169 ielts essay samples, Slides of Communication

Download 169 ielts essay samples and more Slides Communication in PDF only on Docsity! — a4 a6 SS Kerns | Me AMM Mi AM i eg De a eo dd eee 44 www.onlineBooky.com and why. Students with such a perspective are usually the most effective and motivated ones and faking @ year Off may be the best way to gain this. (291 words) 3. Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students. Others believe that i@MERSUUGeaEan Should be available only to Gag Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why. People learn through their entire lives. They constantly improve their knowledge and develop. | think that a college or university education should be available to all students because every person has the right to choose the way to Selfperfection. Bellow | will give some of my reasons to support my position. First of all, every person should have the chance to get a higher degree, gain new knowledge and experience. However, some people believe that higher education should be available only to good students. | think it is silly. It is like to make unavailable traveling for one who does not have IQ high enough. Second of all, some young people do not do well at school but they have great personality and ability to learn. They are self-confident, persistent and patient. With these qualities they can get higher grades then their classmates who are talented but lazy. Imagine for example situation when a teenager gets high grades because his or her parents constantly make him or her study and help to do most of the homework. In this case a child does very well at school but | think a college can show the opposite results. Finally, it is a discrimination against students to make available higher education only for good ones. So, if a student does poor and gets low grades he/she should be sent down. But if a person was never given a chance to try himself/herself at college, what to do in this case? To sum up, | think that all young people should have the chance to get a higher education. To take or not this chance must be up to them. (277 words) 4. Some people believe that the best way of [BaEMINGNEBOUEMES is by listening to the . Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through . Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference. From my everyday experience and observation | can stand that the best way of learning about life is However, some people think that it is wiser to learn about life through listening to the advice of family and friends. It does not mean | totally disagree with this way of learning. Moreover, | think that it is wise for a person to take an intermediate position because each of these ways has its own advantages. Bellow | will give my reasons to support my point of view. From the one side, learning through one's personal experience brings many benefits. First of all, scientists say that personal experience has greater impact ona person | have to agree with this. Take for example children. They will not believe their parents that something can hurt them until they try it and make sure in it. Furthermore, most likely they will remember this experience longer. Second of all, people learn how to Analyze their , Make conclusions and next time try to avoid them. So, | think it is a great experience that makes people stronger, more Sélfconfident and persistent. They gain more knowledge and experience that will be very helpful and valuable in the future. From the other side, listening to the advice of family and friends brings many benefits too. Parents with great patience pass down their knowledge and experience to their children. They teach them all they know and they want their children do not make the same mistakes. In addition to those practical benefits, learning from someone's advice is painless. For example, parents nowadays very often talk to their children about drugs. | think it is a great example when one should not try drugs in order to gain new experience. | think it is a case when children must trust their parents. To sum up, | think it is wise to combine both of these ways to learn and try to analyze personal mistakes as well as not personal. | think together they can greatly simplify one's life and make the way to success shorter. (350 words) 5. With the pressures on today’s young people to succeed academically, some people believe that at school (eg: physical education and cookery) should be from the syllabus so that children can BRGSnERaES on academic subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What young people should study at school has long been the subject of intense debate and this is a question that certainly does not have one correct answer. We need to provide young people the best possible chance of doing well at school. In traditional curriculum there is & Wide Vatiety Of Subjects with a mix of academic and non- academic subjects. In this way a young person is formed with a rounded education. Non- academic subjects would include sports, cooking, woodwork and metalwork. | believe this is the best form of education. A young person should learn things other than academic subjects. Sport is particularly important. Young people have to learn to love sport so that they can be fit and healthy later in life. If not we will be raising an obese and unfit generation. | totally understand the point of view that education is so important that students must be pushed as hard as possible to achieve their best. It sounds a good idea to only expose the students to academic subjects as then they can spend all of their school hours on studying areas that will get them into university and good jobs later in life. | just feel a more rounded education would produce a better individual. We must remember too that a lot of people, maybe even most people, aren't academically minded and would benefit more from a more Voeationally based education. Forcing academic studies onto them would lead to failure and the student leaving school too early. Therefore | agree that although a wholly academic curriculum would suit and benefit some young people, | believe that for most students non-academic subjects are important inclusions still in today's syllabuses. High school students face many decisions as they prepare to graduate, including what they are going to do after graduation. Some high school students go directly to college or university after graduation. Others prefer to travel or work for some time before going to university. For those who choose to go college or university after graduation, there are advantages and disadvantages. One of the big advantages of going directly from high school to college is that you are still in the habit of studying. By going to college after graduation, you do not lose the study skills that you developed during high school. The big disadvantages, however, is that you may not be ready for college. You may not know exactly what you want to study, or you may be more interested in freedom and parties than in your courses. At that age, it is often difficult for students to take on the responsibilities of college. There are also advantages and disadvantages to working or traveling befor starting college. Working or traveling allows you a better idea of what you want to do with your life. You gain practical experience that helps you define what you want to study. You also are well prepared for the responsibilities of college or university studies. On the other hand, by the time you start college, you will probably have obligations, like a job or spouse, which keep you from focusing on studies. In addition, travelling or working before college may cause you to spend enough time out of school that you forget how to study. The desicion of what to do after hich school graduation can be a difficult one. Deciding whether to go straight into college or university or take time to work or travel is something that faces every high school student. After thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of both options, the decision should be based on what is best for you. 8. The student who study from the school to university get benefit less and contribute less too, than those of student who go to travel or job and get skills and experience before going high. Do you agree or disagree? Nowadays, in our competitive world, to succeed, knowledge from school and university is not enough. Therefore, the student who study from the school to university get benefit less and contribute less too, than those of student who go to travel or job and get experience and skills before going high. There are two following reasons to prove for my opinion. | call the group of people who study from school to university is group A and the other group is group B. Firstly, at school and university, what group A gain is almost theory, theory and theory. Of course, theory is very neccessary, however, you can’t do everything with theory. You must have praticeable experience. This is what group A lack very much. Although in the third of forth year at university, group A can be apprentices in some companies, to help them approach their future jobs, they aren't trained well because of short time. And the teal job is still very strange with them. After graduating, without experience, group A can't accomplish their work perfectly. On the other hand, it take them time and money to keep up with other experienced ones and may be scorned. Therefore, group A can contribute less than group B who have the most two important things: skills and experience. Secondly, as group A is contribute less, they surely get less benefit. Moreover, many companies which employ people in group A have to train them from the back-ground. These companies take this cost from group A's salary to get rid of the fact that their employees may leave after being trained to other companies. So, less benefit is unavoidable and certain, Whereas group B are more loyal and effective workers. They also have useful experience and skills. Besides, their education is the same as or even higher than group A. As the result, group B get more benefit absolutely. In conclusion, | think student should go to travel or job before going high. Therefore, they can't only have basic knowledge but also skills and experience which are useful for them to get a good job and a brilliant future. This essay is too long (350 words instead of 250). To fight this problem, try to write more in general and provide fewer details. The language and ideas are good and so is the essay?s structure. Looks like Band 7 to me. 9. Disruptive school students have a negative influence on others. Students who are noisy and disobedient should be grouped together and taught separately. Do you agree or disagree? There is no doubt that some students in schools behave badly and their behaviour causes difficulty for others either because it has a negative effect on the group or because ordinary students find it difficult to study with them. One solution is to take these students away and teach them on their own. However, if we simply have them removed after one or two warnings, we are limiting their educational opportunities because it seems to me that a school which caters for difficult students is a sort of "prison" whatever name you give it and the people who go there may never recover from the experience. This can then cause problems for the wider society. Perhaps we need to look at why the disruptive students behave badly before we separate them. Disruptive students may be very intelligent and find the classes boring because the work is too easy. Perhaps these students need extra lessons rather than separate lessons. Or perhaps the teachers are uninspiring and this results in behavioural problems so we need better teachers. On the other hand, most students put up with this situation rather than cause trouble, and some people argue that we have to learn to suffer bad teachers and boring situations and that students who can't learn this lesson need to be taught separately. So before we condemn the students to a special school, we should look at factors such as the teaching, because once the children have been separated, it is very unlikely that they will be brought back. 10. Some people think that universities should not provide so much theoretical knowledge but give more practical training throughout their courses. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? In the past, a majority of academics have held the opinion that universities should only offer a theoretically-based approach to teaching throughout their courses, as opposed to the more recent trend towards empirical acquisition of knowledge involving more “hands on” experience. Is this the most effective way for students to learn vital academic information while undertaking their degrees? Undoubtedly, advantages and disadvantages of both academic learning styles have to be evaluated. Firstly, on the one hand, despite being the more traditional educational approach, learning from theory in relevant academic discourses to identify established knowledge allows us to gain a professional insight. For example, students can easily identify facts and opinions from past discourses. In addition, students acquire knowledge more easily when given relative theoretical examples to build upon. For instance, in subjects such as history or sociology, studying textbook examples allows students to unravel complex academic theories which they could expand on. Alternatively, there are some disadvantages for students. On the other hand, there is no doubt that students could find themselves reading tedious and monotonous academic papers. For instance, university degrees involving the evaluation of numerous ‘long-winded’ academic discourses provide little inspiration for students, discouraging enthusiasm. Obviously, interest can be stimulated through empirical research in class. By this | mean that ‘the human brain learns best by doing’. Although time-consuming, there is no substitute for learning from making mistakes. In conclusion, while both approaches have benefits and drawbacks in our ever-changing academic world, | honestly believe that a more practical approach promotes a stronger acquisition of academic knowledge. In spite of the comprehensive nature which theoretical teaching can possibly provide, practical learning equals more positive learning for future generations. (280 words) 11. People attend college or university for many defferent reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? People attend college for a lot of different reasons. | believe that the three most common reasons are to prepare for a career, to have new experiences, and to increase their knowledge of themselves and of the world around them. Career preparation is probably the primary reason that people attend college. These days, the job market is very competitive. Careers such as information technology will need many new workers in the near future. At college, students can learn new skills for these careers and increase their opportunities for the future. Students also go to college to have new experiences. For many, it is their first time away from home. At college, they can meet new people from many different places. They can see what life is like in a different city. They can learn to live on their own and take care of themselves without having their family always nearby. 10 learn from our own experiences, from childhood through adulthood, are the most important ones we learn. * People are learning and practicing through their entire life. | believe that life experience and practice are the basic reasons of the humankind's evolution. However, in my opinion, knowledge gained from books plays a very important role in the modern life. The most obviously important advantage of books is that they hold all knowledge gained by previous generations. People write books about their discoveries and inventions, which are gained through practice and experience. This knowledge is accumulated in books that are passed from generation to generation. So, basically, people get all knowledge about the previous achievements from books, analyze it and than, according to their experience and new data, write new books. In this case, books are the holders of humankind's experience. For example, at old times people thought that the Earth was flat. It was concluded from observations and studdying. However, the next generations, using the experience of their ancestors, proved that the Earth was round. Personally, | think that books are very important because they are able to give people the basic and fundamental knowledge. Books store history, the important events and discoveries. Without them it is difficult and sometimes impossible to move forward, make new discoveries and inventions. To summarize, | think a person should take basic knowledge from books because it will help him to make his own inventions, conclusions and discoveries. Only using both books and one’s experience one can move forward. (237 words) 14. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People should read only those books that are about real events, real people, and established facts. Use specific reasons and details to support your opinion. Some people think that fiction books have no use at all. They claim that people should read about real events that took place, real people, and established facts. | have to totally disagree with this statement. From my everyday experience and observation | can stand that fiction, miracles and fairy tails are required in our life. For several reasons, which | will mention below, | believe that fiction books play an essential role in our life. First of all, it is kind of difficult to imagine a six year old child reading about politics or history with the real facts that are not always pleasant. | think that children need miracles and Santa Claus because the real world is too complicated for them. They are too innocent and inexperienced to know the real facts and understand what a real life is about. In addition, | am sure that making a child read only non-fiction books can result in shock. Second of all, following this statement about refusing from reading books about fiction events we also should refuse from festivals, parades, and celebration such holidays as 13 Halloween because most of the characters there are fictional. Moreover, comic books will disappear as well as animated films and fiction movies. The disadvantage of non-fiction lies in the facts that nothing happens to excite the mind and spirit. From the other side, fiction provides a great slope for a mind to think creatively. In conclusion, | think that people need miracles. We can not be satisfied with only naked truth. Human kind must believe in something and this belief helps people break limits and make new inventions. (273 words) 15. Going overseas for university study is an exciting prospect for many people. But while it may offer some advantages, it is probably better to stay home because of the difficulties a student inevitably encounters living and studying in a different culture. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? There is no doubt that going to study in a foreign country, with its different language and culture, can be a frustrating and sometimes painful experience. But while overseas study has its drawbacks, the difficulties are far outweighed by the advantages. Indeed, people who go abroad for study open themselves up to experiences that those who stay at home will never have. The most obvious advantage to overseas university study is real-life use of a different language. While a person can study a foreign language in his or her own country, it cannot compare with constant use of the language in academic and everyday life. There is no better opportunity to improve second-language skills than living in the country in which it is spoken. Moreover, having used the language during one's studies offers a distinct advantage when one is applying for jobs back home that require the language. On a university campus, the foreign student is not alone in having come from far away. He or she will likely encounter many others from overseas and it is possible to make friends from all around the world. This is not only exciting on a social level, but could lead to important overseas contacts in later professional life. Finally, living and studying abroad offers one a new and different perspective of the world and, perhaps most important, of one's own country. Once beyond the initial shock of being in a new culture, the student slowly begins to get a meaningful understanding of the host society. On returning home, one inevitably sees one's own country in a new, often more appreciative, light. In conclusion, while any anxiety about going overseas for university study is certainly understandable, it is important to remember that the benefits offered by the experience make it well worthwhile. 16. Many students do not finish school. Why is this, and how can the problem be solved? School Drop-Outs: Problems and Solutions 14 Today, although most students in the UAE complete school, a large number still drop out because of family, social and work pressures. This problem requires serious action from both individuals and the government. Most students who do not complete school do so because of family problems. Girls, especially, want to get married and start a family. Some parents are not interested in education and do not support their children in studying. Social problems are also a contributing factor. Education is compulsory but, despite this, some people do not take it seriously. Furthermore, jobs are available even if students do not have a good education. The third reason is work pressure. Some families are poor and need their children to work in order to increase the income. All these problems will create young people who do not have any skills and who will not be able to improve their lives for the family and the country. There are several things that can be done about these problems. Parents should be encouraged to send their children to school. Schools with baby-minding facilities should be opened specially for married students. The government needs to stress the importance of education and even offer financial support to students to continue. This will encourage students to stay at school rather than start working. In conclusion, there are several things that the government can do to allow more people to finish school. However, a number of society attitudes also have to change if the country's young people are to achieve their full potential. 256 words 17. Does a university education lead to success in life? It is very difficult to answer the claim that a person needs a university education to be successful in life because success in life means different things to different people. This essay starts by defining three different ideas of success. Following this, it looks at which types of success are dependent on a university education. Success in life can be achieved in different ways. Many magazines and television programmes tell us that success means having a lot of money, having a fulfilling career, and being powerful. In contrast, most religious and spiritual organizations claim that success means finding spiritual happiness and being at peace with God and with yourself. Another idea of success focuses on relationships - being surrounded by people who love you and care about you, spending time with family and friends. A university education can help you achieve some types of success, but it makes little or no difference to whether or not you are successful in other areas of life. Undoubtedly, a university education is essential if you want to have a career in a profession such as law, engineering, teaching, or medicine. However, you do not need a university degree to become a wealthy and powerful movie star, sports star or businessperson. In fact, a university education does not generally enable you to achieve spiritual happiness, or to have successful relationships with family and friends. sin conclusion, there are many different types of success. A university education may help you to achieve professional success in some careers. However, it will not help you to achieve success in other areas of your life such as your spiritual life or your relationships. 15 My third reason is based on the saying “Man does not live by bread alone.” Schooldays devoted solely to instruction in down-to-earth practical matters would be dull indeed! Lessons in the best literature of the world, and the epoch-making scientific and geographical discoveries of the past enrich our lives and make us feel that we are part of the great family of mankind. All in all, the teaching of academic subjects in schools is entirely appropriate. It is my firmly held view that practical subjects have no place in the classroom. On the contrary, the curriculum should be more academic! 21. It has been said, “Not every thing that is learned is contained in books.” Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is more important? Why? “Experience is the best teacher” is an old cliché, but | agree with it. The most important, and sometimes the hardest, lessons we learn in life come from our participation in situations. You can’ learn everything from a book. Of course, learning from books in a formal educational setting is also valuable. It's in schools that we learn the information we need to function in our society. We learn how to speak and write and understand mathematical equations. This is all information that we need to live in our communities and earn a living. Nevertheless, | think that the most important lessons can't be taught; they have to be experienced. No one can teach us how to get along with others or how to have self- respect. As we grow from children into teenagers, no one can teach us how to deal with peer pressure. As we leave adolescence behind and enter adult life, no one can teach us how to fall in love and get married. This shouldn't stop us from looking for guidelines along the way. Teachers and parents are valuable sources of advice when we're young. As we enter into new stages in our lives, the advice we receive from them is very helpful because they have already bad similar experiences. But experiencing our own triumphs and disasters is really the only way to learn how to deal with life. (252 words) 18 THE ENVIRONMENT & NATURAL SOURCE 22. Nowadays environmental problems are too big to be managed by individual persons or individual countries. In other words, it is an international problem. To what extent do you agree or disagree? An essential problem of the 21st century is world pollution. Currently the environment is so much contaminated that urgent measures should be taken. The single individual cannot be blamed for the world pollution, however every person should take care of his or her habitat. In addition, it is vital that environmental issues should be treated internationally. Lately, many presentations, conferences and international summits are held regarding waste treatment, recycling, soil and water contamination. For sure joint efforts and consolidation can only help in the mutual war towards the environmental disaster, which is going on. For instance, governments should offer support to companies and organizations, involved in manufacturing, industry or agriculture in order to find environment friendly approaches. These could be special law regulations, recycling programs, helping courses in order to implement ISO certificates and many more. However, the influence of individuals over environment should not be ignored. If we do not confess that our planet is our home, we will never be able to take adequately care of it, We have to contribute every day to the preservation of nature and environment. For example, always remember to save energy by switching off lamps, computers and everything that we do not use. Our next obligation is to separate waste and throw bulk only in the designated areas. Driving vehicles can also be environment friendly. For example, we have to avoid accelerating the engines too rapidly or using the air condition in the country, where it will be better to save energy and simply open the windows. To sum up, environmental problems should be handled by local and international authorities also. Every single person should take care of environment and moreover we have to bring up our children to be conscious citizens of a clean and preserved planet. This is a very good essay, Band 7+ candidate. The structure of essay and sentences is correct as well as the spelling and punctuation. Good job! 23. Nowadays we are producing more and more rubbish. Why do you think this is happening? What can governments do to help reduce the amount of rubbish produced? | think it is true that in almost every country today each household and family produces a large amount of waste every week. Most of this rubbish comes from the packaging from the things we buy, such as processed food. But even if we buy fresh food without packaging, we still produce rubbish from the plastic bags used everywhere to carry shopping home. The reason why we have so much packaging is that we consume so much more ona 19 daily basis than families did in the past. Convenience is also very important in modern life, so we buy packaging or canned food that can be transported from long distances and stored untill we need it, first in the supermarket, and then at home. However, | think the amount of waste produce is also a result of our tendency to use something once and throw it away. We forget that even the cheapest plastic bag has used up valuable resources and energy to produce. We also forget that it is a source of pollution and difficult to dispose of. | think, therefore, that governments need to raise this awareness in the general public. Children can be educated about environmental issues at school, but adults need to take action. Governments can encourage such action by putting taxes on packaging, such as plastic bags, by providing recycling services and by thing households and shops that do not attempt to recycle their waste. With the political will, such measures could really reduce the amount of rubbish we produce. Certainly nobody wants to see our resources used up and our planet poisoned by waste. (270 words) 24. Scientists and the news media are presenting ever more evidence of climate change. Governmnets cannot be expected to solve this problem. It is the responsibility of individuals to change their lifestyle to prevent further damage. What are your views? Recently scientists worried about climate change have urged governments to introduce measures to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are seen as its main cause. Simoultaneouslty, politicians and environmentalists have urged individuals to make changes to their lifestyle. | shall argue that governments and individuals should take join responsibility for this problem. Firstly, industry accounts for a large proportion of the greenhouse gas emissions, and this can only be controlled by government action. Measures could be taken to discourage pollution, such as limiting or taxing the use of fossil fuels. Alternatively, subsidies could be offered to industries to clean up their production processes. If these ideas were adopted, | believe that businesses would regard pollution as a financial issue. Secondly, only discussion between governments can ensure that solutions are successful. The Kyoto agreement, for example, tried to reach global agreement on how to address the problem. Without such co-operating, it seems to me that efforts to reduce fuel consumption are unlikely to be effective. However, national and international policies will only secceed if individuals also change their lifestyle. For example, people could think more carefully about how they use energy in their homes. By using less electricity, installing energy-efficient light bulbs and electrical appliances, or investing in solar panels, individuals can make a real difference. In addition, | think individual attitudes to transport need to change. Instead of making short 20 less garbage. One good example of this is that tire companies develop new tires for cars which are not made of rubber but of new biodegradable material. As discussed above, individuals, business and the government can share the responsibility to reduce the amount of waste material and to save the earth. | hope that in the future our offspring will be better off with the well-preserved environment. (282 words) 23 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 28. With all the troubles in the world today, money spent on space exploration is a complete waste. The money could be better spent on other things. Nations after nations, everyday, every year, celebrate their achievements in space exploration . However, it is now time to question how meaningful these blasts are. This essay aims to explain why it is questionable. First, until all urgent and important matters in this globe have been solved, money bumped on space exploration is of no meaning. It is not a common sense at all to invest million dollars researching and producing foods for astronauts (for space exploration purpose), while everyday thousands of people are starving. Furthermore, the discovery of outer space only serves a minor group of people if the majority are even not well- educated. Those in rural areas or third-world nations do no even know how to prevent common threatening diseases like AIDS and lung cancer. Then, some may argue that the purpose of space exploration are to discover new lands, new energy resources or to deter potential threat to globe. Nevertheless, is it effective to do so while other alternatives are available? Lands on earth are no yet effectively used. New energy resources (e.g. solar and nuclear energy) have not yet been widely-used. Threats of plagues have not yet been deterred. All these ?not- yets? need money. That is why costly space discovery programs are a waste of money. In the nutshell, people should only invest in space exploration providing that () early- mentioned urgent and important matters have been solved. Also, purposes of space exploration campaign should be studied carefully and other alternatives should be considered before money is wasted. This is a very good essay, well done. 29. Some Say that the internet is making the world smaller by bringing people together. To what extent do to you agree that the internet is making it easier for people to communicate with one another. A global village, that is certainly what the world feels like nowadays. With the help of the world wide web, you can reach out and get to know people you might never meet in person. Articles can be coauthored, business deals can be finalized, degrees can be earned and at times even medical advice can be given?and all of this is just a click away. Electronic mail, instant messages, web cameras and microphones; all these gadgets and programs make the presence of the other the person more real. Who knows; with the help of visual reality you might even get a 3-D image of the speaker! | believe that the internet is one the best inventions of the last century, you can hardly get to miss anyone and nobody is really out of reach. You will get to keep the channels patent with your friends, and will be able to do your work from your bedroom in your pajamas! 24 However, the internet can also be a major source of harassment. Spammers and hackers can invade your privacy and get personal/confidential information, which otherwise they will never get access to. You are never out of anybody's reach, unless you make a conscious decision of not checking your email, there can be always more work waiting for you in your inbox and you might never have a moment for yourself. Worse, if you were a workaholic, you might never experience that stress-free vacation ever again in your life?simply, because you have your mobile workplace with you. As a romantic, | will always look forward to getting an occasional letter in the snail mail. A personal letter, where | can sense the mood of the writer by the slants in his/her handwriting and get to know hinVher better. But as a type A personality person, the internet gives me all what | dream of in communication?speed, reliability, and convenience of time and place. | can certainly tolerate its shortcomings any day, as long as it keeps me close to my loved ones. This is a great essay, at least band 7 and maybe even 8. It is longer than required (340 words instead of 250) which means that it took you more time to write and less time to check your work. 30. Internet when used as a source of information, has more drawbacks than advantages. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Some people believe that internet access creates problems. There are several possible reasons why it can happen. First, some data may be unverifiable. For example, everytime they search for a data, there would be lots of choices that would appear on the screen. They would not be sure if the data they are reading has accurate information. Some sources have even outdated informations. Second, some sites may be unreliable. For instance, people sign up on one site that sells goods using online purchases. The goods would be paid for by credit card but the purchaser would not receive anything. And finally, not everything is available through the net. When my friend had tried to research for some pictures of 18th century paintings, he did not find any results. Then he was told by his teacher that it would only be available in the library. Others believe that internet is very useful and these are the justifications. First, it is hard to get data, that is available in the net by other means. For example, if directory information could not give me the accurate address and contact number of the place | want to visit, | normally check that information from the Internet. In just one click, | would get all the details of that certain company. Second, research becomes more comprehensive. For instance, | do not have to buy lots of reading materials to complete my research. Most of the needed information can be found if | have Internet access. And finally, data is easily compared and contrasted. | remember, my cousin researched the study about overweight children a decade ago and at present. He was able to finish his research in just one day, as compared to week if he would not use the Internet. In conclusion, let me reiterate that the Internet plays a big role in our life, because it makes data retrieval and comparison easier. 25 The structure of urban life is also likely to be affected by telecommuting. We would expect to see fewer cars on the road during peak hours and, eventually, a smaller concentration of offiices in cities' central business districts. In short, people will have less reason to travel to city centres from outlying areas. As more people work and live in the same location, shops and cultural events will likely relocate themselves out of the city centre. In sum, telecommuting will serve not only to change the way we work but also the way we live. 34. Telecommuting: will it change the world? Telecommuting will have major effects in the worlds of work and family life. However, its biggest effect will be in the area of individual freedom, responsibility, and time management. Work and workplaces will alter dramatically. Offices may become smaller, as fewer desks are needed. There will be greater need for high-bandwidth connections to link the office and the home, and even homes to other homes, as other employees and supervisors also begin working at home. Hours spent commuting, traffic jams, and fights for parking should diminish, as workers make fewer journeys or work staggered hours. Family life will also change. Workers, both husbands and wives, can arrange their work around family commitments such as taking children to school, cooking, leisure activities, etc. However, households will also have to set aside areas for work - particularly if both spouses are telecommuting. However, although the ideas of more time at home and less time traveling are attractive, there are some drawbacks to telecommuting. People may feel unable to escape their work, and may even work longer or more unsocial hours. The quality of work may suffer because of the reduced face-to-face interaction with other employees. There may be delays if other workers are not immediately available. Telecommuters may feel isolated or unmotivated, or insecure about decisions. A major change will be in the way people think about work as a place or an institution. Instead, they will focus on the task or product. Workers may feel less loyal to a company and more inclined to change jobs or work part- time or on contract. In conclusion, the effects are difficult to predict because they depend on the extent to which telecommuting becomes popular. However, telecommuting could be the start of a major societal shift, possibly as big as the Industrial Revolution which created our present ideas of work. (305 words) 28 35. With the increasing popularity of computers and calculators, student literacy is decreasing dramatically. What are the positive and negative effects the progress of science and technology has brought about? It has been widely noted that, with the growing use of computers and calculators both in the classroom and in the home, the level of literacy and mathematical ability of students is dropping. This raises serious doubts about the value of the progress of science and technology. Here | will discuss the pros and cons of this question. First of all, advances in science and technology have certainly brought about many benefits for mankind. They have made our lives more comfortable and healthier. In addition, they have eased the burden of work for most people and provided them with more leisure opportunities, while at the same time increasing productivity dramatically. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that technology has some negative side-effects. As mentioned above, with computers which check spelling, grammar and calculation for them, students have little incentive to learn how to do these things for themselves. Also, the availability of TV programs and videos encourages an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle. Another aspect of this issue is that technology may be good or bad, depending on how we use it. For instance, dynamite may be used to make road construction easier, or it may be used to kill people. Again, nuclear reactors can supply huge amounts of cheap electricity, but if they are carelessly handled they can cause devastating pollution. We can conclude that the progress of science and technology has both positive and negative effects. What we must do is to make sure that the positive ones are encouraged and the negative ones are eliminated as far as possible. Among other things, this means that students are warned not to let computers and calculators do all their work for them. 29 THE MEDIA 36. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following as media for communicating information. State which you consider to be the most effective. * Comics , books , radio , television , film , theatre In our daily life, we always communicate information through the media, such as television, radio, film, These media have different advantages and disadvantages for us. Now, | am going to compare the advantages and disadvantages of books, television and film. Books bring us different knowledge. It bases on what Book we read. A famous Chinese traditional verse which described books is a treasure. We can find a golden house in there. Moreover, when we want to read it, we can find it easily, such as bookstore, library. We can also learn a lot of words from books. And it can improve our reading and writing skills. However, books always are not attractive for children or youngster. It is because books are quite boring. A lot of words and less pictures inside the books, compare to television, television has pictures and sound, we don't have to read a lot of words in television. But some artist in television programme or film, bring a bad image to us. Then some children or youngers will imitate their behaviour. Some film also bring a wrong message to us, For example, they are always smoking in films. It seems that smoking is good and smart. It caused many youngers imitate them smoking. In conclusion, bookds, television and film have many advantages and disadvantages. | cannot write all in here. And we have choose the media carefully. (231 words) 37. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. The invention of television is undoubtedly one of humankind's greatest inventions. It is a way of communication among people of one country and different countries and nations. People watch TV to find out about the latest news, weather, sports, etc. It is a great way to learn new and extend one's range of interests. Scientists say that children spend the same amount of hours in front of TV as they do in school. | think that this can be said about many grown people too. Also, television is a great means of eliminating stress and tension. One can relax and leave one's troubles behind lying on one's favorite sofa and watching a comedy. However, some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family. Personally, | do not agree with this statement. A couple centuries ago people spent their time gambling, reading, gossiping or playing chess. | do not think that television is a 30 39. Many people believe that television programs are of no value for children. Do you agree? Why or why not? Provide reasons and examples to support your response. Televisual media has become a pervasive force in the lives of families around the world today. Yet, a central question remains regarding whether watching television is harmful or beneficial for children. An analysis of this question reveals that television programs present three major concerns in the case of children, including depictions of violence, the use of profane language, and the representation of poor moral role models. Television programs that portray violence are a paramount concern for parents nowadays. Recent research has shown that children may commit acts of violence because they wish to emulate the behavior that they see on television. This is especially true when violent acts are committed by well-known action “heroes.” In addition, television programs show cartoon figures, as well as actors, committing violent acts. Using comic situations to depict violent themes causes further problems with the way in which young people view violence. Television programs that contain profane or disrespectful language also worry parents with young children. Because censorship laws have relaxed over the past few decades, it has become very common for television programs of each and every kind to show characters expressing impolite, rude, and insulting utterances to one another. Bearing resemblance to the case of portrayals of violence, children unfortunately often try to imitate these actions they watch on their television screens. Finally, some parents are upset about the moral behavior depicted on television. As they struggle to teach their children moral and ethical values, parents might despair about the lack of morals and ethics represented in some of the so-called role models on television. For instance, certain characters not only have no remorse for their immoral actions, but also frequently go unpunished by larger society. Because of these factors, many parents believe that television programs send their youth the wrong kinds of messages. The emulation of this poor behavior by their children is something they wish to avoid at all costs, and they have accordingly decided to ban television in their households for these reasons. 40. Television has had a significant influence on the culture of many societies. To what extent would you say that television has positively or negatively affected the cultural development of your society? It has been around forty years since television was first introduced into Australian households and people today still have mixed views on whether it has a positive ora negative influence on the society. Many people believe that television damages culture. It promotes the stronger cultures of countries such as Britain and North America and weakens the cultures of less wealthy countries. This is because the stronger, wealthier countries are able to assert their own culture by producing more programs that are shown widely around the world. These programs then influence people, particularly young people, in the countries where they are shown. 33 Also, because television networks need to attract large audiences to secure their financial survival, they must produce programs which are interesting to a broad range of people. In Australia this range is very broad because we are a multicultural society and people of all ages like to watch television. To interest all these different people, most television programs are short in length, full of action and excitement, do not require much intelligence or knowledge to understand, and follow universal themes common to all cultures, such as love and crime. Television programs which concentrate on or develop themes pertinent to one particular culture are not so successful because they interest a smaller audience. Nevertheless we much acknowledge that television does have some positive effects on the cultures within a society as well. People who do not live within their own culture can, in a limited way, access it through the multicultural station on the television. For example, Aboriginal children who have grown up in white families, or migrants and international students living in Australia, can watch programs from their own culture on the television. In conclusion, | hold the view that television promotes and strengthens those cultures that are wealthy and influential while it weakens the cultures that are already in a weakened position. 41. The mass media, including television, radio and newspapers, have great influence in shaping people's ideas. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? The mass media have a powerful influence in shaping our lives. We have come to depend on them for information and entertainment, and in doing so we let them affect important aspects of our lives. The undeniable usefulness of the media in almost instantly providing information about events around the world is largely taken for granted. But in our dependence on the media we have allowed them to mould our notions and opinions of events, places and people. Though few of us probably think about it, our conceptions of, say, our elected officials spring from television images and newspaper stories. Most of us will never meet prime ministers or presidents, but anyone who is regularly exposed to the media will have an opinion of them. When it is time to cast our vote, we will make our decision based on how the media portray the candidates. We are similarly swayed by coverage of wars. The media, representing the values of their owners, societies and governments, tend to report wars with a bias; which is the 'good' side and which the 'bad' is determined for us by reporters, editors and commentators, and sure enough the public begins to form opinions that reflect the coverage they see, hear and read in the major media. The media are also influential in the way they facilitate the spread of culture and lifestyle. The so-called 'global youth culture’, in which one finds young people around the world displaying a common interest in music, clothing styles and films, is an example of the media's enormous sway in this regard. A popular figure such as Michael Jackson would never be so well known were it not for the media's extensive reach into every society on the globe. Thus | would argue that the mass media's influence is certainly great. Indeed, with technological advancements such as the Internet bringing even more forms of electronic 34 media to our homes and workplaces, it is likely the media's influence will grow even stronger. 35 (239 words) 45. Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives. Which viewpoint do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. | think that everyone can divide all advertising products and services into useless ones and useful ones. It is like looking through an information desk when you pay attention to those messages that interest you. Take me for example. | do not like jewelry. It does not mean | do not have it at all, | have a couple of inexpensive tings as gifts from my parents. | just think, people pay too much attention to this stuff. | believe it is the result of mass advertising. Every day when | am watching TV, listening to the radio or reading the paper | notice many ads about getting an expensive ring, chain, necklace or ear-rings. From my point of view these kinds of advertising contaminate people's minds. In this case you are encouraged to buy things you do not really need. They make you believe you need such products in order to succeed or be happy. From the other side, | think that advertisements of the new detergents with up-to-date formulas to help you maintain your cloth in perfect conditions, the new cars with some extra futures that make your traveling more comfortable and sports goods that make your life healthier may help you to improve your life. Recently my husband and | saw an ad on the Internet about a very interesting and inexpensive vocation to Japan for a week. Is not it awesome? We like traveling. So now we are planning to find out more about it and, may be, make reservations. | believe that without advertisements we would be unaware about plenty of oppotunities that may make your life happier, easier and less stressful. My point is that every person has his own scale of values. So if he is vegetarian he will consider an ad about meat products useless for him. (305 words) 46. Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy things that we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives. Which viewpoint do you agree with? The purpose of advertising is to tell the consumer about any new product or service or any new promotion on the existing product and service. We need it so we can make good decisions when we go shopping. Advertising tells us when new and improved products become available and lets us Know which ones have the best price. Through advertising we learn about new products. For example, many grocery stores now sell prepackaged lunches. These are very convenient for busy parents. They can give these lunches to their children to take to school. Busy parents don't have time to look at every item on the store shelf, so without advertising they might not know about such a convenient new product. 38 Even products we are familiar with may be improved, and advertising lets us know about this. Most people use cell phones, but new types of cell phone service become available all the time. There are different plans that give you more hours to talk on the phone, you can send text messages and photos, and next week probably some even newer type of service will be available. By watching advertisements on TV it is easy to find out about new improvements to all kinds of products. Advertisements keep us informed about prices. Prices change all the time, but everyone can look at the ads in the newspaper and see what the latest prices are. Advertisements also inform us about sales. In fact, some people buy the newspaper only in order to check the prices and plan their weekly shopping. Advertisements improve our lives by keeping us informed about the latest products developments and the best prices. Advertisements serve a useful purpose. (281 words) 39 CHILDREN 47. In some countries children have very strict rules of behaviour, in other countries they are allowed to do almost anything they want. To what extent should children have to follow rules? Freedom plays a mandatory role in everybody?s life. We can see in today?s modernized era nobody likes to get some restrictions upon them, whether it would be a child or an adult. Some people think that there should have some strict rules of behaviour for children, but | disagree with this statement. Wherever it is a reality that sometimes more restrictions can cause more frustration in children, which leads to many other mental diseases as well. Morever they can be, behave like a stubborn. Sometimes they feel themselves under pressure, which can be a main reason for their poor performance in their field. In some cases children would be crazier to do these things from where we’ /l try to keep them away. In other words _ we have to look for other aspects as well, like if we usually ignore our children?s bad habits, then they can?t be good human beings in their future life. Moreover_ if we never draw attention upon the children?s main activities then they may be acquiring bad company. They can know regarding the value of respect for their elders. They can know the importance of relationships. They can know regarding their cultural values as well. In a nutshell, | would like to say that children should be teach regarding the value of their customs, rituals and respect towards their elders for their future life, but most of the extra restriction should be being avoided. It would be better to make them good human beings in their coming future. A good essay, set out well. Some sentences are too short and could be combined together to create more complex structure. There are also some repetitions of the same words, that should be avoided. Overall, nicely done. 48. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Parents shape their children from the beginning of their children's lives. They teach their children values. They share their interests with them. They develop close emotional ties with them. Parents can be very important teachers in their children's lives; however, they are not always the best teachers. Parents may be too close to their children emotionally. For example, they may limit a child's freedom in the name of safety. A teacher may organize an educational trip to a big city, but a parent may think this trip is too dangerous. A school may want to take the children camping, but a parent may be afraid of the child getting hurt. 40 50. In many countries today, the eating habits and lifestyle of children are different from those of previous generations. Some people say this has had a negative effect on their health. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? It has recently been suggested that the way children eat and live nowadays has led toa deterioration in their health. | entirely agree with this view, and believe that this alarming situation has come about for several reasons. To begin with, there is the worrying increase in the amount of processed food that children are eating at home, with little or none of the fresh fruit and vegetables that earlier generations ate every day. Secondly, more and more young people are choosing to eat in fast-food restaurants, which may be harmless occasionally, but not every day. What they eat there is extremely high in fat, salt and sugar, all of which can be damaging to their health. There is also a disturbing decline in the amount of exercise they get. Schools have become obsessed with exams, with the shocking result that some pupils now do no sports at all. To make matters worse, few even get any exercise on the way to and from school, as most of them go in their parents’ cars rather than walk or cycle. Finally, children are spending far more time at home, playing computer games, watching TV or surfing the Internet. They no longer play outside with friends or take part in challenging outdoor activities. To sum up, although none of these changes could, on its own, have caused widespread harm to children’s health, there can be little doubt that all of them together have had a devastating effect. This, in my opinion, can only be reversed by encouraging children to return to move traditional ways of eating and living. (267 words) 51. In many countries children are engaged in some kind of paid work. Some people regard this as completely wrong, while others consider it as valuable work experience, important for learning and taking responsibility. What is your opinion on this? Nowadays, many children involved in different types of jobs to have some kind of financial assurance for themselves. However, whether this is good for their development and personality is a much debatable issue. | personally believe that paid works is harmful for children for several reasons. It is said that children learn valuable experience in the work place. This may be true. However, | would argue that children are mainly employed for jobs that require manual work and are low paid. The recent statistic reveals the common tasks that children are assigned are washing dishes, cleaning floors or serving food in restaurants. Meanwhile, this kind of jobs actually do not provide children with necessary and useful skills so that they can apply in their future carrer. This brings me to the second point. Defenders of child work argues that it is an effective method of learning. The point is children should be able to apply knowledge taught to 43 them in a real life working environment. Although this is undoubtedly true, it also means that children may neglect the classroom study and even fail the class. The worst thing is yet to come. They may become so occupied with the benefits ahead of them like small salary and leave school. Finally, supporters said that it helps them to build responsibility in the family. They will understand how it is difficult to earn money and therefore have a compassionate view with their parents. This is true to a certain extent, but may have a totally adverse effect on children. As children can make money at an early age, they would feel that it is appropriate to spend on luxury things by their own money, which could be recovered later. In conclusion, | think that parents should take measures to restrict their child to work, otherwise it would have a negative consequences on their futures. This is a great essay, Band 7+ candidate. My only suggestion is to divide your arguments so that you have 2 paragraphs covering arguments ?against? and one covering arguments ?for? or vise versa. Don?t mix ?for? and ?against? in one paragraph. 52. Children should never be educated at home by their parents. Do you agree or disagree? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this. Nobody can say with confidence that children should be taught at home or at any children's institutions. There are many different children and every one demand of education suitable only for him. But for most of children the best way of learning the life is being in the children's institutions. Nobody would argue that contacts between children of the same age are very important for bringing your child up. Such a contact is very important for playing, entertaining and learning living with other people. The harmonious living with other people, to my mind, is the first task for any man. Lack of this harmony sets problems and troubles. The children need space to run and make noise, to jump and cry. Do you or your neighbours allow these actions for your child? If you live in town, it is difficult to find a safe place to play. Kindergartens give such a possibility. They give space, a lot of toys and constructions for physical exercises. So, if you have bad living conditions, the kindergarten is the best way for you. But if you have a large family with many children and enough space, you may keep your child at home. You should be sure that the child feels, dressed and comfortable. His brothers and sisters give him necessary contacts. It's noticed long ago that children in big families are much more easy-tempered and calm. They are located in more harmonic world than others. Sometimes differences in age put troubles in contacts between children in large families. Then it is better for child to be sent to the kindergarten (school). But if quarrels don't last for a long time, everything is all right. In general, quarrels develop ability to cooperate with people. They develop a personal initiative and force setting the balance. In such a way the child gets lessons of life. Addly, the quarrels often take place in kindergartens and schools and we shouldn't fear it. 44 Side by side with quarrels parents often are afraid of colds which happen in kindergartens more frequently. Parents prefer keeping the child at home. But for a healthy child odd cold (if illness occurs, it goes its normal course) can't make big harm to the child. And if the child is adaptable to the conditions of public places earlier it would be better for him in future. In general, | am a follower of the theory of keeping children in adapted places such as good kindergartens. But keeping children in such a place can't replace family and home. Only together they make harmonic and beautiful union. (431 words) 53. Some people think that a sense of competition in children should be encouraged. Others believe that children who are taugh to co-operate rather than compete become more useful adults. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Nowadays, purpose of education being changed in Korea. There are some People who think that competition in children should be made, also others believe that children who are taught to co-operate as well as become more usefwl adults. There are advantages and disadvantages for both of the arguments. To begin with, what is good if a sense of competition m children is made? They could develope themselves more and more as they learn and study a lot to win from the competitbn. To prove this, in Korea, it is popular - even common now - to have a tutor who come to student's house to teach extra pieces of study with paying a lot of money. They learn faster than what they learn at school. Furthermore, during the vacations, students study abroad to learn English for a month instead of revise school work. If they have experiments such as study abroad, it is one of the greatest plus point to go to the famous well-known high-school. Moreover, there are four big school exam and two national examinations to test students’ level of studies. Generally, only the highest 40% can go to the good quatrty highschools and colleges. Children learn as much as they can, to wim the competition to obtain good quality schools. On the other hand, as they are busy to enter the schools and study individually with their own tutors, there are problems. They become selfish. They become careless and don't help others alot if it is about studies. There will be no co-operations for them. Then, why are there companies for many people to work in? Each of them are clever, however, there are weak parts and strong parts for each person. To co-operate is to improve this part. People talk and listen to what others thmking of and learn. That could also be a great opportunity to learn instead of learning alone with one teacher. In conclusion, | strongly agree with that children should be taught to co-operate rather than compete. Nobody is perfect. People learn together, work together to develop each other. Therefore, | want parents and teachers to educate children concentrating on co- operation, not compete and ranking them. (365 words) 45 To sum up, | think that children should have their careless childhood with no responsibilities. Moreover, | am sure that playing helps them develop not only their bones and muscles but their ability to make decisions, analyze things, make conclusions, which is very good for their future. (296 words) 57. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Language is the best means of communication. In the modern globalization era it is not enough to be able to speak one language to communicate with the outside world. | strongly support the idea that children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. They faster become familiar with a strange language, improve their hearing ability to understand new words as time goes by and learn new words. In the following paragraphs | will list some reasons to support my position. First of all, if one wants to see outcome soon, one must start sooner. So, the early children begin to learn new language the better will be the result. Scientists say that a child does not confuse two different languages but learns them more effectively. Second of all, adults are often afraid to make mistakes when they are speaking in a new language. This fear is one of the biggest barriers for a person in his efforts to speak freely. Otherwise, children do not afraid of making grammatical mistakes because basically they just repeat words and sentences in the way they hear them. Also, children have a better chance to get rid of an accent. They faster get used to the right pronunciation and better feel the melody of a language. To sum up, | think that it is very essential for children to begin learning a foreign language in their early ages. It is brings many benefits such as great pronunciation. Also, it helps a child develop and gain more knowledge which is good for a long run. (264 words) 58. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Watching television is bad for children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Some parents believe that watching television is bad for their children. So, they try to restrict their children from watching TV. However, other parents think that there is nothing bad in watching TV. Personally, | think that watching TV brings children only benefits unless they spend in front of TV set less then a couple of hours daily. For the following reasons, which | will mention bellow, | believe that television plays an essential role in child's development. First of all, television helps a child to extent his or her range of interests. Children can find out many new things and make many exiting discoveries for themselves. In addition to 48 these practical benefits television improves children's vocabulary, their memory and gives them the opportunity to gain more knowledge. | think it is very essential for a child. Of cause, someone can say that there are plenty of different recourses of information such as books and teachers. But, | think, in our modern world children must learn faster and use all contemporary technology in order to succeed. Second of all, watching cognitive programs helps children to learn more about wild life, our environment and about the importance of preserving our forest and wild animals that live there. Scientists say that a child should not watch TV more then 40 minutes successively. For example, my mother always made us have a break after watching TV more then half an hour and let our eyes rest for several minutes before turning on the TV again. | think it is the best solution. To sum up, | believe that television gives children and all people the opportunity to learn what can not be learn from books. Television and movies in particular allow people to feel the reality and see what they will most likely not be able to see in their lives. Personally, when | was a child | liked to watch cognitive programs about wild animals. Unfortunately, my family had only one TV, but these programs were the only ones we all wanted to watch. So, we gathered in our living room and watched them in complete silence and | always remember those moments with a smile on my face. (367 words) 59. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Parents are in most cases our first teachers and friends. From my everyday experience | have to agree with the statement that important decisions should be made by our parents or adult relatives. In the following paragraphs | will give my reasons to support this statement. First of all, teenage children have the tendency to live in their own fantasies. They do not clearly understand the rules of a real life. When | was 18 years old | thought that the world was perfect and everything seemed to be simple. Teenagers are basically inexperienced; they aspire for independence and try to make their first steps towards freedom. | think that it is like starting to walk when a baby needs its parents for support. An independent life is a big and significant part in a person's life. So, my point is that it is very important to make this step right. Second of all, | think that parents have right to interfere in their children's lives. They need to know what kind of friends their children have and how children spend their spare time. For example | had an eighteen years old friend who got really angry with his parents when they prohibited him to be friends with a young man. Somehow his parents found out that that young man was occasionally taking drugs. That man was dead in a year because of drug abuse. After that accident my friend thanked his parents for that interference. Finally, | think teenage children should be more open-minded with their parents. It will help them to make the right choice and avoid many mistakes. 49 To sum up, | believe that young people should trust their parents because they wish their children only the best. 60. It is better for children to grow up in the countryside than in a big city. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to develop your essay. Some people believe that it is better for children to grow up in the countryside than ina big city. However, other people think that a big city gives more opportunities and it is good for the long run. Personally, for several reasons | think that it is better for children's health to grow up in the country. First of all, it is very important for a child to grow up in a healthy environment. Children need fresh air, not polluted by the huge amount of cars and factories of the modern city. In the country they can spend more time exercising and walking with their friends. Scientists say that now children spend the same amount of time watching TV as they do at school. Probably, the possibility to join their friends for a play will change this proportion. Another important aspect of this is that parents will have more time to spend with their children as a result of eliminating traffic jams and decreasing driving time as a whole. From the other side, children have some advantages living in a big city. For example, they have more opportunities to choose from what they want to do. They can choose to attend ballet school, school of art, gymnastics, etc. For the long run, it is good for them. They will be better prepared for a live in a "real world" and they will have more chances to make a good career and succeed. Moreover, a big city usually has many entertaining centers with movie theatres and play stations. When | was a child | liked to go to the movie theatre with my parents to watch a premiere. One more reason to choose a big city for a child is that a city provides better live conditions and services such as medical, dental, etc. My friend lived in the country for a while and one time he and his family had to drive a couple of hours to the nearest medical center when his child got a heavy cough. To summarize, | agree with those people who want to raise their children in a city. The plenty of opportunities offered by a city helps children to find what they really like and be the best at it. Moreover, despite the air pollution, children get a better medical service that is good for their health. 61. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be required to help with household tasks as soon as they are able to do so. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The issue about whether children should help with household tasks as soon as they are able to do so is open for debate. Some people say that children should devote more time for playing with their friends, watching TV and studying. However, other people believe that children should help their parents with household tasks. Personally, for several reasons, which | will explain bellow, | adhere to the latter point of view. 50 play make-believe games, how can they develop their imagination? How can they learn physical co-ordination or learn important social lessons about winning and losing if they do not practise any sports? Many children form strong, personal relationships with the friends they play with, and without the opportunity to do this, they could grow up emotionally immature or unformed. Finally, | think it is also important to remember that children need to relax as well as work. If everything they do must have some educational or academic relevance, then they will soon get tired of studying altogether, which is the last thing parents would want. 65. Physical Punishment for Children ? There have been big changes in the attitudes of most parents over the last few years. Very few parents would agree with using force regularly as a way of dealing with discipline problems in their children. Physical punishment is banned in schools in most countries, and in many countries, there are moves to ban all corporal punishment of children even in the home. However, many parents still believe that they have a right to use some physical punishment to deal with certain misbehaviors at certain ages. This essay will ask if some physical punishment is acceptable today, and will ask how parents can know what the limits are. It is easy to find reasons to allow some physical punishment. One issue is that many parents find it very difficult to abandon physical punishment completely. Parents argue that this was the way they were brought up themselves and that it didn't do any harm to them. They believe that for the child's sake that they have the right to discipline the child in any way they see fit, including using corporal punishment. A second point is that corporal punishment can be quick and effective: there is not much point reasoning with a screaming child in the supermarket. Finally, most parents are reasonable and fair, and very very few would ever consider hurting their children by using unnecessary physical force. There are several reasons however why we should stop using physical punishment even in the home. One point is that most parents are not trained to deal with misbehaving children. They do not have enough resources or choices to handle the situation. Asa result, they immediately react by smacking or hitting the child, even if there are other solutions to the problem. Another point is that unless people are challenged or forced to change their beliefs they may keep following negative habits. An example is seatbelt use - now most people wear seat belts without thinking, whereas years ago the idea of using safety belts was strange to most people. In the same way, banning physical punishment in the home will allow people to change their habits and break a cycle of violence. However, the most obvious reason for banning all physical punishment of children is to prevent child abuse. If all parents are allowed to hit their children in the name of discipline, some parents will go too far and will inflict severe emotional and physical damage on their children. It may only be a smll minority of parents, but we need to protect all our children. In conclusion, parents have to change some of their beliefs and ideas about how children should be raised. It is possible to avoid the use of physical force in the home, and doing so will help us move closer to dream of removing violence from our society. (474! Much too long! You only have one hour! But there is no penalty in IELTS for writing over 250 words in Task 2 - if you can do it!) 66. Should parents use corporal punishment to discipline children? Effective when used wisely Many parents use physical punishment to discipline their children. Others prefer to use different methods to reward good behavior or punish misbehavior. This essay will look at some of the arguments for and against physical punishment of children. It is often claimed that physical punishment will damage children in later life. Opponents of corporal punishment claim that the children will grow up to become delinquents or even beat their wives. However, many happily married adults today were slapped when they were younger but have never hit their spouses. Another point often made is that physical punishment teaches children that you can use force to make others do what you want. In fact children brought up well soon learn that force by itself is nothing - it must be associated with right. Finally, some people say that punishing a child by smacking him will damage the relationship between the child and the parents. This is clearly wrong. Children who understand the reasons for rules will be happier than children who are not given clear guidelines. There are definitely concerns about physical punishment. Some parents lose control and can injure children - even breaking bones or causing bruises. Others can use violence excessively or as the only method of discipline. In this case, the child will be hurt, fearful and anxious and will not learn to distinguish right from wrong. The biggest problem with physical violence is when it is not appropriate to the age of the child. It can be very effective to quickly smack a two-year-old who is screaming. However, it is not effective to beat a 16-year-old who is late for school once again. In conclusion, physical punishment can be a useful method of discipline. However it should be the last choice for parents. If we want to build a world with less violence we must begin at home, and we must teach our children to be responsible. (317 words) 67. Should children be educated at home or in school? Are parents really helping their children by teaching them at home? In most countries in the world, governments require children to attend schools in which trained teachers are responsible for educating the children using an approved curriculum. However a significant number of parents believe that it is much better for their children to be educated at home by the people who know them and their needs best. This essay will examine the question of home schooling and discuss which the best option for the child is An increasing number of parents are deciding that home schooling is the best option for their children. They are unhappy with the quality or depth of education offered in the schools, or have other reasons why they feel that traditional schools are not suitable for their children. One reason is social factors. Parents worry that their children will suffer from bullying or will be forced into antisocial behavior by peer pressure. They believe that the good behavior they have taught the child will be lost in school. Another reason is concern over the quality of schooling available. Schools frequently have large classes. They are often under-funded, and staffed by teachers without sufficient knowledge of their 34 subjects. Subjects such as the family's religion or language may not even be available in the school. Other parents may disagree with the aims of the school curriculum, preferring for academic, social or cultural reasons to keep their children separate. Finally, some children with special needs may need particular parental care. However, there are many arguments in favor of sending children to conventional schools. The first is that the children will be exposed to other children. These children may represent either a cross-section of society or a narrow group, but in either case the children will interact with each other and develop social skills. A second point is that the children will learn to function outside the family. They will not be dependent on their parents for their educational, emotional and social needs. A third point is that the children will find it easier to integrate when they finish school, as they eventually will, when they start work or college. Overall, while many parents work hard to teach their children at home, conventional schools are still the right choice for most children. Schools are not perfect, but they seem to be a proven way of preparing our children for the real world. (392 words) 68. Do children learn more quickly than adults? Small children seem to learn very quickly, while adults sometimes appear to lose the ability to pick up new subject such as languages, music, games, or computer programs. In this essay, | will discuss whether children or adults make the best learners. It is undoubtedly true that children seem to learn very quickly. In just a few years, they can learn how to play a musical instrument, speak one or even two new languages, and deal with many subjects at school. They even have time for sports and hobbies, and become experts in their favorite pastimes. However, how much of this is social pressure and how much is genetic? | am convinced that while children's brains have a natural ability to absorb new information as part of their developmental growth, much of their achievement is because of social pressure. Schools force them to take many subjects. Parents force them to practice new sports or to learn music. Even their playmates force them to become better at computer games or to read Harry Potter novels faster. In summary, children may enjoy learning, but their environment also is a big motivating factor. Adults on the other hand are supposed to be poor learners. However, | disagree with people who say that adults cannot learn quickly. Adults have many skills that compensate for the decline in the ability of the brain to grasp and remember new material. They can organize their learning by setting times for reading or practice. They can build on skills and experiences they know already. Adults usually cannot learn to do ballet or to play the violin, but even despite these physical challenges, their motivation can often be higher than a child's. Unfortunately, society does not encourage many adults to learn. People are busy with families and work, and some adults may feel that further learning is pointless, since they have already achieved many goals at work or in their personal life. In conclusion, | feel that we cannot generalize about children or adults being better learners. It depends on the situation and the motivation of the person, and the level of enthusiasm he or she has for learning. (360 words) nn a There are a variety of ways in which young people can be encouraged to practise safer driving habits. Firstly, the Government should launch a safe driving campaign to convey the fact that driving safely is not uncool. In effect, it should be cool to stay alive and healthy! Secondly, every movie should make it clear that dangerous car chases are undertaken only in strict safety conditions with experienced drivers, and often special movie-making tricks are used to enhance the action. Thirdly, young people should be forced to take safe driving courses every year for the first five years that they have their driver's licence. In this way, they are forced to perfect their driving skills or their licence will be taken away. Finally, as part of this course, young drivers should go to hospitals and witness the effects of poor or dangerous driving on other people. When they see hospitalised people whose lives have been destroyed due to stupid risk-taking, they will surely change their minds about whether it is cool to copy action heroes and drive fast. 264 words 58 OLD PEOPLE 72. In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care. Who should be responsible for our old people? Many old people in Britain, after a lifetime of hard work and the toil of bringing up children, are put into homes for the elderly by their families. There, they are looked after by professional nurses, and this is sometimes at the expense of the government. However, this situation has raised controversy about whether we extend to our elders the care and respect they deserve. The critics of this system say that it is the duty of the family to look after its senior members in the years when they are no longer able to work. They point out that in retirement homes old people tend to feel useless and unwanted by their family members, who seldom come to see them. In addition, there is evidence that younger people benefit from the experience and wisdom of older people who live with them on a daily basis. On the other had, those who support the system say that retired parents can be a burden to young families. Not only is it expensive to support old people who have little or no income, but the fact that old people are often ill and need a great deal of looking after can be too much for their busy children. In my opinion, neither side is completely right. Old people in good health and with enough finances to support themselves can be a great help to their children. For instance, they can look after their grandchildren while children are out at work. On the other had, sick and penniless old people are better off being looked after in retirement homes at government expense. 59 SOCIAL 73. Some people think that human needs for farmland, housing, and industry are more important than saving land for endangered animals. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. As human population is significantly rising every year, people's requirements are increasing too. We need more food, more machines, more place to live. As a result of this people need more land to satisfy their requirements. We cultivate and irrigate more and more land to plant vegetables, build new buildings, airports, roads, etc. | think sometimes we forget that we are not alone on this planet. | have to disagree with those people who think that human needs are more important than saving land for endangered animals. | base my opinion on the following points. First of all, as | already mentioned, we are not alone on this planet. A few centuries ago we were the part of wild nature. | think we need to remember this fact and respect all creatures around us. Second of all, | believe that we all need to think of the problem of overpopulation. The human population is dramatically increasing and we have to do something about it. From my opinion, every family should have no more than two children. It will help to stop the growth of population, decrease human needs for farmland, housing and industry. In conclusion, | think it is a very topical question nowadays. My point is that all people should answer this question and find the solution. (218 words) 74. Trade and travel would be a lot easier with a single, global currency that we all use. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Would a single currency cause any problems? It is clear to me that the idea of a single global currency is an excellent ideal to work towards. There can be no doubt that trade and travel would be vastly easier. On the other hand | believe that it would cause problems today. The benefits of a single currency can be seen with the use in Europe of the Euro. Whenever you are travelling between countries using the Euro, the problems of currency changing and exchange rates are history. Similarly business between countries using the Euros is so much easier; no more worrying about exchange rate risk and pricing. Everyone's money is the same. The same thing is true with the US dollar. Most countries do not use the US dollar but it is accepted in many places. There are many countries that you can travel to and just take US dollars to use. At present though a global currency would be impossible. Firstly most countries would not accept the idea. Secondly all countries are in different economic states. Some are economically very strong and some are in a state of collapse with inflation ruining the economy. Such countries could not be brought into a world currency as it would cause 60 In rich, industrialised and developing countries it is very difficult for governments to provide effective public services in overcrowded cities. Moreover, there is usually a great deal more crime, which is often due to high rates of unemployment. Further large increases in population only cause more overcrowding, unemployment and crime. There are two main solutions to the overpopulation problem. Firstly, every woman who is pregnant, but who does not want to give birth, should be allowed by law to have an abortion. Secondly, governments must educate people to limit the size of the family. In China, couples are penalised financially if they have more than one child. This may seem cruel, but the "one-child policy" is beginning to have an effect in the world's most populous nation. Eventually, similar policies might also be necessary in other crowded nations such as India, for example. To sum up, if the population explosion continues, many more people will die of starvation in poor countries, and life in the cities, even in affluent nations, will become increasingly difficult. 78. The position of women in society has changed markedly in the last twenty years. Many of the problems young people now experience, such as juvenile delinquency, arise from the fact that many married women now work and are not at home to care for their children. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? It is certainly true that the position of women in society has undergone a dramatic change in the past twenty years but | do not feel that this is a direct cause of the indisputable increase in juvenile-related problems during this period. It is now accepted that young women should find work on leaving school; indeed to rely totally on their parents' financial support is no longer an option in many families. Likewise, once they get married, the majority of women continue working since the financial pressures of setting up a house and establishing a reasonable standard of living often require two incomes. Twenty years ago it was common for women to give up work once they had children and devote their time to caring for their children. This is no longer the general rule and the provision of professionally-run child care facilities and day nurseries have removed much of the responsibility for child rearing that used to fall to mothers. However, these facilities come at a cost and often require two salaries coming into a family to be afforded. | do not believe that the increase in the number of working mothers has resulted in children being brought up less well than previously. Indeed it could be argued that by giving mothers the opportunity to work and earn extra money children can be better provided for than previously. There is more money for luxuries and holidays and a more secure family life is possible. Of course there are limits as to the amount of time that ideally should be spent away from home and the ideal scenario would be for one of the parents (often the wife) to have a part-time job and thus be available for their children before and after school. It is important to establish the correct balance between family life and working life. 63 79. Causes and Effects Worksheet: The Rainforest by Julie Wallace, ADMC Rainforest destruction is now recognized as one of the greatest environmental tragedies of all time. By why are the rainforests disappearing so quickly ? + In 1800, there were 2.9 billion hectares of tropical forest worldwide. There are 1.5 billion hectares of tropical forest remaining. - Almost 65% of Central America has been cleared to create pastureland for grazing cattle « Rainforest land cleared for pasture or farming degrades quickly and is usually abandoned. « Atleast 42 million acres of tropical forest are lost each year, approximately 100 acres/minute. ¢ Between 1960-1990, 445 million hectares of tropical forest were cleared. We lose 50 species every day - 2 species per hour - due to tropical deforestation. 80. Why is fast-food so popular in the UAE? What are some of the implications for society? Fast-food and the UAE Past: In the past people in the UAE used to eat healthy, freshly prepared food with their families in the home. Present: Today however, many people, particularly young people, prefer to eat fast food such as hamburgers, fried chicken, shawarma, or pizza. TOPIC SENTENCE: There are many reasons why this change has occurred, but fast-food also has some serious effects on individuals and society. Causes Topic Sentence: There are many reasons for the popularity of fast food. Cause 1: One of the main reasons is the change in lifestyle. Example 1a: Many people in the UAE are working long hours, shifts, or extended school days. They don’t have time to find ingredients or prepare good food. Example 1b: Women are now starting to work in the Emirates, and this can result in less time being available for preparing family meals. Cause 2: Another cause is the huge number of young, affluent people in the UAE. Example 2: The rapid development of the country has meant that young people, who comprise over 75% of the population, have money to spend. Cause 3: A third reason is advertising. Example 3: The UAE is a very modern, free-market country, with all forms of media such as the Internet and satellite television, and people like to try new products and different kinds of fast food. Effects Topic Sentence: However, this change in diet can have some serious effects. Effect 1: One effect is on health. Example 1: Many individuals in the UAE are becoming obese. These people will be less productive and have conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Effect 2: Another result of fast food is the loss of the family tradition of 64 eating together. Example 2: Children and adults rarely eat together now, and thus get less opportunity to talk. Effect 3: A further effect is economic. Example 3a: Although fast food is not very expensive, it is more expensive than cooking properly for yourself. Example 3b: Many of the fast-food companies are franchisees of foreign corporations, so profits leave the country. Conclusion: Summary: In conclusion, fast food, although it is convenient and a tasty addition to a diet, can have serious health and social effects. Future statement: People should learn to choose fast food carefully and remember the pleasure of eating good food in good company. 81. Without capital punishment (the death penalty) our lives are less secure and crimes of violence increase. Capital punishment in essential to control violence in society. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Before talking about the essential role of death penalty, you have to think about the meaning, and the purpose, of any kind of punishment. If you consider that the purpose is to prevent the guilty from being nasty again, you can be seduced by an argumentation in favour of the suppression of capital punishment. But you have to think about another aspect of the problem: a punishment is also useful to impress people, to make them fear the law. In fact, let's take the example of a young misfit, which has grown in a violent atmosphere, influenced by older delinquents, etc ... He lives in the streets, he's got no aim but to survive. This is the kind of person who could possibly kill someone for money, or even for fun ... Why would he fear prison? Life would be easier for him there. In addition, in many cases, when you behave normally, you can benefit from penalty reductions. This young misfit needs to be impressed, he needs to know that the law is a frontier. When you cross it, you can lose your life. That is why capital punishment helps keeping a distance between robbery and murder. If you abolish it, you suppress the difference between these two types of crime, which are completely different. But there is also a limit to define: even if death penalty is unavoidable, it would be a crime to apply it to inadequate cases. If there is no premeditation or past facts which can justify such a punishment, it is far too strict to apply death penalty. That is why the lawmakers have to establish precisely the context in which capital punishment car be pronounced. That is the price to pay to limit violence without using excessive violence. Capital punishment is always associated with ignorance and intolerance. In fact, we must acknowledge that some people disagree with this kind of penalty but others are totally in favour. Portugal was the first European country to end this kind of penalty. Since the 19th century, tolerance and respect for life are important values. Moreover, we can affirm that all the Europe remains under the same codes. Maybe because of a religious view point, life respect is a typical value in the Old Catholic world. Those who are in favour of capital punishment are particularly in radical countries. It is not surprising to watch some barbarian behaviours in Islamic countries like public stoning to death. The population is invited to participate on the trial and in the final sentence - death- itself. However, this is not just an image of third world countries. Actually, USA is where 65 Girls also appear to be less aggressive than boys. In adulthood, it is men, not women, who prove to be the aggressors in crime and in war. Obviously, in raising children, a more patient, gentle manner is preferable to a more aggressive one. Although there certainly exist gentle men and aggressive women, by and large, females are less likely to resort to violence in attempting to solve problems. Finally, women tend to be better communicators than men. This is shown is intelligence tests, where females, on average, do better in verbal communication than males. Of course, communication is of utmost importance in rearing children, as children tend to learn from and adopt the communication styles of their parents. Thus, while it is all very well to suggest a greater role for men in raising children, let us not forget that women are generally better suited to the parenting role. 84. It is generally acknowledged that families are now not as close as they used to be. Give possible reasons and your recommendations. There is much discussion nowadays as to whether or not the relation-ship between family members is as close as before. Diverse contributing factors can be identified. In the following, | would like to present my point of view. Great changes have taken place in family life along with the development of society. One of them is that the once-extended family tends to become smaller and smaller. Many children have to leave their parents at an early age to study or work elsewhere. As time passes, children become emotionally estranged from their parents. Compared with the past, social competition is becoming increasingly fierce. People are urged to concentrate their efforts upon work, so that they can achieve success, or at least a good standard of living. As a result, they can’t afford to spend their leisure hours with their families. The importance of bonds of kinship is gradually fading from their minds. In addition, the availability of various kinds of recreational facilities also diverts people from enjoying chats with the members of their families. Their free time is mostly occupied by watching TV, surfing the Internet or playing video games. They come to lose interest in communicating with the other members of their families. In view of such alienation within families, urgent steps must be taken, in my opinion. For members of families who live away from one another, regular contact on the phone can bring them the care that they need. Family reunions on holidays or other important occasions can make a difference as well. For those living together, it is a good idea to take some time off work or recreation periods to spend more time with each other. In the final analysis, a close family relationship can surely be maintained as long as we realize the significant role it plays in our lives and attach importance to it. 85. "Fatherhood ought to be emphasised as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up." To what extent do you agree or disagree? 68 believe that child-rearing should be the responsibility of both parents and that, whilst the roles within that partnership may be different, they are nevertheless equal in importance. In some societies, it has been made easier over the years for single parents to raise children on their own. However, this does not mean that the traditional family, with both parents providing emotional support and role-models for their children, is not the most satisfactory way of bringing up children. Of crucial importance, in my opinion, is how we define 'responsible for bringing the children up’. At its simplest, it could mean giving the financial support necessary to provide a home, food and clothes and making sure the child is safe and receives an adequate education. This would be the basic definition. There is, however, another possible way of defining that part of the quotation. That would say it is not just the fathers responsibility to provide the basics for his children, while his wife involves herself in the everyday activity of bringing them up. Rather, he should share those daily duties, spend as much time as his job allows with his children, play with them, read to them, help directly with their education, participate very fully in their lives and encourage them to share his. It is this second, fuller, concept of ‘fatherhood! that | am in favour of, although | also realise how difficult it is to achieve sometimes. The economic and employment situation in many countries means that jobs are getting more, not less, stressful, requiring long hours and perhaps long journeys to work as well. Therefore it may remain for many a desirable ideal rather than an achievable reality. 69 CULTURE 86. Some people think that it is important to have a single language as an international official language. Others think that it will make it difficult to identify countries and cause a loss of culture. What are your opinions on this? With the advent of globalization, a common language to facilitate trade and communication seems inevitable. Some oppose the development of a single language on the grounds that it may lead to cultural erosion and a loss of local linguistic knowledge. Yet, | am of the opinion that it is possible to use an official international language and still retain one’s own language and culture. Firstly, many countries already use an official language or languages. For example, in India there are two official languages: Hindi and English. In a country such as India where there are innumerable languages spoken, there is a need for official languages to ensure communication between different sections of the population and the different states. In China, where different dialects are spoken, Mandarin, the official language, enables people from different provinces to comprehend each other. Secondly, in an age of rampant globalization there is no doubt that an international language is inevitability. How is an African businessman going to conduct business in China when there are such differences between languages? In this sense, not only is an international language inevitable, but also a necessity for trade, commerce and economic expansion in the 21st century. The critics opposing the adoption of an international official language argue that it would lead to a loss of cultural identity. However, the use of an international official language doesn't mean that local languages will die out. For example, English already functions as a kind of unofficial international language but this doesn't mean that people solely converse in English or they neglect their own language. English is used in specific contexts (trade, business, etc) and native languages are used for everyday instruction. In brief, as the world becomes smaller the need for an official international language seems unavoidable. English has already assumed this role although its status is unofficial. In my view, the use of either an official or unofficial international language is necessary to facilitate communication in a time of rapid globalization. (330 words) 87. Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples. In our modern stressful world we often forget about our customs and traditions. However, | think that people should keep their traditions because they help to remember our forefathers and value the beautiful moments we have in our lives. 70 DRUG 90. Some businesses now say that no one can smoke cigarettes in any of their offices. Some governments have banned smoking in all public places. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons. Most of the firms, organization and companies as well as Government make restrictions to smoke in work places and public amenities respectively. It has become fashionable in the world today to blame smoking. However, although | feel that smoking can be harmful, but | don't think it should be forbidden completely. | would also argue that people should have the right whether they smoke or not. Let me deal with the three positive sides of smoking. Firstly, smoking certainly helps many people to relax. For some, it even improves concentration. If someone is upset owing to debt or they have exam, like to smoke to reduce the pressure or tension. Most of the people like to smoke when they are relaxing with friends. Secondly, governments throughout the world make huge profits from taxes on cigarettes. The income obtained from taxes provide funds which are used for building school, hospital and public places such as parks, gardens, sports ground and foot paths. Thirdly, tobacco industry also employs tens of thousands of people all over the world, particularly in poorer countries like Zimbabwe or India. Without cigarettes, these people would have no jobs. Despite these positive effects there are lots of negative effects of smoking too. Initially, smoking has been proven to be too dangerous for health. As one cigarette contain more then 4000 chemical substances, therefore, it causes for many injurious diseases like heart attacks, asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer and cough. According to the current report, in Britain about 3,500 people are killed each year in road accidents and 120,000 are killed by smoking. Furthermore, smoking costs government millions of dollars because of the large number of people who need treatment in hospitals for smoking-related problems. Moreover, there is also concern today about passive smoking. Recent research shows that non-smokers can suffer health problems if they spend long period of time among people who do smoke. In UK children whose parents are smoke are three times as likely to start smoking themselves _. In short, | think the world would be a better place without cigarettes. However, the decision as to whether _ smoke or not should be for each individual to make. | suggest people should not smoke in a room or place where there are non smokers but surely they should be free to smoke elsewhere. This a very good essay, you have made your arguments well and set the paragraphs out as required. However, take care with your use of definitive Statements e.g. Without cigarettes, these people would have no jobs. Maybe they would gain employment in another industry, we cannot be sure. Over all, well done! 73 91. Should the same laws which prohibit the sale and consumption of heroin be applied to tobacco? 74 Recently, a hostile debate arouse when a few well reputable health organizations suggested the application of a similar act of heroin selling and usage prohibition _. In this assay, | will analyse why the adoption of such a law could be a breakthrough in our youngsters safety, according to my vision. Firstly , tobacco does not differ much from heroin when it comes to the later addictive effect. Nicotin , the active ingredient in tobacco, exerts its effect by acting directly on smoker's brain cells. Numerous experiments carried out by scientist on animals, specailly tats, proved that this toxic chemical does lead by time to dependency, just similar to the effect experienced with herion. Secondly, restriction on cigerattes selling will surely show an instant decline in tobacco smoking. ” Having an easy access to cigarettes puts a tremendous pressure, specially on teenagers,to resist such a temptation” Dr.Hisham , head of Pschycology department at Alexandria Medical college , states firmly. “Giving the new generation the sense that the severity of smoking is equivilant to other lethal drugs usage woulod be a life saving step,they will thank us for() as they get older.” he continues. To recapitulate, applying of a futuristic law as the suggested one will definetly have a positive impact ,not only on young people's health but on our society as a whole. Well done! This is a very good essay but take care of your spelling. 92. People in all modern societies use drugs, but today's youth are expertimenting with both legal and illegal drugs, and at an increasingly early age. Some sociologists claim that parents and other members of society often set a bad example. Discuss the causes and some effects of widespread drug use by young people in modern day society. Make any recommendations you feel are necessary to help fight youth drug abuse. Youth drug abuse is a serious problem nowadays in many cultures. Not only is illegal drug use on the rise, but children as young as 10 years old are experimenting with alcohol and tobacco. The reasons for this behaviour are unclear, but certain sociologists blame the examples set by their elders. Parents who drink and smoke to excess are, in effect, telling their children that it is acceptable to abuse their bodies with drugs. Consequently, children may have a similar view towards illegal drugs, even if their parents are against their use. In addition, drug use shown on television and in films can only confuse children who are also taught at school that drug abuse is wrong. The pressure on young people to perform well at school in order to compete for jobs is a possible cause of the problem. Many believe they cannot live up to their parents’ expectations, and feel a sense of hopelessness. Also, the widespread availability of drugs means teenagers are faced with the temptation to experiment. Drugs are used as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with the pressures they face in society. The effects of drug abuse are well known. Many young people's talents are wasted, and HEALTH 95. Smokers can cause themselves serious health problems. The choice to smoke is made freely and with knowledge of dangers. Smokers should therefore expect to pay more for medical treatment than non- smokers. Everyone has the choice of being a smoker or not. The people who choose to smoke do so knowing there is a risk of causing harmful damage to themselves. However, | do not entirely agree that these people should have to pay more to receive all the medical treatment they need. | think there are many situations in which a medical problem has nothing to do with whether a person smokes or not. In these cases, where an illness has no relation to smoking, then | believe that smokers should not be required to pay more than other people for their medical treatment. Most car accidents, for example, have no connection with smoking, and the people who are injured ought to have the same medical help, regardless of the cost. And what about the common flu - it does not seem justifiable to me that a smoker should have to pay more to see a doctor for an illness we can all contract. On the other hand, | agree that a smoker should pay more than a non-smoker for the necessary treatment of any condition which has been caused by smoking. The principle that people should take responsibility for their own actions is a good one. Consequently, if a person chooses to smoke knowing that this habit can cause serious health problems, then there is no reason why the community or an insurance company should have to pay for medical treatment for an illness which could have been avoided. In many countries, cigarette packets have a clear warning that smoking can cause health problems and so no smoker can claim not to Know the danger. Lung cancer is sometimes a fatal disease and the treatment is both lengthy and expensive, and it is unfair for the smoker to expect the hospital or the community to carry the cost. In fact, it could also be argued that those who smoke in public should be asked to pay extra because of the illness caused to passive smokers. In conclusion, | feel that smokers should pay more in cases related to smoking, but for any other illness they should pay the same as anyone else. 96. Should parents be obliged to immunise their children against childhood diseases? Or do individuals have the right to choose not to immunise their children? Some people argue that the state does not have the right to make parents immunise their children. However, | feel the question is not whether they should immunise but whether, as members of society, they have the right not to. Preventative medicine has proved to be the most effective way of reducing the incidence of fatal childhood diseases. As a result of the widespread practice of immunising young children in our society, many lives have been saved and the diseases have been reduced to almost zero. 78 In previous centuries children died from ordinary illnesses such as influenza and tuberculosis and because few people had immunity, the diseases spread easily. Diseases such as dysentery were the result of poor hygiene but these have long been eradicated since the arrival of good sanitation and clean water. Nobody would suggest that we should reverse this good practice now because dysentery has been wiped out. Serious diseases such as polio and smallpox have also been eradicated through national immunisation programmes. In consequence, children not immunised are far less at risk in this disease-free society than they would otherwise be. Parents choosing not to immunise are relying on the fact that the diseases have already been eradicated. If the number of parents choosing not to immunise increased, there would be a similar increase in the risk of the diseases returning. Immunisation is not an issue like seatbelts which affects only the individual. A decision not to immunise will have widespread repercussions for the whole of society and for this reason, | do not believe that individuals have the right to stand aside. In my opinion immunisation should be obligatory. * The issue of whether we should force parents to immunise their children against common diseases is, in my opinion, a social rather than a medical question. Since we are free to choose what we expose our bodies to in the way of food, drink, or religion for that matter, why should the question of medical ‘treatment’ be any different? Medical researchers and governments are primarily interested in overall statistics and trends and in money-saving schemes which fail to take into consideration the individual's concerns and rights. While immunisation against diseases such as tetanus and whooping cough may be effective, little information is released about the harmful effects of vaccinations which can sometimes result in stunted growth or even death. The body is designed to resist disease and to create its own natural immunity through contact with that disease. So when children are given artificial immunity, we create a vulnerable society which is entirely dependent on immunisation. In the event that mass immunisation programmes were to cease, the society as a whole would be more at risk than ever before. In addition there is the issue of the rights of the individual. As members of a society, why should we be obliged to subject our children to this potentially harmful practice? Some people may also be against immunisation on religious grounds and their needs must also be considered. For these reasons | feel strongly that immunisation programmes should not be obligatory and that the individual should have the right to choose whether or not to participate. 97. "Prevention is better than cure." Out of a country's health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventative measures. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Of course it goes without saying that prevention is better than cure. That is why, in recent years, there has been a growing body of opinion in favour of putting more resources into 79 health education and preventive measures. The argument is that ignorance of, for example, basic hygiene or the dangers of an unhealthy diet or lifestyle needs to be combatted by special nationwide publicity campaigns, as well as longer-term health education. Obviously,there is a strong human argument for catching any medical condition as early as possible. There is also an economic argument for doing so. Statistics demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of treating a condition in the early stages, rather than delaying until more expensive and prolonged treatment is necessary. Then there are social or economic costs, perhaps in terms of loss of earnings for the family concerned or unemployed benefit paid by the state. So far so good, but the difficulties start when we try to define what the ‘proportion’ of the budget should be, particularly if the funds will be ‘diverted from treatment’. Decisions on exactly how much of the total health budget should be spent in this way are not a matter for the non-specialist, but should be made on the basis of an accepted health service model. This is the point at which real problems occur - the formulation of the model. How do we accurately measure which health education campaigns are effective in both medical and financial terms? How do we agree about the medical efficacy of various screening programmes, for example, when the medical establishment itself does not agree? A very tigorous process of evaluation is called for, so that we can make informed decisions. 80 This response is underlength and is marked down because of this. Only a few relevant ideas are presented and these are used rather repetitively and are insufficiently developed or supported. However, the writing communicates fluently and a satisfactory range of structures and vocabulary are used. 83 ETHICAL ISSUES 101. By punishing murderers with the death penalty, society is also guilt of committing murder. Therefore, life in prison is a better punishment for murderers. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (AGREE) "Do as | say, not as | do." This is what society tells us when it punishes murderers with the death penalty. Society tells us that murder is wrong, and in our legal system, murder is against the law. Yet we still see our society kill murderers, and thus we are committing murder ourselves. For this reason, the death penalty should end, and instead murderers should be punished with life in prison. Society needs to show a positive model of how our lives should be and how people should act. We should always strive to improve our situation, to be at peace and in harmony with others. However, when we kill murderers, we are not working to improve our society. Instead, we are stooping to the criminals’ level. It makes me think about the revenge that came when playing games with my brothers. When we were kids/children, my brother would take my toys, so! would hit him and take my toys back. Then he would hit me harder and take the toys again. Thinking of the death penalty, | imagine a murderer kills someone. Society takes revenge by killing the murderer. This leaves behind the murderer's family and friends, who have tremendous anger inside of them, which they may release onto society. The cycle of killing goes on and on. Society should not condemn people who are taking the same action that society is taking. Society tells us not to kill, and yet society kills when it exercises the death penalty. Because of this contradiction, we should end the death penalty and instead punish murderers by sentencing them to life in prison. (273 words) 102. Should animals be used in testing new drugs and procedures? Every year, millions of animals undergo painful suffering or death as a result of scientific research into the effects of drugs, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products. While most people think animal testing is necessary, others are upset by what they see as needless suffering. This essay looks at some of the positive and negative aspects of animal testing. Many medical treatments and procedures have been developed from experiments on animals. Since animals share many features with humans, scientists use animals to test the safety and effectiveness of newly developed drugs before pilot testing on small groups of patients. Medical teams practice new operating techniques such as transplants on animals. Without animal testing, many procedures or new drugs would be extremely unsafe. However, many people are concerned that animals are suffering unnecessarily and 84 cruelly. They do not believe that every new drug needs to be tested on animals, especially with the huge database of knowledge and modern computer models. They also are worried that many animal tests are ineffective, pointing out that any drugs have had to be withdrawn from the market despite extensive testing. They particularly feel that animal testing should not be used for non-essential products such as cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, and cleaning products. Furthermore, some campaigners would like to see certain tests replaced and more humane methods used. We need to make sure that the millions of animals who are used for testing new products are treated with the minimum of suffering. Although some animal testing may be unavoidable at present, treating our fellow creatures as mercifully as possible will demonstrate our humanity. Animal Testing : yes Every day, thousands of people are saved from painful diseases and death by powerful medical drugs and treatments. This incredible gift of medicine would not be possible without animal testing. Despite these overwhelming benefits, however, some people are calling for animal testing to be banned because of alleged cruelty. This essay will examine arguments for and against animal testing. Those against the use of animal testing claim that it is inhumane to use animals in experiments. | disagree completely. It would be much more inhumane to test new drugs on children or adults. Even if it were possible, it would also take much longer to see potential effects, because of the length of time we live compared to laboratory animals such as rats or rabbits. Opponents of animal testing also claim that the results are not applicable to humans. This may be partly true. Some drugs have had to be withdrawn, despite testing. However, we simply do not have alternative methods of testing. Computer models are not advanced enough, and testing on plants is much less applicable to humans than tests on animals such as monkeys. Until we have a better system, we must use animal testing. A further point often raised against animal testing is that it is cruel. Some of the tests certainly seem painful, but the great majority of people on this planet eat meat or wear leather without any guilt. Where is their sympathy for animals? Furthermore, animals clearly do not feel the same way as humans, and scientists are careful to minimize stress in the animals, since this would damage their research. | agree that we need to make sure that animals who are used for testing new products have the minimum of suffering. However, | am convinced that animal testing is necessary, and that it will continue to benefit humans in new and wonderful ways. Animal Testing : no Advantages of Animal Testing in Medical Research Medical research involving animals has dramatically improved the health of the human race. Without animal testing, the cure for polio would not exist and diabetics would suffer or die from their disease. Despite these benefits, some people believe that animals should be not be used for testing medical techniques and drugs. This essay will outline the advantages of animal testing. Animal testing allows scientists to test and create new drugs. Animals such as monkeys or rabbits have similar physical processes to humans. This allows scientists to test the neighborhood. First of all, factories often bring pollution. They are prone to contaminating the local air and water. Second of all, factories make noise. Another important aspect of building a new factory near by is that it will make the local traffic heavy. As a result of this, the amount of traffic congestions will increase, as well as contamination of the air. So, all these obviously will not make one's life happier and healthier in my community. From the other side, | believe that a new factory will bring some advantages to my community. First of all, it will bring new job opportunities. Many specialists will be required to work there. Second of all, | think many local community facilities will have to be renovated to obtain reliable supply of water and electricity. So, some old pipes may be changed. Another important benefit of this is that the local roads in order to manage the increasing traffic will be rebuilt and widened. However, | do not think that listed above benefits are worth all these troubles including water contamination and the constant pollution of air. From my point of view all factories must be built far from the people communities because they can be really harmful for people's health. (266 words) Sample 2: New factories often bring many good things to a community, such as jobs and increased prosperity. However, in my opinion, the benefits of having a factory are outweighed by the risks. That is why | oppose the plan to build a factory near my community. | believe that this city would be harmed by a large factory. In particular, a factory would destroy the quality of the air and water in town. Factories bring smog and pollution. In the long run, the environment will be hurt and people's health will be affected. Having a factory is not worth that rise. Of course, more jobs will be created by the factory. Our population will grow. To accommodate more workers, more homes and stores will be needed. Do we really want this much growth, so fast? If our town is going in growth, | would prefer slow growth with good planning. | don’t want to see rows of cheaply constructed townhouses. Our quality of life must be considered. | believe that this growth will change our city too much. | love my hometown because it is a safe, small town. It is also easy to travel here. If we must expand to hold new citizens, the small-town feel will be gone. | mould miss that greatly. A factory would be helpful in some ways. However, | feel that the dangers are greater than the benefits. | cannot support a plan to build a factory here, and hope that others feel the same way. (251 words) 88 105. The government has announced that it plans to build a new university. Some people think that your community would be a good place to locate the university. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a new university in your community. Use specific details in your discussion. | think it is a great idea to build a new university in my community. However, | think it is a controversial question whether the building of a new university will bring only benefits to our community. In this essay | will analyze advantages and disadvantages of this issue and present my view in favor of establishing a new university in my community. From the one side, establishing a new university in my community brings many benefits. First of all, a new construction means more job opportunities. | think it would be good for my community because many people have to spend much time driving to their work day in and day out because they could not find a job in our neighborhood. Second of all, a new university is a good chance to meet new people and | like this opportunity. Many students will live in our community. Finally, if a new university is built in my community there is a big chance that | will be willing to enroll in it. | think it is great because it is not far from my place and | do not have to move to another part of the city. Another important aspect of this is that people from my community will have a chance to use new libraries and facilities of a new university. For example some people can take courses and classes there. From the other side, building a new university can bring some disadvantages. A new construction means noise, traffic jams and different kinds of pollution. In addition to these disadvantages, many young people in our community can cause more noise especially in the evenings. To sum up, | think that | would support the decision of the government of establishing a new university in my community despite a few disadvantages that could follow this construction. | believe that a new university will increase a chance of many young people to get a higher education, gain more knowledge and experience, which will help them to succeed in today’s world. (341 words) 106. Should a city try to preserve its old, historic buildings or destroy them and replace them with modern buildings? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. Some people think that old, historic buildings are no need for the city and they should be destroyed and replaced with modern ones. However, other people believe that historic buildings must be preserved in order to know and remember our past. For several reasons that | will mention bellow | agree with those people who want to preserve old, historical buildings. First of all, by preserving historical buildings we pass our history to our future generations. | think that out children should know their history, learn from it and respect it. People need 89 to know their traditions and customs, which are priceless and irreplaceable. Our history is our knowledge and power. From my opinion we need to preserve and restore historical buildings. By destroying them we show our disrespect to our forefathers and their traditions. Second of all, by preserving historical buildings a city can attract many travelers. Welcoming tourists a city can get many benefits including money, which can be spent on preserving historical buildings as well as on improving roads and facilities. Also, many tourists mean a lot of new business opportunities. Another important aspect of this is that businessmen will be willing to build new recreational centers, hotels, movie theaters, shopping centers to make a city more attractive for travelers. In addition to those practical benefits, many people will have the opportunity to get a job. All this is good for the economy of the city. To sum up, | believe that preserving old, historical buildings can bring only benefits to a city and all humankind. (259 words) 107. In the past, buildings often reflected the culture of a society but today all modern buildings look alike and cities throughout the world are becoming more and more similar. What do you think is the reason for this, and is it a good think or a bad think? City has its architectural character, but the similarities between cities are more obvious these days than in the past. In my opinion, one reason for this is the high price of land. In most large cities, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing lots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick, which used to give cities their individual character. In consequence many cities. now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were in Brisbane, Bangkok or Berlin when you are on the street. While | realise that we cannot stand in the way of progress, | believe that cities should try to keep some individuality. For example, in Paris it is prohibited to build very tall buildings in the centre of the city, as this would spoil the overall appearance of the skyline. Other cities have chosen to design unique buildings to ensure they look different. The twin towers in Kuala Lumpur or the Opera House in Sydney are examples of this approach, and | agree with this kind of initiative. All in all, although it is regrettable that modern cities look similar, | tend to feel that this is unavoidable. However, it can be argued that, even if the buildings are similar, cities will maintain their own character as a result of cultural diversity, the terrain and the climate, which ultimately determine how people live. 90 LIFESTYLE 110. Some people enjoy change, and they look forward to new experiences. Others like their lives to stay the same, and they do not change their usual habits. Compare these two approaches to life. Which approach do you prefer? Explain why. Some people like to live in the same house, have the same job and habits all their lives. However, others aspire to changes and new experience. Personally, for the several reasons, which | will explain bellow, | prefer the first approach to life. First of all, changes in one's life bring many benefits. One tries new things, gains new knowledge and experience. | think it is great because without changes life becomes boring. | always try to make changes in my life. Moreover, when | feel that my life is boring | do not feel well about it. | feel like | spent those days for nothing. | did not do anything exiting, | learnt nothing interesting and | just waisted my time. Second of all, people need changes. Furthermore, we need obstacles to overcome and reach our goals. | believe that changes make us stronger, more persistent, more self- confident, and more patient. Also, | feel that all people who succeeded in life like changes and new experience because it is impossible to be the best at some field without perfecting the present knowledge and gain new experience. People catch every opportunity to learn more and change their life for the best. From the other side, people who like their lives to stay the same are very permanent. They have the same job all their life, the same habits, the same week-ends and even the same years in years out. | think it is boring. What will they tell their children about their lives? What kind of contribution will they make for the society? | think such people are just afraid of changes. | think curiosity and aspiration to the new experience are two of the main reasons of human evolution. People always wanted to break limits and gain more knowledge and experience. So, people who enjoy change are the engine of human development. (314 words) 111. Some people prefer to eat at food stands or restaurants. Other people prefer to prepare and eat food at home. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. Man, through the ages, has undergone any changes from the time when he had to haunt for food to these days when he has to buy it. Some people prefer to buy fresh vegetables, meat and fruits and prepare food at home. However, other people prefer to skip that step with cooking and have dinner at a restaurant. | think that both of these choices have some advantages and disadvantages. Bellow | will give some reasons to support my answer. Personally, | do not like fast food. So, my choice is always between a restaurant and my home. First of all, | would like to say that cooking is a great tradition. It helps people to relax, reflect on some pleasant moments while peeling or cutting the vegetables. It is a means of eliminating one's stress and tension. Second of all, sometimes | do not want to have something too complicated for my dinner. | just want to have light food like a salad 93 and a glass of milk. So, one of the reasons why | like to eat at home is because | can have what | want at this moment. One greater thing about eating at home is that | can sit in front of the TV and watch an interesting program or a movie. Finally, having dinner at home allows a family communicates with each other, be closer and share some good and bad moments that happened earlier that day. Besides, eating at home is a great way to save some money. As for restaurants, | see some positive aspects about eating there too. First of all, | sometimes get tired from peeling, cutting, washing, frying, etc. It does not mean | do ita lot. Sometimes | just use the microwave and a preprocessed food that | bought earlier. | want to have something more delicious than | have in my refrigerator, something that is time-consuming to prepare at home. So, for me it is a good reason to go to a restaurant. There one may meet old friends or just has a great time listening to music and tasting some delicious meats. Also, restaurants are a good place to celebrate something. One does not have to prepare food for all friends who are coming, wash dish, put in order all that mess after the party, etc. In conclusion, | think that it does not important where one has one's dinner. What important is that it must be full and nutritious. 112. Fashion trends are difficult to follow these days and it’s widely believed that they primarily exist just to sell clothes. Some people believe that we shouldn’t follow them and that we should dress in what we like and feel comfortable in. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?. It's widely believed in today’s materialistic world that the latest innovative fashion trends hold great significance. On the other hand, such trends are believed to be set only in the pursuit of profits for large designer companies. It seems that in recent times, people are now changing their minds in regards to wearing clothes for comfort and as a personal choice. Personally | agree that we should pay more attention to individuality and comfort in the way we dress. Firstly, fashion designs exist as a form of creative artistic expression of the designer. Although this may be true, undoubtedly such designs take away individuality once a trend is set in place. By this | mean that there is nothing unique about wearing what everybody else does. More specifically, if everyone sports the latest colour and design in summer skirts, do we not look the same? Secondly, It is possible that fashion trends can look extremely stylish to the general public. However, it can be argued that the main purpose of wearing clothes is for more functional reasons. This is primarily due to the fact that clothes were traditionally worn to protect people from climatic conditions. For instance, clothes are still worn basically to keep people warm and dry in winter and cool in summer. Finally, fashion certainly gives us a sense of confidence and pride in our appearance. While this is certainly a good point, it also means that following such changeable trends proves to be expensive. For example, purchasing every latest season's fashion item will of course blow the budget of many young people. In conclusion, there are various arguments to support the dismissal of fashion trends, consisting of not conforming, comfort and price, which | strongly agree with. 94 (290 words) 113. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The twentieth century has brought with it many advances. With those advances, human lives have changed dramatically. In some ways life is worse, but mostly it is better. Changes in food preparation methods, for example, have improved our lives greatly. The convenience of preparing food today is amazing. Even stoves have gotten too slow for us. Microwave cooking is much easier. We can press a few buttons and a meal is completely cooked in just a short time. People used to spend hours preparing an oven- cooked meal, and now they can use that time for other, better things. Plus, there are all kinds of portable, prepackaged foods we can buy. Heat them in the office microwave, and lunch at work is quick and easy. Food preparation today allows for more variety. With refrigerators and freezers, we can preserve a lot of different foods in our homes. Since technology makes cooking so much faster, people are willing to make several dishes for even a small meal. Parents are more likely to let children be picky, now that they can easily heat them up some prepackaged macaroni and cheese on the side. Needless to say, adults living in the same house may have very different eating habits as well. If they don’t want to cook a lot of different dishes, it's common now to eat out at restaurants several times a week. Healthful eating is also easier than ever now. When people cook, they use new fat substitutes and cooking sprays to cut fat and calories. This reduces the risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. Additionally, we can buy fruits and vegetable fresh, frozen or canned. They are easy to prepare, so many of us eat more of those nutritious items daily. A hundred years ago, you couldn't imagine the process of taking some frozen fruit and ice from the freezer, adding some low-fat yogurt from a plastic cup and some juice from a can in the refrigerator, and whipping up a low-fat smoothie in the blender! Our lifestyle is fast, but people still like good food. What new food preparation technology has given us is more choices. Today, we can prepare food that is more convenient, healthier, and of greater variety than ever before in history. 114. Nowadays food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Food is a basic part of life, so it follows that improved methods of food preparation have made our lives better. Nowadays we can prepare meals much faster than we could in the past. We can also enjoy a greater variety of food and eat more healthfully, all because of modern methods of food preparation. Microwave ovens have made it possible to prepare delicious food quickly. People these days rarely have time to shop and prepare meals the old-fashioned way. We live very fast lives. We are busy working, caring for our families travelling, playing sports, and many other things. Because of microwave ovens, we have time to enjoy a good meal with our family and then play soccer, go to a movie, study, or do anything else we want to 95