Lesson 2
famous landmarks in the world
Eiffel Tower
This metal tower with three floors stands in the city centre of Paris. It was built for the 1889 World Fair (Universal Expo) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Eiffel Tower was constructed by Auguste Eiffel and a team of engineers. The tower has been visited by over 250 million people since its opening and in 2016 more than 7 million visitors were welcomed on the tower’s top platform
Great wall of china
The Great Wall is one of the seven wonders of the world. It runs in sections over a very long distance across China. The wall is also referred to as the largest structure ever built. The wall was completed in 1644, but it took more than 2,000 years to build. Contrary to popular belief the Great Wall cannot be seen from the moon.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu which means ‘Old Mountain’ in the local Quechua language is a famous site in Peru. It is also referred to as ‘The Lost City of the Incas’. The ruins were never discovered by the European but only became known in 1911 when an American archeologist was led to the site by locals. While some people believe that Machu Picchu was built as a sacred site, others think it once was the summer retreat of an Inca emperor.
Great pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza near Cairo is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one of these ancient world wonders which still exists. The pyramids are made of stone and bricks and stand near Cairo which is the capital of Egypt. The Egyptian pyramids were built during a time when there was only manual labour and no machine lifting equipment available. The pyramids were build to house the bodies of the pharaoh who ruled in ancient Egypt.
The Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is 92 meters/ 305 ft high and is made of a iron structure with copper skin.
Lady Liberty, as the statue often is referred to, was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and the massive iron skeleton of the lady was designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel who also designed the Eiffel Tower.
The statue was built and completed in France in 1884. The monument was then disassembled into 350 pieces and packed into 214 crates and shipped to New York. The Statue of Liberty was a gift of the people of France to the American people on the American Centennial in 1886.
The torch’s flame is covered with 24k gold and the crown has seven rays for the seven continents.
The monument stands on Liberty Island in the Hudson River facing New York City. You can climb up the 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of the statue where you can see the fantastic views over the ‘Big Apple’ as New York is often lovingly called.
The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House, built in Australia’s biggest city, is famous for its roof’s architecture resembling shells or sails. The opera house was designed by Jørn Utzon from Denmark and it was built between 1959 and 1973.
The roof is covered with more than 1 million roof tiles. These were manufactured in Sweden. The opera house has several performance halls and theatre and exhibition spaces.
More than 40 shows are staged here every week. Every year, more than 8 million visitors visit this Australian landmark! Every evening the roof is lit up in a colourful spectacle.
Active and passive voice
Active voice means that a sentence has a subject that acts upon its verb. Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb’s action.
ActiveTerry Myerson designed Windows 10 The french people gave the statue to U.S in 1886 |
Passive with “by”Windows 10 was designed by Terry Myerson |
ActiveThey use the yuan in China They speak both french and english in canada They grow a lot of coffe in Colombia |
Passive without “by”The yuan is used in china Both French and English are spoken in Canada A lot of coffee is grown in Colombia |
linking sounds
Linking is a way of joining the pronunciation of two words so that they are easy to say and flow together smoothly.
Consonant to vowel
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison
She asked for a glass of water.
These are delicious strawberries.
I fell in the swimming pool and Amy fell in, too.
Bobby bought an apple
I ate an apple and a banana, too.
Consonant to Consonant
A pink car crashed into my house
I just bought some nice stuff from the store
I live in a quiet town
She was wearing a beautiful red dress
I’m craving for a cheese sandwich
Frogs breath through their skin
roleplay
Person 1: Hello?
Person 2: Oh, hello, I calling to get some information. What currency is used in China?
Person 1: Where?
Person 2: In China
Person 1: I’m not sure. The yuan maybe?
Person 2: Oh yes, and do they drive on the left or the right?
Person 1: I think the right, but I’m not sure.
Person 2: Mmm, well, is English spoken much there?
Person 1: I have no Idea
Person 2: Really? Ok what about credit cards? Are international credit cards accepted there?
Person 1: How would I know that?
Person 2: You’re a travel agent. Aren’t you?
Person 1: What? No, this is Mike’s Barbershop.
Person 2: Oh, sorrry. Wrong number!