EF lv 4 mid term T2

EF lv 4 mid term T2

A Seven-Star Hotel pt 1

Appearance

Dubai's Burj al Arab is one of the most unusual and luxurious hotels in the world. The huge building is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. The design looks like a ship's sail and can be seen from many miles away.

Building the Hotel

Burj al Arab is built on a man-made island in the Arabian Gulf. It took three years to create the island from rocks and sand. Building the hotel took another three years. The engineers had to dig 40 meters (130 feet) to make the foundation so the tall hotel would not fall over.

Special Services

Today, the hotel is the only seven-star hotel in the world. Many luxurious hotels like the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore have five stars, but the seven stars mean that this hotel is very special. People who stay there can choose between taking a helicopter from the airport or being met by a Rolls-Royce. Once they arrive at the hotel, guests have a butler, a personal servant who takes care of all their needs. Of course, guests pay for this service. The Royal Suite costs over $18,000 a night!

Activities

Naturally, there’s a lot to do at the Burj al Arab. In addition to four swimming pools and a private beach, there’s also a water park. Nine restaurants provide many dining choices. A seafood restaurant called the Oyster has its own saltwater aquarium. You get to it on a submarine.

So, if money doesn’t matter much and you want new experiences, perhaps the Burj al Arab is the hotel for your next vacation.

Multiple Choice

From a distance, the sail shape of the Burj al Arab is impressive.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The chefs in the Oyster Restaurant have to swim to get to work.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Guests at the Burj al Arab pay a lot of money to stay there.

• True

• False

Nora’s Diary

October 15

Yesterday I arrived in New York from Cairo, Egypt. At school, my English was pretty good, but it’s very tiring to hear nothing but English. Maybe I’ll dream in Arabic!

October 22

This has been my first week with my homestay family. The parents are Sam and Anna. Their two daughters are Kate and Meg. Kate is the same age as me and we share a room. We’re in the same high school class, so we do homework together. Meg is two years younger, but we like the same music. We spend a lot of time together.

Nora's Diary pt 2

October 31

Today’s a special holiday here, Halloween. Everyone dresses up in a funny costume and gets candy from the neighbors. Kate and I are “cats” for the night. We will “meow” when children come to get candy. Afterward, we are going to a party with some school friends. I wonder what they will look like?

November 7

Today is my mother’s birthday. I used Skype on my computer to see her as we talked. I was a little sad not to be with her, but she said she was happy because the best birthday present was for me to learn English really well.

Multiple Choice

Nora’s own language is Spanish.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

All three girls are teenagers.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Nora and Meg listen to music together.

• True

• False