What do you know about the biggest city in the USA? Watch the video to get an overview of the City that never sleeps.
What do you know about the biggest city in the USA? Watch the video to get an overview of the City that never sleeps.
Read the text and fill in the right missing word.
founded population trade inhabitants landmarks prosperous afford
Bright lights, hundreds of skyscrapers, thousands of people constantly going and never stopping rushing to be somewhere, the scent of coffee and hotdogs and taxi gases. That’s New York - the most populous city in the United States with around 8.4 million ___________________. You always hear people talk about how they don't understand why anyone would want to live there, but NY is the perfect place when you want to start over. Nobody judges or criticises you about your past there, nobody even knows your name, nobody cares.
New York has always been a multi-ethnic city and if you walk down the streets, you’ll see people of every race and every religion. Since it is so multicultural, you can find delicious dishes from different countries every day, e.g. China, Italy, Turkey, Portugal… With more than 800 languages spoken here, it is also the most linguistically diverse city in the world. The _________________ is still growing as people come from inside the US and other remote countries attracted by the energy, beautiful skyline scenery and many job opportunities.
NY is one of the most significant ______________, culture, fashion and entertainment centres in the world. Many New Yorkers say that NY is the whole world in one city. It’s exciting and there is so much to experience – stars, concerts, theatre, art, sports, shopping, great cafés and places to hang out – from posh to ordinary, from grand to small, there’s everything you could want. There is a reason why people choose to live in small apartments and pay crazy-high housing costs all for the chance to live in this incredible and thrilling city.
New York is situated on the Atlantic coast and is also called the Big Apple, although no one knows for sure where this name comes from. But there is no doubt about NY’s first name. As it was _______________ by the Dutch in 1625, the first name for NY was New Amsterdam. The city consists of five boroughs, but when people think of NY they usually think of Manhattan, the downtown of the city. That’s where most of the world famous sights and ________________ are: Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge… There is so much to see.
The Empire State Building is probably NY’s best known building, once being the highest building in the world. Most tourists are also impressed by the Statue of Liberty which greeted millions of immigrants as they came to America trying to build a______________ life by taking a risk in the New World. Times Square, called "The Crossroads of the World", is the bright shiny centre of the Broadway theatre district, the heart of the world's entertainment industry. If you want to take a short-cut to success and make a fortune and become wealthy, acting in a Broadway play is the right thing to do. Many New Yorkers are also interested in fashion and 5th Avenue is the best place to go shopping, if you can __________ the world’s famous labels.
People say that New Yorkers never sleep, but they have to relax sometimes when they feel exhausted after leading such a busy way of life. The best place to do that is Central Park. And of course, NY is the place for you if you are interested in music, TV series and films. Rap and hip hop were born here and New York is also the most-filmed city in the world.
Do you recognize the famous attractions and places in NYC?
Are the statements true (T) or false (F)? Read the text again and circle the right answer.
a) New York is a quiet and peaceful place. T F
b) Many music genres originated in NY. T F
c) New York’s nickname is Big Apple. T F
d) NY is situated on the east coast of the USA. T F
e) The most famous borough of NY is Central Park. T F
Find in the text the words and expressions that mean the following:
a) located, based _________________________
b) do something although it is dangerous _________________________
c) very tired _________________________
d) make money, become rich _________________________
e) the centre of a city _________________________
f) many nations living at one place _________________________
g) glamorous and fancy _________________________
Find evidence in the text for these statements:
a) You can live your life the way you want in NY.
b) People want to live in NY.
c) You can eat well in New York.
Answer the questions about the text.
a) Why is New York called “the city that never sleeps”?
b) What does it mean that NY is “the whole world in one city”?
c) How can a person get rich in New York?
d) Which are the typical NY smells?
e) Why was NY called New Amsterdam?
f) What can you see in 5th Avenue?
Imagine that you are visiting New York City right now. Write a postcard to your friends or family and describe them your holiday trip.