Living in a city

(Part 1)

A strange and exclusive word is “city”. How can you describe a city? Even for an old inhabitant it is rather difficult. When you arrive in a city you can notice a lot of streets, roads, signs and of course we can’t imagine a modern city without multi-storey buildings, which extend for miles.

In the 20^th century cities grew very quickly. People from the villages moved to towns and cities, they dreamt of having a house or a flat there but also they wished to own a small piece of land with a cottage or a simple country house somewhere out of the city. So what is better: to live in a city or in a village, or how to combine both?

It goes without saying that the cities provide excellent shop facilities and various sport facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, stadiums, etc.. There are a lot of cultural centres such as theatres, exhibitions where people can raise their intellect and cultural level. Besides there are sightseeing facilities due to which the inhabitants and visitors can go around the most remarkable places of interest in a city such as churches, cathedrals, museums and monuments. Moreover, the advantage of living in a big city is in choosing different professions or to get better education or to become a highly-qualified specialist.

But without any doubt, people in big cities suffer from noise, water and air pollution, overpopulation, criminal situation, stresses, because people are always in a hurry, they have to cover too long distances every day and are often trapped in traffic jams. All these factors influence people’s health, they get nervous and irritable.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions to the text:

1. How can you describe a modern city?

2. How many generations of your family live in a city?

3. When did cities grow very quickly? Why?

4. Does your city grow intensively now?

5. Where are better shopping facilities: in a city or in a village?

6. Where can you see more places of interest?

7. Where can you promote your career as a specialist more effectively?

8. What do people in big cities suffer from?

9. Why do they often get nervous and irritable?

Exercise 4. Read the text with the help of a dictionary. There are three paragraphs in this text. Say what the purpose of each one is:

Living in a city

(Part 2)

Living in a city has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it is often easier to find work, and there is usually a choice of public transport, so you don’t need to own a car. Also, there are a lot of interesting things to do and places to see. For example, you can eat in good restaurants, visit museums, and go to the theatre and to concerts. What is more, when you want to relax, you can usually find a park where you can feed the ducks or just sit on a park bench and read a book. All in all, city life is full of bustle and variety and you never feel bored.

However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing, you might have a job, but unless it is very well-paid, you will not able to afford many of the things that there are to do, because living in a city is often very expensive. It is particularly difficult to find good cheap accommodation. What is more, public transport is sometimes crowded and dirty, particularly in the rush hour, and even the parks can become very crowded, especially on Sundays when it seems that every city-dweller is looking for some open space and green grass. Last of all, despite all the crowds, it is still possible to feel lonely in a city.

In conclusion, I think that city life can be particularly appealing to young people, who like the excitement of the city and don’t mind the noise and pollution. However, many people, when they get older, and when they have little children, often prefer the peace and fresh air of the country side.

Exercise 5. Replace the words underlined with one of the following. Fill in the table.

In spite of
Another point is that
All things considered
To sum up
One disadvantage is that
Moreover
Pros and cons
One advantage is that
For instance
In my opinion
Especially
Finally

Exercise 6. Write rough notes about the pros and cons of living in a city using the material from the text (Part 1 and 2).

Exercise 7. Write three paragraphs called “The Pros and Cons Living in the Country”. Use the words and phrases from the text. In the conclusion give your own opinion. Write about 120 words.

UNIT 2.

Exercise 1. Read and learn the words and word combinations:

opposite, adj.	противоположный
direct, v	направлять
extend, v	простираться
suburb, n	пригород
inquire, v	узнавать, наводить справки
accident, n	несчастный случай
traffic, n	движение
note, v	Замечать, обращать внимание
magnificent, adj.	великолепный
associate, v	связывать
commemorate, v	служить напоминанием, чтить память
erect, v	сооружать, воздвигать
avenue, n	широкая улица, проспект
lane, n	переулок
embankment, n	набережная
pavement, n	тротуар
highway, n	шоссе
rush hour	час пик
it’s up to you	все зависит от вас
it makes no difference	все равно, без разницы

Exercise 2.

a) Translate the word combinations from Russian into English:

спортивные сооружения, простираться на 20 км, в ближайшем будущем, был разрушен, благоприятные условия, благодаря чему-либо, становиться известным, линии метро, парки и проспекты, развиваться как порт, делиться на несколько районов, добираться на чем-либо, жить в пригороде, связывать с именем, посетить выставку.

b) Give the Russian equivalents to the English words and word combinations:

Favourable conditions, due to, to live in the suburbs, parks and avenues, to be overcrowded, well-to-do people, in rush hours, cultural level, to connect with, citizens, to enjoy fresh air, to have the possibility, to get by bus, administrative and industrial center

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1. Это не только административный и культурный центр, но и промышленный.

2. Большие города всегда переполнены, особенно в часы пик.

3. Дружеские связи соединяют наш город с разными странами.

4. Только состоятельные люди живут в этом районе города.

5. Множество библиотек и музеев позволяют повышать горожанам свой культурный уровень.

6. Жители городов имеют возможность заниматься спортом в различных спортивных сооружениях.

7. Вы можете наслаждаться свежим воздухом и реками, полными рыбы.

Exercise 4. Read the text and say if you agree or disagree with the author. Use such words and word combinations as In my opinion As for me, I believe, I hope, I fully(completely, entirely) agree that, I can’t agree to the idea that, Unfortunately, No doubt that, The fact is that, etc: