a. What do you think a “megacity” is?

Read the introduction to the text to check your

answer. With a partner, in two minutes list what you think are probably the biggest
problems for people who live in a megacity.
A "megacity" has more than 10 million inhabitants, currently there are only 21 cities called
"megacities".
Some problems for megacity dwellers:
- The noise.
- pollution.
- Vehicle traffic.
- The fights.
b. Read the article once. In which city are the things you discussed in (a) a problem: Tokyo,
Mexico City, both, or neither?
The problems that I mentioned are more frequent in Mexico, problems such as corruption,
crime and pollution. But despite them, Mexico being a Latin country is very pleasant to
live.
c. Read the article again. Then, in pairs, using your own words, say why the following are
mentioned.

TOKYO

33 million eight million a letter from the train company driving schools 270 square feet
the Hikikomori Rent a friend the Hashiriya

 33 million of population in Tokio.

 Eight million of commuters transport per day using the subway.
 When people arrive late, transportation companies write a letter justifying the
tardiness.
 Driving schools are located on the roof of buildings.
 270 square feet is the size of an apartment where a small family lives.
 Los Hikikomori son habitantes de Tokio que no pueden hacer frente a "La frialdad
mecánica y la uniformidad robótica" de una megaciudad y se han convertido en
reclusos, rara vez o nunca abandonan sus hogares.
 In Tokyo some people rent a friend to avoid feeling alone.
 The Hashiriya, Tokyo's street racers who risk their lives driving at ridiculous speeds
along the city streets.

MEXICO CITY

taco stands Mariachi bands two-and-a-half hours social imbalance kidnapping Kevlar

 Taco Stands and cafes are places where people meet and socialize.
 Mariachi bands walk the streets, playing music and people give them money as
payment.
 Two-and-a-half hours can take people's trips to work.
 the social imbalance is very great, because there is a lot of wealth and a lot of poverty,
and this makes it an unsafe city.
 Kidnapping is a very common crime in Mexico due to social inequality.
 Kevlar is the material from which some clothes are made, because Kevlar is resistant to
bullets.
d. Find words in the article that mean...
TOKYO

1. Automated adj. operated by machines not people (paragraph 1).

2. unthinkable adj. impossible to imagine (paragraph 1).
3. unemployment noun. the number of people who don't have a job (paragraph 1).
4. overcrowded adj. with too many people in it (paragraph 2).
5. alienation noun. a feeling that you don’t belong to a community (paragraph 3).
6. loneliness noun. the feeling of not having any friends (paragraph 3).

MEXICO CITY

7. pollution noun. the process of making air (and water) dirty (paragraph 2).
8. wealth noun. the state of being very rich (paragraph 2).
9. poverty noun. the state of being poor (paragraph 2).
10. homeless adj. not having a house (paragraph 2).