CITIES OF THE WORLD THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTS FROM GUIDE BOOKS DESCRIBE FIVE OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS CITIES. READ THE DESCRIPTIONS AND DECIDE WHICH CITY IS BEING DESCRIBED IN EACH TEXT.
1
There is little point in portraying it as something it is not. Its beauty is not as aweinspiring as other cities. It is not even particularly old, and much of what may have constituted its historical legacy has over the centuries been all too quickly sacriced to make way for the new. It is a largely modern city, a product of the 1th and !"th centuries, and the e#panses of its outer dormitory suburbs and peripheral high-rise apartment $ungles are an oppressive introduction for anyone driving into the city for the rst time. It may lack the historical richness and sophistication of other %uropean capitals, but it oo&es a fe and character that, given the opportunity to work its magic 'it doesn(t take long), cannot leave you indi*erent. +eaving aside the great art museums, the splendour of the main square and the oyal alace, and the elegance of the city park,
2 The city is like a history lesson come to life life.. s you you walk walk amon among g the the long long ston stone e palaces or across the /harles 0ridge, with the the lat latav ava a 2owi 2owing ng belo below w and and poin pointe ted d towers all around, you(ll feel as if history had stopp topped ed bac back in the the 13th century. 4oethe called it the prettiest gem in the stone stone crown crown of the world. world. millen millenniu nium m earlier in 56 the rab 7 8ewish merchant Ibrahim Ibn 8acob described it as a town of 9ston 9stone e and lime:. lime:. ;or ;or these these reaso reasons ns the city is on the <=%>/? @orld @orld Aeritage +ist. Today Today it is a city of over a million inhabitan inhabitants, ts, the seat of governm government ent and leadin leading g centr centre e of much much of the countr country(s y(s intellectual and cultural life. ince 13, howeve ever, the city centre has been swamped by capitalism as street vendors, cafBs and restaurants take over pavements, streets and parks as they did prior to 1C3. Aow Aow you you feel feel abou aboutt the the city city(s (s cur current ent tourist glut may depend on where you(re com coming ing fro from. If you( you(rre arri arriv ving ing fro from
3 This is a cosmopolitan mi#ture of the Third and ;irst worlds, of chau*eurs and beggars, of the establishment, the avowedly working class and t he avant-garde.
4 The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect aspect of this this capita capitall city city. It(s It(s true true the larger larger picture can be somewhat depressing 7 shoebo# housing estates and oEce blocks traversed by overhead e#pressways crowded with traEc. 0ut this is the country(s success story in action. The average suburb hasn(t fallen prey to supermark supermarket et culture culture thoughF thoughF streets streets are lined with tiny specialist shops and bustlin ling restaurants, most of which stay open late into the night. /lose to the soaring oEce blocks e#ist pockets of another time 7 an old wooden house, a kimono shop, a small inn, an old lady in a traditional dress sweeping the pavement outside her her hom home wit with a stra straw w broo broom m. Dore ore tha than
They don(t come any bigger than this 7 king of the hill, top of the heap. =o other city is arrogant enough to dub itself /apital of the @orld and no other city could carry it o*. It is a densely packed mass of humanity 7 seven million people in G" square miles '3"" square km.) 7 and all this living on top of another makes the inhabitants a special kind of person. lthough it(s hard to put a nger on what makes it bu&&, it(s the city(s hyperactive rush that really draws people here. In a city that is so much a part of the global subconscious, it(s pretty hard to pick a few highlights, wherever you go you(ll feel like you(ve been there before.
5 1) MATCH DEFINITIONS A-H TO THE ADJECTIVES 1- 8 ON THE RIGHT. THEN DECIDE WHICH OF THE ADJECTIVES YOU WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE THE NOUN PHRASES IN THE BOX BELOW. a. ather dirty 1. awe-inspiring b. ;ull of people who are very busy or lively 'especially a place) !. hapha&ard c. =ot organised, not arranged according to a plan G. tacky d. ery tall or high in the sky 'especially buildings or trees) C. grubby e. >o loud, big or noticeable that you $ust can(t ignore it 6. clogged f. /heap and badly made or vulgar 5. bustling g. 4iving a feeling of respect and ama&ement H. soaring h. 0locked so that nothing can pass through 'especially a place) 3. in 7 your 7 face Plastic souvenirs tree tops Children’s hands approach to work Tower blocks waterways Collection of people
)
arteries beauty advertising campaigns market seaside postcards scenery action movies old trainers coastal resorts
L!!" #$ $%& '&(* &+!,. W$%!$ +!!"/0 #" #$ $%& &2$(#$*3 #$% &#% !/& ,$% #/ #(!(#$& %(#*& 6(! $%& +*$ !/ $%& (0%$. a. To make a nger on 'something) b. To work prey to 'something) c. To get on top of one another d. To fall its magic e. To live your bearings f. To put way for the new
7) FIND THE ADJECTIVES IN THE TEXT. WHAT ARE THEY DESCRIBING
4) C!+&$& $%&*& *&/$&/&* */0 $%& %(#*&* / . M#"& #/9 %#/0&* $! $%& %(#*&* $%#$ #(& /&&**#(9. a. =o matter how stressed you feel, once you let the beauty of the beach and the warmth of the sun on you, you will begin to wind down and rela#.
b. The old town is built on the edge of a cli* overlooking the gorge, using up every bit of spare space. >ome houses are even built into the cli* face and people in a warren of narrow cobbled streets.
c. The medieval clock tower o*ers a landmark which is visible wherever you are in the town, making it very easy .
d.
It is diEcult e#actly what makes this grey, industrial town such a popular tourist destination.
e.
It(s very easy the charm of the market stall holders and people often end up spending much more than they(d e#pected to.
f.
;ar too often historic town centres are carved up and charming old buildings torn down .
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lastic souvenirs Children’s hands waterwa s
tree tops approach to work action movies
arteries market old trainers
beauty advertising campaigns seaside postcards scenery Tower blocks coastal resorts Collection of eo le
ossible answersF G(9: children(s handM old trainers. Bustling: market, costal resorts; Haphazard: approach to work, collection of people. Soaring: tree tops, tower blocks. In your face: advertising campaigns, action movies. Tacky: plastic souvenirs, seaside postcards. Awe-inspiring: beauty, scenery. Clogged: arteries, waterways.
7)
FIND THE ADJECTIVES IN THE TEXT. WHAT ARE THEY DESCRIBING
GRUBBY: The city 'nN G refered to +ondon) BUSTLING: estaurants 'nN C Tokyo) HAPHAARD: modern development 'nN ! rague) SORING oEce blocks 'nN C Tokyo) IN YOUR FACE: e#perience of the city 'nN 6 =L) TACY: tourist trap 'nN ! rague) AWE-INSPIRING: the beauty of the city 'nN 1) CLOGGED: traEc 'nN G +ondon).
4)
L!!" #$ $%& '&(* &+!,. W$%!$ +!!"/0 #" #$ $%& &2$(#$*3 #$% &#% !/& ,$% #/ #(!(#$& %(#*& 6(! $%& +*$ !/ $%& (0%$. #. T! #"& # /0&( !/ ;*!&$%/0) ;F) . T! ,!(" (&9 $! ;*!&$%/0) ;D) . T! 0&$ !/ $! !6 !/& #/!$%&( ;E) =. T! 6#++ $* #0 ;B) &. T! +'& 9!( &#(/0* ;C) 6. T! $ ,#9 6!( $%& /&, ;A)
5) C!+&$& $%&*& *&/$&/&* */0 $%& %(#*&* / . M#"& #/9 %#/0&* $! $%& %(#*&* $%#$ #(& /&&**#(9.
#. =o matter how stressed you feel, once you let the beauty of the beach and the warmth of the sun WOR THEIR MAGIC on you, you will begin to wind down and rela#.
. The old town is built on the edge of a cli* overlooking the gorge, using up every bit of spare space. >ome houses are even built into the cli* face and people LIVE ON TOP OF ONE ANOTHER in a warren of narrow cobbled streets.
. The medieval clock tower o*ers a landmark which is visible wherever you are in the town, making it very easy TO GET YOUR BEARINGS .
=. It is diEcult TO PUT YOUR FINGER ON e#actly what makes this grey, industrial town such a popular tourist destination.
&. It(s very easy TO FALL PREY TO the charm of the market stall holders and people often end up spending much more than they(d e#pected to.
6. ;ar too often historic town centres are carved up and charming old buildings torn down TO MAE WAY FOR THE NEW.
