Exercise 4. Read the following dialogues and act them out

- Have you been living in Washington long?

- For over three years now. And you came to Washington not long ago, didn’t you?

- Just a few days ago.

- Have you found an apartment yet?

- Not yet. Still looking for one.

- I advise you not to settle down in D.C. The apartments are better and the rents are lower outside the city limits: in Virginia or Maryland.

- Where do you live?

- In Hyattsville, Maryland. It is north-east of the city just near the University of Maryland. The place is quiet.

- As soon as I settle down, I’ll get acquainted with the city and its surroundings. What should I begin with?

- I recommend you to study the plan of the city not to lose your way. The city is very well planned. It is divided into four sections: NW, NE, SW and SE. The base lines for the sections are: North, South, Capital streets. You must remember that numbered streets such as First, Second, Third … run north and south, lettered streets such as A-street, B-street, C-street run east and west.

- Thank you for the information.

- Bear it in mind that every section has independent street division. If you are looking for the Second Street, you should know in what section of the city it is.

- I’ll try to remember it. And what is the heart of Washington?

- It’s the Capitol. You should begin your sightseeing from the Capitol and see the Senate Chamber, the Representative Hall, the Statuary Hall and so on.

- I see. There are many monuments in Washington, aren’t there?

- You should begin with the Washington Monument which is 555 feet tall and is called “Pencil” because of its shape. It is three blocks south of the White House. There is an elevator which will carry you to 500-foot level observation windows.

- And where is the Lincoln Memorial?

- It is west of the Washington monument near the Potomac River. The Jefferson Memorial is south of the Washington monument.

- I’ll try to see them by all means.

- I advise you to go to Ford’s Theatre where Lincoln was assassinated. Now it is a museum.

- I heard that the Library of Congress is worth seeing.

- That’s right. It contains millions of books and manuscripts.

- What about churches and cathedrals?

- The Washington Cathedral in Massachusetts Avenue is one of the largest church buildings in the world. Mention should be made of the Arlington National Cemetery which is outside the city limits. John F. Kennedy was buried there. The famous Tomb of the Unknowns is worth seeing too.

- Is it far from the centre of the city?

- No, it isn’t. It is across the Potomac River near the Pentagon in Virginia.