城市话题有很多可以讨论的分歧，因此经常出现在雅思中。Writing Task 2 会问：年轻人为什么离开乡村，应该怎样应对，如何解决住房昂贵的问题，以及城市扩张时应该向上建高楼还是向外拓展。Speaking Part 3 可能要求比较大城市与小城镇的生活，或者设想二十年后的城市。
这个话题的陷阱，是把熟悉的说法逐字搬进英语。学习者常把生活方便、令人愉快的城市称为 a comfortable city，但英语中有一个更准确的词：liveable，如 a liveable city 和 make the city more liveable。Housing 也容易用错，因为它没有复数；entertainment 表示供人消遣的活动时同样不可数。下面介绍适用于作文和口语的 27 个搭配，解释这些错误，并展示 LetsWords 如何在你写的句子中找出问题、说明原因。
本页属于雅思话题词汇指南。交通、公共交通和道路见交通话题；这里讨论城市生活、住房与城市发展。
城市与住房：词汇和搭配
城市生活的利与弊
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| quality of life | 生活的舒适程度与整体质量 | Smaller towns often offer a better quality of life: cleaner air, less noise and less stress. |
| the pace of life | 生活的节奏和忙碌程度 | Some people thrive on the fast pace of life in big cities, while others find it exhausting. |
| job opportunities | 找到工作的机会 | Young people move to cities mainly for better job opportunities. |
| local amenities | 住所附近的商店、学校、诊所等配套设施与服务 | New housing estates often go up years before local amenities such as schools and shops arrive. |
| a vibrant cultural life | 丰富、活跃的文化生活 | A vibrant cultural life is one of the main attractions of living in a city. |
| noise pollution | 有害或令人困扰的噪声 | Noise pollution from traffic and construction can seriously disturb sleep. |
| overcrowded | 人口过多、空间拥挤的 | Overcrowded neighbourhoods put pressure on local schools and clinics. |
| a sense of isolation | 孤独、与他人隔绝的感觉 | Despite being surrounded by people, many city dwellers feel a sense of isolation. |
住房
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| affordable housing | 普通收入者能够负担的住房 | The council has promised to build more affordable housing for key workers. |
| a housing shortage | 住房数量不足，无法满足需求 | A housing shortage pushes up rents for everyone, not only for newcomers. |
| soaring property prices | 快速上涨的房价 | Soaring property prices have pushed many young families out of the city centre. |
| get on the property ladder | 购买第一套住房 | It now takes young couples years to save enough to get on the property ladder. |
| rent a flat | 付费租住他人的公寓 | Most students rent a flat with friends to share the costs. |
| high-rise buildings | 楼层很多的高层建筑 | High-rise buildings allow more people to live on less land. |
| cramped conditions | 居住空间狭小、拥挤的条件 | Many families still live in cramped conditions, with three generations under one roof. |
| move into | 搬入新住所 | They moved into a new flat on the edge of the city last spring. |
城市发展
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| urban sprawl | 城市向周边乡村无序蔓延 | Urban sprawl turns farmland into suburbs where residents depend on cars. |
| urban planning | 规划城市土地和建筑的使用方式 | Good urban planning puts homes, jobs and shops within walking distance of each other. |
| green spaces | 公园及其他有草木的绿地 | Parks and other green spaces improve residents’ mental and physical health. |
| a liveable city | 生活方便、令人愉快的宜居城市 | Wide pavements, parks and safe streets make a city more liveable. |
| regenerate a run-down area | 改造衰败地区，使其恢复活力 | The project aims to regenerate a run-down area near the old port. |
| invest in infrastructure | 投入道路、交通、公用设施与服务建设 | Cities that invest in infrastructure early cope better with rapid growth. |
| gentrification | 地区变得更富裕、更昂贵，导致原有居民被迫迁出 | Gentrification can revive a neighbourhood but force long-term residents out. |
城市与乡村
| 表达 | 含义 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| rural areas | 农村地区 | Young people leave rural areas because there are few jobs there. |
| rural-to-urban migration | 人口从乡村迁往城市 | Rural-to-urban migration has left many villages with mostly elderly residents. |
| a close-knit community | 成员彼此熟悉、相互支持的紧密社区 | In a small town, you are part of a close-knit community where everyone knows each other. |
| settle down | 在一个地方安定下来生活 | Many people move to the city in their twenties and settle down in the suburbs later. |
常见错误
There are not enough places for walk in our city.
正确：There are not enough places to walk in our city.
Places 后面说明可以做什么，使用 to 加动词原形：places to walk，也可以说 places for walking。Walk 在这里不能不带冠词而直接当作名词使用。
Young families cannot afford to buy a housing.
正确：Young families cannot afford housing. 或：Young families cannot afford to buy a home.
Housing 泛指住房，不可数，既不加 a，也不加 -s。说一套具体的住所，用 a home、a flat 或 a house。Home vs house 练习会进一步解释 home 和 house 的区别。
The life in big cities is very stressful.
正确：Life in big cities is very stressful.
泛指生活时，life 不加冠词。进一步限定具体是谁的生活或哪一种生活时，才可能用 the life，例如 the life of a city courier。
The city offers many entertainment for young people.
正确：The city offers a lot of entertainment for young people.
Entertainment 表示娱乐、消遣活动时不可数，因此说 a lot of entertainment，不用 many。
LetsWords 如何解释这些错误
这类错误对写作者来说往往不明显：在脑中逐字翻译时，places for walk 和 a housing 可能听起来很自然。因此，LetsWords 会在你用所学表达造句时指出问题。下面是一道练习的过程。
假设你正在复习 job opportunities。LetsWords 用母语提示给出“找到工作的机会”的含义，你回想英文表达，再写一句关于迁往城市的话：
Young people leave from rural areas because there are little job opportunities.
反馈会解释两个错误：
- leave from → leave：这里表示离开某地去别处生活，leave 直接接宾语：leave rural areas、leave home；
- little → few：little 修饰不可数名词，而 opportunities 是复数，因此需要 few。
Young people leave rural areas because there are few job opportunities.
LetsWords 会用母语逐项解释修改，让你明白原来的写法为什么不行，而不只是该换成什么。几天后，这个表达会再次出现在复习中，你需要换一个情境使用它，例如在 Speaking 中回答人们为什么搬到首都。这样，词表中的搭配才会逐渐变成能凭记忆想起、并准确写出的表达。
注册时选择 IELTS 目标和水平，LetsWords 就会为你安排相应练习。付费前可以先体验反馈。
在 Writing Task 2 中使用这些搭配
一道考试风格的题目：
As cities grow, more and more people live in new residential districts far from the city centre. What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken to address them?
一个提出解决措施的段落：
The most effective solution would be to stop cities from expanding outwards indefinitely. Local authorities could regenerate run-down areas close to the centre and require developers to include a fixed share of affordable housing in every new project. At the same time, new districts should be designed around green spaces and local amenities such as schools, clinics and shops, so that residents do not have to cross the city for everyday needs. Such urban planning would limit urban sprawl and turn outlying neighbourhoods into places where people genuinely want to live, rather than simply sleep.
这个段落为什么有效？ 题目要求提出措施，段落给出两项具体做法：改造靠近市中心的衰败地区，以及围绕日常服务建设新城区，随后说明结果。搭配让复杂的概念可以简洁表达：urban sprawl 取代了对城市向外蔓延的整段解释。最后一句描述人们只回去睡觉的通勤郊区时，没有生造生硬的术语，而是说 places where people genuinely want to live, rather than simply sleep。雅思 Writing 评分标准在 Lexical Resource 的 7 分描述中提到 awareness of style and collocation。这个段落没有生僻词，也展示了这种能力。
在 Speaking 中使用
一道 Part 3 问题：Why do so many young people move from small towns to big cities?
Mostly for job opportunities, I think. In my home town there are maybe two or three big employers, so if you want a career in IT or design, you basically have to leave. Cities also offer a vibrant cultural life, which matters a lot when you’re twenty. The downside is that housing is so expensive: a lot of my friends spend half their salary on rent.
回答用到了个人经历作为例子，这在 Speaking 中很正常，也有说服力。话题搭配仍然来自同一组可用于作文的词表。
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- city vs town：大城市与较小的城镇；
- home vs house：建筑物与居住的家；
- move in：搬入新住所，或搬到一起住；
- settle down：不再四处迁移，安定下来生活；
- cottage：乡间小屋，不是豪宅；
- make ends meet：收入刚好够维持生活；
- whereas：用于比较城市与乡村的连接词。
其他考试话题见雅思话题词汇指南。
从词表走向实际运用
读懂宜居的城市可以用 liveable 很容易；考试时能想起它，而不是顺手写出熟悉的 comfortable，则需要练习。可以通过 LetsWords 把词表变成实际运用：选择适合水平的 IELTS 词集，再把本页的搭配加入词集，例如 affordable housing 或 quality of life。你根据提示回想表达，用它写一个句子；LetsWords 指出错误，用母语解释修改方法，并建议更准确的说法，间隔重复则安排表达再次出现，让用法逐渐熟练。之后再把词汇放进完整文章中检验：IELTS Writing 专区提供城市与交通话题的 Task 2 题目，涉及住在市中心还是郊区、交通拥堵和公共交通；完整回答会得到围绕四项评分标准、结合原文的详细反馈。注册时回答几个关于目标和水平的问题，LetsWords 就会安排相应练习。付费前可以体验反馈。