UNIT 2 CITY LIFE

A. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR

I. Choose the word from the box and write it next to the correct definition.

city-state overcrowding urban sprawl jet lag

factor lighthouse metro index

1. an independent state consisting of a city and the area around it ______________

2. an underground train system ______________
3. a system that shows the level of prices and wages, etc. so that ______________
they can be compared with those of a previous date

4. the feeling of tiredness and confusion after you fly between ______________
places that have a time difference of several hours.
5. a tower with a powerful flashing light that guides ships away ______________
from danger
6. a fact or situation that influences the result of something ______________
7. the situation when there are too many people or things in one place ______________
8. the spread of a city into the area surrounding it, often without ______________
planning
II. Completes the sentences with words from part I.
1. The consumer prices hit 1.6 per cent last month.
2. Vung Tau’s was first built in 1907 on the lower peak of Small Mount.
3. I’m still suffering from after my trip to Australia.
4. Mumbai is attempting to control the fast-growing .
5. Price will be a major in the success of this new product.
6. San Marino is the only surviving Italian .
7. Investment in the railway network would reduce on the roads.
8. You can explore Kuala Lumpur by making use of the system.
III. Choose the best answer a, b, c or d to complete the sentence.
1. French bakers are fighting for the traditional baguette to be given UNESCO World Heritage
a. site b. status c. admission d. recognition
2. The government has done nothing to resolve the over nurses’ pay.
a. conflict b. fight c. crash d. war
3. They see the outdoors as a activity, not a job opportunity.
a. exhausted b. international c. recreational d. volunteering
4. Savannah is one of the best cities for job growth.
UNIT 2: CITY LIFE  15
 a. part b. whole c. full d. medium-sized
5. The railway station was criticized for its lack of disabled .
a. facilities b. system c. schedule d. preparation
6. About 85 per cent of city breathe heavily polluted air.
a. villagers b. livers c. dwellers d. members
7. Dublin was a very different place in those days, like a village, not the wonderful city it is now.
a. rural b. cosmopolitan c. reliable d. pleasant
8. We are a survey to find out what our customers think of their local bus service.
a. affording b. indicating c. considering d. conducting
9. We are looking for someone who is and hard-working.
a. hopeful b. lacked c. reliable d. smooth
10. It is difficult to the exact cause of the illness.
a. attract b. forbid c. take d. determine
11. Sacramento’s central location and low cost of living make this place a _city.
a. fabulous b. forbidden c. poor d. determining
12. How can we encourage people to get along with each other in this society?
a. considerable b. multicultural c. rural d. crashing
13. Some workers can only afford homes outside areas.
a. outskirts b. rural c. growing d. metropolitan
14. This is a top-quality product at a very price.
a. high b. costly c. affordable d. effective
IV. Complete the sentences with the suitable form of the adjectives or adverbs in brackets.
1. Tokyo is one of cities in the world. (liveable)
2. You should go by train, it would be much . (cheap)
3. Universal Studios is by far place to visit in Singapore. (good)
4. The price of electronic devices in Vietnam is not that in Japan. (reasonable)
5. Today is day I’ve had in a long time. (bad)
6. Your team is much today than last week. (lucky)
7. Of the four participants, Bill is experienced. (little)
8. I didn’t want to wake anybody up, so I came in I could. (quietly)
9. I ran pretty far yesterday, but I ran even a lot today. (far)
10. Singapore is the second destination in Asia. (popular)
V. Complete the text with the most suitable form of the adjectives in brackets. Add the when
necessary.
New York City (NYC) is considered as one of (1) (good) places to live in the
world. The city of New York is (2) (densely populated) in the US with a
population of about 8.55 million spread over an area of 305 square miles. Although New York and San
Francisco are probably two of (3) (iconic) cities in America, the former seems to
attract more tourists thanks to a wide range of landscapes and activities it offers. In addition, its standard of
living is also a strong point. It’s hard to believe, but rent is actually (4) (cheap) than
other cities. It’s a fun fact that city life isn’t just (5) (good), it’s (6)
(lengthy): NYC residents live about two years (7) (long) than the national
average. Remarkably, NYC has the second (8) (large) Jewish population in the world –
a massive influence on the city’s identity. This is the city that most people surveyed said they would want to
visit this year.
VI. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one.
1. Real Madrid is not as good as Real Zaragoza.
→ Real Zaragoza is ____________________________________________________________
2. He thinks no language in the world is more difficult than Chinese.
→ He thinks Chinese is _________________________________________________________
3. He is the tallest boy in his class.
→ No one in __________________________________________________________________
4. She sings better than anybody else in the class.
→ She is _____________________________________________________________________
5. Munnar is prettier than most other hill stations in India.
→ Munnar is _________________________________________________________________
6. Mary thinks Melbourne is the most “liveable” city in Australia.
→ Mary thinks Melbourne ______________________________________________________
7. Lifestyle in Malaysia is the same as Thailand.
→ Lifestyle in Malaysia is _______________________________________________________
8. Beijing is much busier than Ho Chi Minh City.
→ Ho Chi Minh City isn’t _______________________________________________________
VII. Complete the sentences with correct form of verbs.
1. People tend (think) that the problem will never affect them.
2. My parents advised me (learn) English as soon as possible.
3. Many young people spend the whole day (play) online games.
4. It took me a whole day (travel) to Dalat last week.
5. I can’t see the attraction of (sit) on a beach all day.
6. A positive aspect of education is that it contributes to (confirm) one’s identity.
7. I like to listen to the birds (sing) when I get up early in the morning.
8. The team has tried their best (perform) in the final round.
9. Do the plants need (water) every day?
10. If you can, please (give) me more information about the kids club at A1 Raha
Beach Hotel.
VIII. Use a phrasal verb from the list to replace the words underlined.

went on go over got on with getting over look forward to

think over came across knock down looked after turned down

1. She’s never had a good relationship with her sister.

UNIT 2: CITY LIFE  17

2. Maria is slowly recovering from her illness.
3. I found this article while I was doing my project.
4. Could you examine this report and correct any mistakes?
5. He refused the job because it sounded boring.
6. She continued talking about her trip although everyone found it tiring.
7. I need some time to consider his proposal.
8. My mother says she’s feeling happy and excited about meeting you.
9. The city is going to destroy the old train station and build a new library.
10. Our neighbour took care of our cats while we were away.
IX. Choose the correct verb from the box to complete each phrasal verb. Make an changes if necessary.

set cheer pull find dress

take turn turn go get

1. Kate and her partner are up their own printing business.

2. Many of those old buildings will soon be down.
3. The weather became so bad that they had to back.
4. You’d better get dressed and up. The guests are coming any minute.
5. One of the actors was unwell and couldn’t on with the performance.
6. They were up in old sheets, pretending to be ghosts.
7. Please your shoes off before entering the temple.
8. We may never out the truth about what happened.
9. It’s taken me ages to over the flu.
10. Richard had up on Christmas Eve with Tony.
X. Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition.
1. Despite the high cost living, London is a great place to live.
2. There has been an increase the number of tourists visiting Thailand these days.
3. City dwellers are more likely to suffer stress and anxiety than people who live in the
countryside.
4. West Indian culture has had a big influence me.
5. It took a long time for the British economy to recover the effects of the war.
6. The historic city Melaka is 122 kilometers Kuala Lumpur.
7. West Hampstead has a variety good shops and supermarkets.
8. The hotels were packed tourists during high season.
B. READING
I. Complete the passage with words from the box.

salary enact standard dealt

material accommodation attract number
 With the socioeconomic development, more and more cities around the world have been (1)
with the shortage of housing. These day, there are a large (2) of laborers flooding into city
centers to search for suitable jobs with high level of (3) . As a result, the demand of the
(4) has risen significantly than ever before because the demands outweigh the supplies.
Moreover, most people would like to live in cities because they have a higher (5) of living than
that of the countryside. Obviously, with stable and high income of the employees, they would have a better
cultural life as well as (6) life in cities.
To address this social problem, governments should call for investment in the countryside to (7)
labor forces. In addition, they also need to put an effort into raising a great deal of money to build
more skyscrapers to meet demands of housing and (8) a law that sets strict conditions
to work and to live in cities.
III. Read the text carefully, then choose the correct answers.
Life in the big city is face-paced, fun and exciting. There are countless job opportunities and activities to
occupy your time. However, with the good, there also comes the bad. Although the big city has more job
opportunities; there are also more people competing for a single job. This can make your job search
frustrating. Oddly enough, you will see hundreds, if not thousands of jobs available each week, but you still
might remain unemployed, especially when the economy is down. In addition, the cost of living is typically
higher in big cities, and it can cost you an arm and a leg for a small apartment in a decent area of the city,
not to mention other costs to fulfill your basic demands. Diversity is a good thing, but the amount of people
can be a bit overwhelming if you are not accustomed to it. There will always be crowds and always be people
around. Moreover, traffic can be a nightmare in the big city. It can get so bad that it can turn you into an evil
person. If you hate driving in traffic, then the big city life is not for you. Heavy traffic also contributes to the
pollution, which is one of the biggest disadvantages of living in the city. Obviously, our health is affected
most with certain diseases relating to respiratory system and other body parts. A lot of premature deaths are
supposed to be the result of long-term exposure to small particles. Most importantly, there is always more
crime in a big city, causing you second case your decision for living in a big city. You are much more likely
to be a victim of a crime living in a big city than in a small town.
1. According to the passage, some good things of living in the city are .
a. excellent educational system and recreational activities
b. excellent educational system and countless job opportunities
c. countless job opportunities and activities to occupy your time
d. a lot of kinds of entertainment and shopping centers
2. While big cities have more job opportunities, it also give .
a. more competition for a single job
b. higher salary
c. growing economic crisis
d. greater chances of being unemployed
3. What does the phrase “cost an arm and a leg” mean?
a. your legs and arms have good value b. cost a small amount of money
c. you must work hard to earn money d. cost a lot of money
4. According to the paragraph, city is not a perfect place for .
a. extroverted people b. introverted people
c. people who hate driving in traffic d. people who prefer a busy life

UNIT 2: CITY LIFE  19

5. In the big city, people tend to when traffic is getting heavy.
a. go crazy b. get enough time to relax
c. wait a bit longer d. slow down themselves
6. Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
a. Pollution causes health problems.
b. Cities are always crowded.
c. It costs a lot of money to live in a big city.
d. Crime is not a serious problem in big cities.
C. WRITING
I. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first sentence.
1. I’ve never had to wait this long for a bus before.
→ This is ____________________________________________________________________
2. Remember to take note of what the tour guide said.
→ Remember to put ____________________________________________________________
3. It took us more than 3 hours to discover the inner Hanoi.
→ We spent __________________________________________________________________
4. No other book is more popular than Dickens’ “David Copperfield”.
→ Dickens’ “David Copperfield” is _______________________________________________
5. Why don’t you consider our suggestion before making official decision?
→ Why don’t you think _________________________________________________________
6. Watching TV is not as important as doing homework.
→ Doing homework ___________________________________________________________
7. My friend plays piano brilliantly.
→ My friend is ________________________________________________________________
8. I find most of the young men of my own age so boring.
→ I feel _____________________________________________________________________