【题目】Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments spend more money on improving public transportation (buses, trains, subways)? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

【范文】

Good transportation is very important to the success of both individuals and a city. Without efficient means of transportation, people will waste a great deal of time going to and from work. This will make them tired and less productive in their jobs. People may rely on either private or public transportation to get them to and from work. If a choice has to be made between spending money on improving the roads for private vehicles or improving public transportation, I would choose the latter for the following reasons.

First of all, better public transportation systems, including buses, trains and subways, will encourage more people to use them rather than drive their own cars. This will reduce the total amount of traffic on the roads and make travel quicker for everyone. Second, using public transportation saves energy. A bus which carries 60 people is a far more efficient use of fuel than 60 individual cars driving the same route. And last but not least, greater use of public transportation causes less pollution and will keep the environment cleaner. There are many reasons to support spending money on public transportation. Good transportation systems make a city cleaner, more efficient and more convenient. This improves everyone's quality of life and can make the city more prosperous. Therefore, I support spending money on public transportation systems rather than improving roads.

【注释】

transportation n.运输工具

individual n.个人

means n.方法；工具

productive adj.有生产力的

rely on依赖(=depend on)

private adj.私人的

the latter (两者中)后者(←→the former)

energy n.能源

fuel n.燃料

carry v.运送

route n.路线

last but not least最后一项要点是

quality of life生活质量

prosperous adj.繁荣的

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改善公共交通工具

好的交通工具对于个人和整个城市的成功都非常重要。如果没有有效率的交通工具，人们上下班会浪费很多时间。这会使人们疲倦，因而降低工作效率。人们上下班可以依赖私人或公共交通工具。如果要在花钱为私人车辆改善道路和花钱改善公共交通工具之间做选择，我会选择后者，原因如下。

首先，较好的公共交通系统，包括公共汽车、火车和地下铁，会鼓励更多人去乘坐而不会自己开车，如此便能减少道路上整体的交能流量，让人们往来的速度更快。其次，使用公共交通工具可节省能源。一辆公车搭载60个人比60辆私人汽车行驶相同的路线更能充分、有效率地使用燃料。最后一项要点是，多使用公共交通工具可以减少污染，使环境更干净。

有许多理由都支持该把经费用在公共交通工具上。好的交通系统能使城市更干净、更有效率，而且更便利。这样可以改善每个人的生活质量，并让整个都市更加繁荣。因此，我支持将钱用在公共交通系统上，而非改善道路。