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Read the text. Decide if the statements below areTrueorFalse.
What do you imagine when you hear the word 'slums'? Shabby houses and wooden huts? Slums are places where dwellings do not meet basic standards and are unfit for living. According to UN (United Nations), in 2018 the number of people living in slums around the world grew to over 1 billion. 80% of slum dwellers are either in Asia or Africa. Here are some of shanty towns you don't want to find yourself in.
Brazil has a name for slums on the outskirts of big cities – favelas. Rocinha, one of the most famous favelas, is located on a hill with a view of Rio de Janeiro. The first illegal building there appeared in the 40s of the last century. Since then Rocinha has turned into an official neighbourhood. Almost all local houses are made of stone, unlike buildings in African and Asian slums. Some of them even have plumbing and electricity. Also, Rocinha has a better developed infrastructure than other shanty towns. There are stores, banks, public transport and even McDonald's.
Located in the heart of Mumbai (India), Dharavi is one of the largest slums with an area of 216 hectares and a population of about 1 million people. It became well-known thanks to the film Slumdog Millionaire which was shot there. In reality this area looks nothing like the cinema world with its glamour and beauty. The people live in tiny huts without basic amenities. Most of local residents survive on a $1-2 a day.
It is difficult to imagine a scarier place to live than the City of the Dead – a slum on the outskirts of Cairo (Egypt). About half a million people live there among the tombs. Local residents call themselves "gravekeepers". The cemetery helps them to survive. The people there dig new graves and take care of the tombs to earn some money.
Now one in eight people live in shanty towns. The number of slum dwellers is constantly growing because of urbanisation and population growth. Governments need to deal with this problem to provide all people with safe and decent living conditions.
- 80% of the world population lives in slums.
[True|False] - People in Brazil call shanty towns favelas.
[True|False] - Rocinha was built 40 years ago.
[True|False] - Most houses in African and Asian slums are made of stone.
[True|False] - You can go to a fast food restaurant in Rocinha.
[True|False] - Dharavi has become famous because of a film.
[True|False] - Most of people in Dharavi don't have more than $2 a day.
[True|False] - There are 500 thousand people living in the City of the Dead.
[True|False] - The people in the City of the Dead earn money working in the cemetery.
[True|False] - Urbanisation results in the growing number of slums.
[True|False]