Classroom Speech - Paris, France

According to a report issued by the Paris Office of Tourism, The Louvre is the worlds most visited museum, averaging 15,000 visitors per day. The Louvre Pyramid is a glass and metal pyramidal structure that serves as the entrance to the museum. As the items to be displayed keep increasing, French officials have decided on building more museums under the Louvre name. There is one in Lens, in Northern France and there is one planned to open up in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
             Moving on, the next monument I'll tell you about is the Arch of Triumph. There are many such arches in the world but this one is the largest. It serves as a link between Old Paris and New Paris. It is situated towards the Louvre on one side and the financial district with its skyscrapers on the other. So why was it built in the first place? It was built in order to honor military victories. It was commissioned by the Emperor Napoleon himself after his decisive victory. However, Napoleon never got to see the arch finished since he fell from power and was exiled from Paris. It is 50m high and 45m wide- the result is what you can see today. The arch is stacked with beautiful reliefs and sculptures. The inside walls of the arch have a long list of names. These are the names of the French generals who took part in the wars. Major events and national celebrations take place here. It is also possible to enter the top which will give you a great view of central Paris.
             The languages that are spoken within Paris are primarily English, German dialects, Arabic and French. French is the official language of the country and is spoken by most of its residents. Great importance is placed on the preservation of the integrity of French. The most common spoken foreign language is English because of the amount of tourism that happens there. However, to ask someone there if they speak English is considered impolite. Arabic is the third-largest minority language spoken there.