City life (Жизнь в городе)

commercial centre	area with lots of banks and company offices
shopping centre	place with many shops, either indoors or outdoors
car parks	places to leave many cars
factories	buildings where you make\ manufacture things
skyscrapers\ high-rise buildings	buildings with many floors
libraries	places where you can borrow books

For many people the worst time of day is the rush hour (= the time when people travel to and from work). At this time of day the public transport system (= trains and buses) has to cope with (= manage something which is difficult) the people who live in the city, and also commuters (= people who live in the country but travel into the city for work). The roads get congested (= busy and full of cars) and people are always in a hurry (= want to get to another place very quickly). For many, this is very stressful (= makes you nervous and anxious).

I live and works in the suburbs, but I usually go into town (=the town centre) two or three times a week. In the evening, it is pretty lively (= lots of people and lots of things happening), and there’s plenty to do (= lots of possibilities, e.g. bars, discos, etc). One problem is that there’s nowhere to park in the centre, so I usually get/ take a bus into town and take\get a taxi home if I’m late.

The best things about living in a city are:

There’s good nightlife (= places to go at night, e.g. bars, discos, cinemas)

There’s a wide range of shops (= many shops selling different things)

You can get whatever you want (= buy everything you want)

There are lots of cultural activities (e.g. museums, concerts, films)

It’s cosmopolitan (= full of people from many countries and cultures)

There are more job opportunities (= easier to find work)

The worst things about living in a city are:

It’s very crowded (= full of people)

People are more aggressive (= seem angry and very unfriendly)

It can be noisy (opp quiet) and dangerous (opp safe)

The streets are often dirty (opp clean) and it’s polluted (= dirty air)

There’s traffic congestion (= too many cars) and parking is difficult.

There’s a high crime rate (= number of crimes)

You have a higher cost of living (e.g. houses are more expensive, so is transport)

Life in the country (Жизнь в деревне)

I grew up (= spent my childhood) in a rural area (= an area in the country; opp an urban area). It was quiet a remote area (= an area far from towns), and we lived in an old cottage (= a type of house, often small, you find in the country). My sister and I played a lot in the woods (= an area of trees like a small forest), not far from the nearest village (= a place smaller than a town). I loved being in the country.

A lot of land in the country\ countryside is used for agriculture\ farming. Some farms grow crops (e.g. wheat, apples, potatoes) and some keep animals (e.g. cows, sheep, pigs). When I was younger I worked on a farm during my school holidays.

The best things about living in the country are:

You get peace and quiet (a common phrase to describe a place that is quiet and calm).

You get fresh air (= air outside a building or town which is clean)

You’re surrounded by lovely scenery and you can walk in the countryside.

The pace of life (= the amount of activity in life) is slower and more relaxed.

The worst things about living in the country are:

There isn’t much nightlife.

Public transport is hopeless (= terrible)

You don’t get many shops.

There isn1t much privacy (= private life) because everyone knows what you are doing.