Reading
Reading
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| By kspoddar. C. Common |
Audio Paco has just arrived in Johannesburg. At the moment, he is having a drink in the bar of the hotel. In a couple of weeks he is going to Cape Town. Although he is thirsty and really tired, he wants to meet some new people before going to bed so that he can get further information about the country. He needs to plan his stay in Africa. He has an idea of the places he is going to visit, but he'd rather be sure he doesn't miss any interesting place in this continent. He isn't in a hurry, but he thinks that the sooner he knows where to go after Cape Town, the better. He feels like visiting different places in Africa and he is ready to get all the information he needs tonight.
Sitting at a table, Paco is enjoying a fantastic huge soft drink which is making him feel far better. He doesn't like alcohol, so he always has soft drinks. As you now know, he doesn't like flying. He gets really anxious on planes. He hopes the book the man on the plane recommended him helps him get over this fear. However, now he is relaxed and relieved. He won't have to fly in several weeks!
He is so thirsty that he is drinking very quickly. In fact, the glass is not empty yet and he has just ordered another drink. While the waiter is placing it on the table, Paco asks him:
Paco: Good evening, my name's Paco and I'm from Spain. I've just arrived from the United States and I'm spending several weeks in your country. Could you tell me anything about it?
Waiter: Good evening, sir. Well, The Republic of South Africa, also known by other official names, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa. The South African coast stretches 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) and borders both the Atlantic and Indian oceans. To the north of South Africa lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while the Kingdom of Lesotho is an independent enclave surrounded by South African territory.
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| By Anonymous. Public Domain |
(Paco gets dumbfounded, as the waiter repeated all that information by heart!)
Paco: Than... Thank you very much!
Waiter: You're welcome, sir.
1 From Wikipedia.org
Read and listen to the passage carefully, paying attention to the verb tenses used. Do you know the meaning of to get dumbfounded? and of the prepositional phrase by heart? Click below to know!
Read the text again and answer these questions now:
1- What does Paco do as soon as he arrives in Johannesburg?
2- Why is South Africa so widely varied?
Answer the following questions.
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By ♥•* Yanieck*♥•' (hardly no time for the ne. C. Commons
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1. Does Paco want to get extra information about South Africa soon?
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a. Yes, he does.
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b. No he doesn't.
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a. No, he isn't.
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b. Yes, he is.
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a. Yes, it is.
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b. No, it isn't.
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a. Yes, there are.
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b. No, there aren't.
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Read about Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
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| By MastaBaba. C. Commons |
Audio Probably, everybody has ever heard of Nelson Mandela, but do you really know who he was? Mandela was born in 1918 and was an anti-apartheid activist who was condemned and imprisoned for twenty seven years. He spent eighteen years in a prison on Robben Island, South Africa. There, his reputation grew and he became the most significant black leader in South Africa. As he himself stated, he struggled against white as well as black domination. He wanted a democratic and free society in which all persons lived together in harmony and with equal opportunities. His struggle against apartheid has made him be awarded on more than one hundred occasions, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He was released from jail on 11 February 1990 and became the first democratically elected State President of South Africa in May 1994. He held his Presidency until June 1999.
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| By Paul Mannix. C. Commons |
Mandela has always loved South Africa and he has told the rest of the world so. This is what he said about it:
"I believe that South Africa is the most beautiful place on earth. Admittedly, I am biased, but when you combine the natural beauty of South Africa with the friendliness and cultural diversity of our people, and the fact that the region is a haven for Africa's most splendid wildlife, then I think even the most scrupulous critic would agree that we have been blessed with a truly wonderful land. I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to come and see for yourself the splendour of South Africa. I know that my people will be delighted to welcome you and I think you will be enchanted by their warmth and hospitality. I am equally sure that you will enjoy our culture, our cuisine and the warmth of our people."