雅思写作精华素材之“城市发展与住房”

　　雅思写作精华素材之“城市发展与住房”

　　只要在考前用心准备的考生，在考试中就一定不会出现无话可说的情形，所以考生们平时对雅思写作素材的积累是很有必要的。今天给大家提供的精华素材是社会类话题：城市发展与住房。

　　Tiny homes provide affordable(看似简单的词，在说价格合理这样正面意思的时候用以取代 cheap，更精准) urban housing optionas.

　　According to the World Bank and numerous think tanks(智囊团), the world’s cities will become increasingly urbanized in coming decades(在未来几十年里，不要再老是用 in the future 这样烂大街的词汇了), with accompanying challenges in finding affordable housing. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute predicts that 1.6 billion people worldwide will either be “financially stretched by housing costs” (注意这里 stretched 的用法，指因房价上涨而造成经济紧张)or be living in “crowded, inadequate, and unsafe housing.”

　　McKinsey defines affordable housing as that requiring no more than 30 per cent of income.

　　Small, temporary, modular homes are one potential solution. Tim McCormick, a product designer in Palo Alto, California, has devised a concept he calls “Houselets,” described as “simple, mobile, modular building in available space.” The term Houselets borrows from the idea of parklets, which are small, temporary parks installed across one to three parking spaces.

　　According to McCormick, the concept arose from wondering what urban land was relatively cheap and available. Parking spaces and parking lots came to mind, as well as other idle parcels scattered around typical cities(be scattered around cities 意指分散在城市各处，在说到 urbanisation 时很有用的表达方式). Creating small, cheap, modular housing for those spaces has resulted in the Houselets concept.

　　In addition to the ability to use cheap available land, key features of this approach include:

　　Ÿ Open source design: core features provide some standardization and accommodate each builder’s unique ideas. The homes could be factory built by a professional builder or built by the homeowner.

　　Ÿ Modular design: a standardized structure can be built using common components, such as perforated steel tubing, then completed with a variety of roofing, cladding and interior systems.

　　Ÿ Non-site specific and non-proprietary: modules can be moved, bought, sold, changed, and combined more efficiently than standard housing options. They’re highly adaptable to different sites and needs.