ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

1. Read the model below and underline phrases expressing advantages and
disadvantages.

Some countries attempt to solve the problem of traffic congestion by

limiting the use of cars in inner city areas. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this approach to urban planning?

In the past twenty years, governments round the world have done their best
to tackle the problem of traffic jam by reducing the increased number of
cars in inner city. There are benefits, as well as several downsides to this
approach.

One of the main positives is that it greatly reduces inner city pollution. This
is because fewer cars used mean less emission of pollutant sent out into the
air. Also, imposing a restriction on car numbers encourages the use of
public transport which benefits everyone who lives and works in the city. An
additional advantage is that it significantly alleviates traffic congestion and
makes it easier to move around the city. Thus, business people find it
quicker to get to their meetings or to visit other locations by taxis, by bus or
by rail transport.

On the other hand, allowing just a small number of car traffic in inner city
tends to create problems for some people to carry out their daily work. For
example, moving quickly to school or work is very important to people in a
modern city because this can help save money and time. If they had no cars,
the likely outcome of their work would be disastrous. Another issue is that it
is necessary for disabled people or for families with young children to
access city services and they should be able to drive their cars to these
places. Consequently, limiting the use of cars could lead to real
inconvenience for some citizens.

In conclusion, there are positives and negatives of restricting car traffic in

the inner city based on the above discussion and analysis. I personally
believe that the benefits resulting from the reduction in pollution and traffic
congestion eventually far outweigh any negatives.
2. Using adjectives such as 'difficult, hard, easy, possible, important ... '
In English, there are some common constructions for these words:
• It is easy/ hard/ difficult/ important/ possible (for someone) to ...
Ex: It is difficult for disabled people to access services.
• (Gerund or noun) is easy/ possible/ difficult/ hard (for someone).
Ex: Accessing services is hard for disabled people.
• (Gerund or noun) makes it difficult/hard/easy/possible (for someone) to ...
Ex: Limiting traffic makes it hard for businessmen to get around quickly.

3. Rearrange the order of these phrases to make complete sentences.

a. makes it easier / limiting the number of cars / to get around

b. by using public transport / to conserve our petrol resources / it is important
c. travelling by public transport / to carry a lot of luggage / makes it difficult
d. to move around the city / traffic congestion / it is very difficult / if there is a
lot of
e. to another / by public transport / is easy / getting from one place
f. makes it very difficult / traffic congestion / in the city / to get from place to
place
g. by building underground motorway networks / to reduce congestion / it is
possible
h. makes it impossible / having too many cars / to keep our city air clean
i. in the inner city / to predict the result of / it is difficult / limiting cars

4. Read the task and sample essay, and complete it with linking words from the box.
Words can be used more than once.

also while consequently in conclusion for example

in contrast furthermore therefore however

Experts believe that over the next decade, robots will be doing many of the
jobs currently done by humans. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
this.

In the future, experts predict that robots will be doing many of the tasks
currently done by humans.1. ________, there will be many advantages and
disadvantages for society. In this essay, I will discuss both the positive and
negative aspects of this new development.

The biggest advantage robots will bring to the workplace is their ability to work
quickly and accurately. 2 ________ , they don't need to take breaks or have
holidays. This would 3 ________ mean that having a robot worker would be
much more economical than employing a human.

Another great advantage of using robots in the workplace is that they can
perform tasks that are thought to be dangerous, 4________ , working on busy
roads or underground. They can 5________ do the jobs humans don't want to
do, such as cleaning the house or dealing with rubbish.

6________ , there are also many disadvantages to robots entering the

workplace. The most significant disadvantage is that many humans would be left
unemployed. 7________ , if a robot was to stop working, this could cause major
problems for a company which relied heavily on the technology. A robot which
wasn't working properly could also be very dangerous in some cases. The cost
of maintaining these robots could also be very expensive.

8________, as can be seen from the points made in this essay, there are both
advantages and disadvantages to having robots enter the workplace. 9________
there are many advantages to this, a significant negative impact would be the
loss of jobs for humans. If managed in the right way, 10________ , I feel that
overall the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages.