Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What is your city known for?
- Is food expensive in your city?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- survey /SUR-vey/
- firm /furm/
- expense /ik-SPENS/
- rise /rahyz/
- inflation /in-FLEY-shuhn/
[noun] – an examination of opinions, behavior, etc., made by asking people questions
The waiter asked us to take a survey of our experience at the restaurant.
[noun] – a company offering a professional service, for example, a company of lawyers
He is going to work at a law firm this summer.
[noun] – the use of money, time, or effort
We need to save up because we have a lot of expenses this month.
[verb] – to move upwards
The price of gasoline rose from $1.48 to $2.85 per gallon.
[noun] – a general, continuous increase in prices
The government was unsuccessful in controlling inflation.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Ashgabat has replaced Hong Kong as the most expensive city for foreign workers based on the 2021 Cost of Living survey by Mercer, an American firm. Hong Kong dropped to second place.
The annual report ranks 209 cities based on factors such as housing, transport, and food. The survey was created to help companies and governments around the world figure out how much they should pay expatriate employees. Most of the cities included in the top 10 are business centers where economic growth caused an increase in pricing of living expenses. Ashgabat, a city of about one million people, experienced food shortages due to the COVID19 pandemic. According to Mercer, its rise to the top spot is because of high inflation. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov promised to turn it into “one of the most successful cities in the world”. Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, moved from its 45th spot last year and is now on the third spot. According to Mercer, this is due to the country’s recent political and economic crises. Other cities on the list include Tokyo which placed fourth and Shanghai which placed fifth. Three cities in Switzerland also made it to the top 10 list.
The annual report ranks 209 cities based on factors such as housing, transport, and food. The survey was created to help companies and governments around the world figure out how much they should pay expatriate employees. Most of the cities included in the top 10 are business centers where economic growth caused an increase in pricing of living expenses. Ashgabat, a city of about one million people, experienced food shortages due to the COVID19 pandemic. According to Mercer, its rise to the top spot is because of high inflation. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov promised to turn it into “one of the most successful cities in the world”. Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, moved from its 45th spot last year and is now on the third spot. According to Mercer, this is due to the country’s recent political and economic crises. Other cities on the list include Tokyo which placed fourth and Shanghai which placed fifth. Three cities in Switzerland also made it to the top 10 list.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- Which city was the most expensive last year?
- What are the following factors upon which the survey is based?
- What was the purpose of the survey?
- What did the president of Turkmenistan promise to do?
- According to Mercer, what was the reason for Beirut’s high ranking?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you ever taken a survey?
- Do you know anyone who is an expat?
- If you were given the chance to live in one of the cities on the list, where would you live?
- Which among the cities on the list do you think you would have a hard time living in?
- In your opinion, what makes a city expensive to live in?