Topic 1: Does increasing travels between countries enable people to learn different cultures or to

Topic 56: It is said that the best way to solve the world's environmental problems is to 
increase the price of fuel. To what extent do you agree or disagree? 
(low income families}, (public transportation). (driven to develop the vehicles that are powered by 
other forms of energy), 
(discourage people from using petrol), (irreplaceable means of transport) ( chaos ill fuel market) ;
(distract attention from the root cause of the problem); (create cleaner fuels ) (generation of 
renewable energy)
The burning of fossil fuels is universally recognized as the largest source of emissions of 
greenhouse gases in the world and one of the key factors responsible for global warming. 
When there is a growing concern about the destructive effects of global warming and other 
environmental problems, some people argue that the best approach to deal with such problems 
is to increase fuel prices, assuming that it will lead directly to the drop in car use. This 
approach is productive to some extent, but some other measures should be given equal 
consideration.
It should be first noted that car use alone does not take up the entire consumption of 
petrol, although people's obsession with car use contributes greatly to greenhouse gas 
emission. Petrol is intended for other applications too, such as electricity generation, the daily 
running of equipment and machinery for industrial and agricultural purposes. People are not 
surprised to see that the appliances used by many families are powered by petrol as well. 
Therefore, when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, people should take different 
methods simultaneously, instead of relying on any single method only.
People should meanwhile recognize the fact that the demand for petrol is generally 
inelastic, at least in the short run. The consumption of petrol would not vary significantly 
according to the fluctuation of petrol price. To such a high degree have people relied on petrol 
in their daily lives that they cannot cut petrol use immediately. Some people might argue that 
using public transport is an alternative, but notably, public transport itself is a large producer 
of carbon dioxide. Going on foot or by bike is clean, but not preferred by many people, who 
are extremely time conscious.
Therefore, the effort to reduce greenhouse gases emission by curbing car use cannot 
achieve any immediate outcome unless sufficient time is given. Over a period of years, petrol 
consumption is very likely to drop, when households realize that fuels represent an increasing 
proportion of expenditure. People might turn to fuel-efficient cars or reduce non-essential 
trips, both resulting in the drop in petrol use. Car manufacturers are forced to enlarge research 
and development investment in producing hybrid cars or cars powered by renewable clean 
energy sources, a cure-all for car emission problems.
In conclusion, imposing petrol tax is neither the main nor the only solution to 
environmental problems that people are struggling to solve, although the utilization of fossil 
fuels, particularly petrol, is the largest source of emissions. Some other methods should be 
taken into consideration as well.
1. Take up=occupy=make up=constitute=account for
2. Obsession with=fascination with=passion for
3. Inelastic=unchangeable=fixed
4. Cure-all=panacea=universal remedy=solution
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