Look a t this description of Cork, one of Ireland's main towns. Underline any words or phrases that might be useful for describing your own or any other town.
ork city is the major metropolis of the south; indeed with a population of about 135,000 it is the second largest city in the Republic. T h e main business and shopping centre of the town lies on the island created by two channels of the River Lee, with most places within walking distance of the centre. (The buses tend to be overcrowded and the one-way traffic system is fiendishly complicated.) In the hilly area of the city is the famous Shandon Steeple, the bell-tower of St Anne's Church, built on the site of a church destroyed when the city was besieged by the Duke of Marlborough. Back across the River Lee lies the city's cathedral, an imposing 19th century building in the French Gothic style. Cork has two markets. Neither caters specifically for tourists but those who enjoy the atmosphere of a real working market will appreciate their charm. T h e Crawford Art Gallery is well worth a visit. It regularly mounts adventurous exhibitions by contemporary artists. T h e fashionable residential districts of Cork city overlook the harbour. There are other residential areas on the outskirts.
Towns can be convenient places t o live in because they have many facilities. Check with a teacher or a dictionary if you are not sure what anything means.
Sports: swimming pool sports centre golf course tennis courts football pitch skating rink
Cultural: theatre opera house concert hall radio station art gallery Educational: school college university library eveningclasses museum Catering and night-life: restaurant cafe nightclub take-away hotel
B and B (bed and breakfast) youth hostel dance-hall disco
Transport: bus service taxi rank car hire agency car park parking meters Other: health centre law courts registry office citizens' advice bureau
job centre bottle bank department store chemist's estate agent
garden centre police station Town o r City Hall suburbs housing estate industrial estate pedestrian precinct
Towns also have their own special problems. Here are some to be found in London now.
Traffic jams: every day, particularly in the rush-hour, the streets get so packed with traffic that travel is very slow or even comes t o a standstill. This is particularly stressful for commuters, people who travel t o work in the town
Slums: certain parts of the city which are poor and in a very bad condition I Vandalism: pointless destruction of other people's property
Overcrowding: too many people live in too small a place
Pollution: the air and the water are no longer as pure as they were Crime: see Unit 55
Here are some useful adjectives for describing towns.
picturesque historic spacious elegant magnificent atmospheric quaint lively hectic deserted (e.g. at night) bustling crowded packed filthy run-down shabby
Check that you understand the text about Cork by answering the following questions.
1 Where is Cork?
2 Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork?
3 What is Cork's traffic system like?
4 What is special about the site of St Anne's Church?
5 In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral?
6 Can you buy souvenirs at the markets?
7 Is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting and why?
8 Where do Cork people live?
The description of Cork comes from a guidebook for tourists. Write sentences about a town of your choice, using the following expressions from the text.
the second/third/fourth
...
est the main...
area of the town lies within walking distance of in the Victorian/Georgian/Classical/built on the site BaroqueIFrench Gothic style
cater for tend to be
to overlook whether or not it merits
well worth a visit / visiting those who enjoy a working market/museum/steam on the outskirts
railway /model to mount an exhibition
to appreciate the charm
Look at the list of facilities listed in B opposite. Tick all those which your town, or any town you know well, has.
Suggest three words which would collocate well with each of the nouns below, as in the examples.
1 ... 3 ... 5 . . . night museum
... ... college ... club
. . . ... ...
2 !ei5!!??. ... 4 ... 6 ...
...
...
... centre court agency
What facilities would your ideal town have? Name the three most important facilities for you in each of the categories listed in B opposite. You may choose facilities other than those listed opposite if you wish.
Are any of the problems mentioned in C opposite to be found in your city or a city you know well? Could you suggest a solution for these problems?
Write sentences about any towns you know, using each of the adjectives in D.
Example: The most picturesque part of my town is the old market-place.
46 The natural world
Flowers and trees
branch bud
thorn
Specific animals
Here are the English names of some more unusual creatures.
Names of trees
Here are the names of some of the commonest British trees. You are likely to meet these words if you read fiction or poetry in English.
oak plne
Some verbs for talking about the natural world
Our apple tree flowers/blossoms in April. Our garden is thriving after the rain. Let's pick some flowers (not pick up). Farmers plant, fertilise and harvest their crops.
Can you answer the following general knowledge questions about the natural world?
1 Is the whale a fish or a mammal?
2 Which reptile alive today is a descendant of the dinosaurs?
3 Are the following trees deciduous or evergreen - poplar, yew,'birch?
4 What does the bee take from flowers to make honey?
5 Name three animals that hibernate in winter.
6 What does a British boy or girl traditionally say while pulling the petals off a daisy one by one?
7 Which is the fastest of all land animals?
8 Which bird symbolises peace?
9 What plants or animals are the symbols of England, Scotland, Canada and New Zealand?
1 0 What do fish use their gills for?
1 1 Can you name an endangered species of plant or animal?
1 2 Which of these creatures is extinct - emu, dinosaur, phoenix?
1 3 Name three white flowers and three birds of any colour.
1 4 What plant or animal is the symbol of your country?
46.2 Write an appropriate adjective to go with each of the following nouns:
hedgehog mane petals eagle oak willow worm bark
46.3 Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using words from the opposite page.
A tree's . . . go a long way under ground.
A cat sharpens its . . . against the ... of a tree.
...
Most fruit trees in spring.
Plants will not . . . unless they get enough water and light.
The horse is limping. It must have hurt its . . .
...
Flowers last longer in a vase if you crush the end of their
A flower that is just about to open is called a . . .
Take care not to prick yourself. That plant has sharp ...
If we pick up those . . .
,
we can use them to start the fire.Jim's as blind as a ...
Anne's as busy as a . . . while Jo works at a . . . ..'s pace.
Most crops in the UK are . . . in the autumn.
46.4 Look at this description of a camel from an encyclopaedia. Underline any words which you think would frequently be found in such descriptions of animals.
camel A m a m m a l of t h e family Camelidae, (2 species): t h e Bactrian, f r o m cold deserts in Central Asia and domesticated elsewhere, and the dromedary; eats any vegetation; drinks salt water if necessary; closes slit-like nostrils t o exclude sand;
humps are stores of energy-rich fats. The t w o species may interbreed; the offspring
has one hump; the males are usually sterile while the females are fertile.
1
Write a similar description for an encyclopaedia of an elephant, or any other animal of your own choice. Use reference books to help you if necessary.