Problems in big cities affect ______.

Fill the passage with suitable words

In most countries, almost all schools __(1)___ private until the early 1800’s. At that time, many government leaders began to encourage development of public schools to promote national progress by __(2)___ education widely available to citizens. Today, the number of public and private schools differs __(3)___ one country to another. In many developed countries, private schools offer a general focus on ___(4)___ for college; a special focus on science, music or other subject areas; and religious instructions. The Roman Catholic Church is one of the __( 5 )___ sponsors of private schools throughout the world.

(1)

Chances are, you are reading this article in a big city. Population growth is far faster than ever before and that is especially true in cities like Tokyo and Shanghai.

People from the countryside move to cities to find work and a better standard of living. These cities are so large they have been named megacities. The largest is Tokyo, followed by Shanghai, Jakarta, and ManilA. Some way behind is London, with a relatively small 15 million people.

However, life in cities is not always better. Homelessness is a big problem. When people do have homes, they are often in slums where disease and poor healthcare are problems.

Problems affect richer people too. Traffic blocks roads for hours in cities like Bangkok and Mexico City. Air pollution is so bad in some cities that people do not want to go out.

My name is Huy and fishing is my favorite sport. I often fish for hours without catching anything. But this doesn’t worry me. Some fishermen are unlucky. Instead of catching anything, not even old boots. After spending the whole morning on the river, I always go home with an empty bag. “You should give up fishing”, my friends say. “ It’s a waste of time”. But they don’t know that I’m not really interested in fishing. I’m only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all!

Read the following passage and the unfinished sentences carefully. Then choose the best answer and circle your choice.

When springtime comes, everything begins to wake up. Many animals in the woods have been asleep all winter. Birds have been away. Under the snow, the ground has been hard and still.

Then, all at once, it is spring! The days begin to grow long. From the south the birds fly back, ready to build their nests. Animals wake up and start to look for food.

Trees grow new leaves. Plants begin to flower. Baby birds and animals are born. Farmers are busy from morning until night.

In many countries, people greet the spring with songs and dancing. Springtime is a happy time all over the world.