Masdar City
Speaking: Page 32, exercise 1
1 The photographs show examples of a megaproject. Work in pairs and answer the questions.
1. What do you understand, after looking at the photographs, about megaprojects?
2. In your opinion, why do they exist?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of megaprojects to people and the environment?
Suggested answers
1 Megaprojects are huge investment projects that cost a lot of money. Examples include developments such as airports, bridges, stations, entire city complexes, etc.
2 They exist to bring new economic growth and benefits to cities
3 Disadvantages are that they are all brand new and some people think it would be better to
spend the money on regenerating old towns, etc. However, the advantages include installing
the latest technology that helps cities to become environmentally friendly.
Reading: Page 32, exercise 2
2 Read this academic essay about a megaproject. Check your answers to exercise 1.
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Masdar City – a positive step? The current residents of Masdar City are all students at the Masdar Institute of Science and |
Explanation
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WORD |
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A promise to do something or to behave in a particular way. |
commitment (n) |
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Not real or not made of natural things but made to be like something that is real or natural. |
artificially created ( adj) |
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Not affecting the total amount of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere |
carbon-neutral (adj) |
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To judge (something) with disapproval; to evaluate or analyse (something). |
criticise ( v )
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The process of removing salt from seawater so that it can be used. |
desalination (n) |
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A system of wires through which electricity is connected to different power stations across a region. |
grid (n) |
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Avery large, expensive, ambitious business project. |
megaproject (n) |
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To be more important than something else. |
outweigh (n) |
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Someone who is walking, especially along a street or another place that is used by cars. |
pedestrians ( n)
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The state of being able to continue forever, or for a very long time; for example, the sustainability of the environment involves emitting less pollution and using less water. |
sustainability (n)
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Producing no waste, or having parts that can be reused. |
zero-waste(adj) |
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- Megaprojects are huge investment projects that cost a lot of money.
- Megaprojects exist to bring new economic growth and benefits to cities.
- Two benefits of creating megaprojects:
a. encouraging economic growth
b. bringing new benefits to cities
- megaprojects vary in terms of size and cost.
- There are many examples of megaprojects like:
Motorways, airports, stations, tunnels, bridges, and entire city complexes
- The world megaproject means a very large, expensive, ambitious business project.
- The underlined pronoun 'they' refers to megaprojecs.
| The concept of a megaproject is always based on the benefits it brings to a community. However, many megaprojects have been criticised because of their negative effects on a community or the environment. This essay will look at these issues with regard to Masdar City, a megaproject in Abu Dhabi. |
- Many megaprojects have been criticised because of their negative effects on a community or the environment.
- The world criticise means: To judge (something) with disapproval; to evaluate or analyse (something).
- The underlined pronoun their line 2 refers to megaprojecs.
| Masdar City, which began its development in 2006 CE, will be the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste artificially-created city. Covering an area of six square kilometres, when it is completed in 2025 CE, it is expected to house more than 40,000 residents, 50,000 commuters, and 1,500 businesses involved in mainly environmentally-friendly products. |
- One of the features of Masdar City is that it will be the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste artificially-created city.
- The characteristics of Masdar city are:
a. It is covering an area of six square kilometres.
b. It is a house for more than 40,000 residents, 50,000 commuters, and 1,500 businesses.
- The underlined pronoun 'it' refers to Masdar city.
- The phrase artificially-created means: not real or not made of natural things but made to be like something that is real or natural.
The city will run entirely on renewable energy sources. It is built on an advanced energy grid which monitors exactly how much electricity is being used by every outlet in the complex. Furthermore, in order to reduce its carbon footprint, Masdar City will be a car-free zone, designed to be pedestrian and cycle-friendly. Electric, driverless cars will operate as public transport vehicles, and the city will be connected to other locations by a network of roads and railways. |
- The energy grid is important because it monitors exactly how much electricity is being used by every outlet in the complex.
- Masdar city reduces the carbon footprint by constructing a car-free zone, designed to be pedestrian and cycle-friendly also electric, driverless cars will operate as public transport vehicles.
- The public transport mentioned in the text is electric, driverless cars.
- The underlined pronoun 'its' line 3 refers to Masdar city.
- The word pedestrian means Someone who is walking, especially along a street or another place that is used by cars.
- Masdar City will be connected to other locations by: a network of roads and railways.
| Energy will be provided by solar power and wind farms, and there are also plans to build the world’s largest hydrogen plant. A desalination plant will be used to provide the city’s water, with 80% of water used being recycled. Biological waste will be used as an energy source too, and industrial waste will be recycled. |
- Certain power resources will supply Masdar City with energy: solar power and wind farms.
- A desalination plant will be used to provide the city’s water.
- Biological waste will be used as an energy source.
- The word desalination means: the process of removing salt from seawater so that it can be used.
| The current residents of Masdar City are all students at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a university whose students are fully committed to finding solutions to the world’s energy problems. While the project has the support of many global, environmental and conservation organizations, there is some criticism of it. It is felt that, instead of building an artificial sustainable city, sustainability should be made a priority of existing cities. |
- The current residents of Masdar City are: students at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
- The role of students is: finding solutions to the world’s energy problems.
- The reason to criticize Masdar City is: instead of building an artificial sustainable city, sustainability should be made a priority of existing cities.
- The underlined relative pronoun 'whose' refers to: a university.
- The word 'sustainability' means: the state of being able to continue forever, or for a very long time.
| In conclusion, the benefits of Masdar City for the community and the environment greatly outweigh any disadvantages. If the aims of the developers are realised, Masdar City will be a blueprint for future urban planning that will inspire similar megaprojects in other countries. |
- The underlined word 'outweigh' means: to be more important than something else
- The advantages of Masdar City are more than any disadvantages.
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