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Tourist guide
The following text and pictures are fragments taken from a tourist website
on Amsterdam. The text is followed by some questions for you to answer.
As we said in the introduction, we will not look at the following text
with a view to what information we can gain about Amsterdam, but with
a view to see how Amsterdam is talked about: how it is represented.
To a large extent the genre of tourist information on a website, already
determines what is said and how it is said. We expect certain kinds of
information, such as what you can do in Amsterdam, some practical information
and what makes the city special or at least worthwhile to pay a visit.
We also expect that information to be presented to us in a generally
positive and polished way; a way, which gives us, readers, clear and
attractive images of the city. Nevertheless within these conventional
ways of talking about a city as a tourist destination, texts like these
still reveal a particular way of thinking and they create a particular
meaning of Amsterdam.
You should note though that because we have selected just a few fragments
of this website, we in some ways are giving you a biased view.
Activity
First read the whole text and consider in what ways
you feel this text is similar or differs from other tourist guides. Then
answer the questions one by one. |
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Amsterdam
Amsterdam is one of the greatest small cities in the world. From its
canals to world-famous museums and historical sights, Amsterdam is
one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe.
Amsterdam is a city of tolerance and diversity. It has all the advantages
of a big city: culture, history, entertainment, good transport- but
is relatively small, quiet, and largely thanks to its canals, has little
road traffic.
Coffee shops
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Coffee shops in Holland are allowed to sell small
amounts of cannabis and they are strictly regulated and taxed.
Furthermore, coffee shops must not sell to anyone under 18; they
must not sell more than 5g to any customer. Hard drugs are strictly
prohibited. |
Amsterdam Tourist Sights
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Amsterdam has a broad spectrum of recreational
and cultural sights that range from sublime buildings, such as
Oude Kerk, to oddities like the Hash Marihuana Museum.
Museums are the main tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Everyone
knows the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum,
but there is much more. Amsterdam has over fifty museums, which
attract many millions of visitors each year. |
Red Light District
Beer and party atmosphere, sex for
sale, and limitless people watching. These erotic theatres, barely
dressed women -old, young, black, white, Asian, fat, skinny,
ugly, beautiful- pose in windows, lick their lips, and try to
lure visitors inside. The stores are full of hardcore videos.
Magazines and sex toys complete the attractions in this sexual
amusement park.
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Canals
The four main city centre canals are Prinsengracht, Herengracht,
Keizersgracht and Singel, but there are numerous smaller canals,
of which the Brouwersgracht, the Bloemengracht and the Leliegracht
are especially pleasant. |
The canals provide a leisurely pace from which
to observe Amsterdam's unique architecture and street life. By
daytime already very charming, by night these canals become even
more enchanting as many canal houses and bridges are illuminated.
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Leidseplein
The square of Leidseplein is one
of Amsterdam's popular centres for nightlife.
With many restaurants,
clubs, coffee shops and cinemas in the area, the Leidseplein
is very lively, especially on warm summer evenings. Street
musicians, jugglers, fire-eaters and other performers make the
square a lively place until the early hours. |
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Dam
Dam Square is the very centre of Amsterdam. In contrast to its turbulent
history, the square is now a peaceful place and is home to flocks of
pigeons. The Royal Palace is situated to the west of the square.
Albert Cuyp Market
The Albert Cuyp market is the best-known
and busiest outdoor market in Europe that attracts thousands
of visitors every day, and is really crowded on Saturdays. The
goods on sale at over 300 stalls range from fruit, vegetables,
cheese, fish, poultry, to clothes, with prices among the cheapest
in Amsterdam. The market is located in the Pijp district, surrounded
by many pleasant cafes and small shops.
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Questions
- What impression do you get of Amsterdam from the introductory fragment?
>Check
your answer
- Which particular contrasting images are created in this introductory
fragment?
>Check
your answer
- Now look at how the ideas of both tolerance and diversity are reflected
in the other fragments of these web pages.
>Check
your answer
>Go to 'a song'.
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