Madrid City: Lugares Emblemáticos, Turismo y Retos Ambientales

Madrid City: The Heart of Spain

I live in one of the most exciting cities in the world: Madrid City. Madrid, also known as The Capital of Spain, is a city that never sleeps.

The Puerta del Sol (Spanish for 'The Gate of the Sun' or 'The Door to the Sun'), the heart of Madrid City, offers a variety of shops and you can visit 'El Oso y el Madroño' Monument ('The Bear and the Strawberry Tree' Statue) and The Km 0 (the centre of Spanish roads). Then, there are crowded places where you can meet new people.

After a tiring but fun day, you can eat in a local café, a superb restaurant or a noisy fast-food place. People that prefer peace and quiet can visit The Retiro Park ('Park of the Pleasant Retreat'). It's possible to rent a boat or you can spend a fascinating evening with your family.

Also, you can visit The Castilian Promenade (or Stroll) – La Castellana – where you can see luxurious hotels, wide streets and beautiful buildings. You can go to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and there you can do The Tour of the Bernabeu and, afterwards, you can buy souvenirs.

Environmental Challenges

However, Madrid is polluted. In fact, pollution has reached dangerous levels. The government is going to make plans to avoid the pollution because it's a very harmful problem for the population.

Tourism Statistics

About 728,763 tourists come to enjoy Madrid every year. Despite the pollution, they think Madrid is fantastic and it is good to return again and again.

Vocabulary and Grammar Reference

Environment and Ecology

• Land pollution: contaminación del suelo
• Landfill: vertedero
• Litter: basura
• Oil spill: vertido de petróleo
• Toxic waste: residuos tóxicos
• Care about: preocuparse de
• Harm: perjudicar
• Save: salvar
• Under: debajo de
• Underground: subterráneo
• Underestimated: subestimado
• Over: sobre
• Re-: volver a
• Multi-: muchos
• Inter-: entre
• Anti-: contrario

Verbs

• Damage: dañar
• Decompose: descomponer
• Destroy: destruir
• Increase: incrementar
• Protect: proteger
• Recycle: reciclar
• Save: salvar

Adjectives and Descriptions

• Crowded: lleno de gente
• Sandy: arenoso
• Trendy: de moda
• Amazing: sorprendente
• Remarkable: destacado
• Relaxing: relajante
• Peaceful: tranquilo
• Ancient: antiguo
• Narrow: estrecho
• Wide: ancho

Grammar: Future Tenses

• Will: far or future, predictions, offers immediate decisions, promises.
• Be going to: intentions, plans, observable predictions.
• Present Simple (PS): plans, times.