The Birth of a Megalopolis - Page 88

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Cloze · Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook, Macmillan

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

ranging

spanning

bridging

stretching

numerous

multitudinous

voluminous

populous

junction

confluence

aggregation

amalgam

projected

envisioned

conceived

proposed

incited

nourished

fuelled

roused

augmenting

heightening

burgeoning

intensifying

spread

slump

slouch

sprawl

precipitous

breakneck

headlong

cutthroat

Along the southern coast of West Africa, something astonishing is taking place: dozens of towns and major cities (0) ___ in a continuous 965-km line are merging into a single urban area: the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor, (1) ___ five countries from Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, in the west, via Ghana, Togo and Benin, to Lagos, Nigeria's most (2) ___ city. The Corridor arises from the (3) ___ of two huge demographic trends. First, the boom in Africa's population, which is (4) ___ to account for 40% of humanity, or 3.9 billion people, by 2050. Second, rapid urbanisation (5) ___ by incessant migration from interior regions to the (6) ___ coastal zones. Combined, these trends herald the imminent birth of the world's greatest megalopolis, expected to boast half a billion inhabitants before the end of the century. Traversing so many different countries, cultures and languages, the urbanisation process has not been without its challenges, not least severe urban (7) ___ as planners struggle to keep up with the (8) ___ speed of its expansion. However, such concerns are outweighed by the unquestionable economic benefits of bringing so many industrious and innovative people together.

The birth of a megalopolis

rimmed

strung

arrayed

bound

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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