Global Breaking News - Friday, October 2, 2026

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

There are differing opinions concerning whether or not zoos are useful. Some people believe that they are just showcases for the amusement of tourists and do animals no real good. There are other people, including myself, that think zoos are useful. This is because they can be very educational for the visitors, and because they play an important role in conserving endangered species in the world.
* zoo = 동물원 / showcase = 전시, 공개행사, 진열장 / amusement = 재미, 오락, 유흥 / useful = 유용한, 실용적인 / educational = 교육적인, 교육에 유익한 / conserve = 보존하다, 보호하다 / endangered species = 멸종위기에 처한 동식물의 종

First of all, a zoo can be a very educational place for the visitors who go to see the different animals. Children in particular can learn a lot at zoos. Most children have read about and seen pictures of various animals in books, but they cannot really comprehend several aspects of the animals. However, when children go to a zoo, they have the opportunity to observe them in details. For example, children know that elephants are very large animals and that lions roar, but their senses have had no first-hand experience about these details. At the zoo, they can see with their own eyes how big elephants are and hear with their own ears what a lion’s roar sounds like. The Internet and television as well as books cannot compete with the live experiences that a zoo can provide. First hand knowledge of wildlife can motivate children to learn more about animals.
*  in particular = 특히 / various = 다양한 / comprehend = 이해하다, 파악하다, 알다 / several = 몇몇의, 여러개의 / aspect = 양상, 측면, 외양 / opportunity = 기회 / observe = 관찰하다 / in detail = 상세하게 / roar = 으르렁거리다, 고함치다 / first-hand experience = 직접 경험 / compete with = ~와 겨루다, 경쟁하다 / live = 생생한, 살아있는 / wildlife = 야생의 삶, 야생동물 / motivate = 동기를 부여하다, 자극하다

Moreover, zoos provide a safe haven for endangered species when the efforts to help them in the wild are not successful. In the zoos, pairs of endangered species are helped through breeding programs and research. Zoos are more than just attractions for tourists to look at. They are also major centers for research that exist to help animal species of the world, especially endangered species. The pandas of China, for instance, have received worldwide attention from zoos, the pandas would probably already be extinct because of human expansion and poachers. However, thanks to the zoos, the pandas can be protected from complete extinction. Therefore, zoos are necessary for the continued survival of many species of animals.
* haven = 피난처, 안식처 / pair = 한 쌍 / breeding program = 사육 프로그램 / attraction = 명소, 명물 / worldwide attention = 세계적인 관심 / extinct = 멸종된, 사라진 / expansion = 팽창, 확대 / poacher = 침입자, 밀렵자 / thanks to = ~ 덕분에 / be protected from = ~로부터 보호되다 / survival = 생존

In conclusion, zoos play a larger role than merely being a tourist attraction. They are useful as educational places and also play the very important role of protecting endangered species. It is quite possible that without zoos many of the animals we take for granted would already be gone. They deserve our support in their noble endeavors.
* merely = 단지, 다만, 기껏 ~에 지나지 않는 / tourist attraction = 관광 명소 / take for granted = 당연하게 여기다 / deserve = ~할 가치가 있다, 받을만 하다 / noble endeavor = 숭고한 노력