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.

A large number of people spend most of their time at work. Our life is divided into three equal parts: 8 hours - sleep, 8 hours - work, 8 hours - family time. So, in the most cases, one's co-worker plays an important role in one's life. From my opinion, the essential characteristics of a co-worker are the following.

First of all, a person who works closely with me must like his job. I think it is very important for a person to feel satisfaction with his job. My husband is a software developer. He is fond of his job and people enjoy working with him because they see how many energy he puts into his job.

Second of all, my co-worker must be persistent and never give up. I like when people who came across a problem try to solve it, find a good decision instead of looking for another person to hand it over. Another important aspect of this is that a good worker should always ask himself "What can be improved?" and suggests new solutions.

In addition, he must be a good team player. In the modern world good communication skills and the ability to work in a team are among the common position requirements. Personally, I think it is great to help each other, share new ideas, develop new solutions, etc. It helps to create a team spirit and improve a labor productivity.

Finally, my co-worker must be punctual. He or she should finish the job on time I think that It is unacceptable to make the rest of a team wait while a person finishes his or her job. Also, my "ideal co-worker" should always be ready to offer his or her help and be supportive.

To summarize, I think if a co-worker possesses all of these qualities mentioned above he can make work with him really enjoyable and productive.

 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.

From my everyday experience and observation I think that artists as well as scientists brings many benefits to society. It is a controversial question weather the contributions of artists are more or less then the contributions of scientists to the society. For several reasons, which I will mention bellow, I think that both types are valuable, priceless and irreplaceable for every society.

The contributions of artists to the society are very essential. Art forms people's spiritual sense, their views and personalities. People learn history, the traditions of their country trough the art. We also watch movies that entertain and at the same time extend our range of interests. Another important aspect of this is that art is an ancient means of communication. In old times people depicted the herds of mammoths on the walls of their caves. They performed different rituals around the fireplace asking their gods for health, good harvest and weather. Our language is a result of people's need to communicate.

From the other side, the contribution of scientists is could not be exaggerated. All humankind is indebted to the scientists because of their work and achievements. Scientists make our life easier. We have cars and airplanes to move fast from one place to another. We have microwaves and a bunch of preprocessed food to make the cooking much easier. We have different devices that simplify all we do. Finally, scientists are making great achievements in medicine that make our life longer and happier. Nowadays people have a great opportunity to do many things faster by use of computers.

To sup up, I believe that artists nourish our souls when scientists and technology feed our minds. So, we can not eliminate or underestimate one of them.

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.

 I have to totally disagree with the statement that there is nothing that young people can teach older people. For several reasons, which I will mention bellow, I think that young people can teach older people many things.

 First of all, young people intend to learn new things faster. They faster learn new technologies. Second of all, young people are more motivated. They aspire to succeed and make a good career, which requires good knowledge and experience. So, they try to get more knowledge and experience from different sources like Internet, books, newspaper, magazines and of cause from conversations with other people. In addition to this young people bring many fresh ideas to the team they are working in. For example, when my friend was hired as a software developer he surprised everybody with his energy, a bunch of new and fresh ideas about what could be done to improve the process. He was the youngest person in the team but everybody listened to him and it was like a fresh air, an impulse, which made everyone work harder.

 Finally, young people often know more about new technologies. For example, my husband is 26 years old  and he is a good professional in software development. So, he is often asked to read a lecture for different companies and audience. Needless to say, the majority of people who attend those lectures are older than my husband.

 To sum up, I think that young people have many things to teach older people. Moreover, I think that people from every generation have something to learn from each other. People learn trough their entire lives from books that hold the experience and the history of previous generations as well as from their own experience and experience of the younger people.

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

I think that the question about whether a zoo has no useful purpose is the one that is open for debate. It is a topical question nowadays. Some people believe that a zoo has an essential and cognitive purpose. However, other people believe that a zoo has no useful purpose and people should observe wild animals in their nature. Personally, I think that both options have their advantages. In the following paragraphs I will analyze these points and present my own view in favor of people who think that animals should not be kept in a zoo.

 

From the one side, a zoo has many benefits for people. First of all, children can learn about animals not only from books and TV programs but from actually watching them alive. They can see animals, touch them and even feed them. I think it is an amazing experience for a child. He gains more knowledge and experience from this "communication" with an animal. Second, a zoo is a perfect place for adults to see many animals that people are not able to see in their lives.

 

However, from the other side, I keep asking myself  "What kind of benefits wild animals have from a zoo?". Unfortunately, I cannot find any of them. I think that wild animals should live in their nature environment. Moreover, I think that we should observe them through TV programs sitting in our favorite chairs, or people who like danger should try to observe them in the native environment. I think that animals are not toys. I know that most zoos try to keep their animals in the environment, which is close to their native, but they can not give them as much freedom as animals want to.

 

To sum up, I think that wild animals should not be kept in a zoo. Personally, I enjoy more watching "Discovery Channel" then watching a black bear who does not know where to hide from the scorching sun in a Texas zoo.

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

Statistics shows that people are living longer now. There are several reasons for this.  I will point out a few of them below. 

 First of all, a few hundred years ago mankind suffered from many different kinds of diseases which are very well cured now. The achievements of contemporary medicine allow people to live with artificial arms, hands, legs and even hearts. Recently I read a few articles in the magazines about a man with an implanted artificial heart and a woman who had an implanted chipset in her head to make her happier. Additionally, many viruses are defeated nowadays with the modern vaccines and many pills help us to relief pain.

 Second of all, the conditions of live are greatly improved. A man chiefly does not have to sleep on the wet and cold ground, defense himself from predators in the wild forests and fight for his life. The wide extension of fast food stands, buffets and restaurants gives people the opportunity to have full and nutritious meal whenever they need to.

 Many entertaining centers offer a wide variety of services where you can leave your troubles behind and just relax.

 All of these things mentioned above allow people to maintain healthy life, spend more time with his family and friends and make their life longer and happier.

 

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.

Man, through the ages, has undergone many changes from the time when he lived in the caves to nowadays when he lives in a comfortable apartment. But one thing that remains the same is that people always lived in groups and organizations such as families, the smallest group, and tribes, the bigger group. I think that the reason why people live in groups is because we need communication and what is more important we need support to survive. So, from old times to nowadays people merged in groups because it made them stronger and helped to overcome many obstacles and difficulties. In the following paragraphs I will give my reasons and examples to support my answer.

First of all, people need to communicate with each other. We need to share out ideas and thoughts with each other. I think it is very important to know that someone think the same way one does and supports one. In addition, communication is one of the features of reasonable animals. All animals that can communicate with each other live in herds and support each other when one of them is in need.

The second reason, why I think groups and organization are important to people is because they make us stronger. For example, football team plays better then one player. Another example is the ancient hunters. At old times people gathered in order to get food and survive in severe conditions. It was impossible for one man to kill a big animal, but when people gathered in groups their chances increased. Scientists say that people survived because they lived together and supported each other.

For the reasons, which I mentioned above, I believe groups and organizations play an essential role in our life. Moreover, people's evolution would not be possible without them.

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

From my everyday experience and observation I can stand that grades are very good indicators of knowledge. For several reasons that I will mention bellow I believe that grades encourage students to learn.

First of all, grades show students' knowledge. If a person gets a high grade on an exam it means that he understands that subject very well. Otherwise, if a student gets a low grade on an exam it means that he does not understand it completely. Personally, when I get a lower grade on an exam then I expected I know that I could be better prepared. So, next time I will spend more time and efforts to fix my lack of knowledge and do my best on the exam. In this case low grades encourage me to learn more. I try to analyze my mistakes and avoid them next time. Also, I try to arrange my time more effectively. I know exactly that I can do better than that, so I collect all my strength and focus on the incoming exam. It is like a new goal or obstacle that one should overcome in order to continue his path. When finally I get a higher grade on an exam I feel satisfaction and I am proud of myself. I think it is a great feeling. I feel stronger, more self-confident and patient. I think these qualities are essential for a person who wants to achieve something and succeed in the future.

Second of all, students have some kind of competition among each other for higher grades. When a student gets a higher grade then another one, the second student asks himself: "Why do not I have this grade? Is it something wrong with me? Is he better then me? ". I think every student at least one time asked himself this question.

To sup up, I think there is no doubt that grades encourage students to learn, gain more experience, knowledge, be more self-confident and persistent. Moreover, I am sure that these small victories will help students to win and succeed in the future.