UNIT 8: LISTENING 1: Do Cities Have Personalities?

Commentator: This is Ellen Coyle with Talk About the News. In today’s world,

some might (1) argue that it doesn’t really matter where you live. That's not
true, according to Richard Florida. He believes the world now has (2)

regions known for particular jobs and certain types of people. In his book
Who's Your City? Richard Florida says the (3) decision about where to
live may be the most important one you make. He says the place we choose to

live affects the (4) income we earn, the people we meet, the friends we make,
and the partners we choose. So how do we end up living in the cities we live in?

Florida thinks that people tend to collect in (5) certain cities according to the
work they do and even the type of (6) personality they have. Some cities,
such as Boston, San Francisco, and Seoul, lead the way in technology and (7)

innovation. New York and London are financial centers. Cities like Los
Angeles and even Wellington, New Zealand, produce quality films. Others such as

Sydney, Dublin, and (8) Toronto attract many types of companies and skills,

and still others like Guadalajara and Shanghai are known (9) primarily for
manufacturing. Why are some cities centers of (10) creativity while others are
more likely to focus on producing things? Richard Florida uses recent research

about the United States to suggest that (11) personality may play a role.
Cities like Boston and San Francisco are home to people who are open to (12)

experience. They like high levels of activity, and new ideas. These cities
are (13) magnets for people who are curious, but who may also like to work
alone. The location may (14) spark their innovation. Most technology
companies are in or near these centers of creativity. The people in cities like
Chicago, or perhaps Sydney, on the other hand tend to be much more (15)

social, and like to play sports and get together with friends. Many people in
these cities are in sales or jobs that deal with people directly. In cities like Atlanta

or Pittsburgh, residents are both (16) conscientious and agreeable. They

tend to follow rules and work well on teams, qualities that are important in (17)

manufacturing. Many of the German and Japanese auto companies are

located in these area, where they have a (18) workforce that meets their
needs.

So why might we see similar people living in certain places? Richard Florida

suggests a couple of (19) explanations. First, people may move to

the place that will satisfy their (20) psychological needs. A very
social person may be happier near Chicago and so chooses to live there. A second

explanation is that our (21) surroundings affect our personalities.

Someone who moves to Atlanta or Dallas may become more agreeable because of
the people nearby. Third, research suggests that those people who are (22)

creative and seek new experience are more likely to pack up and

leave one place for another. So someone good at developing (23)

software or writing may move to a place like Vancouver or Seattle for

the risk as well as to be near others of a similar mind. The (24)

geography and history of a place and the personalities of its people work
hand in hand to create centers that seem to be particularly good at certain things.
People tend to be happier in places that suit them psychologically. During good

(25) economic times, when the population is more mobile, people can
choose to live in a city that matches their personalities and (26) interests.
Of course, bad economic times can cause different shifts in cities. Long-term (27)

financial centers like London and New York can become less important as
centers in other parts of the world, such as Hong Kong, become more important.

But creative people will probably (28) continue to move to places where
they know innovation is important. Let us know what you think. Tell us: do you
agree with Richard Florida? If your city had a personality what is it? And does it
match your own? Who’s your city? Go to our website and tell us about the city
where you live and also a little about yourself….
LISTENING 2 Buenos Aires, Beijing, and Dubai (Page 154)

1. Buenos Aires

Marcos Aguinis: Many people compare Buenos Aires to Paris. I know what they
mean. Indeed, the stamp of Europe is difficult to miss in this city of (1)

boulevards, palaces, opera houses, and monuments. But Buenos Aires is so

much more. I was born outside of Buenos Aires, but was attracted to the city by the

cafes that (2) satisfy the thirst and spirit of every hopeful writer: Writers,
journalists, musicians, and politicians met here. (3) Sipping the strong coffee,
listening to the mix of ideas, I developed ideas for my novels. My favorite square
is the Plaza de Mayo, and standing there today for me is like entering a time

machine. It was here that the (4) seeds of independence were planted; where
Argentinean president Juan Perón and his wife Evita shouted from the (5)

balcony of their residence, the Casa Rosada.

The arts and music scene in Buenos Aires was always a center of cultural

innovation. Ideas and values still (6) considered strange elsewhere were
often accepted here. Filmmakers Luis Bunuel, Ingmar Bergman, and Woody Allen
were celebrated in my city when they were still almost unknown in (7)

Europe and the United States. The writer Jorge Luis Borges used the lively
neighborhood where I live as a setting for many of his stories. The most celebrated

singers and (8) conductors not only came to Buenos Aires, but also toured
dozens of opera houses throughout the country. And the dance, the tango-born in

the streets of our neighborhood - soon (9) captured the world. There are
some people who feel (10) embarrassed by the European aspects of
Buenos Aires and believe we should be more “Latin American” But Europe’s

influence was never a (11) limitation for the city, more a launching pad.
European and Latin American characters live together, creating uniqueness. Those

of us who live here, and even visitors who allow the city to (12) reveal itself to
them, know Buenos Aires to be like no other.

2. Beijing

Peter Hessler: The city of Beijing - busy and huge, home to some 15 million

people - was (13) originally designed along the simple lines of a body.
According to traditional Chinese stories, the god Nezha (14) tamed the rivers
of the country, and the layout of the city buildings (15) reflected his
physical form. The Gate of Heavenly Peace, Tiananmen, was his brain and the

Zhengyang Gate was his head. Today, Beijing's largest map (16) publisher
has to update their Beijing diagrams every three months to try to keep up with
changes. Sometimes they even try to draw tomorrow: On the wall of their office

hangs an (17) enormous map of Beijing, future-tense. There are new

streets, new buildings, new bus lines. The only thing that isn’t new is the feeling of
change, because for the past century Beijing has been a city which has been (18)
constantly changing.
The people, though, will always tell you what they think. In modern times that’s

become the heart of Beijing; the city’s (19) construction is changing

quickly, but the local character can still be drawn in clear, (20) precise lines.
The typical Beijinger is direct, practical, and has opinions. He knows politics and

culture better than (21) business. The Beiiinger usually expresses his
opinions through humor rather than anger. Mostly, he remembers the clear blue
skies of the pre -pollution capital. This is Beijing pride. There is no other part of

the country where (22) memories are so long.

3. Dubai

Paul Coelho: On a recent trip to Dubai, I took a quick walk through the narrow

roads of the Bastakiya Quarter an old (23) village that provides a look at a
slower-paced time. In the village of Bastakiya, you cannot take a walk on your

own, because its roads were (24) designed in such a way that only the
people who lived in the village knew the way through it, making it a safer place to
live. The roads were a place for people to get together over dinner and special (25)

feasts, to share news and to discuss common village issue. High wind towers
grow from houses, bringing cool air throughout the home. The more I walked

around the Bastakiya, the more I felt the (26) greatness of the people who
once lived in them.

I left old Dubai for new Dubai, on the west side of the city. New Dubai has fancy

modern buildings - the luxury hotel built on an (27) artificial island, and
the world's tallest skyscraper. In Dubai's central business district, locals say that
you can buy anything that comes to mind. In new Dubai, young people (28)

pursue their dreams, trying to achieve the impossible. This is a city that has
been working for the past two decades with no rest at all. Its (29) residents
all share one goal: to win at all times, even if they have to race time itself .

Although they may not share a (30) common language, they know they will
succeed, because they all speak the language of success.