剑桥8 谢振礼 雅思范文: 石油涨价
Cambridge English 8
IELTS Writing Task 2 ielts360toefl@hotmail.com
Topic:
Increasing the price of petroleum is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Essay:
Big cities have more and more cars on the roads, causing traffic and pollution problems to become worse. Various measures have been introduced to tackle this situation, but none of these measures can deliver a complete solution. Some people think that the best way is to increase the price of petroleum, while others believe that other measures might be effective.
Contrary to what is expected, increasing petrol prices can do little to reduce traffic congestion and car pollution in big cities. Surely, the logic runs, but only to a small extent. If petrol prices are soaring, more car owners will use public transport instead, drive less and walk more, buy smaller and more efficient cars. Sadly, it usually does not work that way. Repeated studies have shown that petrol price rises have only a tiny impact on demand, probably because people have become richer and worry less about the price of fuel. Therefore, when the price is increased, it is not likely that less people will drive cars. This in turn means that it is not likely that there will be less congestion on the roads and that that there will be less pollution in the air.
Setting aside the policy of increasing petrol prices through taxing car users, other measures might be effective to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. Among others, one measure is to improve public transport systems so that more people will use buses or trains instead of driving cars in he urban areas. As well, it is important not only to have more public transport available but also make it more affordable to the average person. This means making a bus and train service more convenient and cheaper to attract patronage. Another measure is to create no-traffic zones in city centers, which will result in reducing both traffic jams and air pollution. Still another measure is to enforce traffic laws and at the same time to use CCTV to monitor traffic infractions on penalties of fines.
In conclusion, since increasing petrol prices could not be an effective way to curb traffic and pollution problems, a combination of alternative measures should be applied in the urban areas. However, it may be said that a complete solution is next to impossible unless people stop using cars. Hopefully, these bad traffic and pollution problems will not become worse.
