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CHAPTER 2

PROBLEMS OF A BIG CITY

Part 1: Megacities: Two Views

Words to remember

megacity (n.) – город-гигант; мегаполис

to urbanize (v.) – урбанизировать, превращать в город urbanized (adj.) – урбанизированный

steady work (n.) – постоянная работа salary (n.) – заработная плата

to provide for (v.) – обеспечивать средствами к существованию urban (adj.) – городской

survey (n.) – исследование; обследование; социологический опрос to reveal (v.) – показывать, обнаруживать

auto emissions (n.) – выхлопные газы от автомобиля landfill (n.) – свалка

to overflow (v.) – переполнять; to be overflown with smth. – быть переполненным чем-то garbage (n.) – мусор

to decline (v.) – приходить в упадок; уменьшаться competition (n.) – конкуренция

to get rid of (v.) – избавиться

to concentrate on (v.) – сосредоточиваться на

self-sufficient (adj.) – (экономически) самостоятельный; автономный to recycle (v.) – использовать, вторично перерабатывать

to do damage (v.) – вредить; наносить ущерб

large-scale (adj.) – крупномасштабный; широкомасштабный to encourage (v.) – способствовать; поддерживать; поощрять to exaggerate (v.) – преувеличивать

the truth of the matter (phr.) – по правде говоря to escape (v.) – избежать

to make a living (phr.) – зарабатывать на жизнь

medical care (n.) – медицинское обслуживание; здравоохранение employment opportunity (n.) – возможность трудоустройства

public transportation system (phr.) – система общественного транспорта to limit (v.) – ограничивать

resident (n.) – постоянный житель

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Before you read

Discuss the following questions.

What do you think the main problems of big cities are?

What problems does your city have?

You’ll read two articles expressing different points of view on the problem of big cities. Read them quickly and tell your partner what they are about.

MEGACITIES: TWO VIEWS

Megacity is a city with a population of five million and more.

1.The world’s population is not only growing, it is also becoming more urbanized. An increasing number of people are moving to cities in the hope of having a better life. The cities promise steady work and higher salaries. With more money, people think they can provide for their families more easily.

As the population becomes more urbanized, megacities are created. Yes, there are more jobs in urban areas, but is the quality of life better in these megacities? A quick survey of several major cities revealed some of their problems: pollution from auto emissions is poisoning the air; landfills are overflowing with garbage. With declining resources and growing competition, sometimes there is not enough food. These are all very serious problems.

We cannot get rid of megacities – they are here to stay. What we should concentrate on, however, is building “villages” inside the cities. These “urban villages” could be self-sufficient and grow their own food. The members of these villages would recycle and do very own little damage to the environment. The villages would serve the needs of local people, not big business. We need to limit large-scale development, not encourage it.

2.It’s true that megacities have problems, but these have been exaggerated. The truth of the matter is that people move to cities to escape their hard life in the country. Urban areas, even with their problems, offer people a better life than in rural areas. The old ways of life in rural areas have broken down, and it is now very difficult to make a living as a farmer.

People live longer in cities. Medical care is better there. And of course, employment opportunities can be found everywhere in the city. We should continue to develop city services so that people can enjoy their lives in the world’s urban centers.

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Rather than limiting development, we should encourage it. Public transportation systems need to be developed so that people can travel to and from work and school easily. The more we clean up and develop our megacities, the more life will improve for their residents of those cities.

LANGUAGE FOCUS

1.Give English equivalents of the words and word partnerships used in the text.

Население мира становится более урбанизированным; увеличивающееся количество людей; переезжать в город; в надежде на что-л.; обещать постоянную работу и более высокую зарплату; обеспечить семью средствами к существованию; рабочие места; качество жизни; исследование выявляет некоторые проблемы; выхлопные газы автомобиля; заражать (загрязнять) воздух; свалки переполнены мусором; уменьшающиеся ресурсы; увеличивающаяся конкуренция; достаточно еды; избавиться от чего-л.; сосредоточиться на чём-л.; преувеличенные проблемы; по правде говоря; избегать чего-л.; городские районы; сельские районы; зарабатывать на жизнь; здравоохранение; возможность трудоустройства; наслаждаться жизнью; развивать услуги в городе; ограничивать развитие; способствовать развитию; система общественного транспорта; улучшать жизнь; постоянный житель.

2.Identify the word by its meaning. Make your own sentences with these words.

1.a large hole in the ground where waste from people’s homes or from industry is buried

2.money that you earn to live on

3.someone who lives in a particular place

4.involving a large number of people or things, or happening over a large area

5.living in a town or city after living in the countryside

6.a fixed amount of money that you earn each month or year from your job

7.relating to towns and cities, or happening there

8.a substance, especially a gas, that goes into the air

9.to become less or worse

10.the activities of companies that are trying to be more successful than others

11.to give all your attention to the thing you are doing

12.to change waste materials such as newspapers and bottles so that they can be used again

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13.to describe something in a way that makes it seem better, worse, larger, more important etc. than it really is

3.Give synonyms to the following words. Make up your own sentences.

Rivalry, autonomous (independent), rubbish, wide-spread, to avoid, to stimulate (to foster), to disclose.

4.Insert prepositions where necessary.

1.She has always provided … her children.

2.We’re moving, so we have to get rid … a lot of our furniture.

3.The Japanese recycle … more than half their waste paper.

4.Stop talking and concentrate … your work.

5.People are trying to escape … poverty in developing countries.

6.She refused to reveal … the contents of the letter.

7.We put garbage … this container and take it outside when it is full.

8.We should not exaggerate … the importance of this agreement.

9.Pesticides are poisoning … our rivers.

10.Waste bins in the streets are overflowed … plastic cups.

11.The two passengers escaped … serious injury.

5.Fill in the blanks with the suitable words in a proper form from the list below.

1.The threat of attack has been greatly __________ .

2.Luke wants ___________ his film career.

3.He has a wife and two young children to ___________.

4.She makes ____________ as a music teacher.

5.Mum ___________ always us to discuss our problems.

6.Don't throw all that paper in the ___________; it can be recycled.

7.The survey ___________ that many consumers are aware of the risks involved.

8.They were faced with fierce ____________ .

9.They have threatened __________ the city’s drinking water.

10.The programme aims to make the country ___________ in food production and to cut energy imports.

11._______________ is that nothing has changed since the election.

12.We all need to do more to reduce carbon ___________.

13.He seems to have ___________ suspicion.

14.The government has promised wide-ranging _____________ for all.

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15. Don't put metal cans in the garbage; they can be ___________ .

The truth of the matter, exaggerated, emissions, to reveal, competition, to poison, provide for, to recycle, a living, escaped, medical care, to concentrate on, to encourage, self-sufficient, garbage.

6. Make new words by adding suffixes or prefixes to the italicized words. Translate the sentences into Russian.

-ing /-ment / -ed / -ly/dis-

1.We encourage student participation in our classes.

2.We needed you there to offer words of ____________.

3.The news from the doctors is very ______________.

4.I was ____________ by the news.

5.My mother smiled ____________ at me as I went up on stage.

6.The thought of how much work she had to do _____________ her.

-ce / -cy / -tial

1.The local residents were angry at the lack of parking spaces.

2.You must satisfy the ____________ qualifications to get a work permit.

3.There is a ____________ requirement for obtaining citizenship.

4.The Queen is in ____________ at the Palace this week.

5.She took up permanent ___________ abroad.

-tive / -tor / -tion

1.It's difficult for a small supermarket to compete against/with the big supermarkets.

2.There's a lot of ___________ between computer companies.

3.We offer a wide range of goods at very ____________ prices.

4.Their prices are better than any of their ____________.

-tion /-ed

1.Stop talking and concentrate on your work.

2.The company is making a ____________ effort to broaden its market.

3.The government's ____________ on tax reduction has won them a lot of support.

-sion / -or

1. This booklet provides useful information about local services.

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2.Until her illness she was the main ___________ (= earned most of the money) in the family.

3.He hasn't made any ___________ for his retirement yet.

-ize / -ization / -ized

1.People moved to the urban areas for jobs.

2.The UK is a highly ___________ country.

3.The 18th century was a period of rapid ___________.

4.Once an agrarian society, the island has recently been ___________.

-tion / -ed

1.Don’t exaggerate! It wasn’t that bad!

2.The threat of attack has been greatly __________ .

3.It would be no __________ to say that her work has saved lives.

4.She has an ___________ sense of her own importance.

7.Translate the following sentences into English.

1.Она раскрыла нам секрет.

2.По правде говоря, эта компания – банкрот.

3.Он открыл окно, чтобы избавиться от запаха.

4.Отец никогда не говорил, что он делает, чтобы раздобыть средства к существованию.

5.Опасность была сильно преувеличена.

6.На улицах было много мусора после фестиваля.

7.Великобритания согласилась сократить выбросы окиси азота (nitrogen oxide) электростанций.

8.Она пыталась зарабатывать на жизнь как танцор.

9.Не преувеличивайте, это не так дорого.

10.Это снижение цены происходит из-за конкуренции среди поставщиков.

11.Япония перерабатывает 40% своих отходов.

12.Мегаполис – это город с населением 5 миллионов человек и более.

13.Необходимо развивать систему общественного транспорта, так чтобы люди легко могли добираться на работу и домой.

14.Недавнее исследование показало, что в мегаполисах существует много проблем, таких как загрязнение от выхлопных газов автомобилей, свалки переполненные мусором, шумовое загрязнение и другие.

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15.Медицинское обслуживание в городах лучше, чем в сельских районах, так же как и возможность найти работу.

8. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text.

Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

Comprehension/Interpretation

Exercise 1. Read the articles once again. In each article (1, 2) find two-three sentences showing what the author thinks of the problem of big cities.

1.a) ______________________________________________________________

b)______________________________________________________________

c)______________________________________________________________

2.a) ______________________________________________________________

b)_____________________________________________________________

c)_____________________________________________________________

Exercise 2. Look through the articles. Match the topics with the corresponding

Comment some of your choices. Use I think … , I don’t think …, It seems to me …, In my opinion …