Listen to a talk on predictions about our future citics and then fill in the numbered blanks with ONE word.

People have very different opinions about the cities of the future. Those who are (1)

think that's our cities will become more and more polluted, so they will no longer be safe and healthy places to live in. Pessimists point out that both global warming and (2)

have increased rapidly over the past twenty years, but (3)

have no effective ways to control them. There are no signs that this (4)

will be solved in the future. In addition, more and more people are leaving the countryside and moving to big cities to look for work As a result, cities will become (5)

. This means there will be more people, more waste and heavier traffic. All these factors will lead to more pollution.

On the other hand, (6)

people believe that city dwellers will have a better life thanks to important achievements in technology and medicine. Modern (7)

and well-equipped hospitals in cities will provide better, quicker and more effective treatment for people. How about environmental problems? Optimists also think that scientists will find ways to cut down the cost of (8)