NEW YORK — New York ranked first and Tokyo sixth among
120 major cities in the world in terms of competitiveness, according to a survey report released Monday by
Citigroup Inc. and the research arm of The Economist magazine.
London and Singapore
came in second and third, followed by Paris and Hong Kong tied for fourth
place.
The report ranks
cities in eight categories of competitiveness, including economic strength,
human capital, institutional effectiveness, social and cultural character,
and environment and natural hazards.
While many European
and U.S. cities earned high rankings overall, Asian cities dominated the top
rankings in the economic strength category. In this most highly weighted
category, 15 of the top 20 cities are in Asia, and 12 of them are in China.
Among other Japanese
cities, Osaka ranked 47th, Nagoya 50th and Fukuoka 63rd.
"Cities are engines of prosperity and innovation.
. . . But as cities vie for
investment, talent and business, we recognize that competitiveness is about
more than growth," said Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit.
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VOCABULARY
1.
Rank
(v) - to have a particular position in a list of people or things that have
been put in order of quality or importance
2.
Competitiveness
(n) - the ability of a company, country, or a product to compete with
others
3.
Engines
(n) - something powerful that causes great changes in society
4.
Prosperity
(n) - when people have money and everything that is needed for a good life
5.
Innovation
(n) - a new idea, method, or invention
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
What can you say about the article?
2.
Do you think Tokyo should come first than other
cities? Why? Why not?
3.
Name and describe other big cities in your
country.
4.
What cities in other country have you ever been
to? Share your experience.
5.
Which do you prefer living in the city or living
in the country side? Why?
