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5. Retell the text. 6. Read the following dialogue and act it out. 7. Read about the 5 best universities in the USA, make up questions and ask them your group mates.
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5. Retell the text.
6. Read the following dialogue and act it out.
Dialogue
Teacher: Can you name the most important landmarks in the USA?
Student: I think I can, but you’ll have to help me a bit.
T.: Oh, I’m sure you are able to do it without my help. Well, go ahead!
S.: The Grand Canyon known throughout the world for its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape, should be mentioned first.
T.: Right! It’s over 270 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. Where is it located?
S.: In northern Arizona. It is geologically important because the layers of ancient rocks so beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon reveal a timeline of Earth's history. Today Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1 million acres of land and receives close to 5 million visitors each year.
T.: What about the Brooklyn Bridge?
S.: The Brooklyn Bridge looms majestically over New York City's East River, linking the two boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Since 1883, its granite towers and steel cables have offered a safe and scenic passage to millions of commuters and tourists, trains and bicycles, pushcarts and cars.
T.: Do you happen to know how much time it took to construct the bridge?
S.: The bridge's construction took 14 years, involved 600 workers and cost $15 million (more than $320 million in today's dollars). At least two dozen people died in the process, including its original designer. Now more than 125 years old, this iconic feature of the New York City skyline still carries roughly 150, 000 vehicles and pedestrians every day.
T.: Can you tell us anything about The Statue of Liberty?
S.: Yes, of course. The statue was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations.
T.: You are right! And who was the sculptor?
S.: The Frenchman Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue's steel framework.
T.: Where can you see this statue?
S.: It is on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island. Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world's most recognizable landmarks.
T.: Thank you for this interesting and useful information.
7. Read about the 5 best universities in the USA, make up questions and ask them your group mates.
Most of the top hundred universities or colleges of Engineering and Technology belong to the USA. And this is the sole reason why the USA is so growing in a sense of R& D. Institutes of technology and polytechnics have existed in the USA at least since the 18th century, but became popular after World War II with the expansion of engineering education and technical education, associated with the new needs created by industrialization. In some cases, polytechnics or institutes of technology are engineering schools or technical colleges. They give their students some certain skills and mindset by which they become able to get high peaks in practical life. Let us have a look at the list of top 5 best universities.
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1. California Institute of Technology (CalTech)
Relative to the tiny size of the student population, California Institute of Technology (CalTech) has an impressive number of successful graduates and affiliates, including 31 Nobel Prize winners, six Turing Award winners, five Fields Medalists and a number of national awards. It was founded in 1890 in private ownership. There are only approximately 2, 000 students at CalTech, and the primary campus in Pasadena, near Los Angeles, covers 124 acres. Almost all undergraduates live on campus. Across the six faculties there is a focus on science and engineering.
In addition to Nobel laureates and top researchers, the CalTech alumni community also includes a number of politicians and public advisers, particularly in positions that deal with science, technology and energy. All first-year students belong to one of four houses as part of the university’s alternative model to fraternities. There is a number of house traditions and events associated with each house. The university has the highest proportion of students who continue on to pursue a PhD, and the trope of the CalTech postgraduate has filtered into popular culture; all the main characters in the TV comedy The Big Bang Theory work or study at CalTech.
2. Stanford University
Based right next to Silicon Valley – or Palo Alto – Stanford has had a prominent role in encouraging the high-tech industry to develop in the area. It is a private institution working since 1891. Many faculty members, students and alumni have founded successful technology companies and start-ups, including Google, Snapchat and Hewlett-Packard. In total, companies founded by Stanford alumni make $2. 7 trillion each year.
The university is often referred to as “the Farm”, as the campus was built on the site of the Stanford family’s Palo Alto Stock Farm. The campus covers 8, 180 acres, but more than half of the land is not yet developed. With distinctive sand-coloured, red-roofed buildings, Stanford’s campus is thought to be one of the most beautiful in the world. It contains a number of sculpture gardens and art museums in addition to faculty buildings and a public meditation centre. As might be expected from one of the best universities in the world, Stanford is highly competitive. The admission rate currently stands at just over 5 per cent. Of the 15, 000 students – most of whom live on campus – 22 per cent are international.
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