City life / wellbeing
Why Cities Need More Quiet Places
Listen and choose the speaker's main argument.
What is Emma's main argument?
City life / wellbeing
Why Cities Need More Quiet Places
Type the missing exact words. Empty answers are ignored.
1. Emma lives in a ___.
2. She likes cafés, ___, small museums, and city energy.
3. Emma thinks many cities forget that people need ___.
4. There is noise from ___.
5. Constant noise can become part of your ___.
6. A quiet place can be a ___ behind a busy street.
7. Quiet spaces are important for ___.
8. ___ need safe areas where they can walk slowly.
9. When there are places to ___, people notice each other more.
10. Good city design should include ___.
City life / wellbeing
Why Cities Need More Quiet Places
Put the ideas in the order they are mentioned from 1 to 10. Empty items are ignored.
Emma gives examples of quiet places, such as parks, benches, libraries, and car-free squares.
Emma says she enjoys living in a big city.
Emma explains that cities still need transport, businesses, and busy streets.
She describes the constant noise of traffic, construction, shops, phones, and messages.
She argues that quiet spaces are important for wellbeing and useful for many groups of people.
She concludes that good city design should include balance and permission to stop.
She explains that cities often forget people need quiet places.
She says quiet places can make a city feel kinder and more human.
She says constant noise can become part of people’s stress.
She explains that quiet places let people slow down without buying anything.
City life / wellbeing
🌿 Why Cities Need More Quiet Places
B1 Upper-intermediate • 1 speaker • Transcription
Hi, I’m Emma. I live in a big city, and most of the time I enjoy it. I like the cafés, the late buses, the small museums, and the feeling that something is always happening. But there is one thing I think many cities forget: people also need quiet places. City life can be exciting, but it can also be exhausting. There is noise from traffic, construction, music from shops, phones ringing, people talking, and messages arriving all day. Even when nothing terrible is happening, the body can stay alert for too long. After a while, constant noise becomes part of your stress. A quiet place does not have to be completely silent. It can be a small park behind a busy street, a bench under trees, a calm library room, or a simple square where cars are not allowed. What matters is that people can slow down there. They can sit without buying anything, breathe normally, and hear their own thoughts again. Some people think quiet spaces are a luxury, but I disagree. They are important for wellbeing. Parents with small children need places to rest. Older people need safe areas where they can walk slowly. Students need somewhere to read between classes. Workers need a few minutes away from screens and noise. A quiet place can help many different people, not just those who can pay for a private café or gym. Quiet spaces can also make a city feel kinder. When a neighbourhood has only roads, shops, and advertisements, people move through it quickly. But when there are places to pause, people notice each other more. They see children playing, neighbours talking, and someone reading alone in the sun. The city becomes not only a place to move through, but a place to live in. Of course, cities cannot remove all noise. They need transport, businesses, and busy streets. But good city design should include balance. A city should not only ask people to hurry, spend money, and keep moving. It should also give them permission to stop. For me, quiet places are not empty spaces. They are spaces that give people back a little energy. And in a noisy world, that is not a small thing.