Голицынский, 7-е издание – Артикль – Упражнение 73

In the old days it was necessary for all the parts of a city to be close together, in order that a defensive wall might surround it, and the streets, therefore, were made as narrow as possible. Many European cities began with walls round them. But in America there was little need for defensive walls, and that’s why many American cities have been built on a regular plan, modified a little according to natural surroundings. The streets in American cities, instead of having names, are numbered, and so when one has once understood the plan of an American city, it is very easy to find one’s way from one part of it to another. The old part of New York lies in the southern half of Manhattan Island, and there the streets are narrow and twisted, as in the towns of the Old World. But the rest of the streets, with but few exceptions, all run in straight lines. There is one street in the city, however, that does not follow a straight line. And that is Broadway, New York’s most famous street. It starts within sight of the dancing waters of the harbour and runs between tall skyscrapers in the northwestern direction. This great street is the longest in the world.