Urban and rural life: advantages and disadvantages

Some people prefer bustle and noise of big cities, while others prefer peaceful lifestyle of rural areas.

Nowadays, there is a tendency for active young people to leave rural areas for towns and cities. That is the reason why the population of villages and countries is thinning down now. Only senior people stay at their country homes, because they cannot adapt themselves to the frenzied rhythm of the urban life.

So, today in the lesson we will:

● talk about advantages and disadvantages of urban and rural life;

And

● put the knowledge into practice.

First of all, I would like to remind you that…

“Urban life” means… Life in a city

And

“Rural life” means… Life in a village

Now let’s answer the first question:

What are the advantages of city life?

Living in a city can be very convenient. There are a lot of opportunities of education, career and social life. If you live in a big city, you have many education options to choose from. You can graduate from the most famous and reputed universities or educational institutions, find a well-paid job and have more opportunities for personal development.

The social life in a city is so diverse. There are lots of:

museums,

cinemas,

art galleries,

places of interest,

clubs,

supermarkets and so on. You won’t find all that in a small village.

There is also a great choice of public transport in a city. It means that you don’t need to own a car, which is necessary when you live in the countryside.

Besides, if you live in a big city, you can find a lot of interesting things to do. For example, you can:

eat in a good restaurant,

go to the concert,

go to the club,

visit a museum,

go to the cinema,

go to the gym and do many other interesting things.

What is more, when you want to relax, you can usually find a park where you can feed the ducks or just sit on a park bench and read a book.

In summary, city life is full of bustle and variety, so you will never feel bored.

Now let’s answer the following question:

What are the disadvantages of city life?

Let’s read about the disadvantages of city life on the forum.

Jason from the USA

“Hi, guys! I’m Jason and I live in New York. I enjoy living in this city. From my point of view, the only disadvantage of city life is that public transport is sometimes crowded and dirty. Moreover, even the parks can become very crowded. It happens mostly on Sundays when it seems that every city dweller is looking for some open space or green grass.”

Blake from Canada

 “Hello! My name is Blake. I live in the city and I would like to tell you about the disadvantages of city life. First of all, it’s difficult to find good cheap accommodation. Another problem of big cities is that city dwellers live under constant thread. The crime rate in most big cities is very high. As a result, some people are afraid of going out at night.”

Kate from Australia

“Hey, everyone! I’m Kate and I live in the city. City life has a lot of advantages. However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing, you might have a good job, but unless it is very well-paid, you will not be able to afford many of the things that there are to do, because living in the city is often very expensive.”

Marco from Spain

“Hello, I’m Marco and I live in a big city. Unfortunately, there is a great amount of environmental problems in the cities. As a rule, cities have big factories and industrial enterprises damaging the urban environment. This adversely affects people’s health causing serious diseases like cancer, asthma and others.”

Guys, we’ve talked about the advantages and disadvantages of city life.

Now…

Read the phrases below and write them in the correct column!

Let’s check the right answers!

The advantages of city life are:

more opportunities for personal development

a lot of interesting things to do

it’s easier to find a well-paid job and build a career

a lot of opportunities of education

a great choice of public transport in a city

the social life in a city is very diverse

The disadvantages of city life are:

it’s difficult to find good cheap accommodation

the life in a city is very expensive

a great amount of environmental problems

public transport is sometimes crowded and dirty

the crime rate in most big cities is very high

the parks are sometimes very crowded

Great! Now let’s answer the third question:

What are the advantages of country life?

Living in the country has a lot of advantages. First of all, the air in the countryside is very clean and fresh, because there are a lot of trees around and less factories. There are no traffic jams and the number of cars is much smaller.

There are people who are tired of noisy cities, overcrowded streets and roads. Such people want to live in a quiet place where there is a high level of privacy. In this case, a countryside will suit the best. There are no noisy crowds in the village, so living there can add several years to your life.

Moreover, the house in the country can be far cheaper than a flat in the city. In addition, you can have a very spacious place to live with some private territory around it. Some people use this place to grow vegetables, others use it to construct a playground for children or organize a nice place for barbecue.

A countryside is a perfect place for old people. They can improve their health conditions and enjoy beautiful landscapes.

There is a lot of freedom for children in the village. They can safely ride a bike or play outdoor games. A countryside is quite a safe place as there are no cars and highways.

Now, everyone, let’s answer the last question:

What are the disadvantages of country life?

This is Christopher and he would like to tell you about the disadvantages of country life.

“Hello, I’m Christopher and I live in the village. I think it’s a wonderful place to live, but there are some disadvantages of country life. First, if you live in the village, you have almost nowhere to go. There are no cinemas and theatres in my village. We don’t have any night clubs, restaurants, cafes, hypermarkets and museums. That’s why life in the country can be boring sometimes.

It’s also difficult to find a well-paid job here. Besides, if you want to make a career or get a higher education, you’ll have to commute between your home in the country and your office in the city.

Some people, who live in the country and daily commute to a working place, usually face such problem as a lack of proper public transport. However, if you have your own car, it will not become a problem for you.”

Guys, we’ve talked about the advantages and disadvantages of country life.

Now…

Read the sentences below and choose the advantages of country life!

Let’s check the right answers!

There are no noisy crowds in the village.

You can enjoy beautiful landscapes.

There is a lot of freedom for children in the village.

A village is quite a safe place as there are no cars and highways.

Children can safely ride a bike or play outdoor games.

The air in the countryside is very clean and fresh.

The house in the country can be cheaper than a flat in the city.

Great! Now…

Read the sentences below and choose the disadvantages of country life!

Let’s check the right answers!

It’s difficult to find a well-paid job in the village.

The life in the country can be very boring sometimes.

There is a lack of proper public transport in the village.

If you live in the village, you have almost nowhere to go.

It’s difficult to make a career in the country.

It’s not possible to get a higher education in the village.

That’s all for now! In conclusion, I would like to say that city life can be appealing to young people, who like the excitement of the city and don’t mind noise and pollution. However, a lot of people, when they get older and particularly when they have small children, often prefer the peace and fresh air of the countryside.