6.44 COUNTRY AND CITY
There is a huge gap in the standard of living in the rural areas and in the
cities. What are the reasons for this in your country? How can the
difference be reduced?
INTRODUCTION
Today 60 percent of the world’s population lives in cities.
In this essay, I
will look at money made (generated) and government spending as reasons for
this phenomenon and at decentralization as a possible way to reduce the gap.
(38 words)
BODY
Rural areas consist mainly of farming communities that are usually not very
rich. In the cities, however, shops (commerce) and factories (industry)
generate large amounts of money.
Manufacturing industries, for example,
change (convert) raw materials into products
that are sold all over the
country and are even exported to other countries. The salaries of the workers
are spent in the city, and the profits generated
are used to expand the
business, enlarging the city further.
As a result of the above, national, provincial, and local governments spend
more money on the facilities (infrastructure) in the cities than in the
countryside.
Transportation systems, for example, have to deal (cope) with
the demand set by the industries in the city.
The gap can be reduced by means of a process called decentralization. It
means that activities that are now centralized
in the cities are spread
(distributed) more widely throughout a region. The government can give
incentives to industries if they are prepared to move out of the city. For
instance, available land can be given to them on the condition that they build
factories on it and employ local people. (182 words)
We have seen that money generated and spent by the authorities is the main
reason for urbanization and that by starting (promoting) decentralization, the