Portugal's capital city is more popular than ever
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Read the following story by Gary Boyle from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Lisbon's hills are no joke. The city is built on seven of them, and a walk uphill often sees you rounding a corner only to be faced with another, steeper climb. Your walk from one neighbourhood to the next can be a 20-minute hike. If you're not fit, forget it.
DISTINCT CITY
But the tourists don't mind. Lisbon is a gorgeous city, safe and comparatively cheap, and is famous for its food and nightlife. The weather is great, seeing the most hours of sunshine per year of any European capital. In fact, Lisbon hit a record 12.8 million foreign visitors in 2018, and if you go you'll be queuing behind a great number of them.
Each area of the city has a distinct flavour, such as the posh Chaido, the hip Bairro Alto and the multicultural Mouraria. The city flattens as it approaches the river, with Baixa as the downtown centre. But getting around the city isn't easy for a tourist, with steep hills discouraging exploration, especially for older travellers. A good way to get to know Lisbon is to take a tuk-tuk tour. The drivers, often local undergraduate students, not only provide useful commentary but have information on the best places in town, whether for cheap eats or hidden tourist spots.
A morning tour will finish at lunchtime, so just ask the driver for a restaurant recommendation and they'll drop you at the door. Main dishes are typically around €13 at a regular restaurant, and double that if you go upscale. Our driver recommended a café in the local neighbourhood of Graça where basic Portuguese comfort food was half the price of that at a typical tourist spot.
Portugal has a long coastline, meaning there’s plenty of fish on their menus. Bacalhau -- salted and dried cod -- is a classic dish. Canned sardines are everywhere, and the cans feature cool retro artwork. If you like meat, get the bifana, a thick sandwich of marinated pork. And for dessert, it has to be pastel de nata, Portugal's egg-tart pastry.
LAZY DAYS
Sunday afternoons are best spent copying the locals. Choose your favourite hilltop viewpoint or stay low on the banks of the Tagus River, raid the nearby food kiosks, then relax, letting the afternoon lazily pass by. Slightly out of the city is Belém Castle, a few kilometres southwest along the bank of the river. A Unesco World Heritage site, the 16th-century fortress guards the coast, possibly from armies of tourists tempted by the famous pastéis de nata in the nearby streets. The interior of the castle is impressive, unless you go on a Monday. Many museums and attractions close on this day, so plan your trips carefully.
Heading back from Belém, it's worth stopping at LX Factory. The huge 19th-century fabric-production plant in the Alcântara district has been artfully transformed into a hip eat/drink/shop destination. The carefully curated range of shops ensures that, while it is possible to load up on the usual souvenirs -- retro-style sardine cans, plenty of cherry liqueur and piles of Lisbon tiles -- there are enough independent boutiques to keep it interesting. A few restaurants fill the northern end of the industrial space, while a couple of shipping containers serve as bars under the towering Ponte 25 de Abril bridge.
However, the city is struggling with its popularity. The narrow pavements of Bairro Alto teem with tourists, stepping in front of trams for that perfect selfie. Rossio train station is borderline impossible in the mornings. The tram stops – Lisbon’s iconic old transport system — see queues stretching to over an hour's wait.
But Lisbon is still well worth a visit, for the Sun, for the food, for the architecture, and for the friendly and beautiful locals. Go soon, before it gets even more popular.
Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions.
1. What does Lisbon have more of than any European capital? …………….
2. Which area of Lisbon has a mix of cultures? …………….
3. How much is a typical meal in a more expensive restaurant? …………….
4. Which river runs through Lisbon? …………….
5. Which attraction is a UNESCO World Heritage site? …………….
6. The LX Factory building is more than 100 years old. True or false? …………….
7. Lisbon is a very popular tourist destination. True or false? …………….
8. Does the writer recommend a visit to Lisbon? …………….
Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words.
9. safe .……………
10. comparatively ……………
11. tempted ……………
12. independent .……………
13. perfect .……………
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
Many tourists …14… to visit the historic town of Sintra. There are long queues for tickets at the train station, so …15… for the small newsagents that also sells tickets. The train …16… 40 minutes to Sintra station, where you join another queue for the buses that …17… to the hilltop palaces and castles. Or, if that’s …18…, just grab lunch in the charming streets around the station then …19… back to the city.
14. a. chose b. choose c. chosen
15. a. head out b. look out c. see
16. a. took b. takes c. take
17. a. climbs b. climb c. climbed
18. a. too soon b. to much c. too much
19. a. head b. be c. went
Section 4: Find words that match the following definitions.
20. a thing or situation that is funny or annoying ……………
21. healthy and strong……………
22. clearly different or of a different kind ……………
23. small shops, open at the front, where newspapers, drinks, etc. are sold ……………
24. things that you buy to remind yourself of a holiday ……………
Answers: 1. Sunshine. 2. Mouraria. 3. €26. 4. Tagus. 5. Belém Castle. 6. True. 7. True. 8. Yes.
9. safety 10. comparison 11. temptation 12. independence 13. perfection
14. b. 15. b. 16. b. 17. b. 18. c. 19. a.
20. joke. 21. fit. 22. distinct. 23. kiosks. 24. souvenirs.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
