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The World in Your Neighborhood

Is it possible to travel around the world for $2.00? It is in Queens. Queens is a borough of New York City. It is home to people of over 120 different nationalities. A borough is a division of a large city. New York has five boroughs, but Queens is the most diverse (including many different kinds of people). The number 7 train goes through Queens. Every day, the 7 train carries people from all over the world to work and home. One stop on the train is in an Indian neighborhood. Another stop is in a Dominican neighborhood. Another stop is in a Colombian neighborhood. For $2.00, the price of just one train ride, you can visit all of these neighborhoods. It feels like you are visiting many different countries.

Why are there so many people of different nationalities in Queens? It is not a mistake. In 1917, the city of New York built the 7 train in order to provide public transportation between Queens and Manhattan. They wanted immigrants (residents who come from other countries) to move from Manhattan to Queens. Manhattan was very crowded. Too many people lived there. Queens was still a small town and not very many people lived there. Queens gave immigrants more space and better living conditions. The 7 train offered them a short commute (trip to work) to Manhattan.

So next time you want to travel around the world, take a trip to Queens. Visit an Indian dress store, shop in a Korean grocery, eat at a Polish deli, and try to communicate with the residents in many languages.

Finding the Main Ideas

Complete the sentences.


1	"The World in Your Neighborhood" is about ___.
	A)	world travel
	B)	the diverse borough of Queens
	C)	the New York subway system



2	The number 7 train ___.
	A)	goes from Manhattan to Brooklyn
	B)	is home to many different kinds of people
	C)	helped create diverse neighborhoods in Queens

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The World in Your Neighborhood

Finding the Main Ideas

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