UNIT 6
Lesson 23
Exercise 1.1
I had a fantastic time in New York.
I was there for New Year's Eve.
We left Matt's apartment at about seven thirty
and walked towards Times Square.
We hurried because we wanted to
find a good place to watch the celebrations.
We arrived at Times Square
at about eight o'clock.
There were already thousands of people there.
There were no cars around
because the police stopped all the traffic
in the streets nearby.
We looked for a good place to stand
and then waited.
Over the next two or three hours,
the people increased.
Some parents
carried their children on their shoulders
so that they could see better.
Finally,it was time for the "countdown".
On the roof of one of the buildings,
there is a glass ball
that moves down a pole at twelve o'clock.
At 11:59, everyone looked up at the roof
because the ball started
to move slowly down the pole.
Ten seconds before midnight,
everyone counted the seconds:
Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! ...
When the ball reached the bottom,
it was New Year and everyone clapped
and cheered and shouted.
People smiled happily
and wished us a Happy New Year.