雅思作文范文：是否应当限制私人小汽车？

 　　You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

　　Present a written argument or case to an educated non-specialist audience on the following topic.

　　The private motor vehicle has greatly improved individual freedom of movement. Moreover, the automobile¹ has become a status symbol. Yet the use of private motor vehicles has contributed to some of today’s most serious problems. How can the use of private motor vehicles be reduced?

　　You should write at least 250 words.

　　You should you your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

　　Topic words:

　　Private motor vehicles

　　privately² owned cars

　　Serious problems eg. Pollution, traffic jams, accidents

　　Task words:

　　How can … be reduced?

　　Note: answer question “how can…” not “Should the use of cars be reduced?” The task is in the final question, not in the preceding sentences.

　　The answer must:

　　Suggest some ways to stop people from using their cars so much, eg. Government measures, education campaigns.

　　Sample Essay

　　The private motor vehicle has given us a freedom our ancestors could not dream about. We can travel swiftly, and usually safely, over the roads which have been built to accommodate our cars. People can display their wealth by driving a car which may cost as much as another person’s home. - Introduction: advantages of cars (brief)

　　Sadly the car has become a disadvantage as well as a boom. The car pollutes the atmosphere, may be involved in serious accidents, and by its very numbers blocks roads and chokes cities. How can we reduce its use? - Brief statement of problem: disadvantages of cars

　　The car is only desirable if we can use it easily, so we might begin by reducing access to parking spaces in the cities and simultaneously³ increasing the quality and availability of public transport. Cars could be banned form certain parts of the city, thus forcing people to walk or to use public transport. - Ideas for cutting the number of cars

　　The expense of buying and running a car can be raised. If the motorist is faced with a high purchase price, high road tax, high insurance premiums⁴ and substantial fines he or she may reconsider the purchase. A corresponding reduction in the price of public transport would help this financial argument against car ownership.

　　Neither of these arguments will sway the super rich who can afford the status cars, but it would perhaps encourage them to look at other ways of demonstrating their wealth. However we do it, reducing the number of cars on the road will reduce the problems of pollution and the congestion⁵ which can bring cities to a standstill. - Conclusions: states the benefits of reducing the number of cars

　　Remember: this sample answer is one of several satisfactory ways to answer the question. Other essays which respond to the writing task would also be acceptable.

　　Source: Prepare for IELTS, by Vanessa Todd & Penny Cameron, 1996, UTS, Australia. For non-profit educational use only.

1 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

2 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

3 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

4 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 congestion   

n.阻塞，消化不良

参考例句：

• The congestion in the city gets even worse during the summer.夏天城市交通阻塞尤为严重。
• Parking near the school causes severe traffic congestion.在学校附近泊车会引起严重的交通堵塞。