IELTS Task 1范文
1.
A glance at the graph provided reveals some striking similarities between the Chinese and US birth rates during the period from 1920 to 2000. It is evident that both nations saw considerable fluctuations in fertility, with lows during the 1940s and highs during the 1950s.
Increasing from approximately 10 percent in 1920 to 15 percent in 1935, China’s birth rate then plunged to a low of just 5 percent in the 1940s. This was followed by a period of exponential growth, with fertility in the country reaching a peak of 20 percent in 1950. The latter half of the century, however, brought a sustained decline in this figure.
The US birth rate, meanwhile, fluctuated at somewhere between 11 and 13 percent prior to 1940, before dropping sharply to less than 5 percent in 1945. The following 5 years saw a rapid climb in this rate, to somewhere in the vicinity of 15 percent in 1950, followed by a steady fall.
It is interesting to note that while the birth rates of both countries were comparable until 1950, the gap between the two widened after this time as fertility in China slid away. 2.
Given are two figures concerning criminality in Britain. The first provides data on the rates of conviction among men and women of various ages, while the second indicates the gender balance of the UK prison population.
It is apparent from the information supplied that the rate of conviction among Brits of both sexes increases exponentially during adolescence and peaks at the age of about 20. Also evident is the fact that men are far more likely to offend than women. From a negligible 2 percent among 10-year-old boys, the male conviction rate soars to approximately 16 percent among 20-year-olds. The percentage of female offenders, meanwhile, climbs from 0 percent among girls of 10 to some 5 percent for 20-year-olds. The subsequent decades, however, see dramatic decreases in criminality among both sexes. A mere 2 percent of crimes are committed by 60-year-old men and 0 percent by women of the same age.
As for the proportion of male and female prison inmates, men outnumber women 24 to 1. Some 96 percent of all prisioners are men, while the remainder are female.
3.
A glance at the two pie charts provided reveals the relative popularity of various leisure activities among European adults in 1985 and 1995.
Of these activities, watching television was the most widely enjoyed in both years, at 32 percent in 1985 and a slightly lower 30 percent in 1995. Yet, by far the most significant change to take place during this period was the increased popularity of computer games. Not a single respondent to the survey rated playing computer games as their preferred leisure activity in 1985. However, by 1995 this figure stood at 27 percent – the second highest overall. Also more popular in 1995 was talking with friends, at 26 percent compared to 21 percent a decade earlier.
In stark contrast, however, all other activities decreased in popularity. Eating out – which was the second most widely enjoyed pastime in 1985, accounting for 23 percent of respondents – slipped to a mere 8 percent in 1995. Likewise, there were also considerable decreases in the popularity ratings of talking with family, other activities and (as previously mentioned) watching television. 4.
Given are two figures providing a comparison of internet use in five European countries (namely Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain and the UK) in 1995, 2000 and 2004, as well as the popularity of internet shopping in these countries.
It is evident from the information provided that Britain had by far the highest number of internet users in all three years. From 16 million in 1995, the number of British users climbed steadily to 22 million in 2000, before soaring to a staggering 41 million in 2004. Second in terms of internet use was Germany. This country saw a threefold increase during the period in question, from 5 million people in 1995 to 14 million in 2000 and 15 million in 2004. A similar increase took place in France. The two nations with the fewest internet users, meanwhile, were Switzerland and Spain.
It is also interesting to note that internet shopping was far more common in the UK than in any other country listed. In fact, the prevalence of internet shopping in Britain was double that of Germany and triple that of Switzerland. France and Spain, meanwhile, had moderate levels of online shopping.
5.
A glance at the table provided reveals a number of clear differences between the major metro systems of the world in terms of age, scale and annual carrying capacity.
One particularly interesting fact highlighted by the figure is that the more recently established metro systems are considerably shorter than the older ones. Completed in 1863, the London underground is the oldest of the metro systems listed and also the longest, extending for 1100 kilometres. Likewise, the second oldest system is also the second longest: built in 1890, the Paris metro is some 594 kilometres in length. In stark contrast, however, Kyoto and Los Angeles metro systems – established in 1980 and 2001 respectively – are far shorter. The former covers a mere 11 kilometres and the latter just 14 kilometres.
With regard to yearly carrying capacity, the metro systems mentioned in the table vary greatly. The Tokyo metro is equipped to carry the largest number of passengers, at 1434 million. With 850 million, meanwhile, the Paris metro has the second largest carrying capacity. The systems with the smallest capacities are those of Kyoto and Washington DC, transporting just 11 million and 70 million people per year respectively. 6.
Given are two column graphs comparing the rates of secondary and tertiary education among males and females in various different parts of the world. While Europe enjoys relatively high levels of education overall, it seems that people in less affluent regions are far less likely to be educated. All European girls of school age and 90 percent of boys receive a secondary education, compared with only 20 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys in Sub-Sahara Africa. Latin America and East Asia, meanwhile, have moderate levels of secondary education – between 40 and 50 percent for both sexes.
With regard to higher education, the figures are much lower throughout the world. In Europe, some 50 percent of adult females and 45 percent of adult males gain a higher education. Conversely, only 20 percent of females and 25 percent of males in Sub-Saharan Africa attend college or university. The figures for Latin America and East Asia are marginally higher than those of Africa.
Also noteworthy is the fact that females are more likely to receive a secondary education in all regions except East Asia, but less likely to receive a tertiary education in all regions except Europe.