CROSS CULTURE

Egypts Capital

Cairo is the largest city in egypt Here you can always roll back the centuries

Modern cairo has tall buildings and broad streets equal to any in the capitals of europe

or australia From the top floors of impresive blocks of flats you can gaze at magnificent

views across the river nile.

However behind the modern buildings are narrow alleys where there is no sound

of traffic The only sounds that come to your ears are the calls of the stall-holders Water

sellers and herdsmen wander through the streets as their forefathers did thousands of

Unit 4 - Let’s Go Somewhere! 69

years ago Many of the poorer people still dress in the

same way as their ancesters

Comprehension questions:

1. In which country is Cairo situated?

2. From where is the best place to absorb the

views of the Nile?

3. How is the modern section of Cairo

different from the ancient section?

SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco is my favourite city in the United States. It is beautiful, clean, not

too big, and it has something for everybody. I love the streets and buildings in San

Francisco. The streets wind up and down the

hills, with beautiful old brick and wooden

houses on either side.

One of my favourite things to do in San

Francisco is to ride the cable car. It takes

you to most parts of the city. It’s not a very

comfortable ride, but it’s exciting and the

views you get from the car are wonderful.

And I like the weather in San Francisco.

It never gets too cold or too hot. The summers

are pleasant. The fresh breezes blow off the

ocean and the sky is always blue. It rains quite

a lot in the winter, but it never gets very cold.

Another thing I enjoy about the city is the

restaurants. The seafood restaurants, with crabs

and lobster, are my favourites. You can also get

great Chinese, Japanese, American and European food in San Francisco.

Comprehension questions:

1. What is interesting about streets in San Francisco?

2. Does the cable car only go to certain areas of the city?

3. Can you see the view of San Francisco from the cable car?

4. What’s the weather like there?

5. Does it rain a lot in the summers?

6. How are the restaurants in San Francisco?

7. How does the writer begin the text?

8. What does the writer include in the rest of the text?

SINGAPORE

Singapore is an island city of about 4

million people. It’s a beautiful city with

lots of parks and open spaces. It’s also a

clean city.

Most of the people live in high-rise

flats in different parts of the island. The

business district is very modern, with lots

of tall new office buildings. Singapore

also has some nice older sections. In

Chinatown there are rows of old shop

houses. The government buildings in

Singapore are very beautiful and date

from the colonial days.

Singapore is famous for its

shops and restaurants. There are many good shopping centers. Most of the goods are

duty free. Singapore’s restaurants sell Chinese, Indian, Malay and European food, and

the prices are quite reasonable.

THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

The Hawaiian Islands are located in the middle of the

Pacific Ocean, far away from any other land. There are

eight islands of different sizes, and while they differ from

each other in some ways, they share many features.

They all have a tropical climate, with temperatures

of about 780C (25.60C) in the winter and 850C (29.40C) in

the summer.

Rain falls often, but not for long. The islands also

share a natural beauty, with mountains and waterfalls,

rainforests, and long beaches. Their waters are filled

with colourful fish, dolphins, and giant sea turtles

(Source:Dit. PSMP, 2006)

BRAZIL

Does anybody know anything about Brazil? Yes, the football team is one of the

best in the world. It has great players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano. Now let me

tell you more about Brazil. You know, Brazil is the largest country in South America.

And.. it’s also the fifth largest country in world. Does anybody know where Brazil is?

Yes, it’s located in the eastern part of South America. Here…look at the world map.

Remember the compass rose? north..south..east..west.

Now what about the people? They are friendly, outgoing, and they also like to

have fun. They’re fun-loving people. Well…if you’ve heard about samba, then you

must know that the samba dance is from Brazil. The people love to sing and dance the

samba. Oh…yes…they also love to sunbathe… lying on the beach ..er.. to have their

skin tanned…I mean, to make their skin darker.

Use these questions to help you understand the text.

Comprehension questions:

1. Where is Brazil located?

2. How large is Brazil?

3. How do you describe the people of Brazil?

4. What do Brazilians like to do?

5. Why do they like to sunbathe?