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TOEFL WRITING (TWE) TOPICS AND MODEL ESSAYS

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WRITING TOPICS

Topics in the following list may appear in your actual test. You should become familiar with this list before you take the computer-based TOEFL test. Remember that when you take the test you

will not have a choice of topics. You must write only on the topic that is assigned to you.

185 You have enough money to purchase either a house or a business. Which would you choose to buy? Give specific reasons to explain your choice.

184 Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

183 Films can tell us a lot about the country where they were made. What have you learned about a country from watching its movies? Use specific examples and details to support your response.

182 Many people have a close relationship with their pets. These people treat their birds, cats, or other animals as members of their family. In your opinion, are such relationships good? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

181 In your country, is there more need for land to be left in its natural condition or is there more need for land to be developed for housing and industry? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

180 Movies are popular all over the world. Explain why movies are so popular. Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

179 What are some of the qualities of a good parent? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.

178 The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think this new century will bring? Use examples and details in your answer.

177 A friend of yours has received some money and plans to use all of it either * to go on

vacation * to buy a car Your friend has asked you for advice. Compare your friend's two choices and explain which one you think your friend should choose. Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

176 Holidays honor people or events. If you could create a new holiday, what person or event

would it honor and how would you want people to celebrate it? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

175 Some students like classes where teachers lecture (do all of the talking) in class. Other

students prefer classes where the students do some of the talking. Which type of class do you prefer? Give specific reasons and details to support your choice.

174 Every generation of people is different in important ways. How is your generation different from your parents' generation? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.

173 It is sometimes said that borrowing money from a friend can harm or damage the friendship. Do you agree? Why or why not? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your answer.

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172 When students move to a new school, they sometimes face problems. How can schools help these students with their problems? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.

171 Imagine that you are preparing for a trip. You plan to be away from your home for a year. In addition to clothing and personal care items, you can take one additional thing. What would you take and why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

170 Groups or organizations are an important part of some people's lives. Why are groups or organizations important to people? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.

169 People listen to music for different reasons and at different times. Why is music important to many people? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

168 Many students choose to attend schools or universities outside their home countries. Why do some students study abroad? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

167 Your school has enough money to purchase either computers for students or books for the library. Which should your school choose to buy - computers or books? Use specific reasons and examples to support your recommendation.

166 People recognize a difference between children and adults. What events (experiences or

ceremonies) make a person an adult? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.

165 You have decided to give several hours of your time each month to improve the community where you live. What is one thing you will do to improve your community? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

164 164. People do many different things to stay healthy. What do you do for good health? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

163 Is the ability to read and write more important today than in the past? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

162 Some famous athletes and entertainers earn millions of dollars every year. Do you think these people deserve such high salaries? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

161 People remember special gifts or presents that they have received. Why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

160 When people need to complain about a product or poor service, some prefer to complain in writing and others prefer to complain in person. Which way do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

159 The twentieth century saw great change. In your opinion, what is one change that should be remembered about the twentieth century? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

158 When famous people such as actors, athletes and rock stars give their opinions, many people listen. Do you think we should pay attention to these opinions? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

157 In the future, students may have the choice of studying at home by using technology such as computers or television or of studying at traditional schools. Which would you prefer? Use

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reasons and specific details to explain your choice.

156 You have the opportunity to visit a foreign country for two weeks. Which country would you like to visit? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

155 Plants can provide food, shelter, clothing, or medicine. What is one kind of plant that is

important to you or the people in your country? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

154 In some countries, people are no longer allowed to smoke in many public places and office buildings. Do you think this is a good rule or a bad rule? Use specific reasons and details to support your position.

153 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A zoo has no useful purpose. Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.

152 Many parts of the world are losing important natural resources, such as forests, animals, or clean water. Choose one resource that is disappearing and explain why it needs to be saved. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

151 What is the most important animal in your country? Why is the animal important? Use reasons and specific details to explain your answer.

150 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Watching television is bad for children. Use specific details and examples to support your answer.

149 Imagine that you have received some land to use as you wish. How would you use this land? Use specific details to explain your answer.

148 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing games teaches us about life. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

147 Your school has received a gift of money. What do you think is the best way for your school to spend this money? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

146 Some people prefer to spend their free time outdoors. Other people prefer to spend their leisure time indoors. Would you prefer to be outside or would you prefer to be inside for your leisure activities? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

145 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? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

144 Would you prefer to live in a traditional house or in a modern apartment building? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

143 Some people believe that students should be given one long vacation each year. Others

believe that students should have several short vacations throughout the year. Which viewpoint do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

142 A gift (such as a camera, a soccer ball, or an animal) can contribute to a child's development. What gift would you give to help a child develop? Why? Use reasons and specific examples to support your choice.

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141 If you could make one important change in a school that you attended, what change would you make? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

140 Some items (such as clothes or furniture) can be made by hand or by machine. Which do you prefer - items made by hand or items made by machine? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your choice.

139 What do you consider to be the most important room in a house? Why is this room more important to you than any other room? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

138 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is better to be a member of a group than to be the leader of a group. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

137 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? High schools should allow students to study the courses that students want to study. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

136 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Playing a game is fun only when you win. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

135 Some high schools require all students to wear school uniforms. Other high schools permit students to decide what to wear to school. Which of these two school policies do you think is better? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

134 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.

133 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A person's childhood years (the time from birth to twelve years of age) are the most important years of a person's life. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

132 If you could invent something new, what product would you develop? Use specific details to explain why this invention is needed.

131 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Only people who earn a lot of money are successful. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

130 Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the

advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

129 A university plans to develop a new research center in your country. Some people want a center for business research. Other people want a center for research in agriculture (farming). Which of these two kinds of research centers do you recommend for your country? Use specific reasons in your recommendation.

128 Some people say that physical exercise should be a required part of every school day. Other people believe that students should spend the whole school day on academic studies. Which opinion do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

127 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Reading fiction (such as novels and

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short stories) is more enjoyable than watching movies. Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

126 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? There is nothing that young people can teach older people. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

125 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? All students should be required to study art and music in secondary school. Use specific reasons to support your answer.

124 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is more important for students to study history and literature than it is for them to study science and mathematics. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

123 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.

122 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People are never satisfied with what they have; they always want something more or something different. Use specific reasons to support your answer.

121 Some people trust their first impressions about a person's character because they believe these judgments are generally correct. Other people do not judge a person's character quickly because they believe first impressions are often wrong. Compare these two attitudes. Which attitude do you agree with? Support your choice with specific examples.

120 Decisions can be made quickly, or they can be made after careful thought. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The decisions that people make quickly are always wrong. Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.

119 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People behave differently when they wear different clothes. Do you agree that different clothes influence the way people behave? Use specific examples to support your answer.

118 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.

117 Some people choose friends who are different from themselves. Others choose friends who are similar to themselves. Compare the advantages of having friends who are different from you with the advantages of having friends who are similar to you. Which kind of friend do you prefer for yourself? Why?

116 People learn in different ways. Some people learn by doing things; other people learn by

reading about things; others learn by listening to people talk about things. Which of these methods of learning is best for you? Use specific examples to support your choice.

115 Some people prefer to plan activities for their free time very carefully. Others choose not to make any plans at all for their free time. Compare the benefits of planning free-time activities with the benefits of not making plans. Which do you prefer - planning or not planning for your leisure time? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your choice.

114 Some people think that the family is the most important influence on young adults. Other

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people think that friends are the most important influence on young adults. Which view do you agree with? Use examples to support your position.

113 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.

112 Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why?

111 Some people prefer to spend time with one or two close friends. Others choose to spend time with a large number of friends. Compare the advantages of each choice. Which of these two ways of spending time do you prefer? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

110 Some people prefer to spend most of their time alone. Others like to be with friends most of the time. Do you prefer to spend your time alone or with friends? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

109 When people move to another country, some of them decide to follow the customs of the new country. Others prefer to keep their own customs. Compare these two choices. Which one do you prefer? Support your answer with specific details.

108 Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. 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.

107 Some people believe that a college or university education should be available to all students. Others believe that higher education should be available only to good students. Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with? Explain why.

106 You need to travel from your home to a place 40 miles (64 kilometers) away. Compare the different kinds of transportation you could use. Tell which method of travel you would choose. Give specific reasons for your choice.

105 Students at universities often have a choice of places to live. They may choose to live in

university dormitories, or they may choose to live in apartments in the community. Compare the advantages of living in university housing with the advantages of living in an apartment in the community. Where would you prefer to live? Give reasons for your preference.

104 When you write your answer, you are not limited to the examples listed in the question. It is generally agreed that society benefits from the work of its members. Compare the contributions of artists to society with the contributions of scientists to society. Which type of contribution do you think is valued more by your society? Give specific reasons to support your answer.

103 In your opinion, what is the most important characteristic (for example, honesty, intelligence, a sense of humor) that a person can have to be successful in life? Use specific reasons and examples from your experience to explain your answer. When you write your answer, you are not limited to the examples listed in the prompt.

102 Schools should ask students to evaluate their teachers. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific

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reasons and examples to support your answer.

101 Some people like doing work by hand. Others prefer using machines. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

100 Some people think that governments should spend as much money as possible on developing or buying computer technology. Other people disagree and think that this money should be spent on more basic needs. Which one of these opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

99 You have been told that dormitory rooms at your university must be shared by two students. Would you rather have the university assign a student to share a room with you, or would you rather choose your own roommate? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

98 If you were asked to send one thing representing your country to an international exhibition, what would you choose? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

97 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Teachers should be paid according to how much their students learn. Give specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

96 People have different ways of escaping the stress and difficulties of modern life. Some read; some exercise; others work in their gardens. What do you think are the best ways of reducing stress? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

95 Some people think governments should spend as much money as possible exploring outer

space (for example, traveling to the Moon and to other planets). Other people disagree and think governments should spend this money for our basic needs on Earth. Which of these two opinions do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

94 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Dancing plays an important role in a culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

93 Many students have to live with roommates while going to school or university. What are some of the important qualities of a good roommate? Use specific reasons and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

92 Some people prefer to live in places that have the same weather or climate all year long. Others like to live in areas where the weather changes several times a year. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

91 If you could ask a famous person one question, what would you ask? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

90 If you could meet a famous entertainer or athlete, who would that be, and why? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

89 If you could travel back in time to meet a famous person from history, what person would you like to meet? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

88 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Telephones and email have made

communication between people less personal. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

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87 What discovery in the last 100 years has been most beneficial for people in your country? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

86 If you could go back to some time and place in the past, when and where would you go? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

85 A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Where should this visitor go on that day? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

84 Some people say that the Internet provides people with a lot of valuable information. Others think access to so much information creates problems. Which view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

83 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Modern technology is creating a single world culture. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

82 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Advertising can tell you a lot about a country. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

81 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Technology has made the world a better place to live. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

80 Describe a custom from your country that you would like people from other countries to adopt. Explain your choice, using specific reasons and examples.

79 Your city has decided to build a statue or monument to honor a famous person in your country. Who would you choose? Use reasons and specific examples to support your choice.

78 Is it more important to be able to work with a group of people on a team or to work independently? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

77 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Boys and girls should attend separate schools. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

76 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 position.

75 Some universities require students to take classes in many subjects. Other universities require students to specialize in one subject. Which is better? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

74 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The best way to travel is in a group led by a tour guide. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

73 Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient. Other people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

72 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades (marks) encourage students to learn. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

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71 Which would you choose: a high-paying job with long hours that would give you little time with family and friends or a lower-paying job with shorter hours that would give you more time with family and friends? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.

70 Some people think that the automobile has improved modern life. Others think that the automobile has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

69 If you could study a subject that you have never had the opportunity to study, what would you choose? Explain your choice, using specific reasons and details.

68 Many teachers assign homework to students every day. Do you think that daily homework is necessary for students? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

67 If you were an employer, which kind of worker would you prefer to hire: an inexperienced worker at a lower salary or an experienced worker at a higher salary? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

66 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Classmates are a more important

influence than parents on a child's success in school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

65 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.

64 Some people prefer to work for themselves or own a business. Others prefer to work for an employer. Would you rather be self-employed, work for someone else, or own a business? Use specific reasons to explain your choice.

63 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Most experiences in our lives that seemed difficult at the time become valuable lessons for the future. Use reasons and specific examples to support our answer.

62 What do you want most in a friend - someone who is intelligent, or someone who has a sense of humor, or someone who is reliable? Which one of these characteristics is most important to you? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your choice.

61 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

60 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Games are as important for adults as they are for children. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

59 Some people are always in a hurry to go places and get things done. Other people prefer to take their time and live life at a slower pace. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

58 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Businesses should do anything they can to make a profit. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

57 Some movies are serious, designed to make the audience think. Other movies are designed

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primarily to amuse and entertain. Which type of movie do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

56 A company is going to give some money either to support the arts or to protect the

environment. Which do you think the company should choose? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

55 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? A person should never make an important decision alone. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

54 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? One should never judge a person by external appearances. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

53 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The most important aspect of a job is the money a person earns. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

52 What change would make your hometown more appealing to people your age? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

51 Some people believe that success in life comes from taking risks or chances. Others believe that success results from careful planning. In your opinion, what does success come from? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

50 Some people like to do only what they already do well. Other people prefer to try new things and take risks. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

49 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Face-to-face communication is better than other types of communication, such as letters, email, or telephone calls. Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

48 People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that people work? Discuss one or more of these reasons. Use specific examples and details to support your answer.

47 Some people prefer to work for a large company. Others prefer to work for a small company. Which would you prefer? Use specific reasons and details to support your choice.

46 What are the important qualities of a good son or daughter? Have these qualities changed or remained the same over time in your culture? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

45 Some people prefer to get up early in the morning and start the day's work. Others prefer to get up later in the day and work until late at night. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

44 Some people like to travel with a companion. Other people prefer to travel alone. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

43 Why do you think some people are attracted to dangerous sports or other dangerous activities? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

42 What is a very important skill a person should learn in order to be successful in the world today? Choose one skill and use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

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41 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.

40 The expression "Never, never give up" means to keep trying and never stop working for your goals. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

39 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? With the help of technology, students nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

38 Learning about the past has no value for those of us living in the present. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

37 Do you agree or disagree that progress is always good? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

36 Choose one of the following transportation vehicles and explain why you think it has changed people's lives. * automobiles * bicycles * airplanes Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

35 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Attending a live performance (for

example, a play, concert, or sporting event) is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

34 Businesses should hire employees for their entire lives. Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

33 You have received a gift of money. The money is enough to buy either a piece of jewelry you like or tickets to a concert you want to attend. Which would you buy? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

32 Is it better to enjoy your money when you earn it or is it better to save your money for some time in the future? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

31 Some people spend their entire lives in one place. Others move a number of times throughout their lives, looking for a better job, house, community, or even climate. Which do you prefer: staying in one place or moving in search of another place? Use reasons and specific examples to support your opinion.

30 It has recently been announced that a new high school may be built in your community. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details in your answer.

29 Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

28 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Television, newspapers, magazines, and other media pay too much attention to the personal lives of famous people such as public figures and celebrities. Use specific reasons and details to explain your opinion.

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27 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? People should sometimes do things that they do not enjoy doing. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

26 It has recently been announced that a new movie theater may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

25 It has recently been announced that a large shopping center may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

24 A person you know is planning to move to your town or city. What do you think this person would like and dislike about living in your town or city? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

23 In some countries, teenagers have jobs while they are still students. Do you think this is a good idea? Support your opinion by using specific reasons and details.

22 We all work or will work in our jobs with many different kinds of people. In your opinion, what are some important characteristics of a co-worker (someone you work closely with)? Use reasons and specific examples to explain why these characteristics are important.

21 In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

20 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.

19 Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should

governments spend more money on improving public transportation (buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

18 What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (boss)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important.

17 Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

16 It has recently been announced that a new restaurant may be built in your neighborhood. Do you support or oppose this plan? Why? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

15 Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

14 Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others

believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

13 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.

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12 Many people visit museums when they travel to new places. Why do you think people visit museums? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

11 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Universities should give the same

amount of money to their students' sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

10 When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success." Do you agree or disagree with the quotation above? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

9 Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.

8 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.

7 How do movies or television influence people's behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

6 If you could change one important thing about your hometown, what would you change? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

5 A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the factory? Explain your position.

4 It has been said, "Not everything 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?

3 Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

2 Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents are the best teachers. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

1 People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Topic: 1

People study in college or university for many different reasons. I think the most important reason is to gain more knowledge and learn more skills. Of course, there are also many other reasons that people study in college such as to get more friends, and increase one's self-confidence.

These days, most jobs require people who are educated and have good job skills. Therefore, the people who want a good job have to study hard and at least graduate with a high education. Furthermore, as technology advances all over the world, more and more education is required of

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people.

Some people who study in college or university want to make more friends and increase their

interpersonal skills. They enjoy their lives in university or college and tend to socialize a lot. They can meet more people who have the similar interests with themselves. They can go to uni ball after school and make more friends who they trust.

The people who graduate from college seem more confident in our community. These people are more respected by society. Many people want to be respected and to be important by family, friends, their bosses, and others in their lives. They find that most of them can confidently talk and do their jobs as they are more educated. Therefore, most people want to get the confidence through the university or college study.

In today's society, people need more knowledge and skills to be adapted. The university and college study is a good way to achieve this.

(Essay ID: 316. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 1

In China, more and more people try their best to attend college or university. What are the reasons that make people long for it?

First of all, in my opinion, the most important reason is to gain competence to live a better life in the future. Competition of our days has become more and more drastic, and even a very simple job or low position will attract hundreds of candidates to apply for it. Only those who have a good education and general knowledge can gain better work. So, we should attend college or university for better competence.

Second, attending college or university can change our life. For example, to myself, I am a student from countryside. I am one of the few people who can attend college or university. Most of those who have not studied in college or university go to work early in a small factory in a small town or on a farm in their hometown. Just because I have taken higher education, I can get better chances to study or work in the capital of our country where a lot of people want to go to. Why? Good education gives me chances to change my life.

The third reason for attending a college is to increase knowledge. Study is a so interesting thing that it make our life rich and colorful. It expands our eyesight by informing us with lots of new things what we cannot gain from our common life or experience. On the other hand, by attending college or university, you can learn the knowledge or skill necessary for your future work.

People attend college or university for various reasons. Some may attend for new experiences, and others may think about other things. What I have mentioned is just very few of them.

(Essay ID: 404. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 1

Mr.Taoxingzhi, the most famous educator in China, once said: the biggest misfortune in one’s life is that one does not receive a uniniversiy education. Needless to say, a university degree often helps a person achieve his goal with more ease. However, do we attend university just in pursuit of a degree? Does a university only provide us nothing benefieial besides a paper-made diploma? As far as I am concerned, we enjoy a university education in the following aspects which

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attribulates us to a university education:

Firstly, with the knowledge learned in a university,we will have a deep understanding with our

society. It is ture that genuine knowledge comes from practice, but it can not be denied that

genuine knowledge, tells us how to practise. A thorough study in a college or university, of course, enables us to realize how the society works and how to cope with certain problems arising from it in a more efficiently, more skillful way.

Second, an university education usually make it possible that we acquire a decent job. Because of an accomplishment of a four-year study, it is not difficult for us to find a good job in most cases. How can we imagine that a graduate majoring in astronomy has to be a vendor in the street! Undoubtfully, he/she should sit in his/her labortory, making a reseach on aircraft on a computor.Obviously, a university education assures him/her a decent job.

Last, but not the least, we can help others much better if puttiing what we learn in a university into use. A university education corrects our values, enhance our skills, and broad our horizons. With those, we are moe capable of giving a hand to those who are in need of help than before.

“Knowledge is power”.When achieving a degree in a university, we can get a better

understanding of the society, find a decent job in an easy way, and help others better. All of those are due to the knowledge learned in a university.

(Essay ID: 230 )

Topic: 1

People attend a college or a university for the following reasons, to acquire knowledge which is necessary for a career, to contribute to the society, and to experience life.

Firstly college education is a necessary step for a person who wants to start a career in science and technology areas. If a student wants to become a scientist, it is important for him to go to a science school; if he wants to be an engineer, an engineering school is the best place for him. There is no other place than a college where a student can get sophisticated education in order to be qualified to become a professional in a specific area.

Secondly, a college education can benefit both the society and the student. By attending college one can get himself prepared for and contribute to the society, which seems to demand advanced knowledge more and more. One the other hand, as knowledge plays a very important role in today’s economy, it has also become the capital and asset of the person who owns it: a college education can bring wealth not only to the society, but also benefit the individual who processes it.

In addition, college education is a wonderful experience in one’s life. Only in a college one can be taught by the finest scholars and meet with the most intelligent people in the nation. Education can also bring happiness to the student. When a student has conquered a difficult mathematical problem, he savors the joy which learning has brought to him, and feels that he is the happiest man in the world.

Of course, learning in a campus does not mean as much for everybody, but it does mean a lot to me. I was brought up in a knowledge-respecting family. My farther is an engineer and my mother is a teacher in a primary school. They are both university graduates. My father, being the most influential person in my life and the son of a poor Chinese farmer, did change the destiny of his own by learning hard to earn a university degree. Therefore he firmly believes that “knowledge

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can change one’s destiny and university is the best place to achieve one’s goal”. Of course this influenced me. I strongly believe that attending university is the best choice for me. I do not have a bit of hesitation to attend a university.

(Essay ID: 72 )

Topic: 1

Why do people need to attend colleges or universities? Different people have different answers to this question. I 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 the world around them.

Career preparation is becoming more and more important to young people. For many, this is the primary reason to go to college. They know that the job market is competitive. At college, they can learn new skill for careers with a lot of opportunities. This means careers, such as information technology, that are expected to need a large workforce in the coming years.

Also, students go to colleges and universities to have new experiences. This often means having the opportunity to meet people different from those in their hometowns. For most students, going to college is the first time they've been away from home by themselves. In addition, this is the first time they've bad to make decisions on their own. Making these decisions increases their knowledge of themselves.

Besides looking for self-knowledge, people also attend a university or college to expand their

knowledge in subjects they find interesting. For many, this will he their last chance for a long time to learn about something that doesn't relate to their career.

I would recommend that people not be so focused on a career. They should go to college to have new experiences and learn about themselves and the world they live in.

(Essay ID: 73 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 1

Now days, more and more people are trying to attend college or university. Different people do so for different reasons. Some typical reasons are new experiences, career preparation and increased knowledge. In my opinion, it is the fast developement, almost explosion, of our world that make people to consider attending college or university.

People would usually get bored when they focus on one field for a long time. For this reason, they go to college to pursue experiences in new areas. We often hear that an electrical engineer went to a university to study art or music. With the new experiences, they expand their ken. Maybe some good ideas would jump out during their daily work.

As for the young, they attend college for career preparation. Not only could they get knowledge needed for their future work, they could learn how to think and how to solve questions. The projects students attended are very like their future work.

Some people, who have been graduated from universities for years, are also planning to go back to school. Most of them reattend universities to increase their knowledge. Techlogy is developing so fast that people could not keep up with them unless they keep increasing their knowledge.

All in all, people, who attend college or university, are preparing for their better futures.

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(Essay ID: 238. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 1

College is a place that the students can learn more and new knowledge and experience in it. Of

course, different people have different reason to study in college. For example, some people want to be to go on a further study after they graduate from the college; some people hope to find a good job after their studying in the college and also some people wish to exchange their present situation through studying in the college. In my opinion, no matter what reason people study in the college for, studying in the college is just a preparation for their future life.

First of all, students can learn new knowledge and experiences from the studying in the college.

There are many teachers, professors with abundant teaching experience who teach students lots of new knowledge and help them to solve the problems in their study. With their help, student can learn a lot of useful basic and professional knowledge which is very helpful for their future work. and study. After they finish their study in the college, students go to work in the society and contribute to the different fields.

Secondly, students can learn how to arrange their own time reasonably. Before their studying in college, their life often arranged by their parents and their study often arranged by their teachers. It is very different for them to live and study in college, because students studying in college have to arrange their life and study by themselves. They have right to arrange their part time, such as when to get up, when is the sport-time, when to finish the assignment etc. This is very important experience for students' work and life in the future.

Secondly, studying in the college make students having opportunity to live with other student and learn how to cooperate with other people. Usually, people often have uncomfortable feeling to live with a stranger, because they do not know each other and perhaps their habit and personality are different. But for the long run, it is good for them. They have to cooperate with each other and solve a lot of problems they will face together. Gradually, they can learn how to care and understand other people. It is a preparation for students to go to cooperate with other people in the society.

All in all, students not only can learn lots of new knowledge from the books but also can learn much more necessary experience such as how to arrange time and how to cooperate with other people. It is ver important for their future work and life.

(Essay ID: 335 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 1

Today more and more people attend college or university. But why? As a student of a key university, I want to give my opinion.

Of course, we attend university to increase knowledge. University provides some basic knowledge for our research or our career in the following years. It provides basic information about the major we chose, such as what it research in. If you find that you are not interested in that major, u can change it, till u find one u are interested in. It also provides knowledge for all majors, such as advanced mathematic, English, physics, basic chemistry. Teacher there can help you to decide what you do in the future, to enter a graduate school or to take a job. We must do a lot of experiment during the school years, that makes us quite capable. We visit a factory in the second year to get a general idea about the work our major do. And we have a internship in the third year

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to do the real work.

Then, you can get new experience from university. You can join the student union or join a club. You can learn a lot from it. First, you can learn how to communicate with the different people. And u can learn how to organize a meeting or a party.

And also you can prepare for your career. There are lots of programs to let the students be trained for a job. University runs the program by cooperating with some very large company, some manager from the company will give us some courses which teach us how to run a company, how to lead your group to finish the work, how to cope with some problem, and how to be more confident. And they also tell us which kind of employee they want in the company. These things are quite useful for us, especially for those who want to get a job after graduation.

Now you know that university is quite useful, but the most important thing it teaches us is not the knowledge nor the experience, it is how to think and how to learn.

(Essay ID: 465. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 1

Nowadays, more and more young people attend the universities for different reasons. According to the survey, the main goal of what most of them do so is for career preparation.

There are many reasons to demonstrate it. The most primary reason is that is that university are the most suitable spot to absorb knowledge, which mostly determines your career development. With the development of the society, "knowledge is power" has been a rule: the more knowledge one possesses, the more easily he succeeds in his career. For instance, it is often reported that MBA graduates in famous universities, such as Harvard, will acquire high start payment when the companies employ them for the first time. After several works, abundant working experience and solid knowledge base will make them further develop in the manager class.

Another reason is that universities will provide one with not only knowledge but also many other abilities, including communication ability, corporation ability, and independency ability etc, which are beneficial to future career. At the same time, he can make friends with his schoolmates and deals with all kinds of people, who often become his colleagues or business partner in the future. Furthermore, in this way, his view will be widened and abilities will be improved. When he goes off the campus, he always has stronger competition ability than those who do not go to the

universities.

Last but not the least one is that in contrast, history illustrates that people refused by the

universities have few opportunities to succeed in their career development. Because of their low educational level, most companies would rather employ them as physical workers than mental workers. in this way, the development of technology and science will fall them into disuse. Such as in many manufacturing factories now, there are automatic machines as substitute for workers.

In a word, of many reasons for people to go to universities, career preparation has been the most primary. When education background becomes more important in career development, it will attract more people to do so for a long period.

(Essay ID: 389. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 1

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There are many people want to go to university or college every year and they decide to do so for many different reasons. I believe there are three common reasons are to prepare for career, increase their knowledge and get new experience.

Prepare for career is very important for young people nowadays. In a competitive society, if they have not a good educational background, they will not get a good opportunity in their career or even cannot find a job, so college and university can provide them new skills to meet the requirements of career.

Also, students attend to university or college can increase their knowledge in subjects they

interested, for many people, this is maybe the primary reason to go to college. There are many excellent professors and experts can give us a plenty of knowledge which including many areas. For many people this maybe their last chance for a long time to get knowledge that don't relate to their career.

Besides looking for knowledge, some people want to go to college or university because they decide to live a new life. University can support young people an environment where they can intercommunicate about many topics such as literature, goal of life, art and emotions which are hard to talked about after their university lives, so it is a special experience for young people to live and study in college or university.

All in a word, I prefer increase knowledge and get a special experience to prepare for career in university because getting good opportunities in career is partly depend on your knowledge and experiences on diverse areas.

(Essay ID: 260. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 2

Who teaches you to walk? Who teaches you to speak? It is your parents who teach you to do these basic things in your life. So don't you think that parents are the best teachers!

Firstly, parents know us very much. Parents give us life, and I think that we will spend large

amount of time with them. So they know our merit and demerit in details. Meanwhile, they will help us to get rid of our demerit.

Furthermore, parents possessed many experiences. Since they are older than us, they have

experienced many things. Sometimes, they are just like our models. And as the saying goes:

"Example is better than precept." So we will unconsciously copy some of our parents' habits and styles of behavior, i.e. we can learn many things from them.

Finally, parents will teach us everything. Since schoolteachers can just teach us knowledge from the books, our parents can teach us everything. For example, I learn knitting, cooking and makeup from my mother, while learn fixing leaky faucet from my father. They are the persons who love me most, so they will teach me everything without reservations.

Just as the saying goes: "There is no place like home." And I think there is no teacher like our parents. They are the best teachers in our life.

(Essay ID: 276. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 2

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Some people believe parents maybe a very important teacher for children, but will be taken place by teacher after children go to school, however, I believe parents always are the best teacher no matter how many knowledge children have acquired from school, the reasons why I think so go as follow.

First ,children always imitate their parents from birth, so the parents' influence on children is great. For example, researchers said that parents' expression can influence the growth of their children' character, if parents always smell and watch their child while he is playing, the child' confidence will be greater than other child whose parent always leave him alone at home.

Second, parents are also the best teacher for children in emotional area. For example, If a child feel oppression or feel frustrated in school, he always not talk to his teacher, at this time, parents can help him and child are also willing to tell his inner feeling to his parents.

Third, although child get many knowledge from teacher, basic skills in his whole life are come

from his parents. For example, our basic language skill, basic realize skill and even basic sport skill are all acquired from parents. Because of this basic skill parents teach their child, the influence of parents will follow the child's whole life.

All in a word, the effect parents take on the child's education process is greater than any teachers in school, they are the best teacher.

(Essay ID: 261. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 2

Parents influence greatly their children for a lifetime. I think people are molded by two factors, family and the society that they are in. From birth, humans are influenced by the surrounding people for their characteristics. Parents take a big role in bringing up children, which affects their lives for a long time.

In early infanthood, babies are looking to moms and dads to learn basic manners to be accepted in society. Some of these manners include not running around in restaurants or hitting other kids. As they grow up, they learn more from parents about social etiquette, which makes them more suitable to live in society. Children tend to look to their parents for role models knowingly or unknowingly.

Besides, parents can also affect children's study habits. Children of doctors , lawyers, investment bankers, and other professionals see their mothers and fathers work a lot of time, reading books, and punching keyboards, even at home. They are showing their children how to study by their own behavior.

However, parents can also be a bad example for their kids. It is difficult for children who have abusive parents to lead a normal childhood and is possible that they may become similar to their abusive parents when they grow up. In this sense, the parents' negative role in shaping the children's personality cannot be emphasized more.

In conclusion, parents are the best teachers for their children. They leave big marks on their

children's lives and are therefore more influential teachers than any others they may have in their lives.

(Essay ID: 324 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

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Topic: 2

Who are the best teachers in our life? In my opinion, the first teachers we have in our lives in

most cases are our parents. They teach us to walk, to speak, and to have good manners before we reach "the real world. " More than even the professional teachers that we have in school, parents are generally the most involved in the development and education of children.

The main reason for my view is that our parents are the best teachers at the beginning of our lives, which actually corresponds to the parents' role in nature. Parents are most committed and involved in teaching their children; they have a kind of instinct to sacrifice a part of themselves for the betterment of their children. They love us and have great patience while passing down their knowledge to us. They wish us a success and thus will not teach us bad things. And of course, implicit learning occurs when children unconsciously copy some of their parents' habits and styles of behavior.

Also, during the second stage of child development, adolescence, parents can still be in the best position to offer advice even though the children might not accept it. In this case, perhaps the child's friends would be the best teachers. Adolescents are notoriously rebellious in many cultures and may automatically reject any advice from their parents. My first marriage for instance, was solely a matter of doing the opposite when my parents tried to intrude in offering their advice. So in such matters, parents should be much more flexible and be rather the partners with their children. So we can see that being a teacher of growing child become more and more complicated case as the time passes and many parents are simply not able to meet the increased demands.

On the other hand, I would say that parents are not professional teachers and they tend to be very biased by their love of their children. So wishing good things and an easy life may prevent children from maturation. In any case, parents usually can present only one viewpoint of the world, while good teaching should be based on different attitudes. Thus, when children go to school and have a great diversity of teachers, they learn much more than their parents could probably give them. Furthermore, once our parents get older, they become more conservative and cannot always be objective in regard to modern trends and fashions. Thus we need to take their advice with caution during that period. However, some kind of intuition which I believe shared between relatives about what everybody needs and great love which exists in a families still makes our parents very good teachers and advisers at any time.

In short, while parents are not the ideal teachers, and well-rounded children will generally need a great diversity of teachers in their lives in order to have a more accurate view of the world, parents are generally the most committed of all teachers and have the greatest emotional investment in their children and their future.

(Essay ID: 74 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 3

Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes, from a period when he hunted for his food to the present era when man is dependent on preprocessed foods. During this period not only has man changed his mode of eating but his whole lifestyle as well. In pursuit of more in this competitive world, man no longer has time as he once had. He is caught in a race against the clock. A person who finishes more in lesser time is considered more efficient. This pressure to do more in less time has affected his eating habits as well and, as a result, man no longer has time to cook food. Early man's only objective was to seek food to sustain him and his family. Nowadays finding food has taken a back seat to other priorities, such as career and education.

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Food is no longer of that importance. This is not an encouraging trend. People are too dependent on preprocessed or precooked food, which no longer has the freshness it once had. Such foods loose their mineral and vitamin content and are not as healthy as fresh food. That is why the number of diseases is also rising. People have also shifted to high calorie content food like French fries, pizzas, and ice cream, etc., which is causing obesity, fatigue, etc. As man is becoming busy and too involved in his busy schedule, he has no time even to take care of his own personal needs.

Furthermore, cooking is an art which is dying out. People once enjoyed cooking . It was a means of eliminating stress and tension. People were once able to relax during this time and reflect on their lives.

People may tend to argue that by using precooked and preprocessed food they are efficiently

using time and can use this precious time saved for other purposes. But is it really worth it? This is a question whose answer can invite much speculation about whether by saving this little time we are inviting lots of other problems, which could easily be avoided. It is actually making our lives not simpler but more complicated. We have lost many of the simpler things in our lives, like the simple acts of selecting our evening meal, preparing it, and enjoying it with our loved ones, and we are worse off for it.

(Essay ID: 336 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 3

Nowadays, wherever we turn our gaze, we can see different types of food that are easier to

prepare. For instance, we can buy frozen foods in a supermarket and just prepare it in a couple of minutes, whereas before it could have taken us maybe hours to prepare this kind of meals. I would accept that this so-called improvement has changed our lives, but I believe that there are some drawbacks as well.

It is true that these kinds of food do not involve hard work to prepare, but food that is easy to prepare generally has some artificial ingredients mixed in it that makes it "easy-to-cook". If we take time to read the ingredients, we would definitely come across words like preservatives or artificial flavorings. It was just a couple of days ago that I came across a newspaper article which stated that someone was poisoned because he ate this type of food. He was hospitalized for almost a month.

Not having to cook has also taken the fun out of cooking. Cooking is an art, but in today's world, this is no more true. People are so busy with their work that they just rely on this simple foods. The invention and production of this foods have made people lazy not only for cooking but also for a well family get-together. It was not like former times when families would sit together and eat freshly baked food. Instead, they are getting these artificial things with minimal nutrients in them.

Cooking in the yesteryears was much better than today's. People would spend more time in the kitchen, preparing the food in the way that they liked it. This brought families closer together and also contributed to the high quality and nutrition of the food. Granted, people are busier nowadays and do not have as much time as they did in the past, but I believe that people have forgotten the importance of healthy, fresh food and of the time a family spends together preparing the food. So, I would say that having food that is easy to prepare has had many disadvantages.

(Essay ID: 325 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

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Topic: 3

It can not be doubted that our eating style has encountered a revolutionary change in the last few decades. It is the change in the type of food that has had the greatest influence. Not only have the recipes of certain food types have been altered, but also absolutely new ones have been created. Examples include yet are not restricted to beef hamburgers, potato chips, and cola drinks. All of these changes contribute to making food preparation as fast and easy as possible. It cannot be neglected that modern cooking facilities play a dramatic role in this trend.

Some people regard this trend as a spoiler of our lives. Their argument focuses on two main

points. First, many newly emerged types of food have not the essence of a "complete meal" as defined by nutritionists. To add to the problem, these food types are often served alone. In fact, there are many medical reports warning people from depending upon such fast meals in their food. Other reports indicate a high potential of malnutrition among those who are "addicted" to the common duet of burgers and cola.

Second, the advantage of gathering family members around a meal at home is lost. Fast prepared food types are usually eaten outside home. With the absence of regular family meetings, relationships are likely to be weaker.

Others think that fast prepared food types do improve our style of life. This opinion comes

especially from busy people, working wives, and younger people. They believe that we have many things in life more important than eating. Time spent on food preparation is considered wasted by them. Wives will have more time to take care of their families' souls not just stomachs. Family relationships will get stronger. Business men and women will have more time to concentrate on their business without worrying about food arrangements. In general, people will have a greater opportunity to take care of their minds and hearts. Reports estimate the time spent on food arrangements as a large percentage of our lives.

I agree with that food preparation should take its necessary time and care. Otherwise, the time saved in food preparation can lead to longer times of headache or even of staying in hospitals suffering from malnutrition.

(Essay ID: 328 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 3

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

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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 can 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 vegetables fresh, frozen or canned. They're 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.

(Essay ID: 75 )

Topic: 4

There are two main channels for people to learn knowledge -from books and from experience.

Generally, knowledge gained from books is theoretical, that gained from experience is practical. It is difficult to answer which is more important to we people. It depends on the phases and events of our learning. Knowledge learned from books is instructive, which perhaps cannot learn directly from experience. We often hear thunders and see lightning in the sky, and we can easily find that lightning will be seen sooner than sound will be heard. According to our experience alone, we cannot tell why it had happened. But when we learn some physics in textbooks, we will find the answer clearly that because light travels faster than sound does, it takes less time for light to travel the same distance than for sound. Therefore, book knowledge can inform us some useful theories that can give us general ideas and help us understand the real phenomenon better.

In turn, practice knowledge check out the theories gained from books. There is an old Chinese

saying that practice is the only criterion of inspecting the truth. So not all knowledge from books is credible, even false. When Aristotle wrote in his transcripts that the earth is the center of our planets, no one doubts this for centuries. However, when Galileo read about it, he did not suspect it at first, but when he made some observation and research, he found it is not the truth. Then comes the new theory—Sun center theory.

In our daily life, we can learn much information from practice. To learn swimming, it is useless to be absorbed in reading skills written in books. Only when you learn it in a swimming pool, can you make it. There are still a lot of things you must learn from your own experience, such as driving a car, riding a bicycle, operating a machine. And the most important is that it is often easier learn knowledge from practice than from books. As far as the average people are concerned, it is natural to learn from experience. Primitive people learned skills hand by hand which is the way they were handed down from one generation to another.

Modern people also learn things in practice. In workshops, leading workers teach apprentices

carefully; in activity clubs, teachers teach youngsters to be familiar with their hobbies. It is

obvious that all of things considered knowledge gained from practice is more close and direct than from the books.

Therefore, two kinds of knowledge has importance. For research people , knowledge from books is more important, while for our average people, knowledge from practice is more important. As students, we must first learn knowledge from books well, and at the same time we must have the

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good sense to tell from what is right and what is wrong.

(Essay ID: 76 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 4

We gain our knowledge about the world and our life from two sources: from experience and from books. These two resources are both important, but which of them is more important?

Knowledge from books forms a very important part of our knowledge structure. In schools and colleges, we learn knowledge which is fundamental to our future career. We learn knowledge from books in order to make our contributions to this society in the future. A student learns mathematic equations and other scientific knowledge and become a scientist or engineer. We will be illiterate and ignorant without learning knowledge from books. Moreover, we acquire knowledge about life and the world by reading books, magazines and newspapers. This is also very important as we cannot experience everything all by ourselves. Therefore books are a very important source of knowledge.

On the other hand, we can't learn everything from a book. “Experience is the best teacher” is an old clichй, but I agree with it. The most important, and sometimes the hardest, lessons we learn in life come from our participation in situations. We learn how to get along with others or how to have self-respect from our experience, not from books. We cannot learn emotional feelings, such as love and care, through books; they come from our real life experience. Knowledge from experience is also a very important supplement to knowledge from books.

Needless to say both learning sources, books and experience, are very important to us. But in my opinion knowledge from experience is more important, because without knowledge from experience, it is impossible to get a real understanding of knowledge from books, and how to apply this knowledge to real world situations.

(Essay ID: 77 )

Topic: 5

I have been living in a peace and quiet town for about 10 years. All people around here is so kind, and the landscape is so beautiful that I love this town very much. Recently I heard news that a company will set up a new factory near my community. I was shocked and I hold a negative opinion about this decision.

The main reason why I oppose this plan is that establishing a new factory will cause air pollution. As we know, a factory will give off a lot of waste air which is harmful to people's health. Even though the factory will take measurements to purify the air, it can not make the air as clean as before. It is no doubt that people's health will be affected by the air emitted from the factory. Another reason is that a factory makes too much noise. My community is always a quiet place and this is just what I like the most. A factory will cause the town to become too noisy. For example, every morning, we can be awake from our dreams by the noise of buses which take workers to the factory. The noise of engines will also influent our temper, and may cause us susceptible to anger, and easily lose temper.

Furthermore, a strong reason to oppose this idea is that building a factory will destroy the

landscape of this town. Most people living in this town make their living by cultivating and

harvesting crops. The factory is inappropriate with the landscape of the town and it will occupy the land that is used to farming.

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Of course, building a factory also has advantages to some extent. For example, it will bring more working opportunity for local people, and also it will help developing the local economics. But comparing with the disadvantages, I strongly oppose the idea to build a factory near my community.

(Essay ID: 79 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 5

I support the idea that a factory to be built near our community. I list my reasons as follows.

Firstly, a new factory near our community helps to improve living standard of people in our

community. The factory will employ a lot of workers. As a consequence, the unemployment rate will drop significantly. Many people in our community will find a job in the factory. As people's income increases, they will be able to spend more money on their food, clothing and leisure time, and the quality of life will be increased.

Secondly, a new factory will bring prosperity to our community. The tax collected from a factory is an important source of revenue for our town. As people have higher income, income tax collected will also be increased. The town will be able to spend more money on infrastructures and other development. Moreover, in order to accommodate more workers, more homes and stores will be needed. This will boost real estate development in our community.

Some people say that a factory would bring smog and pollution, and destroy the quality of the air and water in town. This is not the truth. Modern technologies have made today's factories technology intensive and brought pollutions to the minimum. There are also worries that the social structure of this community will be changed and the traditional life will be affected. We should understand that society needs to evolve and we cannot always stay in the old time.

Of course, there will be some drawbacks of building a new factory here. But in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the dangers. I strongly support to build a factory here, and hope that others feel the same way.

(Essay ID: 78 )

Topic: 5

If a large factory is going to be built near your community, is it good or bad? It’s a quite difficult question to answer. Because there are many aspects to take into your consideration, the advantages and the disadvantages. Let’s talk about that.

First, a large factory, especially a large chemical factory is quite harmful to our environment when it is built near our community. It will affect our daily life a lot. All the chemical factories will produce a lot of waste and most of the wastes are harmful to the environment, including poisonous gas and liquid. Some of them can not be entirely broken down. If they are released into the air or the river, it will affect our health. And also the factory may produce a lot of noise. The environment we want to live in is a quiet and peaceful one, so the noise will be quite boring. And yes, noise also affects our health.

Still one thing, a factory can be very dangerous. Because a fire or a explosion may break out in the factory. If it’s very near our home, it’s quite dangerous.

But in other hand , a factory may be a good news to us. It can provide more jobs for us, especially

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for the young people in our community. Since the factory is near, it’s so convenient to go to

work.. and the factory will get more chances to our area. It will help to develop our area. So if the factory can bring us a lot of chances, we will agree to build one. But the most important things are:

1. Build the factory in a safe distance from our community, not too near.

2. Make sure that the factory can deal with the waste properly. Do not release the poisonous gas into the air, and not release the waste water into the river nearby.

3. Make sure the security guard in the factory works very well.

(Essay ID: 466 )

Topic: 5

A company has announced that it wishes to build a large factory near our community. To be frank, I have mixed emotions about this.

Obviously, there are some advantages having such a factory nearby. For example, it can provides more job opportunities and many people may work in the factory. What is more, it also gives a good chance for the development of other business in our community such as shops, theatres and restaurants. Furthermore, the products the factory manufactures will improve our quality of living.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages building a factory here. First, it will disturb the quiescence of our community. Once the factory is set up, a lot of people will rush into our community to work, and the road will get crowded. To transfer the raw materials the factory needs, there will be many trucks coming and going through the streets, and the noise will disturb residents and it is unsafe for our children who always play freely in the streets before.

Second, the factory will produce many waste products each day, and there will be much waste water coming out from the factory and it will pollute our rivers. We do not want to have to see hundreds and thousands tons of waste piled near our houses, and we do not want to see our nearby rivers turning into black dishes either.

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, I decide to oppose to set up such a factory near our community because we need quiet surrounding, blue sky and clean rivers.

(Essay ID: 423. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 5

Weather it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community is a prevalent topic

undergoing serious debate. Two different opinions obviously exist to support and to oppose. After pondering the opinions from several aspects, personally, I agree with the idea that it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community.

By comparing the advantage and disadvantage they will get, people judge which role they should hold. In my opinion, the advantage in this case is superior than the disadvantage. we can see it below.

The main reason for my propensity for the choice is that the factory will supply lots of

employment opportunities for society, especially the people of the community nearby. The

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unemployment will decrease and the people’s standard of living will increase in some degree. so, no doubt, people will accept the factory willingly and rapidly.

Another reason why I prefer to the statement lies in the fact that with the developing of the

factory, many other establishments will be founded around it. These establishments will make the lives of the people of the community more convenient. For example, drugstores, restaurants, even hospital, new bus stop will be built up. People here will enjoy the convenience the factory brings. It is undeniable that the factory will bring some problems, such as the noise, air pollution. Whatever, these disadvantage will be limited into a low level so that they can not contaminate the environment of the community.

From what has been discussed above, we can safely draw the conclusion that it is beneficial to build a large factory near our community.

(Essay ID: 496. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 6

Everything in the universe is in constant change. And everything needs continual improvement if the ever changing and increasing demands of humankind are to be met. If I am ever given the chance to change one important thing about my home town, it would be internet service. Needless to say that nothing generally revolutionized the way we live as internet in the past decade. Thus, an improvement in this vital service would mean an even more, unheard betterment to the people in my home town.

It is said that information is power. True saying indeed! I can envision how everything in my home town could improve dramatically if the internet service in it were made free, fast and staying out there like electricity, telephone or water all the time. One thing, a fast free and reliable internet service could improve in my home town is the way people work. If there is a this said service people in my home town must not necessarily commute to a far place to do their job. This in turn would mean less traffic jams, spacious work place, more time for family and recreation and so on.

The way people learn would be another important thing that a fast, free and reliable internet

service could better in my home town. People will have the chance to go through tremendous and different information resources in a very small amount of time. They, apparently will also take less time to share it. This assures a more fulfilled life for my home town people.

Since its advent, internet touched every part of our life. It in a dazzling way improved the way we do business, learn and communicate. A change in internet service implies good way of living for every one in my home town.

(Essay ID: 331 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 6

If I could change one important thing about my hometown, it would be air pollution problem, and I will give the following reasons to explain why I want to solve the problem.

The first and most important reason is that I hope that my hometown can become a beautiful city. As an old industrial city, my hometown has made a great deal of contribution for the country’s economic development. At a result, the natural environment of the city has been badly damaged. The forest has disappeared; the mountains have become bald, and the most awful thing is that the air quality becomes more and more worse. People seldom see the blue sky during most time of

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year.

Another reason why I want to change my hometown’s air pollution situation is that the city’s

development needs clean and tidy environment to attract investors. Nowadays people have come to know that the city’s environment, which is so called “software facility of the city”, plays an important role in the city’s future. For example, due to the fact that the environment of the city is very poor, many local students who pursue their study out of the city would rather find themselves a job in other cities than coming back to their hometown after they graduated.

In addition, nowadays people have paid more and more attention to their health. If air pollution problem cannot be solved as quickly as possible, people’s requirement for a healthy body will never be realized.

In my mind, changing air pollution will apparently be my first choice if I can change one

important thing about my hometown. Fortunately people in my hometown are gradually aware of the serious problem.

(Essay ID: 80 )

Topic: 6

If i could change one thing about my hometown, i would like to build up some useful and

advanced facilities for their use. A modern library, an advanced broad band system and an

integrated gym may bring a lot of changes to people living in my hometown and keep them up with the latest information and technology.

In my opionion, a modern library in my hometown can provide a good environment for the local people to study and upgrade themsevles. There are a lot of newspaper, magazines and reference books for their use. They can know what happened around the world and keep up with the fastpace of this developing world. From lots of cultural books, they also can own a good habit of reading and learn to get knowledge from books. "Knowledge is strengh". Knowledge can give us guidance to overcome problems we meet in the daily life.

To popularize the broad band at home also is a quick access to Internet and movie channel, which can give people much more chances to choose their entertainment. Because of the Internet, our lives have been changed a lot no matter whether we accept or not. We can read news, buy items from e-commerce companies, send a free e-card to our friends, mail our beautiful photos to anyone we like or watch the movies online. Anyway, Internet brings us obvious changes. Additionally, broad band also can provide movie channel to users. Can you imagine that you can watch the movies you like just by cliking one button? It provide different types of movie for you to choose. People have more choice to enjoy the life and advanced technology at home.

Besides important information we need to know and advanced technology we use, we also need to do exercise to keep our healthy life. This is the reason why i want to set up an integrated gym in my hometown. Through doing many various exercises, such as, swimming, jogging, playing badminton or tennice, peopple can enhance their ability to resist the virus and enjoy the life happily. Furthermore, people who often do exercise have positive attitudes towards life although when facing difficulties. This is really what i hope to see.

In summary, i want my hometown to be a city equipped with a modern library, an advanced broad band system and filled with people liking exercise, loving life and possessing positive attitudes towards life. Thus, i want to build up above-mentioned facilities first.

(Essay ID: 270 )

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Topic: 6

With the developement of my hometown in the past few years, the population is expanding very fast. The city is expiriencing not only a higher birthrate than ever, but also waves of immigration. The streets in the city are crowed or even jamed during the rush hours. If I could change one thing about my hometown, I would develope an advanced public traffic system.

In order to hold such an exploding population, the city has extended miles by miles without much plan. It is common for people to travel from the southmost part to the northmost part of the city to go to work everyday. They have to spend three hours or more on the way they go to work and come home. Eight hours' work is a heavy burden, while people have to spend hours before and after the work. A subway running through or around the city can solve the problem. People could live further away from the downtown without worrying about spending too much time on the way.

Some people buy their own car or take a taxi to work everyday. It's really expensive for most of the people in the city. They can't afford paying so much on traffic fares. Many civil engineering experts advocate that sharing a public traffic system is the most efficient way. People could reduce their fares a lot by using the public traffic system, and they can spend the money on some other things.

Even there are more and more people who can afford buying a car or taking taxi everyday, It is still suggested to using the public traffic system. Because the road developement can never keep up with the demand of the increasing cars, the cars may jam on the roads during rush hours. Usually, the speed of the car in that time is no higher than a bycicle! And pollution is another concern. So many private cars running in the city will bring us an environmental problem. On the other hand, the pollution from the public traffic system is much lighter.

All in all, an advanced public traffic system time efficient, cost efficient, and pollution preventing. This is the trend of advanced cities.

(Essay ID: 256. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 6

I am from Arroz e Feijao, a small town in the northeast of Brazil. Building a factory in there will bring a lot of advantages and disadvantages, but I believe that Arroz e Feijao will mostly benefit from the building of a new factory because it is largely populated by poor people and the factory would bring many benefits to this small town. However, of course, a factory has disadvantages as well.

As you know, factories usually bring pollution. If this factory is not managed very effectively and efficiently according to specific rules, it's prone to polluting the local air and water. What's more, factories usually make noise. Beside clean drinkable water and fresh air, an ideal community should be quiet. If the factory cannot maintain this situation to the community, it will not last long. A factory that is too noisy or pollutes too much will eventually be relocated to a new area.

On the other hand, a factory could bring a lot of benefits to the community. So I would support the plan to build a factory to my community for all the reasons I will describe below.

First of all, the factory's construction will surely improve the local infrastructure. To run smoothly, the factory will have to have a steady, reliable supply of water and electricity. Some old pipes will be changed, and some facilities will be renovated. The residents' living standard get improved as a

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result of these widespread changes, an important benefit in Arroz e Feijao, where many people do not have access to clean water.

Secondly, to make the employee commute more convenient, the local roads will have to be rebuilt and broadened, resulting in improved public transportation. The town's residents can take a public bus to go shopping or go to work. As a result, air pollution and fuel consumption might be reduced.

Most important, a factory's establishment will bring up a lot of employment opportunities for the community. A factory need experts from various fields. The residents can take just a few minutes to go to the factory to work. So, the local residents can get great benefits from this factory.

Generally speaking, I agree with the plan to build a factory near my community. If the factory can be managed successfully, the factory and local residents can have mutual benefit.

(Essay ID: 330 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 6

Have you been waiting for buses at bus station for an hour in an extremely hot day? Have you been staying in a car waiting hours for the heavy traffic? Have you seen the scene that tons of people are crammed on a small bus? Maybe you think that’s incredible, but it’s true in my hometown. So the thing I want to change most about my hometown is the mass transportation system.

Mass transportation system is a very important part of a city. It influences people’s daily life,

work and entertainment. An effective mass transportation system can save people’s time so that people can do more work hence to increase the city’s efficiency. If you were the mayor, would you like the people in the city to sit in the cars or stand at bus stations wait for hours or would you like them to sit in the offices or stand in factories work for hours?

Moreover, a city with bad mass transportation system can’t be qualified as a good city, regardless how rich the city is and how big the city is. It’s essential for a city to have a good mass transportation system to be qualified a good city. For example, big cities such as Toronto, Tokyo, New York all have very good mass transportation systems which can bring people anywhere they want in a short time. A bad mass transportation system would limit the city to grow and it would be a handicap for the city to develop in the future.

Finally, as we can see, if my hometown can improve the mass transportation system, people will appreciate it a lot. It will be a great thing which benefits everyone in the city and makes our lifes more convenient.

(Essay ID: 480 )

Topic: 7

Do movies and television affect our behavior? I believe that movies and television do influence our behavior, both for the better and for the worse.

Movies and television influence our behavior because they make us less active. Looking at films is a passive activity. If we watch too much, we become unhealthy, both mentally and physically. We stop using our own imagination when we see things acted out for us. Mental laziness becomes physical laziness; we'd rather watch sports on TV than play sports ourselves. We'd rather visit

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with the characters on "Seinfeld" or "Friends" than go chat with our own neighbors. Imaginary

people have exciting lives. Is it any wonder that some people would rather live a fantasy life than their own? Movies and television also can make people more violent. The more we see violent acts on television, the less sensitive we become to them: Eventually violence doesn't seem wrong. We may even commit violent acts ourselves. This is especially true because we don't always realize that violence has consequences. Actors can be killed and come back for another movie. Sometimes we confuse that with reality. We forget that killing someone is permanent.

Of course, watching movies and television can also be good for us. It can give us a broader

window on the world. For example, seeing movies can expose us to people of different races and cultures. We can then overcome some prejudices more easily. Recently there have been more handicapped people in films, and this also helps reduce prejudice.

The best influence on our behavior is that movies and television reduce stress. Watching films, we can escape our own problems for a little while. Also, sometime movies show positive ways to resolve problems we all face. While TV and movies shouldn't be a way to hide from life, sometimes they can help us cope.

It is true that movies and television can influence our behavior negatively. However, I also believe that they influence our behavior in positive ways. How they affect you depends on how much you watch, what you watch, and how you respond to what you watch.

(Essay ID: 81 )

Topic: 7

Hesitating I enter my house, the light outside is dimming and the shadows make everything appear unfamiliar. I know that my husband has not returned from work yet, simply because his car is not in the garage. I am alone. I carefully check all the rooms, almost expecting something to happen suddenly. I hold my bag in my hand as if it were a weapon. After the whole house has been declared "clear," I start to breathe normally again and a smile appears on my face as I realize, once again, how a simple movie seen at the cinema a week earlier can modify my actions.

Sometimes I wonder if I should watch TV, with all its shows that make me wonder whether I

exercise enough, whether I am slim enough, or whether I treat my pets with the care they deserve: am I really concerned about their mental health? Not to mention the hundreds of commercials that try to make me believe I need a water purifier to remain alive since the water I am currently drinking is heavily polluted! And countless are the times when I have heard people talking by quotations learned from movies. We need to watch shows and films to know what to say, how to be, how to act. We are so addicted to all this that it almost seems like we cannot think on our own.

I cannot help thinking about what happened to me some days ago, an example that clearly shows what kind of power TV has over people. My husband and I were in a restaurant when I heard my young neighbor pronouncing violent words in a low angry voice. Surprised, I turned to better understand the situation and I saw that he was holding a fake military device and was acting as if he were filming a war movie. I am sure that if I had been a little be more updated about this type of movie, I would have recognized what he was saying as a quotation. Now, I wonder if he uses such a language also with his friends and with his parents, if he is aggressive, and if so, whether his attitude has really nothing to do with what he watches on TV.

That same evening on the way home I saw two cars stopped one next to the other at a traffic light and as soon as the light turned green they started racing, in the middle of town. In this case not even a major knowledge of movies and TV programs would have helped me: there are just to

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many of them on the market showing the exact same thing: people racing with cars.

I am sure that everybody, if asked, could easily list many other examples of how TV and movies can modify our behavior and therefore our life but, I wonder, if we will always be able to draw the line between a TV show and real life, between what they make us think we want and what instead we really need and are and believe.

(Essay ID: 332 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 8

Television is undoubtedly one of the most powerful means of communication in the history of

humankind, rivaled only by such other forms of communication as the Internet, the telephone,

movies, and, of course, simple, low-tech speech. Television, with its wide availability and rich

media with image and sound, is difficult to ignore and even seductive in its appeal. Television is as much a part of our lives as are our meals, work, or school; studies consistently show that the average American child spends almost as much time watching television as she does in school. Furthermore, because television is so rich in its media, it often requires our full attention or is more attraction to us than are our daily lives. Naturally, the more time one spends watching television, the less time she has with her family and friends. Thus, we can clearly see why some have claimed that television has been harmful for communication among family and friends. However, I believe that, while television has been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly "destroyed" communication among family and friends for most people, although for some, this may be true.

Most people much prefer spending time with their families and friends to spending time watching television. Television is of course an important part of many people's lives, but most people would gladly choose family and friends over television were they given the choice. Furthermore, most educated people are aware of the deleterious effects of too much television and either avoid excessive time watching television, or actually do not enjoy it. I, for example, after a long day at work, would much rather spend time talking with my wife and playing with my children than I would watching some unrealistic portrayal of life on television. For me and my family, our time together is precious and beautiful, and could never be replaced or hurt by television.

Furthermore, the effect of television is simply not so great that it could be said to have

"destroyed" communication among family and friends. Granting that communication among

family and friends in industrialized countries has decreased in recent years, it might be tempting to blame this problem on television since its rise roughly coincided with the decrease in time we spend with our families. However, I believe this situation is more likely due to increased pressures relating from work, school, and the economy. In my case, for example, I find that my pressures from work are so great that I must often sacrifice time at home so that I can meet the challenges of running my own business. Many of my friends are in similar situations--my best friend, for example, has just finished law school, which took about sixty hours a week of his time. In a word, people nowadays have very little time for anything, but television is not the cause--it is increased desire to succeed.

In some situations, however, television has surely contributed to a decrease in communication among family members. In my childhood in the countryside, I often saw parents and children watching television for hours on end, rarely speaking with one another. It seemed for them that television was a way to escape from their sad, miserable existence. However, even in this case, I would say that television merely contributed to the bad situation, but did not cause it; were television not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, alcohol or gambling, for example. In other words, people always find a way to do what they want to do.

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In short, I do not believe that television has destroyed or even harmed interpersonal

communication among most people. Most people realize that television is merely a temporary diversion and do not use it to replace interpersonal communication. I believe that the damage attributed to television is greatly exaggerated and that such damage is most likely attributable to other more powerful social factors.

(Essay ID: 339 . Sample essay provided by Erin Billy of www.TestMagic.com)

Topic: 8

When asked about what has been brought by television , different people have different answers. There is some people who don't like TV saying that television has destroyed communications among friends and family. however other people take a negative attitude on this issue. In my opinion, I disagree with the above statement . The reasons are given below.

Television is only one instrument for people to relax. There is many ways of amusement for

people to select after the working time nowadays. You can select to meet your friends, to

accompany your parents or to take part in some sports activities. Watching TV at home is simply one way to live. It is too narrowly to regard TV as one main reason to damage relationship among friends and family just because some people has spent a lot of time on it .

Another reason that I disagree with the above statement is that TV can provide some additional topics for communication among friends and family. Talking about the news, the soap drama or soccer game watching on the TV last night is also good communication ways to increase your affections with your friends and your family. Also sometimes, skipping one TV program could probably make you lose voices among your friends.

Last but not least, watching TV is one good medicine to cure the loneliness when your friends and parents can not accompany with you. I would not forget the warm which was brought by TV when along outside the hometown.

I can't deny that some people has ignored friends and family when they are addicted into watching TV. However, everything has it's two sides. All the factors mentioned above determined me to draw the conclusion that it is not reasonable to say television has destroyed communications among friends and family.

(Essay ID: 234. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 8

Some people believe that television has destroyed communication among friends and family. I think this is an exaggeration. In my opinion, whether or not television hurts communication depends on what type of program is being viewed. More importantly, it depends on the type of viewer.

There are empty programs and educational programs. Empty programs do not challenge people. They have just enough storyline to keep them from switching channels. There are also passive and active viewers. A passive viewer will just watch television without thinking about what he or she is seeing. The combination of an empty program and a passive viewer makes communication unlikely. Passive viewers just continue to watch, actually enjoying the fact that they don't have to think. They won't break away to talk about programming with friends and family. Even with better programming, passive viewers still won't think or communicate much. They'll probably even

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prefer the empty programs because the better programming is too much work.

On the other hand, active viewers watching educational programming always want to share what they see with friends and family. "Educational" doesn't necessarily mean documentaries on PBS. They could be dramas with realistic relationships or action shows with clever plotlines. When active viewers watch programs, they have ideas and talk about them with others. Good programming inspires them to change their thinking and their lives. Unlike passive viewers, they don't want to watch more and more without thinking.

In short, television may destroy communication among passive viewers. Those viewers probably don't want to communicate with friends and family much anyway. For active viewers who already enjoy communicating, television is actually helpful!

(Essay ID: 82 )

Topic: 9

I grew up in a small town and then moved to a big city, so I have experienced the good and bad

sides of both. I never thought that I would like living in a big city, but I was wrong. After ten years of living in one, I can't imagine ever living in a small town again.

Small towns and big cities both have some problems in terms of transportation. In a small town, you have to own a car to ensure a comfortable living. You can't get around without one because there isn't any kind of public transportation. Big cities generally have heavy traffic and expensive parking, but there you have a choice of taking public transportation. It's not free, but it's often cheaper than driving when you consider gas and time. Especially if you don't have a car, you're better off in the city.

I love the excitement of big cities. Small towns have a slow pace. Large cities mean you have to adapt to a variety of situations, like finding a new route to work or trying a new restaurant. I enjoy that challenge very much. Another pan of the excitement of city living is the variety of cultural activities available. There is a wide assortment of theatre, music and dance performances available in big cities. These things are rare in small ones.

The final thing I like about large cities is the diversity of the people. The United States is made up of people of different races, religions, abilities, and interests. However, you seldom find such a variety of people in a smaller town. I think that living in an area where everyone was just like me would quickly become boring.

Of course, security is a concern, and that's one area where small towns are superior to big cities. Still, I would rather be a bit more cautious and live in a large city than to feel secure but bored.

(Essay ID: 83 )

Topic: 9

Where should we live? Some may choose to live in big cities, while other like the natural and quiet surroundings in countryside. As far as I am concerned, I would like to live in a big city because living in a big city has more advantages than living in countryside.

To begin with, the city is the symbol of human civilization and there are a many facilities for

living, recreation and health care. Therefore, living there is more convenient than living in

countryside. For example, we can find a plenty of malls around our neighborhood, where we can

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buy everyday necessities at a low price. Furthermore, people concern more about their health and safety than other things in their lives. In big cities, medical facilities and emergency services are easily accessible than in countryside. Big cities also have convenient transportation and utility systems. They also offer faster Internet connections. These all make our life easier in big cities.

In addition, we can take part in a variety of events in big cities. Human being likes to live together and need to interact with each other. In a big city, the population density is high therefore there are always plenty of social activities, sports events and concerts. There are more recreational places in big cities, such as opera houses, movie theatres, clubs, and swimming pools. You will have many kinds of entertainment in big cities, and meet many people. In countryside, however, the life may be dull and quite, and you may only have a few neighbors. Living alone with few activities can easily cause mental diseases.

Some may argue that the pollution in cities makes people sick. However, with automobiles and

modern highways we can easily take a break to expose to fresh air in countryside and sunshine on the beach.

In conclusion, I strongly hold that living in big cities is much better than living in countryside

because of the advanced facilities and social activities in cities. Moreover, the autos and highways enable us to enjoy the natural and quiet surroundings in countryside.

(Essay ID: 411 )

Topic: 9

In English, there is a well-known fairy story about a poor country boy, Dick Whittington, who goes to London because he believes that the streets of that city are “paved with gold”. The story is a tale of “from rags to riches”. Dick eventually becomes the Lord Mayor of London. Like the hero of that story, I always find wonder and adventure in cities.

Cities contain a great assortment of people. Whenever I walk around a shopping precinct at

midday on a weekend, I am fascinated by all the different types of people hurrying around the shops. Sometimes, I just sit on a public bench and simply watch the variegated streams of shoppers. Today, in the age of globe-trotting transport and communications, city life is more mixed than it has ever been. Capital cities are not cosmopolitan, and eager to attract foreign trade and currency. There is a contemporary English joke which tells that “you can never find an Englishman in London”.

Whether rightly or wrongly, governments and local authorities usually build public amenities in the big cities. Money is invested in transport, libraries, parks and museums. Often, countries will compete with each other for the best “show-case” building. Malaysia has built a skyscraper that is taller than is anything in New York. In large countries, region will compete against region: New York against Chicago, Shanghai against Hong Kong and Beijing.

All of this is good for the citizen. The magic of the Dick Whittington story is rekindled in me when I enter a library in a magnificent building. If a person is at university studying art or music, a large city usually offers galleries and public performances. Even as a teenager, I appreciated the worth of living in a city because two or three times a year there was a rock concert by a favorite band.

Architecture is the urban landscape. If a person has an appreciation of architecture, a city can be as visually exciting as the Himalayas. A modern metropolis is a mountain range of height, light and solidness. And then there are the old buildings: the quaint, unspoiled side-street or shops and homes from a distant age. If a person lived all of his life in one large city, he would continue to

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discover its architectural secrets into his old age.

Man is a 'social animal'. He talks, mixes and creates. Cities offer the libraries, universities and cafe bars for him to meet others of his kind.

(Essay ID: 489 )

Topic: 10

I fully agree with the claim that there is no correlation between success and luck. Moreover, I understand success to refer to one's ability to achieve the predominant part of his goals in his lifetime, which in turn leads to a correlation between success and income since the accomplishment of such a natural goal as to provide a good future for your loved ones demands the means. What is the simplest and most lawful way to earn enough to consider yourself a successful person? To receive a good education and to find a good job. Both receiving an education and making a career presuppose one's readiness to work hard, and success without hard work is simply not possible for the vast majority of the world's population. The reasons and examples listed below will strengthen my point of view.

First of all, considering an education and a career as key factors of success, one will choose to pursue a degree from a college or a university. One wishing to be admitted to the university will have to take several tests. It is doubtful that someone will be so lucky that knowing nothing, he could pass the test with a high score. A low score means failure, and that test taker will not likely be admitted. Therefore, in order to be successful, one should prepare for the tests and work hard, because a good education will provide him with a good job and an opportunity to accomplish

some of his goals and dreams. In my lifetime, I have never met a person who could graduate from a college without working hard.

Secondly, it is impossible to make a career if one is indolent and lacking knowledge, at least in developed countries. Luck plays no role in achieving this success. Even if someone was unbelievably lucky enough to become a manager not being qualified enough, he will be asked to resign in the near future because of his inability due to lack of knowledge and experience to make right decisions. For instance, I used to work for a very small company owned by a friend. This company was later closed because of bankruptcy. The cause of bankruptcy was wrong strategies and decisions made by the owner. After the failure, he went to a university and worked for another company so that he could obtain experience and become a successful businessman. Nowadays, he considers himself a successful person because he had turned into reality his two biggest dreams of producing consumer goods of high quality and making charitable donations to needy people.

In sum, as long as someone understands success as an ability to turn into reality some of his

dreams and goals, he will have to work hard because he will need money. And his chances to earn that money will remarkably increase if he could graduate from a college and make a career. All of these things are simply not possible without hard work. Luck has no place in such a scheme of events.

(Essay ID: 71 )

Topic: 10

There is a humorous saying in English - “The grass is always greener on the other side of the

valley”. The saying is used ironically to point out that there is a temptation in us all to insist that others are more fortunate than we are. This is nowhere more true than on the question of luck and

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hard work. When faced with the “bad times”, we often find comfort in the idea that we are

special in our degree of misfortune. I feel that such an attitude is negative, and that it can bring only further misfortune.

Many famously successful people have begun from small origins. Mao was the son of a (modestly prosperous) peasant; the explorer Captain Cook was so poor that, as a child, he had to work by day and study by night; many of the affluent Americans of today are the children of the poor immigrants of yesterday. Beethoven, it should be remembered, became deaf before the end of his career. There are many, many more people who have also made genuine, though Jess spectacular, successes against the odds.

Within his own terms, a person who is born into poverty in India is a great success if he manages to own a house in later life. Poverty cannot be reduced by merely complaining and blaming others: no matter how guilty other people are, each individual must reach out to success for himself. Indeed, some economists believe that the world operates by what they call “the rule of the jungle”. They believe that in economics a person a1ways attempts to gain profit from his neighbor: that given the chance the poor man would quickly make himself rich by trading to his own advantage.

Also, it is presumptuous to judge another according to his or her apparent fortune. No man can ever truly understand the sufferings of his neighbor. A man who appears comfortably rich may have suffered elsewhere in his life - through the death of a loved one, for example. Retired businessmen have often worked long hours in their youth. Surely, it must be wiser to respect achievement than to deny that anyone has achieved good in the world.

To rely on notions of luck - to believe that life is a kind of lottery - is an attempt to escape reality. Paradoxically, the only time a person can claim that luck is more important than work is when he reflects on his own success. Because of that modesty, the great man then becomes even greater.

(Essay ID: 486 )

Topic: 11