Macro is for taking say a picture of a ant, 1/2" away and look like a monster. A flower perhaps or a butterfly.
Zoom is obvious. While in Alaska i took pictures of whales. I did not have a zoom. You could barely see it in the picture. Yours a 1/2 mile away will look like your 10' away.
Wide angle: Take a picture of 30 members of your family and try to get everybody. it won't happen.
The Tamron AF 17-50mm f/2.8 is a nice general use wide angle lens.
Dont know if this is considered advertisement but this forum is a great place to learn about photography. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=249006
basic kit = 50 f1.8, 18-55mm is, and a 55-250mm. those three lenses should cover everything you need for now.