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随身英语The city of the future 城市的未来 Play audio file未来城市的发展会是什么样的，我们还会喜欢在未来城市中居住吗？人们移居城市，追求更好的工作和生活。随着人口增长，越来越多的普通城市在逐渐转变成人口超过一千万的大城市。本期《随身英语》讨论城市发展随之带来的机遇和挑战。 课文内容 Vocabulary: urbanisation 词汇：城市化 For centuries, people have moved to and lived in cities. These sprawling urban centres are places to find work, friends and fun. It's no surprise that they continue to grow as more and more people flood in hoping to make the most of the opportunities they offer but adding to the congestion and pollution that already exists. According to a report by the United Nations, 54 per cent of the world's population lives in urban areas and it predicts that by 2050, this figure will have increased to around 70 per cent. But as more and more people migrate from the countryside to the city to get better opportunities, they can end up with nowhere to live. This is true in places such as Rio de Janeiro, where migrants can't rent or buy a home, and they end up building their own communities and houses on unoccupied land. These are called shanty towns - poor communities where the houses are built out of cheap materials like corrugated iron and plastic sheeting – and often don't have any electricity or water supply. | 
