As the number of private cars has increased, so has the level of pollution. Overreliance on cars at the expense of public transport has made this problem even worse, causing many concerned citizens to look for a solution to the problem.

One potential solution to this problem is to discourage the use of private cars by raising taxes. If the cost of petrol was increased, then many people would consider using alternative forms of transport or even walking. Admittedly, there would be a number of complaints from car drivers, but these would not be of much importance when balanced against the environmental benefits.

Another solution could be to look at more specific causes of the problem. Modern cars are fitted with cleaner burning engines and catalytic converters. Accordingly, they do not cause as much of an environmental hazard as some older cars. In Japan, for example, cars are heavily taxed once they have been on the road for three years or more, encouraging people to buy new cars which pollute less. By heavily taxing older vehicles from the road, some of the worst-polluting vehicles would be taken off the road. However, this would not really be fair to those who cannot afford a new car with such regularity.

An improvement in the quality and efficiency of public transport would also encourage people to use their cars less. In London, for example, a system has been operating for some time in which people are allocated days of the week when they can use their cars. On days that they are not allowed to drive, public transport is taken.

Although these are potential solutions to the problem, none of them are perfect. Only by a concerted effort by both the government and the public can this situation truly be resolved.

(298 words)

In the past, neighbours formed an important part of people’s social lives and they helped them when they had problems. Nowadays, people often do not even know their neighbours and in consequence, they live much more isolated lives.

There are a number of reasons why we have less contact with our neighbours. Firstly, our lifestyles are more mobile. This means people may change the area where they live quite frequently and this causes their relationships with their neighbours to be more superficial. Secondly, nowadays people often live and work in different places. This leads to people forming closer relationships with work colleagues than the ones they have with their neighbours. Finally, modern lifestyles make us spend more time inside our houses watching television, and when we go out, we travel by car. Consequently, we do not speak to the people in our neighbourhood so much.

There are a number of ways in which I think contact between neighbours can be improved. First of all, local authorities can provide communal areas such as playgrounds for children and community halls so that there are places where neighbours can meet and make friends. Next, I think that when new neighbours come to the street, the people living there ought to introduce themselves and welcome them. Lastly, people living in a street or small district should form neighbourhood associations and meet regularly to discuss the things which affect them.

In conclusion, these suggestions will probably not make neighbours as important in our lives as they were in the past. However, they will help our relationships with our neighbours to become more useful and valuable.

In the past, neighbours formed an important part of people’s social lives and they helped them when they had problems. Nowadays, people often do not even know their neighbours and in consequence they live much more isolated lives.

There are a number of reasons why we have less contact with our neighbours. Firstly, our lifestyles are more mobile. This means people may change the area where they live quite frequently and this causes their relationships with their neighbours to be more superficial. Secondly, nowadays people often live and work in different places. This leads to people forming closer relationships with work colleagues than the ones they have with their neighbours. Finally, modern lifestyles make us spend more time inside our houses watching television, and when we go out, we travel by car. Consequently, we do not speak to the people in our neighbourhood so much.

There are a number of ways in which I think contact between neighbours can be improved. First of all, local authorities can provide communal areas such as playgrounds for children and community halls so that there are places where neighbours can meet and make friends. Next, I think that when new neighbours come to the street, the people living there ought to introduce themselves and welcome them. Lastly, people living in a street or small district should form neighbourhood associations and meet regularly to discuss the things which affect them.

In conclusion, these suggestions will probably not make neighbours as important in our lives as they were in the past. However, they will help our relationships with our neighbours to become more useful and valuable.

(270 words)

Many countries in the world rely on motorways for speedy and efficient transportation, as they are a very convenient way of traveling long distances. However, motorways also have negative aspects such as dangerous traffic, damage to the environment, and pollution. In this essay, I will look at some of the problems of motorways and how they can be overcome.

One major problem with motorways is that they can be dangerous. In many countries, the speed limit on motorways is very high. This means that any accidents are more likely to be serious and involve many vehicles. Sometimes in bad weather, several vehicles crash into each other and many people are killed or injured. This problem could be solved in a number of ways. People could have special lessons on how to drive safely on motorways. In addition, special signs could be displayed when driving conditions are bad to make people drive more slowly and safely. Alternatively, the general speed limit could be reduced slightly.

Secondly, motorways can spoil the environment. Motorways often go through beautiful areas and may damage plants and wildlife. This problem could be avoided by building motorways through less beautiful areas or putting some sections in tunnels. In addition, a large amount of traffic on motorways produces both air pollution and noise pollution. However, governments could help to reduce air pollution by making environmentally-friendly cars cheaper. Noise pollution could be reduced by changing motorway surfaces or by putting up sound-proof fences.

Despite the problems of motorways, they are necessary and useful. With careful preparation and planning, the problems they cause could be reduced. People today are also more aware of environmental issues and as a result, car and road transport, in general, are becoming more environmentally friendly.

(290 words)

Crime is an issue of increasing concern around the world, and more money than ever before is being spent on the detection and punishment of criminal activity. The reasons why people commit crime are countless, but drugs and alcohol, social problems and poverty play a major role. To solve these problems, governments can either focus on draconian punishments, or improve employment opportunities, invest in good housing projects and tackle drug and alcohol abuse.

One of the main causes of criminality is the use, sale and trafficking of narcotics. For example, the sale of drugs is organised by armed criminal gangs who illegally traffic drugs and control their business with extreme violence. Drug-related crime does not end there; drug users often steal to fund theft habit, resulting in further acts of petty crime. The social problems connected with crime are said to be the result of single-parent families, absent role models and bad living conditions. The children from these broken families often become criminals because they feel alienated from society. Poverty is also a reason behind crime. When unskilled jobs pay so little and prices are so high, it’s easy to see why some turn to crime for an income.

Crime can, of course, be dealt with by toughening criminal laws and introducing longer custodial sentences for persistent criminals, but some of the best ways to deal with crime may be to deal with the social causes. Increasing employment opportunities in poorer areas would improve living standards, which would mean access to affordable housing and education. Government funding for drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmes would help reduce dependency on stimulants and the need for the criminal activity that surrounds them.

In conclusion, crime is a major issue, but cracking down on offenders with a harsh penal system is not the only way. These problems can be solved through the government providing jobs and funding which should raise living standards and dramatically reduce crime levels.

(323 words)

There is an increasing concern in many countries that newspapers are not being read and the news on television is not being watched by many young people. As a result, young people in these countries are not up-to-date with or even concerned about local, national and international events.

The major causes of this problem are that most newspapers and news programs are designed for an adult audience and are not presented in a format that teenagers find attractive. Few young people read newspapers because the language is too difficult and the style and content are usually quite serious. A lack of interest in the news is also due to the fact that young people are fascinated by new technology, such as computers and the Internet. As a result of this, there is lower interest in traditional news formats, which are considered unappealing and unfashionable.

There are some strategies that can be used to encourage young people to keep abreast of the news. The first is to have news agencies present the news in formats that are appealing to the young. The easiest way to do this would be to present news on internet sites that are designed for a younger audience. Another way to confront the problem is to have schools involved in the publication of regular school newspapers. Recent local, national and international news events could be included, although schools should also encourage pupils to be involved in the writing of articles and submissions. This newspaper could then be distributed to all the pupils, which means a greater number of young people would regularly read news stories.

The low number of young people reading newspapers and following the news on television can be increased by presenting the news in formats that are appealing to them. The key is to utilise websites and also have schools publish their own newspapers, which students are involved in.

(317 words)

The increasing amount of violence that is shown regularly in films has been a cause of concern for some time. Such films make violence appear entertaining, exciting and even something to be copied. However, it seems to be increasingly clear that this development is causing problems in our society.

First of all, those who enjoy such films eventually stop associating the violence with any real consequences. They therefore lose their sense of reality and no longer take violence seriously or have any sympathy with the victims. This is bad for both individuals and for our whole society. Another worrying trend is that in these films the heroes are shown as people to be admired, even though they are very violent characters. This leads impressionable people to believe that they can gain respect and admiration by copying this aggressive behaviour, and so the levels of violence increase, especially in major cities throughout the world.

What is needed to combat these problems is definite action. The government should regulate the film industry on the one hand, and provide better education on the other. Producers must be prevented from showing meaningless violence as ‘fun’ in their films. Instead, films could emphasise the tragic consequences of violent acts and this would educate people, especially young people, to realise that violence is real.

To conclude, I think that viewing violence as entertainment may indeed cause serious social problems and that the only way to improve this situation is by regulating the industry and educating the public about the real human suffering that such violence brings.

(260 words)

Most people would agree that car ownership has increased in recent years and is causing a range of problems, particularly in built-up areas. I think there are a number of ways that governments can aim to deal with this.

Many big cities in the world have traffic problems but these problems vary. For example, it is reasonably easy to drive around my city after 10 am and before 5 pm. However, outside these hours, you have to allow double the usual time to reach your destination. In some other cities, traffic is congested at all times, and there is the continual sound of car horns as people try to get wherever they want to go.

One of the best approaches governments can take in busy cities is to encourage the use of public transport. This means the transport facilities have to be well run and people must be able to afford them. Buses, trams and trains are good ways of getting around, and if they are cheap and reliable, people will use them.

Another approach is to discourage people from actually entering the city by building car parks and shopping centres on the outskirts. Many cities around the world do this quite successfully and offer passengers bus transport into the centre, if they need it.

At peak travel periods, governments can also run campaigns to encourage people to be less dependent on their cars. Apparently, a lot of car trips involve very short journeys to, say, the supermarket or local school. These are often unnecessary, but we automatically get in our cars without thinking.

Clearly, we all have a responsibility to look after our cities. Governments can do a lot to improve the situation and part of what they do should involve encouraging individuals to consider alternatives to driving.

(299 words)

In most countries of the world, the population is increasing alarmingly. This is especially true in poor, undeveloped countries. Overpopulation causes a considerable number of problems.

In poor countries, it is difficult to provide enough food to feed even the present number of people. In addition, education to limit the number of children per family is not always successful. Poorer countries usually have a lot of unemployment too, and an increase in population simply makes the situation worse. The environment also suffers when there are too many people living on the land.

In rich, industrialised, and developing countries it is very difficult for governments to provide effective public services in overcrowded cities. Moreover, there is usually a great deal more crime, which is often due to high rates of unemployment. Further large increases in population only cause more overcrowding, unemployment, and crime.

There are two main solutions to the overpopulation problem. Firstly, every woman who is pregnant, but who does not want to give birth, should be allowed by law to have an abortion. Secondly, governments must educate people to limit the size of the family. In China, couples are penalised financially if they have more than one child. This may seem cruel, but the “one-child policy” is beginning to have an effect on the world’s most populous nation. Eventually, similar policies might also be necessary in other crowded nations such as India, for example.

To sum up, if the population explosion continues, many more people will die of starvation in poor countries, and life in the cities, even in affluent nations, will become increasingly difficult.

(266 words)

Youth drug abuse is a serious problem nowadays in many cultures. Not only is illegal drug use on the rise, but children as young as 10 years old are experimenting with alcohol and tobacco. The reasons for this behaviour are unclear, but certain sociologists blame the examples set by their elders.

Parents who drink and smoke to excess are, in effect, telling their children that it is acceptable to abuse their bodies with drugs. Consequently, children may have a similar view towards illegal drugs, even if their parents are against their use. In addition, drug use shown on television and in films can only confuse children who are also taught at school that drug abuse is wrong.

The pressure on young people to perform well at school in order to compete for jobs is a possible cause of the problem. Many believe they cannot live up to their parents’ expectations, and feel a sense of hopelessness. Also, the widespread availability of drugs means teenagers are faced with the temptation to experiment. Drugs are used as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with the pressures they face in society.

The effects of drug abuse are well known. Many young people’s talents are wasted, and addiction to hard drugs can cost a user his or her life. Furthermore, those who drink and drive may be involved in fatal road accidents. The cost to society is great, and enormous amounts of money are spent on convicting drug dealers and on education programmes.

To conclude, I recommend that the only sensible way to solve this problem is to educate young people about the dangers of drug use, and to take steps to reduce the pressure of competition placed upon them.

(285 words)

As the number of private cars has increased, so has the level of pollution. Overreliance on cars at the expense of public transport has made this problem even worse, causing many concerned citizens to look for a solution to the problem.

One potential solution to this problem is to discourage the use of private cars by raising taxes. If the cost of petrol was increased, then many people would consider using alternative forms of transport or even walking. Admittedly, there would be a number of complaints from car drivers, but these would not be of much importance when balanced against the environmental benefits.

Another solution could be to look at more specific causes of the problem. Modern cars are fitted with cleaner-burning engines and catalytic converters. Accordingly, they do not cause as much of an environmental hazard as some older cars. In Japan, for example, cars are heavily taxed once they have been on the road for three years or more, encouraging people to buy new cars which pollute less. By heavily taxing older vehicles from the road, some of the worst polluting vehicles would be taken off the road. However, this would not really be fair to those who cannot afford a new car with such regularity.

An improvement in the quality and efficiency of public transport would also encourage people to use their cars less. In London, for example, a system has been operating for some time in which people are allocated days of the week when they can use their cars. On days that they are not allowed to drive, public transport is taken.

Although these are potential solutions to the problem, none of them are perfect. Only by a concerted effort by both the government and the public can this situation truly be resolved.

(298 words)