A few weeks ago, The New York Times published this video, which informs about the Chinese government's plans to move 250 million people from the country to cities over the next 12 to 15 years.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and complete the blanks in the transcript with the missing words.
The video is suitable for Básico 2 and Intermedio 1 students.
The Chinese government plans to move 250,000,000 people from farms to cities. It plans to do this over the next twelve to fifteen years. We are passing over some of the world’s largest (1) ... areas and if we combine the population of all of these cities, we’ll reach 250,000,000 people (2) ... .
The scale of China’s project is staggering. If it works, millions of (3) ... will move from their homes into newly built apartment blocks. Critics of the plan have called it warehousing.
These (4) ... American cities represent only a fraction of China’s (5) ... . We get closer to the total if we add some of Europe’s largest (1) ... areas.
If the Chinese government reaches its (5) ...s, (6) ... of its people will live in cities. The same transition took centuries in western countries.
At 85,000,000 we approach the number of Chinese (7) ... who’ve moved to cities since 2008. That past migration happened naturally. (3) ... found jobs in cities and moved. It was part of the transition that had been under way for decades. China’s (8) ... plan is far more deliberate, and will happen faster. (3) ... will now be forced to relocate.
Even with some of western (4) ... cities behind us, we’re not even (9) ... there. We need to add many of the largest (1) ... areas in the world. The government is hoping the farmers become (1) ... (10) ... . (7) ... typically grow their own food and (11) ... their own energy. If the (3) ... find work in these new cities, they will buy electricity and use public transportation, (12) ... televisions and washing machines and stoke the Chinese economy.
We are almost there now. Just add the population of Tokyo, the world’s largest (1) ... area, and we’ve made it, 250,000,000 people.
Key:
1 urban 2 eventually 3 farmers 4 major 5 goal 6 70% 7 villagers 8 current 9 half-way 10 consumers 11 provide 12 purchase
