Do We Need Cities Any More? Reading Answers

In this article we have given Do we need cities any more? Reading answers, as an illustration for the IELTS reading practice test. This article consists of 12 questions in 2 different forms namely- 6 questions as matching headings and 6 questions as sentence completion.

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Table of content:

• Solution for Do we need cities any more?
• Do we need cities any more? IELTS reading practice test
• Passage
• Questions
• Answers with explanations.

Solution for Do we need cities any more?

Here we have given the answers for Do we need cities any more? Reading answers in the table form below.

Answer Table

29. vi	32. vi	35. C	38. F
30. vii	33. i	36. G	39. D
31. iii	34. ix	37. A	40. B/E

Do We Need Cities Any More? IELTS Reading Practice Test - Exam Review

Here we have given: Do we need cities any more? IELTS reading answers, as a sample article for the IELTS reading practice test. This article will help you to crack your exam with band scores. Scrutinize the given passage to answer the questions.

Passage

We have given: Do we need cities any more? reading answers with location. Be careful while reading the passage and answer the questions.

Do we need cities any more? Reading Answers

A I don't want to live in a city. Perhaps we divide naturally into two types: those for whom cities are vibrant and exciting, a focus for human activity; and those for whom they are dirty, noisy and dangerous. It may be unfashion­able, but I'm in the latter camp. I do not believe that we are a species whose behaviour improves in overcrowded conditions.
B A new study proposes a significant increase in the capacity of towns and cities through a combination of increased housing densities, lower on-plot provision for cars and more on-street parking, and the re-use of marginal open space that is 'devoid of any amenity value'. The benefit of this approach is to reduce the loss of green fields and to help 'move towards more sustainable patterns of development'.
C This study suggests that it would be possible to achieve a 25% increase in density in a typical provincial city without changing the traditional street scene, although it would be necessary to reduce the size of the houses and substi­tute parking spaces for garages. Therefore, the cost of this approach is to have more people living in smaller homes at higher densities, along streets that are lined with parked cars. Can we really accept the notion that space within dwellings may be reduced even further? In times, when, we are told, living standards are rising in real terms, is it realistic to seek to reduce personal space standards?
D The streets of many inner suburbs are already lined with cars on both sides, reducing movement to a single lane. Increasing densities means accept­ing urban streets that are designed as linear car parks, bounded by even smaller living units and tempered only by occasional trees sprouting from the tarmac. Would the benefits of higher density be worth the disadvantages of increasing on street parking? Can we achieve a satisfactory visual environ­ment from such raw materials? Higher urban densities may be communally good for us, but they will fail to meet the aspirations of many prospective home owners.
E Those without economic choice can be directed to live in this way, but if we are to continue to rely on the private sector to produce this urban housing, it will need to appeal to the private developers' customers. Who will choose to live in these high-density developments of small dwellings, with minimal open space and a chance to park on the highway if you are lucky enough to find a space? The main con­sumers will be single people, couples without children, and perhaps some 'empty nesters' (people whose children have grown up and left home). These are people who can choose to spend much of their time outside their home, making the most of those urban, cultural opportunities or getting away at week­ends to a country cottage or sporting activities.
F The combination of a young family and a mortgage restricts the mobility and spending power of many couples. Most people with a family will try to avoid bringing up their children in a cramped flat or house. Space for inde­pendent activity is important in devel­oping the individual and in maintaining family equilibrium. The garden is the secure place where the children can work off excess energy.
G There is a danger that planners may take a dispassionate, logical view of how we should live, and seek to force society into that mould. A few years ago a European Commission study provided a good example of this. It took the view, quite sensibly, that housing should not be under-occupied because this is a waste of resources. Therefore, it would be much better if the many thousands of old ladies who live alone in large detached houses would move into small urban flats, thus releasing the large houses for families. What the study failed to recognise was that many of those old ladies prefer to continue to live in their family home with their familiar surroundings and, most impor­tantly, with their memories. What is good for us is not necessarily what we want.
H The urban housing option may be technically sustainable, but individually unacceptable. There still seems to be a perception among planners that new housing investment can be forced into those areas that planners want to see developed, without proper considera­tion of where the prospective pur­chasers want to live. There is a fatal flaw in this premise. Housing develop­ers run businesses. They are not irrevo­cably committed to building houses and they are not obliged to invest their resources in housing development. Unless there is a reasonable prospect of a profit on the capital at risk in a housing project, they may simply choose to invest in some other activity.

Questions

Questions 29-33

• Reading passage has 8 sections A-H
• Choose the most suitable heading for sections A & C-F and H from the list of headings below.
• Write the appropriate numbers (i-ix) in boxes 29-34 on your answer sheet.
• Note: there are more headings than sections so you will not use all of them.
• You may use any of the heading more than once.

29. Section A
30. Section C
31. Section D
32. Section E
33. Section F
34. Section H

Headings

1. Rational city planning
2. Family housing
3. Parking facilities in the city
4. Profit-making housing developments
5. Parking your car
6. Cities for people?
7. Appropriate living space
8. High density accommodation in cities
9. Housing as a business.

Questions 35-40

• Choose one phrase A-G from the box to complete each of the following key points.
• Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet.
• The information on the completed sentence should be an accurate summary of points made by the writer.
• You may use any phrase more than once

35. Residential density in cities will be increased…
36. There are two types of…
37. There are three types of…
38. Developers are unlikely to build houses….
39. Planners might try to dictate…
40. Many people will not be happy…

1. People likely to want to live in high-density accommodation.
2. Living in higher density accommodation.
3. If houses are built smaller.
4. Where old people should live.
5. If residential density in cities is increased.
6. Where people do not want to live.
7. Attitude towards city living.

Answers for Do we need cities any more? With explanation

In this section we have given the answers for Do we need cities any more? Reading answers with explanations. This will assist you to rectify your errors while answering.

29. Answer: vi

Explanation: “I don't want to live in a city. Perhaps we divide naturally into two types: those for whom cities are vibrant and exciting, a focus for human activity; and those for whom they are dirty, noisy and dangerous”. With this line it is clear that paragraph A states about cities for people?. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-3 lines of paragraph A.

30. Answer: vii

Explanation: “it would be possible to achieve a 25% increase in density in a typical provincial city without changing the traditional street scene, although it would be necessary to reduce the size of the houses and substi­tute parking spaces for garages”. With this line it is clear that paragraph C states about appropriate living size. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-3 lines of paragraph C.

31. Answer: iii

Explanation: “The streets of many inner suburbs are already lined with cars on both sides, reducing movement to a single lane. Increasing densities means accept­ing urban streets that are designed as linear car parks, bounded by even smaller living units and tempered only by occasional trees sprouting from the tarmac”. With this line it is clear that paragraph D states about parking facilities in the city. Hence the given answer is located in the first 4 lines of paragraph D.

32. Answer: vi

Explanation: “Those without economic choice can be directed to live in this way, but if we are to continue to rely on the private sector to produce this urban housing, it will need to appeal to the private developers' customers. Who will choose to live in these high-density developments of small dwellings, with minimal open space and a chance to park on the highway if you are lucky enough to find a space? The main con­sumers will be single people, couples without children, and perhaps some 'empty nesters' (people whose children have grown up and left home)”. With this line it is clear that paragraph E states about cities for people?. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-6 lines of paragraph E.

33. Answer: i

Explanation: “Most people with a family will try to avoid bringing up their children in a cramped flat or house. Space for inde­pendent activity is important in devel­oping the individual and in maintaining family equilibrium”. With this line it is clear that paragraph F states about rational city planning. Hence the given answer is located in the 2-4 lines of paragraph F.

34. Answer: ix

Explanation: “They are not irrevo­cably committed to building houses and they are not obliged to invest their resources in housing development. Unless there is a reasonable prospect of a profit on the capital at risk in a housing project, they may simply choose to invest in some other activity”. With this line it is clear that paragraph H states about housing as a business. Hence the given answer is located in the last 4 lines of paragraph H.

35. Answer: C

Explanation: “This study suggests that it would be possible to achieve a 25% increase in density in a typical provincial city without changing the traditional street scene, although it would be necessary to reduce the size of the houses and substi­tute parking spaces for garages. Therefore, the cost of this approach is to have more people living in smaller homes at higher densities, along streets that are lined with parked cars”. With this line it is clear that residential density in cities will be increased if houses are built smaller. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-5 lines of paragraph C.

36. Answer: G

Explanation: “I don't want to live in a city. Perhaps we divide naturally into two types: those for whom cities are vibrant and exciting, a focus for human activity; and those for whom they are dirty, noisy and dangerous”. With this line it is clear that there are two types of attitude toward city living. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-3 lines of paragraph A.

37. Answer: A

Explanation: “Who will choose to live in these high-density developments of small dwellings, with minimal open space and a chance to park on the highway if you are lucky enough to find a space? The main con­sumers will be single people, couples without children, and perhaps some 'empty nesters' (people whose children have grown up and left home). With this line it is clear that there are three types of people likely to want to live in high-density accommodation. Hence the given answer is located in the 3-7 lines of paragraph E.

38. Answer: F

Explanation: “The urban housing option may be technically sustainable, but individually unacceptable. There still seems to be a perception among planners that new housing investment can be forced into those areas that planners want to see developed, without proper considera­tion of where the prospective pur­chasers want to live”. With this line it is clear that developers are unlikely to build houses where people do not want to live. Hence the given answer is located in the first 4 lines of paragraph H.

39. Answer: D

Explanation: “There is a danger that planners may take a dispassionate, logical view of how we should live, and seek to force society into that mould. A few years ago a European Commission study provided a good example of this. It took the view, quite sensibly, that housing should not be under-occupied because this is a waste of resources. Therefore, it would be much better if the many thousands of old ladies who live alone in large detached houses would move into small urban flats, thus releasing the large houses for families”. With this line it is clear that planners might try to dictate where old people should live. Hence the given answer is located in the 1-6 lines of paragraph G.

40. Answer: B/E

Explanation: “Most people with a family will try to avoid bringing up their children in a cramped flat or house. Space for inde­pendent activity is important in devel­oping the individual and in maintaining family equilibrium. The garden is the secure place where the children can work off excess energy”. With this line it is clear that many people will not be happy if houses are built smaller and they do not want to live there. Hence the given answer is located in the last 4 lines of paragraph F.

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