Brazil Today Cities of Brazil

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Augustine Cook
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1 Non-fiction: Brazil Today Cities of Brazil Rio de Janeiro Brazil Today Cities of Brazil Rio de Janeiro grew over the centuries. A hodgepodge 1 of settlers from many backgrounds and cultures came to the New World. When the King of Portugal escaped to Brazil to avoid Napoleon, he lived in Rio. Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil until 1960, when the seat of government was moved to Brasilia. Now Rio is as diverse as ever, having many different cultures. One of the city s most famous sites 2 is the statue Cristo Redentor. Just as the Statue of Liberty marks New York City, Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer, is the hallmark of Rio. The statue is on the Corcovado Mountain. At night you can see the statue from all over the city. The city is nestled 3 between the mountain range covered with tropical greenery and the white beaches of the bay. Rio s beaches give the city a worldfamous reputation for fun and relaxation. Many come to enjoy the beautiful stretches of sand. Though Brasilia is the country s official capital now, Rio is still Brazil s unofficial social capital and the country s second largest city. 1 hodgepodge: a confused mixture; jumble 2 site: a place 3 nestle: to lie close and snug 1

2 Non-fiction: Brazil Today Cities of Brazil Brasilia Brasilia has been called a masterpiece of city planning. Think about your city. Do the roads follow any pattern? Can you tell if parts of your city were planned? Brasilia was entirely planned and built from the ground up. Some people in Brazil wanted to move Brazil s capital away from the coast. They believed Rio was too crowded and too open to attack from enemy boats. Brasilia is on a big plateau 4, 746 miles inland from Rio. The government of Brazil held a competition for planners and architects. They wanted someone to design a new capital. A man named Lúcio Costa won. Costa was an urban planner, so he designed the layout of Brasilia. An architect, Oscar Niemeyer, designed many of the buildings. Construction of this very modern city began in Today, Brazil s government operates from Brasilia. 4 plateau: broad flat area of high land 2

3 Name: Date: 1. What famous site marks the city of Rio de Janeiro? a. the Statue of Liberty b. the statue Cristo Redentor c. the buildings of Oscar Niemeyer d. a big plateau 2. Why does the author describe the contest for urban planners and architects? a. to explain how the city of Brasilia was designed b. to show how far Brasilia is from the coast of Brazil c. to explain how Rio de Janeiro became a cultural hodgepodge d. to illustrate the unusual way that Brazilian government works 3. Which of these statements explains why the author says that Brasilia is a very modern city? a. It does not have beaches like Rio de Janeiro. b. The city is less open to attack by enemies due to its location. c. It is located on a big plateau, 746 miles from Rio de Janeiro. d. The whole city was carefully planned and built in the 1950s. 4. Read the following sentence: Now Rio is as diverse as ever, having many different cultures. The word diverse means a. made up of a variety of things b. difficult to travel to c. having exactly two sides d. without a large population 5. This passage is mostly about a. two major cities in Brazil and what they re like. b. how cities in Brazil are different from the rest of the world. c. the history of Rio de Janeiro. d. why centrally planned cities are better. 3

4 6. Why did some people want to move Brazil s capital away from the coast? 7. Based on the passage, explain why Rio de Janeiro can be called the social capital of Brazil. 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence. Brasilia became the capital city of Brazil in 1960;, Rio de Janeiro had been the capital. a. therefore b. previously c. in conclusion d. finally 9. Read the following sentence. Tourists come to Rio de Janeiro when they re on vacation to enjoy the sandy beaches. Answer the questions below based on the information provided in the sentence you just read. One of the questions has already been answered for you. 1. Who? tourists 2. What do tourists do? 3. Why? 4. When? 4

5 10. Vocabulary Word: site: a place. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: 5

SOUTH AMERICA CONTENTS. What s in This Book... 2. Section 1: South America in the World... 3. Section 2: Political Divisions of South America...

SOUTH AMERICA CONTENTS. What s in This Book... 2. Section 1: South America in the World... 3. Section 2: Political Divisions of South America... SOUTH CONTENTS What s in This Book 2 Section 1: 3 Section 2: Political Divisions of 1 Section 3: Physical Features of 41 Section 4: Valuable Resources of 67 Section : n Culture 89 Section 6: Assessment