Our images of heroes provide an inventory, if you will, of heroic characteristics. And while some of these characteristics may be basic to all heroism, others may be distinctly related to whether the hero is a woman or a man. A useful definition of heroism must include both types.

 

The author used hero or heroism in every sentence to introduce and emphasize her topic and ideas. It can help readers follow the organization easily.

 

2. Abstract as it may be, globalization can be said to encompass certain elements.

In the economic sphere, globalization refers to the recent decades’ unprecedented flow of capital and commerce across national borders, leading to the hegemony gained by international financial markets and multinational corporations, abetted by transnational agencies and organizations such as the WEF, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

 

On a cultural level, globalization refers to the spread of what has been pejoratively termed “McWorld”—shorthand for the Western-oriented (many say American) global mono-culture that is burying countless regional and even national cultural expressions in an avalanche of MTV, Disney, Michael Jordan endorsements, and, of course, McDonald’s-style fast food.

 

On an individual level, globalization is about the promotion of consumer values that feed on the perception that happiness is rooted in material progress, that choice equals the highest freedom, and that being well connected is more important than being deeply connected.

 

The first sentence is a topic sentence to tell readers that globalization is the topic of this article. In the following paragraphs, Rifkin respectively described globalization in three spheres.

 

3. New forms of media have always caused moral panics: the printing press, newspapers, paperbacks and television were all once denounced as threats to their consumers’ brainpower and moral fiber. 

 

So too with electronic technologies. PowerPoint, we’re told, is reducing discourse to bullet points. Search engines lower our intelligence, encouraging us to skim on the surface of knowledge rather than dive to its depths. Twitter is shrinking our attention spans.

 

But such panics often fail basic reality checks. When comic books were accused of  turning juveniles into delinquents in the 1950s, crime was falling to record lows, just as the denunciations of video games in the 1990s coincided with the great American crime decline. The decades of television, transistor radios and rock videos were also decades in which I.Q. scores rose continuously. 

 

For a reality check today, take the state of science, which demands high levels of brainwork and is measured by clear benchmarks of discovery. These days scientists are never far from their e-mail, rarely touch paper and cannot lecture without PowerPoint. If electronic media were hazardous to intelligence, the quality of science would be plummeting. Yet discoveries are multiplying like fruit flies, and progress is dizzying. Other activities in the life of the mind, like philosophy, history and cultural criticism, are likewise flourishing, as anyone who has lost a morning of work to the Web site Arts & Letters Daily can attest.

 

Like many of my generation, I have (present) a weakness for hero worship. At some point, however, we all begin (present) to question our heroes and our need for them. This leads (present) us to ask: What is (present) a hero?

 

Despite immense differences in cultures, heroes around the world generally share (present) a number of traits that instruct (present) and inspire (present) people.

 

Tollefson used past tense in the first paragraph because what specific events he described were happened in the past.

 

He switched from past to present tense started from the last sentence of the first paragraph. He got started to present a general opinion in our lives.

 

The second and third paragraphs only present some general information and facts.

 

2. Moreover, restaurant chains not only affect (present) eating habits, but they also influence (present) the traditions and mores in countries where they are (present) located. Starbucks causes (present) cultural concerns in Italy because of the association that Italians make (present) between coffee and leisurely sidewalk cafes. Coffee in Italy is (present) more than a drink; it is (present) part of the way of life and Italian mores. While in the United States it is (present) common for people to buy (present) takeaway coffee for drinking in the street or office, in Italy people usually prefer (present) to relax and chat with peers while drinking coffee. Coffee shops offer (present) a personal, friendly atmosphere that many Italians believe (present) a large chain could not provide (subjunctive mood). Similarly, many people would prefer (subjunctive mood) to frequent coffee shops that are (present) each unique, while Starbucks offers (present) a standard formula.

 

Another example can be seen with the introduction of the McDonald’s restaurant in China. In the past, it was not considered proper for Chinese children to buy food with their own money, as they were expected to eat what was put in front of them. Because of McDonald’s marketing to children, however, kids developed an interest in choosing their own food when going to McDonald’s.

 

Present tense is primarily used because the author mainly presents some general information and facts.

 

Yes, he provides a clear signal – in the past. He got started to describe a specific example happened in the past in China.

 

3. Technology represents (present) man’s attempt to make life easier. Technological advances improve (present) people’s standard of living, increase (present) leisure time, help (present) eliminate poverty, and lead (present) to a greater variety of products. Progress allows (present) people more time to spend on higher-level concerns such as character development, love, religion, and the perfection of one’s soul. 

 

If people resisted (subjunctive mood) technological change, they would be (subjunctive mood) expressing their satisfaction with existing levels of disease, hunger, and privation. In addition, without experimentation and change, human existence would be (subjunctive mood) boring; human fulfillment is (present) dependent on novelty, surprise, and creativity. 

 

An innovative idea from one man not only contributes (present) to the progress of others, but also creates (present) conditions permitting people to advance even further. Ideas interact (present) in unexpected ways, and innovations are (present) frequently used in unforeseen applications. Technological progress involves (presents) a series of stages consisting of experimentation, competition, errors, and feedback.

 

Present tense is primarily used because the author mainly presents some general information and facts.

 

Yes, the verb tense shifts to subjunctive mood because it is only a hypothesis.