Read and translate the following text.
MY HOME - LOVE IT OR HATE IT!
by Ali Khazan
A. I live in Blackheath in South London. London's one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world, and there are advantages and disadvantages to living here.
B. The main advantage is that there's a lot to do and see. In the center of London there are tourist attractions like Madam Tussaud's and the Science Museum, and there are all kinds of parks and historic buildings. I suppose that we don't always make the most of it. We only visit places like the Tower of London when one of our relatives comes to visit!
C. Secondly, London is a great place for entertainment. All the new films come here first, and if we want to go to a pop concert or a big sports events, there's always something right on ourdoorstep. And of course the shopping is great – there's everything from department stores like Harrods to Camden Market.
D. Another advantage of living in London is that you can travel easily and quickly across the city on the underground. And we've got railway stations and airports to take you anywhere in the world.
E. Lastly, London is truly cosmopolitan. Kids at my school are from lots of different cultures, but that doesn't stop us being friends. It's good to mix with people from different backgrounds. It stops you from becoming narrow-minded.
F. But there are some major problems if you live in London. Like most other capital cities, it is noisy, polluted and congested with traffic. The traffic problem is so bad that they have recently introduced a congestion charge for central London. Drivers now have to pay if they want to take their cars to the city centre. Hopefully that will improve the situation.
G. Secondly, things are very expensive here – apparently it's more expensive to live here than to live in any American city. For example, if you go to the cinema in the centre of London it can cost you 12 pounds. And to go just one stop on the underground can cost you nearly 1 pound.
H. But the worst problem about living in London is that, in general, people aren't very friendly. Nobody will talk to strangers or help people in the street if they are in trouble. They don't trust each other, and I think that's because they are scared of becoming victims of crime. London has the highest crime rate in the country.
I. But in spite of these negative points, I still wouldn't want to live outside of London. It's my home – love it or hate it!
13. Complete the summary of the essay with the following words:activities; expense; home; multicultural; principal; shops; unfriendliness; variety
For Ali, the ... (1) advantage of living in London is the ... (2) of things that there are to see and do. He thinks that the ... (3), the choice of leisure ... (4) and the transport are good, and he likes the fact that London is a ... (5) city. The disadvantages for him are the traffic, the ... (6), people's ... (7) and the crime, but he doesn't want to live his ... (8).
SPEAKING
14. Make up sentences about Tyumen or any other towns you know, using each of the adjectives below (e.g.: The most picturesque part of my town is the old market place.)
picturesque, historic, spacious, elegant, magnificent, atmospheric, lively, deserted (e.g. at night), crowded, packed, shabby, dangerous, stressful, safe, calm
15.What facilities would your ideal town have? Name the three most important facilities for you in each of the categories listed below.
Commercial centre: an area with lots of banks and company offices
Shopping centres:places with many shops, cither indoors or outdoors
Car parks:places to leave many cars
Factories:buildings where you make/manufacture things, e.g. cars
Suburbs:areas outside the centre of town where people live
Libraries:places where you can borrow books
16. Are any problems mentioned below to be found in your city or city you know well? Could yousuggest a solution for these problems?
Traffic jams: many cars on the road
Overcrowding: too many people live in too small a place
Pollution:dirty air because of smoke and petrol fumes
Crime: people steal cars, rob banks and murder each other.
17. Make up a dialogue according to the following situation: