MUMBAI: CITY OF DREAMS 1
The vibrant city of Mumbai is a natural first stop for visitors to India’s western coast. “One could say that Mumbai is the New York of India,” says Mumbai native Divya Abhat. “It’s a place of big opportunities, big contrasts, and big energies . . . There is always something going on.”
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Previously known as Bombay, the city was renamed Mumbai (derived ( derived from the goddess Mumba) in 1995 1995 as part of a movement away from colonial names. The traditional cultural center of India, Mumbai is today a very modern city with world-class shopping, restaurants, and business areas. It is also home to
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Bollywood, the world’s largest movie industry. India is a complex country, culturally culturally rich and diverse. If you visit India, be prepared for sensory overload; overload; you will experience a culture of amazing depth and variety. Here are just a few of Mumbai’s sights that sights that visitors should not miss:
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Five-star Five-star luxury can be enjoyed at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, built in 1903 by Persian -Indian businessman Jamsetji Tata. According to local legend, Tata was managed hotel of that time, Wilson’s, not permitted to enter the finest BritishBritish-managed because of its policy of serving only European guests. In response, he established
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the Taj, with a promise that it would have the world’s best service. Ever since, the Taj Mahal Palace has been listed among the world’s t t op op hotels. What about Wilson’s? It’s long gone. Across the street from the Taj is the famous Gateway of India, an arch standing
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about 25 meters high. The monument was built to celebrate the visit to India of England’s King George G eorge V and Queen Mary in 1911. Sellers and performers, including snake charmers, can be found in the surrounding busy surrounding busy park. At night, lit sightseers—and lovers, too! up by electric lights, the Gateway appeals to sightseers— Just a one-hour ferry ride from Mumbai is the island of Elephanta. The island was
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named by the Portuguese, supposedly after a huge statue of an elephant that used to be there. It has amazing cave temples cut deeply into the rock, featuring sculptures preserved since the seventh century A.D. Visitors leaving Mumbai can board their train at the Victoria Terminus (renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus). This remarkable station is said to have been India’s
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largest construction project when it was built in 1888. An impressive mixture of British and Indian building styles, the station is preserved today as a World Heritage Site.
Reading Comprehension Choose the correct answer for each question. 1. One could say that Mumbai is the New York of India because __________. a. it is home to India’s film industry. b. it is a highly populated center for business and culture. c. it has moved away from its colonial past. d. it was once controlled by the British. 2. According to a local legend, why did Jamsetji Tata establish his hotel? a. A British-managed hotel wouldn’t let him stay. b. He loved Wilson’s Hotel and wanted to build something like it. c. It had been his dream since he was a child. d. He wanted to create a Persian-lndian style hotel. 3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Gateway of India? a. It is about 25 meters high.
b. It is lit by electric lights at night.
c. It was built by the English.
d. It has a busy park around it.
4. What language is “Elephanta" probably from? a. English
b. Portuguese
c. an Indian languaged. Persian
5. What kind of reader is this passage most likely intended for? a. foreign tourists
b. historians
c. Mumbai residents d. business people
Complete the sentences with the correct form of words from the box. One word is extra. permitted
policy
cultural
supposedly
preserve
cave
1. The word Bollywood was______________________________ invented by a journalist, although it isn’t sure exactly who that journalist was. 2. Tourists are advised to ask before taking pictures at holy places around Mumbai, as photography may not be____________________________. 3. Hidden under the ground in the_______________________________ at Ajanta, India are paintings and sculptures representing some of the finest examples of religious art. 4. Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park is dedicated to the ______________________________ of the forest and animals such as leopards, deer, and monkeys. 5. Among the __________________________________ inve stigated to help solve Mumbai’s air pollution problems are switching to cleaner-running city buses, and increasing gasoline taxes. Complete the summary below using the correct form of words from the box. Two words are extra. appeal
locate
focus
modernization
convenient
preserve
establish
derive
sightseer
permit
cave
surround
In contrast to the 1.___________________________ of trains occurring around the world, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway still runs very slowly. The railway was 2.________________________ in 1881, and
has been carefully 3.__________________________ by the local people. Some people call it the “Toy Train.”
Today
the
train
4.________________________
to
both
local
people
and
5.___________________________ who come from other places to see the railway and the 6.____________________________ mountains. It may not be the most 7.___________________________ train, but many of the passengers seem to 8.__________________________ a lot of pleasure from its slow speed, which 9.__________________________________ more time to see the amazing views. In fact, there is a sign 10._______________________________
near the train line which says “Slow has got four
letters, so has life . . . speed has got five letters, so has death.”
