Towns and cities Unit 1(English Plus 1) 1

Towns and cities Unit 1 English Plus 1

Towns and cities English Plus 1

Travelling in Towns and Cities

New Zealand towns and cities

Villages, towns and cities in the UK

Think about the geography and location of the city or town you live in. Are there bodies of water like rivers and lakes or a coast nearby? Perhaps you live in a place with vast open fields suitable for farming or raising livestock. The natural environment is important when understanding how cities and towns developed. The earliest North American colonies depended on their natural environment. The type of soil, climate, length of seasons, and proximity to bodies of water all played a role in how each colony prospered. By the 1700’s, the American colonies grew into three distinct regions. The New England, Middle, and Southern regions each had different geographical and cultural characteristics that determined the development of their economy, society, and relationships to each other. The New England Colonies included Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The geography of this region featured dense forests and hills. Combined with the hard rocky land, cold climate and long winters, New England was a poor area for large farming operations. However, many colonists known as "yeoman farmers" had small family-owned farms that grew a variety of crops. Many other colonists relied on fishing and whaling off the New England coast. Others settled in small towns and became craftsmen or merchants. The forests provided excellent lumber for building boats and homes for the growing population. Many of the settlers to the New England Colonies were Puritans, hardworking, and very religious. Close families and strong communities were very important to them. The Middle Colonies included Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. The geography of this region featured a warmer climate with fertile soil, flat land, easily navigable rivers, and wide valleys making it perfect for farming and growing crops. Wealthy farmers grew cash crops and raised livestock. Mining and trading were also important aspects of the economy here. Over time, cities grew, and urban merchants sold and traded goods with people throughout the other colonies. Compared to other regions, the people of the middle colonies supported religious freedom and tolerance and had a diverse population with settlers arriving from many areas in Europe. The Southern Colonies included the first English colony of Virginia, and grew to include Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The geography included rich, fertile soil with broad coastal plains that made it possible for large plantations to grow tobacco, rice, and indigo. Most of these plantations featured a labor force of enslaved Black people. These enslaved men, women, and children had few, if any, rights and often saw their families torn apart at the whim of the plantation owner. Enslaved children were even put to work as young as age three, weeding fields, carrying drinking water, or helping in the home. Smaller farms owned by subsistence farmers also existed across the Southern Colonies. Often, the people working these would grow crops for their families with little left over to sell or trade. Indentured servants also arrived in the South who would work for 5-7 years in exchange for their passage to North America. The Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) was the dominant religion in the region. Most settlers to the South did not come for religious freedom like they did in the northern colonies. Therefore, they often maintained their allegiance to the established Church of England.

Japan Where Is It? Japan is made up of a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is just off the east coast of Asia. Japan has four main islands and thousands of smaller islands. The entire country is smaller than the state of California. Tokyo (TOH-kee-yoh) is the capital city of Japan. It is on the largest island, called Honshu (HON-shoo). Tokyo has many tall skyscrapers. More than thirty-two million people live there. People. More than 127 million people live in Japan. The country's main language is Japanese. More people live in cities and towns than in the country. City life in Japan is very busy. Most cities have little space, and people are crowded together. Most people in Japan eat rice. Japan grows much of the rice it uses. The Japanese also catch many fish and sell them across the world. Land. Most of Japan is covered with mountains. The country has more than seventy volcanoes. The most famous one is Mount Fuji (FOO-jee). It has not erupted in many years. Earthquakes are also common. The land near the coast is the only flat land in Japan. Japan's biggest cities are on the coasts. The country has many rivers and lakes. History. Japan is thousands of years old. Ancient Japanese and Chinese people traded things and ideas. Some experts think that Japan learned to grow rice from China. Japanese writing even borrows from Chinese writing. In the past, Japan was an empire. It was ruled by emperors. Later, powerful military leaders called shoguns (SHOH-guns) took control away from the emperors. Samurai (SA-muh-rye) warriors also had power. The samurai were known as brave and skilled fighters. Celebrations. The Japanese New Year is an important holiday in Japan. It starts a week before the first day of January. People send cards for the New Year's holiday. They also clean their homes, and children often get gifts. Food. Rice is an important food in Japan. It is eaten at most meals. Noodles are also served with some meals. Another important food is fish. Japanese people sometimes eat raw fish called sushi (SOO-shee). Conclusion. Japan is a small island country, yet it has many people. It has tall mountains and volcanoes. It also has crowded cities with skyscrapers. Japan is a mix of many things-old and new, large and small.

Hello Chuxing, one of China’s top bike-sharing platforms backed by ecommerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, has applied to go public on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Launched in 2016, Hello Chuxing gained traction quickly as the first bikesharing operator to focus its business within China’s smaller cities and towns. It managed to survive China’s bike-sharing bubble between 2017 and 2018 when Ofo went into bankruptcy and Mobike was acquired by Meituan. The “survivor” had more than 10 million bicycles operating in over 400 Chinese cities as of December 2020. Hello Chuxing is developing its new business aggressively. In 2019, it took on sector leader Didi Chuxing with a new business Hello Dache that provides car-sharing and carpooling services. It has also been following industry giant Meituan into the life services field with new “intra-city logistics” and “bulk buying” services. The service, Hello Dache, features instant communication that enables passengers to keep in touch with drivers online once ride requests have been accepted. It also features a one-click button to call the police as part of efforts to boost safety. It is now looking into travel, with the aim of being a travel-based platform that provides daily life services, a person familiar with the matter said. “The market was too lavish when capital players and consumers were optimistic about the sector,” founder Yang Lei said back in 2019. “Firms would burn through cash subsidies to keep up with rivals and maintain a rapid pace of expansion. Hello Chuxing, however, has been careful to watch every penny and use money wisely while planning for the future,” he said.

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