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John: Hey, it's really nice of you to show me round New York like this, Uncle Harry.
Uncle Harry: It's my pleasure, John. I thought our next stop could be the Empire State Building.
J: But what's so special about it? It isn't even the highest in New York any more.
U.H.: Maybe not, but I think you'll be surprised to find out quite how interesting it is... Here we are!
J: O.K., then, let's go to the top!
U.H.: Right, here's the _____(1). We have to change at the 86th floor, and then we can go straight on up to the 102nd floor _____(2). The Empire State Building was finished in 1931. It was the highest building in the world then.
J.: Until 1972! That's when they built the World Trade Center.
U.H.: Hey, I didn't know you were an expert!
J.: Well actually, I've just done it in Civic Studies at school!
U.H.: Right then, let's see if we can find a few more facts to impress your teacher. Foundations, for example? They're only 20 meters deep, but nearly 400,000 tons of dirt and rock had to be _____(3). That's more than the weight of the whole building!
J.: Wow, we're here already. I didn't expect it to be so quick.
U.H.: Don't forget, there are 73 elevators in the building, and their speed can reach 360 meters a minute!
J.: Just look at the view! How high is the tower?
U.H.: Where we're standing, it's 381 meters, but right to the top of the TV _____(4) it's 443 meters from the ground.
J.: And look, there's the World Trade Center over there!
U.H.: Yes, you're looking to the south, and that tiny little dot in the distance is the Statue of Liberty. All the ages of American _____(5) are under your feet. Just down there is the Woolworth Building. It was the _____(6) in the world from when it was built in 1913 until the Chrysler Building was finished in 1930.
J.: Oh yeah, I can see it there to the east. Is it true that the top is _____(7) with the different symbols of Chrysler cars?
U.H.: Almost! In fact the _____(8) you can see up there reproduce the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps. And to its right you can see the United Nations Building.
J.: Oh yeah, Le Corbusier's building that they call “The Matchbox”.
U.H.: Hey, you've been reading the guide books too!
J.: I can't get over how many _____(9) there are, and how close they are together.
U.H.: That's why the _____(10) of Manhattan is so dense: there are thousands of people to the square meter! But don't forget that New York isn't all skyscrapers. The buildings are much lower in the areas which were _____(11), like in Greenwich Village.
J.: And have a look over there, north to Central Park. Then you'll see a bit of green!