cross, but when it's jammed, I can just walk through the cars.
DeleteAfter walking, I like the BTS and MRT to get around, and if I need to go anywhere that they can't take me, I get a taxi.
I like the suggestion to teach the rats to control boats. That sounds like another cute video with a useful scientific reason.
Actually, I haven't driven before, but I think whether driving is stressful or relaxing is upon where are you driving. If you drive in Bangkok, which always has a traffic jam, you will get stress easily. However, I think it will be relaxing if you drive out of town where is no traffic jam. I like it when my father drives me to the places I have never been to, It makes me feel very excited.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that rats could drive. I think they would be so excited for their first time driving. From the chemicals measurement in rats' shit, i wonder what exactly can reduce their stress level, driving or the food they got.
The comments clearly show that the traffic is an important factor in how people feel about driving. And Miw's comment reminds me of when I first learned to drive at age 16. It was exciting getting out on a road the first time, but unfortunately the excitement did not last for me. It quickly became very boring driving on country roads if I was alone in the car, and when I was in town worrying other drivers, it was stressful. But I do enjoy it now when I'm back in Australia being driven around the roads of my childhood.
DeleteFor me,driving doesn’t make me feel stress because i like to drive even though the traffic was very bad but just only ambulances in traffic jam make me feel stress because I have to move my car for ambulances can pass through my car that was very hard and stressful. The best thing for driving is when I drive to countryside while open the window driving slowly and feel the sun and wind smell the nature make me forget some bad things in my life.
ReplyDeleteBy the way about the cute rat driving I couldn’t believe that rat can drive that so amazing maybe if they have a chance to drive on the rode they can do it better than me and if it comes true don’t for get to make rat’s license
I feel sorry for the people who need one of the ambulances stuck in Bangkok's traffic. They should get priority over everyone else, but sometimes the traffic is so bad that it's hard for the other cars to clear a way for the emergency vehicles. I wonder how many people are killed by the traffic that stops ambulances moving fast enough to save them.
DeleteI amazed that driving can make some people relax. For me, it is often stressful when I have to drive. As a result of dangerous traffic in Thailand, we have to be very careful in every moment especially at the U-turn point. I had a car accident before, it happened when I was on a trip with my friend. At the U-turn point, I was to the side of the road but not close enough to prevent the motorcycle from squeezing. The motorbike was trying to get in with speeding, however it crashed my car. Although nobody got injured, I was very shocked. After that, I gave it up and never drive again.
ReplyDelete*** I was close to the side of the road
DeleteTHe motorcyclists are very dangerous in Bangkok. Oneday I was getting out of a taxi that had just stopped, and as I opened the door, a motorcycle rider hit it trying to go between the taxi and the footpath. He could easily have hit my arm, which probably would have broken it. And then he thought I shouuld pay him for the damage to his bike!
DeleteFortunately, I was visiting a friend who is a lawyer. He saw what had happened from his office and came out to help me. The reckless bike rider got nothing, and I suspect the taxi driver made him pay for the damage to his car.
I don’t have my license yet but I find being the passenger stressful. I find it stressful because in Bangkok we have very bad traffic and most of the people on the road do not follow the rules. Accidents often happen when driving so you have to be more careful of other cars, motorbikes and people who cross the road. Thailand is full of drivers who do not even have their license yet.
ReplyDeleteAt least in Australia, everyone who drives on the roads has a license. Because I grew up on a farm, I often drove vehicles and rode motorbikes from a much younger age around our farm, but never on the road, although my parents did let my brothers and sisters and I ride our push bikes on the roads around our home.
DeleteI got my driver's licence when I was 16 years and nine months, which is what most people do in Australia, but I haven't had a licence or driven anything for many years now, and I have no plans to ever drive again. Public transport is good enough, although it means you have to plan a little more. I have no problems not having a car or not driving.