1A Module

Mission Impossible

Explosive Growth
One attraction of a city is the great number of
choices in work, recreation and social
contacts that it offers to its residents. Cultural
and recreational facilities have always been
part of every city. But living in large cities also
has its costs. Laws and the police control
human behaviour but the opportunities for
crime, alcoholism, and drug abuse are much
greater.
On the one hand, cities offer the best of
human culture, from restaurants and theatres
to museums, art galleries, symphony
orchestras and universities. On the other
hand, they generate juvenile delinquency,

Photocopiable Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

prostitution, murder, suicide and mental
breakdowns.
Urbanisation seems to be an inevitable
aspect of modernization. In the 21st century,
the worlds fastest growing urban areas are
in developing countries. These are also
experiencing the greatest overall population
increases. In the Western hemisphere, Mexico
City and So Paulo have shown the largest
explosive growth. In contrast, many large cities
in the developed world are scarcely growing;
some are losing population.
The urban areas of most developing countries
show a complete mixture of modern Western
technology and architecture with traditional
customs and lifestyles. One of the main
problems of developing countries is that their
cities grow faster than their capacity to provide
lifes basic needs. Also, much of their working
population is unemployed or underemployed.

Activities
1 Put these ideas in order according to the text.
a Technology and architecture in developing countries
b Attractions and costs of living in large cities
c Overall population in developing countries
d Examples of positive and negative aspects of cities

English Toolkit 1 - Social Sciences

 1A Module

2 Match these words with a word of similar meaning.

a choices 1 rules
b facilities 2 conduct
c laws 3 development
d behaviour 4 buildings (sports centre)
e crime 5 killing
f overall 6 variety
g murder 7 wrong act
h growth 8 total

3 Complete the form below.

Name:
Survey Address:
In order to improve our local area, we need to
Occupation:
know your necessities. Please fill in this form.

Photocopiable Ediciones Santillana S.A. / Richmond 2011

c Which environmental problem is e Would you like to have...
a Which of these services would
you like to be improved? affecting your area? more open spaces?
air pollution more cultural and entertainment
lighting
noise pollution facilities?
water supplies
others more housing?
cleanliness
transport
d Does your area provide disabled f What do you consider important
people with... to improve safety?
b Which of the following do you
consider essential to prevent ramps (streets, public places)? increasing the number of
accidents in your area? special buses? policemen
more traffic lights lifts? putting alarm buttons at many
points
more road signs
more alternative roads for buses installing more lighting

4 Match the adjectives to the pictures.

a overcrowded
b clean
c safe
d dangerous
e polluted
f rural
g quiet
h urban

5 Choose one of the two pictures

above and describe it using some
of the words in activity 4.

English Toolkit 1 - Social Sciences