City vs Countryside - Listening Task

A CITY SLICKER OR A COUNTRY LOVER? STEPHEN “Hi! My name is Stephen and I live in a tiny [blank_start]flat[blank_end] in Brixton, south-west London. I chose to live here because there is never a [blank_start]dull[blank_end] moment in a city like London. I’m an art student and the [blank_start]hustle[blank_end] and bustle of so many people in one area is the inspiration for a lot of my painting. Another advantage of city life is having everything you need so close [blank_start]at[blank_end] hand. Living beside the Tube station means I don’t need a car to get around, [blank_start]which[blank_end] saves me money. Also, there are shopping centres, art galleries and museums everywhere. Of course, London, like any large city has its problems, too. Londoners don’t [blank_start]chat[blank_end] on the Tube or the bus and there is much less [blank_start]community[blank_end] spirit than in the country, where my parents live. In fact, they don’t understand how I can put [blank_start]up[blank_end] with the constant noise and pollution, and traffic congestion. However, I see that as a small price to pay. I’m in my [blank_start]element[blank_end] here in the heart of this [blank_start]fine[blank_end] city. As a famous poet once said, ‘He who is tired of London is tired of life.’”

MARIANNA “Hello – or ‘G’day’, as we say down under. My name is Marianna and I live in New South Wales, Australia, on a [blank_start]huge[blank_end] ranch called The Rain River Land. It’s a beautiful area with fantastic [blank_start]scenery[blank_end]. I live here with my husband Joe and our two children, Patrick, 11, and Abby, 8. We have lived on this ranch for several years and love our healthy lifestyle. We have 70,000 hectares of [blank_start]land[blank_end], so the children have lots of space to run around and enjoy the peace and [blank_start]quiet[blank_end]. The air is clean and fresh and we produce a lot of our own food so we are sure that what we eat is fresh. There’s lots of hard work to do [blank_start]running[blank_end] a ranch, but we don’t mind. Of course, there are some negative aspects to life out here. There are often [blank_start]droughts[blank_end] in Australia, and sometimes we can’t grow any [blank_start]crops[blank_end] for months. We feel [blank_start]isolated[blank_end] sometimes, too, especially since the nearest neighbors are almost 100km away. Another problem is that many things are not as easily available as in the city. There are no local [blank_start]facilities[blank_end] such as schools, supermarkets and shops, and if we are ill we have to call the [blank_start]flying[blank_end] doctor. Although life here can be difficult, we wouldn’t change it for the world.”