He 20th Century technology time line

San Francisco
CITY TRAVEL TIPS
I. PRE-READING
A.
Background information
San Francisco, located in Northern California, is one of the most popular tourist 
destinations in the United States. The writer of the following article is giving tips 
for people who want to visit San Francisco. Tips are small pieces of advice.
B.
Words to know before you read
Match the words to their definitions.
____ 1. layers 
a. a small lake
____ 2. avoid 
b. a boat that carries passengers a short 
distance
____ 3. reservation 
c. one thing on top of another
____ 4. ferry 
d. an arrangement to save a place for a 
particular person
____ 5. pond 
e. a bison—a large wild ox native to
North America
____ 6. buffalo 
f. stay away from
C.
Reading strategy
Skim the following article (read it quickly). Place a check mark by the topics that 
are covered by the tips.
____ what to wear
____ the weather
____ sports teams
____ going to restaurants
____ interesting places to visit
____ local holidays

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46 | Better Reading English
____ public transportation
____ theater
____ making conversation
____ parking
II. READ
Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look 
them up.
Top 10 Travel Tips for Visiting San Francisco
10. Bring warm clothes, such as sweaters and long pants. However, leave your 
parka and ski gloves at home. You’ll be happier dressing in layers. The 
average temperature here is about 62° F. Yes, even in the summer.
9. Wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking on steep hills.
8. Avoid the Civic Center (Market and 6th to Market and Van Ness, or 
thereabouts) after dark. SF has a pretty bad homeless problem in this part 
of the city. It’s getting much better, but there are better places to be at 
night. Plus, it’s rather dirty.
7. Make dinner reservations if you can. In SF, restaurant goers take their food 
seriously, and you might not be able to get a seat.
6. Take a ride on the ferry. Or rent a bicycle to cross the bridge and visit 
Sausalito. Maybe pedal on to Tiburon and get the ferry back. There are so 
many amazing neighborhoods to hang out in that have quirky little 
restaurants and shops—this is the heart of San Francisco.
5. Be patient with the public transportation. It can be rather good, but 
confusing as there are two separate tickets you have to buy for BART 
(subway) and MUNI (buses/streetcars). Do not assume the ticket you 
bought for BART works on MUNI. There aren’t many taxicabs here—hailing 
one from a street corner is next to impossible—so if you need one, plan 
ahead and use your cell phone to call for pickup.
4. Visit the parks in this city, especially Golden Gate Park. You could easily 
spend a week just at this park; there is so much to do. Besides the beautiful 
walks, there are lakes and ponds you can paddle across or feed the ducks, 
ields where you can play football with your friends, one of the most 
incredible museums in the nation (the DeYoung), the Conservatory of 
Flowers, tennis courts, and even a herd of buffalo!
3. Want to start a conversation? Ask them about their opinion on their city 
politics. Most San Franciscans know what is going on with their local 
politics, which are much more active and newsworthy than almost any other 
city in America.

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San Francisco | 47
III. COMPREHENSION CHECK
Mark the sentences T (True) or F (False).
____ 1. It is extremely cold in San Francisco.
____ 2. There are many hills in San Francisco.
____ 3. There are some places tourists should stay away from at night.
____ 4. The cities of Sausalito and Tiburon are near San Francisco.
____ 5. Public transportation is terrible in San Francisco.
____ 6. You can easily call a taxi.
____ 7. There are animals in Golden Gate Park.
____ 8. Many San Franciscans are interested in city politics.
____ 9. It is dificult to park in San Francisco.
____ 10. Most locals call the city “Frisco.”
IV. VOCABULARY BUILDING
A.
Understanding from context