City life

Premium B1 level: Unit 5

Reading
The Fastest Growing City on
Earth

To find what these numbers refer

to you will need to 'skim' the text.
Look quickly at each line of the
text just to find the numbers.
Then read the surrounding text
more carefully to check what they
refer to.
1. Read the text quickly. Find what these number
and numerical expressions refer to.

25 100 billion 8th 1,25 million 25 million

200 900 400 18 50

200,000 9,7 billion 777

1. Read the text quickly. Find what these number
and numerical expressions refer to.
 Dubai is 25 miles long.

 $100 billion are being spent on construction.

 The “palms” are said to be the 8th wonder of the world.

 Some buyers have paid over $1.25 million for luxury villas on
Jumeirah Palm Island.
1. Read the text quickly. Find what these number
and numerical expressions refer to.
 $25 million is the price of an island in the world.

 More than 200 new skyscrapers being built in Business Bay.

 Burj Dubai is around 900 metres tall.

 It is 400 metres taller than the Taipei tower.

 The elevator move 18 metres per second.

1. Read the text quickly. Find what these number
and numerical expressions refer to.
 It take 50 seconds to reach the top.

 Dubailand is expected to attract 200,000 visitors daily.

 Emirates recently ordered $9.7 billion worth of aircraft from

Boeing.

 The order was for 42 777s.

2. Read the text. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F).
F 1. Properties in 'The World' are now sold out.

T 2. You can reach the top of Burj Dubai in less than a minute.

T 3. Guests walk into Hydropolis from the beach.

T 4. Hydropolis can even affect the local weather.

T 5. Dubailand is much bigger than Disneyland.

F 6. Dubai will soon have two new airports.

F 7. Dubai's future depends on its oil and gas.

3. Discuss these question with other students.

 What other cities do you know that are changing fast?

 What are the advantages and disadvantages of modernisation?

Grammar

Comparison
Comparison:

• The comparative form of an adjective is commonly

used to compare two people, things, or states, when
you want to say that one thing has a larger or smaller
amount of a quality than another.
1. Look at these example and answer the question.
• Ex:
The World … looks likely to be even more expensive than the Palm…

…it is 400 metres taller than the Taipei tower.

Everything is bigger and better in Dubai.

Disneyland is not as big as Dubailand

 Questions:
1. How are comparatives of one-syllable adjectives formed?
® Add –er

2. How do you form the comparative of a two-syllable adjective ending

by –y?
® Change –y to –i and add –er

3. How do you form the comparative of most two or more syllable

adjectives?
® More + Adjective
 Questions:

4. What comparative form can you use to say two things are the
same or not the same
® (not) as…as

5. Find an example of an irregular comparative form, one that

looks completely different from the adjective.
® Better (good)/ Worse (bad/ill)/ Furthur (far)/ Less (little)/…
2. Look at these example and answer the question.
• Ex:
Could this be the most expensive real estate in the world

…the biggest shopping mall in the world

…Emerates, the national airline, recently placed the best order that
Boeing had ever had…

Dubai sit on the busiest trading route of the modern world…

 Questions:
1. How do you form the superlative of a one-syllable adjective?
® Add –est

2. How do you form the superlative of a two-syllable adjective ending

by –y?
® Change –y to –i and add –est

3. How do you form the superlative of most two or more syllable

adjectives?
® The most + Adjective
 Questions:

4. Find an example of an irregular comparative form, one that

looks completely different from the adjective.
® Best (good)/ Worth (bad/ill)/ Furthest (far)/ Least (little)/…
3. Complete each pair of sentences with a comparative
or superlative form of the adjectives.

1. busy
Heathrow, London is a ________
busier airport _______
than Dubai airport.
Heathrow is ________________
the busiest airport in the world.

2. boring
the more boring than living in a city.
Living in a town is __________________
the most boring
Living in a village is ________________ thing I can think of.
3. Complete each pair of sentences with a comparative
or superlative form of the adjectives.

3. crowded
crowded as
Dubai is not as_______________ Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is the
________________
most crowded city in the world.

4. bad
bad as
Pollution in Dubai is not as_______________ London.
Pollution in London is _______________
worse than Dubai.
3. Complete each pair of sentences with a comparative
or superlative form of the adjectives.

5. traditional
Sarjah is more traditional than
___________________ Dubai.
Sarjah is the most traditional
_________________ state in the United of Emirates.
4. Complete the second sentences so that it means the
same as the first.

1. The countryside is more peaceful than the town.

as peaceful as
The town is not ___________________ the countryside

2. All the other cities in Europe are cheaper than Moscow.

Moscow is the most
_____________________
expensive city in Europe.

3. Dubai is not as big as São Paolo.

bigger
São Paolo is ______________ Dubai.
4. Complete the second sentences so that it means the
same as the first.
4. People say that there is no other city as friendly as
London in Europe.
the friendliest
People say that London is ___________________ in
Europe.

5. The weather in the UK is worse than Dubai.

better than
The weather in Dubai is ________________ the UK

6. Shopping is the most popular tourist activity for tourist in

Dubai.
more popular than Dubai.
São Paolo is _________________
5. Work in pair. Use the vocabulary in the box to
compare these places.
Speaking

Comparing and Making decisions

1. Vikram and Sunita are trying to decide where to go for a
weekend city break. Listen to their conversation and
answer the questions.
1. Where does Sanita most want to go to? Why?

2. Where does Vikram most want to go to? Why?

3. Where do they decide to go in the end?

1. Vikram and Sunita are trying to decide where to go for a
weekend city break. Listen to their conversation and
answer the questions.
1. She really want to go to Dubai because it is most exciting place.

2. He really want to go to Berlin, because of all the art galleries.

3. They decide to go Budapest.

2. Use the words and phrases to make the comparison
stronger or weaker.
1. Dubai is __________________ the most exciting place

2. Berlin would be __________________ cheaper.

3. Berlin might be a bit colder than Dubai but it is _______________

as cold as Oslo!

4. And New York isn’t warm either, only _____________________

warmer than Berlin, anyway.
2. Use the words and phrases to make the comparison
stronger or weaker.
5. New York is _______________ sunniest place.

6. I’m sure New York is ___________________ more dangerous than

any of the other cities.

7. It’s cheaper than Berlin and _________________ sunnier.

3. Listen again and check is your sentences in
exercise 2 are the same as those in the recording.
1. Dubai is __________________
easily / by far / much the most exciting place

slightly / a little bit

2. Berlin would be __________________ cheaper.

nowhere near
3. Berlin might be a bit colder than Dubai but it is _______________
as cold as Oslo!

4. And New York isn’t warm either, only _____________________

slightly / a little bit
warmer than Berlin, anyway.
3. Listen again and check is your sentences in
exercise 2 are the same as those in the recording.
5. New York is _______________
easily / by far sunniest place.

far / much
6. I’m sure New York is ___________________ more dangerous than
any of the other cities.

7. It’s cheaper than Berlin and _________________

slightly / a little bit sunnier.
4. Which the words and phrases in exercise 2 can use
with:
 More/-er than:
 Easily / Much / A little bit / Far / Slightly

 The most/-est:
 Easily / Much / By far

 …as…as:
 Nowhere near
5. Which two of the words and phrases in exercise 2 are
more formal:
 Formal words:
 Slightly / Much
 The other is more usual in spoken English.
6. Work in pairs. Where would you like to go for a weekend
city break? Make comparison between all cities below
before you make a final decision:
Useful Language

I'm quite interested in ...

I'd really like to ...
I really fancy...
I've never been to ...
It all depends on...
6. Work in pairs. Where would you like to go for a weekend
city break? Make comparison between all cities below
before you make a final decision:
E.g:

Vikram: So, where do you think we should go, Sunita?

Sonita: Well, I'm quite interested in going to Oslo...

Students: Well, I'm quite interested in going to Oslo...

 THE END
ENGLISH 2 – U5: CITY LIFE