雅思词汇课文（5）· The Crowded City 拥挤的城市
城市主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思城市类核心词。
🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）
📖 课文 Text
The Crowded City
For the first time in history, more than half of humanity now lives in cities. By 2050, that figure is expected to reach 68 per cent. This migration from countryside to city is the most significant social shift of our age — and it brings both enormous opportunities and severe challenges.
Cities are engines of growth. They concentrate talent, capital and infrastructure in a small space, making it easier for businesses to start, for ideas to spread, and for people to rise out of poverty. A young person moving from a rural village to a booming city is, statistically, more likely to find work, receive an education and live a longer life.
Yet rapid urbanisation also creates serious problems. Housing prices in the most desirable cities have become unaffordable for ordinary workers, pushing the poor into crowded slums on the outskirts. Traffic congestion wastes hours of working time, while air pollution — already mentioned — damages health. Public services, from schools to hospitals, struggle to keep pace with a swelling population.
How cities respond will define the twenty-first century. Some have chosen to build upwards, with towering skyscrapers and dense housing near city centres. Others have expanded outwards, spreading suburbs across former farmland. Neither model is without cost: the first creates overcrowding, the second destroys green space and forces residents to commute long distances.
The most promising cities are those that plan ahead. They invest in public transport, build mixed neighbourhoods where people can live, work and shop nearby, and protect parks and rivers from development. The goal is not endless expansion but a balanced city — one that offers opportunity without sacrificing quality of life.
📝 生词表 New Words and Expressions
| Word | 音标 | 词性 | 中文 | 课文例句 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| migration | /maɪˈɡreɪʃn/ | n. | 迁移 | this migration from countryside |
| significant | /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ | adj. | 重大的、显著的 | the most significant social shift |
| challenge | /ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ | n. | 挑战 | severe challenges |
| growth | /ɡrəʊθ/ | n. | 增长、发展 | engines of growth |
| capital | /ˈkæpɪtl/ | n. | 资本、资金 | talent, capital and infrastructure |
| infrastructure | /ˈɪnfrəstrʌktʃə/ | n. | 基础设施 | transport infrastructure |
| rural | /ˈrʊərəl/ | adj. | 农村的、乡村的 | a rural village |
| urbanisation | /ˌɜːbənaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | n. | 城市化 | rapid urbanisation |
| desirable | /dɪˈzaɪərəbl/ | adj. | 理想的、值得拥有的 | most desirable cities |
| unaffordable | /ˌʌnəˈfɔːdəbl/ | adj. | 负担不起的 | become unaffordable |
| slum | /slʌm/ | n. | 贫民窟、贫民区 | crowded slums |
| outskirts | /ˈaʊtskɜːts/ | n. | 郊区、外围 | on the outskirts |
| congestion | /kənˈdʒestʃən/ | n. | 拥堵 | traffic congestion |
| public service | /ˌpʌblɪk ˈsɜːvɪs/ | n. | 公共服务 | public services |
| swell | /swel/ | v. | 膨胀、增长 | a swelling population |
| upwards | /ˈʌpwədz/ | adv. | 向上 | build upwards |
| skyscraper | /ˈskaɪskreɪpə/ | n. | 摩天大楼 | towering skyscrapers |
| outwards | /ˈaʊtwədz/ | adv. | 向外 | expand outwards |
| suburb | /ˈsʌbɜːb/ | n. | 郊区 | spreading suburbs |
| commute | /kəˈmjuːt/ | v. | 通勤 | commute long distances |
| public transport | /ˌpʌblɪk ˈtrænspɔːt/ | n. | 公共交通 | invest in public transport |
| neighbourhood | /ˈneɪbəhʊd/ | n. | 街区、社区 | mixed neighbourhoods |
| development | /dɪˈveləpmənt/ | n. | 开发、发展 | protect parks from development |
| expansion | /ɪkˈspænʃn/ | n. | 扩张 | endless expansion |
| sacrifice | /ˈsækrɪfaɪs/ | v. | 牺牲 | without sacrificing quality of life |
| opportunity | /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti/ | n. | 机会 | offers opportunity |
| poverty | /ˈpɒvəti/ | n. | 贫困 | rise out of poverty |
| booming | /ˈbuːmɪŋ/ | adj. | 繁荣的、迅速发展的 | a booming city |
| concentrate | /ˈkɒnsntreɪt/ | v. | 集中 | concentrate talent |
| model | /ˈmɒdl/ | n. | 模式、模型 | neither model is without cost |
🧠 课文理解 Comprehension
1. According to the passage, by 2050 the share of people living in cities is expected to be...
- A. about half
- B. roughly 68 per cent
- C. 80 per cent
- D. declining
2. Cities are described as "engines of growth" because they...
- A. are built by engineers
- B. bring together people, money and resources efficiently
- C. always have low unemployment
- D. attract tourists
3. What problem does rapid urbanisation create for poor people?
- A. they are forced to live in expensive city centres
- B. housing becomes unaffordable and they settle in slums
- C. they cannot find work
- D. they lose their rural culture
4. The writer criticises the outward-expansion model because it...
- A. builds too many skyscrapers
- B. destroys green land and forces long commutes
- C. is too expensive
- D. does not provide enough housing
5. According to the writer, the best cities are those that...
- A. grow as quickly as possible
- B. plan ahead and balance growth with quality of life
- C. ban cars entirely
- D. keep people in rural areas
✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.
| commute / congestion / infrastructure / migration / outskirts / poverty / suburb / swell |
- The government has invested heavily in transport ______ such as railways and airports.
- Thousands of farmers made the ______ to the city in search of work.
- The museum is located on the ______ of town, next to a large park.
- Morning traffic ______ can add an hour to the journey into the city centre.
- She lives in a quiet ______ and has to ______ 90 minutes to work every day.
- The town's population has ______ rapidly over the last decade.
- The charity aims to reduce ______ in the poorest regions.
✅ 答案 Answers
Comprehension
- B（"By 2050... reach 68 per cent"）
- B（"concentrate talent, capital and infrastructure"）
- B（"Housing prices... unaffordable... pushing the poor into crowded slums"）
- B（"destroys green space and forces residents to commute long distances"）
- B（"plan ahead... a balanced city"）
Vocabulary
- infrastructure 2. migration 3. outskirts 4. congestion 5. suburb / commute 6. swelled 7. poverty
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