Rise of the MEGACITIES
Megacity: a city with more than ten million people.
Unit 1 Reading 1
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1The number of megacities is growing very quickly. In the 1950s, there were only two megacities in the world.
2Today, 12% of the world's urban population lives in megacities. Studies show that there will be eight billion people in the world in 2025. Experts say that there will be 40 megacities.
3Today, more than 35 cities in the world are megacities. 75% are in Asia, South America and Africa. More and more people around the world are leaving their homes in the countryside and moving to the city.
4Many megacities have better opportunities, such as more jobs and a choice of schools and universities. Megacities are also exciting places to live – there are lots of different people, languages and restaurants, and there are many interesting things to do.
5However, megacities have problems, too. The cities are very big and this can cause problems like pollution or poor housing.
6Tokyo, Japan – 37.8 MILLION: Tokyo is an exciting, modern city with many jobs in big companies. It is an excellent place to study – 20% of Japan's universities are here. However, the city is very busy and has very bad traffic. Over 8.7 million people use the trains every day.
7Delhi, India – 25 MILLION: Delhi has many beautiful monuments and interesting museums. There are modern restaurants and an exciting mix of different cultures. There are four official languages: Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English. A problem in Delhi is that there are not enough houses, so many people live in large slums.
8Cairo, Egypt – 18.3 MILLION: Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the second-largest city in Africa. The city has important car and film industries. It is a centre for government offices and has many universities. One university is over 1,200 years old.