2. read the text about madrid and choose where you would see it: a) a history book; b) a guidebook; c) a description of a holiday. madrid 1) …… visitors are attracted by the city’s history, museums, wonderful food and unbelievable nightlife. add marvelous weather and the open friendliness of its people and it’s not too difficult to understand why madrid is one of the most popular places to visit in europe. 2) …… madrid was just small town in the centre of spain until king philip ii made it the capital in 1561. the city rapidly became the political and cultural centre of spain. one of the most popular places with visitors is the impressive plaza mayor (main square), which was built in madrid’s early years. other interesting historical landmarks include the royal palace and the cibeles fountain (18th century), and the toledo arch, a national built in 1817. when the weather is good, why not escape the city and spend some time in the beautiful retiro park? families with young children will enjoy strolling around the park or boating on the lake. 3) …… a must for visitors is the spectacular prado museum with its first–rate collection of european art. if you have a little more time, you should definitely go to the thyssen-bernemisza museum and the queen sofia national centre for the arts. apart from these three exceptional museums, there are a lot of smaller art museums housing superb collections. 4) …… many madrilenos (i.e. people from madrid) love going to the cinema, the theatre or a concert. others enjoy going from one bar to another, meeting friends along the way. food is really important to people here and you can eat very well in bars, cafes and restaurants. the city has an outstanding live music scene and the choice is enormous: rock, pop, flamenco, reggae, hip hop, and much more. for people looking for a night out, there hundreds of clubs and many of them are open all night. people here enjoy life and there is a definitely something for everyone. complete the spaces 1-4 with the topic sentences a-d. a if you love history, madrid has a lot to offer. b madrid is famous for its nightlife and at night the city explodes into action. c madrid is the capital of spain and a great destination for short weekend break for a longer trip. d the city is well known for its marvelous art museums. tick the information that is included in the text. 1 there are many good reasons for visitors to go to madrid. 2 it’s easy to get around the city on the public transport system. 3 madrid was not always an important city. 4 tourists like going to the city’s main square. 5 the city has a rich collection of museums. 6 madrid has first-class shopping. 7 there are plenty of things to do in the evening. 8 sports fans should try to get tickets for football match at the bernabeu stadium. 9 people who enjoy good food will not be disappointed.
