China Today

China’s Biggest Cities

China is a country in Asia. It has the largest population1 of any country in

the world. Over one billion people live in China!

The map above shows that the capital city of China is Beijing. This is
where the Chinese government is located. Beijing is a huge city. More than 20
million people live in Beijing’s metropolitan area.2

However, Beijing is not the biggest city in China. Shanghai is. Shanghai’s
metropolitan area has almost 23 million people. The city is a center of Chinese
industry. It is China’s largest port, and one of the busiest ports in the world, with
thousands of ships entering each month.

Can you find Shanghai on the map? Location is one reason the city is so
big. Shanghai sits on the Yangtze River delta. A delta is the place where a river
meets the ocean.

In ancient times, many people chose to live near a delta. That is because
the river provided fresh water for crops. And having both a river and an ocean
1
population – the people living in a place
2
metropolitan area – a big city and the area around it
1

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made it easy for people to travel and transport3 goods. Around the world, many
cities arose on deltas. Shanghai is one of them.

People decide where to live based on many things. They may want to live
near their family. They might want to live near their new job. Perhaps they will
choose a place based on the surroundings. Some people like to live in urban4
places. Others prefer suburban5 or rural6 settings. What would you look for if
you were choosing a new place to live?

3
transport – move something from one place to another
4
urban – of or in a city
5
suburban – near a city
6
rural – of or in the country
2

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Name: ____________________________ Date:____________________________

1. What is a delta?

a. A place where the river meets the ocean.

b. A change in something important.
c. A large city with a port.
d. A traditional way of planning cities in China.

2. Today when people are looking for a place to live, they most likely:

a. Just move without thinking about the new place at all.

b. Look at a map to find a city near water and move there.
c. Move to the first place they find.
d. Think about things that are important to them before they move.

3. Look at Beijing and Shanghai on the map. Why do you think people most
likely first chose to live in these cities long ago?

a. Because they are both large.

b. Because they are near Mongolia.
c. Because they are near water.
d. Because they are urban.

4. A port is a place best known for having lots of

a. farms.
b. ships.
c. people.
d. animals.

5. The passage “China’s Biggest Cities” is mostly about

a. how tall people are in China.

b. big cities in China throughout history.
c. big cities in China and why people live there.
d. the biggest cities in the world.

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. What are some reasons why people would live near a delta in ancient times?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

7. What are two ways Beijing and Shanghai are alike? What are two ways they
are different?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best
completes the sentence.

Beijing is the capital of China ________ Shanghai has more people.

a. because
b. even though
c. so
d. currently

© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Read the following sentence.

People often move to a city because there are quality jobs available.

Answer the questions below based on the information provided in the sentence
you just read. One of the questions has already been answered for you.

1. Who are the subjects of the sentence? people

2. What do people do? ______________________________________________

3. Why? ___________________________________________________________

10. Vocabulary Word: transport: move from place to place.

Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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