A Letter to My Friend

Your best friend, Peter, who is studying in the United States, has written to you about his love for extreme sports such as bungee jumping, paragliding, and parachuting. You are concerned about this. Write a reply of about 250 words, explaining your concern and suggesting another activity to him.

 

Dear Peter,

       Thank you for your letter. It has been some time since you wrote and I am of course interested in how you are getting on in the United States. Everything seems fine, but I am concerned about your new interest in extreme sports. In particular you are into paragliding, which is not known for being a safe sport. I just googled and just last year, more than 500 people got injured or even died when paragliding in the United States. I know you love excitement and the feeling of being free, and no doubt the sport fits the bill for you. That said, you cannot ignore the risks associated with this sport. What if something terrible happens to you and even if you do not die a tragic death, an accident will mean a serious disruption to your studies, which I know you take very seriously as you wish to become a doctor and return to Taiwan to practice medicine.

       If you still wish to have some excitement and freedom so to speak, perhaps you can consider water skiing. This sport can be as exciting as paragliding, as it is a high-speed surface water sport where you are towed at great speeds behind a powerboat. You can challenge yourself by doing tricks and turns as well. You are less likely to hurt yourself provided that you take the necessary safety precautions such as wearing a life jacket, and it is not a question of falling from a high height as in the case of paragliding. I do hope you will seriously consider this alternative.

Yours sincerely,

Ken