text: #52. How to make your hometown more appealing to people your age?
  
  My hometown is a pretty good place to live. However, I still can think of at least three changes that would drastically increase the towns appeal to people my age, around 20. The construction of public sports facilities would give us the opportunity to exercise and spend our time constructively, the further development of the public parks would provide us with places to spend our leisure time in nice and cost free environments, and the lowering of the cost of public transportation would give us the opportunity to roam the city more freely.
  
  Exercising is the most popular recreational activity amongst people my age, but unfortunately there is very little opportunity to pursue sports in my hometown. All of the gyms, basketball courts, and football fields are on school grounds, and most of the time they are occupied by other students or sports teams. When they are not occupied, the facilities are locked up or it is too dark to play sports. The construction of public sports facilities that are open to anybody would solve this problem.
  
  My friends and I enjoy spending time together, but we cannot find a suitable place to hang out. Most of the time, we meet at the shopping mall around the corner, or play outside the convenience store across from school. We usually just spent what money we have and do nothing else but look at the stores or sit on the street. We want to go to a park or a nice green area, but most of them are not very well kept. Those that are nice are too far away.
  
  Lowering the cost of bus and train tickets would not only allow us to go to those parks, but it would open up a whole new realm of possibilities. We would be able to go to other parts of the city and see our relatives more often. Right now, the only time we get to see our cousins is on holidays. Furthermore, we could actually afford to see a movie in the theater. At present the cost of transportation is almost as much as the ticket itself.
  
  ![](images/TOEFL-iBT-High-Score-Essays-052.jpg)
  
  > ### 译文
  
  > **52. 如何使家乡对你的同龄人更具吸引力？**
  
  > 我的家乡是一个很适合生活的地方，但是我仍然能够找出三个可以改进的地方以吸引像我这样的二十来岁的年轻人。公共体育设施的建设将带给人们锻炼的机会，使人们更积极地利用时间；公园的修建给人们带来休闲的地方，让人们享受优美免费的环境；公共交通费用的降低能让我们更自由地徜徉在这个城市中。
  
  > 锻炼是我这个年龄段的人最普遍的休闲方式。可是遗憾的是，在我所在的城市里很少有机会锻炼身体。所有的体育馆、篮球场、足球场都在校园里，而且大多数时间都被学生或者运动队占用。没人用的时候，它们会被锁起来，或是天太黑没法玩了。建设向公众开放的体育设施可以解决这个问题。
  
  > 我和朋友喜欢在一起消磨时光，可是我们却找不到适合聚会的地方。大多数时间我们在街角的商场碰头，或者是在学校外面的便利店玩耍。我们往往是在花完了身上的钱后就无所事事了，只能逛逛商店或者干脆就坐在街边。我们希望能有个公园或者绿地让我们去，可是大多数公园或者绿地却管理不善，好的公园又往往很远。
  
  > 降低公交车票或火车票的价钱不仅使我们可以到郊区的公园，还会给我们一片新的天地：我们可以到城市的其他地方去、经常到亲戚家去。现在我们去亲戚家的惟一机会就是过节的时候。而且，我们确实有钱到影院看电影，但现在，交通费几乎和电影票价差不多。
  
  ### Word List
  
   * drastically ［ˈdræstikəli］ adv. 激烈地，猛烈地
   * construction ［kənˈstrʌkʃən］ n. 建筑，建筑物
   * facility ［fəˈsiliti］ n. 设备，工具
   * leisure ［ˈli:ʒə］ n. 空闲，闲暇
   * roam ［rəum］ v. 漫步，闲逛
   * recreational ［ˌrekriˈeiʃənəl］ adj. 修养的；娱乐的
   * pursue ［pəˈsu:］ v. 追赶，追求
   * gym ［dʒim］ n. 体育馆；体操
   * realm ［relm］ n. 领域
  