Fill in the gaps using the following words

amenities
dull
levels

atmosphere
commute
congestion
cost of living
lively
neighbourhood
outskirts
pace
quality
rush
sense of community

1. There's a real problem with air __________ and the __________ of pollution in
some of the industrial areas of the city are extremely high.
2. I suppose you could say the __________ are pretty good. For example,
there are several sports centres and you're never very far from a bank.
3. The _____________ hour starts at about 7 o'clock and it's particularly bad on
weekdays as many people choose ______________ in to work by car. There are
days when the ____________ is so bad that the city comes to a standstill.
4. Being a capital city, it's got quite a cosmopolitan ___________ . You can
hear all sorts of languages spoken on the streets.
5. It's not the most expensive place to live, I guess but the ___________ goes
up every year and many people struggle to pay their rent.
6. As it's a university city, there are lots of students around and the nightlife
is great with lots of clubs and bars. It's a very ______________ place to live.
7. I live in the suburbs on the ___________ of the city. It's not exactly exciting
there as the ___________ of life is fairly slow, but it isn't completely
____________ either as there's always something to do.
8. There's a real ____________ in the area where I live. Everyone knows each
other and it is the sort of ______________ that is completely safe.

The Country: Opinions

Me

My Partner

Ask a

The thing I like most

about farms

The thing I like most

about

The thing I like most

about

partner what he/she likes or dislikes about the countryside. Choose

from the following or use your own ideas: farms, forests, village life,
farmers market, country fairs etc.

The City: Opinions

Ask a partner what he/she likes or dislikes about the city. Choose from
the following or use your own ideas: public transportation, traffic
james, apartments, shopping centres, traffic jams etc.
Me mMe
My Partner

The thing I like

most about farms

The thing I like

most about

The thing I like

most about

Useful vocabulary

boarded up shops: shops that are no longer doing business

chain stores: well-known brands with shops in multiple cities
to close down: to stop doing business
fashionable boutiques: fashionable clothes shops
to get around: to travel around
high-rise flats: multi-story apartments

 inner-city: the central part of a city where people live and where
conditions are often poor
in the suburbs: the outer area of large towns and cities where people
live
lively bars/restaurants: bars or restaurants with a good atmosphere
local facilities: local buildings or services serving the public
multi-story car parks: car parks on several floors
office block: a large building that contains offices
out of town shopping centre/retail park: large shopping centres
outside of the town or city
pavement cafe: cafes with tables outside on the pavement
places of interest: buildings that have a particular interest for
visitors
poor housing: housing that is not in good condition
public spaces: areas in a town or city that are open to the public
public transport system: public vehicles such as buses and trains
that operate at regular times on fixed routes
residential area: an area where people live
run down: old and of a poor standard
shopping centre: an area consisting of multiple shops
shopping malls: large indoor shopping centres
sprawling city: a city that has grown over time and which covers a
wide area
tourist attraction: a place of interest to tourists
traffic congestion: heavy traffic making it difficult to move around a
town or city
upmarket shops: expensive fashionable shops

Describe where you live in five sentences:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.