Write a story about someone who needed help.

Begin your story with: ‘I could tell by her face that she was very distressed.’

Someone Who Needed Help

I could tell by her face that she was very distressed. ‘Mrs Lim, is something wrong?’ I asked as I
glanced at the wall clock. It was almost 1 a.m. Mrs Lim was one of my neighbours who lived down
the street with her old, ________________ husband. My instincts told me that Mrs Lim needed
help.

‘It’s my husband. I think he’s having a heart attack. Can you help me?’ she blurted out, in
between sobs. _____________________________, I changed my clothes and then followed Mrs
Lim to her house. The whole house was a little_____________. As this was my first visit to Lim’s
residence, I had a quick glance around the living room. There were wall panels covered with
watercolour landscapes, engravings and cross-stitch pieces. In the centre of the room was Mr
Lim, _______________ in an armchair. He appeared to be gasping for breath. With Mrs Lim’s
help, I managed to carry him to the porch, where their car was parked. When we finally managed
to get him inside the car, I drove to the hospital.

We rushed him to the emergency and casualty ward. The doctor on duty informed us that
Mr Lim had suffered a mild stroke. Mr Lim was admitted to the intensive care unit. Mrs Lim and
I kept an all-night vigil. It was then that Mrs Lim asked me to contact her son and convey the
news. I never knew that Mr and Mrs Lim had children. All this while, I thought that the Lims had
no children. I could not recall a time when they ever mentioned a son. I tried to contact the son
at the given address, but I was told that he had moved to another town with his wife and children.
I could see the pain in Mrs Lim’s face as I told her news.

As I was driving home, I told myself that I would call my own parents. I had not contacted
them for almost a month and my conscience haunted me. They had looked after me for a good
part of their lives. I was sobbing terribly all the way home, ashamed of my neglect.

Mr Lim was discharged after ten days. He made a speedy recovery. Apart from his slurred
speech, he appeared _____________________ a month after the incident.

The incident has help me to ______________________________. It has also made me

realise that when we __________________________ to those who need our assistance, the
world will be a better place to live in.
How can we fight crime?

How to fight crime

Hardly a day passes without reports in the media about crimes being committed in various
parts of the country. Burglary, rape, murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, snatch theft,
_____________ _____________ ------ these crimes have been making headlines for many years.
Crime prevention strategies have not been effective. Many people believe that the lack of public
coorperation, inadequate manpower, delay in _________________ and failure to report crime are
the greatest setbacks in the fight against crime.

Today, high crime rate are not just confined to cities, but also occur in commercial areas,
such as malls and supermarkets, and in _______________ residential areas. Authorities should
identify crime hotspots and _______________ security in these crime-prone areas by deploying
more officers ______________. Setting up an auxiliary police force will help to solve manpower
shortage. In fact, the ______________ between the police force, auxiliary police, RELA and other
security units will go a long way towards reducing crime. In addition, police should use crime
fighting technology such as public surveillance cameras to track down criminals. Once criminals
are caught, prosecuting them must be top priority because cases that drag on will have little effect
on deterring wannabe criminals. Only swift and appropriate punishment will serve as an effective
_______________.

Lack of public coorperation has made criminals more ______________ in committing

crimes. The public can help to reduce crime in several ways. They can join neighbourhood watch
programmes and be the eyes and ears of the police. Criminals generally avoid areas where
neighbours keep an eye on each other and report suspicious activities. Reporting crimes will enable
the police to track criminals swiftly and _________________ them.

The media has a pertinent role to play in addressing the issue. The media can not alert the
public on the latest crime trends but also __________________ information and give safety tips
and advice on how to prevent and respond to a crime, and what to do in an emergency. In addition,
public alerts on the ________________________ of criminals and information about hotlines and
crisis centres can be made known to the public via mainstream and social media.

Contrary to what many people think, crime prevention is not the responsibility of the police
only. It is everyone’s business. The active participation of police, the media, the community and
all segments of society is crucial in _________________________________.