2019年0622 环境类雅思写作考题回顾和范文（利弊型）

As countries develop, more and more people buy and use their own cars. Do you think the advantages of this trend for individuals outweigh the disadvantages for the environment?

According to some people owning an automobile in this day and age is a necessity rather than a luxury. Even in the so-called third-world countries car ownership is rising but at what cost? While owning a motorcar might be convenient for the driver and his passengers we also have to consider the environmental impact of this type of transportation.

On the one hand, one of the advantages contributing to owning cars is convenience and freedom. For example, the owner is not tied to timetables and the inconvenience of public transport. In countries like the USA, is is not unknown for people to drive a few hundred yards to their local grocery store rather than walk. Furthermore, it is also generally accepted in some developing countries that car ownership is a symbol of personal status such as wealth, power and social prestige.

On the other hand, the CO2 emissions from the thousands of cars on the road are alleged to be a governing factor in air pollution. There is no doubt that more cars mean more pollution.  Additionally, traffic congestion can also be cited as a factor in both air pollution and as major inconveniences to those people who live in the towns and cities. Also roads and freeways cut a swathe through the countryside damaging the landscape forever.

In conclusion, I do not think that the convenience of owning a car outweighs the damage caused to the environment in terms of air pollution and the destruction of the landscape by concrete and tarmac.

253 words

By Dr Rob Burton

Vocabulary

day and age (idiom) The current time period. Typically used in the phrase "in this day and age." A child can't walk home from school alone in this day and age—it's too dangerous!

so-called (idiom) A phrase used to emphasize that a name or term for someone or something is commonly used. Next, we'll be reading the so-called master of English literature, William Shakespeare.

third world (idiom) Generally speaking, those countries that are underdeveloped or only beginning to develop at a sociopolitical and economic level. Often hyphenated and used as a modifier before a noun.

The devastating attack rendered the country a third world in a matter of weeks.

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