Thousands Protest Plans for Kennedy Center in Washington
Listen to the story
On Friday evening, thousands of people protested in Washington. They stood outside the Kennedy Center. This is a famous building for arts and music.
The people were angry about plans for the building. They are worried that President Trump wants to demolish it. To demolish something means to destroy it completely.
Someone saw Trump holding a placard. A placard is a big sign with words on it. His sign said: 'Kennedy Center DEMOLIS...' The word was not finished.
The building's outside walls are made of marble. Marble is a hard, smooth, white stone. Right now, the marble is covered. Workers put up scaffolding and tarpaulins. Scaffolding is a metal frame for building work. A tarpaulin is a big sheet that covers things.
The protesters wanted to show their support for the Kennedy Center. They do not want the government to close or destroy it.
Many people see the Kennedy Center as an important part of American culture. It hosts music, dance, and theater shows.
The protest happened because people are worried about the future of this famous place.
Vocabulary6 words
- protested
- showed you are angry about something, often in a group
- demolish
- to destroy a building completely
- placard
- a big sign with words, held up by a person
- marble
- a hard, smooth stone, often white
- scaffolding
- a metal frame used by workers on a building
- tarpaulins
- big, strong sheets used to cover things
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Outside the Kennedy Center 2. Demolish the Kennedy Center 3. Scaffolding and tarpaulins
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
On Friday evening, thousands of people _____ in Washington.
They stood outside the _____ Center.
They are worried that Trump wants to _____ it.
Someone saw Trump holding a _____.
His sign said: 'Kennedy Center _____...'
The building's outside walls are made of _____.
Workers put up _____ and tarpaulins.
The protesters wanted to show their _____ for the building.
Many people see it as an important part of American _____.
It hosts music, dance, and _____ shows.
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