This series of Everyday Conversations is about a family traveling to each of the 50 states in the U.S. Join the family members as they learn about local pastimes and history. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.
The family travels to Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Claudine: This Hall of Fame is amazing. There are so many exhibits on the roots of rock and roll.
Sam: And I like the interactive kiosks.
Claudine: Yes, the multimedia aspect is cool. I liked the one titled “Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Sam: Next, let’s go see the wall with the signatures of all the inductees.
Claudine: That sounds good. And then do you think we should try to find Mom and Dad? Last time we saw them, they were outside looking at the design of the building.
Sam: Yes, we need to bring them inside. Otherwise, they won’t have time to see all of the cool stuff in here.
Now let’s review the vocabulary.
A Hall of Fame is like a museum. It houses displays and information about people from a particular sport or activity.
An exhibit (or exhibition) is a collection of things, such as works of art, that are put in a space for people to look at.
Roots means the origins of something. Rock and roll has its roots in other genres (types) of music, such as blues.
Rock and roll can also be written as rock ’n’ roll.
When something is interactive, it means that it is designed to respond to the actions of the user. For example, an interactive exhibit lets the user interact with the content of the exhibit in some way.
In the context of this conversation, a kiosk is a small structure that provides information, generally on a computer screen.
Multimedia means the use of different ways of giving information. Different materials are used to provide information. In this conversation, the kiosks present information using text, audio and video.
An aspect is a particular part of something. In the conversation, Claudine liked the multimedia part of the kiosks.
A signature is a person’s name in his or her handwriting.
An inductee is a person who has officially been made a member of a group or organization.
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