Today we’re going to discuss the【L1】______of the world’s population, which i

Parts of the following text are missing. While listening to the tape, complete the passage by filling in each blank space with the correct word or words on the ANSWER SHEET. There are 20 blanks, each carrying 1 point. You will hear the passage only once. At the end of the recording, you will have 3 minutes to finish this part.
   Today we’re going to discuss the mass urbanization of the world’s population, which is an unprecedented trend worldwide. First, I’ll focus on two major reasons why people are moving to cities.
   The first reason is economic. People are moving to the cities where they can find jobs and earn money. Until the twentieth century, the major source of employment, full and part time, was farming. Now, no more than fifteen percent of all jobs are connected to farming. Jobs now are being created in information technology, manufacturing and services areas, such as tourism and financing. And these new jobs are in or around major cities.
   The second reason for the move to cities has to do with quality of life issues: comfort and convenience. For many, city life is just more comfortable. There are transportation networks, shops, and places of entertainment. An interesting consequence of urbanization is that the average age of people in the countryside is increasing, while that of the cities is falling. More old people stay in the countryside than young people and the opposite is true in the cities. An important change is that our cities are breaking up into smaller communities, often by ethnic group or income level. Of course many cities do have a kind of identity, but a city is not communities. For example, migrants to the cities often want to live in their own communities or with people from a similar cultural background. Another example is that if you are moving from a smaller community to a city, you will be most likely to move to close friends or family members, who will help you get a job or give you support. However this often means that people stay within their own community and do not come into contact with others from different backgrounds.
   The biggest challenge facing us now is to improve the quality of life in cities, because sadly, they don’t always offer the economic security, the safety, or the comfort they promise. Many cities have slum areas or ghettos, where people live in destitute conditions. The beautiful architecture and vibrant nightlife are one face of the city. But cities also have problems of inequality, crowding, and poverty.