Exercise 2: Read the text “Cities of the future” and choose the correct answers.
CITIES OF THE FUTURE
Paragraph A
Researchers recently gave 1,000 people a questionnaire about ‘Cities of The Future’. To answer
the questions, the people had to imagine and describe what they thought our cities might look
like in the year 2050. Interestingly, a large number of people were anxious that they would
become ‘dark, dangerous places’, which had endless traffic jams and very few green spaces. This
group also predicted an increase in the level of pollution and thought people would always need
to wear facemasks in order to breathe. They also believed that it would be less safe to walk on
the street as there would be ‘more stealing’ and other criminal behavior. A smaller number
thought cities might become a lot cleaner and might be built from more interesting materials.
They were also looking forward to new technology such as flying cars and moving pavements. In
general, they believed that the cities of the future would offer a much more convenient way of
living. A few people were uncertain; for example, they thought the size of apartments might
reduce as the population of the city grew, but they also thought that public transport would
become better.
Paragraph B
What do the results from this questionnaire tell us? In a way, we shouldn’t be amazed by the
descriptions of the largest group. So many Hollywood films show cities of the future as
frightening places. Online newspapers are also responsible for spreading this same belief.
Headlines such as ‘Global population rises – cities become crowded’ are becoming more
frequent. Journalists rarely discuss how future cities might be a good place to live.
Paragraph C
The facts are these: 50% of people now live in cities, even though cities only occupy 2% of the
world’s land. By 2050, it is predicted that the number of people living there will rise to 70%.
Some people are worried that villages in the countryside will become empty as everyone leaves
for the city, and so traditional ways of life will be lost. This may be true, but we have to accept
changes like this as part of human development. Rather than being negative, we should be
hopeful that we can improve people’s lives as they move to cities. The way to do this is through
intelligent planning.
Paragraph D
Architects have a big role to play in our future cities. In the past, the architects who were
responsible for planning our cities often designed buildings that they were interested in; but now
it is time for them to listen carefully to what people living in cities are asking for. In many
countries around the world, people are choosing to have smaller families or to wait longer before
they start a family. For this reason, not everyone needs a large house. Smaller and cheaper
houses are what they need. But ‘small’ doesn’t have to be the same as ‘ugly’ or ‘boring’.
Western architects could perhaps look at some of the architecture in Japanese cities, where very
stylish houses are built on small pieces of unused land.
Paragraph E
And what might cities of the future be made from? Engineering companies have produced some
interesting new products, for example, wood-like material made from recycled newspapers or old
drink cartons. One engineering team are even working on a project that uses mushrooms to
create a hard building material. These new materials may seem strange, but we should remember
that plastic was only invented in 1907 – at the time people thought that this was an unusual
product, but now it is something we cannot manage without. Building a city of the future
requires imagination and an open mind.
1. Paragraph A: What do the results of the questionnaire show?
A. Most people feel worried rather than pleased about the way that cities will develop.
B. People imagined that no one would use their own vehicles anymore.
C. People think that crime will be the worst problem that future cities will have.
D. Some people believe that there will not be enough houses in the city for everyone.
2. What is the writer doing in Paragraph B?
A. Explaining why many people will probably prefer to live in cities in the future.
B. Giving a reason why many people feel negative about cities of the future.
C. Suggesting that newspapers show a more realistic view of future cities than films.
3. What point does the writer make in Paragraph C?
A. It is important to encourage some people to stay in their villages.
B. It is possible to maintain traditional village customs after moving to cities.
C. It is necessary to think in a creative way about city design.
4. Paragraph D: In the writer’s opinion, architects who are responsible for planning cities
A. often make houses that are unattractive.
B. must make buildings based on people’s needs.
C. should get experience by working in foreign cities.
5. Paragraph E: The writer refers to the invention of plastic to make the point that
A. we can expect building materials to be very different in the future.
B. we must accept that good-quality materials take a long time to create.
C. we should use a variety of building materials to make our cities interesting.