 |
Answer the following questions.
|
|
|
|
1. Where is the seat of the federal government? 2. How many branches are the powers of the government divided into? What are they? 3. Who is the legislative represented by? 4. What does the Congress consist of? 5. What is the main function of the US Congress? 6. How many senators and representatives are there in the US Congress? 7. How many years are senators chosen for? 8. Who heads the executive branch? 9. For how many years is the US President elected? 10. What are the functions of the US President? 11. Who is the judicial headed by? 12. How many members does the US Supreme Court have? What are they? 13. What are the main parties in the USA? 14. What are the symbols of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party?
Washington
Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated on the Potomac River on the country's East Coast in the District of Columbia. The District is named in honor of Columbus, the discoverer of America. Washington was named after the first US president George Washington. He selected the place for the capital. It was founded in 1790. Since 1800 Washington D.C. has been the federal capital. The French engineer, Pierre L'Enfant, designed the city. Washington D. C. isn't like other cities of the USA. It has long wide avenues, gardens, beautiful parks and no skyscrapers at all, because no other building must be taller than the Capitol.
The Capitol is the seat of the American Congress. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs. It is situated on the Capitol Hill, the highest point of the city. The Capitol has a big white dome standing on a circle of pillars. It is a huge building, full of paintings and statues.
The White House is the official residence of the US President. It was built in 1799. It is situated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The US President works and lives there. There are more than hundred rooms in the White House. The largest room in this building is the East Room, the scene of many state receptions and dances. Other famous rooms are: the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, which are used for afternoon tea and for receptions held before state dinners. The Blue Room, the most formal among all «colours» room is an oval-shaped room connecting the Green and the Red Rooms. On the second floor, one can find the Lincoln Room, which once served as an office for President Lincoln but today it serves as an honour guest's room. In this room, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, which gave freedom to black slaves in the States.
The White House is made up of six stories – the Ground Floor, State Floor, Second Floor, and Third Floor, as well as a two-story basement.
Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre. There are many theatres, research institutes, five universities, the National Academy of Science, Georgetown University, George Washington University and the Library of Congress there.
The Library of Congress is situated not far from the Capitol. It is the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents. The Library of Congress was instituted for Congress in 1800.
|
|
|
There some important museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of Presidents’ wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue diamond in the world, etc.
Among Washington’s other treasures are Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was shot in1865, and the Folger Shakespeare Library, which has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare. The library was established by Henry Clay Folger in association with his wife, Emily Jordan Folger. It opened in 1932, two years after his death.
There are many monuments in the city. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial.
Washington is sometimes called the heart of America. People from all parts of the USA come to see their capital. Washington is a city which attracts a lot of tourists by its fashionable hotels, restaurants and sightseeing attractions as “Mount Vernon” the house of the first president George Washington, the Lincoln Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the White House and others.
Washington D. C. is the city where you think about the glorious history of the USA.
Vocabulary
to select – выбирать
to found – основывать
to design – проектировать, создавать
avenue – проспект
skyscraper – небоскреб
dome – купол
circle – круг
pillar – столб, колонна
huge – огромный
to contain – содержать
suburb – пригород
impressive – производящий
glorious – славный, знаменитый
Answer the following questions.
1. What is the capital of the USA? 2. Where is Washington situated? 3. Who was Washington named after? 4. Who selected the place for the capital? 5. When was the city founded? 6. Since what time has Washington D.C. been the federal capital? 7. Who designed the city? 8. Why aren’t there any skyscrapers in Washington? 9. Where is the seat of the American Congress? Where is this building situated? 10. Where is the official residence of the US President? When was it built? 11. What is the largest library in the states? Where is it situated? 12. What monuments do you know in Washington D.C.?
New York
New York is the biggest and most important city and seaport of the country. It is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the northeastern part of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the deep Hudson River, one of the biggest in the USA.
The Hudson River is named after Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch East India Company, who explored it in 1609.
New York is known as a "melting pot", because people of different races and nationalities make up its population of more than 8 million. Many people entered the USA through New York, the Gateway of America. Emigrants from many countries and all the continents of the world, all speaking their own languages, make up this «Modern Babylon.» New York was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers.
|
|
|
New York is the financial capital of the world, the centre of the American cultural life and the national leader in fashion and entertainments. The «Big Apple» is the most popular nickname of the city. The origin of this name is unknown, but it is popular all over the world. New York has everything for everyone. It offers the best, the biggest and the brightest of everything. It is a place of excitement, beauty and contradictions.
New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.
In early times the New York area was populated by Indians. In 1626 the Dutch Trade Company bought Manhattan Island from the local Indians for 24 dollars. Here the Dutch founded their colony and gave it the name New Amsterdam. In 1664, New Amsterdam was captured by British troops and renamed in New York. New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790.
Nowadays New York consists of 5 parts, called boroughs. They are Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island or Richmond were consolidated into a single city in 1898. All districts of New York are linked together by numerous bridges.
Manhattan is the central and the oldest part of the city. It is a major commercial, economic, and cultural center of the United States. Manhattan is divided into the East Side and the West Side. The dividing line is Fifth Avenue. Manhattan is also divided into Lower (Downtown) Manhattan and Upper (Uptown) Manhattan.
When people say "New York City" they usually mean Manhattan. Many of New York offices, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, Rockefeller Centre, the United Nations building, tremendous traffic, dazzling advertisements, Central Park, Times Square, Broadway, Harlem, Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich Village, with its artists and writers, the most famous avenues and streets are situated here.
Wall Street in Lower Manhattan is the financial heart of the USA and the most important banking center in the world. Here there are many business offices, banks and the world famous New York stock exchange are situated. The New York stock exchange dominates business life of many countries.
Park Avenue represents luxury and fashion because of its large expensive apartment houses. Madison Avenue is known as the centre of advertising industry. Fifth Avenue is the most famous shopping centre.
New York is a city of “skyscrapers”. The first skyscraper was built in 1902. It was 20 storeys high. The Empire State Building at Fifth Avenue is one of the tallest buildings in the world. It's a 102-storeyed building, was built in 1931. It has become a symbol of New York. Higher than that were the twin skyscrapers of the World Trade Center, each 110 stories high, destroyed in September 2001.
Not far from the Empire State Building there is an interesting architectural complex – Rockefeller Centre. It was built by John Rockefeller during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Rockefeller Centre consists of 19 skyscrapers. It houses all kinds of offices, enterprises, banks, theaters, music halls, restaurants, shops, etc. All parts of the complex are linked by underground passageways.
A traveller who visits New York for the first time wonders at the modern architecture. The Statue of Liberty, churches, hospitals, newspaper offices and other buildings are the only examples of "old" architecture in New York. Wherever your eyes travel, everywhere you can see skyscrapers.
The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. The statue shows liberty as a proud woman draped in the graceful folds of a loose robe. In her right hand, she holds a glowing torch. She wears a crown with 7 spikes that stand for the light of liberty shining on the 7 seas and 7 continents. In her left arm, she holds a tablet with the date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A chain that represents tyranny lies broken at her feet. The Statue of Liberty was France's gift to America. It was designed by the French sculptor Bartholdi and presented to the USA in 1886.
|
|
|
New York is often called the cultural capital of the USA. It has many museums and art galleries which have collected works of art of many peoples and of all times. One of the best known museums is the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is at Fifth Avenue. It is the largest art museum and archaeology, founded in 1870. Its magnificent collection of European and American paintings contains works of many of the greatest masters of art world. This museum attracts many visitors.
The second best known museum is the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It has wonderful collections of modern art and photography. The Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art contains an impressive collection of modern artists ranging from impressionists to abstractionists. The unusual circular building of the museum was designed by F.L. Wright. The Whitney Museum of American Art or "the Whitney" comprises paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, films, videos, and new media.
No other city in the world offers as much theatre as New York where there is a daily choice of almost two hundred productions. You can see the newest plays and shows on Broadway. Broadway is the centre of the theatres and night life. It is known as “The Great White Way”, in reference to its brilliant street illuminations. Broadway is the symbol of American theatre, as Hollywood is of American cinema.
The intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue forms world-famous Times Square, the heart of the New York Theatre District. New Year's Eve celebrations stats here and at midnight a large red ball is lowered down to show that the New Year has begun.
The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Centre (the “Met”) is known throughout the music world. Several operas are presented in new productions each season. The Carnegie Hall is the city's most popular concert hall. It was opened in 1891 with a concert conducted by P.I. Tchaikovsky.
New York is famous for its festivals and special events: summer jazz, one-act play marathons, international film series and musical celebrations from the classical to the avant-garde.
New York is the city that never goes to sleep. Buses and subway run all night. There are many drugstores and restaurants which never close their doors. There are cinemas with films that start at midnight.
There are a lot of colleges and universities in New York, among them such as Columbia University, New York University, Rockefeller University, and others.
The New York Public Library is the largest library of the city. You can see a lot of interesting things here: Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, Charles Dickens's desk and Thomas Jefferson's own handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence.
New York, one of the USA leading manufacturing cities, is the home of great firms and banks. The most important branches of industry are those producing vehicles, glass, paper products, chemicals and all kinds of machinery. The city has very busy traffic. Its streets and highways are full of cars and buses. The mouth of the Hudson River makes an excellent harbour for numerous passengers and cargo ships from all over the world. Speaking about New York one can't but mention the outstanding role, the city plays, in the cultural life of the country.
|
|
|
Vocabulary
seaport – морской порт; портовый город
mouth – устье
melting pot – тигель, плавильный котёл
settler – колонист, поселенец, скваттер
nickname – прозвище, кличка
to exert influence on – оказывать влияние на (кого-л./что-л.)
to capture – захватывать силой; брать в плен
troops – войска
borough – городок, небольшой город
to consolidate – объединять; сливаться, объединяться
to link –соединять, связывать
bridge – мост
to divide into – делить, разделять
dividing line – разграничивающая линия
tremendous – огромный, гигантский, громадный
dazzling – ослепляющий, слепящий
advertisement – реклама, рекламное объявление
advertising industry – рекламная индустрия, рекламная сфера
shopping centre – торговый центр
skyscraper – небоскреб
to house – помещать; вмещать, содержать
underground passageway – подземный проход, переход
to wonder – удивляться
harbour – гавань; порт
liberty – свобода
glowing – горящий, пылающий
torch – факел
spike – острый выступ, остриё
tablet –дощечка, табличка (с надписью)
production – постановка (пьесы, кинокартины)
intersection – пересечение
be famous for smth. – быть известным (чем-л.), славиться (чем-л.)
branch of industry – отрасль промышленности
vehicle – транспортное средство; автомобиль
chemicals – химикаты
machinery –машинное оборудование; машины
highway – шоссе, магистраль
passenger ship – пассажирское судно
cargo ship – грузовое судно
to devote – посвящать
|
|
|
