2017年1月21日
雅思大作文题目
本题是2014年1月9日原题重现。
在今天的商业社会中,我们见到了太多的free噱头,却往往忽略了free表面下夹带的私货。唐老师就从来不相信什么free,因为唐老师认定“天下没有免费的午餐”!美国新总统川普上台,很大程度上就是向美国下层白人成功地兜售了他的free主张:他要放弃世界警察身份,不再给世界提供free的保护,然后把那些钱拿回来发给没有稳定工作的下层白人。然而,美国真的是在为世界提供free的保护服务吗?川普忘记了,正是提供了这些free的保护,才换来美国对全球的金融控制力,才换来了美国国内廉价的石油,才换来了美国企业在全球大行其道!
好吧,川普怎么玩,咱暂且不表。我们来看看这个雅思作文题。交通阻塞是个大问题,这在国外中小城市感受不深,但在国内任何一个城市(包括小城市)都已经到了令人崩溃的边缘。怎么办呢?大家想了各种各样的办法,包括限制买车(摇号?),限制用车(单双出行?),增加用车成本(提高油价?收拥堵费?),但始终效果不好。于是又有人提出,那我提供免费公共交通,公交免费,地铁免费,这下你不愿意自己花钱去开自己的车了吧?那么,你觉得这个“免费方案”是否可行呢?它能否解决交通阻塞问题?
我好像读过一篇作文范文,大意说同意这个免费方案,但不同意全天候免费,认为全天候没有必要,只需在交通高峰时期提供免费公交服务就可以了。这个思路看起来很巧妙,实际上是一塌糊涂的逻辑。高峰时期是什么人在出行?其实主要是那些工薪阶层上下班的时间,在这个时间是否提供免费公交,都会比平时阻塞:从某种意义上,免费有可能加剧这种阻塞,因为很多在高峰时期本不想出行的人,看到免费也会赶在这个时间出行,其结果是公共交通压力不降反增,而那些有经济实力开自己车出行的,根本就不会在乎你这点免费,该开车还开车,这样交通阻塞不是会变得更加严重了吗?另外,免费公交无疑会给政府增加额外的经济压力,有那些钱还不如投入多修几条道路更管用。因此,唐老师的基本观点是:免费公交虽然可能有助于缓解交通压力,让更少的人自己开车,但从根本上来讲无法解决交通阻塞问题,解决这个问题需要多种合力,包括政府投入多修道路,驾驶员遵守交通法规,限制私车出行等。
7分范文
Most of us must have experienced the anger, frustration and even despair when we got stuck in the long unmovable procession of vehicles. Actually, the government has tried numerous ways to bring down the traffic, but mostly in vain. Recently, it is proposed that 24/7 free public transport be provided to solve the traffic congestion. While I think this proposal may be helpful, it is far from the best solution.
Undoubtedly, with the introduction of free public transport, some people may choose to drive less of their own cars, and this will be helpful to ease the traffic, though I doubt the extent to which this can help the traffic. When public transport goes free, many people who otherwise would stay at home may choose to go out by taking the free transport. This will greatly offset the benefits brought by the reduced number of private cars on road and may even paralyze the public transport system, especially during the rush hours. Beijing, for instance, found itself in great traffic trouble when the city announced to provide free metro service for its citizens during the Asian Games in 1990. Then in 2008 when Beijing was hosting the Olympic Games, the city never made the similar attempt.
Therefore, to combat the traffic problem, providing free public transport alone is not enough. Instead, we should assemble efforts from various sides such the government, the drivers as well as the pedestrians. On the part of the government, rather than providing funds for the free public transport, it should make more investments on the construction of roads, and introduce stricter traffic laws, rules and regulations. And, if the drivers and pedestrians were more careful in abiding by the traffic rules, the traffic problem could also be effectively alleviated.
(294 words)
老师笔记
Most of us must have experienced the anger, frustration and even despair when we got stuck in the long unmovable procession of vehicles. Actually, the government has tried numerous ways to bring down the traffic, but mostly in vain. Recently, it is proposed that 24/7 free public transport be provided to solve the traffic congestion. While I think this proposal may be helpful, it is far from the best solution.
当困在长长的、一动不动的车队中,我们多数人一定都曾经历过那种愤怒、沮丧,甚至绝望。事实上,政府已经尝试过无数办法来降低交通阻塞,但多数都没有效果。最近,有人提出,提供全天候免费公共交通来解决交通阻塞问题。我认为此举可能有些帮助,但绝非的解决办法。
解析
(1) 本段为引入段。唐老师建议在引入段杜绝模板写法,比如when it comes to the issue of how to solve traffic congestion...; 或者,nowadays, the problem of traffic congestion has become a heated topic of discussion...这种模板虽然随手可写,但已经被用得太多,容易给考官留下模板印象。那么,怎么才能避免模板呢?唐老师认为,在雅思作文开头段,各位烤鸭要学会去描写一个问题,而不是简单地提出一个问题。烤鸭们可回读唐老师本专栏的每一篇范文,好好揣摩一下唐老师是如何描写问题/现象,而非提出问题/现象。
(2) frustration 沮丧 (名词)
(3) get stuck in... 被陷在......,被困在......
(4) procession 队列
(5) numerous 许多的
(6) in vain 徒劳地
(7) far from 远不是;远非
02
Undoubtedly, with the introduction of free public transport, some people may choose to drive less of their own cars, and this will be helpful to ease the traffic, though I doubt the extent to which this can help the traffic. When public transport goes free, many people who otherwise would stay at home may choose to go out by taking the free transport. This will greatly offset the benefits brought by the reduced number of private cars on road and may even paralyze the public transport system, especially during the rush hours. Beijing, for instance, found itself in great traffic trouble when the city announced to provide free metro service for its citizens during the Asian Games in 1990. Then in 2008 when Beijing was hosting the Olympic Games, the city never made the similar attempt.
毫无疑问,施行免费公共交通后,有些人会选择少开自己的车,这样会有助于缓解交通,但是我怀疑这种做法对交通帮助到底有多大。当公共交通免费后,许多本来会留在家里的人,也会选择乘坐免费交通出门。这就会在很大程度上抵消了路上私家车减少带来的益处,甚至会让公共交通系统瘫痪,尤其是在交通高峰时期。比如,1990年北京亚运会期间,当该城市宣布为市民提供免费地铁服务后,就遇到了巨大的交通麻烦。然后,在2008年,当北京举办奥运会时,就没有再做类似的尝试了。
解析
(1)本段讨论免费公共交通可能带来的问题,采取了例证法。关于雅思写作中如何举例,请回读唐老师本专栏。链接:雅思高分写作如何举例?
(2)ease 缓解
(3)extent 程度
(4)otherwise 否则
(5)offset 抵消
(6)paralyze 使......瘫痪
03
Therefore, to combat the traffic problem, providing free public transport alone is not enough. Instead, we should assemble efforts from various sides such the government, the drivers as well as the pedestrians. On the part of the government, rather than providing funds for the free public transport, it should make more investments on the construction of roads, and introduce stricter traffic laws, rules and regulations. And, if the drivers and pedestrians were more careful in abiding by the traffic rules, the traffic problem could also be effectively alleviated.
因此,为对付交通问题,仅仅提供免费公共交通是不够的。相反,我们应该汇集来自政府、驾驶员、行人等各方力量。政府方面,要做的不是为免费公共交通提供资金,而是要投入更多来修建道路,并且制定更严格的交通法规。同时,如果驾驶员和行人更小心遵守交通规则,也能有效缓和交通阻塞问题。
解析
(1) 本段提出比提供免费交通更有效的办法。
(2) combat (=solve; deal with) 对付;解决
(3) assemble 汇集;汇聚
(4) pedestrian 行人
(5) on the part of... 在......方面;对......而言
(6) investment 投资
(7) abide by 遵守
(8) alleviate 减轻