MY HOME – LOVE IT OR HATE IT

a) I live in Blackheath in South London. London’s one of the largest and most exciting cities in the world, and there are advantages and disadvantages to living here.

b) The main advantage is that there is a lot to do and see. In the centre of London there are tourist attractions like Madam Tussaud’s and the Science Museum, and there are all kinds of parks and historic buildings. I suppose, that we don’t always make the most of it. We only visit places like the Tower of London when one of our relatives comes to pay us a visit!

c) Secondly, London is a great place for entertainment. All new films come here first, and if we want to go to a pop-concert or a big sports event, there is always something right on our doorstep. And of course the shopping is great-there is everything from department stores like Harrods to Camden Market.

d) Another advantage of living in London is that you can travel easily and quickly across the city on the underground. And we’ve got railway stations and airports to take you anywhere in the world.

e) Lastly, London is truly cosmopolitan. Kids at schools are from lots of different cultures, but that doesn’t stop them being friends. It is good to mix with people from different backgrounds. It stops you from becoming narrow-minded.

f) But there are some major problems if you live in London. Like all other capital cities, it’s noisy, polluted and congested with traffic. The traffic problem is so bad, that they have recently introduced congestion charge for central London. D rivers now have to pay if they want to take their cars to the city centre. Hopefully that will improve the situation with traffic in London.

g) Secondly, things are very expensive here – apparently it’s more expensive to live here than to live in any American city. For example, if you go to the cinema in the centre of London, it can cost you £12. And to go just one stop on the underground can cost you nearly £1.

h) But the worst problem about living in London is that, in general, people aren’t very friendly. Nobody will talk to strangers or help people in the street if they are in trouble. They don’t trust each other, and I think, that’s because they are scared of becoming victims of crime. London has the highest crime rate in the country.

i) But in spite of these negative points, people still wouldn’t want to live outside of London. It is their home – love it or hate it!