The line graphs illustrate the number of people using trains over a 9-year period, along with the

comparison between the proportions of on-time trains and the expected target in this time.
Overall, there were more passengers using trains during the timeframe with the summit being
recorded in the year 2005. Additionally, the proportion of trains running on time also recorded a
remarkable soar over the period.
Regarding the first graph, it is clear that over 35 million passengers travelled by rail before the
number of train passengers fluctuated until it hit a record-high of 48 million ones five years later.
Over the next four years, the figure witnessed a modest descent by only 5 million in 2008 and
then recovered moderately to 43 million in 2009.
As for the remaining graph, the percentage of punctual trains accounted for over 90% of all
trains in the first year, which was 3% below the prediction. From 2000 to 2004, a steady incline
to 96% in the proportion of on-time trains was seen, with the figure rising to above target by 1%.
By contrast, it plummeted back down to the initial figure (92%) in 2006 before reaching a peak
of 97% in the next two years and remaining unchanged in the end.
Individuals argue that vast sums of money should be allocated to a myriads of urgent fields being
useful for citizens’ lives in lieu of investing in space discovery which costs prohibitive. While
the benefits of space quest are undeniable, I agree with the idea that the need for spending on
many other immediate issues is more significant.
On the one hand, there are two fundamental reasons why exploring space is beneficial in some
cases, particularly practical applications and the improvement of living spaces. With regard to
the former, investing fundings in discovering outer space is accompanied with several new
technological breakthroughs which could be immensely necessary in everyday life, such as
satellites communications, or GPS systems. For example, with the occurrence of GPS systems,
people can navigate any locations they want exactly and quickly through Google Maps
application on their mobile phone, especially when travelling to another destination or even
another country. As for the latter, it is indisputable that nowadays, space with the purpose of
living on the Earth is becoming scarce as well as the rate of population is also continuously
growing, making the Earth uninhabitable in the long term. As a result, innovations that offer
space travel can introduce humans to a new homeland for people.
On the other hand, I suppose that government’s expenditure on other endeavors plays a crucial
role in addressing more pressing global issues, two of which are healthcare and education. First
and foremost, with the alarming rate of air contamination, the authorities should spend fundings
on eliminating this problem as well as enhancing residents’ health. This means that exhaust fume
from the overuse of private vehicles act as a precursor to people’s health, such as respiratory, or
even cancer diseases, thus feasible measures should be enacted, particularly promoting
environmentally-friendly public transports, like bus or train. Furthermore, rather than invest in
discovering space, such vast sums of money should be also allocated for educational systems in
order to increase social safety. In other words, societies strongly emphasizing comprehensive
learning programme often experience lower crime rates, contributing to a more prosperous and
stable society and benefiting for everyone.
In conclusion, despite the merits that space quest could bring for citizens’ lives, I still believe
that government’s spendings on healthcare outcomes and education would be taken into
consideration to save lives and create a brighter and more prosperous future for all.