New York - song

Saturday Song: Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys

Written by englishfluency on September 1, 2012

New York is a very special place. If you want to travel to the United States, I encourage you to visit New York. It is a very culturally rich city with lots of things to see and do. Today’s song is a sort of tribute to New York: Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys.

I have chosen this video of Alicia Keys singing this song while playing the piano, rather than the actual music video. Alicia Keys also speaks briefly at the beginning and end of this clip, which I have also transcribed below.

I hope you enjoy the video. If you have any questions about the lyrics, please let me know, and I will explain anything that you don’t understand.

Alicia Keys speaking:
“The first time I heard my music on the radio, I was driving, down the BQE, in my first car, and I almost swerved out of control, hit all of those orange construction things on the road. I lost it! I was so excited. I couldn’t believe it, screaming, by myself.”

Alicia Keys beginning the song:
“I want to play this different than you ever heard before.”

Uuuu, New York
Uuuu, New York

Grew up in a town
That was famous as a place of movie scenes
Noise was always loud
There were sirens all around
And the streets are mean
If I can make it here
I could make it anywhere
That’s what they say
Seeing my face in lights
Or my name on marquees found down on Broadway

Even if ain’t all it seems
I got a pocket full of dreams
Baby I’m from New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

On the avenue
There ain’t never a curfew, ladies work so hard
Such a melting pot
On the corner selling rock
Preachers pray to God
Hail a gipsy cab
Takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge

Someone sleeps tonight
With a hunger for more than an empty fridge

I’mma make it by any means
I got a pocket full of dreams

Baby I’m from New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you,
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all look pretty
No place in the world that can compare
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you,
Now you’re in New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York!
These streets will make you feel brand new,
Big lights will inspire you,
Hear it for New York!

Interesting Facts about Canada

Canada is a North American country located in the northern part of the continent. This article dwells on some interesting facts about Canada that you may like to know. Read on...

Canada was founded in 1867 as a union of the British Colonies. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean on the north and the United States to the South. The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1982.

Amazing Facts

The first inhabitants of Canada were aborigines. The explorers from Western Europe settled in the country during the 1500s and the country was named 'Canada' by Jacques Cartier in 1535. The name comes from the word 'kanata' which literally means village.

Canada is the second largest country in the world, next only to the Russian Federation.

It has the world's largest coastline. The country has about one-fourth of all the freshwater available in the world. Many of the lakes in Canada have been created by the Glaciers shaping.

The largest river is the Mackenzie river. The six geographical regions are Cordillera, Interior Plains, Lowlands, Arctic, Canadian Shield and the Appalachian Highlands.

The official languages of Canada are English and French. These languages have equal status in the Parliament, Federal Institutions and Federal Courts. The other non-official languages spoken in Canada are German, Italian, Punjabi and Chinese.

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. The ten provinces are: Alberta (capital: Edmonton), British Columbia (capital: Victoria), Manitoba (capital: Winnipeg), New Brunswick (capital: Fredericton), Newfoundland and Labrador (capital: St. John's), Ontario (capital: Toronto), Prince Edward Island (capital: Charlottetown), Quebec (capital: Quebec City), Saskatchewan (capital: Regina) and Nova Scotia (capital: Halifax). The territories include - Northwest Territories (capital: Yellowknife), Nunavut (capital: Iqaluit) and Yukon (capital: Whitehorse).

Newfoundland is probably the first part of Canada to be explored by the Europeans. It became a province and joined the Canadian Confederation in 1949.

Alert, in the Nunavut territory, is reported to be the permanently inhabited place in the world.

The former name of Ottawa was Bytown after Colonel John By. He oversaw the building of the Rideau Canal. The name was changed to Ottawa in 1855.

Canada is a democracy. The Parliament is based in Ottawa, Ontario. The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the Senate.

The main highway in Canada is known as the Trans-Canada highway and it travels from St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador to Victoria in British Columbia. The highway is seven thousand six hundred and four kilometers long and is the longest national highway in the world.

Canada is one of the world's wealthiest countries. It has a very high per capita income.

It is a member of the Organization for Economic Progress and Development and the Group of Eight. It is also a free market economy. The market has lesser government intervention as compared to many other European countries.

The total unemployment rate in Canada is around six percent. It has been the lowest in the past thirty years.

Today, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service sector. Other important sectors in Canada are the oil, logging and the automobile industry.

Canada is an exporter of net energy. It has large oil and natural gas deposits in places like Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The Athabasca Tar Sands is one of the world's largest natural gas reserves, second only to Saudi Arabia. Canada also uses the environment friendly hydroelectric power as an energy supplier.

Apart from agriculture, the other important exports of Canada are lead, zinc, uranium, gold and nickel.

Canada has many unique places for a tourist to explore. The country's tourism is centered around the four largest cities - Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto.

These were some amazing facts about Canada. It is known as a beautiful country with breathtaking landscapes and multicultural cities to amaze and inspire tourists from all over the world. Globally known as one of the most popular tourist destinations and draws millions of visitors every year.

Education in the USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_United_States

Education in the USA

The American system of school education differs from the systems in other countries. There are state public schools, private elementary schools and private secondary schools. Public schools are free and private schools are fee-paying. Each state has its own system of public schools. Elementary education begins at the age of six or seven, when a child goes to the first grade (form). At the age of sixteen schoolchildren leave the elementary school and may continue their education at one of the secondary schools or high schools, as they call them. The programme of studies in the elementary school includes English, Arithmetic, Geography, History of the USA, Natural Sciences and, besides, Physical Training, Singing, Drawing, Wood or Metal Work, etc. Sometimes they learn a foreign language and general history. Beside giving general education some high schools teach subjects useful to those who hope to find jobs in industry and agriculture or who want to enter colleges or universities. After graduating from secondary schools a growing number of Americans go on to higher education. The students do not take the same courses. During the first two years they follow a basic programme. It means that every student must select at least one course from each of the basic fields of study: English, Natural Sciences, Modern Languages, History or Physical Training. After the first two years every student can select subjects according to his professional interest. The National Government gives no direct financial aid to the institutions of higher education. Students must pay a tuition fee. This creates a financial hardship for some people. Many students have to work to pay their expenses. The Americans place a high value on education. That’s why Kennedy said, “Our progress as a nation can be no swifter (quicker) than our progress in education.”

swift - быстрый, скорый, стремительный

10 Top Tourist Attractions in the USA

Written by touropia on February 21, 2011 in USA (http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-the-usa/)

As one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world, The United States boast an amazing amount of tourist destinations ranging from the skyscrapers of New York and Chicago, the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska to the sunny beaches of California, Florida and Hawaii. With so many tourist attractions it’s tempting to list entire cities or even states, but in this top 10 I have tried to focus on specific attractions.

10White House

wikipedia/Wikipedia

The White House in Washington DC is the official residence and office of the President of the United States. It was built between 1792 and 1800 and first used by President John Adams. After the 9/11 attacks it has become more difficult to visit the White House and today tours are available only for groups of 10 or more and must be requested up to six months in advance through your member of Congress or your country’s US Ambassador.

• Explore White House

9Denali National Park

flickr/Alaskan Dude

The Denali National Park and Preserve is located in Interior Alaska and contains Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. The word “Denali” means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language and refers to Mount McKinley. In addition, the park protects an incredible wilderness area that contains grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves, and numerous other creatures.

• Explore Denali National Park

8Las Vegas Strip

flickr/Thomas Hawk

The gambling mecca of the world, Las Vegas is situated in the midst of the southern Nevada desert landscape. Casinos can be found throughout Las Vegas, but the strip, a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South, contains the most of them. It features giant mega-casino hotels, decorated with lavish care and attention to detail to create a fantasy-like atmosphere. The casinos often have names and themes that evoke romance, mystery, and far-away destination. To search all the best travel sites at once and find the cheapest price visit our Las Vegas Hotel page.

• Explore Las Vegas Strip

7Florida Keys

flickr/Wonderful_World** (in and out)

The Florida Keys are a 120 mile long chain of tropical islands curving around the base of the Florida peninsula, connected to the mainland by a series of bridges. The most spectacular bridge, the Seven Mile Bridge in the Lower Keys, has been frequently used as a location for films including True Lies and Fast 2 Furious. US Highway 1, the “Overseas Highway” runs from Key Largo, Islamadora, Marathon, Lower Keys and finally to Key West, the most distant and most famous island.

• Explore Florida Keys

6Kilauea

flickr/Birchster

Kilauea is the most recent of a series of volcanoes that have created the Hawaiian Archipelago. It is a very low, flat shield volcano, vastly different in profile from the high, sharply sloping peaks of stratovolcanoes. Kilauea is one of the most active volcano on the Earth, an invaluable resource for volcanologists. Thirty-three eruptions have taken place since 1952, not including the current eruption which started on January 3, 1983 and is still ongoing.

• Explore Kilauea

5Niagara Falls

flickr/joesflickr

Situated between the state of New York and the province of Ontario, Niagara Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the North American continent. Niagara Falls is actually three different falls, the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls. Horseshoe Falls is located on the Canadian side while the other are located in New York. With more than 14 million visitors each year it is one of the most visited tourist attraction in the world.

• Explore Niagara Falls

4Golden Gate Bridge

flickr/aslakr

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait between San Francisco and Marin County to the north. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed in 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. The famous red-orange color of the bridge was specifically chosen to make the bridge more easily visible through the thick fog that frequently shrouds the bridge.

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3Yellowstone

flickr/Scorpions and Centaurs

Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park, set aside in 1872 to preserve the vast number of geysers, hot springs, and other thermal areas, as well as to protect the incredible wildlife and rugged beauty of the area.Yellowstone lies on top of a gigantic hotspot where light, hot, molten mantle rock rises towards the surface. Subsequently, the park contains half of all the world’s known geothermal features, with more than 10,000 examples of geysers and hot springs. In addition, black bears, grizzly bears, deer, elk, bison and wolves can all be found within the park borders.

• Explore Yellowstone

2Manhattan

photo: nosha

Manhattan is one of New York’s five boroughs and is what people most often think of when they picture New York. It’s familiar skyline and sights have been featured a thousand times on screen. Walk in the shadow of the skyscrapers, picture the Statue of Liberty, see a Broadway show , climb the Empire State building, stroll Central Park, window shop on 5th Avenue or stagger around a museum. To search all the best travel sites at once and find the cheapest price visit our New York City Hotel page.

• Explore Manhattan

1Grand Canyon

flickr/Wolfgang Staudt

The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona and is one of the great tourist attractions in the United States. Carved over several million years by the Colorado River, the canyon attains a depth of over 1.6 km (1 mile) and 446 km (277 miles) long. The Grand Canyon is not the deepest or the longest canyon in the world but the overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape offers visitor spectacular vistas that are unmatched throughout the world.

• Explore Grand Canyon

Introduction to Canada

Geography of the United States