PRE-READING:

Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: What is a megacity?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs with your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

MEGACITIES

Where are the world's largest cities? America? Europe? The answer is: right here in Asia. Tokyo has been the largest city in the world for some time now, but as Asia develops economically Asia's cities are growing at a phenomenal rate.

What is a “megacity”?

A megacity is a very large city. It is usually defined as a city with a population of more than 10 million people. It is a modern phenomenon. While there have been great cities in the past, the scale was different. Rome in the 1st century AD, medieval Baghdad, Chang An in Tang Dynasty China. At their peak, these were the greatest cities in the world, unrivalled in size, prestige and power. And yet their populations of about 1 or 2 million pale in comparison to today's megacities.

The first city to pass the 10 million mark was New York in the 1950s. By 1980, there were 4 megacities in the world only one of which, Tokyo, was in Asia. By 2010, this number has increased to 21, half of them in Asia. The world's two biggest cities, Tokyo, Japan and Delhi, India are both in Asia. Research suggests that by 2025, there will be 29 megacities. 7 of the world's 10 biggest cities will be in Asia. The population of Tokyo alone will be approaching 40 million people, more than the population of Canada.

Smog in Delhi, India

What are the problems?

The size of the megacities, together with their magnetic attraction for people seeking to improve their lives, has given rise to a unique set of problems. These problems present a particular challenge to Asia with its high rate of urban development.

Slums and homelessness

Large-scale migration to the new urban areas from the countryside has led to overcrowding and a shortage of affordable accommodation. As a result shanty towns, illegal settlements of make-shift houses, have sprung up around the cities. These areas suffer from poverty, poor sanitation, and high levels of crime. According to the United Nations, 1 in 3 urban dwellers lived in slums in 2005.

In addition to people living in slums, many people in these huge cities are homeless; they have nowhere to stay at all.

Urban sprawl and gentrification

Urban sprawl is the gradual outward spread of cities. This can give the city government problems in developing the infrastructure to keep pace. New transport links and health facilities including roads, railways and hospitals, have to be built.

At the same time, property prices and rents in older areas increase as richer businesses and individuals move in. This means that residents who have lived in an area for a long time can no longer afford the local prices and are forced to move out.

Slums in Jakarta, Indonesia

Traffic congestion and air pollution

The overcrowding and urban sprawl lead to traffic congestion. There are too many vehicles on the roads leading to slow-moving traffic, traffic jams and slower journey times. The problem is especially acute where the infrastructure development has not been well-planned.

Traffic congestion is one of the major causes of air pollution. Exhaust emissions put chemicals into the air which cause health problems.

Traffic jam in Bangkok, Thailand

Food shortages

But perhaps the most serious problem of the shift to urban dwelling is the threat to our food supply. The rural population is moving to the cities and urban development is taking over agricultural land. This trend means that in agricultural areas fewer people have to produce more food from less land to feed the hungry cities.

Solutions

As can be seen, the problems facing megacities are connected. So to solve the problems, city governments need to take a holistic approach, looking at the city as a whole. The extent to which Asia can solve these problems will be a key indicator of whether its development is sustainable.

Word count: 644 Words

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answers to the questions you have made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• Phenomenal (adj): very great or impressive; extraordinary (Đáng kinh ngạc, phi thường)

• Phenomenon (n): a fact or event in nature or society, especially one that is not fully understood (Hiện tượng)

• Scale (n): the size or extent of something (Diện, qui mô)

• Unrivalled (adj): better or greater than any other (Vô địch, không gì có thể sánh được)

• Prestige (n): having respect and admiration (Uy thế, uy tín)

• Slum (n): an area of the city that is very poor and where the houses are dirty and in bad condition (Khu ổ chuột)

• Shanty town (n): a slum area where poor people live in small houses made from pieces of wood, metal and cardboard (Khu nhà ổ chuột)

• Make-shift (adj): made to be used for a short time only, when nothing better is available (Tạm bợ)

• Sanitation (n): equipment and systems that keep places clean by removing human waste (Hệ thống cống rãnh vệ sinh)

• Gentrification (n): changing of an area so that it is suitable for people of a higher social class (Dành cho khu dân cư) (Cải tạo nâng cấp)

• Infrastructure (n): the basic systems and service that are needed for a country or city to run smoothly (Cơ sở hạ tầng)

• Traffic congestion (n): the state of being crowded and full of traffic (Tình trạng kẹt xe)

• Acute (adj): very serious or severe (Nghiêm trọng, nguy cấp)

• Exhaust emission (n): gas that is sent into the air from motor vehicles (Khi thải từ xe cộ)

• Shift (n): a change (in a policy or situation) from one state/position to another (Việc thay đổi, chuyển đổi)

• Holistic (adj): looking at the whole thing, not just the individual parts (Toàn diện)

• Sustainable (adj): that can be continued for a long time (Bền vững)

Idioms and expressions:

• To pale in/by comparison to/with sth: to seem less important when compared to something else (Không sá gì/ không đáng gì so với)

• Magnetic attraction: very powerful attraction (Sức hút khó cưỡng lại)

• Urban sprawl: the act of spreading out of a city over a wide area (Việc mở rộng đô thị)

Grammar:

Subject/verb agreement:

Without looking back at the text, identify and underline the subject and select the correct form of the verb in the following sentences:

Example:

The first city to pass the 10 million mark was/were New York in the 1950s. “City” is the subject. It is singular and therefore takes the singular form of the verb, ‘was’.

1. The overcrowding and urban sprawl lead/leads to traffic congestion.

2. The size of the megacities, together with their magnetic attraction for people seeking to improve their lives, have/has given rise to a unique set of problems.

3. Traffic congestion is/are one of the major causes of air pollution.

4. Exhaust emissions put/puts chemicals into the air which cause health problems.

When we have a complex noun phrase acting as a subject, it is important to identify the head noun in the phrase. This head noun acts as the subject of the verb and the verb form must agree with this subject.

Answers and explanations:

1. Overcrowding and urban sprawl = lead. Overcrowding is uncountable. However, the conjunction ‘and’ compounds the subject. Therefore, the verb needs the plural form lead.

2. Size = has. In the noun phrase ‘size’ stands before the preposition and therefore acts as the subject. Unlike ‘and’, expressions such as ‘together with’ and ‘as well as’ do not compound the subject. The singular form has agrees with ‘size’.

3. Congestion = is. Traffic congestion is a compound noun. The second part of the compound acts as the subject. Congestion is uncountable and so requires the singular form ‘is’.

4. Emissions = are. Emissions are (surprisingly) considered countable. Here, we are talking generally and so are using the plural form with no article. Therefore the plural form of the verb, ‘are’, is needed.

For more information on using noun phrases as subjects, see Dr Grammar Noun Phrases and Subject/verb agreement.

Discussion and Writing:

Find a study friend to summarize what you have read. Try to use the vocabulary learned in the article in speaking and writing your summary. With a friend, discuss problems facing your city, town or rural area and try to think of some solutions.

Imagine you are working for the local government. Write a report to the city leader. In your report:

• describe the key problems facing your city, town or area.

• suggest some solutions to these problems.

Sources:

Visit these webpages to read more about this topic.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megacity

BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13800944

United Nations Millennium Goals: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf

Economic Intelligence Unit Megacities Report: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).