IELTSУстная речьvocabularytraininghometowns,citiesandtowns

Examiner: What is it like where you live?

Answer 1: I live in a (1)  of a busy town in Japan. It’s not what you would call a (2) city.  it’s quite compact really and you could walk across the city in a few hours. We also have a public transport system so it’s easy to (3) .

Answer 2: I live in the inner-city in the States and the area is a little (4) . It’s basically a lot of (5) and many of the shops are (6) .

Examiner: What do you like about your hometown?

Answer 1: I like how the people in my hometown are so friendly, and the way that everyone knows everyone. It’s a really (7) community, which is hard to find in big cities. We also have a lot of (8)  and fashionable boutiques, which gives you a relaxing atmosphere.

Answer 2: My favorite thing about it is that there are various districts all with their own character. We have the (9) shops in the centre. In less busy areas, we have (10)  and (11)  supermarkets. Also, (12) the city, there are some great historical (13) and (14) .

Examiner: Do you like living in the city?

Yes! I like going out with my friends and there are lots of (15)  and restaurants within walking distance of my apartment.  I’m a bit of a (16)  as well so it’s great to have access to art exhibitions and that kind of thing.

Examiner: What makes a city a good one to live in?

If you ask me, the best cities in the world have three things in common, and those are (1) transportation, availability of social services, and presence of culture. The first thing, transportation, must be both cheap and reliable to make a city better. With good transportation, people will not be limited in their ability to travel around the city for work or for fun. The second thing, social services, such as drug counseling, homeless shelters, and (2) child care, should be available to people who are in need to keep people from getting stuck in (3) or crime. The last thing, culture, means that the city should have some art, food, and music that make it interesting to live in. Those are the things that make any city great.

Examiner: What are the advantages of living in a city?

I think living in a city means having better access to local facilities and modern conveniences. Those who live in cities can visit both local shops as well as larger shopping malls downtown. Cities usually offer better forms of public transportation as well. People can ride the subway, get a taxi, or take the bus almost anywhere. And, I think life in the city is probably more exciting than life in a small town, because there are more events to check out and more interesting places to go. I’m a bit of a (4) as well so it’s great to have access to art exhibitions and that kind of thing.

Examiner: What are the negative aspects of crowded cities?

In my mind, there are many negative aspects of crowded cities. On top of my head, there are issues such as (5) and residents living in (6) , but to me, the biggest issue is the high level of noise. It’s always very noisy and disruptive with lots of people and cars around, so I can never feel relaxed in crowded places. Also, I don’t like crowded places as they’re usually full of long lines and waiting periods. When you arrive, there’s a line to get in, and when you want to do anything at the place, like buy something to eat, there’s another line for that too.