第一时间发布：2012年7月22日托福作文范文：Compared with people who live in cities, people who live in rural areas can take better care of families.

It is generally believed by many that  a rural area is the perfect place for children to grow up and the elders to enjoy sunshine because of its serenity and tranquility. Thus, it seems plausible to say that countryside may be the very place if people want to take good care of their families. However, I see things differently.

True, the impressive sceneries and vast stretch of openness have long been many townsfolk’s Shangri-La. Bored by the hustle and bustle of the city, many people living in urban areas dream of a place where they can sit by a lake, watching their children laughing or chatting with other family members. Such a pastoral life will definitely become an antidote to the pressure and misery that city dwellers have to face in their daily lives. Nevertheless, I am still not convinced that rural area will be a better place for people who want to take good care of their families and my reasons will be illustrated as follows.

Firstly, lack of educational resources makes the rural areas, especially those in developing countries less competitive in schooling. One essential part in taking good care of families is to provide the best education to the younger generation but a country life may put this aspect at stake. At least in my country, with better teachers and fancier facilities, schools in city can offer a much better education than those in the countryside. As a result, children living in cities tend to be more insightful and thoughtful because they constantly absorb new ideas from their teachers or via internet. I still remember the first time I met my cousin Jeff 5 years ago. Due to the relocation of his father, his family moved from a remote mine area in the countryside to the city I lived in. To my surprise, although he is 5 years older than me, he showed me exactly the same textbook we were using at that time. He told me that in the countryside, many kids like him didn’t go to school until they were nine years old because there were simply not enough teachers to run classes. Also, the materials they used were much simpler than those used in city schools, only 2 out of 10 students could go to high school and most of his classmates would end up becoming migrant worker in cities or doing menial jobs in nearby counties. The conversation between me and my cousin brings me the reality of a rural life and convinces me that an urban life is the only choice when it comes to the education of the younger generation.

Another equally discouraging point about the countryside is its insufficient medical care service. Actually, according to a recent investigation in China, only 5% villagers buy health insurance. Besides, hospitals and clinics are scattered sparsely in remote areas because doctors are reluctant to work in those comparatively underdeveloped regions. With such factors, I doubt that those rural areas are desirable places for the old who are more vulnerable to all kinds of diseases. A few weeks ago, my best friend’s grandpa passed away because of pneumonia. Such a disease can be easily cured had he lived in the city. In a sense, the untimely treatment which is a commonplace in the countryside finally leads to his death. To avoid the reoccurrence of such a sorrowful story, wise people will definitely choose the city rather than the countryside to take care of their families.

Granted, going to enjoy ourselves once in a while in the countryside is a perfect experience, but taking family there is a totally different story and people should be cautious about their choice.[anti-both]