Task 1

Give a talk on the life in the city. Remember to discuss: • why people prefer to live in the city • why some people choose to live in the countryside • whether it is possible to solve all the problems of big cities, why • where would you prefer to live, why.

Lots of people prefer living in cities rather than in the countryside because it is often easier to get good education and find a well-paid job. Besides, there is usually a wide choice of public transport, so you don’t need to own a car, which is necessary when you live in the countryside. What is more, there are a lot of interesting things to do and places to see. If you live in the village, you have almost nowhere to go, but if you live in the city, you can eat in good restaurants, visit museums, and go to the theatre and to concerts. All in all, city life is full of bustle and variety, and you will never feel bored.

However, some people choose to live in the countryside 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 or green grass. On the contrary, the air in the countryside is very clean and there are no noisy crowds, so living in the country can be useful for your health. Last of all, despite all the crowds, it is still possible to feel very lonely in a city because people often don’t know their neighbours whereas in the countryside people know each other and you have lots of friends.

In my opinion it’s possible to solve most of the problems of big cities, for example, the problem of pollution. Cutting down on emissions from large combustion plants and exhaust fumes from vehicles would help solve the problem. I think we should try and use alternative energy such as solar energy and wind energy and design plants and cars that run on electricity, a much cleaner fuel than petrol. In addition, I think the government should ban cars from city centres. We can also improve the situation with traffic if the government encourages people to use the underground more. I would argue that if the underground was made cheaper, many people would decide to leave their cars at home.

As for me, I would prefer city life because I am keen on visiting theatres, cinemas, museums and galleries and don’t mind noise and pollution. Besides, my city offers me good opportunities to continue my education and 1 hope to find a prestigious job in the future. However, I enjoy the peace and fresh air of the countryside and in summer I usually go to my country house where I have a good time with my friends.

Questions 1. Is the city life stressful? Why? 2. How would you improve the living conditions in the place where you live? 3. Why do young people tend to live in cities? 4. Where do you think people will live in the future, in cities or in the countryside? Why? 5. Would you like to change the place where you live? Why?