Welcome to This Is America from VOA
Learning English. I’m Madeline Smith.
And I'm Mario Ritter.
Today we tell the story of Miami, Florida. The area is very popular with travelers1. The clear skies2 and sunny days3 bring people from all over the world4. Some visitors5 return to live in the warm weather6 and the beautiful semi-tropical environment7.
You can find Miami easily8 on a map of the United States. It is on the southeastern9 end of the southern state of Florida. Miami is part of Dade County, which contains many other cities and towns. Together, those neighborhoods10 make up11 the area known as12 Greater Miami.
The First Miami Residents
The name “Miami” comes from13 an Indian word. Many Native Americans lived in the area when the Spanish arrived in 1565. However14, the native population decreased15 because of European diseases16 and war with the European settlers17. The natives who remained18 lived under19 Spanish control until20 1821, when Spain sold21 Florida to the United States.
The Seminole Indian tribe strongly opposed22 American rule23. The Seminoles fought24 three wars with the United States Army25. Finally26, in about27 1858, the Seminoles withdrew28 to the wet29, tropical land30 of the Everglades, where they refused to surrender31.
Three Women Built32 Miami
In the 1890s, the Miami area had fewer than33 500 white American settlers34. Over the next century35, three women strongly influenced36 the development37 of the area.
And I'm Mario Ritter.
Today we tell the story of Miami, Florida. The area is very popular with travelers1. The clear skies2 and sunny days3 bring people from all over the world4. Some visitors5 return to live in the warm weather6 and the beautiful semi-tropical environment7.
You can find Miami easily8 on a map of the United States. It is on the southeastern9 end of the southern state of Florida. Miami is part of Dade County, which contains many other cities and towns. Together, those neighborhoods10 make up11 the area known as12 Greater Miami.
The First Miami Residents
The name “Miami” comes from13 an Indian word. Many Native Americans lived in the area when the Spanish arrived in 1565. However14, the native population decreased15 because of European diseases16 and war with the European settlers17. The natives who remained18 lived under19 Spanish control until20 1821, when Spain sold21 Florida to the United States.
The Seminole Indian tribe strongly opposed22 American rule23. The Seminoles fought24 three wars with the United States Army25. Finally26, in about27 1858, the Seminoles withdrew28 to the wet29, tropical land30 of the Everglades, where they refused to surrender31.
Three Women Built32 Miami
In the 1890s, the Miami area had fewer than33 500 white American settlers34. Over the next century35, three women strongly influenced36 the development37 of the area.
The first was Julia Tuttle. She is known as38 the Mother
of Miami.
Julia Tuttle was a wealthy widow39 from the north who owned land40 in Miami. She believed that Miami could someday be41 an important link between42 the United States and South America.
Julia Tuttle was a wealthy widow39 from the north who owned land40 in Miami. She believed that Miami could someday be41 an important link between42 the United States and South America.
So, she offered43 land to businessman44 Henry
Flagler, who owned what became45
known as the Florida East Coast46
Railway47 system.
He extended his railroad48 to Miami.
The area grew quickly49 after the railroad arrived in 1896. But, a powerful50 ocean storm51 damaged52 Miami in 1926. Then, in the 1930s, the Great Depression slowed53 most new building projects.
The city began growing again54 after World War II. Miami became a leading55 center of trade56 with countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Many people from other parts of the United States moved to57 Florida permanently to enjoy the warm weather58.
Only 50 years after Julia Tuttle made her deal59 with Henry Flagler, the population of the Greater Miami area had grown60 to about61 500,000 people.
In 1947, the writer62 Marjorie Stoneman Douglas helped people in Miami understand how development could destroy63 the Everglades. The Everglades are huge64 wetlands65. They include grasslands66 and a very shallow67 slow river. Marjorie Stoneman Douglas’ book, called “River of Grass,” explained68 how important the Everglades were to the survival69 of Miami. That same70 year marked the opening71 of the Everglades National Park.
The third woman to influence Miami was Barbara Baer Capitman. During the 1970s, she organized a campaign72 to save Art Deco style buildings in the city of Miami Beach.
Many business people and local officials opposed73 Barbara Capitman’s efforts74. They saw75 old and damaged buildings76, but she saw historic architecture.
She succeeded77 in having the Art Deco area added to78 the National Register of Historic Places79. Miami Beach is now famous for the more than 800 colorful80 buildings designed in the Art Deco style.
Miami Today
Today, about two million people live in and around81 Miami-Dade County. Many adults leave82 colder83 climates to retire84 in its warm85 weather.
Miami is also86 home to many immigrants from around the world. About 50 percent of people in the Miami area come from Spanish-speaking countries87 in Central America and South America. Haitians are the second largest immigrant group. Canadians sometimes88 call the Miami area Quebec-in-the-Tropics because so many89 French Canadians retire there.
MUSIC: Jimmy Buffet, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
Miami has thousands of manufacturing companies90. The port91 of Miami is a center for international trade and passenger ships92. The warm weather has helped the local agriculture industry grow to be one of the largest93 in the United States.
Tourism is another94 of the city’s most important industries. About ten million people visit Miami every year. There are more visitors from other countries than from the United States.
Many visitors come to swim95 in the warm waters of Biscayne Bay or the Atlantic Ocean. Some take boat trips96 into the Everglades, where they can see many kinds of birds97. They might even98 see alligators99.
Visitors to the Miami area can enjoy many kinds of sporting events. They can also choose from among100 many music, theater and dance performances.
The area grew quickly49 after the railroad arrived in 1896. But, a powerful50 ocean storm51 damaged52 Miami in 1926. Then, in the 1930s, the Great Depression slowed53 most new building projects.
The city began growing again54 after World War II. Miami became a leading55 center of trade56 with countries in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Many people from other parts of the United States moved to57 Florida permanently to enjoy the warm weather58.
Only 50 years after Julia Tuttle made her deal59 with Henry Flagler, the population of the Greater Miami area had grown60 to about61 500,000 people.
In 1947, the writer62 Marjorie Stoneman Douglas helped people in Miami understand how development could destroy63 the Everglades. The Everglades are huge64 wetlands65. They include grasslands66 and a very shallow67 slow river. Marjorie Stoneman Douglas’ book, called “River of Grass,” explained68 how important the Everglades were to the survival69 of Miami. That same70 year marked the opening71 of the Everglades National Park.
The third woman to influence Miami was Barbara Baer Capitman. During the 1970s, she organized a campaign72 to save Art Deco style buildings in the city of Miami Beach.
Many business people and local officials opposed73 Barbara Capitman’s efforts74. They saw75 old and damaged buildings76, but she saw historic architecture.
She succeeded77 in having the Art Deco area added to78 the National Register of Historic Places79. Miami Beach is now famous for the more than 800 colorful80 buildings designed in the Art Deco style.
Miami Today
Today, about two million people live in and around81 Miami-Dade County. Many adults leave82 colder83 climates to retire84 in its warm85 weather.
Miami is also86 home to many immigrants from around the world. About 50 percent of people in the Miami area come from Spanish-speaking countries87 in Central America and South America. Haitians are the second largest immigrant group. Canadians sometimes88 call the Miami area Quebec-in-the-Tropics because so many89 French Canadians retire there.
MUSIC: Jimmy Buffet, "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes"
Miami has thousands of manufacturing companies90. The port91 of Miami is a center for international trade and passenger ships92. The warm weather has helped the local agriculture industry grow to be one of the largest93 in the United States.
Tourism is another94 of the city’s most important industries. About ten million people visit Miami every year. There are more visitors from other countries than from the United States.
Many visitors come to swim95 in the warm waters of Biscayne Bay or the Atlantic Ocean. Some take boat trips96 into the Everglades, where they can see many kinds of birds97. They might even98 see alligators99.
Visitors to the Miami area can enjoy many kinds of sporting events. They can also choose from among100 many music, theater and dance performances.
Vocabulary
1. travelers = viajantes
2. skies = céus
3. sunny days = dias ensolarados
4. people from all over the world = Pessoas de todo o mundo
5. visitors = visitants
6. warm weather = clima quente
7. environment = meio ambiente
8. easily = facilmente
9. southeastern = região sudeste
10. neighborhoods = bairros
11. make up = constitui
12. known as = conhecida como
13. comes from = vem de
14. However = contudo
15. Decreased = diminuiu
16. Diseases = doenças
17. Settlers = colonizadores
18. Remained = permaneceram
19. Under = sob
20. Until = até
21. Sold = vendeu
22. strongly opposed = opôs-se fortemente
23. rule = domínio, governo
24. fought = lutaram
25. Army = exercito
26. Finally = finalmente
27. About = aproximadamente
28. Withdrew = retiraram-se
29. Wet = úmido(a)
30. Land = terra
31. Refused to surrender = recusaram-se a se render
32. Built = construiram
33. had fewer than = tinha menos do que
34. settlers = colonizadores
35. Over the next century = ao longo do seculo seguinte
36. strongly influenced = influenciaram fortemente
37. development = desenvolvimento
38. known as = conhecida como
39. wealthy widow = viúva rica
40. owned land = possuía terras
41. could someday be = poderia ser algum dia
42. link between = ligação entre
43. offered = ofereceu
44. businessman = homem de negócios
45. became = tornou-se
46. East Coast = costa leste
47. Railway = Estrada de ferro
48. Railroad = Estrada de ferro
49. grew quickly = cresceu rapidamente
50. powerful = poderoso(a)
51. storm = tempestade
52. damaged = danificou
53. slowed = desacelerou
54. began growing again = começou a crescer novamente
55. leading = lider
56. trade = comercio
57. moved to = mudaram-se para
58. enjoy the warm weather = desfrutar do clima quente
59. deal = acordo
60. had grown = tinha crescido
61. about = aproximadamente
62. writer = escritor(a)
63. could destroy = poderia destruir
64. huge = imenso(a)
65. wetlands = pantanal
66. grasslands = pastagens
67. shallow = raso
68. explained = explicou
69. survival = sobrevivencia
70. same = mesmo(a)
71. opening = abertura
72. organized a campaign = organizou uma campanha
73. opposed = opuseram-se
74. efforts = esforços
75. saw = viram
76. damaged buildings = prédios danificados
77. succeeded = foi bem sucedida
78. added to = adicionado(a) a
79. Places = lugares
80. Colorful = colorido(a)
81. in and around = dentro e ao redor de
82. leave = deixar, abandoner
83. colder = mais frio
84. retire = aposentar-se
85. warm = quente
86. also = também
87. Spanish-speaking countries = países de lingua espanhola
88. Sometimes = as vezes
89. so many = tantos
90. manufacturing companies = empresas de manufatura
91. port = porto
92. passenger ships = navios de cruzeiro
93. of the largest = um dos maiores
94. another = um(a) outro(a)
95. swim = nadir
96. take boat trips = fazem viagens de barco
97. many kinds of birds = muitos tipos de pássaros
98. might even = podem até mesmo
99. alligators = jacarés
100. choose from among = escolher entre
