Fill in the blanks with the correct verb. Reuse some words more than once.

are / do / have / is

Vandalism the willful and deliberate destruction of public property by anti-social and irresponsible citizens. It can be of various forms. It not uncommon to see that the walls of buildings defaced with scratches or ugly marks. Another target of vandalism the bus shelter. Scratches on the newly painted seats or even broken seats at these shelters hardly escape the attention of those who wait there for the bus. If we travel by bus, we will find that seats often ripped open, and the foam pulled out or vulgar writing on the back of seats.

What causes this kind of behaviour? The reasons many. Some youths show hatred for society and its values. Out of frustrations in life, these irresponsible citizens tempted to these undesirable acts of vandalism. They not a sense of belonging or loyalty towards their society or nation. In some cases, it could be for drawing attention to themselves or just a desire to see their names written in prominent places.

Vandalism not exclusive in our society in Singapore. It could be a social ill in other countries too. Although there strict laws to prevent vandalism in every country, it impossible to enforce the laws strictly. One way to eradicate or reduce the rate of vandalism to instill civic sense into the citizens, besides the introduction of compulsory education up to the age of sixteen. Vandalism can be curbed to some extent if the government law imposes a severe penalty on those caught in the act. But the permanent solution inculcating the right values, including respect for public property in all the young citizens. If people start regarding that public property as their property, they will not want to spoil it. Schools can provide a healthy atmosphere for children to form healthy attitudes. This would make them realise the values of discipline in life.

We all should realize that we deprive our children of their heritage if we deface beautiful things and damage public property.

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