Into our homes that previous generations would not have had the opportunity or regret to witness.

Television is commonly criticized as being bad for children that an important fact sometimes gets overlooked. In my personal opinion some types of television viewing may actually enhance children's intellectual development.

Television contains an enormous variety of forms and content. The effects of television viewing depend on program content and genre. According to a research, young children who spent a few hours a week watching educational programs such as Sesame Street, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Wizard's World and 3-2-1 Contact had higher academic test scores 3 years later than those who didn't watch educational programs. On the other hand, children who watched many hours of entertainment programs and cartoons had lower test scores than those who watched fewer hours of such programs.Good educational programs can provide lasting benefits to children.

Children are most likely to become actively engaged with television content that is neither too easy nor too difficult to comprehend, that is, content that provides some challenges, but also allows a child to gain a sense of mastery. Just like our muscles, the brain gets stronger when it is used, and atrophies when it isn't used. It seems that lack of use also leaves it vulnerable to degeneration later in life.

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Of course, there are some bad sides for children to watch TV. Our TV-watching children

increasingly view life as an entertainment extravaganza, in which they yearn to play a starring role, and here the nasty content of so much modern broadcasting comes into play. Besides, it is hard to watch an evening of TV without encountering unspeakable violence, whose perpetrators are celebrated. Again, the effects of television viewing depend on program content and genre, and parents should teach their children on choosing the right TV program to watch.

(Essay ID: 26 )

Topic: 151

In the United States there are many important animals. They help us in a wide range of ways from food production to scientific research. An animal that is not only helpful to us but close to us emotionally is the dog. That is why I feel that dogs are the most important animal in my country.

Dogs provide a very important chance to learn or maintain social skills. Children who have dogs learn responsibility white caring for them. Dogs also help older people: The elderly often feel lonely as they get older and have fewer living friends and relatives. They are able to maintain a positive outlook and to feel needed because they are caring for a dog that needs them.

In addition to social benefits, dogs also provide some very important assistance. Seeing-eye dogs help the blind live fulfilling, fully mobile lives. Dogs that act as shepherds on small farms are also very helpful. Lost animals mean lost money for farmers, and that can mean going out of business. Police dogs help find illegal drugs, catch criminals, and protect their handlers. Dogs' intelligence and desire to please people made them ideal for all kinds of work.

Finally, dogs can save lives. Dogs have been known to find lost children. In extremely cold

conditions, they have provided them with life-saving warmth. Dogs have alerted people to fires

and other dangers. And we cannot forget guard dogs, which save many owners' lives and property each year by scaring off potential burglars.

Again, there are many useful animals in the United States. In terms of the numerous ways in which they can be helpful, however, I believe the dog is the most significant.

(Essay ID: 27 )

Topic: 151

Before I answer this question, I feel that I should introduce myself. I come from China, so I think that the pig should be the most important animal in our country because this animal plays a very significant action in our daily life.

Needless to say, the pig is one of the most important meat foods. Everyday, we eat it from its head to its feet. All parts of a pig are edible. We can use its different parts to cook all kinds of delicious food. In China, there are eight kinds of dish party. Every kind is closely associated with the pork.

The second, the pig is also a kind of important industrial material. We can use the pig skin to make all sorts of shoes, wallets and other leather goods. In addition, its feather can be used to make brushs.

The last reason is that raising pig is one of the important income sources of farmers. If you have a chance to China, you can find that almost every farmer family raises several pigs. Many farmers

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get their cash by selling pigs. At the same time , some provident and skilled farmers have become very wealthy through raising pig.

After understandind the reasoning above, I think that nobody should doubt my answer about this question. The pig is really the most important animal in our country.

(Essay ID: 258. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 152

Many natural resources are disappearing or being wasted on our planet every day. One of the

most important resources we are abusing is our trees. Each year, hundreds of thousands of acres of trees disappear in countries all around the world. In some countries, these trees are used for fuel. In other countries, trees are destroyed to build housing developments and shopping centers. Saving trees has become a major cultural and economic issue in many areas of the world.

Trees are essential to our survival. They are a major part of the process of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants use carbon dioxide to produce oxygen, and oxygen is something all of us need. The fewer trees there are, the more this affects our ability to breathe.

Trees are also important in the development of many medicines. The mainstream medical

establishment did not recognize this for many years. However, those who use natural medicines have always known how important trees are. Now scientists are agreeing with them. Many drugs come from the leaves of certain trees, along with other herbs and plants.

In rural areas, farmers have always known how important trees are to soil conservation. This is why you'll usually see trees lining a field. Tree roots help keep the soil in place, and are also a factor in water distribution deep beneath the ground.

Finally, we should save trees from disappearing because they provide so much pleasure. "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree," wrote a poet. That is the truth. A tall, stately tree is beautiful to look at, and pleasing to the soul. It is also a great place to find shade on a hot summer's day. For practical and emotional reasons, we need to preserve our planet's trees.

(Essay ID: 28 )

Topic: 153

Zoos are often controversial because many people believe they are unnecessary or even harmful If properly managed, I feel that zoos have a lot of value. In fact, I believe zoos are useful in two main ways: educating the general public and advancing scientific research.

Zoos can be wonderfully educational places. They provide a safe, controlled environment to learn about a specific species. Children can feel safe exploring the world of the chimpanzee there, and adults can learn about and see types of birds they've never seen before. Unlike in the wild, there's no worry of being physically harmed by an animal.

Zoos are also important for the research opportunities they provide. Research is safer and easier to conduct than in the wild. Scientists can feel secure in the confined area of the zoo. For example, while conducting a medical experiment in an open field, scientists have to worry about both the animal they are working with, and also other animals nearby. In zoos, however, they need only worry about the research subject.

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In the wilderness, animals are also much harder to track and monitor. Zoos make research less time-consuming and expensive. Long term follow-ups are easier too, since even with monitors, wild animals often are killed or disappear. In zoos, researchers can observe an animal's entire life span.

Overall, I feel that properly managed zoos provide excellent opportunities for education and research, and are therefore very useful.

(Essay ID: 29 )

Topic: 153

Children like to go to the zoo on holidays. They find it interesting to watch monkeys or bears

doing funny things. But how many adults go to the zoo not for children's sake? I think few.

Because we finally find that a zoo has no really useful purpose and it's not a truly fun place for us.

When a person breaks the law, he will be thrown into prison. But the animals in the zoo have done nothing to deserve being locked in a small cage. No plants, no water, just brick walls and floors. Every animal is in the same environment and can do no other things except for wandering around in the little space. Do you think that's what an animal should look like? And after visiting such a living place of animals as a zoo, no one would ever be left a nice impression of beauty and harmony of the nature that the zoo tries to demonstrate.

In addition, going to the zoo is not a good chance for educating children. Childrn see animals being tamed and locked, just for people to watch and have fun with. That will give the wrong impression to them that animals are ought to be like that. In such an artificial circumstance, they don't realize that animals and people are friends and they are just as important in the ecological system as we are.

The last but not the least, animals in the zoo are often treated badly by the visitors. People like to feed them with whatever they bring with them: hamburgers, popcorns, or even paper. Animals are not able to distinguish which food is bad for them and thus they eat too much unfitable food. It is very harmful to their health.

So I don't see any useful purpose to build up a zoo in a city just for people's entertainment, but to sacrifice the animals' health and freedom. And it does no good to teach our children to have animals as our best friends.

(Essay ID: 482. This is a 5 point essay)

Topic: 153

Every city has one or more zoos. There is no denying the fact that whether a zoo is useful or not is a popular topic which has caused heated debate over a long period of time. Some people think that establishing a zoo of course has its advantages, while others think it makes no sense. And for a while, people think that a zoo is no useful purpose. As far as I am concerned, I disagree with this opinion. There are no less than three reasons to disagree with the opinion as rendered below.

One chief reason, which can be seen by every person, is that children can obtain direct knowledge about a variety of animals. They can see what tigers like, hear various sounds of birds and differ one animal from another. If there is no such a place, how can they make direct impression of animals. They may never have a chance to see various animals even though they learn many from

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book.

A further reason why I disagree the statement is that most of us live in cities and have many things to do. We must work for living and learn for obtaining a better job. Everyday we live with a rapid pace and we want to relax. A zoo of course is a good place for us to have a relaxation. There are so many lovely animals and so beautiful environment in which we can learn more things about animals as well as relax ourselves.

Finally, to be frank, there is also a more personal reason why I think a zoo is useful. When I was a little girl, I liked animals very much, especially birds. But I could not feed them for myself, so the zoo which was located near my home was the place I went to most frequent. And I really love these places.

Based on what has been discussed above, I may safely arrive at the conclusion that a zoo has its useful purpose.

(Essay ID: 497 )

Topic: 154

Not allowing smoking in public places and office buildings is a very good rule. I believe this for several reasons. Not only will banning smoking improve people's health, it will also increase worker productivity and reduce conflicts.

We all know smoking is not healthy. Unfortunately, when smokers are able to smoke in public

buildings, they can make other people sick. They may work with people who are allergic to

smoking, for example. In that case, the non-smokers have no choice unless they want to quit their jobs. They can only get sicker, which is unfair. Of course, banning smoking in public buildings and offices will please non-smokers. It will also improve the smokers' health. They will have fewer opportunities to smoke, so they will smoke fewer cigarettes.

Banning smoking in office buildings can also increase worker productivity. Smokers won't interrupt their work all the time to smoke. There will also be fewer worker absences. When smokers cut down the number of cigarettes, they will get fewer smoking-related illnesses.

Finally, it is a good idea to ban smoking in public places and office buildings because a ban can reduce conflicts. Non-smokers tend to get annoyed and jealous because smokers have an excuse to take frequent breaks. The most significant conflict, however, is over whether smokers have a right to smoke in public. As we have already seen, non-smokers feel they are not always given a choice. If smoking in public is allowed, they will be forced to breathe harmful air. This may violate their rights, and nonsmokers are angry with smokers because of it.

It seems clear that banning smoking in public places and office buildings is a good idea. It will reduce conflict and increase productivity. It will also benefit the health of smokers and nonsmokers alike. I believe that just about anything that improves our health is a good idea!

(Essay ID: 30 )

Topic: 155

Plants can be considered the support of the life on Earth, due to their main feature: they are continuously providing oxygen because of photosynthesis process. Moreover, most plants are useful to people in many other different ways.

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In my country, Romania (located in South-Eastern Europe), we consider wheat the most important plant.

During centuries, our ancestors had to fight numerous invaders in order to protect our most

precious wealth: wheat. Until World War II, Romania had been considered the most important wheat producer of the entire continent. Unfortunately, after the war, my country was invaded by Soviet troops, having a sole purpose: stealing. They stole everything they found: money, jewelry, cars, industrial equipment and, last but not least, food. During that period, wheat flour was considered the most precious asset a person could own.

After the 60's, the situation returned to normal. Regrettably, however, wheat paddocks were

considered a source for obtaining merchandise to be sold abroad, in return for foreign currency meant to fulfill Ceausescu's insane plans for "the new communist era". Dozens of trains full of wheat berries crossed our borders, while Romanian people were starving, fighting for a loaf of wheat bread.

After the collapse of communism, everybody believed that things would return to normal. However, another problem occurred. Irresponsible people stole most irrigation equipments (pumps, pipes), so wheat production has been continuously decreasing.

At present, wheat is still considered a precious gift of nature given to our people. Thousands of people working in agriculture are treating this plant as the most important thing in their lives.