雅思考试大作文范文：人口与环境

 　　A rise in the world's population is having serious, negative effects on the environment. Some scientists believe that the only way to solve the problem is to set up a colony on the Moon. Others argue that the cost would be far too great and other solutions should be sought.

　　What is your opinion?

　　The environment is, of course, under serious threat, but the extent to which population growth is responsible may not be as great as some people claim. In fact there are many other factors such as the growth in big cities, pollution from traffic and manufacturing, and the destruction of rainforest that probably play a bigger role. It is questionable¹, therefore, how far a colony on the Moon would help solve the problem.

　　One of the most serious threats to the global ecosystem² is the destruction of the rainforests with an area the size of Europe disappearing every year. And this is largely due to large companies in their pursuit of profit. Indeed, whilst international logging companies claim to use on average 10 percent of the species of trees that make up the rainforest, that 10 percent of species constitute about 90 percent of the volume.

　　Naturally, if the world's population was not as large, the demand for wood would be considerably³ reduced, which would support setting up a colony on the Moon. But even if the colony was set up how many people in reality, would relocate? Even if the number ran into tens of thousands the actual effect on the world's population would be minimal⁴. Indeed, we only need to consider how many people were killed during the two world wars, which ran into millions, to support this claim. Instead, the cost should be transferred into the development of sustainable economies.

　　Take, for instance, the growth of big cities that consume land at an enormous rate, and that rely on transport and essential services that devastate⁵ the environment. If people were to revert⁶ to living in small semi self-contained communities, many of the problems experienced by big cities could be avoided. It would even be beneficial for the economy because it would promote the development of small, family run businesses.

　　At the end of the day, to claim that setting up a colony on the Moon would help to solve the issue of environmental damage is to close our eyes to the causes of the damage. In short, it could potentially turn out to be a very costly⁷ exercise with few real benefits. (364 words)

1 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

2 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

3 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

4 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

5 devastate   

v.使荒芜，破坏，压倒

参考例句：

• A few days before,a fire had devastated large parts of Windsor Castle.几天前，温莎城堡的大部分被一场大火烧毁。
• Earthquakes can also cause tsunamis,which devastate coastal regions.地震还引发海啸，它直接破坏海岸地区。

6 revert   

v.恢复，复归，回到

参考例句：

• Let us revert to the earlier part of the chapter.让我们回到本章的前面部分。
• Shall we revert to the matter we talked about yesterday?我们接着昨天谈过的问题谈，好吗？

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。