شاهراه 66

Route 66

Hi, everyone! I’m Georgiana, your online English teacher. My mission is to help you to speak English fluently.

Ok! Let’s start!

In the first part of this lesson I’ll talk about the famous Route 66.

And in the second part, you’ll practice your spoken English with a funny mini-story.

Who hasn’t heard of the famous Route 66? This route is a myth itself and of course an icon of the United States. Americans call it “The MotherRoute” because it was the first paved federal highway in the country.

It’s also called “The Main Street” because it was literally the Main Street in many of the tows it ran through.

It was in 1926 when the government began building this national highway which passes through no less than eight states: Illinois,Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

And do you know how many miles there are on this route? Try to guess the distance…Well, I’ll tell you. This route is about 2500 miles, which is about 4000 kilometers.

To put this distance into perspective, let’s make a comparison. If you live in Europe, the equivalent would be to drive from the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, to Moscow, in Russia.

The tour starts in Chicago. This beautiful city is located in the northeast, next to the Michigan side, and ends in Santa Monica, California. You can find signs indicating the beginning and end of Route 66.

Among other reasons, this route became famous before the constructions of the Interstate Highway System, many people took this road to move to California, especially during the Great Depression.

Many of these people were farmers who left Oklahoma to cross the desert in search of new opportunities.

In fact, thanks to all this movement of people, many businesses flourished along this popular road. Restaurants, motels, attractions of all kinds. And not only can you find unusual places, but you can also meet really peculiar people. From the typical tourists who make a pilgrimage along this route to lonely individuals who may be leaving behind a mysterious past.

This route is magical not only because of the legendary places to stop and see but also because of the miles and miles of road without curves that extend in infinity.

Many of these roads stretch across the Arizona desert. Imagine for a moment that you’re driving a classic Cadillac, in the middle of the desert.

In the distance, you can enjoy a breathtaking sunset. It’s as if the world stopped and all the American clichés were condensed in that instant.

If one day you decide to make this trip, you’ll need about two weeks if you wanna enjoy all the places, and of course a good car. Keep in mind that on the trip you won’t be alone. You’ll encounter many people doing exactly the same as you. Enjoying this beautiful trip.

So, are you up for it? Maybe one day you’ll experience this adventure, and of course, you’ll have a great opportunity to practice your English with all kinds of interesting people that you’re gonna bump into. You know…you only live once, and you have to make the most of it.

Mini-Story 📖

(improve your speaking)

Great!

Now, you can practice with a mini-story. You’ll be able to go over the vocabulary we saw in the first section.

A mini-story is very simple. I give you information using phrases and then I ask you questions.

I recommend that you listen several times until it’s easy to answer. Just relax and enjoy!

Let’s start!

Clint was a sailor who crossed the Atlantic Ocean with a small sailboat.

Was Clint a pilot?

No. He wasn’t a pilot. He was a sailor.

Who was a sailor?

Clint. Clint was a sailor.

Did he cross the ocean with his plane?

No. No. He didn’t cross the ocean by plane. He crossed the ocean with a small sailboat.

Was Clint crossed?

No, he wasn’t crossed. By the way, to be crossed means to be angry. So, Clint crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Clint’s next project was to drive Route 66.

What was his next project? To stay at home?

No. No. His next project was to drive Route 66.

Was he planning to go to a deserted island?

No. He wasn’t planning to go to a deserted island. He was planning to drive Route 66.

Was he going to fly above Route 66?

No. No. He wasn’t going to fly above Route 66. He was planning to drive Route 66.

Since Clint didn’t know how to drive, he installed wheels on his small boat.

Did Clint install an ice-cream machine on his boat?

No. No. Clint didn’t install an ice-cream machine. He installed wheels on his small boat.

Did he know how to drive?

No. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to drive.

What did he install on his boat?

Wheels. He installed wheels on his small boat.

Surprisingly, Clint traveled the entire Route 66 alone with the help of the wind.

Who helped him to travel the entire route? The water?

No. No. The water didn’t help him. It was the wind that helped him to travel the entire Route 66.

Did he travel the entire route?

Yes. He travelled the entire route.

Was his boat pushed by a cyclone?

No. His boat wasn’t pushed by a cyclone. The wind helped him to travel the entire Route 66.

When Clint arrived in Santa Monica, all the press was waiting for him.

Did Clint arrive in New York?

No. No. Clint didn’t arrive in New York. He arrived in Santa Monica.

Did the press leave when he arrived?

No. The press didn’t leave when he arrived. The press was waiting for him.

Who was waiting for him? His girlfriend?

No. No. His girlfriend wasn’t waiting for him. The press was waiting for him.

Clint didn’t talk to the press because he was eager to see the ocean again.

Did Clint talk to the press for 2 hours?

No. Clint didn’t talk to the press for 2 hours. He didn’t talk to the press at all.

Was he eager to see something?

Yes. He was eager to see the ocean again.

Who didn’t talk to the press? Who?

Clint. Clint didn’t talk to the press.

Clint became famous and rich, and now he plans to sail around the world.

Clint became poor. Right?

No. No. Clint didn’t become poor. He became rich.

Where did he plan to sail?

He planned to sail around the world.

Is he planning to stay at home?

No. No. He’s not planning to stay at home. He’s planning to sail around the world.

Fantastic! This is the end of this mini-story. I recommend you listen to it several times.

Okay, have you seen the power of the mini-story technique? You’ve answered a lot of questions. It’s just like a having a conversation with another person.

I use this technique in my courses, which you can find at: courses.SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

All right, this episode ends right here.

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