3. Vocabulary Focus

1. Fill in the gaps in the following text with a suitable word. Mind that more than one variant is possible. Living in the City and in the Country

Living in the city has both advantages and (1) ______. On the plus side it is often easier to (2) ______ work, and there is usually a choice of public (3) ______ , so you don’t need to own a car. Also there are a lot of interesting things to do and (4) ______ to see. For example, you can eat in a good (5) ______ , visit museums and go to the theatre or to concert. When you want to relax you can go to a (6) ______ and just sit on a bench and read a book. The city life is full of bustle and variety and you don’t need to (7) ______ bored.

However, for every plus there is a (8) ______ . For one thing, unless your job is well paid, you won’t be able to afford many of the things because living in the city is often more (9) ______ that in the country. It is particularly difficult to find a good and cheap accommodation. Besides, public transport is often dirty and (10) ______ , especially in the rush hour. But in spite of all the crowds, many people feel (11) ______ in big cities.

For the last two hundred years there has been a tendency for people to (12) ______ from rural to urban areas, mainly in search of work. After one or two factories have been (13) ______ in or near the town an industrial area begins to grow. Soon a residential (14) ______ where the factory workers can live appears nearby. The (15) ______ of these workers heed schools, hospitals and shops, so more people come to live in the area to provide these services, and so the city grows. In every major city there is a business district where the big (16) ______ have their main offices. They are usually in the city (17) ______ , in huge office blocks. The people who work there often commute to work from the (18) ______ or ‘bedroom’ districts every day. Some suburbs are very pleasant with a lot of nice houses and big gardens. Others look more like slums.

But what is the future of big cities? Will they (19) ______ to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Even now some major cities have become smaller in the last ten years and it is quite possible there will be a tendency for people to move from big cities back to the (20) ______.

2. In each of the following sentences, the word in brackets has either been spelt incorrectly, the wrong word has been used, or the wrong word form has been used. Type the correct word or form in the gap next to the word.

1. The roads into the city are often heavily (conjested) _______________ with traffic.

2. London is a vibrant, (cosmapolitan) _______________ city with people from all over the world.

3. In some cities, (poorverty) _______________ and unemployment are increasing at an alarming rate.

4. The problem of crime in our (inter) _______________ cities is very worrying.

5. In many villages there has been a declining rate of (populate) _______________ growth.

6. The town’s (amenites) _______________ include a library, several restaurants and large leisure centre.

7. In order for a city to function properly, it needs to have a good public-transport (interstructure) _______________.

8. There isn’t much (anonymous) _______________ in a small village: everybody knows who you are and what you’re doing.

9. I find that most city (habitants) _______________ are rather unfriendly or have very little time for other people.

10. Finding suitable (acommodation) _______________ in the city can be a big problem.

11. A lot of the parking spaces in town are for local (residence) _______________ only.

12. Because house prices in the city centre are so expensive, many people choose to live in the (suburbia) _______________ around the city.

13. It can be very (stressing) _______________ living in a busy city.

14. The idea that the countryside is (peacefully) _______________ is not always true.

15. I would rather live in a (rurral) _______________ community than in a large town.

16. In some (urbane) _______________ areas, crime and drugs are a major problem.

17. The town is a much nicer place now that cars have been banned and (pedastrian) _______________ precincts established in the centre.

18. Every morning, trains are packed with (commutators) _______________ coming into the city to work.

19. As more and more people have (emigrated) _______________ from the villages to the cities, the countryside has become virtually deserted.

20. One disadvantage of living in a city is the high cost of (leaving) _______________. Food and clothes in particular are so much more expensive than elsewhere.

21. Many cities are real (meltin) _______________ pots, with people from different races, countries and social classes living and working together.

22. I’m not sure if city (dwellings) _______________ are happier than those living in the countryside.

23. Traffic during the (rushed) _______________ hour is particularly bad.

24. In an attempt to (revival) _______________ the city’s economy, tourism is being heavily promoted.

25. Pesticies and other chemicals used in (cultivate) _______________ have practically poisoned large areas of the countryside.