CITIES IN

THE WORLD
 Then and now

Hongkong of
1960’s
Then and now
Singapore
Then and now

Shanghai of 1920’s
The following 3 phrases all mean “to appear” 
• Many new buildings have come up  
• Some new shops have sprung up  
• Lots of quaint restaurants have cropped up
(=interesting or old-fashioned)
flourish (v) to appear
Eg: Cities in Vietnam have flourished both
technologically and economically over the past
ten years.
influx (n) a large number of people or things
coming to a particular place.
Eg: There has been an influx of citizens into
cities  
urban sprawl: the spread of the
city  (urbanization) 
Eg: Huge industrial zone have produced choking
urban sprawl.
high-rise flats: tall apartment/buildings
Eg: She lives in a high-rise flats overlooking the
river.
upmarket (a)(adv) sth that is made for wealthy
people
Eg: London is an expensive city to live, there’s a
lot of upmarket shops in London.
chain stores (n) well-known brand
Eg: Starbucks, 7-eleven,…
pop-up shops (n) “flash” stores use social media
to sell their products
Eg: A temporary pop-up shops often appears
when retailers take advantage of empty retail
space.
 Let’s discuss city development

• What are some ways that cities in your

country are changing in the past decade?
• Is this good or bad?
- Present perfect (passive form): to reflect both
change and achievement over time
Linking words similar to ‘firstly’ are 
• to kick off 
• first off 
• first of all 
• at/from the outset = from the beginning
Eg: First off, I’m inclined to agree, but it depends
on the situation…
At the outset, I’d say yes it is, but it can also be a
real struggle
Linking words similar in meaning to ‘also’:
• On top of that
• What’s more
• And come to think of it (something you
remember as you speak)
Eg: Lots of quaint restaurants have cropped up.
On top of that/What’s more/ And come to
think of it you have more choices to spend time
with family or friends
The following linking words are all similar in
meaning to ‘to be honest’:
• to be frank
• quite honestly
• to be totally up front
Eg: To be frank, I’m not particularly fond of fast
food, though I might eat it with friends once in a
while
Quite honestly, I am to one for fast food. Mind
you, I might eat it with friends once in a while
The following mean ‘summarising’
• overall
• in a nutshell 
• basically   
Eg: I might if I need money for future plans, but
not if every plan is achieved. In a
nutshell/basically/overall, I’m not into living in
the city that much.
• Why do people move to the city?
(positive aspects)

• What are the negative aspects of city

life?
 Positive aspects Negative aspects
• Traffic congestion  
• Access to culture   • Pollution   
• Overcrowding  
• High level of convenience  
• Dense population  
• Reliable public transport   • Growth of slums 
• Variety of shopping • High rate of unemployment  
outlets    • High cost of living  
• Entertainment facilities   • Wealth inequality  
• Better job opportunities   • Growing gap/disparity 
• Higher quality education   between the rich and poor  
• High levels of stress 
• Better standard of living
• You get stuck in the rat race
Comparisions:
• Comparative and superlative
• S + V + multiple numbers * + as +
much/many/adj/adv + as + N/pronoun.
* half/twice/3,4,5…times, percentage, …
Eg:
- She types twice as fast as I.
- In many countries in the world with the same job,
women only get 40%-50% as much as salary as men.
Comparisions:
• Compared to /with
• In comparison to/with
Eg: Prices in the urban areas are high
compared to/with/ (prices in) rural areas.
• whereas, while
Eg: Salary in some Southern provinces is
higher than general rates, whereas it is a
bit lower in the North.
Comparisions:
• Compared to /with
• In comparison to/with
Eg: Prices in the urban areas are high
compared to/with/ (prices in) rural areas.
• whereas, while
Eg: Salary in some Southern provinces is
higher than general rates, whereas it is a
bit lower in the North.
Homework:

Record a video talking about

pros and cons of city life