Task2: Some people think that "vertical City" is the best, where people live and work in tall buildings. Others think that "horizontal" City is better, where there are few tall buildings. Discuss both views and give your opinion. 

解析：进入年底了还有最后几场考，大家都在猜会不会有什么偏难的题目出现。据个人经验，应该不会。原因有二：

一、从历年考题的来看，往往年底的雅思题出得很普通，并没有“奇葩”“偏怪”的情况出现。可能命题者这会儿大都沉浸在holiday season中，没有那么多心思再去琢磨新题来“刁难”大家吧  （国外从thanksgiving后基本就进入了holiday season，这种节日状态持续到Christmas 结束）

二、 偏难怪题基本在下半年已经出现完了，当雅思偏冷题目考过之后，雅思写作回归热点。出题形式依然是新瓶装老酒。

今天这道题考查的是建筑类话题，但并不是传统的古旧建筑保护，而是有关城市规划－－非常具有现实意义吧？个人认为雅思命题确实是在贴近当今生活、“与时俱进”，因此我也觉得我们的英文写作群每天对海内外热点现象的讨论非常有价值http://www/uc/myshow/blog/misc/gif/E___6724EN00SIGG.gif(Q群号：100018046 Amy's Writing Workshop）

城市建筑规划，经济成本是很重要的考虑因素，当然其他如环境（地理、气候等）、经济成本、人口分布、城市形象、安全性等也是肯定需要考虑的，但这篇范文里只选取了一些比较好展开的角度来写。希望大家在今后的练笔中也要“扬长避短”、学会取舍！

Sample Answer by Amy

As a result of rapid urbanization and modernization, many emerging countries now face severe problem of population explosion. Some people believe vertical city is the best solution, while others hold the opposite opinion, claiming that horizontal city can better cater for people's needs.

Advocates who show their support in constructing tall buildings in cities have their reasons. First, high-rise buildings mean high occupancy and therefore can relieve the problems of housing shortage in densely-populated cities. As skyscrapers only occupy a small patch of land, there will be more arable lands for farming and gardening. If a few tower blocks can meet the multi-dwelling demands of masses of people, more room will be made for equipping public facilities such as building large squares and parks. Besides, building vertical cities means people live in a relatively small sphere; hence public transportations such as buses and metros are better choices for people to move around. If citizens rely less on private vehicles whose emissions are the main contributor to urban air pollution, air quality of the city will be improved and other environmental problems will be drastically reduced. However, this vertical city plan is unlikely to be workable before basic amenities and comprehensive infrastructure are provided.

Obviously, not everyone agree with the idea of vertical city and some prefer to work and live in buildings with limited height. Particularly in those areas where land is not scarce but vast and sparsely populated, it is common for people to build two-story residential homes or commercial buildings that often possess many multi-functional rooms. Another reason why people choose low-rise buildings as their accommodations or workplaces is the easy access to nature. There is no doubt that residents who live in a single family house with a backyard can get closer to the nature than those staying in the top floor of monstrous edifices. Also, safety is an important factor to consider when planning buildings. For example, in cities where earthquakes frequently occur, it is more advisable to construct low-rise wooden buildings.

In conclusion, it is difficult to say whether vertical or horizontal city is superior as topography and other conditions may vary greatly among different cities. In my opinion, gigantic buildings as workplaces are understandable, but for residence and accommodations, low-rise houses are definitely more satisfactory. (By Amy)