Studies have suggested that children watch much more television than they did

in the past and spend less time on active or creative things. What are the reasons
and what measures should be taken to encourage children to spend more time on
active or creative things?
Tạm dịch:
Các nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng trẻ em xem tivi nhiều hơn so với trước đây và dành ít
thời gian hơn cho những hoạt động năng động hoặc sáng tạo. Đâu là nguyên nhân và
biện pháp nào nên được thực hiện để khuyến khích trẻ em dành nhiều thời gian hơn
cho những việc năng động hoặc sáng tạo?
It is now a norm that children watch an excessive amount of television and do not
engage much in active or creative activities. This trend can be caused by a number of
factors and parents can address this by taking definite actions.
Reasons for the trend vary. The primary reason is that children’s television programmes
are being broadcast all day with addictive content, such as vivid and colourful
animation. Cartoon Network and Disney Channel with their day-long series of animation
shows are evident examples of this. Another clear reason is that parents nowadays are
busy with their work, so they want children to focus on an activity that does not require
much of their attention, such as watching television. This tends to make children spend
more time in front of the television screen instead of participating in active or creative
activities.
A number of strong measures should be implemented to tackle the issue. The first
solution is limiting the amount of time that a child can watch television. This could be
done by activating the parental control mode and setting a fixed operating time limit on
their television set. Another feasible solution is that parents could spend more time with
their children engaging in outdoor or creative activities. They could, for example, form a
family sport team that practices on a regular basis, which may appeal to children more
than television.
In conclusion, children tend to watch too much television because of the appealing
content on various channels and the lack of playing time with their parents. They may
start to join more active and creative activities once their parents spend more time with
them and the parental control mode on television sets is activated.

2. With many problems of transport and accommodation in cities, some

governments are encouraging businesses to move to rural areas.

Do you think the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

(Introduction) In recent decades, the increasingly serious problems of accommodation

and transport in many cities have caused some governors to encourage companies’
relocation to countryside regions. While this policy has a number of drawbacks, the
benefits of it are far more significant.
Từ câu Thesis Statement ở phần mở bài “While this policy has a number of drawbacks,
the benefits of it are far more significant.”, ta có thể suy ra định hướng nội dung phần
thân bài như sau: body 1 nói về bất lợi, body 2 nói về lợi ích của việc di dời doanh
nghiệp.
Body 1 (bất lợi của chính sách di dời doanh nghiệp)

 Introductory sentence (câu giới thiệu): There are a few disadvantages arising
from the policy of encouraging enterprises to move out of urban areas.
 First idea (ý thứ nhất - bắt đầu bằng “firstly”): Firstly, the wave of urban-rural
business relocation may leave a number of city-based employees on the verge of
unemployment unless these people accept to travel long distances to work.
 Second idea (ý thứ hai - bắt đầu bằng “secondly”): Secondly, as the number
of urban-rural commuters increases, the city public transport network will be
placed under pressure.

Body 2 (nói về lợi ích của chính sách di dời doanh nghiệp)

 Introductory sentence (câu giới thiệu): However, the advantages of such a

policy far outweigh the disadvantages.
 First idea (ý thứ nhất - bắt đầu bằng “The most outstanding benefit”): The
most outstanding benefit is that once businesses are relocated to the
countryside, their employees will not have to seek accommodation in the city
centre, and the scarcity of housing in downtown areas can be mitigated.
 Second idea (ý thứ hai - bắt đầu bằng “In addition to”): In addition to this,
such relocation has a substantial advantage of creating more job opportunities
and thus economic benefits to the local community in rural regions.

(cụm “in addition to” dùng để bổ sung 1 ý thứ hai sau khi đã nêu ra ý thứ nhất, không
dùng để đưa ra ý thứ nhất)

3. Some students prefer to take a gap year between high school and university, to
work or to travel.

Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages?

In today’s world, there has been an accelerating trend of students taking a break from
studying before pursuing tertiary education. While this trend is beneficial in some
respects, its shortcomings are more significant for the followers of this trend.
A gap year may enable students to enrich themselves with real-life experiences that are
beneficial to their future. These may include having a paid job, from which those who
have just entered adulthood may learn many working skills, such as communication,
teamwork and following orders. The youngsters taking a gap year, as a result, are better
prepared for their future jobs. Some gap-year-takers may also travel the world and
absorb knowledge of diverse cultural settings and from different geographical contexts.
In this globalised world, such knowledge is essential for developing a successful career.
Nevertheless, the disadvantangesdisadvantages
of taking a gap year for recent high-school graduates are serious, far outweighing the
advantages. The primary reason is that the young can be overwhelmed by the
unwanted difficulties of life outside of school campus. A physically demanding job, for
example, can be exhausting for most high-school-leavers. Anothersignificant reason is
that to some youngsters without firm academic goals, earning money and living without
the discipline of formal schooling could be more appealing than returning to school after
the gap year. If they choose not to go back to school, they may lose the chance of
obtaining academic knowledge and university degrees, which may help them earn even
more money in the future.
In summary, despite potential gains, there are more serious drawbacks associated with
a gap year such as the overwhelming difficulties when starting to work too soon and the
prospect of not acquiring any university knowledge and degrees. It is recommended
that students should take a university course right after they finish their high school.

4. Some people say that zoos have no useful purpose. Others believe that zoos
are beneficial in many ways.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Suggested answer: In conclusion, zoos are places where people learn about and
develop their love for animals and where endangered species are nurtured and
protected.
Full essay:
A diversity of animal species from leopards and eagles to lizards have been captured
and kept in zoos across the globe for centuries. This practice is sometimes considered
to be one that violates animal rights and causes these animals to lose their instincts.
Despite these drawbacks, zoos are still beneficial, as they provide humans with a great
place to learn about animals, and endangered animals with a great shelter.
Zoos, according to some, are valueless. There is a common belief that the act of caging
an animal is already a violation of animal rights. The matter can be even worse when
some caged animals are bullied, mistreated and exploited when they are forced to
perform in shows aimed at attracting visitors. Zoologists may also argue that these
creatures may lose their natural instincts while being captive, and as a result, they can
be incapable of returning to the wild in the future. A tiger, for example, may lose its
hunting nature when it is fed on a daily basis.
However, it is strongly believed that zoological gardens are invaluable not only for
humans but also for the animals themselves. For young children and biology students,
these venues can provide a resourceful learning environment, where both an
understanding of and love for nature may easily evolve as physical contact with animals
is possible. In addition to this, zoos have long offered to thousands of endangered
species a home where they could thrive and breed their offspring. This is greatly
important as over-hunting, deforestation and climate change have threatened to destroy
the natural habitats of some wild animals.
In conclusion, zoos are places where people learn about and develop their love
for animals and where endangered species are nurtured and protected. These
advantages outweigh the disadvantages, such as the chance that animals are
exploited and bullied, or the possibility that they gradually lose their instincts. All
these disadvantages can be lessened if more is invested in zoos to turn them into
a better living space for animals.