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ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
General information
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states, one federal district, and fourteen territories. The country is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere. The U.S. is one of the world's most ethnically and socially diverse nations, the product of large-scale immigration from almost every corner of the globe. Its national economy is the world's largest, with a nominal 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $13 trillion.
The nation was founded by thirteen colonies of Great Britain located along the Atlantic seaboard.
Etymology
Common abbreviations of the United States of America include the United States, the U.S., and the U.S.A. Colloquial names for the country include the common America as well as the States. The term Americas, for the lands of the western hemisphere, was coined in the early sixteenth century after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer and cartographer. The full name of the country was first used officially in the Declaration of Independence, which was the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America" adopted by the "Representatives of the united States of America" on July 4, 1776. The current name was finalized on November 15, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first of which states, "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" Columbia, a once popular name for the Americas and the U.S., was named after Christopher Columbus. It appears in the name District of Columbia.
Symbols
The American Flag
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The American flag consists of 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red alternating with 6 white. The upper corner near the staff is a rectangular blue field that contains 50 five-pointed white stars. The thirteen stripes symbolize the 13 original colonies of the United states of America and the stars represent the 50 states of the Union.
White is said to symbolize purity and innocence; Red, hardiness and valor, and Blue, vigilance, perseverance and justice. The American flag is commonly called the Stars and Stripes, the Red, White and Blue, or the Star Spangled Banner.
History of American Flag
For more than 200 years, the American flag has been the symbol of the nation's strength and unity.
On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." As new states joined the Union there had to be representation of them in the flag.
Betsy Ross
Elizabeth Griscom Ross was a seamstress and legend has said that she was the maker of the first American flag. According to the story often told, General George Washington, her late husband’s uncle, called her in 1773 and asked her to design a national flag. The Betsy Ross house has been preserved and can be visited by tourists. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Between 1777 and 1960, Congress passed several acts that changed the shape, design and arrangement of the flag and allowed for additional stars and stripes to be added to reflect the admission of each new state.
The coat of arms of the United States
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Located at the west end of the Great Hall, closest to the Capitol, is the coat of arms of the United States. It was approved on 20 June 1782 by an Act of Congress, and appears on the Great Seal of the United States. Above the head of an American bald eagle is the crest, which represents a cloud surrounding thirteen stars. The eagle holds thirteen arrows of war in its left talon and the olive branch of peace in its right. In its beak is a scroll bearing the motto “e pluribus unum (out of many, one)”. The shield has thirteen vertical stripes (pales) on the lower portion, alternating white and red, with a wider horizontal bar (a chief) above, in blue.
The colors on the coat of arms are the same as those of the flag and when displayed have special meaning. Red represents hardiness and valor, the white purity and innocence, and the blue stands for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The arrows and olive branch represent the power of peace and war, exclusively vested in Congress. The shield on the breast of the American eagle has no supporters (a pair of figures standing one on each side of and supporting the shield), denoting that the United States must rely on its own virtue. The thirteen bars of the shield represent the "several States all joined in one compact entire" and the solid horizontal bar (chief) above "unites the whole and represents Congress."
the Great Seal of the United States
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On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, became a reality on June 20, 1782.
The front side of the Great Seal, which is the U.S. coat of arms, authenticates the President's signature on numerous official documents such as treaty ratifications, international agreements, appointments of Ambassadors and civil officers, and communications from the President to heads of foreign governments. It is also shown on coins, postage stamps, passports, monuments and flags, and in many other ways. The American public sees both the front and less familiar reverse, which is never used as a seal, every day when using a $1 dollar bill.
On the front side, the American bald eagle is prominently featured supporting a shield composed of 13 red and white stripes representing the Thirteen Original States with a blue bar uniting the shield and representing Congress. The motto of the United States, E Pluribus Unum (meaning out of many, one), refers to this union. The olive branch and 13 arrows grasped by the eagle allude to peace and war, powers solely vested in the Congress, and the constellation of stars symbolizes the new Nation taking its place among the sovereign powers.
On the reverse side, the pyramid signifies strength and determination: The eye over it and the motto, “Annuit Coeptis (meaning He, [God,] has favored our undertakings)” allude to the many interventions of Providence in favor of the American cause. The Roman numerals below are the date of the Declaration of Independence. The words under it, “Novus Ordo Seclorum (meaning a new order of the ages)”, signify the beginning of the new American era in 1776.
Anthem of the United States.
The Star Spangled Banner
Lyrics
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out of of their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave'
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Anthem History
The text was written by the American lawyer and poet Francis Scott Key (1779-1843). During the night of September 13, 1814, the British fleet bombarded
Fort McHenry in the harbour at Baltimore, Maryland. Francis Scott Key, a 34-year old lawyer-poet, watched the attack from a deck of a British prisoner-exchange ship. As the battle ceased on the following morning, Key turned his telescope to the fort and saw the American flag was still waving. The sight so inspired him that he pulled a letter from his pocket and began to write the poem which eventually was adopted as the national anthem of the United States - "The Star Spangled Banner."
The melody to which Francis Scott Key intended his poem to be sung was the tune known as "to Anachreon in Heaven".The composer of this tune is uncertain. John Stafford Smith (1750-1836), used the tune for an arrangement and is often regarded as the composer of the tune.
Vocabulary notes
Contiguous – соприкасающийся, прилегающий
Gross domestic product – Валовый национальный продукт
Abbreviations - сокращения
Hemisphere - полушарие
Unanimous - единогласный
Purity - чистота
Innocence - невинность
Hardiness - смелость, отвага
Valor - доблесть
Vigilance - бдительность
Perseverance – упорство, настойчивость
Highlights -
Seamstress - швея
coat of arms – герб
crest - гребень
virtue - добродетель
authenticate – заверять, подтверждать
treaty – соглашение, конвенция
Ambassador - консул
Anthem - гимн
History
DISCOVERY
Around the year 1000 a party of Icelandic Vikings under Leif Ericson sailed to the eastern coast of North America. They landed at a place they called Vinland. Remains of a Viking settlement have been found in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. They failed, however, to establish any permanent settlements, and they soon lost contact with the new continent.
Five hundred years later, the need for increased trade and an error in navigation led to another European encounter with America. In late 15th-century Europe, there was a great demand for spices, textiles and dyes from Asia. Christopher Columbus, a mariner from Italy, mistakenly believed that he could reach the Far East by sailing 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) west from Europe. In 1492, he persuaded the king and queen of Spain to finance such a voyage. Columbus sailed west, but he did not reach Asia. Instead he landed on one of the Bahama Islands in the Caribbean Sea.
The Spanish established some of the earliest settlements in North America—St. Augustine in Florida (1565). Santa Fe in New Mexico (1609) and San Diego in California (1769).
The Europeans were initially drawn to the New World in search of wealth. When Columbus and later Spanish explorers returned to Europe with stories of abundant gold in the Americas, each European sovereign hastened to claim as much territory as possible in the New World— along with whatever wealth might be extracted from it. This was the main reason for the establishment of colonies.
ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS
The first successful English colony in the Americas was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The settlement was financed by a London company which expected to make a profit from the settlement. It never did. Of the first 105 colonists, 73 died of hunger and disease within seven months of their arrival. But the colony survived and eventually grew and became wealthy. The Virgmians discovered a way to earn money by growing tobacco. which thev began shipping to England in 1614.
In New England, the northeastern region of what is now the United States. several settlements were established bv English Puritans. These settlers believed that the Church of England had adopted too many practices from Roman Catholicism, and they came to America to escape persecution in England and to found a colony based on their own religious ideals. One group of Puritans, called the "Pilgrims," crossed the Atlantic in the ship “May Flower” and settled at Plymouth. Massachusetts in 1620. A much larger Puritan colony was established in the Boston area in 1630. By 1635, some settlers were already migrating to nearby Connecticut.
The Puritans hoped to build "a city upon a hill"—an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. New England also established another American tradition—a strain of often intolerant moralism. The Puritans believed that governments should enforce God's morality. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers, violators of the Sabbath and heretics. In the Puritan settlements the right to vote was restricted to church members, and the salaries of ministers were paid out of tax revenues.
One Puritan who disagreed with the decisions of the community, Roger Williams, protested that the state should not interfere with religion. Forced to leave Massachusetts in 1635. he set up the neighboring Rhode Island colony, that guaranteed religious freedom and the separation of church and state. The colonies' of Maryland, settled in 1634 as a refuge for Roman Catholics, and Pennsylvania. founded in 1681 by the Quaker leader William Penn, were also characterized by religious toleration. This toleration, in its turn, attracted further groups of settlers to the New World.
Over time the British colonies in North America were also occupied bv many non-British national groups. German farmers settled in Pennsylvania, Swedes founded the colony of Delaware, and African slaves first arrived in Virginia in 1619. In 1626. Dutch settlers purchased Manhattan Island from local Indian chiefs and built the town of New Amsterdam; in 1664. the settlement was captured by the English and renamed New York.
COLONIAL ERA
Most American colonists worked on small farms. In the southern colonies of Virginia. North Carolina and South Carolina, landowners carved large tobacco and rice plantations out of fertile river basins. These were worked by blacks under the system of slavery, which had evolved slowly since 1619 or by free Englishmen who contracted to work without pay for several years in return for their passage to America.
By 1770, several small but growing urban centers had emerged, each supporting newspapers, shops, merchants and craftsmen. Philadelphia, with 28,000 inhabitants, was the largest city, followed by New York, Boston and Charleston, South Carolina. Unlike most other nations, the United States never had a feudal aristocracy. Land was plentiful and labor was scarce in colonial America, and every free man had an opportunity to achieve economic independence, if not prosperity.
All of the colonies shared a tradition of representative government. The English king appointed many of the colonial governors, but they all had to rule in cooperation with an elected assembly. Voting was restricted to landowning white males, but most white males owned enough property to vote. Britain could not exercise direct control over her American colonies. London was too far away and the colonists were too independent-minded.
By 1733. English settlers had occupied 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast, from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south. The French controlled Canada and Louisiana, which included the entire Mississippi watershed—a vast empire with few people. Between 1689 and 1815. France and Britain fought several wars, and North America was drawn into every one of them. By 1756 England and France were fighting the Seven Years' War, known in America as the French and Indian War. William Pitt, the British prime minister, invested soldiers and money in North America and won an empire. British forces captured the Canadian strone points of Louisburg (1758), Quebec (1759) and Montreal (1760). The Peace of Pans. signed in 1763. gave Britain title to Canada and all of North America east of the Mississippi River.
Britain's victory led directly to a conflict with its American colonies. To prevent fighting with the Native Americans, known as Indians to the Europeans, a royal proclamation denied colonists the right to settle west of the Appalachian mountains. The British government began punishing smugglers and charged new taxes on sugar, coffee, textiles and other imported goods. The Quartering Act forced the colonies to house and feed British soldiers: and with the passage of the Stamp Act, special tax stamps had to be attached to all newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents and licenses.
Americans also have always insisted on exercising some control over the system of taxation which supports their government. Colonial Americans insisted that they could be taxed only by their own colonial assemblies. In 1765, representatives from nine colonies met as the "Stamp Act Congress" and spoke out against the new tax. Merchants refused to sell British goods, mobs threatened stamp distributors and most colonists simply refused to use the stamps. The British Parliament was forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it enforced the Quartering Act, enacted taxes on tea and other goods and sent customs officers to Boston to collect those tariffs. Again the colonists refused to obey, so British soldiers were sent to Boston.
Tensions eased when Lord North, the new British chancellor of the exchequer, removed all the new taxes except that on tea. In 1773 a group of patriots responded to the tea tax by staging the "Boston Tea Party": Disguised as Indians, they boarded British merchant ships and tossed 342 crates of tea into Boston harbor. Parliament then passed the "Intolerable Acts": The independence of the Massachusetts colonial government was sharply curtailed, and more British soldiers were sent to the port of Boston, which was now closed to shipping. In September 1774, the First Continental Congress, a meeting of colonial leaders opposed to what they perceived to be British oppression in the colonies, met in Philadelphia. These leaders urged Americans to disobey the Intolerable Acts and to boycott British trade. Colonists began to organize militias and to collect and store weapons and ammunition.
REVOLUTION
On April 19, 1775, 700 British soldiers marched from Boston to forestall a rebellion of the colonists by capturing a colonial arms depot in the nearby town of Concord. At the village of Lexington. they confronted 70 militiamen. Someone—no one knows who—fired a shot, and the American War of Independence began. The British easily captured Lexington and Concord, but as they marched back to Boston they were harassed by hundreds of Massachusetts volunteers. By June, 10,000 American soldiers had besieged Boston, and the British were forced to evacuate the city in March 1776.
In May 1775, a second Continental Congress had met in Philadelphia and began to assume the functions of a national government. It founded a Continental Army and Navy under the command of George Washington, a Virginia planter and veteran of the French and Indian War. It printed paper money and opened diplomatic relations with foreign powers. On July 2. 1776, the Congress finally resolved "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states." Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, assisted by others, drafted a Declaration of Independence, which the Congress adopted on July 4,1776 which proclaims that "all
men are created equal," and that they possess "certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The Declaration presented a public defense of the American Revolution. including a lengthy list of grievances against the British king. George III. Most importantly, it explained the philosophy behind the revolution—that men have a natural right to "Life. Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"; that governments can rule only with "the consent of the governed"; that any government may be dissolved when it fails to protect the rights of the people. This theory of politics came from the British philosopher John Locke, and it is central to the Anglo-Saxon political tradition.
At first, the war went badly for the Americans. The British captured New York Citv in September 1776, and Philadelphia was captured a year later. The tide turned in October 1777, when a British army under General John Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, in northern New York. Encouraged by that victory. France seized an opportunity to humble Britain, her traditional enemy. A Franco-American alliance was signed in February 1778. With few provisions and little training, American troops generally fought well, but they might have lost the war if they had not received aid from the French treasury and the powerful French Navy.
After 1778, the fighting shifted largely tо the south. In 1781, 8,000 British troops under General George Cornwallis were surrounded at Yorktown, Virginia, by a French fleet and a combined French-American army under George Washington's command. Cornwallis surrendered, and soon afterward the British government asked for peace. The Treaty of Paris, signed in September 1783, recognized the independence of the United States and granted the new nation all the territory north of Florida, south of Canada and east of the Mississippi River.
DEVISING A CONSTITUTION
The 13 colonies were now "free and independent states"—but not yet one united nation. Since 1781, they had been governed by the Articles of Confederation, a constitution that set up a very weak central government. The American people had just rebelled against a parliament in distant London, and they did not want to replace it with a tyrannical central authority at home. Under the Articles of Confederation, congress, comprised of representatives of the people, could not make laws or raise taxes. There was no federal judiciary and no permanent executive. The individual states were almost independent: they could even set up their own tax barriers.
In May 1787, a convention met in Philadelphia with instructions to revise the articles of Confederation. The delegates— among whom were George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison— went beyond their mandate and drafted a new and more workable Constitution. It established a stronger federal government empowered to collect taxes, conduct diplomacy, maintain armed forces, and regulate foreign trade and commerce among the states. It provided for a Supreme Court and lesser federal courts, and it gave executive power to an elected president. Most importantly, it established the principle of a 'balance of power" to be maintained among the three branches of government—the executive, the legislative and the judicial.
The Constitution was accepted in 1788, but only after much bitter debate. Many Americans feared that a powerful central government would trample on the liberties of the people, and in 1791, 10 amendments—the Bill of Rights—were added to the Constitution. This document guaranteed freedom of religion, a free press, free speech, the right of citizens to bear arms, protection against illegal house searches, the right to a fair trial by jury and protection against "cruel and unusual punishments."
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights thus struck a balance between two conflicting but fundamental aspects of American politics—the need for a strong, efficient central authority and the need to ensure individual liberties. America's first two political parties divided along those ideological lines. The Federalists favored a strong president and central government; the Democratic Republicans defended the rights of the individual states, because this seemed to guarantee more "local" control and accountability. This party appealed to small farmers; the Federalist party was the party of the prosperous classes, and it would die out by 1820.
NEW NATION
As the first president of the United States. George Washington governed in a Federalist style. When Pennsylvania farmers refused to pay a federal liquor tax, Washington mobilized an army of 15,000 men to put down the "Whiskey Rebellion." Under his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, the federal government took over the debts of the individual states and set up a national bank. These fiscal measures were designed to encourage investment and to persuade business interests to support the new government.
In 1797, Washington was succeeded by another Federalist, John Adams, who became involved in an undeclared naval war with France. In an atmosphere of war Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798. These measures permitted the deportation or arrest of "dangerous" aliens, and they prescribed fines or imprisonment for publishing "false, scandalous, and malicious" attacks on the government. Ten Republican editors were convicted under the Sedition Act, which was bitterly denounced by Virginia lawyer and main author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson.
The repression which occurred under the Alien and Sedition Acts ended in 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was elected president. As a Republican, Jefferson was an informal, accessible chief executive. Although he wanted to limit the power of the president, political realities forced Jefferson to exercise that power vigorously. In 1803, he bought the huge Louisiana territory from France for $15 million: now the United States would extend as far west as the Rocky Mountains. When North African pirates attacked American ships, Jefferson sent a naval expedition against the state of Tripoli.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, under Chief Justice John Marshall, was asserting its own authority. In the 1803 case of Marbury v. Madison, Marshall affirmed that the Court could declare void any act of Congress "repugnant to the Constitution." That ruling established the most fundamental idea in American constitutional law—that the Supreme Court makes the final decision in interpreting the Constitution and can, if the justices determine a law to be unconstitutional, declare the law void. although it was enacted by the Congress and signed by the president.
During the Napoleonic Wars, British and French warships harassed American merchant ships. Jefferson responded by banning American exports to Europe, but New England merchants protested that their trade was ruined by the embargo, which Congress repealed in 1809. In 1812, however, President James Madison went to war with Britain over this issue.
During the War of 1812. American warships had some impressive victories, but the vastly superior British Navy blockaded American ports. Attempts to invade British Canada ended in disaster, and British forces captured and burned Washington, the nations new capital city. Britain and the United States agreed on a compromise peace in December 1814: neither side won any concessions from the other. Two weeks later, General Andrew Jackson routed a British assault on New Orleans. News of the peace treaty had not yet reached the soldiers.
After the war, the United States enjoyed a period of rapid economic expansion. A national network of roads and canals was built, steamboats traveled the rivers, and the first steam railroad opened in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1830. The Industrial Revolution had reached America: There were textile mills in New England; iron foundries in Pennsylvania. By the 1850s, factories were producing rubber goods, sewing machines, shoes. clothing, farm implements, guns and clocks.
The frontier of settlement was pushed west to the Mississippi River and beyond. In 1828. Andrew Jackson became the first man born into a poor family and born in the West, away from the cultural traditions of the Atlantic seaboard, to be elected president. Jackson and his new Democratic party, heirs to the Jeffersonian Republicans, promoted a creed of popular democracy and appealed to the humble members of society—the farmers, mechanics and laborers. Jackson broke the power of the Bank of the United States, which had dominated the nation's economy. He rewarded inexperienced but loyal supporters with government jobs. He made land available to western settlers—mainly by forcing Indian tribes to move west of the Mississippi.
SECTIONAL CONFLICT
The Jacksonian era of optimism was clouded by the existence in the United States of a social contradiction—increasingly recognized as a social evil—that would eventually tear the nation apart: slavery. The words of the Declaration of Independence—"that all men are created equal"—were meaningless for the 1.5 million black people who were slaves. Thomas Jefferson, himself a slave-owner, recognized that the system was inhumane and wrote an attack on slavery into the Declaration, but Southern delegates to the Continental Congress forced him to remove the passage. The importation of slaves was outlawed in 1808, and many Northern states moved to abolish slavery, but the Southern economy was based on large plantations, which used slave workers to grow cotton, rice, tobacco and sugar. Still, in several Southern states, small populations of free blacks also worked as artisans or traders.
In 1820, Southern and Northern politicians disputed the question of whether
slavery would be legal in the western territories. Congress agreed on a compromise: Slavery was permitted in the new state of Missouri and the Arkansas territory, and it was barred everywhere west and north of Missouri. But the issue would not go away, some organized themselves into abolitionist societies, primarily in the North, Southern whites defended slavery with increasing ardor. The nation was also split over the issue of high tariff, which protected Northern industries but raised prices for Southern consumers.
Meanwhile, thousands of Americans had been settling in Texas, then a part of Mexico. The Texans found Mexican rule under General Santa Ana increasingly oppressive, and in 1835 they rebelled, defeated a Mexican army and set up the Independent Republic of Texas. In 1845, the United States annexed Texas, and Mexico suspended diplomatic relations. President James K. Polk ordered American troops into disputed territory on the Texas border. After a battle between Mexican and American soldiers in May 1846, Congress declared war on Mexico.
An American army landed near Vera Cruz in March 1847 and captured Mexico City in September. In return for $15 million, Mexico was forced to surrender an enormous expanse of territory—most of what is today California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.
In 1846, by settling a long-standing border dispute with British Canada, the United States had acquired clear title to the southern half of the Oregon Country—the present states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Thus America became a truly continental power, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The acquisition of these new territories revived a troubling question: would newly acquired territories be open to slavery? In 1850, Congress voted another compromise: California was admitted as a free state, and the inhabitants of the Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed to decide the issue for themselves. Congress also passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which helped Southerners to recapture slaves who had escaped to the free states. Some Northern states did not enforce this law, however, and abolitionists continued to assist fleeing blacks. Harriet Beecher Stowe of Massachusetts wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a sentimental but powerful anti-slavery novel which converted many readers to the abolitionist cause. The issue of slavery became, in American politics, economics and cultural life, the central point of contention.
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois persuaded Congress to allow the inhabitants of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to resolve the question of slavery within their own borders—which voided the Missouri Compromise of 1820. In Kansas, the result was a violent feud between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers. In 1857, the Supreme Court handed down the Dred Scott decision, which held that blacks had no rights as American citizens and that Congress had no authority to bar slavery in the Western territories.
In 1858, when Senator Douglas ran for reelection, he was challenged by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party (a new anti-slavery party unrelated to Jefferson's Republican party). In a series of historic debates with Douglas, Lincoln remanded a halt to the spread of slavery. He was willing to tolerate slavery in the Southern states, but at the same time he affirmed that "this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free."
CIVIL WAR
Lincoln lost the senatorial race, but in 1860 he and Douglas faced each other again—as the Republican and Democratic candidates for president. By now the tension between North and South was extreme. In 1859. John Brown, an abolitionist zealot, had tried to begin a slave rebellion in Virginia by attacking an army munitions depot. Brown was quickly captured, tried and hanged, whereupon many Northerners hailed him as a martyr. Southern whites, however, now believed that the North was preparing to end slavery by bloody warfare. Douglas urged Southern Democrats to remain in the Union, but they nominated their own separate presidential candidate and threatened to secede if the Republicans were victorious.
The majority in every Southern and border state voted against Lincoln, but the North supported him and he won the election. A few weeks later, South Carolina voted to leave the Union. It was soon joined by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. These 11 states proclaimed themselves an independent nation—the Confederate States of America—and the American Civil War began.
Southerners proclaimed that they were fighting not just for slavery; after all, most Confederate soldiers were too poor to own slaves. The South was waging a war for independence—a second American Revolution. The Confederates usually had the advantage of fighting on their home territory, and their morale was excellent. They had superb soldiers, cavalrymen and generals, but they were greatly outnumbered by Union (Northern) forces. The Southern railroad network and industrial base could not support a modern war effort. The Union navy quickly imposed a blockade, which created serious shortages of war materiel and consumer goods in the Confederacy. To fight the war, both sides suspended some civil liberties, printed mountains of paper money and resorted to conscription.
Lincoln's two priorities were to keep the United States one country and to rid the nation of slavery. Indeed, he realized that by making the war a battle against slavery he could win support for the Union at home and abroad. Accordingly, on January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which granted freedom to all slaves in areas still controlled by the Confederacy.
The Southern army (Confederates) won some victories in the early part of the war, but in the summer of 1863 their commander, General Robert E. Lee, marched north into Pennsylvania. He met a Union army at Gettysburg, and the largest battle ever fought on American soil ensued. After three days of desperate fighting, the Confederates were defeated. At the same time, on the Mississippi River, Union General Ulysses S. Grant captured the important city of Vicksburg. Union forces now controlled the entire Mississippi Valley, splitting the Confederacy in two.
In 1864, a Union army under General William T. Sherman marched across Georgia, destroying the countryside. Meanwhile, General Grant relentlessly battled Lee's forces in Virginia. On April 2, 1865, Lee was forced to abandon Richmond, the Confederate capital. A week later he surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, and all other Confederate forces soon surrendered. On April 14, Lincoln was assassinated by the actor John Wilkes Booth.
The Civil War was the most traumatic episode in American history. The war resolved two fundamental questions that have divided the United States since 1776. It put an end to slavery, which was completely abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. It also decided, once and for all, that America was not a collection of semi-independent states, but a single indivisible nation.
World War I, Great Depression, and World War II
At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the United States remained neutral. American sympathies were with the British and French, although many citizens, mostly Irish and German, were opposed to intervention. In 1917, however, they joined the Allies, helping to turn the tide against the Central Powers. Reluctant to be involved in European affairs, the Senate did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles, which established the League of Nations. Instead, the country continued to pursue a policy of unilateralism, verging at times on isolationism. After seven decades, the women's rights movement won passage of a constitutional amendment in 1920 granting women's suffrage. In part due to the service of many in the war, Native Americans won U.S. citizenship in the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
During most of the 1920s, the United States enjoyed a period of unbalanced prosperity as farm profits fell while industrial profits grew. A rise in debt and an inflated stock market culminated in the 1929 crash that, combined with the Dust Bowl, triggered the Great Depression. After his election as president in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt responded with the New Deal, a range of policies increasing government intervention in the economy. The nation would not fully recover from the economic depression until the industrial mobilization spurred by its entrance into World War II.
On December 7, 1941, the United States was driven to join the Allies against the Axis Powers after a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan. World War II had a greater economic cost than any in American history, but it helped to pull the economy out of depression by providing much-needed jobs and bringing many women into the labor market. Allied conferences at Bretton Woods and Yalta outlined a new system of intergovernmental organizations that placed the United States and Soviet Union at the center of world affairs. As victory was achieved in Europe, a 1945 international conference held in San Francisco produced the United Nations Charter, which became active shortly after the war's end. The United States, having developed the first nuclear weapons, used them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August. Japan surrendered on September 2, ending the war.
Postwar superpower
The United States and Soviet Union jockeyed for power after World War II during a new Cold War, dominating the military affairs of Europe through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact. The United States promoted liberal democracy and capitalism, while the Soviet Union promoted communism and a centrally planned economy, but both sides supported dictatorships when politically convenient and engaged in proxy wars, including the Greek Civil War and the Korean War. As the Communist Party in the Eastern Bloc suppressed dissent, American anti-communists like Joseph McCarthy attempted and failed to suppress their opposition at home.
Meanwhile, America experienced a period of sustained economic expansion. A growing civil rights movement headed by prominent African Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr. fought racism, leading to the abolition of the Jim Crow laws in the South and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Following Kennedy's assassination in 1963, his successors expanded a proxy war in Southeast Asia into the unsuccessful Vietnam War. As a result of the Watergate scandal, in 1974 Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to resign, rather than be impeached on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
The election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 marked a significant rightward shift in American politics. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the Soviet Union's power diminished, leading to its collapse. The leadership role taken by the United States and its allies in the United Nations–sanctioned Gulf War and the Yugoslav wars helped to preserve its position as the world's last remaining superpower and to expand NATO.
The highlights (important dates) of American history
1607 Colonizers establish America's first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia.
1620 The Mayflower Compact establishes government by majority will in the settlement of Plymouth in Massachusetts.
1636 America's first college, Harvard, is founded at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1754 The Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War) begins between France and Britain. At the war's end, France cedes Canada, the Great Lakes, and the upper Mississippi Valley to the British.
1775 APRIL 19, the first shots of America's war for independence from Britain are fired at Lexington, Massachusetts.
1776 JULY 4, America's 13 colonies sign the Declaration of Independence.
1783 SEPTEMBER 3, Britain and the United States sign the Treaty of Paris,
recognizing American independence.
1789 APRIL 30, George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the
United States.
1791 Ten amendments-the Bill of Rights-are added to the U.S. Constitution to
protect the rights of individuals.
1800 The federal capital moves from temporary quarters in Philadelphia to
Washington, D.C.
1803 Purchase of Louisiana Territory from France doubles U.S. land area.
1812-14 The United States and Britain fight the War of 1812. British burn the
Capitol and the White House in August 1814.
1844 Samuel F.B. Morse sends the first telegraph message from Washington,
D.C., to Baltimore, Maryland.
1846 The Mexican War between the United States and Mexico begins. The treaty
that ends the war in 1848 gives the United States a vast stretch of land from Texas
west to the Pacific Ocean and north to Oregon.
1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected the United States' 16th president.
1861 APRIL 12, the first shots are fired in the U.S. Civil War.
1863 JANUARY 1, President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, granting freedom to slaves in Confederate-held territory.
1865 APRIL 9, the Civil War ends with the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of Union forces.
**APRIL 14, President Lincoln is shot while attending the theater in Washington, D.C.; Lincoln dies the next morning.
1867 The territory of Alaska is purchased from Russia.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone.
1879 Thomas A. Edison invents the incandescent lamp.
1898 The Spanish-American War is declared in April and ends in August. The
peace treaty signed with Spain in December guarantees Cuban independence and
cedes the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam to the United States.
1908 Henry Ford introduces an efficient, low-cost car, begins the era of mass
production, and "puts America on wheels."
1914 The Panama Canal, built by the United States across Central America,
opens, permitting ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without
rounding the tip of South America.
1917 APRIL 6, the United States enters World War I, declaring war after German violations of American neutrality.
1927 The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) makes the first coast-to-coast
network radio broadcast.
1929 OCTOBER 29, the stock market crash in the United States begins the Great
Depression, a worldwide business slump that ranks as the worst and longest
period of high unemployment and low business activity in modern times.
1941 DECEMBER 7, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, brings the United States into World War II.
1945 JUNE 26, the United States and 49 other nations sign the United Nations Charter in San Francisco, California.
**AUGUST 6, the United States drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and, three days later, on Nagasaki, Japan.
1949 APRIL 4, the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to provide mutual military aid if any member is attacked.
1958 The United States sends its first satellite, Explorer I, into orbit.
1961 The Peace Corps is established.
1969 JULY 20, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin land on the moon, an event televised 400,000 kilometers to Earth.
1974 AUGUST 9, in the wake of the Watergate break-in and cover-up, President Nixon resigns from office, the first president to do so, and is succeeded by Vice President Gerald R. Ford.
1976 JULY 20 and SEPTEMBER 3, unmanned Viking 1 and II spacecraft successfully land on Mars.
**JUIY 4, the United States celebrates the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France in 1886.
1987 DECEMBER 8, at a summit meeting in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty eliminating an entire class of intermediate-range and shorter-range nuclear missiles.
1993 DECEMBER 8, President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), establishing free trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Vocabulary notes
Settlement - поселение
Abundant - обильный
Persecution - преследование
tax revenues – налоговые поступления в казну
interfere - вмешиваться
refuge - убежище
toleration - терпимость
prosperity - процветание
Disguised - замаскированные
Rebellion – восстание, бунт
Besiege - осаждать
Alliance - союз
Troop - войско
Ban - запрещать
Invade – вторгаться, оккупировать
Slavery - рабство
Abolish - отменять
to declare war – объявлять войну
surrender - сдаваться
acquisition - приобретение
conscription – воинская повинность
Assassinate – покушаться на жизнь
Amendments – поправки (конституционные)
Tribe - племя
Incandescent - раскаленный
Armistice - разоружение
mutual aid - взаимопомощь
Government
Introduction
The United States is a federal union of 50 states, with the District of Columbia as the seat of the federal government. The Constitution outlines the structure of the national government and specifies its powers and activities, and defines the relationship between the national government and individual state governments. Power is shared between the national and state (local) governments. Within each state are counties, townships, cities and villages, each of which has its own elective government.
Article 1 of the Constitution defines the legislative branch and vests power to legislate in the Congress of the United States. The executive powers of the President are defined in Article 2. Article 3 places judicial power in the hands of one Supreme Court and inferior courts as Congress sees necessary to establish.
The Constitution
The American Constitution is the oldest written constitution in force in the world. The authors of the Constitution built in a provision for amending the document when political, social or economic conditions demanded it. Twenty-seven amendments have been passed since ratification. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, called the Bill of Rights, assure individual rights and freedoms.
The Constitution divides the powers of the government into three branches - the Executive, headed by the President; the Legislative, which includes both houses of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives); and the Judicial, which is headed by the Supreme Court. In this system of a "separation of powers" each branch operates independently of the others. The Constitution limits the role of each branch, through a system of checks and balances, to prevent any one branch from gaining undue power.
The Executive Branch
The chief executive of the United States is the president, who together with the vice-president is elected to a four year term. As a result of a 1951 constitutional amendment, a president may be elected to only two terms. The president's powers are formidable but not unlimited. As the chief formulator of national policy, the president proposes legislation to Congress and may veto any bill passed by Congress. The president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
The executive branch of the Government is responsible for enforcing the laws of the land. The Vice President, department heads (Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies assist in this capacity.
The executive branch includes 15 executive departments, the Executive Office of the President and numerous other independent agencies. The day-to-day enforcement and administration of federal law is in the hands of the various executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs. The heads of the departments, chosen by the President and approved by the Senate, form a council of advisers known as the President's Cabinet.
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The Legislative Branch
The legislative branch - the Congress - is made up of elected representatives from each of the 50 states. The Constitution sets up a bi-cameral body known as the U.S. Congress to raise and to spend national revenue and to draft laws. It is the only branch of U.S. government that can make federal laws, declare war and put foreign treaties into effect.
Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two year terms. Each member represents a district in his or her home state. The number of districts is determined by the census, which is conducted every 10 years. Senators are elected to six year terms, staggered so that one third of the Senate stands for election every two years. The Constitution provides that the vice-president shall be president of the Senate. He or she has no vote, except in the case of a tie.
The Senate chooses a president pro tempore to preside when the vice-president is absent. The House of Representatives chooses its own presiding officer -- the speaker of the House. The speaker (Nancy Pelosi, D-CA) and the president pro tempore (Senator Robert C. Byrd, D -WV) are members of the political party with the largest representation in each house.
To become a law, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate. After the bill is introduced in either body, it is studied by one or more committees, amended, voted out of committee, and discussed in the chamber of the House or Senate. If passed by one body, it goes to the other for consideration. Once both bodies have passed the the same version of a bill, it goes to the president for approval.
The Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. In addition, Congress has established 13 federal courts of appeals and 95 federal district courts. The president has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including justices of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., and the other federal courts are located in cities throughout the United States.
The federal courts hear cases arising out of the Constitution, federal laws and treaties and maritime cases; cases involving foreign citizens or governments; and cases, in which the federal government is itself a party. With minor exceptions, cases come to the Supreme Court on appeal from lower courts. Most of these cases involve disputes over the interpretation and constitutionality of actions taken by the executive branch and of laws passed by Congress or the states.
State Government
Like the national government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial; these are roughly equivalent in function and scope to their national counterparts. The chief executive of a state is the governor, elected by popular vote, typically for a four-year term (although in a few states the term is two years). Except for Nebraska, which has a single legislative body, all states have a bicameral legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates, or the General Assembly. In general, matters which lie entirely within state borders are the concern of state governments. These include internal communications; regulations relating to property, industry, business and public utilities; the state criminal code; and working conditions within the state. Within this context, the federal government requires that state governments not adopt laws which contradict or violate the Constitution or laws and treaties of the United States. Any developing programs are now often developed on a cooperative basis between the two levels of government.
Local Government
Types of city governments vary widely across the nation. However, almost all have some kind of central council, elected by the voters, and an executive officer, assisted by various department heads, to manage the city's affairs. The city directly serves the needs of the people, providing everything from police and fire protection to sanitary codes, health regulations, education, public transportation and housing. Cooperation with both state and federal organizations is essential. The county is a subdivision of the state, usually -- but not always -- containing two or more townships and several villages.
Political Parties
Today, there are two major political parties in the United States, the Democratic and the Republican.
The Democratic Party evolved from the party of Thomas Jefferson, formed before 1800. The Republican Party was established in the 1850s by Abraham Lincoln and others who opposed the expansion of slavery.
The Democratic Party is considered to be the more liberal party, and the Republican, the more conservative. Democrats generally believe that government has an obligation to provide social and economic programs for those who need them. Republicans are not necessarily opposed to such programs but believe they are too costly to taxpayers. Republicans put more emphasis on encouraging private enterprise in the belief that a strong private sector makes citizens less dependent on government. Both major parties have supporters among a wide variety of Americans and embrace a wide range of political views.
Vocabulary notes
legislative branch – законодательная власть
executive powers – исполнительная власть
judicial power – судебная власть
ratification - утверждение
undue - несвоевременный
veto - запрет
elect - избирать
amend - дополнять
criminal code – уголовный кодекс
council - совет
obligation - обязательство
Languages
The United States does not have an official language; nevertheless, English (specifically, American English) is the language used for legislation, regulations, executive orders, treaties, federal court rulings, and all other official pronouncements. Additionally, one must demonstrate an ability to read, write, and speak English to become a naturalized citizen. Many individual states and territories have adopted English as their official language.
Although the United States currently has no official language, English has long been the de facto national language, which is spoken by about 82% of the population as a native language. 96% of the population speaks English "well" or "very well".
Spanish is taught in various regions as a second language, especially in areas with large Hispanic populations such as the Southwestern United States along the border with Mexico, as well as Florida, the District of Columbia, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. In Hispanic communities across the country, bilingual signs in both Spanish and English may be quite common. Furthermore, numerous neighborhoods exist (such as Washington Heights in New York City or Little Havana in Miami) in which entire city blocks will have only Spanish language signs and speaking people.
In addition to Spanish-speaking Hispanic populations, younger generations of non-Hispanics in the United States seem to be learning Spanish in larger numbers due to the growing Hispanic population and increasing popularity of Latin American movies and music performed in the Spanish language. Over 30 million Americans, roughly 12% of the population, speak Spanish as a first or second language, making Spanish easily the country's second-most spoken language.
Chinese, is the third most-spoken language spoken in the United States, almost completely spoken within Chinese American populations and by immigrants or the descendants of immigrants, especially in California. Over 2 million Americans speak some variety of Chinese.
French, the fourth most-common language, is spoken mainly by the native French, Haitian or French-Canadian populations. It is widely spoken in Maine, New Hampshire and in Louisiana, a former colony of France, where it is still used with English as the state's de facto official language.
People of German ancestry make up the largest single ethnic group in the United States and the German language ranks fifth.
Italian, Polish, and Greek are still widely spoken among populations descending from immigrants from those countries in the early 20th century, but the use of these languages is dwindling as older generations die out. Starting in the 1970s and continuing until the mid 1990s, many people from the Soviet Union and later its constituent republics such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Uzbekistan have immigrated to the United States, causing Russian to become one of the minority languages in the United States.
Tagalog and Vietnamese have over one million speakers in the United States, almost entirely within recent immigrant populations.
There are also a small population of Native Americans who still speak their native languages, but these populations are dropping and the languages are almost never widely used outside of reservations. Hawaiian, although having few native speakers, is still used at the state level in Hawaii along with English. Several states and territories are officially or de facto bi- or trilingual:
• Hawaii (English and Hawaiian)
• Louisiana (English and French legally recognized, although there is no official language)
• New Mexico (English and Spanish de facto)
• American Samoa (Samoan and English)
• Guam (Chamorro and English)
• Northern Mariana Islands (English, Chamorro, and Carolinian)
• Puerto Rico (Spanish and English)
Vocabulary notes
Generation - поколение
Descendants - потомки
Variety - разнообразие
Ancestry - предки
Dwindle - убывать
Minority - меньшинство
Bilingual - двуязычный
Constituent - компонент
Neighborhood - соседи
Community - сообщество
Nevertheless – тем не менее
Legislation - законодательство
Regulation - контроль
Adopt – принимать (закон)
Former - бывший
de facto – на деле, фактически
RELIGION
Introduction
The United States government keeps no official register of Americans' religious status. In a private survey conducted in 2001, 76.7 percent of American adults identified themselves as Christian. Various Protestant denominations accounted for 52 percent, while Roman Catholics, at 24.5 percent, were the largest individual denomination. Other faiths in America include Judaism (1.4 percent), Islam (0.5 percent), Buddhism (0.5 percent), Hinduism (0.4 percent), and Unitarian Universalism (0.3 percent). Fourteen percent described themselves as agnostic, atheist, or as simply having no religion.
Roots of Religions
Europeans coming to the New World brought their own religions with them. Indeed, it was for the freedom to practice these beliefs that many people came to the New World. These communities flourished, and the resulting religious variety helped give rise to a highly unique and important contribution to world religions—the most fundamental commitment to religious pluralism and freedom.
Religious differences still existed, however, and they were often reflected by region. As different as these groups were, though, they all derived from a Judeo-Christian cultural and historical background.
American territorial gains in the nineteenth century added Spanish and French lands and peoples. Between the Napoleonic wars and World War I, waves of immigration brought English, Scots and Irish, Italians and Greeks, Germans and Poles, Swedes and Russians. Immigration to the U.S. changed the mix of religious groups, but America's overall heritage remained primarily European, and primarily Judeo-Christian.
New groups of immigrants from Asia and Latin America brought their cultural and religious values to the U.S., significantly fueling the growth of Islam and having an important impact on American Catholicism.
Present Day Religious Affiliation
After more than 200 years as a nation, religion in America is a complex picture, here are some basic facts and numbers:
- 163 million Americans (sixty-three percent) identify themselves as affiliated with a specific religious denomination.
- Roman Catholics are the single largest denomination with some sixty million adherents.
- Members of American Protestant churches total some ninety-four million persons.
- There are more than 300,000 local congregations.
- There are more than 530,000 total clergy.
- The U.S. has some 3.8 million religiously identified or affiliated Jews (an additional two million define themselves as primarily culturally or ethnically Jewish). Judaism continues to be a religion of substantial importance in the U.S., with persons of Jewish faith and culture making extensive and wide ranging contributions in all walks of American life. More Jews live in the United States than in any other country, including Israel. There are three major branches of Judaism in this country: Orthodox, Reform and Conservative.
- There are an estimated 3.5 to 3.8 million Muslims. Islam is the most rapidly growing religion in the U.S.
- In any given week, more Americans will attend religious events than professional sporting events.
- In terms of personal religious identification, the most rapidly growing group is atheists/ agnostics (currently about eight million).
In fact, radio and television broadcasting have become a major element of contemporary American religion. Major network broadcasters are increasingly likely to have programs with a visible religious content. The explosion of cable and direct broadcast television outlets —many Americans can select from more than one hundred television channels—means that even "minor" or non-traditional denominations or faiths have been able to establish their electronic presence.
Vocabulary notes
Survey - опрос
Adult - взрослый
Denomination – религиозная конфессия, секта
Agnostic - агностический
flourish - процветание
contribution - вклад
derive - извлекать
heritage - наследство
primarily – главным образом
value - ценность
significantly - существенно
impact - влияние
affiliate - присоединяться
adherent – приверженный
congregations – религиозное братство
clergy - духовенство
Orthodox -православный
Muslim - мусульманский
Rapidly - быстро
Contemporary - современный
Broadcasting - радиовещание
Content - содержание
Faiths - верование
Attend - посещать
Jews - евреи
Geography
The United States is the fourth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, and China. There are fifty (50) states: 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C., located in the central portion of North America plus the states of Alaska (49th) and Hawaii (50th), both joined in 1959.
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Area (50 states and District of Columbia only):
Total: 9.631.418 sq km
Land: 9.161.923 sq km
Water: 469,495 sq km
SIZE COMPARISONS:
The United States is...
• about one-half the size of Russia,
• slightly smaller than China.
BOUNDARIES:
• 48 states: Canada on the north;
Atlantic Ocean on the east; Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico on the south; and Pacific Ocean on the west
• Alaska: Arctic Ocean on the north;
Canada on the east; Pacific Ocean on the south; and Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea, and Bering Strait on the west
• Hawaii: Pacific Ocean
LAND USE (1992):
Cropland-25.8%
Rangeland-26.9%
Forestland-26.6%
Pastureland-8.5%
Urban, mountain, and other-12,5%
COASTLINE: 19,929 kilometers,
including Alaska and Hawaii
INLAND WATERWAYS: 41,009 kilometers of navigable inland channels,
excluding the Great Lakes
Terrain:
Vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
LONGEST RIVER: Mississippi-Missouri - 5,936 kilometers
DEEPEST LAKE: Crater Lake in Oregon - 580 meters
Elevation extremes:
HIGHEST PDINT: Mount McKinley in Alaska - 6,198 meters above sea level
LOWEST POINT: Death Valley in California - 86 meters below sea level
LARGEST STATE: Alaska
SMALLEST STATE: Rhode Island
NORTHERNMOST CITY: Barrow, Alaska
SOUTHERNMOST CITY: Hilo, Hawaii
EASTERNMOST CITY: Eastport, Maine
WESTERNMOST С1П: Atka, Alaska
Ports and harbors:
Anchorage, Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Houston, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Port Canaveral, Portland (Oregon), Prudhoe Bay, San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Toledo
Natural resources:
Coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Natural hazards:
Tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
People
Population: 298,444,215 (July 2006 est.)
Ethnic groups:
White 81.7%, Black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2%, others 10% (2003 est.)
Note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)
The continental United States stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Separated by Canada, it touches the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Hawaii occupies an archipelago in the Pacific, southwest of North America. The commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the largest and most populous U.S. territory, is in the northeastern Caribbean. Deciduous vegetation and grasslands prevail in the eastern U.S., transitioning to prairies, boreal forests, and the Rocky Mountains in the west, and deserts in the southwest. In the northeast, the coasts of the Great Lakes and Atlantic seaboard host much of the country's population. With a few exceptions such as the territory of Guam and the westernmost portions of Alaska, nearly all of the country lies in the western hemisphere.
Beyond the coastal plain, the rolling hills of the Piedmont end at the Appalachian Mountains. The Rocky Mountains, at the western edge of the Great Plains, extend north to south across the continental U.S., reaching altitudes higher than 14,000 feet (4,270 m) in Colorado. Between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, the Interior Plains and Great Plains are relatively flat, fertile farm land. The Mississippi-Missouri River, the world's fourth longest river system, runs mainly north-south through the heart of the country. Active volcanoes are common throughout the Alexander and Aleutian Islands and the entire state of Hawaii is built upon tropical volcanic islands. The supervolcano underlying Yellowstone National Park in the Rockies is the continent's largest volcanic feature.
The States, Districts and Territories of the U.S.A.
|STATES |CAPITALS |Zip Code Abbreviations |
|Alabama |Montgomery |AL |
|Alaska |Juneau |AK |
|Arizona |Phoenix |AZ |
|Arkansas |Little Rock |AR |
|California |Sacramento |CA |
|Colorado |Denver |CO |
|Connecticut |Hartford |CT |
|Delaware |Dover |DE |
|Florida |Tallahassee |FL |
|Georgia |Atlanta |GA |
|Hawaii |Honolulu |HI |
|Idaho |Boise |ID |
|Illinois |Springfield |IL |
|Indiana |Indianapolis |IN |
|Iowa |Des Moines |10 |
|Kansas |Topeka |KS |
|Kentucky |Frankfort |KY |
|Louisiana |Baton Rouge |LA |
|Maine |Augusta |ME |
|Maryland |Annapolis |MD |
|Massachusetts |Boston |MA |
|Michigan |Lansing |MI |
|Minnesota |St. Paul |MN |
|Mississippi |Jackson |MS |
|Missouri |Jefferson City |МО |
|Montana |Helena |MT |
|Nebraska |Lincoln |NE |
|Nevada |Carson City |NV |
|New Hampshire |Concord |NH |
|New Jersey |Trenton |NJ |
|New Mexico |Santa Fe |NM |
|New York |Albany |NY |
|North Carolina |Raleigh |NC |
|North Dakota |Bismarck |ND |
|Ohio |Columbus |OH |
|Oklahoma |Oklahoma City |OK |
|Oregon |Salem |OR |
|Pennsylvania |Harrisburg |PA |
|Rhode Island |Providence |RI |
|South Carolina |Columbia |SC |
|South Dakota |Pierre |SD |
|Tennessee |Nashville |TN |
|Texas |Austin |TX |
|Utah |Salt Lake City |UT |
|Vermont |Montpelier |VT |
|Virginia |Richmond |VA |
|Washington |Olympia |WA |
|West Virginia |Charleston |WV |
|Wisconsin |Madison |WI |
|Wyoming |Cheyenne |WY |
Washington D.C. is a federal district under the authority of Congress. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth associated with the United States. Other dependent areas include American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, Virgin Islands, Wake Island.
CLIMATE
Due to the United States' large size and wide range of geographic features, nearly every type of climate is represented. The climate is temperate in most areas, tropical in Hawaii and southern Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River, desert in the Southwest, mediterranean in coastal California, and arid in the Great Basin. Extreme weather is not uncommon—the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico are prone to hurricanes and most of the world's tornadoes occur within the continental United States. However, the predominantly temperate climate, infrequent severe drought in the major arable regions, and infrequent severe flooding have helped make the nation a world leader in agriculture.
America's weather is affected markedly by the confrontation between polar continental air masses (usually cold, dry, and stable) and tropical maritime air masses (warm, moist, and unstable). Most parts оf America are subject to a generally westerly wind flow that tends to move weather systems eastward.
The interaction of climatic controls creates a pattern of climatic regionalization. In the East, the principal element in climatic variation is temperature; in the West, it is precipitation. In the East, the divisions between the climate regions are based largely on the length of the growing season—the period from the average date of the last frost in spring to the first frost in fall—and on the average summer maximum temperature or winter minimum temperature. In the West, average annual precipitation is the key, although moderated temperatures are an important aspect of the marine West Coast climate. In the East, the more northerly areas are generally drier; in the West, they are colder. In the East, the major influence on climatic variation is latitude; in the West, it is topography.
Vocabulary notes
Cropland- зерновые поля
Pastureland- пастбища
Urban- городской
Coastline-побережье
Vast- широкий, обширный
Valley-долина
Copper - медь
Lead - свинец
potash – углекислый калий
tungsten - вольфрам
timber - древесина
hazard- опасность
permafrost – вечная мерзлота
impediment - преграда
commonwealth - содружество
Deciduous - лиственный
Prevail - превалировать
boreal - арктический
altitude – высота над уровнем моря
flat - плоский
fertile - плодородный
distinct - индивидуальный
mediterranean - средиземноморский
arid – сухой, засушливый
drought - засуха
arable - пахотный
precipitation - осадки
annual - ежегодный
latitude - широта
VEGETATION
In most of the inhabited portions of America today the "natural" vegetation, if it ever existed, has been so substantially removed, rearranged, and replaced that it seldom is found now. In the Southeast, for example, the original mixed broadleaf and needle leaf forests were cut and replaced by the economically more important needle leaf forests. The grasses of the plains and prairies are mostly European imports. Their native American predecessors are gone either because they offered an inferior browse for farm animals or because they could not withstand the onslaught of modern humanity and its imported weeds. Most of what climax vegetation remains is in the West and North.
The tundra of the far North is the result of a climate that is too cold and too dry for the growth of vegetation other than grasses, lichens, and mosses. Tundra exists in small areas far southward into the United States, where climatic conditions at high elevations are inhospitable to tree growth. Northward, the altitu-dinal tree line is found at lower elevations until, eventually, the latitudinal tree line is reached.
With habitats ranging from tropical to Arctic, U.S. plant life is very diverse. The country has more than 17,000 identified species of native flora, including 5,000 just in California (which is home to the tallest, the most massive, and the oldest trees in the world). More than 400 species of mammal, 700 species of bird, 500 species of reptile and amphibian, and 90,000 species of insect have been documented. Wetlands such as the Florida Everglades are the base for much of this diversity. The country's many ecosystems include thousands of non-native exotic species that often adversely affect indigenous plant and animal communities.
Vocabulary notes
Inhabited - населенный
Vegetation - растительность
Broadleaf - широколиственный
Needle leaf - хвойные
Predecessor - предшественник
Browse - бродить
Withstand – устоять, выдержать
Onslaught - нападение
weeds - сорняк
lichens - лишайник
mosses - мох
elevation - возвышение
inhospitable - враждебный
habitats – естественная среда
species - виды
mammal - млекопитающие
indigenous - местный
adversely - неблагоприятно
diversity - разнообразие
The Nation's Capital
Washington, D.C.
Facts from history
New York City was the first capital of the United States once the Constitution was ratified. George Washington took the oath of office to become the first President of the United States from the balcony of the old City Hall.
One of the issues the President had to deal with was a permanent location for the country’s seat of government. As part of a compromise, it was decided that the capital would move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1791 for ten years and then to a suitable permanent location on the Potomac River. Washington chose an area that included land from the states of Maryland and Virginia. At this time the area was primarily farm and marsh lands. Congress was scheduled to meet in the new capital on the first Monday in December 1800.
Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French architect, was hired to design the "Federal City." On June 11, 1800, the capital of the United States had a permanent home in Washington, D.C.
The capital today
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Postal Abbreviation – DC
Area - 68.25 square miles (176.75 square km)
Population - 572,059
Major Industry - government
Major Rivers - Potomac River, Anacostia River
Highest Point - Tenleytown - 410 feet (125 m) above sea level
Bordering States - Virginia, Maryland
Origin of the Name Washington, District of Columbia - The name Washington was to honor the first president of the USA, George Washington. The name Columbia is in reference to Christopher Columbus.
Nickname - D.C.
Official Motto - "Justia Omnibus" - Justice for All
Official Song - The Star-Spangled Banner, words by Francis Scott Key
Washington, D.C. Symbols and Emblems
|Flag |
|The flag of Washington, D.C., was adopted in 1938. Since Washington, D.C., had no official flag, a commission was formed in 1920 to find a |
|design. Headed by A. E. Dubois, the final design was chosen on October 15, 1938. The design was based on the shield from George Washington's |
|family's coat of arms. |
Official Bird - Wood thrush
Official Flower - American beauty rose
Official Tree - Scarlet Oak
District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.) is the capital city of the USA. The White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and many other government buildings are located in Washington, D.C. The first President to live in Washington D.C. was John Adams; his family moved there in 1800.
The city is commonly referred to as D.C., the District, or simply Washington. Historically, it was called the Federal City or Washington City. To avoid confusion with the state of Washington, located in the Pacific Northwest, the city is often called simply D.C..
The centers of all three branches of the U.S. federal government are in the District. It also serves as the headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other national and international institutions. Washington is the frequent location of political demonstrations and protests, large and small, particularly on the National Mall. Furthermore, Washington is a popular destination for tourists, the site of numerous national landmarks and monuments. It is a major American cultural center, with a number of important museums, galleries, performing arts centers and institutions, and native music scenes.
The District has three major natural flowing streams: the Potomac River, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. The Anacostia River and Rock Creek are tributaries of the Potomac River. Geographical features of Washington, D.C. include Theodore Roosevelt Island, Columbia Island, the Three Sisters Islands and Hains Point.
Landmarks
Among other attractive buildings are the embassies and legations of many foreign countries, many of them lining “Embassy Row” on Massachusetts Ave. The larger of the city’s fine parks are West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park, Rock Creek Park.
Besides the Capitol and the White House, other important government buildings and places of historic interest include the Senate and House of Representatives office buildings, the Supreme Court Building, the Pentagon (in Virginia), the Federal Bureau of Investigation building, the Library of Congress, the National Archives Building, Constitution Hall, the Ronald Reagan Building, The Watergate apartment complex, the State Department (“Foggy Bottom”), and the headquarters of the World Bank. Ford’s Theatre, where Lincoln was shot, has been restored. In 1974 the Admiral’s House at the U.S. Naval Observatory became the official residence of the vice president. Of historic interest is Fort Washington (built 1809, destroyed 1814, rebuilt by 1824).
Best known of the city’s many statues and monuments are the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, with its reflecting pool; the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; the World War II Memorial; and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Among Washington’s famous churches are Washington National Cathedral (Episcopal), and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States. The city also contains Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, the home to major-league baseball and formerly to football.
The Arlington Memorial Bridge across the Potomac connects the capital with Arlington National Cemetery. Also in Arlington is the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, one of the largest statues ever cast in bronze. In the Potomac itself lies Theodore Roosevelt Island, thickly wooded and with many foot trails.
Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Institutions
The city’s many institutions of higher education include American Univ., the National Defense College, the Catholic Univ. of America, Georgetown Univ., George Washington Univ., Howard Univ., and the Univ. of the District of Columbia. Among many cultural attractions are the National Gallery of Art, the Freer Gallery of Art, and the other centers under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Corcoran Gallery of Art; the Phillips Collection; and the Folger Shakespeare Library. Major visitor draws on the Mall include the National Air and Space Museum and the Holocaust Museum.
The U.S. Naval Observatory, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, the Smithsonian Institution, the Brookings Institution, the National Institutes of Health, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington are among the institutions dedicated to scientific research and education. Also in Washington are Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army Medical School and Walter Reed Army Hospital, and the U.S. Soldiers Home (1851). Nearby are the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Md.) and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture research center (Beltsville, Md.)
THE CAPITOL
The United States Congress works in the Capitol building. Visitors can watch members of Congress work on laws. There is a statue on top of the Capitol. It is the goddess of Freedom. When Congress meets, the statue has a light. Today, the Capitol has 540 rooms. It has restaurants, kitchens, post offices, a barbershop, and a prayer room. Visitors can see many of these rooms. They can also see hundreds of paintings and works of art in the Capitol. The House of Representatives and the Senate have offices in another building. Underground trains go from their office building to the Capitol.
Vocabulary notes
Ratify – одобрять, утверждать
take the oath - присягать
marsh - болото
hire - нанимать
bordering - граничащий
origin - происхождение
honor - честь
motto - девиз
wood thrush - лесной дрозд
confusion - путаница
headquarters - штаб
destination – место пребывания
particularly – в особенности
national landmarks – национальные достопримечательности
tributary – платящий дань
embassy - посольство
legation - представительство
Federal Bureau of Investigation - ФБР
Restore - восстанавливать
Residence – место проживания
Trail - след
Auspices – доброе предзнаменование
holocaust - самопожертвование
dedicate - посвящать
barbershop – парикмахерская (мужская)
cast - отливать
goddess - богиня
Famous cities
25 biggest cities population
1 — New York, New York........................7,333,253
2 — Los Angeles, California.....................3,448,613
3 — Chicago, Illinois................................2,731,743
4 — Houston, Texas.................................l,702,086
5 — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania..........…..l,524,249
6 — San Diego, California.......................!,151,977
7—Phoenix, Arizona......................…......1,048,949
8—Dallas, Texas...................................... 1,022,830
9 — San Antonio, Texas............................. 998,905
10 — Detroit, Michigan.............................. 992,038
11 — San Jose, California........................... 816,884
12 — Indianapolis, Indiana........................ 752,279
13 — San Francisco, California.................. 734,676
14 — Baltimore, Maryland......................... 702,979
15 — Jacksonville, Florida.......................... 665,070
16 — Columbus, Ohio................................ 635,913
17 — Milwaukee, Wisconsin...................... 617,044
18 — Memphis, Tennessee......................... 614,289
19 — El Paso, Texas..................................... 579,307
20 — Washington, D.C............................... 567,094
21 — Boston, Massachusetts...................... 547,725
22 — Seattle, Washington........................... 520,947
23—Austin, Texas...................................... 514,013
24 — Nashville, Tennessee.......................... 504,505
25 — Denver, Colorado.............................. 493,559
The most well-known cities
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California, located 28 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Anaheim is known for its theme parks, sports teams, and convention center.
Founded by fifty German families in 1857 and incorporated on February 10, 1870, Anaheim developed into an industrial center, producing electronics, aircraft parts, and canned fruit. It is the site of the Disneyland Resort, a world-famous grouping of theme parks and hotels which opened in 1955.
Tourist attractions.
• Disneyland Resort:
o Disneyland
o Disney's California Adventure
o Downtown Disney
▪ ESPN Zone
▪ House of Blues
• Angel Stadium of Anaheim
• Honda Center
• The Grove of Anaheim, formerly the Sun Theater, formerly Tinseltown Studios
• Anaheim Convention Center
Atlanta, Georgia
Nickname: Hotlanta, The Big Peach, The ATL, A-Town, The 404
During the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta stood apart from Southern cities that supported segregation, touting itself as the "city too busy to hate." The city's progressive civil rights record made it increasingly popular as a relocation destination for African Americans, and the city's population became majority-black by 1972. African Americans soon became the dominant political force in the city; since 1974, all of the mayors of Atlanta have been African-American, as well as the majority of the city's fire chiefs, police chiefs, and other high-profile government officials, then black majority has dropped from 69 percent in 1980 to 54 percent in 2005.
The city is also one of three cities in the United States to host the Summer Olympic Games, doing so in 1996. (St. Louis in 1904 and Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984 are the others).
Tourist attractions
Atlanta hosts a variety of museums on subjects ranging from history to fine arts, natural history, and beverages. Prominent among them are sites honoring Atlanta's participation in the civil rights movement. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in the city, and his boyhood home on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn district is preserved as the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. King's final resting place is in the tomb at the center of the reflecting pool at the King Center.
Other history museums and attractions include the Atlanta History Center; the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum (a huge painting and diorama in-the-round, with a rotating central audience platform, that depicts the Battle of Atlanta in the Civil War); the Carter Center and Presidential Library; historic house museum Rhodes Hall; and the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum.
The arts are represented by several theaters and museums, including the Fox Theatre. The Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony, High Museum of Art, and Atlanta College of Art. Museums geared specifically towards children include the Fernbank Science Center and Imagine It! Atlanta's Children's Museum. The High Museum of Art is the city's major fine/visual arts venue, with a significant permanent collection and an assortment of traveling exhibitions.
Atlanta features the world's largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium, which officially opened to the public on November 23, 2005. The aquarium features over 100,000 specimens, including five whale sharks, in tanks holding approximately eight million gallons of water. One unique museum, which re-opened in its new location adjacent to the Aquarium on the Memorial Day weekend of 2007, is the World of Coca-Cola featuring the history of the world famous soft drink brand and its well-known advertising. Adjacent is Underground Atlanta, a historic shopping and entertainment complex situated under the streets of downtown Atlanta. While not a museum per se, The Varsity is the main branch of the long-lived fast food chain, featured as the world's largest drive-in restaurant.
The heart of the city's festivals is Piedmont Park. Next to the park is the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Zoo Atlanta, with a panda exhibit, is in Grant Park.
Just east of the city, Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. On its face are giant carvings of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. It is also the site of impressive laser shows in the summer.
Boston, Massachusetts
Nickname: Bean town, The Hub (of the Universe), The Cradle of Liberty, City on the Hill, Athens of America
The city was founded in 1630 on the Shawmut Peninsula by Puritan colonists from England. During the late 1700s, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and college, Harvard College (1636) in neighboring Cambridge, as well as the first subway system in the U.S.
With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and a center for health care. The city's economy is also based on research, finance, and technology — principally biotechnology.
Tourist attractions
Much of Boston's culture originates at its universities. The city has several ornate theatres, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, The Wang Center for the Performing Arts, Schubert Theater, and the Orpheum Theater.
Because of the city's prominent role in the American Revolution, several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line or bricks embedded in the ground. The city is also home to several prominent art museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The University of Massachusetts campus at Columbia Point houses the John F. Kennedy Library. The Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), Boston Children's Museum, Bull & Finch Pub (whose building is known from the television show Cheers), Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium are within the city.
Chicago, Illinois
Nickname: "The Windy City," "The Second City," "Chi Town," "City of the Big Shoulders," "The 312," "The City that Works".
Founded in 1833 at the site of a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed, it soon became a transportation hub of North America. By the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, it was one of the ten most influential world cities, a distinction it continues to hold.
Lake Michigan
The history of Chicago is closely tied to that of Lake Michigan. Since before Chicago was founded, ships were bringing people and supplies from all points on the compass. Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 925 feet and a size slightly greater than the nation of Croatia.
Tourist attractions
Since the first steel-framed high-rise building of the world was constructed in the city in 1885, Chicago has been known for its skyscrapers, and today boasts the world's tallest skyline. Many high-rise buildings are located in the downtown area, notably historic buildings such as the Chicago Board of Trade Building in the Loop with others along the lakefront and the Chicago River. The three tallest buildings in the city are the Sears Tower (also the tallest building in the United States), the An Center, and the John Hancock Center.
Along Lake Shore Drive, parks line the lakefront. The most notable of these parks are Grant Park and Millennium Park, which border the east end of the Loop, Lincoln Park on the north side, and Burnham Park and Jackson Park in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side. Interspersed within this system of parks are 31 beaches in Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoo, several bird sanctuaries, McCormick Place Convention Center, Navy Pier, Soldier Field, the Museum Campus, and the Jardine Water Purification Plant.
Chicago is also home to a number of architecturally notable churches: Chicago Temple/First United Methodist Church which consists of a 22-story skyscraper surmounted by a steeple cross at 568 feet above street level making it the tallest church building in the world. The city is also home to three basilicas: Our Lady of Sorrows in Garfield Park, Queen of All Saints in Forest Glen, St. Hyacinth in Avondale.
Entertainment and performing arts
Broadway in Chicago, created in July of 2000, brings touring productions and previews of Broadway musicals to Chicago, at venues including: LaSalle Bank Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, Ford Oriental Theatre, and the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Examples of shows that have come to the city as part of "Broadway in Chicago" are: Blue Man Group, Wicked, Rent, Stomp, The Color Purple, Hairspray, Chicago, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia!, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cats, The Producers, Jesus Christ Superstar.
The city is home to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, and several modern and jazz dance troupes. Chicago is known for its Chicago blues, Chicago soul, jazz, and gospel. The city is the birthplace of the house style of music, and is the site of an influential hip-hop scene. In the 1980s, the city was a center for industrial, punk and new wave (spawning the famous Wax Trax! label). Chicago was an epicenter of the development of rave culture in the 1980s which continues today. There is a flourishing independent rock scene, including the recent explosion of Chicago indie acts, with multiple festivals featuring various acts each year (Lollapalooza, the Intonation Music Festival and Pitchfork Music Festival being the most prominent).
Detroit, Michigan
Nickname: Motor City, Motown, The Renaissance City, Rock City, Hockey town
Detroit (French: Détroit, meaning strait) is known as the world's traditional automotive center and an important source of popular music. Founded in 1701 by the Frenchman Antoine de Cadillac, the city was called the Paris of the West in the late nineteenth century for its architecture.
Tourist attractions
Many of the area's prominent museums are located in the historic cultural center neighborhood around Wayne State University. These museums include the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Science Center, and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. Other cultural highlights include Motown Historical Museum, Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Fort Wayne, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID), and the Belle Isle Conservatory. Important history of Detroit and the surrounding area is exhibited at The Henry Ford, the nation's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Nickname: Sheltered Bay
Honolulu is the capital of the State of Hawaii. In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay" or "place of shelter."
Despite the turbulent history of the late 19th century and early 20th century, which saw the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, Hawaii's subsequent annexation by the United States, and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Honolulu would remain the capital, largest city, and main airport and seaport of the Hawaiian Islands.
Within Honolulu proper can be found several volcanic cones: Punchbowl, Diamond Head, Koko Head (includes Hanauma Bay), Koko Crater, Salt Lake, and Aliamanu being the most conspicuous.
Waikiki is the world famous tourist district of Honolulu, located between the Ala Wai Canal and the Pacific Ocean next to Diamond Head. Just west of Waikiki is Ala Moana Center, the world's largest open-air shopping center.
Houston, Texas
Nickname: Space City
Houston was founded on August 30, 1836 by brothers Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen on land near the banks of Buffalo Bayou. The city was named after General Sam Houston, commander at the Battle of San Jacinto. In the 20th century, Houston became the home of the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions, and NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.
Houston's economy has a broad industrial base in the energy, aeronautics, and technology industries. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage handled. Houston is also home to Rice University, one of the United States' leading teaching and research universities, and the University of Houston, Texas's third-largest public research university.
Tourist attractions
The Museum District is home to many cultural institutions and exhibits. Houston has an active visual and performing arts scene as one of five U.S. cities that offer year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.
Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center of NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Here one will find many interactive exhibits including moon rocks, a shuttle simulator, and presentations about the history of NASA's manned space flight program.
Other tourist attractions include the Galleria (Texas's largest shopping mall located in the Uptown District), Old Market Square, Tranquility Park, the Downtown Aquarium, and Sam Houston Park (which contains restored and reconstructed homes which were originally built between 1823 and 1905). The San Jacinto Battlefield State Historic Site where the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution was fought is located on the Houston Ship channel east of the city.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nickname: "The Entertainment Capital of the World",
"Sin City"
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Las Vegas (often abbreviated as Vegas) is an internationally known vacation, shopping, entertainment, and gambling destination. It was established in 1905.
The name Las Vegas is often applied to the unincorporated areas of Clark County that surround the city, especially the resort areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip. The center of gambling in the United States, Las Vegas is marketed as The Entertainment Capital of the World and is famous for its massive, lavish casino resorts. It is also commonly known as Sin City, due to the popularity of legalized gambling, availability of alcoholic beverages at any time (as is true throughout Nevada), and various forms and degrees of adult entertainment. The city's glamorous image has made it a popular setting for films and television programs.
Las Vegas is one of the most dynamic cities in the world, "reinventing" itself as a gambling mecca, family destination, capital of hedonism ("What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"), or hotspot for dining and shopping over the years. Several events stand out as turning points:
Las Vegas' climate is an arid desert climate typical of the Mojave Desert, in which it is located, marked with very hot summers, moderate winters, abundant sunshine year-round, and very little rainfall.
Tourist attractions
The major attractions in Vegas are the casinos. The most famous casinos line Las Vegas Boulevard South, also known as the Las Vegas Strip. There are many casinos in the city's downtown area as well, which was the original focal point of the city's gaming industry in its early days.
Los Angeles, California
Nickname: City of Angels
Los Angeles (often abbreviated as L.A.) was founded in 1781 by the Spanish Felipe de Neve. It was a part of Spain then Mexico until 1848, when Mexico ceded California to the United States by treaty at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War. The name Los Angeles is shortened from "La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula" (The City of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porciuncula).
Los Angeles is one of the world's centers of culture, science, technology, international trade, and higher education. The city and its immediate vicinity lead the world in producing popular entertainment—such as motion picture, television, and recorded music.
Tourist attractions
Important landmarks in Los Angeles include Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theater, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Watts Towers, Staples Center and La Placita Olvera, the birthplace of Los Angeles.
Some well-known shopping areas are the Hollywood and Highland complex, the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, The Grove, Westside Pavillion, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center and Venice Boardwalk.
Los Angeles also boasts a number of sports venues, including the Staples Center, a sports and entertainment complex that also hosts concerts and awards shows such as the Grammys. Los Angeles has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games, in 1932 and in 1984. The 1984 Summer Olympics inspired the creation of the Los Angeles Marathon, which has been held every year in March since 1986. Super Bowls I and VII were also held in the city as well as soccer's international World Cup in 1994.
Miami, Florida
Nickname: The Magic City, M-I-A, The 305
Miami was officially incorporated as a city on July 28, 1896, although the area was first inhabited for more than a thousand years by the Tequesta Indians and was claimed for Spain in 1566 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. In the mid-1800s Fort Dallas was built and subsequently, was a site of fighting during the Second Seminole War. Miami's importance as an international, financial, and cultural center has elevated Miami to the status of world city. Because of Miami's cultural and linguistic ties to North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean, Miami is many times referred to as "The Gateway of the Americas." Florida's large Spanish-speaking population and strong economic ties to Latin America also make Miami and the surrounding region an important center of the Hispanic world.
Miami is also home to one of the largest, most influential ports in the United States, the Port of Miami. The port is often times called the "Cruise Capital of the World" and the "Cargo Gateway of the Americas". It has retained its status as the number one cruise/passenger port in the world for well over a decade accommodating the largest cruise ships and the major cruise lines. Miami also boosts many leading universities such as the University of Miami, one of the United States' top teaching and research universities, and Florida International University, Florida's fifth-largest public research university. Miami currently has the five tallest skyscrapers in the state of Florida with the tallest being the Four Seasons Hotel & Tower.
New York City
Nickname: "Big Apple", "Gotham
The City of New York is a global economic center, with its business, finance, trading, law, and media organizations influential worldwide. The city is also an important cultural center, with many museums, galleries, and performance venues. Home of the United Nations, the city is a hub for international diplomacy.
New York City comprises five boroughs, each of which are coterminous with a county: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. The city has many neighborhoods and landmarks known around the world: The Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, in Lower Manhattan, has been a dominant global financial center since World War II and is home to the New York Stock Exchange. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and the former twin towers of the World Trade Center. The city is the birthplace of many American cultural movements, including the Harlem Renaissance in literature and visual art, abstract expressionism in painting, and hip hop along with the Tin Pan Alley in music.
The mainland and many islands of New York are linked by a network of bridges and tunnels, including the Brooklyn Bridge and Holland Tunnel.
The city was founded as the colony of New Amsterdam by Dutch colonists in the early 17th century. The five boroughs were consolidated into one city in 1898. It has been central to the development of the United States, serving as the nation's first capital city in 1789, and has had a large influence in American media, finance, and politics. It is the site of some of the country's largest celebrations in size, including ticker-tape parades for returning astronauts and the celebrations in Times Square of the end of World War II.
Manhattan contains the major business and financial centers of the city and many cultural attractions, including numerous museums, the Broadway theatre district and Madison Square Garden.
Tourist attractions
The city has more than 2,000 arts and cultural organizations and more than 500 art galleries of all sizes. Wealthy industrialists in the 19th century built a network of major cultural institutions, such as the famed Carnegie Hall and Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the 1880s New York City theaters on Broadway began showcasing a new stage form that came to be known as the Broadway musical. The city's 39 largest theatres (with more than 500 seats) are collectively known as "Broadway," after the major thoroughfare that crosses the Times Square theatre district.
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, The Juilliard School and Alice Tully Hall, is the largest performing arts center in the United States. Major destinations include the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Broadway theatre productions, museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other tourist attractions including Central Park, Washington Square Park, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden, luxury shopping along Fifth and Madison Avenues, and events such as the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village, the Tribeca Film Festival, and free performances in Central Park at Summerstage. The Statue of Liberty is a major tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable icons of the United States. Many of the city's ethnic enclaves, such as Jackson Heights, Flushing, and Brighton Beach are major shopping destinations.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nickname: "Philly", "City of Brotherly Love", "Cradle of Liberty", "The Quaker City", "The Birthplace of America."
The city of Philadelphia is a major commercial, educational, and cultural center for the nation. In the 18th century, the city was the first capital. At that time, with Benjamin Franklin taking a large role in Philadelphia's rise. The city was the geographic center of the 18th-century thinking and activity that gave birth to the American Revolution and subsequent American democracy and independence.
Philadelphia was a major center of the independence movement during the American Revolutionary War. The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted here. Philadelphia's Tun Tavern is traditionally regarded as the location where, in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was founded.
Most of the city's historic landmarks are in Old City and the Historical District in the Society Hill neighborhood east of Center City, including Independence National Historical Park, site of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
For almost a century, Philadelphia's skyline was dominated by Second-Empire-style City Hall. Begun in 1871, City Hall took 30 years to complete and is the tallest masonry load-bearing structure in the world at 548 feet, including the statue of William Penn at its crown.
Tourist attractions
Philadelphia contains many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the United States. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks. Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Liberty Bell are the city's most famous attractions. Other historic sites include homes for Edgar Allan Poe and Betsy Ross and early government buildings like the First and Second Banks of the United States.
The city contains many museums such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Rodin Museum, the largest collection of work by Auguste Rodin outside of France. The city’s major art museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, features the steps made popular by the film Rocky. Philadelphia's major science museums include the Franklin Institute, which contains the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. History museums include the National Constitution Center, the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia History, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and Eastern State Penitentiary. Philadelphia is home to the United States' first zoo and hospital.
San Francisco, California
Nickname: The City by the Bay
San Francisco is located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and is the focal point of the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1776, the Spanish settled the tip of the San Francisco peninsula, establishing a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth. After being devastated by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt.
San Francisco is renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, and its peninsular location surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. Famous landmarks include the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, Coit Tower, and Chinatown.
Tourist attractions
Baker Beach occupies a picturesque setting just west of the Golden Gate Bridge. The biggest and most well-known park is Golden Gate Park, stretching from the center of the city to the Pacific Ocean. Once covered only in grass and sand dunes, the park is planted with thousands of non-native trees and plants and is rich with attractions including the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden, and Strybing Arboretum. The Presidio, a former military base, and its Crissy Field section, restored to its natural salt marsh condition, are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes Alcatraz, and other regional parks. Buena Vista Park is the city's oldest, established in 1867.
Vocabulary notes
Incorporate-регистрировать
Segregation-изоляция, отсоединение
Prominent-выдающийся
Tomb-могила, склеп
Rotating-вращающийся
Specimens- образец, экземпляр
fine/visual arts-изобразительное искусство
venue-место сбора
Cradle of Liberty-колыбель свободы
massacre-резня
ornate-богато украшенный
embedded-встроенный, вкрапленный
portage-перевозка
clog-засорять
drastic-интенсивный
exceed-превышать
intersperse-рассыпать
sanctuary-убежище, неприкосновенность
bay-залив
shelter-укрытие
annexation-добавление
waterborne-на плаву, перевозимый морем
tonnage-грузовместимость
cargo-груз
sin-грех
gamble-играть в азартные игры
lavish-неумеренный, расточительный
hedonism-гедонизм
vicinity-соседство, близость
boost-поддержка, рекламирование
mansion-особняк
consolidate-объединять
enclave-анклав
masonry-каменная кладка
devastate-опустошать
peninsular-полуостров
Culture
The United States is a culturally diverse nation, home to a wide variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values. The culture held in common by the majority of Americans is referred to as "mainstream American culture." Certain Native American traditions and many cultural characteristics of enslaved West Africans were absorbed into the American mainstream. Westward expansion brought close contact with the culture of Mexico, and large-scale immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from Southern and Eastern Europe introduced many new cultural elements. More recent immigration from Asia and especially Latin America has had broad impact. The resulting mix of cultures may be characterized as a homogeneous melting pot or as a pluralistic salad bowl in which immigrants and their descendants impact distinctive cultural characteristics.
Popular media
Movies
[pic]
The iconic Hollywood sign
In 1878, Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion. In 1894, the world's first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City, using Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope. The next year saw the first commercial screening of a projected film, also in New York, and the U.S. was in the forefront of sound film's development in the following decades. Since the early twentieth century, the U.S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, California. The major film studios of Hollywood are the primary source of the most commercially successful movies in the world, such as Star Wars (1977) and Titanic (1997). American screen actors like John Wayne and Marilyn Monroe have become iconic figures, while producer/entrepreneur Walt Disney was a leader in both animated film and movie merchandising. Director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar and Orson Welles's Citizen Kane (1941) is frequently cited in critics' polls as the greatest film of all time.
Television
After World War II, American homes were invaded by a powerful new force -television. The idea of seeing "live" shows in the living room was immediately attractive. Television has developed since World War II into the most popular medium in the United States, one that has had great influence on American way of life. Three large privately-owned networks -- NBC, CBS and ABC -- claimed 90 percent of the TV market from the 1950s through the 1970s with free broadcasts.
Cable Television
However, the rapid spread of pay cable TV in the 1980s broke the hegemony of the big three. By 1999, close to 70% of American households had subscribed to cable TV. Cable TV, carried by coaxial and fiber-optic cables, originated in 1948 to better serve individuals in mountainous or geographically remote areas who could not receive over-the-air TV stations.
In December 1975, Home Box Office, an all-movie channel owned by Time, Inc., became the first programmer to distribute its signal via satellite. The next service to use the satellite was a local television station in Atlanta owned by Ted Turner. It became known as the first "superstation," bouncing its signal off a satellite to reach a nationwide audience. The same technology allowed Turner in 1980 to found the Cable News Network, CNN, the world's first 24-hour all-news channel. By early 1993, MTV, the leading American rock music TV network, had an audience of 46 million in the United States and 32 other countries.
Public Television
U.S. public television stations are independent and serve community needs. All public television organizations are linked nationally, however, through three national organizations: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), created by Congress in 1967 to channel federal government funding to stations and independent producers; the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), formed in 1969 and which today distributes programming and operates the satellite system linking all public TV stations; and the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), which helps member public TV stations with research and planning. In addition to these public TV stations, there are a growing number of noncommercial stations run by Christian evangelistic ministries, which are, for the most part, supported by donations from viewers and member churches.
Radio
The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media. By 1928, the United States had three national radio networks - two owned by NBC (the National Broadcasting Company), and one by CBS (the Columbia Broadcasting System).
In 1998, the number of U.S. commercial radio stations had grown to 4,793 AM stations and 5,662 FM stations. In addition, there are 1,460 public radio stations in the United States. Most of these stations are run by universities and public authorities for educational purposes and are financed by public and/or private funds, subscriptions and some underwriting. NPR (National Public Radio) was incorporated in February 1970 under the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act. NPR was created to provide leadership in national newsgathering and production and to act as a permanent nationwide interconnection of noncommercial stations.
Magazines
The late 1800s saw the start of opinion journals still influential a century later, including the Atlantic Monthly, the Nation, and Harper's. The largest readerships were won, however, by magazines that catered to Americans' increasing leisure time and appetite for consumer goods, magazines such as Cosmopolitan, the Ladies Home Journal, and the Saturday Evening Post. Publishers were no longer just selling reading material; they were selling readers to advertisers. “Time” was launched in 1923 by Henry Luce (1898-1967). Intended for people too busy to keep up with a daily newspaper, Time was the first magazine to organize news into separate departments such as national affairs, business and science. “Newsweek”, using much the same format, was started in 1933. Other prominent news weeklies are “Business Week” and “U.S. News” and “World Report”.
Newspapers
The first U.S. newspaper, Public Occurrences: Both Foreign and Domestic, first published on September 25, 1690 lasted only one day before it was suppressed by British colonial authorities. Other newspapers quickly sprang up, however, and by 1730, the colonial press had gained sufficient stature to seriously challenge British governors. Historians consider the birth of America's free-press tradition to have begun with the 1734 trial of John Peter Zenger for seditious libel. Horace Greeley founded the New York Tribune in 1841, and it quickly became the most influential newspaper in America. Other important dailies, such as the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, and Chicago Tribune were founded in the 1850s. Two media giants, Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, began building their newspaper empires after the Civil War (1861-1865). Their fierce competition produced "yellow journalism" -- sensational and often inaccurate reporting aimed at attracting readers. "Chain" newspapers under the same ownership became a dominant feature in the early 20th century. In addition to the front-running Hearst chain, the Scripps-Howard and Cowles chains grew following World War I.
The top five daily newspapers by circulation are: the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.
Music
Elements from folk idioms such as the blues and what is now known as old-time music were adopted and transformed into popular genres. Jazz was developed by innovators such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington early in the twentieth century. Country music, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll emerged between the 1920s and 1950s. More recent American creations include funk and hip hop. American pop stars such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna have become global celebrities.
Theater
American theater is traditionally dated from the arrival of Lewis Hallam's English troupe in Williamsburg in 1752. Theater became a more pervasive part of American life during the early nineteenth century and the two decades before and after the turn of the century were golden years for theater. Audiences could choose between legitimate theater, ballet, vaudeville, burlesque, and opera. In the second half of the 19th century, vaudeville emerged. From the 1880s through the 1930s, vaudeville's fast-paced collage of music, comedy, dance, novelty numbers, and skits appealed to a large audience.
In 1866, the "The Black Crook" was produced and the American musical was born. Song, dance, and spectacle were grafted onto an existing melodrama. By the end of the nineteenth century the American musical stage encompassed a number of genres: Operettas, topical musicals and revues with roots in minstrel shows. After World War I, Broadway entered a golden period. Ever since the production of "West Side Story" in 1957, dance has been integral to the story. Performers now had to sing, dance, and act - the triple-threat talent required for most subsequent shows. Rock 'n' roll pushed Broadway out of its place as the trendsetter of American popular music.
Today's American theater might be divided into three categories. First, Broadway productions persist and many new plays, usually about 50 productions a season, are presented first in the theater district of New York City. Second, many fine regional theaters produce some of the best new drama. Subsidized by corporations, foundations and the government, regional theater for some critics represents the best hope of American drama. Finally, colleges and universities support active theater programs. Musicals may still rule on Broadway, but it also launches some great new American plays.
Vocabulary notes
Variety-разнообразие
Value-ценность
Mainstream-основное направление
absorb-впитывать
expansion-расширение
impact-влиять, воздействовать
media-средства массовой информации
hegemony-господство
subscribe-подписываться
remote-отдаленный
via satellite-через спутник
donation-дар, подношение
pervasive-пропитывающий, заполняющий
spur- подгонять, побуждать
cater-обеспечивать, обслуживать
leisure time-досуг
consumer-потребитель
goods-товары
seditious-бунтарский
libel-клевета
giant-гигантский
celebrity-знаменитость
legitimate-узаконивать
encompass-окружать
USA Education
Americans have shown a great concern for education since early colonial times. Within 30 years of the founding of the first settlement in Massachusetts (1620), all towns were required to hire a schoolmaster. In 1787 the Continental Congress asked every new township to reserve one plot of land for public schools.
Today, almost 90 percent of American students attend public elementary and secondary schools. The other ten percent attend private schools. Four out of five private schools are run by religious groups, where religious instruction is part of the curriculum. There is also a small but growing number of parents who educate their children themselves, a practice known as home schooling.
The United States does not have a national school system, but the government provides guidance and funding for federal educational programs in which both public and private schools take part. Each of the 50 states has its own laws regulating education.
American Education System
Primary school
American children start school at the age of five years. The first year at school is called kindergarten. It is required of all American children enrolled in the American education system. The second year at school is considered the first year of primary school and is referred to as first grade. In America, the word grade has two meanings: (1) the score achieved on an exam or in a course, and (2) a year of education in primary or secondary school. Primary school most commonly consists of five years of education, referred to as first through fifth grades.
Secondary school
Upon completion of fifth grade (the last year of primary school), American children enrolled in the American education system advance to secondary school. Secondary school most commonly consists of a total of seven years, referred to as sixth through twelfth grades. The ninth through twelfth grades are most commonly referred to as high school. Upon completion of twelfth grade, American students are awarded a certificate called the high school diploma. In the American education system, students must have obtained a high school diploma before they are admitted into college or university.
Undergraduate school
Students who have completed high school and would like to attend college or university must attend what is referred to as an undergraduate school. These are schools that offer either a two-year degree (called an associate degree) or a four-year degree (called a bachelors degree) in a specific course of study. That course of study is called the major. While most schools that offer a four-year degree will admit students who have not yet chosen a major, all students are required to select (or declare) a major by their second year at school. Students who complete an associate degree can continue their education at a four-year school and eventually complete a bachelor degree.
Graduate school
Students who have obtained a bachelor’s degree can continue their education by pursuing one of two types of degrees. The first is a master’s degree. This is usually a two-year degree that is highly specialized in a specific field. Students are sometimes admitted to a master’s degree program only if they have a bachelor’s degree in a closely related field. However, there are many exceptions to this, such as with students who want to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree. Students who want to advance their education even further in a specific field can pursue a doctorate degree, also called a PhD. A PhD degree can take between three and six years to complete, depending on the course of study chosen, the ability of the student, and the thesis that the student has selected. The thesis is a very intensive research paper that must be completed prior to earning the degree. It is always required of students pursuing a PhD, and may sometimes be required of students pursuing a master’s degree (depending on the school).
Certain courses of study are only available at the graduate school level in America. The most notable of these are law, dentistry, and medicine. Students who want to pursue a degree in one of these fields must first obtain a bachelor’s degree.
Universities in the United States
There are about 3,000 universities that offer undergraduate programs. More than 1,000 universities that offer Masters programs, and approximately 400 of these offer Doctoral and Post-Doctoral degrees (PhD). There are several types of universities in the U.S.
Public Universities
These are state-affiliated institutions and some may include the words "State University" in their title. They are relatively inexpensive when compared to the other universities nation-wide, but getting admission into these universities can be more difficult than a private institution. State universities tend to be very large with enrollments of 20,000 or more students. Also, many government-funded research projects are allocated to state universities, which provide research assistantship opportunities for highly qualified students. Most of the universities offer partial or full tuition fee waivers to teaching and research assistant students.
Private Universities
Private institutions are supported by student tuition, investment income, research contracts, and private donations. Tuition fees tend to be higher at private universities than at state universities, but they charge the same tuition to both state and out-of-state residents.
The quality of education is equal between public and private universities. The main differences are funding and fees. Public universities are funded by state governments, student tuition payments, and private donations. Since public universities are supported by state governments, they give enrollment preference and lower tuition fees to the in-state students. All international students are subjected to out-of-state tuition. However, the tuition is usually lower at most state institutions than at private institutions, even for those who are out-of-state residents.
Community Colleges
These are institutions normally run by a certain community for their own people. Many high school graduates who cannot afford to go to a university, or who simply are not ready for a four-year institution, will choose to go to community college. These institutions accept international students, but they have a fewer number of attendees, as most students are commuters from the near-by area. Although community colleges focus on undergraduate programs, some offer good graduate programs as well. These institutions will be mostly located in suburbs, and the basic advantage in these institutions is minimum academic fees.
Technical Institutes
These are institutions mainly specializing in engineering degrees, mostly at the Masters and Doctoral level. These institutions are famous for their renowned research programs and most international students are attracted to these sorts of institutions.
Admission into universities is very competitive, and decisions are made based on the student's application package, including resume, samples of previous work, and letters of recommendation. Academic fees vary from university to university and usually range $7,000-35,000 per year. An average academic fee is $10,000-12,000 per year, excluding living expenses.
University Ranking
Various organizations define U.S. university ranking by various factors, such as number of programs, acceptance percentage, and enrollment. There is no official university ranking list available to students by the government or any educational-related organization. The most commonly used ranking report is the one published by US News.
TOP 20 Ranked universities.
|Rank |Institution Name |City |State |
|1 |University of Southern California |Los Angeles |CA |
|2 |Columbia University |New York |NY |
|3 |Purdue University, Main Campus |West Lafayette |IN |
|4 |New York University |New York |NY |
|5 |University of Texas at Austin |Austin |TX |
|6 |University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |Champaign |IL |
|7 |University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |Ann Arbor |MI |
|8 |Boston University |Boston |MA |
|9 |University of California - Los Angeles |Los Angeles |CA |
|10 |The Ohio State University, Main Campus |Columbus |OH |
|11 |Texas A&M University |College Station |TX |
|12 |University of Maryland College Park |College Park |MD |
|13 |Indiana University at Bloomington |Bloomington |IN |
|14 |Penn State University - University Park |University Park |PA |
|15 |University at Buffalo - SUNY |Buffalo |NY |
|16 |University of Pennsylvania |Philadelphia |PA |
|17 |University of Wisconsin - Madison |Madison |WI |
|18 |Harvard University |Cambridge |MA |
|19 |Florida International University |Miami |FL |
|20 |University of Houston |Houston |TX |
Vocabulary notes
Hire-нанимать
Schoolmaster-школьный учитель
plot of land-участок земли
attend-посещать
elementary and secondary school-начальная и средняя школа
curriculum-учебная программа
guidance and funding-управление и финансирование
upon completion-по завершении
enroll-включать в список
obtain-получать, достигать
be admitted-быть принятым
bachelors degree-степень бакалавра
prior to-до
graduate school- аспирантура
approximately-приблизительно
allocate-размещать, распределять
tuition fee-плата за обучение
waiver-отказ
partial-частичный
investment income
private donations-частные пожертвования
community-сообщество
suburb-пригород
application package-пакет документов
samples of previous work-образцы предыдущей работы
average-средний
excluding living expenses-исключая расходы на жизнь
Famous American People
Presidents
George Washington
First President
1789-1797
Born: February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia
Died: December 14, 1799 in Mount Vernon, Virginia
Married to Martha Dandridge Washington
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.
He pursued two intertwined interests: military arts and western expansion. At 16 he helped survey Shenandoah lands for Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754, he fought the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The next year was an aide to Gen. Edward Braddock. From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands around Mount Vernon and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
When the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia in May 1775, Washington, one of the Virginia delegates, was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six gruelling years.
Washington soon realized that the Nation under its Articles of Confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When the new Constitution was ratified, they Washington President.
Wearied of politics, feeling old, he retired at the end of his second.
He died of a throat infection December 14, 1799. For months the Nation mourned him
Thomas Jefferson
Third President
1801-1809
Born: April 13, 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia
Died: July 4, 1826 in Monticello in Virginia
Married to Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father, a planter and surveyor, some 5,000 acres of land, and from his mother, a Randolph, high social standing. He studied at the College of William and Mary, then read law. In the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress, he contributed his pen rather than his voice to the patriot cause. As the "silent member" of the Congress, Jefferson, at 33, drafted the Declaration of Independence. Most notably, he wrote a bill establishing religious freedom, enacted in 1786.
Jefferson succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785. His sympathy for the French Revolution led him into conflict with Alexander Hamilton when Jefferson was Secretary of State in President Washington's Cabinet. He resigned in 1793.
Sharp political conflict developed, and two separate parties, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, began to form. Jefferson gradually assumed leadership of the Republicans, who sympathized with the revolutionary cause in France. Attacking Federalist policies, he opposed a strong centralized Government and championed the rights of states.
He became Vice President, in1796. In 1800 the defect caused a more serious problem. Republican electors, attempting to name both a President and a Vice President from their own party, cast a tie vote between Jefferson and Aaron Burr. The House of Representatives settled the tie. Hamilton, disliking both Jefferson and Burr, nevertheless urged Jefferson's election.
When Jefferson assumed the Presidency, the crisis in France had passed. He slashed Army and Navy expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the tax on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. Further, although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803.
During Jefferson's second term, he was increasingly preoccupied with keeping the Nation from involvement in the Napoleonic wars, though both England and France interfered with the neutral rights of American merchantmen. Jefferson's attempted solution, an embargo upon American shipping, worked badly and was unpopular.
Jefferson retired to Monticello to ponder such projects as his grand designs for the University of Virginia. He died on July 4, 1826.
Abraham Lincoln
Sixteenth President
1861-1865
Born: February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865. Lincoln died the morning after being shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. by John Wilkes Booth, an actor.
Married to Mary Todd Lincoln
The son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln had to struggle for a living and for learning. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature, and rode the circuit of courts for many years.
In 1858 Lincoln ran against Stephen A. Douglas for Senator. He lost the election, but in debating with Douglas he gained a national reputation that won him the Republican nomination for President in 1860.
As President, he built the Republican Party into a strong national organization. Further, he rallied most of the northern Democrats to the Union cause. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy.
Lincoln won re-election in 1864, as Union military triumphs heralded an end to the war. The spirit that guided him was clearly that of his Second Inaugural Address, now inscribed on one wall of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.... "
On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth, an actor, who somehow thought he was helping the South.
Theodore Roosevelt
Twenty-Sixth President
1901-1909
Born: October 27, 1858 in New York, New York
Died: January 6, 1919 in Oyster Bay, New York
Married to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt, 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history.
He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled--against ill health--and in his triumph became an advocate of the tenuous life.
During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, which he led on a charge at the battle of San Juan. Boss Tom Platt, needing a hero to draw attention away from scandals in New York State, accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for Governor in 1898. Roosevelt won and served with distinction.
Roosevelt emerged spectacularly as a "trust buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the Northwest. Other antitrust suits under the Sherman Act followed.
Roosevelt steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . . "
Aware of the strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific, Roosevelt ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman's Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world.
Some of Theodore Roosevelt's most effective achievements were in conservation. He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects.
Leaving the Presidency in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In 1912 he ran for President on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked that he felt as fit as a bull moose, the name of his new party.
While campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon recovered, but his words at that time would have been applicable at the time of his death in 1919: "No man has had a happier life than I have led; a happier life in every way."
Harry S Truman
Thirty-Third President
1945-1953
Born: May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri
Died: December 26, 1972 in Independence, Missouri
Married to Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman
Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884.
He went to France during World War I as a captain in the Field Artillery. Active in the Democratic Party, Truman was elected a judge of the Jackson County Court (an administrative position) in 1922. He became a Senator in 1934. During World War II he headed the Senate war investigating committee, checking into waste and corruption and saving perhaps as much as 15 billion dollars.
Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japanese surrender quickly followed.
In June 1945 Truman witnessed the signing of the charter of the United Nations, hopefully established to preserve peace.
In 1947 as the Soviet Union pressured Turkey and, through guerrillas, threatened to take over Greece, he asked Congress to aid the two countries, enunciating the program that bears his name--the Truman Doctrine. The Marshall Plan, named for his Secretary of State, stimulated spectacular economic recovery in war-torn western Europe.
He was negotiating a military alliance to protect Western nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, established in 1949.
Deciding not to run again, he retired to Independence; at age 88.
John Kennedy
Thirty-Fifth President
1961-1963
Born: May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts
Died: November 22, 1963. Killed by an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas
Married to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy
On November 22, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die. Of Irish descent, he was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917. Graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy.
Back from the war, he became a Democratic Congressman from the Boston area, advancing in 1953 to the Senate. In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote Profiles in Courage, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history. [pic]
Shortly after his inauguration, Kennedy permitted a band of Cuban exiles, already armed and trained, to invade their homeland. The attempt to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro was a failure. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union renewed its campaign against West Berlin. Kennedy replied by reinforcing the Berlin garrison and increasing the Nation's military strength, including new efforts in outer space. Confronted by this reaction, Moscow, after the erection of the Berlin Wall, relaxed its pressure in central Europe.
Instead, the Russians now sought to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. When this was discovered by air reconnaissance in October 1962, Kennedy imposed a quarantine on all offensive weapons bound for Cuba. While the world trembled on the brink of nuclear war, the Russians backed down and agreed to take the missiles away. The American response to the Cuban crisis evidently persuaded Moscow of the futility of nuclear blackmail.
Kennedy now contended that both sides had a vital interest in stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and slowing the arms race--a contention which led to the test ban treaty of 1963.
Ronald Reagan
Fortieth President
1981-1989
Born: February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois
Died: June 5, 2004 in Bel-Air, California
Married to Nancy Davis Reagan
On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53 films.
As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected in 1970.
On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. Dealing skilfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defence. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defence forces led to a large deficit.
A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term. In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.
In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve "peace through strength." During his two terms he increased defence spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.
Richard M. Nixon
Thirty-Seventh President
1969-1974
Born: January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California
Died: April 22, 1994 in New York, New York
Married to Patricia Ryan Nixon
During his Presidency, Nixon succeeded in ending American fighting in Viet Nam and improving relations with the U.S.S.R. and China. But the Watergate scandal brought fresh divisions to the country and ultimately led to his resignation.
His election in 1968 had climaxed a career unusual on two counts: his early success and his comeback after being defeated for President in 1960 and for Governor of California in 1962.
During World War II, Nixon served as a Navy lieutenant commander in the Pacific.
On leaving the service, he was elected to Congress from his California district. In 1950, he won a Senate seat. Two years later, General Eisenhower selected Nixon, age 39, to be his running mate.
His accomplishments while in office included revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, and a broad environmental program. As he had promised, he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. One of the most dramatic events of his first term occurred in 1969, when American astronauts made the first moon landing.
Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, he reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. His summit meetings with Russian leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons. In January 1973, he announced an accord with North Viet Nam to end American involvement in Indochina.
Within a few months, his administration was embattled over the so-called "Watergate" scandal, stemming from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign. The break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to Re-elect the President. Nixon denied any personal involvement, but the courts forced him to yield tape recordings which indicated that he had, in fact, tried to divert the investigation.
Faced with what seemed almost certain impeachment, Nixon announced on August 8, 1974, that he would resign the next day to begin "that process of healing which is so desperately needed in America."
In his last years, Nixon gained praise as an elder statesman. By the time of his death on April 22, 1994, he had written numerous books on his experiences in public life and on foreign policy
Literature
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Benjamin Franklin, whom the Scottish philosopher David Hume called America's "first great man of letters," embodied the Enlightenment ideal of humane rationality. Franklin recorded his early life in his famous Autobiography. Writer, printer, publisher, scientist, philanthropist, and diplomat, he was the most famous and respected private figure of his time. He was the first great self-made man in America, a poor democrat born in an aristocratic age that his fine example helped to liberalize. While a youth, Franklin taught himself languages, read widely, and practiced writing for the public. Franklin’s Poor Richard's Almanack, begun in 1732 and published for many years, made Franklin prosperous and well-known throughout the colonies. In this annual book of useful encouragement, advice, and factual information, amusing characters such as old Father Abraham and Poor Richard exhort the reader in pithy, memorable sayings: "God helps them that help themselves." "Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise." "A small leak will sink a great Ship."
He was an important figure at the 1787 convention at which the U.S. Constitution was drafted.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin; or. Life Among the Lowly was the most popular American book of the 19th century. Its passionate appeal for an end to slavery in the United States inflamed the debate that, within a decade, led to the U.S.Civil War (1861-1865).
Reasons for the success of Uncle Tom's Cabin are obvious. It reflected the idea that slavery in the United States was an injustice of colossal proportions.
Stowe herself was a perfect representative of old New England Puritan stock. Stowe conceived the idea of the novel — in a vision of an old, ragged slave being beaten — as she participated in a church service. Later, she said that the novel was inspired and "written by God."
SAMUEL CLEMENS (MARK TWAIN) (1835-1910)
Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain, grew up in the Mississippi River frontier town of Hannibal, Missouri. Ernest Hemingway's famous statement that all of American literature comes from one great book, Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, indicates this author's towering place in the tradition. Twain was the first major author to come from the interior of the country, and he captured its distinctive, humorous slang and iconoclasm.
Twain's masterpiece, which appeared in 1884, is set in the Mississippi River village of St. Petersburg.
Huckleberry Finn has inspired countless literary interpretations.
Samuel Clemens's pen name, "Mark Twain," is the phrase Mississippi boatmen used to signify two fathoms (3.6 meters) of water, the depth needed for a boat's safe passage. Twain's serious purpose, combined with a rare genius for humor and style, keep his writing fresh and appealing.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945)
The 1925 work An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, like London's Martin Eden, explores the dangers of the American dream. Its precise details build up an overwhelming sense of tragic inevitability. The novel is a scathing portrait of the American success myth gone sour, but it is also a universal story about the stresses of urbanization, modernization, and alienation.
An American Tragedy is a reflection of the dissatisfaction, envy, and despair that afflicted many poor working people in America's competitive, success-driven society.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
Hemingway came from the U.S. Midwest. Born in Illinois. He volunteered for an ambulance unit in France during World War I, but was wounded and hospitalized for six months. After his novel The Sun Also Rises (1926) brought him fame, he covered the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the fighting in China in the 1940s. The Old Man and the Sea (1952), a short poetic novel about a poor, old fisherman who heroically catches a huge fish devoured by sharks, won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953; the next year he received the Nobel Prize. Discouraged by a troubled family background, illness, and the belief that he was losing his gift for writing, Hemingway shot himself to death in 1961.
Hemingway's excellent short stories are "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber." His best novels include The Sun Also Rises, about the demoralized life of expatriates after World War I; A Farewell to Arms, about the tragic love affair of an American soldier and an English nurse during the war; For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940), set during the Spanish Civil War.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
John Steinbeck is held in higher critical esteem outside the United States than in it today, largely because he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963 and the international fame it confers. Steinbeck, a Californian, set much of his writing in the Salinas Valley near San Francisco. His best known work is the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which follows the travails of a poor Oklahoma family that loses its farm during the Depression and travels to California to seek work. Family members suffer conditions of feudal oppression by rich landowners. Other works set in California include Tortilla Flat (1935), Of Mice and Men (1937), Cannery Row (1945), and East of Eden (1952).
Sport
Babe Ruth
Outfielder/Pitcher
Born: February 6, 1895
Died: August 16, 1948 (aged 53)
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), also known as "Babe", "The Great Bambino", "The Sultan of Swat", and "The Colossus of Clout", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914-1935. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players in history. Many polls place him as the number one player of all time.
He hit 29 home runs to break Ned Williamson's record for most home runs in a single season.
In 1969, he was named baseball's Greatest Player Ever in a ballot commemorating the 100th anniversary of professional baseball. In 1998, The Sporting News ranked Ruth Number 1 on the list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players."
Michael Jordan
Position - Shooting guard
Nickname - Air Jordan, His Airness, MJ,
Height - 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight - 216 lb (98 kg)
Nationality - United States
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player. Widely considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, he became one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA (National Basketball Association) around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the foul line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness." He also gained a reputation as one of the best defensive players in basketball. Jordan holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.1 points per game, as well as averaging a record 33.4 points per game in the playoffs. In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century.
Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.
Music
ELLA FITZGERALD
Ella lived in an orphanage in New York. At age 15, she entered a contest in New York. A famous jazz musician named Chick Webb was in the audience. He was looking for a new singer for his band. When he heard Ella's voice, he gave her the job.In 1938 Ella wrote a song with Chick Webb. This song was a great success. Ella was a star.
Chick Webb died, but Ella sang with his band for three more years. Then she sang alone. She traveled all over the world. She had an amazing voice. She could sing any kind of song. Ella sang for almost 60 years. She sold over 25 million records and sang with more than 40 orchestras. People called her the "First Lady of Song." Ella died in 1996.
Louis Armstrong (1991 – 1971)
He was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. He was from a very poor family, his amazing playing soon made him a sensation among other musicians in Chicago. The New Orleans style of music took the town by storm and soon many other bands from down south made their way north to Chicago. The records made by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven are considered to be absolute jazz classics. He and his band toured extensively travelling to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America until Louis' failing health caused them to disband. Armstrong became known as America's Ambassador. In 1963 Armstrong scored a huge international hit with his version of "Hello Dolly". This number one single even knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts. In 1968 he recorded another number one hit with the touchingly optimistic "What A Wonderful World". Armstrong's health began to fail him and he was hospitalized several times over the remaining three years of his life, but he continued playing and recording. On July 6th 1971 the world's greatest Jazz musician died in his sleep at his home in Queens, New York.
Elvis Presley.
Birth name - Elvis Aaron Presley
Also known as Elvis, The King
Born - January 8, 1935 Tupelo, Mississippi, USA
Origin - Memphis, Tennessee
Died - August 16, 1977 (age 42)Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Genre(s) - Rock and roll, Rockabilly Country, Gospel, Country rock
Occupation(s) - Singer, Musician, ActorAmerican soldier
Instrument(s) - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, BassDrums, Percussion, Ukulele
Years active - 1954–1977
Label(s) - Sun, RCA Records
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is often known simply as Elvis; also "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".
Presley began his career as a singer of rockabilly, performing country and rhythm and blues songs. He developed a versatile voice and sang a combination of country music and blues with a strong back beat, and an energetic delivery - one of the earliest forms of rock & roll. He also had success with other genres, including gospel, blues and pop. Presley made 33 movies and set many records for concert attendance, television ratings and records sales. He subsequently became one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music.
His premature death, aged 42, shocked his fans worldwide.
Arts and Entertainment
GRANDMA MOSES
Grandma Moses started a new job at age 76.
She worked on other people's farms to make money. In 1930 Anna Mary Moses was 70 and a grandmother, she painted pictures. She made paintings of country life. One day, her daughter took her paintings to a store in town. A man from New York saw the paintings in the window and bought them.
The man liked Grandma Moses's paintings. So he took her paintings to galleries in New York. Otto Kallir had a famous gallery there. In 1940 Grandma Moses's paintings were in Kallir's gallery. She was 80 years old and suddenly became famous. So she painted more and more. She won many prizes for her paintings. She became famous in the United States and Europe. She was on television, and people made a movie about her.
When she was 100 years old, the state of New York made her birthday "Grandma Moses Day." After her 100th birthday, she painted 26 more paintings. She died at age 101.
Charlie Chaplin
Birth name - Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr.
Born - 16 April 1889(1889-04-16)Walworth, London, England
Died - 25 December 1977 (aged 88) Vevey, Switzerland
Years active - 1914 - 1967
Spouse(s) - Mildred Harris (1918-1920)
Lita Grey (1924-1928)
Paulette Goddard (1936-1942)
Oona Chaplin (1943-1977)
Notable roles
The Tramp (1914-1936)
Monsieur Verdoux in Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977), better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an English comedy actor. Chaplin became one of the most famous performers as well as a notable director and musician in the early to mid Hollywood cinema era. He is considered to be one of the finest mimes and clowns ever caught on film and has greatly influenced performers in this field.
Chaplin was also one of the most creative and influential personalities in the silent film era. He acted in, directed, scripted, produced, and eventually scored his own films. His working life in entertainment spanned over 65 years, from the Victorian stage and music hall in England as a child performer, almost until his death at the age of eighty-eight. Chaplin's high-profile public and private life encompassed highs and lows with both adulation and controversy.
His principal character was "The Tramp" (known as "Charlot" in France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Turkey). "The Tramp" is a vagrant with the refined manners and dignity of a gentleman. The character wears a tight coat, oversized trousers and shoes, a derby, carries a bamboo cane, and has a signature toothbrush moustache.
[pic]Walt Disney
Born - December 05, 1901(1901-12-05) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died - December 15, 1966 (aged 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation - Film producer, Co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, formerly known as Walt Disney Productions
Spouse - Lillian Disney
Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Disney is notable as one of the most influential figures in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Walt became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. Walt Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He received twenty-two Academy Awards and forty-eight nominations during his lifetime, holding the record for the individual with the most awards and the most nominations. Disney has also won seven Emmy Awards. Disney and his staff created a number of the world's most famous fictional characters, including the one many consider Disney's alter ego, Mickey Mouse. He is also well-known for giving his name to Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, France, Japan and China.
Walt Disney died of lung cancer on December 15, 1966, a few years prior to the opening of his Walt Disney World dream project in Orlando, Florida
The Disney entertainment empire
Today, Walt Disney's animation/motion picture studios and theme parks have developed into a multi-billion dollar television, motion picture, vacation destination and media corporation that carries his name. The Walt Disney Company today owns, among other assets, five vacation resorts, eleven theme parks, two water parks, thirty-nine hotels, eight motion picture studios, six record labels, eleven cable television networks, and one terrestrial television network
Walt Disney also received the Congressional Gold Medal on May 24, 1968 and the Legion d'Honneur in France in 1935.
Science and Inventions
ISAAC SINGER'S SEWING MACHINE
Isaac Singer was an inventor. He was born poor. He was the eighth child of a German immigrant. At age 12, he ran away from home and became an actor. An actor did not make much money, so Isaac also learned to be a mechanic.
In 1851 Singer was working as a mechanic in Boston. Someone told him he could make a lot of money if he could make a good sewing machine. There were already several kinds of sewing machines. But none of them worked well. In eleven days, Singer made the first sewing machine that really worked.
Singer and two other people started the Singer Company. They made sewing machines. The Singer Company used a great new idea to sell its machines. People did not have to pay all the money at one time. They could pay a little money every month or every week.
For the first time, people could buy ready-made clothes and shoes.
Isaac Singer became a very wealthy man. He stopped work and retired.
GARRET A. MORGAN'S TRAFFIC LIGHT
The next time you stop for a red light, thank the inventor, Garret A. Morgan.
In 1875 Garret A. Morgan was born to a poor African-American family. When he was 14 he left school and went to work. He did not have much education. But he was very imaginative.
In 1901 Morgan invented a special belt for sewing machines. He sold the idea for $150. But this was only the beginning. Morgan invented many things. In 1914 Morgan invented a helmet to protect miners and firefighters from smoke and gas. He won a gold medal for this invention.
The streets were crowded with cars. There were many accidents. Morgan had an idea. What about a light at each street corner? The light tells the cars to stop or go. He invented a timer that automatically changed the light.
Cities all over the country wanted to have Morgan's traffic lights. He couldn’t produce enough traffic lights. In 1920s he sold his invention to the General Electric Company.
McDonald’s
Maurice ("Mac") and Richard McDonald had a dream. They wanted to be movie stars. They went to California from the East Coast. But they could not find jobs in the movies. They decided to open a restaurant in San Bernardino. They wanted to try something new—a fast-food restaurant. They borrowed money and opened a restaurant. They called the restaurant McDonald's. Hamburgers, milk shakes, and French fries were on the menu. That's all. No one thought it would work. But people loved it. The food was simple, fast, and good. Soon, people waited in line outside the restaurant.
A salesman named Ray Kroc from Chicago could not understand why the restaurant needed so many milk-shake machines. So he went to California to see this restaurant. He was amazed. Kroc asked the brothers to open other restaurants like this. He would give them some money for these restaurants. The brothers agreed.
In 1955, Kroc opened two other McDonald's. Soon there were hundreds of McDonald's. The brothers sold McDonald's to Ray Kroc.
Thomas A. Edison
Thomas A. Edison in his laboratory in New Jersey, 1901
Born: February 11, 1847
Died: October 18, 1931
The phonograph and the motion-picture projector were only a few of Thomas Alva Edison's more than 1,000 inventions. One of the most famous inventors in the history of technology, Edison also created the first industrial research laboratory, in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford, c. 1919
Born - July 30, 1863 Greenfield Township, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died - April 7, 1947 (aged 83) Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation - Business
Spouse - Clara Jane Bryant
Parents - William Ford and Mary Ford
Children - Edsel Ford
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents. As sole owner of the Ford Company he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism", that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles using the assembly line which could finish a car in 98 minutes. Henry Ford's intense commitment to lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America, and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation but arranged for his family to control the company permanently
Ford Motor Company
At age 40, Ford, with 11 other investors and $28,000 in capital, incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903. A newly-designed car, driving one mile in 39.4 seconds, setting a new land speed record at 91.3 miles per hour (147.0 km/h).
Ford astonished the world in 1914 by offering a $5 per day wage which more than doubled the rate of most of his workers. The move proved extremely profitable; instead of constant turnover of employees, the best mechanics in Detroit flocked to Ford, bringing in their human capital and expertise, raising productivity, and lowering training costs. Ford called it "wage motive." The company's use of vertical integration also proved successful when Ford built a gigantic factory that shipped in raw materials and shipped out finished automobiles.
Ford Airplane Company
Ford, like other automobile companies, entered the aviation business during World War I, building Liberty engines. After the war, it returned to auto manufacturing until 1925, when Henry Ford acquired the Stout Metal Airplane Company.
Ford's most successful aircraft was the Ford 4AT Trimotor—called the “Tin Goose” because of its corrugated metal construction. It used a new alloy called Alclad that combined the corrosion resistance of aluminum with the strength of duralumin. In 1933, the Ford Airplane Division shut down because of poor sales during the Great Depression.
Other famous people
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)
While Elizabeth Cady Stanton was still a child, she heard her lawyer father inform abused women that they had no legal alternative but to endure mistreatment by their husbands and fathers. It was then that she became a champion of women's rights. In 1840, she met Lucretia Mott at the World Anti-Slavery convention in London. They called for a convention of women's rights in 1848 where Cady presented a Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution advocating women's suffrage. This took place in Senaca Falls, New York. She declared, "men and women are created equal." Among the resolutions in her declaration, Cady Stanton included voting rights for women. She later met Susan B Anthony, and the two of them became the women's movement's most outspoken advocates.
John D. Rockefeller
Born: July 8, 1839 Richford, New York, U.S.A
Died: May 23, 1937 (aged 97)The Casements, Ormond Beach, Florida
Occupation: Chairman of Standard Oil Company; investor; philanthropist
John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the oil industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Rockefeller had always believed since he was a child that his purpose in life was to make as much money as possible, and then use it wisely to improve the lot of mankind. In 1870, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until he retired in the late 1890s. He kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and first billionaire. Rockefeller is often regarded as the richest person in history.
Standard Oil was convicted in Federal Court of monopolistic practices and broken up in 1911. Rockefeller spent the last forty years of his life in retirement. His fortune was used to create the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy with foundations that had a major impact on medicine, education, and scientific research. His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and was instrumental in the eradication of hookworm and yellow fever. He was a devout Northern Baptist and supported many church-based institutions throughout his life.
Always avoiding the spotlight, Rockefeller was remembered for handing dimes to those he encountered in public. Married in 1864, Rockefeller outlived his wife Laura Celestia ("Cettie") Spelman. The Rockefellers had four daughters and one son (John D. Rockefeller, Jr.). "Junior" was largely entrusted with supervision of the foundations.
Vocabulary notes
Requisite-необходимый
Intertwine-переплетать
Colonel-полковник
Skirmish-перестрелка
contribute-вкладывать
resign-уходить в отставку
expenditure-издержки, расходы
eliminate-уничтожать
harass-изводить
qualm-беспокойство
herald-уведомлять
military-военный
inscribe-надписывать, вписывать
malice-злоба
charity-благотворительность
strive-стараться
to be assassinated-быть убитым
arrogated-дерзко
plea-судебный процесс
guerrilla- партизан
threaten-угрожать
enunciate-уведомлять
assassin-убийца
descent-приличный, достойный
recuperate-выздоравливать
brink-край, обрыв
blackmail-шантаж
futility-тщетность
embroil-запутывать
overhaul-тщательный осмотр
insurgency-бунт, мятеж
achievement-достижение
divert-отклонять
embodу-воплощать
Uncle Tom's Cabin-Хижина дяди Тома
Injustice-несправедливость
Slave-раб
pen name-псевдоним
masterpiece-шедевр
poverty-бедность
depict-изображать
overwhelming-непреодолимый
inevitability-неизбежность
envy-зависть
despair-отчаяние
The Old Man and the Sea- Старик и море
A Farewell to Arms- Прощай оружие
For Whom the Bell Tolls- По ком звонит колокол
Grapes of Wrath- Гроздья гнева
feudal oppression-феодальный гнет
leaping ability-способность прыгать
endorsement-одобрение
orphanage-детский дом
versatile-разносторонний
mime-мим
adulation-лесть
vagrant-бродяга
entrepreneur-предприниматель
lung cancer-рак легких
sewing machine-швейная машинка
traffic light-светофор
profitable-прибыльный
alloy-сплав
fortune-состояние (богатство)
eradication-уничтожение, подавление
American Traditions and Holidays
HOLIDAYS AND SPECIAL DAYS
There are no federal (national) holidays in the United States. Each of the 50 states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In practice, however, most states observe the federal ("legal or public ") holidays, even though the President and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal government employees.
The following ten holidays per year are proclaimed by the federal government.
New Year's Day January 1
Martin Luther King Day third Monday in January
Washington's Birthday third Monday in February
Memorial Day last Monday in May
Independence Day July 4
Labor Day first Monday in September
Columbus Day second Monday in October
Veterans Day November 11
Thanksgiving Day fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day December 25
Federal government offices, including the post office, are always closed on all federal holidays. Schools and businesses close on major holidays like Independence Day and Christmas Day but may not always be closed, for example, on President's Day or Veterans Day.
Ethnic & Religious Observances
The United States is a nation of many religions and ethnic groups. Many of these have feast days, holy days or special customs related to their religion or to their nation of origin.
The celebration of Mardi Gras - the day before the Christian season of Lent begins in late winter - is a tradition in New Orleans. The celebration, marked by a huge parade and much feasting, grew out of old French traditions, since Louisiana was once part of France's New World empire. In various places, other ethnic groups sponsor parades or other events of great interest, adding pageantry and merriment to American life. Just a few examples:St. Patrick's Day in the United States is a time of celebration for people of Irish descent and their friends. One of the biggest celebrations takes place in New York City, where a parade is held on the Irish patron saint's feast, March 17.In areas where Americans of Chinese descent live, and especially in the Chinatown sections of New York City and San Francisco, California, people sponsor traditional Chinese New Year's celebrations with feasts, parades and fireworks.
Memorial Day
This holiday, on the fourth Monday of every May, is a day on which Americans honor the dead. Originally a day on which flags and flowers were placed on graves of soldiers who died in the American Civil War, it has become a day on which the dead of all wars and all other dead are remembered the same way. Cities all around the United States hold their own ceremonies on the last Monday in May to pay respect to the men and women who have died in wars or in the service of their country. On Memorial Day, the President or Vice President of the United States gives a speech and lays a wreath on the tombs. Members of the armed forces shoot a rifle salute in the air. Veterans and families come to lay their own wreaths and say prayers. It is a day of reflection. However, to many Americans the day also signals the beginning of summer with a three-day weekend to spend at the beach, in the mountains or at home relaxing.
Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day)
According to the federal government, the holiday observed on the third Monday in February is officially Washington's Birthday. But many Americans believe that this holiday is now called "Presidents' Day," in honor of both Presidents Washington and Lincoln, whose birthdays are Feb. 22 and Feb. 12, respectively.
Although some states do celebrate Presidents' Day as a state holiday, it has never been recognized at the federal level. On the national level, the third Monday of February is the official observance of Washington's Birthday.
Christmas
Christmas is a most important religious holy day for Christians, who attend special church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Christmas is not only a religious holy day, but became one of the first federal holidays in 1870. On this day most businesses and offices remain closed and the greatest possible number of workers, including government employees, have the day off. Many places even close early on the day before.
Naturally Christians observe Christmas according to the traditions of their particular church. Besides the strictly religious traditions, however, other common Christmas practices are observed by people who are not religious or who are not Christian. In this way, some Christmas traditions have become American traditions.
Gift-giving is so common at Christmas time that for most stores it means a sharp increase in sales. Stores, in fact, are full of shoppers from Thanksgiving time in late November until the day before Christmas. This situation has caused many religious people to complain that the religious meaning of Christmas is being subverted, that Christmas has become "commercial." Despite the criticism, Christmas shopping is a major activity of many Americans in the month of December. Gifts are given to children, members of the family and close friends. They are given to people who have done favors to others or who work for them. Some people bake cookies or make candies or other special food treats for friends and neighbors. Most Americans send greeting cards to their friends and family at Christmas time. Some people who are friends or relatives and live great distances from each other may not be much in contact with each other during year - but will usually exchange greeting cards and often a Christmas letter telling their family news.
The decorating of homes for Christmas is very common. Most American who observe Christmas have a Christmas tree in their homes. This may be a real evergreen tree or an artificial one. In either case, the tree is decorated and trimmed with small lights and ornaments. Other decorations such as lights and wreaths of evergreen and signs wishing a "Merry Christmas" can be found inside and outside of many homes.
Halloween
Halloween, the last day of October, has a special significance for children, who dress in funny or ghostly costumes and knock on neighborhood doors shouting "Trick or Treat!" Pirates and princesses, ghosts and witches all hold bags open to catch the candy or other goodies that the neighbors drop in.
Since the 800's November 1st is a religious holiday known as All Saints' Day. The Mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before became known as All Hallow , or Halloween. Like some other American celebrations, its origins lie in both pre-Christian and Christian customs.
Today school dances and neighborhood parties called "block parties" are popular among young and old alike. More and more adults celebrate Halloween. They dress up as historical or political figures and go to masquerade parties. In larger cities, costumed children and their parents gather at shopping malls early in the evening. Stores and businesses give parties with games and treats for the children. Teenagers enjoy costume dances at their schools and the more outrageous the costume the better!
Symbols of Halloween
Halloween originated as a celebration connected with evil spirits. Witches flying on broomsticks with black cats, ghosts, goblins and skeletons have all evolved as symbols of Halloween. They are popular trick-or-treat costumes and decorations for greeting cards and windows. Black is one of the traditional Halloween colors, probably because Halloween festivals and traditions took place at night. In the weeks before October 31, Americans decorate windows of houses and schools with silhouettes of witches and black cats.
Pumpkins are also a symbol of Halloween. The pumpkin is an orange-colored squash, and orange has become the other traditional Halloween color. Carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns is a Halloween custom also dating back to Ireland. A legend grew up about a man named Jack who was so stingy that he was not allowed into heaven when he died, because he was a miser. He couldn't enter hell either because he had played jokes on the devil. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth with his lantern until Judgment Day. The Irish people carved scary faces out of turnips, beets or potatoes representing "Jack of the Lantern," or jack-o'-lantern. When the Irish brought their customs to the United States, they carved faces on pumpkins because in the autumn they were more plentiful than turnips. Today jack-o'-lanterns in the windows of a house on Halloween night let costumed children know that there are goodies waiting if they knock and say "Trick or Treat!"
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November, but many Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.
The holiday dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference. After a rough winter, in which about half of them died, they turned for help to neighboring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast.
The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition -- not only because so many other Americans have found prosperity but also because the Pilgrims' sacrifices for their freedom still captivate the imagination.
To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.
Labor Day
This holiday, which always is observed on the first Monday of September has been a federal holiday since 1894, but was observed in some places before that day as a result of a campaign by an early organization of workers called the Knights of Labor. Its purpose is to honor the nation's working people. In many cities the day is marked by parades of working people representing the labor unions.
Most Americans consider Labor Day the end of the summer, and the beaches and other popular resort areas are packed with people enjoying one last three-day weekend. For many students it marks the opening of the school year.
Columbus Day
This day commemorates Italian navigator Christopher Columbus' landing in the New World on October 12, 1492. Most nations of the Americas observe this holiday on October 12, but in the United States, annual observances take place on the second Monday in October. The major celebration of the day takes place in New York City, which holds a huge parade each year.
Independence Day (July 4)
Independence Day is regarded as the birthday of the United States as a free and independent nation. Most Americans simply call it the "Fourth of July," on which date it always falls. The holiday recalls the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence, signed by leaders from the colonies, stated this clearly, and for the first time in an official document the colonies were referred to as the United States of America. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag (which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays) is widespread. On July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence was marked by grand festivals across the nation.
New Years Eve and New Years Day
New Years Day is the first day of the year, January 1st. It is a celebration of the old year and the new one to come. People make New Years Resolutions each New Years and promise themselves that they will keep this resolution until next year. New Years Eve is a major social event. Clubs everywhere are packed with party-goers who stay out all night and go nuts at midnight. At midnight it is a tradition to make lots of noise. The traditional New Years Ball is dropped every year in Times Square in New York City at 12 o’clock. This event can be seen all over the world on television.
Valentine's Day [pic]
Saint Valentine's Day is a day that is set aside to promote the idea of "love". It is celebrated on February 14th. People send greeting cards or gifts to loved ones and friends to show them that they care.
Easter
Easter is a major Christian holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. The 40 days leading up to Easter are observed as Lent. Besides the religious aspects of Easter, people also celebrate spring or the signs of new life. There are often Easter Parades such as the one in New York City where people dress up in their new spring clothes. Children receive Easter baskets filled with candy Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans! The dying of eggs with food color is also an Easter tradition in many American families.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
Many Irish people live in the United States. On March 17, St. Patrick's Day is their holiday.
St. Patrick's Day is not a national holiday in the United States. But it is a special day. Many people in the United States celebrate it. They remember the Irish people in the United States and Ireland. Ireland has a lot of green grass. So green is the color of Ireland. Many people wear green on St. Patrick's Day. Ireland also has a lot of shamrocks. They are small plants with three leaves. A shamrock with four leaves brings good luck. Many people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day.
On St. Patrick's Day, there are parades. People sing, dance, and eat Irish food. Some people make green drinks. In Chicago, they color the river green! Big cities with a lot of Irish people, such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, have huge St. Patrick's Day parades. The people in the parades wear Irish clothes. Bands play songs about Ireland.St. Patrick's Day honors St. Patrick. He was a priest in Ireland. He helped the Irish learn about Christianity.
Vocabulary notes
Designate-назначенный
per year-в год
feast-праздник, пир
pageantry-великолепие, пышная церемония
merriment-веселье
grave-могила
lay a wreath-возлагать венок
rifle-ружье
prayer-молитва
reflection-размышления
respectively-соответственно
holy-святой
subvert-искажать
outrageous-возмутительный
evil spirits-злые духи
Witch-ведьма
Broomstick-метла
Miser-скряга
Lantern-фонарик
Carve-вырезать
Scary-страшный, жуткий
Turnip-репа
Beets-свекла
Pumpkin-тыква
Dissenting-несогласие
Rough-трудный
Harvest-урожай
Sacrifice-жертвовать
Blessings-благословения
Commemorate-увековечивать
Anniversary-годовщина
Dying-окрашивание
Shamrock-клевер
Cuisine
Because the United States has long attracted immigrants from a wide variety of nations and cultures the cuisine of the United States is extremely diverse and difficult to define. One way of describing American cuisine is a synthesis of cuisines from around the world, a style of cooking that takes something from each immigrant community. On the other hand, American cooks have exported a great variety of dishes around the world, and in many ways American cuisine is just as recognisable and as popular as French, Chinese, or Indian.
[pic]Problems with defining American cuisine
The cheeseburger may seem a quintessentially American food, but similar foods are made in Germany and were likely brought across to the United States by German immigrants.
The cuisine of the Native Americans was of course the first American cooking style, and it lent a great deal not only to subsequent American cooking but also to culinary styles around the world. Turkey, corn (maize), beans, sunflowers, potatoes, peppers, and various forms of squash (including pumpkins) are among the Native American foods now widely consumed elsewhere. Superimposed on this original native diet is the massive contribution of the various immigrant groups; many dishes considered quintessentially American are in fact based upon the cooking traditions of other countries. For example, apple pies, pizza, runzas, chowder, and hamburgers are all either identical to, or derived from, European dishes. Burritos and tacos similarly have their origins in Mexico.
Hot dogs and hamburgers are both based on traditional German dishes, brought over to America by German immigrants to the United States, but in their modern, popular form they are so altered that they can be reasonably considered American dishes.
American cooking has been widely exported beyond its borders. Tex-Mex, Creole, and barbecue restaurants can be found in cities all around the world, while fast-food burger bars and pizzerias are even more popular.
American cooking has been exported around the world, both through the global expansion of restaurant chains such as T.G.I. Friday's and McDonalds and the efforts of individual restaurateurs such as Bob Payton, credited with bringing American-style pizza to the UK.
Particular American foods
Wheat is the primary cereal grain. Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup, indigenous foods employed by Native Americans and early European settlers. Slow-cooked pork and beef barbecue, crab cakes, and chocolate chip cookies are distinctively American styles. Soul food, developed by African slaves, is popular around the South and among many African Americans elsewhere. Syncretic cuisines such as Louisiana creole, Cajun, and Tex-Mex are regionally important. Fried chicken, which combines Scottish and African American culinary traditions, is a national favorite. Iconic American dishes such as apple pie, pizza, and hamburgers derive from the recipes of various European immigrants. So-called French fries, Mexican dishes such as burritos and tacos, and pasta dishes freely adapted from Italian sources are widely consumed.
Americans generally prefer coffee to tea. American liquors include bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, applejack, and Puerto Rican rum. The martini is the characteristic American cocktail.The average American consumes 81.6 liters of beer per year. American-style lagers, typified by the leading Budweiser brand, are light in body and flavor .In recent decades, wine production and consumption has increased substantially, with winemaking now a leading industry in California. Wine is often drunk before meals, substituting for cocktails. Aside from coffee, orange juice and homogenized, often fat-reduced cow's milk are typical breakfast beverages. Highly sweetened soft drinks are widely popular. Leading soft-drink producer Coca-Cola is the most recognized brand in the world, just ahead of McDonald's.
The most popular American foods:
• Apple Pie
• Brownies
• Buffalo meat (steaks and burgers)
• Buffalo Wings
• Cheeseburger
• Chicago-style pizza
• Chicken pot pie
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Clam Chowder
• Crabcake
• Cream cheese
• Doughnuts
• Fried chicken
• Grilled pizza
• Hamburgers
• Hot dogs
• Macaroni and cheese
• Pancake
o Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Pecan pie
• Potato Chips
• Pumpkin pie
• Shrimp & Grits
• Spam
• Thanksgiving Dinner (Roast Turkey, Cranberry sauce, etc.)
Vocabulary notes
Cuisine-кухня, кулинария
Recognisable-признаваемый
Superimpose-накладывать
Consume-потреблять
Quintessentiallу- наиболее типично
corn-кукуруза
beans-фасоль, бобы
derive-извлекать
salmon-лосось
substitutе-заменять
homogenized-гомогенизировать
beverages-напитки
Common Abbreviations
A.B. Artium Baccalaureus [Bachelor of Arts]
abbr. abbreviation(s), abbreviated
Acad. Academy
A.D. anno Domini [in the year of the Lord]
alt. altitude
A.M. ante meridiem [before noon]; Artium Magister [Master of Arts]
AM amplitude modulation
Assn. Association
at. no. atomic number
at. wt. atomic weight
Aug. August
Ave. Avenue
AWOL absent without leave
b. born, born in
B.A. Bachelor of Arts
B.C. Before Christ
b.p. boiling point
B.S. Bachelor of Science
Btu British thermal unit(s)
C Celsius (centigrade)
c. circa [about]
cal calorie(s)
Capt. Captain
cent. century, centuries
cm centimeter(s)
co. county
Col. Colonel; Colossians
Comdr. Commander
Corp. Corporation
Cpl. Corporal
cu cubic
d. died, died in
D.C. District of Columbia
Dec. December
dept. department
dist. district
div. division
Dr. doctor
E east, eastern
ed. edited, edition, editor(s)
est. established; estimated
et al. et alii [and others]
F Fahrenheit
Feb. February
fl. floruit [flourished]
fl oz fluid ounce(s)
FM frequency modulation
ft foot, feet
gal. gallon(s)
Gen. General, Genesis
GMT Greenwich mean time
GNP gross national product
GOP Grand Old Party (Republican Party)
Gov. governor
grad. graduated, graduated at
H hour(s)
Hon. the Honorable
hr hour(s)
i.e. id est [that is]
in. inch(es)
inc. incorporated
Inst. Institute, Institution
IRA Irish Republican Army
IRS Internal Revenue Service
Jan. January
Jr. Junior
K Kelvin
kg kilogram(s)
km kilometer(s)
£ libra [pound], librae [pounds]
lat. latitude
lb libra [pound], librae [pounds]
Lib. Library
long. longitude
Lt. Lieutenant
Ltd. Limited
m meter(s)
M minute(s)
M.D. Medicinae Doctor [Doctor of Medicine]
mg milligram(s)
mi mile(s)
min minute(s)
mm millimeter(s)
mph miles per hour
Mr. Mister (always abbreviated)
Mrs. Mistress (always abbreviated)
Msgr Monsignor
mt. Mount, Mountain
mts. mountains
Mus. Museum
N north; Newton(s)
NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NE northeast
no. number
Nov. November
OAS Organization of American States
Oct. October
Op. Opus [work]
oz ounce(s)
pl. plural
pop. population
pseud. pseudonym
pt. part(s)
pt pint(s)
pub. published; publisher
qt quart(s)
Rev. Revelation; the Reverend
rev. revised
R.N. registered nurse
rpm revolution(s) per minute
RR railroad
S south
S second(s)
SEATO Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
SEC Securities and Exchange Commission
sec second(s); secant
Sept. September
Ser. Series
Sgt. Sergeant
sq square
Sr. Senior
St. Saint; Street
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
uninc. unincorporated
Univ. University
U.S. United States
USA United States Army
USAF United States Air Force
USCG United States Coast Guard
USMC United States Marine Corps
USN United States Navy
VFW Veterans of Foreign Wars
VISTA Volunteers in Service to America
vol. volume(s)
vs. versus
W west; watt(s)
WHO World Health Organization
wt. weight
yd yard(s)
YMCA Young Men's Christian Association
YWCA Young Women's Christian Association
TESTS
1. How many states are there in the United States?
1. 48 2. 50 3. 51 4. 52
2. What is the capital city of the USA?
1. New York 2. Los Angeles 3. Philadelphia 4. Washington, D.C.
3. What is the largest state?
1. Alaska 2. California 3. Hawaii 4. Rhode Island
4. What is the smallest state?
1. Texas 2. Alaska 3. Rhode Island 4. Ohio
5. What is the longest river?
1. Mississippi 2. Hudson 3. Colorado 4. Potomac River
6. What is the residence and office of the President of the USA?
1. The Capitol 2. The White House 3. Lincoln Memorial 4. Pentagon
7. Where does Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) meet ?
1. in the Capitol 2. the White house 3. Lincoln Memorial 4. Pentagon
8. The first capital of the USA was…
1. Washington D.C. 2. New York 3. Philadelphia 4. Olympia
9. What is the name of the river that runs through Washington, D.C.?
1. Colorado 2. Mississippi 3. Potomac River 4. Hudson
10. The Grand Canyon is in…
1. Nevada 2. Arizona 3. California 4. Colorado
11. The Golden Gate Bridge is in…
1. California 2. Oregon 3. Florida 4. Texas
12. The Disneyland Resort is in…
1. Los Angeles 2. San Francisco 3. Anaheim 4. Sacramento
13. Mount Rushmore in South Dacota is…
1. the highest mountain
2. the lowest mountain
3. a mountain with the faces of four presidents
4. a mountain with the face of the first president
14. Who was the first President of the USA ?
1. G. Washington 2. Thomas Jefferson 3. Benjamin Franklin 4. A. Lincoln
15. The Fourth of July is …
1. Memorial Day 2. St. Patrick’s Day 3. Independence Day 4. President’s Day
16. What was the main reason of Civil War (1861-1865) ?
1. slavery 2. independence from Britain 3. religion 4. new Constitution
17. The stock market crashed and began the Great Depression in…
1. 1776, July 4. 2. 1863 3. 1929, October 29 4. 1945, August 6
18. Who issued the Emancipation Proclamation, granting freedom to slaves in Confederate-held territory?
1. President Jefferson
2. President Truman
3. President Lincoln
4. President Washington
19. What is called “the Star Spangled Banner”?
1. the American Flag 2. the Coat of Arms 3. a political party 4. a famous monument
20. John Steinbeck was …
1. a musician 2. a scientist 3. a president 4. a writer
21. Who wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” ?
1. Jack London
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. Harriet Beecher Stowe
4. Theodore Dreiser
22. SAMUEL CLEMENS was the real name of…
1. Theodore Dreiser 2. Mark Twain 3. Jack London 4. Ernest Hemingway
23. Babe Ruth was …
1. a baseball player 2. a basketball player 3. a football player 4. a soccer player
24. What is the official language of the USA?
1. English
2. there’s no current official language
3. English and Spanish
4. French
25. The biggest city in the USA is…
1. Chicago 2. New York 3. Los Angeles 4. Washington D.C.
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND NORTHERN IRELAND
National symbols
The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag commonly known as the "Union Jack". Created from the superimposition of the flags of England (St George's Cross) and Scotland (Saint Andrew's Cross), with the Saint Patrick's cross, representing Ireland, being added to this in 1801.
Flag Coat of Arms
|Country |Patron saint |Flower (symbol) |
|England |St. George |Red rose |
|Scotland |St. Andrew |Cotton thistle |
|Wales |St. David |Leek/Daffodil |
|Northern Ireland |St. Patrick |Shamrock/Flax |
The national anthem of the United Kingdom is God Save the King, with "King" replaced with "Queen" whenever the Monarch is female. The anthem's name, however, remains God Save the King.
Britannia is a personification of the UK, originating from the Roman occupation of southern and central Great Britain. Britannia is symbolized as a young woman with brown or golden hair, wearing a Corinthian helmet and white robes. She holds Poseidon's three-pronged trident and a shield, bearing the Union Flag. Sometimes she is depicted as riding the back of a lion. At and since the height of the British Empire, Britannia has often associated with maritime dominance, as in the patriotic song Rule Britannia.
The lion has also been used as a symbol of the UK; one is depicted behind Britannia on the 50 pence piece and one is shown crowned on the back of the 10 pence piece. It is also used as a symbol on the non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. Lions have been used as heraldic devices many times, including in the royal arms of both the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Wales. The lion is featured on the emblem of the England national football team, giving rise to the popular football anthem Three Lions, and the England national cricket team.
The bulldog is sometimes used as a symbol of Great Britain, and is often associated with Winston Churchill's defiance of Nazi Germany.
The ancient British landscape, and especially some of its distinctive fauna such as the oak tree and the rose, have long been a widely used for the visual representation of British identity. The red rose is the emblem of the England national rugby union team.
Vocabulary notes
anthem– гимн
arms – герб
Corinthian helmet – коринфский шлем
daffodil - желтый нарцисс (национальная эмблема валлийцев)
defiance - вызов (на поединок, спор); пренебрежение; сопротивление, открытое неповиновение;
flax - лен (растение)
identity - индивидуальность; своеобразие; отличительная черта, особенность (national identity — национальные особенности)
leek - лук-порей (тж. и как национальная эмблема Уэльсa)
maritime - морской; приморский
patron saint - святой покровитель
personification - персонификация, олицетворение; воплощение
shamrock - трилистник (тж. эмблема Ирландии в виде трилистника)
shield - щит
superimposition– наложение, совмещение
thistle - чертополох (тж. как эмблема Шотландии)
prong - зубец ( вилки, вил и т. п. ); зуб
trident – трезубец
Abbreviations
GB and GBR - Great Britain
UK - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
History
The early pre-Roman inhabitants of Britain were Celtic-speaking peoples, including the Brythonic people of Wales, the Picts of Scotland, and the Britons of Britain. Celts also settled in Ireland c. 500 BC.
Julius Caesar invaded and took control of the area 55-54 BC. The Roman province of Britannia endured until the 5th century and included present-day England and Wales.
In the 5th century Nordic tribes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded Britain.
Christianity began to flourish in the 6th century.
During the 8th-9th century, Vikings, particularly Danes, raided the coasts of Britain.
In the late 9th century Alfred the Great repelled a Danish invasion, which helped bring about the unification of England under Athelstan. The Scots attained dominance in Scotland, which was finally unified under Malcolm II (1005-34). William of Normandy (see William I the Conqueror) took England in 1066. The Norman kings established a strong central government and feudal state. The French language of the Norman rulers eventually merged with the Anglo-Saxon of the common people to form the English language.
From the 11th century, Scotland came under the influence of the English throne.
Henry II conquered Ireland in the late 12th century. His sons Richard I and John had conflicts with the clergy and nobles, and eventually John was forced to grant the nobles concessions in the Magna Carta (1215).
The concept of community of the realm developed during the 13th century, providing the foundation for parliamentary government. During the reign of Edward I, statute law developed to supplement English common law, and the first Parliament began to function.
In 1314 Robert Bruce (see Robert I) won independence for Scotland.
The Tudors became the ruling family of England following the Wars of the Roses (1455-85).
Henry VIII established the Church of England and incorporated Wales as part of England.
The reign of Elizabeth I began a period of colonial expansion; 1588 brought the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
In 1603 James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne, becoming James I, and established a personal union of the two kingdoms. The English Civil Wars started in 1642 between Royalists and Parliamentarians, ending in the execution of Charles I (1649). After eleven years of Puritan rule under Oliver Cromwell and his son (1649-60), the monarchy was restored with Charles II.
The Great Plague (1664-66) broke out and up to 100,000 people died in London. This was the worst and the last of the epidemics. The disease spread throughout the country, but from 1667 only sporadic cases appeared until 1679. The plague's decline was attributed to various causes, including the Great Fire of London (September 2-5, 1666). Worst fire in London's history. It destroyed a large part of the city, including most of the civic buildings, St. Paul's Cathedral, 87 parish churches, and about 13,000 houses.
In 1707 England and Scotland assented to the Act of Union, forming the kingdom of Great Britain.
The Hanoverians ascended to the English throne in 1714, when George Louis, elector of Hanover, became George I of Great Britain. During the reign of George III, Great Britain's American colonies won independence (1783). This was followed by a period of war with revolutionary France and later with the empire of Napoleon (1789-1815).
In 1801 legislation united Great Britain with Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, and it remained the world's foremost economic power until the late 19th century.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, Britain's colonial expansion reached its zenith, though the older dominions, including Canada and Australia, were granted independence (1867 and 1901, respectively).
The United Kingdom entered World War I allied with France and Russia in 1914. Following the war, revolutionary disorder began in Ireland, and in 1921 the Irish Free State (see Ireland) was granted dominion status. The six counties of Ulster, however, remained in the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom entered World War II in 1939. Following the war the Irish Free State became the Irish Republic and left the Commonwealth. India also gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Throughout the postwar period and into the 1970s, the United Kingdom continued to grant independence to its overseas colonies and dependencies.
With U.N. forces, it participated in the Korean War (1950-53). In 1956 it intervened militarily in Egypt during the Suez Crisis. In 1982 it defeated Argentina in the Falkland Islands War.
As a result of continuing social strife in Northern Ireland, it joined with Ireland in several peace initiatives, which eventually resulted in an agreement to establish an assembly in Northern Ireland. In 1997 referenda approved in Scotland and Wales devolved power to both countries, though both remained part of the United Kingdom.
Vocabulary notes
attain - добиваться, достигать
clergy – духовенство
conquer - завоевывать, покорять; порабощать; подчинять; подавлять (силой оружия)
(to) devolve - передавать (права, полномочия, обязанности и т. п.; кому-л. - on/upon); переходить к другому лицу (о должности, обязанностях, имуществе и т. п.)
dominion – доминион; владение;
expansion - увеличение, расширение; распространение, экспансия; рост, развитие
flourish - процветать, преуспевать, быть в расцвете (сил), быть на вершине (о людях, начинаниях)
(to) intervene - вмешиваться; вклиниваться, вступаться
(to) invade - вторгаться; захватывать, оккупировать
legislation - законодательство; законодательная деятельность; закон; законопроект
(the) Magna Carta - Великая хартия вольностей (1215)
(to) merge - поглощать; сливать(ся), соединять(ся) (with)
reign - правление, царствование
referendum - референдум, всенародный опрос (referenda- мн.ч.)
ruler - властелин, правитель
statute law - право, выраженное в законах; законы, статутное право, "писаный закон"; (common law - общее право; неписаный закон)
strife - борьба; раздор, спор, соперничество
tribe - племя
Abbrevations
A.-S. – Anglo-Saxons;
U.N. – United Nations;
Political system
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a constitutional monarchy composed of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom is a Constitutional Monarchy, with executive power exercised on behalf of the monarch by the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers. The monarch technically holds all executive power and must nominate a head of government (Prime Minister) that the Parliament agrees upon. The Prime Minister is a member of the House of Commons.
The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other senior ministers collectively make up Her Majesty's Government. These ministers are drawn from, and are responsible to, Parliament.
The Prime Minister appoints ministers to government posts, usually from senior members of their own party. Most ministers are members of the House of Commons. The remaining ministers are usually from the House of Lords, Ministers do not legally have to come from Parliament.
The Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames, London, houses the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Parliament is composed of the elected House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords. The House of Commons is the more powerful of the two houses. The members of the House of Commons are directly elected from single-member constituencies based on population. The House of Lords is constituted of life peers, hereditary peers, and bishops of the Church of England. (The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic inheritance of seats in the Lords and permitted 92 hereditary peers to remain.) The Church of England is the established church of the state in England only.
The Scottish Parliament, National Assembly of Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly each have their own executives and separate law making and constitutional powers. In the United Kingdom, the monarch has extensive theoretical powers, but his/her role is mainly, though not exclusively, ceremonial. The monarch is an integral part of Parliament and theoretically gives Parliament the power to meet and create legislation. An Act of Parliament does not become law until it has been signed by the monarch (known as Royal Assent), although not one has refused assent to a bill that has been approved by Parliament since Queen Anne in 1708. The present monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953.
The monarch is also Head of State of fifteen other Commonwealth Realms, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica. The Crown Dependencies
of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, form a federacy with the United Kingdom collectively known as the British Islands. The UK also has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire (a quarter of the world's surface and population).
The Commonwealth of Nations (CN), usually known as the Commonwealth and formerly as the British Commonwealth, is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states all of which are former possessions of the British Empire, except for Mozambique and the United Kingdom itself.
Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth, In practice, the Queen heads the Commonwealth in a symbolic capacity, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the organisation.
Elizabeth II is also the Head of State, separately, of sixteen members of the Commonwealth, called Commonwealth Realms. And each Realm is an independent kingdom. Beyond the Realms, the majority of the members of the Commonwealth have their own, separate Heads of State: thirty-one members are Commonwealth republics and five members have their own monarchs (Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland, and Tonga).
The Commonwealth is primarily an organization in which countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction. The primary activities of the Commonwealth are designed to create an atmosphere of economic co-operation between member nations, as well as the promotion of democracy, human rights, and good governance in those nations.
The Commonwealth is not a political union, and does not allow the United Kingdom to exercise any power over the affairs of the organisation's other members.
Every four years the Commonwealth's members celebrate the
The flag of the CN The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006
Commonwealth Games, the world's second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.
The United Kingdom is one of the three countries in the world today that does not have a codified constitution (the other two being New Zealand and Israel), relying instead on traditional customs and separate pieces of constitutional law.
At present there are two main political parties in England. The Conservative (or Tory) Party started as Royalists in the 17th century. Now it represents the interests of the big landowners, the bankers and the industrialists. The Labour Party was established at the beginning of this century. It was set up by the trade-unions and various small socialist groups. But now there isn’t much difference between the two parties.
Tony Blair was elected in 1997. The current Prime Minister is Gordon Brown.
Vocabulary notes
Assent – согласие; одобрение, утверждение, разрешение, санкция (Royal assent — королевская санкция (одобрение монархом законопроекта))
Bishop - епископ (Anglican bishop — епископ протестантской церкви)
Chief executive - глава исполнительной власти; губернатор штата; зд. глава правительства
Codify - составлять кодекс, кодифицировать
Commonwealth of Nations - Содружество Наций
Dependency - зависимая страна, зависимая территория
Executive power – исполнительная власть
Hereditary peer - наследственный пэр
Life peer - пожизненный пэр (лицо, получившее титул барона), дающий право быть членом палаты лордов [House of Lord], но не передающийся по наследству;
Realm - государство, королевство
Abbrevations
CN - the Commonwealth of Nations
H.C. – House of Commons
H.L. - House of Lords
MP – member of parliament
PM – prime minister
Languages
The United Kingdom does not have a constitutionally defined official language. English is the main language (being spoken monolingually by more than 70% of the UK population) and is thus the de facto official language.
The other indigenous languages are Scots (which is closely related to English) and the Insular Celtic languages (which are not). The latter fall into two groups: the P-Celtic languages (Welsh and the Cornish language); and the Q-Celtic languages (Irish and Scottish Gaelic).
Welsh is spoken by about 20% of the population of Wales, giving it around 600,000 speakers. Welsh speakers - particularly concentrated in neighbouring English counties and in London and other large cities.
Scottish Gaelic is spoken by roughly 1% of the population of Scotland. Lowland Scots is spoken by 30% of the Scottish population (approximately 1.5 million speakers).
In Northern Ireland, about 7% of the population speaks Irish and 2% regional forms of Scots. Alongside British Sign Language, Irish Sign Language is also used.
Cornish is spoken by roughly 3,500 people.
Recent immigrants, especially from the Commonwealth, speak many other languages. The United Kingdom has the largest number of Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and Punjabi speakers outside of Asia.
Vocabulary notes
British Sign Language - Британский язык жестов (кинетическая речь)
Celtic language – кельтский язык
Cornish language - корнуоллский, корнийский язык
Indigenous – местный, туземный
Insular – островной; мягкий (об островном типе климата); замкнутый, сдержанный; ограниченный
Monolingual – одноязычный
Scots - шотландский диалект; шотландский; относящийся к шотландскому диалект
Scottish Gaelic – шотландский гаэльский язык (язык шотландских кельтов)
Welsh language - валлийский язык
Religion
Although today one of the most "secularised" states in the world, the United Kingdom is traditionally a Christian country, having official faiths:
Anglicanism, in the form of the Church of England, is the Established Church in England. The Queen is Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
Presbyterianism (Church of Scotland) is the official faith in Scotland.
The Anglican Church of Wales was disestablished in 1920.
The Anglican Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1871.
Other religions followed in the UK include Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, and Buddhism.
The UK still is a predominantly Christian country. This is reflected throughout British public life – for instance there is an established church in England and a national church in Scotland. The Head of State is a Christian monarch crowned by an Archbishop in Westminster Abbey. British society could be said to belong to the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and even though only 7% of people in the UK are actually practicing Christians, the majority of people in the UK, 72%, identify themselves as Christian. Over 75 % of UK citizens consider themselves to belong to a religion.
Each of the four nations of the United Kingdom has distinctive church traditions.
Vocabulary notes
Anglicanism - англиканское вероисповедание; англиканство
archbishop - архиепископ
(to) disestablish - отменять устои, основы, нечто основополагающее; отделять церковь от государства
Presbyterianism - пресвитерианство
(to) secularize – секуляризовать, делать светским, отделять церковь от государства
Geography and climate
The United Kingdom lies to the north-west of the continent of Europe with the Republic of Ireland as its only land border. It extends over all of the island of Great Britain and the north-east part of the island of Ireland.
The United Kingdom is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and its bodies of water, including the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, St George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is linked to France and Continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
Most of England consists of rolling lowland terrain, divided from more mountainous terrain in the north-west (Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District), north (the upland moors of the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District) and south-west (Exmoor and Dartmoor) by the Tees-Exe line. Lower ranges include the limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck, Cotswolds and Lincolnshire Wolds, and the chalk downs of the Southern England Chalk Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn and the Humber Estuary. The largest urban area is Greater London. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike, which is in the Lake District 978m. (3,208 ft).
Scotland's geography is varied, with lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west, including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344m. (4,406 ft). There are nearly eight hundred islands in Scotland, mainly west and north of the mainland, notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. In total, it is estimated that the UK includes around one thousand islands.
Wales is mostly mountainous, the highest peak being Snowdon at 1,085m or 3,560 ft above sea level. North of the mainland is the island of Anglesey.
Northern Ireland is mostly hilly. The province is home to one of the UK's World Heritage Sites, the Giant's Causeway, which consists of more than 40,000 six-sided basalt columns up to 12m. (40 feet) high. Lough Neagh is the largest body of water in the British Isles, by surface area (388 km²).The highest peak is Slieve Donard at 849 metres (2,786 ft) in the province's Mourne Mountains.
The greatest distance between two points on the UK mainland of Great Britain is 1,350 km (839 miles) between Land's End in Cornwall (near Penzance) and John O'Groats in Caithness (near Thurso), a two day journey by car. When measured directly north-south it is a little over 1,100 km in length and is a fraction under 500 km at its widest.
England has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round, though the seasons are quite variable in temperature. However, temperatures rarely fall below −4 C and will only rise above 32 C in the height of the summer. The prevailing wind is from the southwest, bringing mild and wet weather to England regularly, from the Atlantic Ocean. It is driest in the east, warmest in the southwest in winter (closest to Atlantic currents), and warmest in the southeast in summer (closest to the European mainland). Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it is not that common away from high ground.
Wales's climate is alike in most regards to that of England.
The climate of Scotland is temperate and oceanic, and tends to be very changeable. It is warmed by the Gulf Stream from the Atlantic. However, temperatures are generally lower than in the rest of the UK. Rainfall varies widely across Scotland. The western highlands of Scotland are the wettest place.
The whole of Northern Ireland has a temperate maritime climate, rather wetter in the west than the east, although cloud cover is persistent across the region. The weather is comparatively unpredictable at all times of the year, and although the seasons are distinct, they are considerably less pronounced than in interior Europe or the eastern seaboard of North America.
The United Kingdom can sometimes be affected by blocking highs during summer, and along with the rest of Europe, has been hit by severe heat waves in recent years.
Vocabulary notes
blocking high - блокирующий антициклон
Chalk down - меловая возвышенность, холм
Highlands - Северное нагорье, Северо-шотландское нагорье (северо-запад Шотландии; главный город - Инвернесс [Inverness]; там, в отличие от Шотландской низменности [Lowlands], дольше преобладал гэльский язык и гэльская культура ) полн. Scottish Highlands или Highlands of Scotland
Hilly – холмистый
Limestone – известняк; известняковый
Lowlands - Шотландская низменность (район центральной Шотландии в долинах рек Форт и Клайд) полн. Scottish Lowlands или Lowlands of Scotland; низменности
mainland - континент, материк; большой остров (среди группы небольших)
maritime climate - морской (приморский) климат
moor - торфянистая местность, торфяник; болото
plentiful - изобилующий, обильный; богатый
range – ряд, гряда (mountain range — гряда гор, горная цепь)
rolling lowland terrain - холмистая низинная местность
temperate - умеренный
unpredictable - непредсказуемый
World Heritage Site – Мировое культурное наследие (памятник)
Abbrevations
ft. – feet (foot)
m. - metres
km² - square kilometres
Plant and Animal Life
England shares with the rest of Britain a diminished spectrum of vegetation and living creatures.
Today only a small part of the English countryside is woodland. Broad-leaved (oak, beech, ash, birch, and elm) and conifer (pine, fir, spruce, and larch) trees dominate the landscapes of Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Suffolk, and Hampshire. A substantial amount of England's forestland is privately owned.
Certain Mediterranean species of plants exist in the sheltered and almost subtropical valleys of the southwest, while tundra-like vegetation is found in parts of the moorland of the northeast. England has a profusion of summer wildflowers in its fields, lanes, and hedgerows. Cultivated gardens, which contain many species of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants from around the world, account for much of the varied vegetation of the country.
Mammal species such as the bear, wolf, and beaver were exterminated in historic times, but others such as the fallow deer, rabbit, and rat have been introduced.
The bird life is unusually varied, mainly because England lies along the route of bird migrations. About 100 different species are recorded annually.
Foxes in small numbers have colonized woods and heaths within a short distance of the centre of London. There are few kinds of reptiles and amphibians — about half a dozen species of each.
Freshwater fish are numerous; the char and allied species of the lakes of Cumbria probably represent an ancient group, related to the trout. The marine fishes are abundant in species and in absolute numbers.
The great diversity of shorelines produces habitats for numerous types of animals.
Vocabulary notes
abundant in – обильный, богатый, имеющийся в изобилии, изобилующий (in - чем-л.)
allied species - родственные виды
amphibian – амфибия; земноводный
ash - ясень
beech - бук, буковое дерево
birch - берёза
broad-leaved - широколистный
char - ручьевая форель, пеструшка
conifer - хвойное дерево
diminished - сокращенный; ослабленный; истощенный
elm - вяз, ильм
(to) exterminate - искоренять; истреблять, ликвидировать
fallow deer - лань
fir - пихта; ель (тж. некоторые другие виды хвойных деревьев)
habitat - родина, место распространения, ареал (животного, растения); естественная среда (natural habitat — естественная среда обитания)
heath – вереск
hedgerow - зеленое ограждение
larch - лиственница
living creatures – живые существа
mammal - млекопитающее
oak - дуб
pine - сосна
profusion - изобилие, богатство; избыток; обильность, чрезмерность
reptile - рептилия
shoreline - береговая линия
spectrum - спектр, диапазон (spectra – мн.ч.)
species - вид, разновидность
spruce – ель; хвойное дерево
trout - форель
vegetation - растительность
London
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom.
London is today one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the major global cities.
London is the most populous city within city limits in the European Union with an official population of 7.6 million and has a metropolitan area population of around 13 million people. Its population is very cosmopolitan (a wide range of peoples, cultures and religions, speaking over 300 different languages). London is an international transport hub (centre), with five international airports and a large port. It serves as the largest aviation hub in the world, and its main airport, the multi terminal Heathrow, carries more international passengers than any other airport in the world.
Inner London includes the original City of London and 13 of London's 33 boroughs; Greater London includes all 33 boroughs.
One area of London which does have a strict definition is the City of London (usually just called The City), the largest financial district and central business district (CBD) in Europe. The City has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a status as the only completely autonomous local authority in London.
The West End is London's main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus acting as tourist magnets. The West London area is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, Knightsbridge and Chelsea — where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds.
The eastern side of London contains the East End and East London. The East End is the area closest to the original Port of London, known for its high immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London. North London and South London are informal divisions of the capital made by the River Thames.
London is a major tourist destination, with four world heritage sites and numerous iconic landmarks such as Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and so on.
Exhibitions of wax figures are still popular, the most famous being those of Marie Tussaud in London. Her museum contains a variety of historical figures, including the original models she made of her great contemporaries, including Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin.
British Museum is a Britain's national museum of archaeology and antiquities, established in London in 1753 when the government purchased three large private collections consisting of books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, paintings, medals, coins, seals, cameos, and natural curiosities.
The British Library is now one of the world's largest and most comprehensive collections of books, drawings, Chinese ceramics and the natural-history collections.
Tate Gallery is an art museum housing the national collection of British painting and sculpture and of modern British and European art since 1870. It is named after Sir Henry Tate (1819-1899), a sugar refiner and inventor of the sugar cube, who donated his collection of Victorian art to the nation in 1890.
There are many famous historic landmarks in London. The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. The Palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster.
Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The clock tower is situated on the banks of the River Thames and is part of the Palace of Westminster. Officially Big Ben is only the name of the biggest of the five bells in the clock tower also known as St Stephen's Tower.
Buckingham Palace is one of the most popular landmarks in London. It is the London home of the British Royal family. The 600 room palace is surrounded by a 40 acre garden.
Tower of London on the north banks of the River Thames, was built by William the Conqueror, following his successful invasion in 1066. It has been added to over the years by the various monarchs. The Tower, or Bloody Tower as it is known, has been host to many famous executions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. The Jewel House, which houses the Crown Jewels, lies within the confines of the Tower of London.
The London Eye, next to County Hall, is another of London’s most modern landmarks. It is the world’s biggest ferries wheel, and will carry 800 passengers at a time on a thirty-minute ride. From its highest point of 450 feet, it promises views of up to 25 miles.
St Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most popular landmarks in London The dome of St Paul's Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter's in Rome.
The Millennium Dome in London is the largest dome in the world, covering
over 180 acres; it is 320m in diameter and 50m high with support towers
reaching 100m. It was built on the Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees longitude) to commemorate the ringing in of the new millennium.
There are many monuments in London: The Monument in the City of London commemorating the Great Fire of London; Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall in Kensington; Nelson's Column is a nationally-recognised monument in Trafalgar Square.
Often called "The Green City" London has a number of parks. The largest of these are the Royal Parks of Hyde Park and its neighbours Kensington Gardens and Holland Park Gardens in the centre of London, Regent's Park on the northern edge, Royal Parks of Greenwich Park to the south east, and Bushy Park and Richmond Park to the south west of the city centre.
Vocabulary notes
antiquity - древность; старина; классическая древность, античность
borough - городок, небольшой город
(to) confine - заключать в тюрьму; заточать, держать взаперти
dome – купол
(to) donate - дарить, жаловать, жертвовать
execution - казнь; уничтожение, разрушение
ferris wheel - чертово колесо ( аттракцион )
hub - центр ( событий, внимания, деятельности )
landmark – достопримечательность
imprisonment - заключение
metropolitan area - столичная зона; большой Лондон (включающий все муниципальные районы)
Abbreviation
archit. - architecture
B.L. – British Library
bldg(s) – building(s)
boro. – borough
CBD - central business district
Lond. – London
Largest cities
The list of United Kingdom top cities by population:
1) London, with the population of 7,509,000 people;
2) Birmingham - 1,001,000 people;
3) Glasgow, - 629,501 people.
Other major cities with urban area populations in excess of 250,000 inhabitants are - alphabetically - Belfast, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Kingston Upon Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stoke on Trent and Wolverhampton. The most prominent of them are the following ones:
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. Birmingham is the largest of England's core cities, and is considered to be the United Kingdom's second city. It includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. Birmingham is situated just to the west of the geographical centre of England on the Birmingham Plateau between the basins of the Rivers Severn and Trent. The city's reputation was forged as a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. It is a center of various industries such as the iron and steel industry.
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. It is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. From the 18th century the city had become a hub of transatlantic trade with the Americas. The city and surrounding region is one of the world's centres of heavy engineering and shipbuilding, constructing many famous vessels. Today it is one of Europe's top twenty financial centres and is home to many of Scotland's leading businesses.
Manchester is one of the largest industrial cities in the UK. The city centre is on the east bank of the River Irwell, near the confluence of the River Medlock and the River Irk and is relatively low-lying. The River Mersey flows through the south of Manchester. Manchester is often described as the “Capital of the North”. Manchester today is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce. It is the third most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors, after London and Edinburgh. Manchester is also well known for its sporting connections, with two major Premier League football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester is credited as the world's first industrialised city. It is a centre of the textile region and a chief cotton manufacturing city.Manchester City Centre is now on of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mainly due to its network of canals and mills.
Sheffield is the centre of heavy industry. It is often called the city of steel. It is situated in South Yorkshire, England. It is so named because of its origins in a field on the River Sheaf that runs through the city.
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. It is in the south-east of Scotland, on the east coast of Scotland's "Central Belt", on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, on the North Sea and, because of its rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and Georgian Architecture including numerous stone tenements, it is one of the most dramatic cities in Europe. The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, a collection of official and independent festivals held annually over about four weeks from early August.
Liverpool is a city in North West England situated along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. Liverpool is one of England's core cities and it’s fifth most populous — 447,500. It is an industrial city (textile industry) and a principal port of Western England. Liverpool is internationally known as a cultural centre, with a particularly rich history in popular music (most notably The Beatles), performing and visual arts.
Cardiff is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. It was a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. It serves as a major centre of culture, sport and history in the United Kingdom. Cardiff have the largest concentration of Castles of any city in Europe. It is situated to the south by the Bristol Channel. The River Taff winds through the centre of the city and together with the River Ely flows into the freshwater lake of Cardiff Bay. A third river, the Rhymney flows through the east of the city entering directly into the Bristol Channel. A fourth river, the Lleucu has been culverted.
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. It is situated on Northern Ireland`s eastern coast. Belfast is also located at the eastern end of Belfast Lough and at the mouth of the River Lagan making it an ideal location for the shipbuilding industry that once made it famous (the Titanic was built in Belfast in 1912).
Bristol is one of the centres of culture, employment and education in the region. It served as the commercial port but now its economy is based on the aerospace industry, and the city centre docks have been regenerated as a centre of heritage and culture. Bristol is 15 miles (185 km) west of London and has a short coastline on the estuary of the River Severn which flows into the Bristol Channel.
Vocabulary notes
confluence - слияние ( рек ); пересечение ( дорог )
dramatic - волнующий, яркий
Enlightment – образование, обучение, просвещение; просвещенность (the age of Enlightenment — эпоха Просвещения)
estuary - дельта; устье реки
metropolitan borough - столичное городское поселение, столичный муниципальный район
populous - густонаселенный; (много)людный
rugged - пересеченный, заваленный, труднопроходимый (о местности) surrounding - ближайший, ближний, близлежащий, соседний, окружающий
tenement – владение; обитель
Abbreviations
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Организация ООН по вопросам образования, науки и культуры, ЮНЕСКО)
Culture
Great Britain has the rich and ancient culture. Its capital London is a cultural centre of the country.
Literature and film
London has been the setting for many works of literature. Two writers closely associated with the city are the diarist Samuel Pepys, famous for his eyewitness account of the Great Fire, and Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early Victorian London. James Boswell's biographical Life of Johnson mostly takes place in London. The earlier (1722) A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665 Great Plague. William Shakespeare spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary Ben Jonson was also based in London, and some of his work - most notably his play The Alchemist - was set in the city. Later important depictions of London from the 19th and early 20th centuries are the before-mentioned Dickens novels, and Arthur Conan Doyle's famous Sherlock Holmes stories. A modern writer pervasively influenced by the city is Peter Ackroyd, in works such as London: The Biography, The Lambs of London and Hawksmoor. Along with Bloomsbury, the hilly area of Hampstead has traditionally been the liberal, literary heartland of London.
London has played a significant role in the film industry, and has major studios at Pinewood, Shepperton, Elstree and Leavesden, as well as an important special effects and post-production community. Many films have also used London as a location and have done much to shape international perceptions of the city.
The city also hosts a number of performing arts schools, including the Central School of Speech and Drama, whose past students include Judi Dench and Laurence Olivier, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (educators of Jim Broadbent and Donald Sutherland among others) and the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (past students including Joan Collins and Roger Moore).
The London Film Festival is held in the city each October.
Music
London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to one of the five major global music corporations, countless bands, musicians and industry professionals.
Classical music
London is home to many orchestras and concert halls, including:
Barbican Arts Centre (London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan Hall (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Royal Albert Hall (BBC Promenade Concerts), Royal Festival Hall (Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta), Wigmore Hall.
Opera
London has two main opera houses - the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre.
Ballet
The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet are based in London and perform at the Royal Opera House, Sadler's Wells and the Royal Albert Hall.
Rock/Pop music
London has numerous venues for rock and pop concerts, most notably Earls Court and Wembley Arena, as well as the smaller ones such as Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo. The area around the northern part of Charing Cross Road in Westminster is famous for its shops that sell modern musical instruments and audio equipment.
London and its surrounding Home Counties have spawned iconic and popular artists. London is home to the first and original Hard Rock Cafe and the famous Abbey Road Studios.
As Britain's largest urban area, London has played a key role in the development of most British-born strains of "urban" and electronic music, such as drum and bass, UK garage, grime and dubstep, and is home to many UK hiphop artists.
In 2006, according to DJ Magazine in a poll of over 600 international DJs, London is home to the three best nightclubs in the world, Fabric, The End and Turnmills.
Composers William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, John Taverner, John Blow, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, William Walton, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett have made major contributions to British music, and are known internationally. Living composers include John Tavener, Harrison Birtwistle, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Oliver Knussen.
Britain also supports a number of major orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Because of its location and other economic factors, London is one of the most important cities for music in the world: it has several important concert halls and is also home to the Royal Opera House, one of the world's leading opera houses. British traditional music has also been very influential abroad.
The UK was, with the US, one of the two main countries in the development of rock and roll, and has provided bands including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Status Quo, The Smiths, the Sex Pistols, The Clash, the Manic Street Preachers, Duran Duran, The Cure, Oasis, Blur, Radiohead and Coldplay. It has provided inspiration for many modern bands today, including Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party, Babyshambles, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Since then it has also pioneered in various forms of electronic dance music including acid house, drum and bass and trip hop, all of which were in whole or part developed in the United Kingdom. Acclaimed British dance acts include Underworld, Orbital, Massive Attack, The KLF, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Portishead.
Literature
The earliest native literature of the territory of the modern United Kingdom was written in the Celtic languages of the isles. Anglo-Saxon literature includes Beowulf, a national epic, but literature in Latin predominated among educated elites. After the Norman Conquest Anglo-Norman literature brought continental influences to the isles.
Geoffrey Chaucer is the first great identifiable individual in English literature: his Canterbury Tales remains a popular 14th-century work which readers still enjoy today.
Following the introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton in 1476, the Elizabethan era saw a great flourishing of literature, especially in the fields of poetry and drama. From this period, poet and playwright William Shakespeare stands out as the most famous writer in the world.
The English novel became a popular form in the 18th century, with Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719), Samuel Richardson's Pamela (1740) and Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1745).
After a period of decline, the poetry of Robert Burns revived interest in vernacular literature, the rhyming weavers of Ulster being especially influenced by literature in Scots from Scotland.
The following two centuries continued a huge outpouring of literary production. In the early 19th century, the Romantic period showed a flowering of poetry with such poets as William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, and Lord Byron. The Victorian period was the golden age of the realistic English novel, represented by Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne), Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy.
World War I gave rise to British war poets and writers such as Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and Rupert Brooke who wrote of their expectations of war, and/or their experiences in the trench.
The English novel developed in the 20th century into much greater variety and was greatly enriched by immigrant writers. It remains today the dominant English literary form.
Other well-known novelists include Arthur Conan Doyle, D. H. Lawrence, George Orwell, Salman Rushdie, Mary Shelley, J. R. R. Tolkien, Virginia Woolf and J.K. Rowling.
Important poets include Elizabeth Barrett Browning, T. S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, John Milton, Alfred Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Alexander Pope, and Dylan Thomas.
Theatre
The United Kingdom also has a vibrant tradition of theatre. Theatre was introduced to the UK from Europe by the Romans and auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose.
By the medieval period theatre had developed with the mummers' plays, a form of early street theatre associated with the Morris dance, concentrating on themes such as Saint George and the Dragon and Robin Hood. The medieval mystery plays and morality plays, which dealt with Christian themes, were performed at religious festivals. The reign of Elizabeth I in the late 16th and early 17th century saw a flowering of the drama and all the arts. Perhaps the most famous playwright in the world, William Shakespeare, wrote around 40 plays that are still performed in theatres across the world to this day. They include tragedies, such as Hamlet (1603), Othello (1604), and King Lear (1605); comedies, such as A Midsummer Night's Dream (1594—96) and Twelfth Night (1602); and history plays, such as Henry IV, part 1—2. The Elizabethan age is sometimes nicknamed "the age of Shakespeare" for the amount of influence he held over the era. Other important Elizabethan and 17th-century playwrights include Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and John Webster.
During 1642—1660 English theatres were kept closed by the Puritans for religious and ideological reasons. The London theatres opened again with the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660. It was the time of the introduction of the first professional actresses (in Shakespeare's time, all female roles had been played by boys). New genres of the Restoration were heroic drama, pathetic drama, and Restoration comedy. The Restoration plays that have best retained the interest of producers and audiences today are the comedies, such as William Wycherley's The Country Wife (1676), The Rover (1677) by the first professional woman playwright, Aphra Behn, John Vanbrugh's The Relapse (1696), and William Congreve's The Way of the World (1700).
In the 18th century, the Restoration comedy was replaced by sentimental comedy, domestic tragedy such as George Lillo's The London Merchant (1731), and by an overwhelming interest in Italian opera.
In the late 19th century appear the plays of the Irishmen George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde and the Norwegian Henrik Ibsen, all of whom influenced domestic English drama and vitalised it again.
Today the West End of London has a large number of theatres, particularly centred around Shaftesbury Avenue. A prolific composer of the 20th century Andrew Lloyd Webber, has dominated the West End for a number of years and his musicals have travelled to Broadway in New York and around the world, as well as being turned into films (Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Cats).
The Royal Shakespeare Company operates out of Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon in England, producing mainly but not exclusively Shakespeare's plays.
Important modern playwrights include Alan Ayckbourn, John Osborne, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Arnold Wesker.
Broadcasting
Britain has been at the forefront of developments in film, radio, and television.
Many important films have been produced in Britain over the last century, and a large number of significant actors and film-makers have emerged. Currently the main film production centres are at Shepperton and Pinewood Studios.
Broadcasting in Britain has historically been dominated by the BBC, although independent radio and television (ITV, Channel 4, Five) and satellite broadcasters have become more important in recent years. BBC television, and the other three main television channels are public service broadcasters who, as part of their license allowing them to operate, broadcast a variety of minority interest programming. The BBC and Channel 4 are state-owned, though they operate independently.
Britain has a large number of national and local radio stations which cover a great variety of programming. The most listened to stations are the five main national BBC radio stations. BBC Radio 1, a new music station aimed at the 16-24 age groups. BBC Radio 2, a varied popular music and chat station aimed at adults is consistently highest in the ratings. BBC Radio 4, a varied talk station, is noted for its news, current affairs, drama and comedy output as well as The Archers, its long running soap opera, and other unique programmes. The BBC, as a public service broadcaster, also runs minority stations such as BBC Asian Network, BBC 1xtra and BBC 6 Music, and local stations throughout the country.
Newspapers
Traditionally, British newspapers could be split into "quality", serious-minded newspaper (usually referred to as "broadsheets" due to their large size) and the more populist, tabloid varieties. The Sun has the highest circulation of any daily newspaper in the UK, with approximately a quarter of the market; its sister paper, The News of The World similarly leads the Sunday newspaper market and traditionally focuses on celebrity-led stories. The Daily Telegraph, a right-of-centre paper, has overtaken The Times as the highest-selling of the "quality" newspapers (former broadsheets). The Guardian is a more liberal (centre to left-wing) "quality". The Financial Times is the main business paper, printed on distinctive salmon-pink broadsheet paper. Scotland has a distinct tradition of newspaper readership. The Belfast News Letter is the oldest known English-speaking daily newspaper still in publication today. It’s fellow Northern Irish competitor, The Belfast Telegraph and holds the title as the "best regional newspaper in the United Kingdom".
Visual art
Notable visual artists from the United Kingdom include John Constable, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, William Blake and J.M.W. Turner. In the 20th century, Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Bridget Riley, and the pop artists Richard Hamilton and Peter Blake were of note.
More recently, the so-called Young British Artists have gained some notoriety, particularly Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
Notable illustrators include Aubrey Beardsley, Roger Hargreaves, and Beatrix Potter.
Notable arts institutions include the Allied Artists' Association, Royal College of Art, Artists' Rifles, Royal Society of Arts, New English Art Club, Slade School of Art, Royal Academy, and the Tate Gallery.
Vocabulary notes
broadcaster - диктор; (радио- или теле-)вещательная компания
broadsheet - большой лист бумаги с печатным текстом на одной стороне; листовка; плакат (зд. серьёзная пресса)
contemporary – современник; современный
fictionalization - рассказ о событиях, с изменениями и добавлением некоторых деталей; использование реальных событий в качестве сюжетной основы для литературного или драматического произведения
grime - грязь ( тж. перен. )
grimy - запачканный, покрытый сажей, углем; чумазый; грязный
identifiable - опознаваемый
medieval - средневековый
morality plays - миракль
Morris dance - моррис (народный театрализованный танец; исполняется во время майских празднеств [May games]; мужчины в средневековых костюмах с колокольчиками, трещотками изображают легендарных героев, Робин Гуда [Robin Hood I]) от Moorish - мавританский, по предполагаемому происхождению танца
mummers' play – шутовское представление
mystery play - мистерия
notoriety - дурная слава, известность; знаменитость; человек, пользующийся дурной славой
outpouring - излияние (чувств)
performing arts - исполнительный вид искусства ( танец, драма и т.д. )
pervasively - проникающий
pickpockets - вор-карманник
playwright - драматург
relapse - повторение; рецидив
Restoration – Реставрация, реставрация монархии (1660; после Английской буржуазной революции)
rhyming - рифмующий (ся)
The Rover - морской разбойник, пират; вор, грабитель, похититель, разбойник
(to) spawn - порождать, вызывать
tabloid - малоформатная газета со сжатым текстом, иллюстрациями и броскими заголовками; бульварная (низкопробная) газета
vernacular - народный; национальный
venue - место сбора, встречи
vibrant - живой, энергичный; трепещущий
visual arts - изобразительные искусства (включая кино и телевидение)
weaver - ткач; ткачиха; вязальщик; паук
Abbreviations
BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation
rep. – report
rev. – review
Educational System
Public education in Great Britain consists of primary, secondary and further education. Primary and secondary education is compulsory for all children. Further education is voluntary. The primary school includes nursery school (age 2-5), infant school (age 5-7) and junior school (age 7-11).
English children must go to school when they are 5. First they go to infant school, where they learn to read, write and count.
At the age of 7 they go to junior schools until they are 11 years old. Their school subjects are English, arithmetic, history, geography, music, art, religious instruction and so on. They study 5 years there. Then they have to take exams and after that go to a secondary school.
The full secondary school age ranges from 11 to 18. There are different types of secondary schools. Among them are the secondary technical schools. It is not specialized one. It teaches many general subjects.
The grammar school offers a full theoretical secondary education including foreign languages. Students can choose the subjects they wish to study. Children can get the General Certificate of Education at the ordinary level after 5 years of study. They also can obtain it at the advanced level if they study 2 or 3 years more, which allows to enter the university.
The comprehensive schools combine in one school the courses of all types of secondary schools.
There are many non-state schools in Britain and you must pay (high fees) to study there.
Among them are private schools in the UK, separate for boys and girls. The biggest and the most important of them are public schools. They train young people for political, diplomatic, military or religious service.
Less than ten percent of the UK school age population attends independent fee-paying schools. Many prominent independent schools, often founded hundreds of years ago, are known as public schools of which Eton, Harrow and Rugby are three of the better known.
After finishing secondary school it is possible to enter institute or university to get the higher education. You can get the bachelor degree or the master’s degree there.
Vocabulary notes
bachelor - бакалавр
comprehensive school - общеобразовательная школа; единая, комплексная школа
compulsory education — обязательное обучение
fee - плата за обучение ( в школе, университете и т.д. )
grammar school - средняя школа; классы с 5 по 8 средней школы
infant school - дошкольное учреждение; детский сад; ясли
junior school - младшие классы (средней школы)
master – магистр
nursery school - детский сад
primary school - начальная школа
public school - привилегированное частное учебное заведение для мальчиков (в Англии); (бесплатная) средняя школа ( в США и Шотландии )
secondary school - средняя школа
voluntary - добровольный
Abbreviations
univ. – university
Universities
British universities can be divided into three main groups: the old universities, the redbrick universities (made of red brick), which include all the provincial universities of the period 1850-1930, as well as London University; the new universities, founded after the Second World War.
The United Kingdom contains some of the world's leading seats of higher education. These include the so-called Oxbridge universities (Oxford University (1167) and Cambridge University (1209) which are amongst the world's oldest universities and are generally ranked at or near the top of all British universities. A number of well known scientists and writers, among them Newton, Darwin and Byron, were educated in Cambridge. Until the 19th century, Oxford and Cambridge were the only universities in England, and there was no place for girls. At present there are five women’s colleges. These two universities differ greatly from all the others in general organization, methods of instructions, syllabuses, traditions, history, etc. They are based on colleges (law, music, natural, science, economics, agriculture, engineering, commerce, education, etc.), each college having about 300 students.
Some institutions are world-renowned in specialised and often narrow areas of study, such as Imperial College London (science and engineering) and London School of Economics (economics and social sciences) and University College (UCL) of the University of London.
Other universities include the University of St Andrews, the oldest university in Scotland. There are 112 universities/university colleges in the UK. This amount to 138 university-level institutions of the distinct constituent colleges of the University of London and University of Wales are defined as separate universities. Most of the UK's major cities are home to two or more universities.
All British universities are private non-state controlled institutions. Students have to pay fees and living costs, but every student may receive a personal grant from the local authority of the place where he lives.
Vocabulary notes
(to) amount to - достигать, составлять; равняться, быть эквивалентным
authority – власть, руководство
сonstituent - компонент, компонента, составная часть
fee-paying - платный
redbrick university - новые университеты Англии, "краснокирпичные" университеты ( так названы потому, что построены из красного кирпича)
syllabus - расписание; учебный план; программа ( курса, лекций и т.д. )
world-renowned - мировой (известный во всем мире)
Abbreviations
Oxf. - Oxford
Oxbridge - Oxford University and Cambridge University
UCL - University College
Famous people
Politics
Sir Winston Churchill, (1874-1965),
was a politician, a soldier, an artist, and the 20th century's most famous and celebrated Prime Minister.
Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher was the United Kingdom's first woman prime minister, and she held the office of PM for longer than anyone in the 20th century.
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Nelson is the greatest hero in British naval history, an honour he earned by defeating Napoleon's fleet in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.
Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658)
Oliver Cromwell was a military, political, and religious figure who led the Parliamentarian victory in the English Civil War (1642–1649) and called for the execution of Charles I. He was Lord Protector of England for much of the 1650s, ruling in place of the country's traditional monarchy.
Sir Thomas More
English politician, humanist scholar, and writer who refused to comply with the Act of Supremacy, by which English subjects were enjoined to recognize Henry VIII's authority over the pope, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London and beheaded for treason.
William Wilberforce (1780–1825)
British politician. As a member of Parliament he campaigned for the British abolition of slavery.
Guy Fawkes (1570-1606)
English conspirator who was executed for his role in a plot to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament
Sir William Wallace
Scottish patriot who led resistance against the English and briefly gained control of Scotland in 1298.
King Arthur
a legendary British hero, said to have been king of the Britons in the sixth century A.D. and to have held court at Camelot.
Diana, Princess of Wales
from the time of her marriage to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death in a car accident in Paris in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was one of the world's most high-profile, most photographed, and most iconic celebrities.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
British general and politician. Commander of British troops during the Peninsular War (1808–1814), he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo (1815), thus ending the Napoleonic Wars. As prime minister (1828–1830) he passed the Catholic Emancipation Act (1829).
Queen Elizabeth I
The daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth 1 reigned England from 1558–1603. Her reign was marked by several plots to overthrow her, the execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1587), the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588), and domestic prosperity and literary achievement.
King Alfred the Great
King of the West Saxons (871–899), scholar, and lawmaker who repelled the Danes and helped consolidate England into a unified kingdom.
Queen Victoria
Victoria's nearly 64-year reign was the longest in British history.
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII is one of the most famous and controversial kings of England. His divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, compelled him to break from the Catholic Church by the Act of Supremacy (1534).
Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary), is the Queen regnant and Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and fifteen other Commonwealth countries.
List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England:
Alfred the Great, (849?-899), King of the Anglo-Saxons.
Queen Anne, (1665-1714), also Queen of Scotland, then Queen of Great Britain after 1707
Charles II, (1660-1685), also King of Scotland
Edward I, (1272-1307), English monarch
Edward II, (1307-1327), English monarch
Edward III, (1327-1377), English monarch
Edward IV, (1461-1470 and 1471-1483), English monarch
Edward V, (1470-1483?), English monarch
Edward VI, (1547-1553), first English Protestant monarch
Edward VII, (1841-1910)
Edward VIII, (1894-1972), (formerly Edward VIII)
Elizabeth I, (1558-1603), Protestant queen and first Supreme Governor of the Church of England
Elizabeth II, (1926-2007) reigning British monarch
George III, (1801-1820), British monarch
George IV, (1762-1830)
George V, (1910-1936), British monarch
George VI, (1895-1952), British monarch
Henry III, (1207-1272), English monarch
Henry IV, (1367-1413), English monarch
Henry VI, (1421-1471), English monarch
Henry VIII, (1491-1547), separated English Catholicism from link with the Roman Catholic Church
Mary I, (1553-1558), Roman Catholic queen
Mary II, (1662-1694)
Richard III, (1483-1485). Last Plantagenet King, and last British monarch to die in Battle.
Queen Victoria, (1819-1901)
William the Conqueror, (1066-1087)
William IV, (1765-1837)
Science
Sir Isaac Newton, (1642-1727) English physicist and mathematician, founder of modern physics, invented differential calculus and formulated the theory of universal gravitation, a theory about the nature of light, and three laws of motion.
Kelvin (of Largs) Baron (1824-1907) British physicist
helped develop the second law of thermodynamics, and invented the absolute temperature scale named after him (see absolute zero).
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) British statesman and philosopher, father of modern scientific method.
James Prescott Joule, (1818 – 1889) who worked extensively in thermodynamics and is often credited with the discovery of the principle of conservation of energy;
James Watt (1736–1819) was a Scottish inventor and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution.
Maxwell James Clerk (1831-1879) Scottish physicist
originated the concept of electromagnetic radiation. He established the nature of Saturn's rings, did important work on color perception, and produced the kinetic theory of gases. His ideas formed the basis for quantum mechanics and ultimately for the modern theory of the structure of atoms and molecules.
Earnest Rutherford (1871-1937) New Zealand-British physicist.
discovered and named two types of radioactivity; formulated the transformation theory of radioactivity and so on. In 1908 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) British naturalist, founder of The Theory of Evolution. This theory forms the basis for the modern life sciences. Darwin's most famous books are The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man.
Michael Faraday, (1791-1867),
British physicist and chemist who discovered electromagnetic induction (1831) and proposed the field theory later developed by Maxwell and Einstein.
Robert Hooke (1635–1703)
was an English polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work., in 1660, he discovered Hooke's Law of elasticity, Robert Hooke was also an important architect.
Sir Alexander Fleming
British bacteriologist who discovered penicillin in 1928, for which he shared a Nobel Prize in 1945.
Sir Alexander Graham Bell
Scottish-born American inventor of the telephone.
Architecture
Christopher Wren (1632-1723) British architect, astronomer, and geometrician.
He had a hand in the rebuilding of more than 50 churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Meanwhile, he was evolving designs for St. Paul's Cathedral, other works include the classical Trinity College library, Cambridge (1676-84), additions to Hampton Court (begun 1689), and Greenwich Hospital (begun 1696).
Charles Barry, (1795-1860), architect (Houses Of Parliament)
John Nash, (1752-1835), (Regent's Park, St. Jame's Park, Trafalgar Square)
Joseph Paxton, (1801-1865), (Great Exhibition Building, London)
August Pugin, (1812-1852), architect (Houses Of Parliament)
Gilbert Scott, (1880-1960), Waterloo Bridge, also supervised rebuilding of House Of Commons, London)
Alfred Waterhouse, (1830-1905), (National History Museum, London)
William Wilkins, (1778-1839), (National Gallery, London) architect
Arts
John Constable, (1776-1837) one of the greatest 19th-century British landscape painters.
Thomas Gainsborough, (1727-1788), one of the greatest portrait painter.
Sir Joshua Reynolds, (1723-1792) British portrait painter.
J.M.W. Turner, (1775-1851) is a landscape and marine artist
Poets and playwrights
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
British poet and playwright, often considered the greatest writer in world literature.
His company performed at the GlobeTheatre from 1599. His plays include the comedies A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing; history plays Henry VI, Richard III, and Richard II; and the tragedy Romeo and Juliet, as well as the great tragedies Hamlet (probably begun in 1599), Othello, Macbeth, and King Lear. He is the author of 154 sonnets.
Marlowe Christopher (1564-1593)
British poet and playwright.
he wrote plays for the London theaters, among them are The Jew of Malta, Tamburlaine, the Dido, Queen of Carthage, Edward II. Tragical History of Doctor Faustus is one of the most admired English dramas of all time. His brilliant short career makes him William Shakespeare's most important contemporary in English drama.
Milton John (1608-1674)
English poet, the author of Paradise Lost, his epic masterpiece on the Fall of Man written in blank verse, considered second only to William Shakespeare in the history of English-language poetry,
Byron George (Gordon) Baron
known as Lord Byron; (1788-1824)
British Romantic poet and satirist.His most famous works are Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and his greatest poem, Don Juan Among his numerous other works are verse tales and poetic dramas. He died of fever in Greece while aiding the struggle for independence, making him a Greek national hero.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 –1834)
was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as his major prose work Biographia Literaria.
Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888 – 1965)
was a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948. He wrote the poems "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", The Waste Land, "The Hollow Men", "Ash Wednesday", and Four Quartets; the plays Murder in the Cathedral and The Cocktail Party; and the essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent". Eliot was born an American, moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 (at the age of 25), and became a British subject in 1927 at the age of 39.
William Blake (1757 – 1827)
was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.
Robert Burns (1759 – 1796)
was a poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. Burns is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's A Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse”.
Charles Dickens
a world famous English writer who wrote some of the most popular and widely read novels of the 19th century, from Oliver Twist to A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.
Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (1850–1894)
was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and so on.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892 – 1973)
was an English philologist, writer and university professor, best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854 – 1900)
was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and short story writer. The Importance of Being Earnest, The Canterville Ghost (1887) The Picture of Dorian Gray
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (1882 – 1941)
was an Irish expatriate writer, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He is best known for his landmark novel Ulysses (1922) and its highly controversial successor Finnegans Wake (1939) as well as the short story collection Dubliners (1914) and the semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916).
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936)
was an English author and poet, born in India, and best known today for his children's books, including The Jungle Book (1894), The Second Jungle Book (1895), Just So Stories (1902), and Puck of Pook's Hill (1906); his novel, Kim (1901); his poems, including Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), and "If—" (1910); and his many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King" (1888) and the collections Life's Handicap (1891), The Day's Work (1898), and Plain Tales from the Hills (1888). He is regarded as a major "innovator in the art of the short story";
Music
John Lennon
John Lennon was a musician and composer who was a member of the Beatles, the biggest rock band of the 1960s.
Sir Paul McCartney
McCartney was a singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Beatles, the biggest rock band of the 1960s.
George Harrison (1943-2001) and Ringo Starr (born 1940), composers, members of The Beatles
David Bowie
David Bowie, is a British rock and roll musician, actor, and artist who has had a profound influence on rock and roll from the 1960s to the present.
Sir Cliff Richard
One of the UK's most popular singers of all time
Eric Clapton (born 1945) Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer and composer, who is one of the most successful musicians of the 20th century.
Among the most famous singers are: Sir Elton John, (born 1947), pop star and composer, Rod Stewart (born 1945), Robbie Williams (born 1974), etc.
World famous English bands include :The Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
Pink Floyd,Radiohead, etc.
Composers
William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, John Taverner, John Blow, Henry Purcell, Edward Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, William Walton, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett have made major contributions to British music, and are known internationally. Living composers include John Tavener, Harrison Birtwistle, Andrew Lloyd Webber composer of musicals, and Oliver Knussen.
Cinema/Theatre
Charlie Chaplin, (1889-1977)
is a world famous actor and a filmmaker who produced, directed, and starred in such classics as The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Limelight (1952).
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980)
British-U.S. film director. He proved himself the master of the thriller with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935), and The Lady Vanishes (1938). Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963) etc.
Guy Ritchie (born 1968) a modern English writer-director. His feature films include the successful Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Swept Away Revolver.
The most famous English actors of the past are Sir Laurence Olivier (1907-1989) and Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Among the modern actors are:
Rowan Atkinson (born 1955) is famous for his Mr. Bean role.
Hugh Grant (born 1960) is famous for the roles in Notting Hill, Love Actually etc.
Gary Oldman (born 1958) an award winning actor who played in numerous films: Dracula, Sid and Nancy and many other
Emma Thompson (born 1959) an award winning actress, for the films Sense and Sensibility, the Remnants of the Day etc.
Orlando Bloom (born 1977) – a young actor Lord of the Rings, Pirates of Caribbean, etc.
Sport
David Beckham
Beckham is a leading English footballer and a former star of the legendary team Manchester United.
Sir Steve Redgrave
A British rower who won a gold medal at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000, as well as an additional bronze medal in 1988. As the only Briton ever to achieve this feat, he is widely considered to be Britain's greatest Olympian.
Vocabulary notes
abolition of slavery - отмена, уничтожение рабства и работорговли
celebrity - знаменитость, известная личность
conspirator – заговорщик
differential calculus - дифференциальное исчисление
duke - герцог
director - режиссер
Much Ado About Nothing - Много шума из ничего (пьеса Шекспира)
overthrow - свержение; низвержение
Peninsular War - Пиренейская война ( 1804-1814 г между Францией с одной стороны и Испанией, Португалией и Англией с другой )
polymath - эрудит
rower – гребец
scholar – ученый
supremacy - верховенство; верховная власть; превосходство
Traditions, customs, holidays
The United Kingdom is one of the world's most cosmopolitan and diverse countries. Each constituent part of the United Kingdom—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland—maintains its own unique customs, traditions and festivals.
First of all, it concerns United Kingdom political system. In Great Britain there’s no written constitution, only customs, traditions and precedents. After the English Revolution GB became a constitutional monarchy headed by King (now Queen, Elizabeth the second). Traditionally the Queen acts only on the advice of her Ministers. She reigns but she doesn’t rule.
Englishmen have traditions not only in political, but in social life.
English people like to spend their free time in numerous pubs. They can have a glass of beer and talk about different things with their friends.
The English are traditional about their meals. They eat eggs and bacon with toasts for breakfast, pudding or apple pie for dessert. Every English family has five o’clock tea.
A typical feature of an English house is a fireplace, even when there’s central heating in the house. Englishmen pay much attention to their homes. They often say: “My house is my castle.” Traditionally English people fond of gardening and there is always a beautiful garden near every English house.
English people like domestic animals. Every family has a pet: a dog, a cat or a bird.
Historically, English daily life and customs were markedly different in urban and rural areas. Today, even though the English are among the world's most cosmopolitan and well-traveled people, ties to the rural past remain strong. Urbanites, for example, commonly retire to villages and country cottages, and even the smallest urban dwelling is likely to have a garden.
Another divide, though one that is fast disappearing, is the rigid class system that long made it difficult for nonaristocratic individuals to rise to positions of prominence in commerce, government, and education. Significant changes have accompanied the decline of the class system, which also had reinforced distinctions between town and country and between the less affluent north of England and the country's wealthy south.
Many holidays in England, such as Christmas, are celebrated throughout the world, though the traditional English Christmas is less a commercial event than an opportunity for singing and feasting. They also celebrate Easter, the oldest and the most important Christian holidays. Remembrance Day (November 11) honours British soldiers who died in World War I. Other remembrances are unique to England and are nearly inexplicable to outsiders. For example, Guy Fawkes Night (November 5) commemorates a Roman Catholic conspiracy to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, and Saint George's Day (April 23) honours England's patron saint—though the holiday is barely celebrated at all in England, in marked contrast to the celebrations in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland for their respective patron saints: St Andrew's Day (Scotland's National Day), St David's Day (Wales National Day), St. Patrick's Day (Ireland's Special Day). There are also such holidays as Halloween (October 31), St.Valentine’s Day (February 14), April Fool’s Day – a day of fun and jokes (April 1).
The monarch's official birthday is also observed nationally and commemorated in the summer by a military parade called Trooping the Colour, which has been celebrated since the 18th century.
Vocabulary notes
affluent - приток (реки)
(to) commemorate - почтить память (в письменном обращении или каким-либо другим образом; отмечать, праздновать
cosmopolitan – космополит; космополитический
diverse - многообразный, различный, разнообразный, разный; разнотипный
dwelling - жилище, (жилой) дом, жилье; местожительство; проживание
feasting - празднование, торжество
fireplace – камин
precedent - предшествующий, предыдущий; превосходящий
(to) reinforce - укреплять, усиливать; повторять с новыми силами
remembrance - воспоминание, поминовение; память (Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday — день памяти погибших в первую и вторую мировые войны)
rural areas - сельский район
Trooping the Colour - вынос знамени, торжественный развод караулов с выносом знамени (проводится ежегодно в Лондоне на плац-параде конной гвардии (Horse Guards Parade) в официальный день рождения монарха. Навстречу монарху выносят знамя гвардейского полка, несёт караульную службу во дворце в текущем году)
urban area - городской район
British cuisine
English cuisine has traditionally been based on beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fish, all cooked with the minimum of embellishment and generally served with potatoes and one other vegetable.
Traditional British food usually includes dishes such as fish and chips, roast dishes of beef, lamb, chicken and pork, both sweet and savoury pies and puddings, as well as regional dishes such as the Cornish pasty and Lancashire Hotpot.
The Sunday roast is perhaps the most common feature of English cooking. The Sunday dinner traditionally includes roast potatoes accompanying a roasted joint of meat such as roast beef, lamb, or a roast chicken and assorted vegetables, themselves generally roasted or boiled and served with a thick gravy.
Yorkshire pudding and gravy is now often served as an accompaniment to the main course.
Fish and chips, traditionally wrapped in old newspapers to keep warm on the journey home, has long been one of England's most popular carryout dishes. It is possibly the most popular and uniquely English dish, and is traditionally served with a side order of mushy peas with salt and vinegar as condiments. The advent of take-away foods during the industrial revolution led to foods such as fish and chips, mushy peas, and steak and kidney pie with mashed potato (pie and mash).
The full English breakfast (also known as "cooked breakfast" or "fried breakfast") also remains a culinary classic. Its contents vary, but it normally consists of a combination of bacon, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, baked beans, fried mushrooms, sausages, eggs (fried, scrambled or boiled) and other variations on these ingredients and others.
By convention, at least for middle-income households, the main family meal of the week was the “Sunday joint” when a substantial piece of beef, lamb, or pork was roasted in the oven during the morning and served around midday.
The English sausage is distinctive, being made of fresh meat and rarely smoked, dried, or strongly flavoured. A variant of the sausage is the black pudding. It is made from pig's blood. Pig's trotters, tripe and brawn are also traditional fare in the North.
Pies, originally a way to preserve food, have long been a mainstay of English cooking. Meat pies are generally enclosed with fillings such as chicken and mushroom or steak and kidney (originally steak and oyster). Pork pies are almost always being eaten cold. Open pies or flans are generally served for desert with fillings of seasonal fruit. Another kind of pie is topped with mashed potato — for instance, shepherd's pie, with lamb, cottage pie, with beef, or fisherman's pie.
Britons make kippers, ham, bacon and a wide variety of pickled vegetables. Scottish smoked fish — salmon and Arbroath smokies — is particularly prized.
A formal teatime meal often may include scones with jam and butter or clotted cream. There are also butterfly cakes, simple small sponge cakes which can be iced or eaten plain. Nationwide, assorted biscuits and sandwiches are eaten. At home, the British have many original home-made desserts such as rhubarb crumble, bread and butter pudding, trifle and spotted dick. The traditional accompaniment is custard, known as crème anglaise (English sauce or English Cream). The dishes are simple and traditional, with recipes passed on from generation to generation. There is also Christmas pudding.
Tea itself, usually served with milk, is consumed throughout the day and is sometimes drunk with meals. In recent years herbal teas and speciality teas have also become popular.
Vocabulary notes
Advent - приход, прибытие
Arbroath smokies - арбротские копчушки (мелкая копчёная пикша) название по Арброту, Шотландия
Brawn - засоленная свинина, консервированная свинина; студень из свиной головы и говяжьих ножек
Clotted cream - сливочный варенец (сливки сквашиваются путем нагревания и медленного охлаждения)
Condiment - приправа
Cornish pasty - корнуэльский пирожок (горячий, жареный; с начинкой из мяса, почек, картофеля и капусты) первоначально выпекался в графстве Корнуолл
Custard - сладкий крем (из яиц и молока)
Embellishment - украшение; декорирование
Flan - открытый пирог с фруктовой, ягодной (и т.п.) начинкой; заварной крем, запеченный с карамельной глазурью
Gravy - подливка (из сока жаркого), соус, сок
Joint - мясной отруб (a joint of meat — кусок мяса)
Kidney - почка
Lamb - (зд.) мясо молодого барашка
Lancashire Hotpot - ланкаширское рагу (то же, что hotpot)
Mainstay - главная поддержка, опора, оплот
Mushy - мягкий; кашеобразной консистенции; мятый
Oyster - устрица
Pickled - соленый; маринованный
Rhubarb crumble – толченый (тертый) ревень
Savoury - острый, пикантный, пряный; острое блюдо, острая закуска (подаваемая в качестве аперитива или диджестива)
Scone - ячменная или пшеничная лепешка
Scramble - взбалтывать (обычно яйца для болтуньи)
Shepherd's pie - картофельная запеканка с мясом
Tripe – рубец или желудок (у жвачного животного), потроха (мн.ч.)
Trifle - бисквит, пропитанный вином и залитый сбитыми сливками
Trotters - ножки (свиные и т. п. как блюдо)
Roast – жаркое; кусок мяса, пригодный для жарки или приготовления жаркого; жареный; to roast - жарить(ся); печь(ся) (особ. в духовке или на открытом огне)
Vinegar - уксус
TESTS
1. Britannia is…
1. a national anthem of the UK;
2. a personification of England;
3. a personification of the UK;
4. an emblem of the England national football team.
2. The flag of the UK is commonly known as …
1. the “Merry Roger”;
2. the “Union Cross”;
3. the “Union Jack”;
4. the “Stars and Stripes”.
3. In 1801 legislation united … to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
1. Great Britain with Wales;
2. Great Britain with Ireland;
3. Scotland with Ireland and Wales;
4. England with Scotland.
4. … established the Church of England.
1. Henry VIII;
2. Elizabeth I;
3. Queen Victoria;
4. William I the Conqueror.
5. … must nominate a head of government (Prime Minister).
1. the government;
2. the ministers;
3. the Parliament;
4. the monarch.
6. At present there are two main political parties in England: …
1. the Conservative Party and the Communist Party;
2. the Conservative Party and the Labour Party;
3. the Labour Party and the Royalists;
4. the Liberal Party and the Labour Party.
7. The United Kingdom does not have a constitutionally defined official language.
1. have a constitutionally defined official language (English);
2. does not have a constitutionally defined official language;
3. have two constitutionally defined official languages (English and Welsh);
4. have four constitutionally defined official languages (English and Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic).
8. Presbyterianism is the official faith in….
1. Scotland;
2. England;
3. Wales;
4. Ireland.
9. … is the highest mountain in the British Isles.
1. Snowdon;
2. Slieve Donard;
3. Ben Nevis;
4. Scafell Pike.
10. England has ….
1. a subtropical climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round;
2. a temperate and oceanic climate, with plentiful rainfall in winter;
3. a very dry subtropical climate;
4. a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round.
11. Today only a small part of the English countryside is woodland, ….
1. a substantial amount of it is a state property;
2. a small part of it is privately owned;
3. a substantial amount of it is privately owned;
4. a half of is a state property.
12. …is London's main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus acting as tourist magnets.
1. the East End;
2. the West End;
3. the City;
4. the North London.
13. … is a very famous exhibition of wax figures.
1. British Museum;
2. London Eye;
3. Tate Gallery;
4. Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.
14. … is considered to be the world's first industrialised city.
1. Glasgow;
2. Manchester;
3. Edinburgh;
4. Liverpool.
15. Cardiff is the capital, largest and core city of ….
1. Wales;
2. England;
3. Ireland;
4. Scotland.
16. English children must go to school when they are ….
1. 5;
2. 7;
3. 6;
4. 8.
17. … is the oldest university in Scotland.
1. Oxford University;
2. Cambridge University;
3. The University of St Andrews;
4. Harward.
18. St. Patrick's Day honours ….
1. Scotland's patron saint;
2. England's patron saint;
3. Ireland's patron saint;
4. Wales’s patron saint.
19. The most popular English carryout dish is ... traditionally served with a side order of mushy peas with salt and vinegar as condiments.
1. fish and chips;
2. meat and chips;
3. roasted fish;
4. Sunday joint.
20. ... is the main business paper, printed on distinctive salmon-pink broadsheet paper.
1. The Sun;
2. The Financial Times;
3. The Guardian;
4. The Daily Telegraph.
21. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a world famous English….
1. ballet dancer;
2. composer;
3. playwright;
4. actor.
22. …is the most famous playwright in the world who wrote around 40 plays that are still performed in theatres across the world today.
1. William Shakespeare;
2. Christopher Marlowe;
3. Robert Burns;
4. John Osborne.
23. The Royal Albert Hall is …
1. a night club;
2. a theatre;
3. a concert hall;
4. a museum.
24. ... is a voluntary association of 53 independent sovereign states nearly all of which are former possessions of the British Empire.
1. the United Nations;
2. the Commonwealth of Nations (CN);
3. the UK;
4. UNESCO.
25. The world famous English band the Beatles appeared in ….
1. London;
2. Manchester;
3. Leeds;
4. Liverpool.
CANADA
National symbols
1. Canadian flag
The flag is red and white, the official colours of Canada as appointed by King George V in 1921, with a stylized 11-point red leaf in its centre.
The search for a new Canadian flag started in earnest in 1925 when a committee of the Privy Council began to research possible designs for a national flag. However, the work of the committee was never completed.
Later, in 1946, a select parliamentary committee was appointed with a similar mandate, called for submissions and received more than 2,600 designs. Still, the Parliament of Canada was never called upon to formally vote on a design.
Early in 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson informed the House of Commons that the government wished to adopt a distinctive national flag. The 1967 centennial celebration of Confederation was, after all, approaching. As a result, a Senate and House of Commons Committee was formed and submissions were called for once again.
In October 1964, after eliminating various proposals, the committee was left with three possible designs - a Red Ensign with the fleur-de-lis and the Union Jack, a design incorporating three red maple leaves, and a red flag with a single, stylized red maple leaf on a white square. (Pearson himself preferred a design with three red maple leaves between two blue borders.)
Two heraldry experts, who both favoured a three-leaf design, played a decisive role in the choice of our flag: Alan Beddoe, a retired naval captain and heraldic adviser to the Royal Canadian Navy, and Colonel Fortescue Duguid, a heraldist and historian.
The names of Mr. John Matheson and Dr. George Stanley are well known in the story of the evolution of a new Canadian flag. Mr. Matheson, a Member of Parliament from Ontario, was perhaps one of the strongest supporters of a new flag and played a key advisory role. Dr. Stanley was Dean of Arts at the Royal Military College in Kingston, and brought to the attention of the committee the fact that the Commandant's flag at the College - an emblem, i.e. a mailed fist, on a red and white ground - was impressive.
Dr. Stanley's design is based on a strong sense of Canadian history. The combination of red, white and red first appeared in the General Service Medal issued by Queen Victoria. Red and white were subsequently proclaimed Canada's national colours by King George V in 1921. Three years earlier, Major General (later the Honourable) Sir Eugene Fiset had recommended that Canada's emblem be the single red maple leaf on a white field - the device worn by all Canadian Olympic athletes since 1904.
The committee eventually decided to recommend the single-leaf design, which was approved by resolution of the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, followed by the Senate on December 17, 1964, and proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, to take effect on February 15, 1965.
In due course the final design of the stylized maple leaf was established by Mr. Jacques St-Cyr, the precise dimensions of red and white were suggested by Mr. George Best, and the technical description of precise shade of red defined by Dr. Gunter Wyszchi.
The national flag of Canada, then, came into being, credit to those eminent Canadians: the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, who wanted a distinctive national flag as a vehicle to promote national unity; John Matheson, who established the conceptual framework for a suitable flag, then sought out and combined the appropriate components to create it; and Dr. George Stanley, who provided the seminal concept - the central concepts of red-white-red stripes with a central maple leaf - in this process.
2. Canadian coat of arms
The present design of the arms of Canada was drawn by Mrs. Cathy Bursey-Sabourin, Fraser Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority, office of the Governor General of Canada, and faithfully depicts the arms described in the words of the Royal Proclamation dated November 21, 1921. The present design was approved in 1994.
3. Canadian motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare (Latin): "From Sea to Sea"
4. National anthem: O Canada
Official Lyrics (English)
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee;
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Extra information
"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. Calixa Lavallée composed the music in 1880 as a patriotic song for that year's St. Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony. The first lyrics that were composed for the song were written in French by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier in 1880 for the same ceremony. An English translation did not appear until 1906, and it was two more years until Robert Stanley Weir penned the English lyrics. Weir's words were altered in 1968 to their present form, although the French lyrics remain unaltered. The choice of "O Canada" for the national anthem did not occur until 1980, when it was signed into law during the Canada Day celebrations that year. It was modified, along with the royal anthem of Canada, God Save the Queen, to be part of the Vice Regal Salute.
Vocabulary notes
to alter – менять, изменять
anthem - гимн
to depict - изображать
eminent – выдающийся, видный, знаменитый
eventually – в конечном счете, в конце концов; со временем
faithfully – верно, честно
framework – структура, рамки
key - ключевой
to occur – происходить, случаться
seminal – плодотворный, конструктивный
to pen – писать, сочинять
History
Canada doesn't often make the foreign pages of newspapers around the world. Many outsiders think of it as a snowy country, full of quiet, laid-back people - rather a bland nation, in fact. That just goes to show how little they know. If you're thinking of coming to Canada, here are the basics.
Europeans arrived in the 1400s but they weren't the first to set sights on this vast land. The earliest known site occupied by people is the Bluefish Caves of the Yukon. In 1000 AD the Vikings from Iceland and Greenland reached the Labrador coast and Newfoundland, but they didn't stay.
It was the North American Indians who greeted the Europeans. As far back as 30,000 BC, the people arrived in North America from Asia by crossing the Bering Strait. These aboriginal people developed distinct languages, customs and religious beliefs. They depended on the land and developed specialised skills to deal with the climate and geography. The Inuit came after the North American Indians (they are not related to them, however) and settled predominantly in the Arctic.
In the early 1500s the Spanish, French, British and Italians were all vying to get to North America. The French explorers and missionaries got to Canada first. Jacques Cartier landed at the gulf of the St Lawrence waterway and this led to the founding of New France. It is thought that Canada got its name from Cartier who noticed the Huron and Iroquois inhabitants referring to the land as' Kanata' which means 'cluster of dwellings' or 'small community'.
The French had discovered a land rich in natural resources and one of their main activities was fur trading with the Native peoples - that is, until the Natives realised they were not properly profiting from the trades. The French and Natives fought throughout the 1600s because of this and because of the French development of aboriginal land.
France wasn't all that interested in its new colony even' though another of its men, Samuel de Champlain, settled Quebec City and Montreal by 1642. The Hudson's Bay Company was founded in 1670, primarily as a fur trading enterprise (it is Canada's oldest business enterprise, existing today as a major department store chain). The English moved into the Hudson Bay area and by the early 1700s had taken over most of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Canada is known as a peacemaking country, but its roots are, like most nations', rooted in war. In 1745 all hell broke loose with the British capture of Fortress Louisbourg from the French. England officially declared war on France in 1756, starting in Europe what is known as the Seven Years' War. Part of that war was played out in Canada.
The French seemed the stronger nation for four years, but the tide changed in one of Canada's most famous battles. Both the French and English generals died in the battle, but it was the British who defeated the French in 1759 in Quebec on the Plains of Abraham. In 1763 France handed Canada over to Britain in the Treaty of Paris. However, most of Canada's population was French. The conclusion of the Treaty of Paris gave rise to concerns over losing their rights and heritage. In response to these fears, Britain passed the Quebec Act in 1774 which granted religious (Roman Catholic) and linguistic freedom to the French.
But what's history without a little revolution and rebellion? The American Revolution saw Britain's 13 colonies in the south fight for independence from Britain from 1775 to 1783. This led to the migration north to Canada of about 50,000 'Loyalists', so called because of their loyalty to Britain, balancing the number of French and British in Canada. In 1791 Lower Canada (Quebec ) and Upper Canada (Ontario) were formed.
The War of 1812 is often thought to have brought about the beginnings of Canada's national identity. The Americans invaded Canada believing it would be an easy victory. The British, Native peoples and French banded together and, although outnumbered, stood their ground. Many battles were won and lost by both sides, but it was their first defence of their country against an invader that saw the people of 'British North America.' choose their way of life over that of the republicans to the south. Many heroes and war legends were created. Perhaps one of the least known is that in August 1814, the British captured and burned Washington, including the White House (which in those days wasn't so white and had to be painted white to cover the damage). The war ended in a draw in December 1814 with the Treaty of Ghent.
It wasn't long until the people of Upper and Lower Canada started itching for their own independence. In 1837 rebellions occurred in both colonies, which prompted Britain to join them under a common legislature. Soon afterwards they were granted responsible government and their first taste of political autonomy. More autonomy was on the way with the achievement of Confederation. In 1867 the Dominion of Canada was created under the British North America Act (BNA Act) passed by the British government. Sir John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of the Dominion that included Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Within the next six years Manitoba, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island were admitted into the Dominion.
If you come to Canada with children, they will undoubtedly learn about the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in school. Many scandals erupted during that time, but when it was completed in 1885 the CPR was the longest railway in the world and its construction within five years was considered a great engineering feat. It was built to connect the country from east to west and to encourage settlement. This was met with resistance from the Native peoples who were already settled on that land. The aboriginals lost their fight and large numbers of European immigrants came on promises of free land in the west. Between 1881 and 1891, 680,000 people immigrated into Canada and many of them are responsible for the emergence of large-scale grain farming. In 1904-5 Alberta and Saskatchewan entered Confederation, leaving only Newfoundland on its own.
The 1900s saw rapid change due to the industrial revolution: Canada was a significant participant in both World Wars, notably at Vimy Ridge in WW I and Dieppe and Normandy in WW2 as well as in the air and at sea. English-French tensions continued and the labour movement became organised with the creation of the unions. Canada developed social security programmes such as unemployment insurance, welfare and eventually 'Medicare'. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was formed and natural resource industries became an integral part of the Canadian economy. Women got the vote, Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949 and the Maple Leaf flag was adopted in 1965. In 1967 Canada turned 100 years old and celebrated with Expo festivities in Montreal. In the 1970s there was major upheaval in Quebec when the separatist movement took on a violent nature, but in 1980 a referendum showed the majority of Quebecois were against independence. Also in that year, Canada officially adopted O Canada! as its national anthem, although the original French version dates from 1880. Speaking of national symbols, the beaver is Canada's national animal.
The eighties were characterised by constitutional issues. Canada's constitution (the BNA Act) was an act of the British Parliament and, as an independent country, Canada wanted to 'bring home' the constitution. In 1982, parts of the BNA Act were changed and it became a Canadian act: The Constitution Act. Included in it is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Quebec is the only province that did not sign the new constitution and two subsequent attempts to bring it in, the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord, failed. In 1995 another Quebec referendum on independence took place and the 'no' side (against independence) won by a very narrow margin.
Vocabulary notes
to end in a draw - окончиться “ничьей”, т.е. без победителя
to grant – дарить, жаловать, предоставлять
heritage - наследие
integral – неотъемлемый, существенный
invader- завоеватель
issue – проблема, вопрос
legislature – законодательная власть
notably – именно; а именно
predominantly – в основном; большей частью
to proclaim - провозглашать
rebellion - восстание
subsequent - последующий
Political system
Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada as head of state, and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions. Many of the country's legislative practices derive from the unwritten practices of and precedents set by the United Kingdom's Westminster parliament; however, Canada has evolved variations. Party discipline in Canada is stronger than in the United Kingdom, and more of the votes are considered confidence votes, which tends to diminish the role of non-cabinet Members of Parliament (MPs). Such members, in the government caucus, and junior or lower-profile members of opposition caucuses, are known as backbenchers. Backbenchers can, however, exert their influence by sitting in parliamentary committees, like the Public Accounts Committee or the National Defence Committee.
The political system under which Canada operates, known as the Westminster system, was enshrined by the British Parliament in the Constitution Act, 1867 (also known as the British North America Act), but the federal model and division of powers were devised by Canadian politicians. Particularly after World War I, citizens of the self-governing "dominions" began to develop a strong sense of identity, and in the Balfour Declaration, 1926, the British government expressed its intent to grant full autonomy to these dominions. Thus in 1931, the British Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster giving legal recognition to the autonomy of Canada and other dominions. Canadian politicians were unable to obtain consensus on a process for amending the constitution until 1982. Therefore, amendments to Canada's constitution required the approval of the British Parliament. Similarly, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain continued to make the final decision on legal issues until 1949, such as whether a woman could be appointed to the Senate (see Persons Case). As well, because of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and rulings of courts on legislation, Canada is becoming more like a constitutional democracy, as opposed to the parliamentary democracy of its design.
The position of Prime Minister, Canada's head of government, belongs to the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and their Cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General (who is the Monarch's representative in Canada). However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, the Governor General respects the Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, and mostly from the House of Commons. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet, all of whom are sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and become Ministers of the Crown. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, especially in the appointment of other officials within the government and civil service. Michaëlle Jean has served as Governor General since September 27, 2005, and Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, has been Prime Minister since February 6, 2006.
The federal parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in a "riding" or electoral district; general elections are called by the Governor General when the Prime Minister so advises. While there is no minimum term for a Parliament, a new election must be called within five years of the last general election. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75.
Vocabulary notes
amendment – поправка (к закону и т.п)
to appoint - назначать
backbencher – рядовой член парламента, “заднескамеечник”
caucus – предвыборное фракционное или партийное совещание
consensus - согласие
current – текущий, настоящий
to diminish – уменьшать, приуменьшать
to enshrine – хранить, лелеять
official - чиновник
plurality - множество
Languages
Canada's two official languages, English and French, are the mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population respectively, and the languages most spoken at home by 68.3% and 22.3% of the population respectively. On July 7, 1969, under the Official Languages Act, French was made commensurate to English throughout the federal government. This started a process that led to Canada redefining itself as an officially bilingual nation.
Extra information
English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French. While multiculturalism is official policy, to become a citizen one must be able to speak either English or French, and 98.5% of Canadians speak at least one (English only: 67.5%, French only: 13.3%, both: 17.7%).
French is mostly spoken in Quebec, but there are substantial Francophone populations elsewhere, mainly in the northern parts of New Brunswick, eastern, northern and southwestern Ontario, and southern Manitoba. Of those who speak French as a first language, 85% live in Quebec. Ontario has the largest French population outside Quebec. French has been the only official language of Quebec since 1974; New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in the country. No provinces other than Quebec and New Brunswick have constitutionally official language(s) as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and other government services in all of the majority English or Inuktitut speaking provinces and territories. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official. Several aboriginal languages have official status in Northwest Territories. Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.
Vocabulary notes
bilingual – двуязычный
commensurate – соответственный, соразмерный; зд.: равноправный
instruction – обучение
respectively - соответственно
Religion
Canada has a wide mix of religions, but it has no official religion, and support for religious pluralism is an important part of Canada's political culture. However, most people report they are Christians, and this is reflected in several aspects of Canadian life. According to the census of 2001, 72% of the Canadian population list Roman Catholicism or Protestantism as their religion. The Roman Catholic Church in Canada is by far the country's largest single denomination. Those who listed no religion account for 16% of total respondents. In British Columbia, however, 35% of respondents reported no religion - more than any single denomination and more than all Protestants combined.
Vocabulary notes
census – перепись (населения)
religious pluralism – религиозный плюрализм, т.е. сочетание множества религий
respondent - респондент
Geography and climate
Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. The provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.
The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as health care, education, and welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas, such as the Canada Health Act; the provinces can opt out of these, but rarely do so in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.
All provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures headed by a Premier selected in the same way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a Lieutenant-Governor representing the Queen, analogous to the Governor General of Canada, appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, though with increasing levels of consultation with provincial governments in recent years.
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the Prairie provinces, where daily average temperatures are near −15°C (5°F), but can drop below -40°C (-40°F) with severe wind chills. Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter.
On the east and west coast average high temperatures are generally in the low 20°C (68 to 74°F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature range between 25°C to 30°C (78 to 86°F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40°C (104°F).
A satellite composite image of Canada. Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in the Arctic and through the Coast Mountains and Saint Elias Mountains, and the relatively flat Prairies facilitate agriculture. The Great Lakes feed the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) where lowlands host much of Canada's population.
Canada occupies most of the northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south and with the US state of Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W longitude; this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada (and in the world) is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450 nautical miles) from the North Pole.[27] Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area, after Russia, and the fourth largest in land area, after Russia, China and the United States.
The population density of 3.5 people per square kilometre (9.1/mi²) is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast. To the north of this region is the broad Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers—Canada by far has more lakes than any other country in the world and has a large amount of the world's freshwater.
The Horseshoe Falls in Ontario is the largest component of Niagara Falls, one of the world's most voluminous waterfalls, a major source of hydroelectric power, and a tourist destination.
In eastern Canada, the Saint Lawrence River widens into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary; the island of Newfoundland lies at its mouth. South of the Gulf, the Canadian Maritimes protrude eastward along the Appalachian Mountain range from northern New England and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are divided by the Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world's largest tidal variations. Ontario and Hudson Bay dominate central Canada. West of Ontario, the broad, flat Canadian Prairies spread toward the Rocky Mountains, which separate them from British Columbia.
Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from coniferous forests to tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast archipelago containing some of the world's largest islands.
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the Prairie provinces, where daily average temperatures are near −15°C (5°F), but can drop below -40°C (-40°F) with severe wind chills. Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter.
On the east and west coast average high temperatures are generally in the low 20°C (68 to 74°F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature range between 25°C to 30°C (78 to 86°F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40°C (104°F).
Vocabulary notes
average - средний
coniferous - хвойный
mild - мягкий, умеренный (о погоде и т.п.)
occasional - случающийся время от времени, редкий
to protrude – простираться
severe – резкий, сильный, суровый
to taper – зд: сводится к
uniform – однородный, единый, постоянный
Plant and animal life
A great range of plant and animal life characterizes the vast area of Canada, with its varied geographic and climatic zones. The flora of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region resembles that of the adjacent US section, with white pine, hemlock, sugar and red maples, yellow birch, and beech trees. Coniferous trees—particularly red spruce - predominate in the Maritime region, black spruce in the eastern Laurentian zone, white spruce in the western. In the east are also found the balsam fir, white cedar, tamarack, white birch, and aspen, with jack pine in the drier areas. From the prairie grassland to the Arctic tundra there are aspen, bur oak, balm of Gilead, cottonwood, balsam poplar, white birch, and other deciduous trees. Conifers dominate the northern section. Many types of grasses grow on the interior plains. The wet area along the west coast is famous for its tall, hard conifers: western hemlock and red cedar, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and western white pine. Subalpine forests cover the Rocky Mountain area, where there are such conifers as alpine fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and aspen, and mountain hemlock. The great Arctic region is covered with low-growing grasses, mosses, and bushes.
The fauna of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region includes deer, black bear, opossum, gray and red squirrels, otter, beaver, and skunk; birds include eastern bluebird, red-winged blackbird, robin, wood thrush, woodpecker, oriole, bobolink, crow, hawk, bittern, heron, black duck, and loon. In the boreal forest area there are moose, caribou, black bear, lynx, timber wolf, marten, beaver, porcupine, snowshoe rabbit, red squirrel, and chipmunk. Typical mammals of the Rocky Mountain area are grizzly bear, mountain goat, moose, wapiti, cougar, and alpine flying squirrel. In the plains are rabbits, gophers, prairie birds, and waterfowl. Abundant on the west coast are deer, Cascade mountain goat, red squirrel, mountain beaver, various species of mice, and Puget striped skunk; common birds include northern Pigmy-owl, band-tailed pigeon, black swift, northern flicker, crow, rufous-sided towhee, and black brant. Over the stretches of the Arctic are the musk ox and reindeer, polar bear, caribou, white and blue fox, arctic hare, and lemming, as well as the snowy owl, ptarmigan, snow bunting, arctic tern, and other birds. Walrus, seals, and whales inhabit Canada's coastal waters.
Vocabulary notes
alpine - горный
aspen - осина
beaver - бобр
bittern - выпь
bobolink - рисовый трупиал (птица)
boreal – северный
caribou - карибу (северный канадский олень)
cedar - кедр
chipmunk – бурундук
cottonwood
cougar – пума, кугуар
deciduous – лиственный
flicker - дятел
hawk – ястреб
hemlock – болиголов крапчатый (растение)
heron - цапля
lemming – лемминг, пеструшка
loon - гагара
lynx - рысь
mammal - млекопитающее
marten - куница
moose – американский лось
oriole – иволга
porcupine - дикобраз
ptarmigan - белая куропатка
robin – малиновка
seal - тюлень
skunk – скунс
spruce – ель
swift – стриж
walrus - морж
wapiti - вапити (олень)
whale - кит
woodpecker - дятел
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality, as well as the second largest city in the province of Ontario. It is located in the Ottawa Valley on the eastern edge of the province of Ontario, 400 kilometers (250 mi) north-east of Toronto and 190 kilometres (120 miles) west of Montreal. Ottawa lies on the banks of the Ottawa River, a major waterway that forms the boundary between Ontario and Quebec.
In 2005, the city was estimated to have 859,704 residents, while the metropolitan area, which includes the city of Gatineau, Quebec, was estimated to have a population of 1,148,785. Ottawa has a significant Francophone population, and under city government policy, all municipal services are available in both English and French. The current mayor of Ottawa is Larry O'Brien, who succeeded Bob Chiarelli on December 1, 2006. Ottawa has the highest per capita concentration of residents with PhDs (Doctor of Philosophy) in Canada.
On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria was asked to choose a common capital for the then province of Canada (modern Quebec and Ontario) and chose Ottawa. There are old folk tales about how she made the choice: that she did so by sticking her hatpin on a map roughly halfway between Toronto and Montreal, or that she liked watercolours she had seen of the area. While such stories have no historical basis, they do illustrate how arbitrary the choice of Ottawa seemed to Canadians at the time. While Ottawa is now a major metropolis and Canada's fourth largest city, at the time it was a sometimes unruly logging town in the hinterland, far away from the colony's main cities, Quebec City and Montreal in Canada East, and Kingston and Toronto in Canada West.
In fact, the Queen's advisers had her pick Ottawa for three important reasons: first, it was the only settlement of any significant size located right on the border of Canada East and Canada West (Quebec/Ontario border today), making it a compromise between the two colonies and their French and English populations; second, the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable the major cities were to American attack, since they were all located very close to the border while Ottawa was (then) surrounded by a dense forest far from the border; third, the government owned a large parcel of land on a spectacular spot overlooking the Ottawa River. Ottawa's position in the back country made it more defensible, while still allowing easy transportation via the Ottawa River to Canada East, and the Rideau Canal to Canada West.
Two other considerations were that Ottawa was at a point nearly exactly midway between Toronto and Quebec City (~500 km/310 mi) and that the small size of the town made it less likely that politically motivated mobs could go on a rampage and destroy government buildings, as had been the case in the previous Canadian capitals.
In 2001, the old city of Ottawa (estimated 2005 population 350,000) was amalgamated with the suburbs of Nepean (135,000), Kanata (56,000), Gloucester (120,000), Rockcliffe Park (2,100), Vanier (17,000) and Cumberland (55,000), and the rural townships of West Carleton (18,000), Osgoode (13,000), Rideau (18,000) and Goulbourn (24,000), along with the systems and infrastructure of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, to become one municipality. Ottawa-Carleton used to be just Carleton County before 1969 and consisted of what is now the City of Ottawa except for Cumberland.
Ottawa is home to a wealth of national museums, official residences, government buildings, memorials and heritage structures. Federal buildings in the National Capital Region are managed by the Public Works Canada, while most of the federal lands in the Region are managed by the National Capital Commission or NCC; its control of much undeveloped land gives the NCC a great deal of influence over the city's development.
Ottawa is home to a wealth of national museums, official residences, government buildings, memorials and heritage structures.
The Supreme Court of Canada viewed from Parliament Hill:
.
The Château Laurier in downtown Ottawa:
The glass façade of Canada's National Gallery:
The historic buildings of Elgin Street, looking towards Parliament Hill:
Vocabulary notes
to go on a rampage – неистовствовать, прийти в ярость
hinterland - районы вглубь от границы; провинция, периферия
per capita (лат.) – на душу населения
prominent – известный, выдающийся, видный
spectacular – эффектный, захватывающий
vulnerable – уязвимый
waterway – водный путь
Educational system and universities
Education in Canada is provided, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provinicial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province, without a ministry of education at the federal or national level. Education in Canada is generally divided by Elementary (Primary School, Public School), followed by Secondary (High School) and Post Secondary (University, College). Within the provinces under the department of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programs. Education is compulsory up to an age of 16. Canada generally has 190 school days in the year, officially starting from September to the end of June (usually the last Friday of the month).
As for University education, even of Canada’s 89 universities appear in the THES – QS World University Rankings Top 200 Universities, demonstrating the good level of quality and reputation in the country’s higher education system.
Additionally, Canada boasts a range of other post-secondary school education institutions, known as colleges, university colleges, institutes of technology and advanced learning, community colleges and colleges of applied arts and technology - many of which are able to grant degree-level qualifications.
Canada’s top institutes are more commonly referred to as the The Group of Thirteen:
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Laval
• McGill
• McMaster
• Montréal
• Queen’s
• Toronto
• Waterloo
• Western Ontario
• University of Calgary
• Dalhousie University
• University of Ottawa
As one of the largest systems of higher education in the world, Canada has an extremely robust quality assurance and accreditation process ensuring that degree-level studies are recognised internationally. Scholarships are available to offset some of the costs of studying in Canada.
Vocabulary notes
compulsory – обязательный, принудительный
curriculum – курс обучения, учебный план (школы, университета и т.п.)
to offset – возмещать, компенсировать
to oversee – надзирать, наблюдать
robust - крепкий, сильный
scholarship – стипендия
Famous People
The list of well-known Canadians includes the actors Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey. The country is also home to a lot of world-famous musicians like Nelly Furtado (singer & songwriter), Shania Twain (singer & songwriter), Brian Adams (singer & songwriter), Avril Lavigne (singer & songwriter) and Celine Dion (singer). Well-known Canadian sportsmen include Lennox Lewis (World Heavyweight Boxing Champion) and numerous ice skaters: Kurt Browning (four-time world champion), Elvis Stojko (three-time world champion) and Shae-Lynn Bourne (world ice dancing champion, together with Victor Kraatz). Models Pamela Anderson and Linda Evangelista were also born in Canada.
Canadian cuisine
Defining what Canadian food is depends on what part of Canada you're from! The traditional cuisine varies from British Columbia (Salmon & Wild Rice, and Nanaimo Bars) to Newfoundland (Cod Cakes and fish cheeks), to Native dishes (maple sugar pie) to French Canadian Foods (Tortiere, Yellow Pea Soup).
For instance, it is almost uniquely Canadian to have gravy on your fries? This is a typical dish all over the country that is called poutine. In England, that's how they can tell Americans apart from Canadians - Canadians ask for gravy on their fries.
From the East Coast - Irish Stew, Fish Chowders, Bangbellies (a pork/rice bun), Toutons (Pork Bread), and Duffs (like a dumpling), Molasses Tarts and Partridge Berry Coffee Cake, chocolate bread pudding, oat bread, Cape Breton scones, Creamed Potato Balls, Baked Stuffed Lobster,
Native - Posole Stew (uses hominy), corn casserole, Frypan Fork Bread, Cornmeal pudding, Maple Fudge, Wojape (a berry pudding).
Quebec - Crème Caramel, French Onion Soup, Split Yellow Pea Soup, Garlic Pork Pot Roast, Cipate (Chicken, meat and vegetable casserole with biscuit topping), 3 crust blueberry pie
Ontario - Pine Nut Stuffed Quail, pickled yellow beans, apple butter, headcheese, smoked ham, creamed potatoes, vanilla pie, ice wine, BBQ's, hot sauces, doughnuts.
Maple syrup originates in northeastern North America, and is commonly associated with Quebec and New England, especially Vermont, and Maine. However, given the correct weather conditions, it can be made wherever maple trees grow. Usually, the maple species used are the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and the black maple (Acer nigrum), because of the high sugar content in the sap. A maple syrup production farm is called a sugarbush or the sugarwoods. Sap is boiled in a "sugar house" (also known as a "sugar shack" or cabane à sucre), a building which is louvered at the top to vent the steam from the boiling maple sap.
Canada produces more than 80 percent of the world's maple syrup, producing about 7 million gallons in 2005. The vast majority of this comes from Quebec: the province is by far the world's largest producer, with about 75 percent of the world production (6.5 million gallons in 2005). The provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick produce smaller amounts. Vermont is the biggest U.S. producer, with 410,000 gallons in 2005, followed by Maine, New York, and then a half-dozen other states with smaller industries.
Traditionally, maple syrup was harvested by tapping a maple tree through the bark and into the wood xylem, then letting the sap run into a bucket; more advanced methods have since superseded this.
Production is concentrated in February, March and April, depending on local weather conditions. Freezing nights and warm days are needed in order to induce sap flows. The change in temperature from above to below freezing causes water uptake from the soil, and temperatures above freezing cause a stem pressure to develop, which, along with gravity, causes sap to flow out of tapholes or other wounds in the stem or branches. To collect the sap, holes are bored into the maple trees and hollow tubes (taps, spouts, spiles) are inserted. Sap flows through the spouts into buckets or into plastic tubing. Modern use of plastic tubing with a partial vacuum has enabled increased production. A hole must be drilled in a new location each year, as the old hole will produce sap for only one season due to the natural healing process of the tree, called walling-off.
During processing, the sap is fed automatically from the storage tank through a valve to a flat pan to boil it down until it forms a sweet syrup. The process is slow, because most of the water has to boil out of the sap before it is the right density. It takes approximately 40 litres of sap to make one litre of maple syrup, and a mature sugar maple produces about 40 litres (10 gallons) of sap during the 4-6 week sugaring season. Trees are not tapped until they have a diameter of 25 centimetres (10 inches) at chest-height and the tree is at least 40 years old. Most contemporary producers use a 5/16" or 19/64" outside diameter drill bit to drill with. A tap hole depth of 1" to 1 1/2" is a common recommended depth.
Starting in the 1970s, some maple syrup producers started using reverse osmosis to remove water from sap before being further boiled down to syrup. The use of reverse osmosis allows approximately 75 to 80% of the water to be removed from the sap prior to boiling, reducing energy consumption and exposure of the syrup to high temperatures. Microbial contamination and degradation of the membranes has to be monitored.
Maple syrup is sometimes boiled down further to make maple sugar, a hard candy usually sold in pressed blocks, and maple toffee. Intermediate levels of boiling can also be used to create various intermediate products, including maple cream (less hard and granular than maple sugar) and maple butter (creamy, with a consistency slightly less thick than peanut butter).
Timbits is the brand name of bite-sized doughnut balls sold at the Canadian Tim Hortons restaurant chain. A Timbit is often thought to be made from the part of a full doughnut that is cut out to make the doughnut's hole, but in fact they are made from separate balls of dough. The treat was introduced in April 1976, shortly after Tim Horton's death in 1974, and is now available in a selection of varieties that differs from store to store. Some of the most popular flavours are chocolate, jelly-filled, honey dip, and apple fritter. These are Adam Parker's favourite food.
Other doughnut chains in Canada and the United States sell virtually identical products, often called "doughnut holes". However, due to Tim Hortons' place in Canadian culture, Timbits is often used as the generic term for these in Canada, even when they are purchased from another chain.
In the U.S., these baked items are commonly called "Munchkins," which is the brand Dunkin' Donuts uses for the donut balls.
Timbits also refers to participants in the Timbits Minor Sports Program, a community program sponsored by Tim Hortons for local sports teams involving children aged four to eight years.
Poutine is a dish consisting of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy (usually brown gravy) and sometimes other additional ingredients. The curds' freshness is important as it makes them soft in the warm fries, without completely melting. It is a quintessential French-Canadian comfort food.
Poutine is a fast food staple in Canada; it is sold by many fast food chains (such as New York Fries and Harvey's) in the provinces, in small diners and pubs, as well as by roadside "poutine trucks" and "fries stands". International chains like McDonalds, A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King now sell mass-produced poutine across Canada. Popular Québec restaurants that serve poutine include Chez Ashton, Lafleur Restaurants, La Belle Province, and St-Hubert.
Thick pea soup, made from yellow or green split peas, is also an important French-Canadian contribution to food culture, and is a popular "comfort food" across the country.
Pickerel fish (what Americans call "walleye"), smoked Winnipeg goldeye, whitefish, and of course wild salmon all have a special place in the hearts of many Canadians.
Perogies (potato dumplings) were introduced into Western Canada by Ukrainian immigrants, and they are now quite popular; there's even a giant perogy statue in Alberta.Today, frozen perogies are available in grocery stores with mashed potato fillings in flavours ranging from cheese and onion, to pizza!
Sugar pie and butter tarts are kissin' cousins to the pecan pie of the American South. Sugar pie is a traditional Quebec dish, best made with maple sugar or maple syrup, and sometimes with a top crust. Butter tarts are similar, but smaller; some Canadians like raisins in their butter tarts, while others consider that a proper butter tart is raisin-free.
Saskatoons (aka saskatoon berries) are a small purplish-blue berry native to Western Canada; in some places, they are called serviceberries or juneberries. It is a popular filling for pies, and is also made into syrup and jam; it has a sort of almond-cherry flavour, despite its blueberry-like appearance. The city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is named after this fruit.
Nanaimo bar's origins are shrouded in mystery, but this small, sweet square is a very popular dessert. The traditional Nanaimo bar has three layers: a chocolate-flavoured crumb base; a butter-cream icing centre; and a thick layer of chocolate on top. In the last few years, different Nanaimo bar flavours have been created by changing the flavouring of the centre, base, or top to create Irish Cream Nainaimo bar, mint Nanaimo bar, etc.
Tourtiere is a meat pie made with ground pork, ground veal, and/or ground beef and spices. It is part of French-Canadian food culture across the country and throughout the year, but is especially popular at Christmas and New Year's. Ideally, it is home made, but it can also be bought premade in grocery stores across the country.
Vocabulary notes
dough - тесто
gravy - соус, подливка
layer - слой
pickerel -
quintessential – являющийся неотъемлемой частью, неотъемлемый
sap – сок (растений)
sprout – отросток, росток, побег
TESTS
1. Which of these cities is NOT Canadian?
1) Oakland
2) Ontario
3) Quebec
4) Calgary
2. The document according to which France handed Canada over to Britain in 1763 was called….. .
1) the Declaration of Independence
2) the Bill of Rights
3) the Quebec Act
4) the Treaty of Paris
3. The national animal of the country is …… .
1) the beaver
2) the squirrel
3) the opossum
4) the black bear
4. Which of these is the largest Canadian city?
1) Ottawa
2) Toronto
3) Montreal
4) Edmonton
5. Which of these is the only French-speaking province in Canada?
1) Quebec
2) Alberta
3) Nova Scotia
4) Ontario
6. Canadian-born Shae-Lynn Bourse is a famous ………. .
1) politician
2) feminist writer
3) ice dancer
4) tennis player
7. Canada is …….. .
1) a presidential republic
2) a monarchy
3) a constitutional monarchy
4) a parliamentary republic
8. What did the original name of the name of the country ( “Kanata”) mean in the Huron and Iroquois language?
1) northern country
2) home of snows
3) the home of the northern people
4) a cluster of dwellings
9. How many provinces and territories will there be in Canada as of April 1, 1999?
1) 11 provinces, and 1 territory
2) 10 provinces, and 3 territories
3) 9 provinces and 2 territories
4) 8 provinces, and 4 territories
10. Canadian caribou is a variety of which animal?
1) a bear
2) a deer
3) a hare
4) a wolf
11. Find one Canadian Celebrity on this list (all the others are NOT Canadian):
1) Kylie Minogue
2) Lleyton Hewitt
3) Keanu Reeves
4) Winona Ryder
12. The Canadian Parliament consists of ………. .
1) the Senate and the House of Representatives
2) the House of Lords and the House of Commons
3) the House of Commons and the House of Representatives
4) the Senate and the House of Commons
13. What is poutine?
1) a cherry cake
2) pasta and cheese
3) French fries topped with hot gravy
4) a bite-sized doughnut ball
14. Which was the only province not to sign Canadian Constitution in 1982?
1) Manitoba
2) New Brunswick
3) Nova Scotia
4) Quebec
SPEECH HABITS
Бытовая сфера
Getting Acquainted
(dialogues)
1. - Can you do me a favor, Jim? Would you mind introducing me to Miss Jones?
- Oh, yes, with pleasure, though it’s rather strange you don’t know each other yet.
- I just didn’t have a chance to get acquainted with her. Is she a nice girl?
- Yes, of course, and she has a very nice dog.
2. - Harry, have you met Mr. Grey?
- No, we haven’t met.
- Come along then, I’ll introduce you to him, if you like.
- With pleasure.
- Mr. Grey, I should like to introduce Mr. Smith, a friend of mine.
- How do you do, Mr. Smith? Pleased to meet you.
- How do you do, Mr. Grey? I’m very glad to know you.
3. - I’m sorry. Are you acquainted? No? Harry, this is James Richardson. Mr. Richardson, Harry Smith.
- How do you do? I’m so glad to meet you.
- How do you do? I’m so pleased to have made your acquaintance, Mr. Smith.
4. - Miss Jane! Allow me to introduce Mr. Fox to you!
- How do you do, Mr. Fox? Happy to meet you.
Note: When meeting someone new, Americans and Englishmen usually have certain manners. They: 1. look them in the eye; 2. smile; 3. say “Hello. My name is / I’m … It’s nice to meet you, …” (Say their names.); 4. stand up when a grown-up enters the room; 5. say “How do you do?” if it is a stranger.
Men and boys do not offer their hand to shake unless the girl or lady offers theirs. When they talk to grown-ups, use their titles: “Yes, Mrs. Brown”, “No, Doctor White”. The only formally correct way to address people in Great Britain is “Madam” and “Sir”. Schoolboys and schoolgirls call their teacher “Sir”, if it is a man. And if the teacher is a woman, they say “Miss”.
Some topics of conversation or things they might talk to a new friend about may include: What do you do? What are your hobbies, favourite things to do? Do you play any sports? What are your favourite movies, books, songs, musical groups, etc.?
Never interrupt your new friends, while they are talking. Wait for a pause in the conversation. Don’t talk too loud or get too close to your new friend – generally stay about one arm’s length away.
5. An English family arrives at your house.
Katya: My name’s Katya.
Mr. Smith: I’m Peter Smith. How do you do, Katya? Pleased to meet you.
Katya: How do you do, Mr. Smith? It’s nice to meet you too.
Mr. Smith: This is my son Paul.
Paul: Hello, Katya.
Katya: Hello, Paul.
Katya: Please come in.
Mr. Smith: Thank you.
Katya: Please sit down. Would you like a drink?
Mr. Smith: Yes, we would. Mineral water for me. What do you want, Paul?
Paul: The same for me, please.
Katya: Here you are.
Katya: What do you do, Mr. Smith?
Mr. Smith: I’m a teacher.
Katya: And what does your wife do?
Mr. Smith: She is an artist.
Katya: What do you do, Paul?
Paul: I go to school.
Katya: What’s your hobby, Paul?
Paul: I collect books on art. I also play tennis and I like swimming very much.
Mr. Smith: It’s nine o’clock. We must go. Thank you very much. It was pleasure to
meet you, Katya. Goodbye.
Katya: Goodbye. See you tomorrow.
Vocabulary notes
1. to get acquainted [ə`kweintid] with smb – познакомиться с кем-либо
(to make smb acquaintance)
2. to introduce [intrə`dju:s] smb to smb – представить кого-либо
3. How do you do? – Здравствуйте.
4. Allow me to introduce … to you – Разрешите познакомить Вас с …
5. What do you do? Чем вы занимаетесь? (Как
зарабатываете на жизнь?)
Family Relationships
(dialogues)
1. Nadya answers the door and shows in her friend, Ann.
N: Ann, meet the aunts and uncles, grannies and grandpas, the nephews and nieces,
and all the rest.
A: Pleased to meet you all, I’m sure. My, what a big family you are!
N: This is only the immediate family. You’re the only outsider here now. You will
sit next to the oldest member of family present – my great-grandfather.
Grandpa, dear, I’m going to put my friend in this seat near you.
GR.-GRANDF: The pleasure is all mine. Please sit down, my dear. Make yourself
at home. So, Nadya must give me away at once and tell my age.
A: You don’t look your age at all. So don’t mind her.
GR.-GRANDF: A person is as old as he feels, they say. Still…
A: Nadya is your great-grand-daughter, isn’t she? She’s the exact image of you
(there’s a strong family resemblance between you) – of course, taking the
difference in age into consideration.
GR.-GRANDF: Does she really look like me so much? I’m flattered. She’s a
good-looking girl, isn’t she?
A: How wonderful it must be for you to look round the table and see four
generations of your descendants!
GR.-GRANDF: We are a long lived family. Only your dear granny died young.
N: (to A) She was 50 when she died.
A: Your family, it seems to me, are very much attached to each other.
N: Well, more or less, I suppose.
2. Brigitte Bardor. An Impromptu (экспромт) Marriage
A: I looked through an English newspaper and came across a short article titled
“Bardor admits impromptu marriage”.
B: Is it about the famous French actress who starred in so many films in the
60’s and 70’s?
A: Yes, she is not in films any more. She is on the bad side of her fifties and she
leads a secluded life rarely appearing in public.
B: How did she meet her present husband, then?
A: They met at a party, they say.
B: Does it say there that they decided to marry? Love at first sight?
A: Not quite so. The urge to get married came upon them when they took their trip
to Norway, where Brigitte’s son lives.
B: They both had to get divorced from their previous marriages, I suppose.
A: No, Brigitte had been divorced for 23 years. It was her fourth marriage,
by the way.
B: Which marriage is her son by?
A: Brigitte’s son Nicolas was born during her second marriage. His father was
an actor, too.
B: What does her present husband do?
A: He is a businessman, 7 years her junior.
B: Was it a marvelous wedding ceremony in a church?
A: Nothing of the kind. This is how Brigitte describes it, “We came upon a chapel
I lost in the romantic countryside. It was raining hard. We went through the
doors of the chapel. And there, suddenly, we decided to get married”.
B: But the pastor could give them his blessing only in the presence of witnesses.
A: The taxi driver and the church caretaker served as witnesses.
Vocabulary notes
1. Make yourself at home. – Будьте как дома.
2. resemblance [ri`zembləns] – сходство
3. I’m flattered. [aim `flætəd] – Я польщён.
4. descendant [di`sendənt] – потомок
5. impromptu [im`promptju:] – экспромт
6. secluded [si`klu:dəd] – замкнутый
7. Nothing of the kind. – Ничего подобного.
An Invitation to a Housewarming Party
Martin: Have you already moved into your new flat?
Sharon: Oh, yes, we have, and we expect you to come to our housewarming
party next Sunday.
Martin: Thank you, I’ll be very glad to come. Is it a two-room flat?
Sharon: Yes, a very nice one, with all modern conveniences.
Martin: Is it in a multi-storied house?
Sharon: It’s a four-storied dwelling house built by the City Municipals. It’s a
five minute walk from an underground station.
Martin: Weren’t you sorry to leave your old home?
Sharon: More than I can tell. The neighbours were old fellow-workers and I miss
them awfully. But you can’t compare the new flat with the old one.
You’ll see it yourself. Take your children along with you.
Martin: Yes, sure. Thank you.
Vocabulary notes
1. housewarming party – новоселье
2. dwelling house – жилой дом
3. to leave smth. – уезжать откуда-либо
Профессионально-деловая сфера
Getting a Job
Making an Appointment
1. A: Good morning. Personnel Corps.
B: Hello, my name is Neef, Walter Neef. I would like some information on your
agency. Can you help me?
A: Yes, certainly. What would you like to know?
B: I’m looking for a non-profit agency. Is this a non-profit agency?
A: No, it is not; we’re a private agency, dealing with technical and high-salaried
jobs.
B: Thank you. I’m looking for a secretarial job or any non-skilled position. Can
you give me the telephones of the agencies specializing in this field?
A: With pleasure, but the list is very long. You can find the information you need
in our leaflet. Our working hours are from 10 to 7 pm.
B: Thank you. Good-bye.
A: Good-bye. Have a good day.
B: You too.
2. Receptionist: Personnel Service.
Mr. Brown: This is George Brown. I’d like to get an appointment with an
employment counselor.
Receptionist: What time is convenient for you?
Mr. Brown: Could the counselor see me at 12 next Wednesday?
Receptionist: Yes, that will be very convenient.
Mr. Brown: Thank you. Good-bye.
Receptionist: Bye. Have a good day.
3. A: Manpower. What can I do for you?
B: I’d like to talk to the employment counselor about a job. Will the counselor be
able to see me today?
A: Hold the line, I’ll consult the diary. (after a pause) Yes, Mr. Brown, are you
there? Mr. Fraser can see you between 10 and 12. What time would be
convenient for you?
B: Let’s make it 10:30.
A: All right, Mr. Brown, 10:30 today.
B: Thank you. Good-bye.
A: Good-bye.
4. A: Good morning. Atlantis Consultants.
B: Hello, my name is Sergey Petrov. I would like some information about your
agency. Can you help me?
A: I’ll try. What would you like to know?
B: Does you agency work by appointment only or may I drop in any time during
the week?
A: Our agency works by appointment only. We place applicants in high-level
positions. Would you like to make an appointment to see an employment
counselor at our agency?
B: Yes, I would, thank you.
A: What type of position are you looking for?
B: I have a degree in chemical engineering and I have five years of experience in
the field.
A: Fine. Can you come on Monday at 11:30 am?
B: Yes, that’s perfect. I’ll be there at 11:30. Thank you and have a good day.
A: You too. Good-bye.
Canceling an Appointment
5. Receptionist: 452575 “Manpower”.
Mr. Brown: This is George Brown, I have an appointment with Mr. Fraser for
10:30 today but I can’t make it. Could Mr. Fraser see me some
other time later in the day?
Receptionist: Sorry, he’s fully booked for the day. Could we make it the day after
tomorrow instead?
Mr. Brown: I’m afraid not. I’m very anxious to see Mr. Fraser. Could Mr. Fraser
see me tomorrow?
Receptionist: Will you hold the line, please. I’ll consult Mr. Fraser. (after a pause)
Are you there, Mr. Brown? We’ll try to fit in tomorrow after lunch
between 2:30 and 3:00. Would that be convenient?
Mr. Brown: Yes, thank you. Sorry for trouble.
Receptionist: It’s fine. We expect you at 2:30. Good-bye.
Mr. Brown: Good-bye. You’re very helpful indeed.
6. A: Manpower.
B: May I speak to Mr. Cartright, please?
A: Who is calling, please?
B: This is Ben Collins.
A: One moment, please.
C: Hello?
B: Hello, Mr. Cartright. This is Ben Collins. I’m very sorry, but I can’t keep my
appointment with you today.
C: What’s wrong?
B: I’m not feeling well.
C: All right. How about next Friday at three?
B: Friday at three? That’s fine. Thank you very much.
C: You’re welcome. See you then.
7. R: Rodger Agency.
D: This is Don Kelvin. I have an appointment with Mr. Douglas at twelve today
but my wife is sick. I would like to make an appointment for next week.
R: All right. Would Tuesday at three be convenient for you?
D: Tuesday at three? That’s not a good time for me.
R: How about four o’clock on Wednesday?
D: That will be just fine. Thank you.
R: Fine. We’ll expect you then.
Calling an Employment Agency
Receptionist: Good morning, Pilot Agency.
Applicant: Good morning, my name is Ivanov, Sergey Ivanov. I’m interested in
finding a job in quality control. Is there someone with whom I can
speak?
Situation I.
R: I’m sorry; we don’t handle jobs of that kind.
App: O.K. I’m sorry to bother you, but can you suggest an agency which
does deal with such a job?
R: You might try the Greenfield agency.
App: Thank you very much for your help. Have a good day.
R: You too.
Situation II.
R: Yes, just a minute, Mr. Robinson will be right with you.
Mr. Robinson: Good morning, Robinson speaking.
App: Good morning, my name is Ivanov. I’m interested in finding a job
in quality control. May I come and discuss the possibilities?
Situation I.
Mr. Robinson: What are your qualifications in this field?
App: I have a five year diploma from Baltic State Technical University in
certification.
Mr. Robinson: Do you have any work experience?
App: Not in this field, but I have worked as an electrician in St. Petersburg
Constructions.
Mr. Robinson: O.K. Come and see me at 3 o’clock tomorrow and bring your resume.
App: Thank you. Good-bye.
Mr. Robinson: Good-bye. See you tomorrow then.
Situation II.
Mr. Robinson: I’m sorry, I have no such listings right now.
App: May I register with you anyway in case something comes in?
Mr. Robinson: Of course, you can. You can come any time during the day. You will
be placed in the file.
App: Thank you. Good-bye.
Mr. Robinson: Good-bye. Have a good day.
App: You too.
Calling Directly the Possible Employer
Secretary: Good morning, OSHA Partners.
Applicant: May I speak with the personnel department?
Secretary: Are you looking for a job or are you already working with us?
Applicant: I’d like to apply for a job.
Secretary: One moment, please.
Secretary: (Personnel department): Hello, Personnel Department.
Applicant: I’m interested in a job in computer programming, with whom can I
speak?
Secretary: I’m sorry, we are not hiring today in this field.
Applicant: All right, but can I come in and give you my application anyway?
Secretary: We receive applications every Wednesday between 1.00 and 3.00 pm.
Applicant: Shall I bring a resume?
Secretary: If you like.
Applicant: Thank you. Good-bye.
Secretary: Good-bye.
Personnel Department. Wednesday
Applicant: Good morning, my name is Ivanov, Sergey Ivanov. I’d like to give
you my application for a job.
Secretary: All right, here you are. Fill it out.
Applicant: (in 20 minutes) I’ve completed this application and I also have a
resume. Is there someone with whom I can speak?
Situation I.
Secretary: No, if there is any interest in your application someone will call you.
Applicant: Thank you. Good-bye.
Secretary: Good-bye.
Situation II.
Secretary: Yes, will talk to you in a few minutes.
Mr. Green: Mr. Ivanov? Sit down, please. I’ve examined your application and
your resume and I’m not quite sure what you’re qualified for. So
explain again to me your education and your experience.
Applicant: I graduated from St. Petersburg Technical University, Standards
Department. I’m qualified as standards control engineer.
Mr. Green: We don’t have a quality control department here, but we do have a
product assurance department in which you’d fit nicely. I’ll pass your
resume on to the department head and I’ll call you in a couple of days
about the result.
Applicant: Thank you. Good-bye.
Mr. Green: Good-bye. Have a good day.
Responding to an Advertisement
Receptionist: Good morning, Manpower agency.
Applicant: I’m calling about your add in “Daily News” for an electronic engineer.
I’d like very much to come and talk with someone about the job.
Receptionist: Mr. Robinson is receiving applicants at 3 o’clock every Tuesday and
Friday.
Situation I.
Applicant: I’m here to see Mr. Robinson about the electronic engineer position,
I’ve read about in “Daily News” want ads.
Receptionist: Have a seat, please. Mr. Robinson will be free in a few minutes. What
is your name? I’ll tell Mr. Robinson that you’re waiting to see him.
Applicant: Thank you. My name is Sergey Ivanov. Here is my resume and
application.
(In a few minutes)
Mr. Robinson: Mr. Ivanov, come in, please. I’ve read your resume and the
application. I think you have a chance at getting this job, so I’m
going to send you to see the employer.
Applicant: But can I have a few particulars about the job?
Mr. Robinson: You should talk to the employer about that. We only place applicants
according to their qualifications. Here is your introduction to the
employer. Mr. Green can see you at 10 o’clock tomorrow.
Applicant: Thank you for your help. Good-bye.
Mr. Robinson: Good-bye. Good luck.
Situation II. At the enterprise
Applicant: I have an appointment with Mr. Green made by Pilot agency. This is
my introduction.
Mr. Robinson: Have a seat, Mr. Ivanov. Mr. Green will be with you in a few minutes.
Applicant: Thank you.
Vocabulary notes
1. non-profit agency – агентство, которое не взимает плату за услуги
2. non-skilled position – место, на котором не требуется особая квалификация и образование
3. to get (to make) an appointment – назначить встречу
4. employment counselor [`kaunsәlә] – служащий агентства, который дает советы и рекомендации
5. to work by appointment – работать по «записи» (когда необходимо предварительно назначить встречу)
6. to cancel [`kænsl] an appointment – отменить встречу
7. He’s fully booked for the day. – Сегодня он занят. (Его день полностью расписан по минутам.)
8. to keep an appointment – прийти в назначенное время
9. employer [imp`loiә] – наниматель, работодатель
10. to apply for a job – обращаться за работой
11. application – заявление
12. advertisement [әd`vә:tismәnt] – объявление, реклама (coll. ad)
Учебно-социальная сфера
At the Library
Librarian: Good morning. Can I help you find something?
Sasha: Yes. I’m interested in reading about famous Americans.
Librarian: Is there anyone in particular you are interested in reading about?
Sasha: Well, I wish I knew more about the outstanding people who have
played a role in shaping American life and culture.
Librarian: There are many people that have influenced life in America.
Sasha: I wish I could read about all of these people. But I have only a few
hours. If you were me and you had only a few hours, who would
you read about?
Librarian: If I were you, I would read about some of our writers and artists,
such as Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, because they portray life
in America through their work. I also suggest that you read about
some of the American inventors, because their inventions, such as
the car, airplane, and the telephone, have changed our lives
significantly.
Sasha: That sounds like a great place to start.
The Driving Lesson
Miss Green: Good afternoon. My name is Miss Green and I’m your driving
instructor. Is this first lesson?
Simon: It is my first lesson at this driving school.
Miss Green: Oh, you’ve been to another one?
Simon: Yes. The Greenwich school of driving. But I stopped going there.
Miss Green: Why? Weren’t the lessons good enough?
Simon: They were good but my instructor left.
Miss Green: Really? Well, let’s see what you can do. I want you to drive down
this road and turn left at the end.
Simon: Yes, all right.
Miss Green: You drive very well! I’m sure you’ll pass your test. All my pupils
pass their test. Oh, look out! That lorry!
Simon: You said turn left at the end.
Miss Green: When you want to turn a corner, slow down and look first. You
nearly hit that lorry. Please, be careful. Now, turn right at the
traffic lights… Right, not left!
Simon: Sorry, it was too late. I’ve turned left now.
Miss Green: Didn’t you see the No Entry sign? This is a one-way street.
Simon: Why are those drivers shouting?
Miss Green: Because you’re driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
Stop the car, please, and turn it round.
Instructor’s Notes
Ted’s instructor: Hello, Ted. I’m glad I saw you before lectures. Did you know
about the change in the examination timetable?
Ted: Change?
Ted’s instructor: Yes. The last day of examinations for your group will be
January 23rd not January 21st.
Ted: Is that definite? We were told they’d be on January 22nd.
Ted’s instructor: There can be no changes now. It’s definitely January 23rd.
Ted: That’s great. I’m going to London on holiday on January 24th.
Ted’s instructor: Have you finished your assignment yet?
Ted: I’m nearly there. I think I’ll give it to you on Tuesday.
Ted’s instructor: That’s good. I can’t let you have another extension.
Ted: I was really grateful for the extra time you gave me. That was a
really big assignment.
Ted’s instructor: Well, I’ll expect it next week. Now, would you like to hear the
details of the schedule?
Ted: Oh, yes, please.
Ted’s instructor: You’ll have four examinations. General mechanics is in the
morning of January 8th, Physics is on the afternoon of January
13th, mathematics is in the morning of January 18th, and
information technology in the afternoon of January 23rd.
Two Professors
Professor Brown: Hello, glad to meet you, Professor Smith, haven’t seen you for
ages, since I left the University.
Professor Smith: How do you do, Professor Brown? I haven’t expected to see you
here. Are you interested in superconductivity problems? By the
way, how are you making your living? I haven’t heard anything
about your work lately. I spent the last two years in Geneva as a
member of a special UN committee.
Professor Brown: I am with Bell Telephone Company. It is a global leader in
electrical engineering. And I deal with new technologies.
Professor Smith: Oh, your work is so important nowadays. Mankind needs energy
for producing light, heat and transportation. This is the basis of
our civilization.
Professor Brown: Sure, that’s so.
Interview with an Expert
Correspondent: Professor, how much impact does weather have on people’s
health and moods?
Professor: We know that weather has an effect on certain diseases such as
arthritis and heart disorders. Weather is also associated with
emotional problems and disturbed behaviour. It is not by itself a
direct cause of mental illness, but it can create an added stress on
people on top of marital, job and other problems.
Correspondent: What kinds of weather have the greatest effect?
Professor: Temperature is the most important factor. Heat is clearly linked to
mood disturbances. We find that heat is an important factor in the
increase of emotional problems.
Correspondent: How much effect does humidity have on individuals?
Professor: Rainy weather leads to gloominess and depression.
Correspondent: And sunshine?
Professor: It’s not too surprising that sunshine, especially in the North, is
associated with positive mood states, especially during winter
months. What’s more interesting is the finding that people are
more likely to help others and behave in a prosocial way.
Vocabulary notes
1. outstanding [aut`stændiη] – знаменитый, известный
2. significantly [sig`nifikәntli] – значительно
3. superconductivity [su:pəkondək`tivәti] – физиол. сверхпроводимость
4. arthritis [a:`θraitis] – артрит
5. behaviour [bi`heiviә] – поведение
6. humidity [hju`miditi] – влажность
Социально-деловая сфера
Home
1. We are Building a House of Our Own
Wales – an architect who is to design a house
Bob – a client
Sandra – his wife
Wales: Now, I’ve made sure that the main services – water and electricity are
available in Manchester. So there is nothing to worry about. I’d like to
discuss with you the interior design. Shall we start with the downstairs or
the upstairs?
Sandra: Downstairs, please.
Wales: Here is a rough plan of the ground floor. The hall and kitchen are on the
side facing the road. The living-room and dining-room are on the south,
with side windows looking on the garden. They’ll get all the sunshine,
of course.
Bob: We agreed to combine the living-room and the dining-room, didn’t we?
Wales: Yes. You’ll see I’ve put a wall between the two rooms. The division can
be made by built-in book-shelves on the living-room side and cupboards
and more shelves on the dining-room side.
Sandra: An excellent idea! I like built-in furniture. It saves space, and is cheaper.
We won’t have to buy separate pieces of furniture.
Wales: You’re right, Sandra. Now I’ll go ahead. Here’s the hall and the stairs.
There is a door from the hall into the living-room here, and another door
on the right into the kitchen.
Bob: That al seems very convenient. As for the kitchen I’m afraid there won’t
be enough light. What can we do about it?
Wales: The door on the west side can be half glass, if you like. This door is for
the tradesmen. If you look at the sketch, you’ll see here’s a path from the
gate to the front door. Here’s the garage, on the west side of the house.
There’s also a door in the kitchen which leads to a cellar.
Sandra: Isn’t it wonderful, darling?
Bob: We were discussing lighting last time we saw you, Wales. Will that be
all right?
Wales: You say you don’t want standard lamps or table lamps, so I’ve arranged
for indirect lighting in the living-room. The cables will be built into the
wall. There will be also several power points at the lower parts of the
walls for the vacuum-cleaner, TV-set, CD-player and other appliances.
Bob: Oh, there is one thing I forgot to ask about the kitchen. Most of the kitchen
furniture will be built-in, won’t it?
Wales: Yes, the sink and the draining-boards will be under the windows. The
electric cooker will be in the corner, so there’ll be plenty of space for a
refrigerator, a washing-machine and a dish-washer.
Sandra: The kitchen is going to be just marvelous!
Wales: I assume we’ve settled the exterior of the house, haven’t we? Is there
anything you’d like to ask me about?
Sandra: I don’t think so. Thank you so much.
Bob: Please, let me know when the builders, carpenters, plumbers start work.
We’ll want to go and see our house going up.
2. Renting a Room
A: Have you a room to let?
B: Yes, sir. What room do you want? A double-bedded room or a single?
A: I want a furnished living-room on the ground floor with boarding and
attendance.
B: How long will you require it?
A: I intend to stay about two months. Will you show me what rooms you have?
B: Certainly. Will you come this way, please?
A: I like the room. It’s tidy and comfortable.
B: The room is furnished and carpeted all over as you see. Here is a wardrobe
where you can hang your clothes.
A: I need a desk to work at. And I’d like to have my boots cleaned every morning.
B: Yes, sir.
A: And my breakfast must be ready at eight sharp. What will the price be,
including full board and attendance.
B: How will you take the room, by the week or by the month?
A: Does it make any difference?
B: It does, sir. If you take it for two months, you can have it for 60 pounds a
month. If you take it by the week, you’ll be charged much more, sir.
A: All right. I’ll take it for two months. By the way, where does this door lead?
B: To the street, sir.
3. Looking for an Apartment
Murphy: “Oceanfront” Realty. Bob Murphy speaking.
Collins: Hello. My name is Jack Collins. I’m calling about the ad.
Murphy: Which one?
Collins: The two-bedroom apartment. How much is the rent?
Murphy: $ 700 a month. You also have to pay a 700 dollar deposit that will be
given back to you when you move out.
Collins: How much does your agency charge?
Murphy: The agency’s fee amounts to one month-rent.
Collins: Is there a lease to be signed?
Murphy: Yes, there is. It’s a two-year lease.
Collins: It was not in your ad where the apartment is.
Murphy: Downtown. Park Avenue, 79. Apt. 3A.
Collins: Oh, I like the place. But unfortunately the rent is rather high.
Murphy: You won’t find anything cheaper in this neighbourhood.
Collins: I’m afraid, you’re right. I’ll think it over. Thank you.
Murphy: You are welcome.
Collins: Good-bye.
4. A Wonderful View from the Window
Gold: Swanson Agency. Allan Gold is speaking.
Taylor: Hello. This is Ben Taylor. I called about a two-bedroom apartment two
days ago. Is it still vacant, I wonder?
Gold: It is, sir.
Taylor: When could I possibly have a look at it?
Gold: In the afternoon after 3 o’clock.
Taylor: Is 4 o’clock all right? Does it suit you?
Gold: O.K. Let’s meet at the door of the apartment. Apt. 5A, No. 24. Beach Street.
Taylor: All right. Thank you.
______________________________________
Gold: This is a living room, as you see.
Taylor: Rather large. What about the bedroom?
Gold: Come on, look at it. There is a wonderful view of the ocean from its
window.
Taylor: Is there really? That’s great! How many built-in closets are there?
Gold: Two wardrobes and a chest of drawers (one to keep clothes, the other one
for linen).
Taylor: Where is the bathroom?
Gold: This way, please. Here it is. A bath-tub and a shower. Now let us go to the
kitchen. As you see, it has up-to-date equipment, a new sink and a gas stove.
You can put a washing machine here; there is enough room for it. A
refrigerator, quite new. Do you like the apartment, sir?
Taylor: Yes, it’s good. I’m ready to rent it.
Gold: Well, you can sign the rental agreement in my study.
5. Buying a House
Ann: Hi, Bess. This is Ann. How are you?
Bess: Fine, thank you. Where have you been?
Ann: Oh, I’ve bought a house. I’ve been dreaming about it all my life. And now,
gee, I have it!
Bess: Congratulations! I think it’s wonderful to live in your own house.
Ann: Yes, it is. But buying a new house, you get a lot of problems.
Bess: What do you mean? Your house doesn’t need repairing, does it?
Ann: No, it doesn’t. But I need to repaper the walls and to furnish the house.
Bess: Are you going to do it yourself or will you invite a designer?
Ann: I’d like to invite a designer, but I’m afraid, I can’t afford it now.
Bess: How much did the house cost? You must have paid a pretty penny.
Ann: Yes, I have. You are right. That’s the problem. I had not enough money to
pay for the house at once.
Bess: How did you manage to buy for the house then?
Ann: I had to go to a building society.
Bess: What is it? Is it a bank?
Ann: Kind of. This society lends money to those who want to buy a house or a
flat. I took a mortgage which amounts to 90 per cent of the selling price of
the house. Of course, for 25 years because of the interest rate I’ll pay much
more than the original price of the house, but I’ll pay relatively small sums
of money a month and at least I can afford it.
Bess: Oh, that’s wonderful. I’d like to buy a house of my own too!
Vocabulary notes
1. cellar – подвал, погреб; винный погреб
2. draining-board – сушилка для посуды
3. carpenter [`ka:pәntә] – плотник
4. plumber – водопроводчик
5. to rent a room – брать в аренду / снимать комнату
6. lease [li:s] – договор об аренде
7. Does it suit you? – Это вам подходит?
8. bath-tub – ванная
9. up-to-date equipment [ik`wi:pmәnt] – современное оборудование
10. I can’t afford it now. – Я не могу сейчас позволить себе это.
11. a mortgage [`mo:gidğ] – ипотека
12. interest rate – процентная ставка
Health
1. Between a Mother (M), her Son (S) and the Doctor (D)
M: Your nose is clogged up, your voice is hoarse and your face flushed. You
must have a cold, I’m sure. I hope it’s nothing more. Where did you manage
to get it?
S: I don’t know myself. I must have caught a cold last night after a game of
football when I felt so hot that I even took my jacket off.
M: How thoughtless of you, the evening was chilly and windy. Now you’ll have
to stay in. Here’s the thermometer, take your temperature.
S: Oh, I’ll be all right in a few hours.
M: Now, you do what you are told. Put the thermometer under your arm… Oh,
it’s thirty eight point three. You’ll have to stay away from classes today. I’ll
call the doctor…
D: What do you complain of, my boy?
S: I have a bad headache and a sore throat. I feel sort of feverish.
D: Let me feel your pulse. Open your mouth, please. Now, strip to the waist,
please. Take a deep breath… Here is the prescription. The medicine is to be
taken three times a day before meals, two tablespoonfuls each time. It will keep
the fever down.
2. At the Dentist’s
D: What’s troubling you?
A: One of my front teeth is working loose, and there’s a big one at the back that
wants seeing to.
D: You have to have this one out. It is a pity you didn’t have it looked at before.
A: I wish to goodness I had.
D: Does that other tooth pain you now?
A: Not particularly, just a dull steady pain.
D: The tooth is decaying and must be stopped. (The doctor reaches for the drill,
then cleans and drills the tooth with it, proceeds to make a filling.) Now we’ll
attend to the front tooth. Shall I apply an anesthetic to deaden the pain?
A: Yes, if you please.
D: Here is your tooth extracted. Now rinse your mouth, please.
Vocabulary notes
1. to complain of smth. – жаловаться на что-либо
2. What’s troubling you? – Что вас беспокоит?
Travelling
1. Requesting Travel Information
Traveller: Could you tell me, please, the time of the first morning plane to
Frankfurt?
Girl: Yes. The first plane leaves at 8.15.
Traveller: Thanks. And can you tell me when it arrives so that I can let my
secretary know.
Girl: It arrives at 10.00 but it may be a little late because the weather forecast
is bad.
Traveller: I see. Do you happen to know the time of the last plane this evening
then?
Girl: Well, there’s one at 11.15 but it’s fully booked, I’m afraid.
Traveller: Oh, well, I wonder if you’d let me know at my hotel if there’s a
cancellation on that flight, I’d be very grateful.
Girl: Yes, of course I’ll do that for you. What’s your number?
Traveller: 3596. Thank you. Now could you tell me how I can get to Leicester
Square, please?
2. “Airport Customs” (by A. Hailey)
“Madam”, said U.S. Customs Inspector Harry Standish quietly to the naughty angular woman whose several suitcases were spread open on the Customs inspection table between them, “are you quite sure you don’t wish to change your story?”
She snapped back: “I suppose you’re suggesting I should lie when I’ve already told you the truth”.
Harry Standish ignored the second remark, as Customs officers were trained to ignore many insults they received and answered politely, “I’m not suggesting anything, madam. I merely asked if you wished to amend your statement about these items – the dresses, the sweaters and the fur coat”.
The American passport showed that she was Mrs. Harriet Du Barry Mossman. Harry Standish said: “I wonder if you’d mind signing this form. If you like, I’ll explain it to you”.
“Why should I sign anything?” Mrs. Harriet Du Barry Mossman demanded.
He answered patiently, “To make things easier for you, madam. We’re merely asking you to confirm what you’ve already told us”.
“Suppose I refuse to sign?”
“Then we shall be obliged to detain you here while we continue the investigation”.
There was the brief hesitation, then, “Very well. You fill out the form, I’ll sign”.
“No, madam, you fill it out. Now here, please, describe the items and alongside where you say they were obtained, please, give the name of the stores; also from whom you received the fur coat as a gift”.
“Madam”, Inspector Standish said, “Is there anything else you wish to declare?” It was Customs Bureau policy to give travelers the utmost opportunity to make voluntary declarations.
“In that case, Madam”, Inspector Standish said, “Will you kindly open your handbag?”
For the first time the naughty woman betrayed uncertainty. “But surely purses are never inspected”.
“Normally, they are not. But we do have the right”. Mrs. Mossman was noticeably pale.
The Inspector instructed the young Customs officer beside him: “Inspect everything very carefully. Check the things in the bag and cases, the seams and hems of all the clothes. Make a list. You know what to do”.
He was leaving when Mrs. Mossman called after him: “Officer!”
3. Arranging Accommodation
A: Good morning. Midland Hotel.
B: Good morning. This is Gane Stevens from Daxia. I’m trying to arrange
accommodation for a number of visiting businessmen from abroad, and I’d like
to know a little about the facilities that your hotel has to offer.
A: Well, the Midland is a 3-star hotel and we are situated five minutes from centre
of town.
B: Uh-huh. And are you on the main road?
A: No, we’re on a side street, and all the rooms are very quiet.
B: And what about a restaurant?
A: Well, we find that most of our clients prefer to eat out, and as there are plenty of
restaurants in the vicinity, we have only a small restaurant – but we do serve hot
food in the evening.
B: I see.
A: Of course we do have a bar – the Cellar Bar – which has a very intimate
atmosphere.
B: And what about entertainment at the hotel? Do you put on any dances?
A: No, I’m afraid we don’t.
B: And just a couple of final questions. Do you have either a swimming pool or a
sauna?
A: No, not in the hotel, but there’s a pool with a sauna just round the corner.
B: Well, thanks very much for the information. Bye.
A: Bye.
4. Before Boarding the Plane
Ground hostess: Your boarding card, please.
John: Just a minute. Oh, here it is, in my pocket.
Ground hostess: Thank you. Please look after it. You’ll need it again on the
aircraft. Now, will you please join those passengers queuing
over there?
John: Why, what’s wrong?
Ground hostess: Oh, nothing to worry about. It’s just our normal security check,
it won’t take more than a few minutes.
John: Oh, very well then.
Security officer: May I see your hand luggage, please?
John: Yes, but do be careful. I have a vase there.
Security officer: It’ll be all right. Now, will you walk between these two posts,
please?
John: What is all this?
Security officer: It’s a detection device that shows us if anyone is carrying any
metal.
John: Interesting. What was that bell?
Security officer: Have you got anything in your right pocket?
John: Yes, my bunch of keys.
Security officer: May I have them, please? Now just walk through again, please.
John: No bell. It was the keys that made it ring, then?
Security officer: That’s right. Here are your keys back. Now walk down there,
please, and board the plane.
5. At the Hotel
A: Have you got any vacant rooms?
B: Single or double, sir?
A: Two double rooms, please.
B: You are lucky, we’ll be able to put you up. A group of tourists has just left the
hotel. Which floor would you like, sir?
A: It’s all the same to us if the lift is in order.
B: It has been out of order for a week. But I hope it’ll be all right now. Which floor
have you decided on?
A: We’ll take rooms on the fifth floor. How much are they?
B: Fifty dollars a night, sir.
A: O.K. The price is reasonable. We’ll take these rooms.
Vocabulary notes
1. weather forecast [`weðə `fo:ka:st] – прогноз погоды
2. cancellation on that flight [kænsə`lei∫n] – отмена вылета
3. I’d be very grateful. – Я буду очень благодарен.
4. to detain [di`tein] smb. – задержать, арестовать кого-либо
5. utmost opportunity – последняя возможность
6. in the vicinity [vә`sinəti] – поблизости
7. to queue [kju:] – стоять в очереди
8. reasonable [`ri:znәbl] – приемлемый
Food and Meals
1. Lunch for Two
Mr. Smith: Hello. Do you have a table for two, please?
Head waiter: Good evening, sir. Sure. Would you like to have a drink in the bar
first and I’ll bring you the menu.
Mr. Smith: What a good idea. What would you say, John?
John: I don’t mind.
Head waiter: This way, gentlemen. Now, what would you like?
Mr. Smith: Scotch for me, I think. What about you, John?
John: I’ll have the same.
Head waiter: So, two whiskies. Very good. Here is the menu.
Mr. Smith: Now, let’s see. What shall we have to start off with? The prawn
cocktail’s very good or the melon is not bad at this time of year.
John: Yes, sir. I think I’ll have the prawn cocktail.
Mr. Smith: OK. And what shall we have to follow?
John: You know what I’d like. Something typically American.
Mr. Smith: OK then. How about the roast beef?
John: All right. I’ll try that.
Mr. Smith: That’s settled then. We’ll have prawn cocktails to begin with and
roast beef to follow.
Head waiter: Very good. What vegetables would you like?
Mr. Smith: Oh, French fries and asparagus, I think. What about you, John?
John: Is that what one usually eats with roast beef?
Mr. Smith: Yes.
John: I see. Well, I’ll have asparagus but I don’t think I’ll bother with the
potatoes. Got to think of my waistline, you know.
Head waiter: Very good, sir. Your table’s ready when you are.
Mr. Smith: OK. We’ll be along in a couple of minutes, and would you send the
wine steward over?
Waiter: Any coffee, sir?
Mr. Smith: No, thanks, actually. We are in a bit of a hurry. Could we have the
bill straight away, please?
Waiter: Sure. I’ll bring it immediately.
John: Look, Mr. Smith. Let me do this.
Mr. Smith: No, no. This one is on me. You can pay next time. Here you are,
waiter…
John: Well, that’s very kind…
2. At the Restaurant
A: Shall we have our dinner in this restaurant? They serve very good meals here
and the prices are reasonable.
B: Well, you lead. You should know better. (In the restaurant)
A: What shall we have? A three-course dinner, I suppose. I’m awfully hungry.
B: So am I. And I’m thirsty too.
A: Then let’s have a glass of mineral water first or some orange juice.
B: I’d prefer orange juice with ice or iced tea.
A: Waiter! Iced orange juice and a glass of mineral water, please. Now, let’s see
the menu and here is the wine list too. How about some hard drinks?
B: I wouldn’t mind having a brandy.
A: So it’s one brandy. And whisky and soda for me. Would you like any starters?
B: A salad would do, I think.
A: And I’ll have shrimps. Would you like any soup? As for me I’ll have mushroom
soup and smoked salmon for the main course.
B: I like your choice. I’d rather have the same.
3. At the Restaurant
Waiter: Can I help you? (Can I take your order?)
Customer: Yes, I’d like hamburger.
Waiter: How would you like your hamburger cooked?
Customer: Well-done.
Waiter: What would you like to drink?
Customer: I’d like a coke, please.
Waiter: What size would you like?
Customer: Medium.
Waiter: Would you like anything else? (Will that be all?)
Customer: What kind of desert do you have?
Waiter: Today we have chocolate ice cream.
Customer: May I have a check, please?
Waiter: How would you like to pay? Cash or credit card?
Vocabulary notes
1. I don’t mind. – Я не возражаю.
2. asparagus [ә`spærəgәs] – спаржа
3. in a couple of minutes – через пару минут
4. wine steward – разносчик вина
5. iced orange juice – апельсиновый сок со льдом
6. starter – первое блюдо
7. shrimp – креветка
Shopping
Buying Goods
1. A: Are you being served?
B: No. What have you got in the way of brown suede jackets, size 42?
A: Sorry, but we’re sold right out.
B: Are you likely to be getting any more in?
A: I should think so, yes. If you leave your phone number, I’ll ring you.
2. A: Is anybody looking after you?
B: No. I’m after a size 40 V-neck pullover in grey.
A: The best I can do is a 36.
B: Could you order me one?
A: I should imagine, yes. If you leave your address, I’ll contact you.
3. A: Are you being seen to?
B: No. I’m looking for a pinstriped suit with a 34 waist.
A: I’m afraid I can’t help you at the moment.
B: Will you be having any more in?
A: I doubt it, but you might be lucky at our High Street branch.
4. A: Could you help me, please?
B: What can I do for you?
A: Could I look at the wristwatch in this case?
B: Just one moment, please, while I get the key.
5. A: Do you wish some assistance?
B: Yes. How much is that pen?
A: This one or that one?
B: The one next to the black one.
A: It’s 90 p.
B: May I look at your other pens?
A: Certainly. Fountain-pens or ball-point pens?
B: I’m looking for a good fountain-pen.
Buying Food
1. A: What can I get for you?
B: A pound of lump sugar, please.
A: And what next, please?
B: A packet of corn flakes, please. And yes, I’ll want some tea and also a dozen of
eggs, please.
A: Is there anything else?
B: A packet of detergent, a small size, please.
A: Are all right for butter and margarine?
B: No, thank you. That’s all for the moment.
2. A: Will that be all?
B: Oh, no. I’d like a pound of lean smoked bacon, please.
A: Will this do? It’s all we have at the moment, I’m afraid.
B: No, it’s much too fat. I’d better take some ham instead. How much is it?
A: Forty-three a pound.
B: That’s rather expensive. I’d better take eight ounces, please.
3. A: I want a tin of cocoa.
B: This brand is very popular, madam, I can recommend it.
A: I can see you’ve got a new kind of instant coffee.
B: It’s just come in. You might have seen it advertised on television. A large tin
or a small one, madam?
A: A large one, please. Have you got any powdered milk?
B: We’ve run out of it at the moment, I’m afraid.
I Have a Complaint
Salesgirl: Yes, madam? May I help you?
Linda: Yes, about the sweater. I bought it here last month. A few days ago I
washed it and the colour ran and the sweater shrank.
Salesgirl: Hmm. You must have washed it in boiled water.
Linda: No, I didn’t, I followed the washing instructions! I washed it in lukewarm
water, just as the label said I should.
Salesgirl: Well, I’m afraid I can’t exchange it for you.
Linda: Why not?... Well, then I’d like to see the manager.
Salesgirl: I’m afraid he’s busy.
Linda: I’m sorry but I’d like to see him.
Salesgirl: Very well. If you insist. One moment.
(She goes for the manager.)
Manager: Yes, madam. May I help you?
Linda: …about this sweater. When I washed, the colour ran and the sweater
shrank even though I followed the instructions.
Manager: Really? This has never happened before.
Linda: There’s always the first time, isn’t there?
Manager: I, I really don’t see what we can do.
Linda: Excuse me, isn’t there a poster over there?
Manager: Yes, what about it?
Linda: It says “We give our customers satisfaction”.
Manager: Yes, I know what it says.
Linda: Well, this store is supposed to give their customers satisfaction! But I am
not satisfied.
Manager: I, hmm. There’s a flaw in this sweater. One of the threads is a different
colour.
Linda: Is it? I can’t see.
Manager: Yes, there’s definitely a flaw there. All right, madam. We’ll exchange it
for you, but only because of the flaw.
Vocabulary notes
1. suede [sweid] – замшевый
2. pinstriped suit [`pin`straipt `sju:t] – костюм в тонкую полоску
3. branch – филиал
4. wristwatch [`ristwo:t∫] – наручные часы
5. detergent [di`tə:dğәnt] – моющее средство
6. complaint [kәm`pleint] – жалоба
7. lukewarm [lu:k`wo:m] – тепловатый
8. flaw [flo:] – пятно, брак
Having Things Done
1. Mrs. Madigan Gets Her Coat Cleaned
The maid has just knocked on Mrs. Madigan’s door.
Mrs. Madigan: Come in.
Maid: You ordered coffee, Mrs. Madigan.
Mrs. Madigan: Ah, yes. Thank you. Put it here, please. (She tips the maid.) There
you are.
Maid: Thank you. Will that be all?
Mrs. Madigan: Yes, thank you. No!
Maid: Madam?
Mrs. Madigan: My coat needs cleaning.
Maid: Your coat?
Mrs. Madigan: Yes. Where can I get it cleaned?
Maid: Downstairs.
Mrs. Madigan: In the hotel?
Maid: Yes, madam. The hotel cleaning service is on the ground floor.
Behind the reception desk. Will that be all?
Mrs. Madigan: Yes, thank you. That’ll be all.
(Later. At the hotel cleaning service.)
Assistant: Don’t you want to take the buttons off?
Mrs. Madigan: No, no, I don’t think so.
Assistant: We’re not responsible for buttons left on articles of clothing given
to us for cleaning.
Mrs. Madigan: Oh, aren’t you?
Assistant: No, madam.
Mrs. Madigan: Mmm. It doesn’t matter. I’ll leave them on. Er, when will it be
ready?
Assistant: Tomorrow morning.
Mrs. Madigan: Can it be ready by ten o’clock? I would like to go out if that’s –
Assistant: Ten o’clock. Certainly. Here’s your ticket.
Mrs. Madigan: Ah yes.
Assistant: Keep it carefully. Goods will be returned only on production of this
ticket. You see the notice?
Mrs. Madigan: Of course I’ll keep it carefully. I never lose anything.
(The next morning.)
Mrs. Madigan: Well, it’s here somewhere. The ticket’s somewhere in my bag. I
know it is.
Assistant: Can you describe your coat, madam?
Mrs. Madigan: Yes, I can. It’s blue.
Assistant: Blue. Can you say anything else about it?
Mrs. Madigan: Well, no. It’s a…er…coat. And it’s blue.
Assistant: Yes, madam. I’ll go and look.
Mrs. Madigan: Now where is that ticket? I’m sure I put it –
Assistant: Is this your coat?
Mrs. Madigan: No, no. That’s black. Blue – my coat’s blue.
Assistant: Is this it?
Mrs. Madigan: No, no.
2. At the Repair Shop
George: Hello. I would like to know if you could repair my portable television
set. It isn’t working properly.
Repairman: What seems to be the problem?
George: I was trying to tune in the sports channel yesterday and the entire
screen went blank when I touched this button.
Repairman: Have you used that knob before?
George: Yes, I use it often when I am trying to tune in different channels. I
think it is the knob for adjusting the tuning, isn’t it?
Repairman: From the looks of it, yes, you’re right. But I will have to take off the
back cover to see what the trouble is and see if it is adjusting to the
tuning.
George: How long will that take?
Repairman: Only a few minutes. Then I should probably be able to give you an
estimate about how much it will cost to repair.
George: Well then, go ahead. I don’t know if it is worth to repair this old
thing but lets take a look.
Repairman: You can wait in the reception area and I will come out and tell you
what I find in just a few minutes.
George: Fine. I’ll be waiting in the reception area.
Vocabulary notes
1. knob [nob] – кнопка
2. to give an estimate [`estimeit] – дать оценку
Leisure Time
Mrs. Madigan Goes to the Theatre
Mrs. Madigan is asking the hotel desk-clerk for information about theatres in St. Francis:
Desk Clerk: Good morning, Mrs. Madigan.
Mrs. Madigan: Good morning. I think I’d like to go to the theatre tonight. Is there a
theatre in the city?
Desk Clerk: Would you like a guide?
Mrs. Madigan: No, no. I’ll go by taxi.
Desk Clerk: No, madam. A theatre guide. A list of all the theatres in St. Francis,
with full details of the plays and booking facilities.
Mrs. Madigan: How many theatres are there?
Desk Clerk: Three.
Mrs. Madigan: Hmm. What’s on at the National Theatre? I’ve heard it is the best
one.
Desk Clerk: National Theatre. The “Siege of St. Francis”. It’s a history play,
Mrs. Madigan.
Mrs. Madigan: I’ll go there. I’ll go and get a ticket.
(Later. At the National Theatre box office.)
Mrs. Madigan: One ticket for tonight, please. In the stalls.
Clerk: Which performance?
Mrs. Madigan: Which performance? Tonight!
Clerk: There are two performances nightly. One at six o’clock, the second
at nine o’clock.
Mrs. Madigan: Oh, the nine o’clock. Six o’clock is much too early.
Clerk: Yes, madam.
Mrs. Madigan: One stall for the second performance this evening. But not too far
back. My eyes are becoming rather weak.
Clerk: Yes, madam. Seat A3.
Mrs. Madigan: Is there a good view of the stage from that seat?
Clerk: It’s in the front row, madam.
Mrs. Madigan: Oh, is it? Good.
Clerk: Five crowns please.
Vocabulary notes
1. theatre guide – путеводитель по театрам
2. stalls – партер
Особенности употребления формул вежливости
1. Приветствие / Прощание
|Form of address |Answer |Style |Function |
|How do you do? |the same repeated |Formal |greeting after introduction |
|How are you? |Fine, thank you. And you? |Neutral |inquiry after somebody’s health |
|How’re things? |Fine, thanks. What about you? |Informal |greeting |
|Good day! |(All the best!) |Formal |parting (cold dismissal) |
How do you do? употребляется только во время официального знакомства, соответствует рус. здравствуйте и требует повторения в ответной реплике. При помощи нейтральных фраз, выбираемых в зависимости от времени суток, приветствуют малознакомых людей или прощаются с ними. Добрый день возможно как приветствие только в американском варианте; для британцев – это способ вежливо-холодно указать человеку на дверь, давая понять, что разговор окончен.
2. Please, thank you, of course
|structure |form of address |answer |function |
|Please / |Would you like some more tea? |Thank you. / (Yes,) please. |Accepting |
|Thank you / | | | |
|Here you are | | | |
| |Have you got enough sugar? |Yes, thank you. |Confirming |
| |Have you got a cup I could use? |Yes, here you are. |Handing over things |
| |Thank you. |(no answer) |Reply to thanks |
|Of course |Have you ever tasted cold tea? |Why, yes, of course / sure |Reply to something obvious |
Когда вам говорят спасибо, можно ответить при помощи фраз Not at all; You’re welcome; That’s alright, которые соответствуют рус. пожалуйста (так как please в таких случаях не употребляется).
3. Sorry, excuse me
|structure |form of address |answer |function |
|Sorry / |Do you mind! That’s my plate! |I am sorry. I didn’t realize… |Apologizing |
|Excuse me | | | |
| |Excuse me, could I have some jam? |Here you are. Help yourself. |Attracting attention |
| |Sorry, did I take your spoon? |Oh, never mind, it’s alright. |Apologizing |
|Sorry / |Can I borrow your dictionary? |No, please don’t. / I’m sorry, but… |Refusing |
|Please | | | |
| |May I use your telephone? |Oh, well, alright. / Please do. |Granting permission |
Excuse me говорится прежде, чем вы кого-то побеспокоили (в том числе, с целью привлечь внимание), а sorry (I beg your pardon) – в качестве извинения после причиненного беспокойства (а также, когда надо переспросить).
4. Приказ, вежливая просьба, предложение
|Orders, instructions, invitations |Requests, suggestions, advice |Offering, asking permission |
|A roll and a cup of tea, please. |Could you give me some tea? |Can I give you / have some tea? |
|Please, come in. |Would / do you mind coming in? |Do / would you mind if I come in? |
|Please (don’t) take your coat off. |Will you take your coat off? |Shall I help you with your coat? |
|Wait a moment, please. |Could you wait a moment? |Would you like me to wait? |
TESTS
1. Journalist: “______”
Head of a firm: “As a manager of the environmental business unit, he is
responsible for a team of eight”.
1) Which is his team?
2) Is he in environmental business?
3) How many are there in his team?
4) Is he responsible for the environmental business unit?
2. Student: “________”
Tutor: “Yes, it was quite good”.
1) Did you mark my essay?
2) Have you had time to mark my essay?
3) I hope you have already marked my essay?
4) What about my essay?
3. Receptionist: “Can I help you?”
Guest: “__________”
1) Can you book a table for me in the restaurant this evening?
2) You must book a table for me.
3) Would you mind reserving a table in the restaurant for me if you’ve
got a moment?
4) I need a table in the restaurant this evening.
4. Friend: “_________”
You: “Fine”.
1) I wonder if I could make a phone call?
2) Sorry. I need to make a phone call.
3) Would you excuse me, please? I’d like to make a phone call.
4) What is your telephone call?
5. Waiter: “Would you like some more coffee?”
Customer: “________”
1) I like coffee very much.
2) Coffee is a tasty drink.
3) No, it is not necessary.
4) No, thank you. I’ve had enough.
6. Waiter: “Would you like something to drink?”
Customer: “_________”
1) Give me a cup of coffee.
2) I need a cup of coffee.
3) Would you bring me a cup of coffee, please?
4) I like coffee very much.
7. Secretary: “Good morning. Can I help you?”
Applicant: “__________”
1) Good morning. May I speak to Mr. Jones?
2) I need to speak to Mr. Jones.
3) Can you tell Mr. Jones that I’m already here?
4) Good morning. My name is David Brown. May I speak to Mr. Jones?
8. Applicant: “I’m interested in secretarial job”.
Top manager: “_________”
1) Now I don’t need any secretaries.
2) Unfortunately, now our organization does not need secretaries.
3) Have you got only secretarial diploma?
4) We have a lot of secretaries, more than it’s necessary.
9. Customer: “Yesterday I bought here a hand-bag, it’s got a flaw!”
Seller: “__________”
1) I can’t see anything.
2) Sorry, madam, can I look at it?
3) We have only high-quality goods.
4) I think the manager should look at it.
10. Traveller: “___________”
A young man: “The first train to Moscow leaves at 6 a.m.”
1) Could you tell me, please, the time of the first train to Moscow?
2) When does the first train to Moscow leave?
3) Hello, tell me the time the first train to Moscow leaves.
4) How can I know when the first train to Moscow leaves?
11. Your friend: “__________”
Professor Brown: “How do you do, Pete?”
1) Professor Brown, let me introduce my friend Pete to you.
2) This is my best friend Pete.
3) Hello, Professor Brown. That’s my friend Pete.
4) Pete, this is Professor Brown.
12. You: “I have a sore throat”.
Doctor: “________”
1) Well, you must have eaten a lot of ice-cream, yeah?
2) At this time of the year everybody catches a cold.
3) Open your mouth, please.
4) Let me feel your pulse, please.
13. Mr. Green: “__________”
Applicant: “Yes, I worked as a secretary in the company Greenwich”.
1) Do you have any work experience?
2) Where have you worked before coming to our organization?
3) You have worked somewhere before, haven’t you?
4) What is the company where you have worked before coming to us?
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE
Деловое письмо
Regent House, 5th Floor,
12/16 Haymarket, London W1V5BX
Administration: 020 7285 9981
Reservations: 020 7564 0930
Fax: 020 7285 9984
Mr Roberto Garcia
Universal Imports 15 February 2000
28 Whitechapel Court
London E10 7NB
Dear Mr Garcia
Roxanna Garbey has been accepted for a position as Passenger Service Agent with Far Eastern Airways at Gatwick Airport.
In order for Roxanna to work at Gatwick, she must have a special PASS which would permit her to visit high security areas. She has given your name as a reference.
I would appreciate it if you could complete the enclosed form and return it to us as quickly as possible. She is due to start work with us on 15 March, but can only do so after we receive your reference.
Thank you for your cooperation. I enclose a stamped addressed envelope.
Yours sincerely,
J.P. Dent
Personnel Manager
Служебная записка
Memo
To: All department heads
From: Patricia Marchand,
General Manager
Date: 18 April
Subject: Visit of German agent
Please note that Katya Schmidt, our German agent, will be visiting the company on Friday, 26 April.
There will be a meeting on that day at 11.30 am in the Boardroom, which you should all attend. Ms Schmidt will be presenting her marketing plan for expanding sales in the German market.
If you wish to join us for lunch at a local restaurant, please let me know as soon as possible.
P.M.
P.M. – Patricia Marchand
Повестка дня
Agenda
Management meeting
AGENDA
Date: 1 March
Time: 14.00
Venue: Room 23M, Shaw House
1. Complaints about reception staff.
2. New brochure.
3. Price list for next year.
4. New product presentation.
5. A.O.B. (any other business).
Резюме
Resume
Общая структура резюме
Личные данные: имя, возраст, дата рождения, семейное положение (холост-single; женат, замужем – married; разведен - divorced), количество детей, адрес, номер телефона.
Должность, которую хотели бы получить.
Образование: учебные заведения, курсы, степени и звания.
Опыт: предыдущая работа, адреса, как долго работали на той или иной должности, какие поручения выполняли и т.д.
Дополнительные сведения: умения (skills), хобби и т.д.
Внешность и личные характеристики.
Рекомендации: можно указать имя вашего прежнего работодателя и его контактный телефон и приложить рекомендации к резюме. Можно также указать в резюме “Available on request” (это значит, что вы готовы предоставить рекомендации, как только об этом вас попросит ваш нынешний работодатель).
Дата и подпись.
| |
|Photo |
Name: Isabella Rosetti
Age: 35
Marital status: Single
Education: Princeton University – Master’s degree in Business Administration
Experience: Advertising agency for the last eight years. Important position liaising with clients and managing a team of 10 people. Previously worked as Sales Manager in a department store.
Outstanding achievement: Got a contract with a major advertiser.
Skills: Fluent Italian, judo expert.
Personality/appearance: Well dressed and self-confident. Good sense of humour.
Comments: Positive reference, but employer suggested she sometimes took days off work with no good reason. Several good ideas for increasing revenue, e.g. by setting up beauty centres in our clubs.
References: Available upon request.
Факс
FAX
|FALCON HOTELS |
|FAX |
|TO Alice Wong |
|Fax № 00 852 7514329 |
|FROM Zofia Nadstoga, |
|Fax № 020 7945 2647 |
|Reservations Dept. Falcon Hotels |
| |
|Date 5 July |
|№ of pages (including this) 1 |
| |
|Dear Ms Wong |
|This is to confirm your booking for a single room from 20 July to 27 July inclusive at a rate of £150.00 per |
|night. As requested, we will hold your room until midnight on the day of your arrival. |
|We look forward to meeting you shortly. |
| |
|Yours sincerely |
|Zofia Nadstoga |
|Reservations Manager |
| |
Электронное сообщение
E-mail
Subject: Friday’s meeting
From: Harry King
To: tom.hunt@
cc: mary.fowler@
bcc: claudia.stahnke@
Tom
Just to confirm that we will be able to attend the meeting next Friday.
I’ll be with our Sales Director, Mary Fowler.
Harry
cc (carbon copy) – копия данного письма отправлена еще кому-либо (Mary Fowler);
bcc (blind carbon copy) – копия данного письма отправлена определенному человеку, причем никто больше об этом сообщении не должен знать (Claudia).
Конверт
Envelope
| |
|New Jersey Power Company |
|5696 South 23 Road |
|Ridgefield, NJ 08887 |
| |
|Mr. Frederick Wolf |
|Director of marketing |
|Smith Printing Company |
|590 Sixth Avenue |
|Milwaukee, WI 53216 |
На конверте слева указан адрес отправителя (return address), справа – адрес получателя (mailing address). Адресат (addressee), то есть лицо, которому направлено письмо – Mr. Frederick Wolf. ZIP Code (амер. Zone Improvement Plan – план почтовых зон) или Postcode (брит.) – почтовый индекс.
Почтовый индекс отправителя (ZIP Code in the return address) – NJ 08887;
почтовый индекс получателя (ZIP Code in the mailing address) – WI 53216.
Письмо – запрос
Letter of enquiry/request
Dear Mr. C. Brown,
We are a large record store in the centre of Manchester and would like to know more about the CDs and DVDs you advertised in last month’s edition of Hi Fi. Could you tell us if the products are leading brand names, or made by small independent companies, and if they would be suitable for recording classical music, games and video?
We would appreciate it if you send us some samples.
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Stephen Vader
Director of Marketing
Существует ряд других писем: письмо-уведомление (letter of advice), письмо-рекламация (letter of complaint), письмо-подтверждение (letter of confirmation), письмо-извинение (letter of apology), письмо-заявление о приеме на работу (letter of application), письмо-соболезнование и т.д. Структура этих писем такая же, как и у письма-запроса, отличаются они по содержанию.
Письмо-извинение
Letter of apology
Dear Mr. Leeson,
We regret to inform you that the deliveries have to be postponed for 1-2 weeks owing to the difficulties our suppliers are having at the moment.
We hope for your understanding.
Yours truly,
Mr. Garten.
Письмо-заявление о приеме на работу
Letter of application
Dear Sirs,
Your advertisement for a computer programmer in The Leeds Newspaper interests me very much because five years of experience have qualified me to work for a company like yours.
I would be grateful if you could send an application form and further information about the salary and working conditions. I would be very grateful if you would give me an interview.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
Michael Bolen.
TESTS
1. Перед Вами конверт
| |
|MaxOut Health Corporation |
|233 Seneca Street |
|(1)Lester, (2) PA 19029 |
|(3) Mrs. Tina Packer |
|Sales Manager |
|(4) Fast Company |
|(5) Fifth Avenue |
|Washington, |
|(6) DC 20547 |
Соотнесите информацию под определенным номером на конверте с тем, что она обозначает.
| |
the town the letter comes from
| |
the ZIP Code in the return address
| |
the addressee
| |
the addressee’s company name
| |
the street name in the mailing address
| |
the ZIP Code in the mailing address
2. Определите, к какому виду делового документа относится представленный ниже отрывок
Dear Sirs,
When unpacking the consignment of goods delivered by you we found that out of 6 cartons 3 cartons proved to be damaged. They seem to have been packed while the painting was still wet, and the tissue paper stuck to them.
We ask you for instructions. Should we send the cartons back?
Yours faithfully,
Mr. Brown.
1. Letter of apology
2. Letter of application
3. Letter of complaint
4. Letter of enquiry
3. Расположите части делового письма в правильном порядке
| |
1) Mr. Bob Duncan, Work International, 98, Stratford street, London E14 9TE, Telephone 071-987 09156 Fax 071-987 08364
| |
2) Rua 13 de Maio, 1878/37, GEP 01327, São Paulo, Brazil
| |
3) I would like to apply for a job in a holiday village in Scotland as advertised in “The Independent”. I’m Brazilian and I would like to come to Britain but I have never been there before. I’m 20. I work as a secretary. I study English in the evenings after work. I would like to work in Scotland very much because I want to practice my English.
| |
4) 12 August 2007
| |
5) Dear Mr. Duncan,
| |
6) I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Larissa Severo
4. Определите правильную последовательность разделов резюме
| |
Education
| |
References
| |
Personal details
| |
Date and signature
| |
Skills
| |
Professional experience
5. Выберите слова или сочетания слов для заполнения пропусков так, чтобы они отражали особенности оформления служебной записки
(1)…: All departments
From: Lisa Taylor
(2)…: Annual corporate plan
May I remind you all to send me your (3)….as to participating in the next year fairs and exhibitions. After detailed discussion the approved propositions will be included into our corporate plan. A report on the previous participation experience, with the (4).... and efficiency analysis, should be submitted by 1st October.
(5)…..
| |
1) suggestions
| |
2) L.T.
| |
3) To
| |
4) Subject
| |
5) drawbacks
6. Определите, к какому виду делового документа относится представленный ниже отрывок
Date: 7 May
Time: 16.00
Venue: Room 12, Youth Club
1. Mike’s book presentation.
2. Mr. Brown’s business trip to Tokyo.
3. Plans for participating in the International Fair of Technology and Means of Communication.
4. Date of next meeting.
1) Contract
2) Memo
3) E-mail
4) Agenda
5) Fax
Образец АПИМ
1. His current interest was… and development, but she has changed field
a) residence
b) resistance
c) research
d) reputation
2. Let` s stop at this restaurant for a quick…
a) meal
b) menu
c) smile
d) walk
3. The computer memory is used for…
a) making
b) writing
c) storing
d) printing
4. … is the physical equipment & components of any computer system
a) hardware
b) firmware
c) shareware
d) software
5. A shorter, more … meeting that leaves time for work
a) productiveness
b) productive
c) production
d) productivity
6. It was a good idea of … to go swimming this after noon
a) yourself
b) yours
c) your
d) you
7. The grass there was much … than on the upper field
a) more long
b) the longest
c) longer
d) long
8. The oldest living tree in the world grows in … California
a) an
b) the
c) –
d) a
9. The Pyramids were built … people who lived a long time ago
a) of
b) by
c) after
d) with
10. Begin with a minute … two of small talk
a) and
b) or
c) but
d) if
11. Do you want a sandwich? – No, thanks. I … just … lunch
a) had … had
b) was … having
c) am … having
d) have … had
12. … of her arrival, I went to see her
a) Being told
b) Telling
c) To tell
d) Told
13. Paul insisted … visiting his parents
a) on
b) –
c) of
d) to
14. Your face seems familiar to me. We … have met somewhere
a) need
b) ought
c) must
d) should
15. Выберите реплику, наиболее соответствующую ситуации общения
Guest: “____________”
Hostess: “Oh, I` m glad you enjoyed it”
a) Enjoy your meal
b) The meal wasn’t as bad as I expected
c) The meal was absolutely delicious
d) The meal was rather good
16. Shop assistant: “Can I help you?”
Customer: “________________”
a) No, it` s all right, thanks, I` m just looking
b) No, that` s not necessary
c) Oh, good. I` m so glad to have met you
d) Fine
17. Student: “Have you had time to mark my composition?”
Teacher: “________________”
a) Oh, dear, you look awful, what` s the matter with you?
b) Yes, it was quite good, and I’ve underlined the mistakes you’ve made
c) Yes, I have
d) Yes, and I do hope you don` t mind my saying this but you’ve made one or two tiny mistakes
18. Boss: “Do you see what I mean?”
Employee: “______________”
a) Yes, but I` m not sure I quite agree
b) I don` t think so
c) Yes, and I don` t agree with you
d) Yes, do, please
19. The UK of G.B. and Northern Ireland consists of …
a) two parts
b) four parts
c) five parts
d) three parts
20. How many stripes are there on the US flag?
a) 13
b) 31
c) 20
d) 17
21. French is an official language in …
a) India
b) Canada
c) Sweden
d) New Zealand
22. The President of the USA is chosen in a national election for_________ term of office.
a) a two-year
b) a four-year
c) a five-year
d) a three-year
23. Net origin
1. In the 1960, researchers began experimenting with linking computers. They
wanted to see if computers in different locations could be linked using a new
technology known as packet switching. This technology, in which data
meant for another location is broken up into little pieces, each with its own
“forwarding address” had the promise of letting several users share just one
communications line. Their goal was not the creation of today`s
international compute-using community, but the development of a data
network that could survive a nuclear attack.
2. Previous computer networking efforts had required a line between each
computer on the network, sort of like a one-track train route. The packet
system allowed to create data highway. Each packet was given the computer
equivalent of a map and a time stamp, so that it could be sent to the right
destination, where it would then be reassembled into a message the computer
or a human could use.
This system allowed computers to share data and researchers to exchange
electronic mail, or e-mail. In itself, e-mail was something of a revolution,
offering the ability to send detailed letters at the speed of a phone call.
3. As this system grew, some college students developed a way to use it to
conduct online conferences. These started as science – oriented discussions,
but they soon branched out into virtually every other field as people
recognized the power of being able to “talk” to hundreds, or even thousands,
of people around the country.
4. In the 1980s, this network of networks, which became known as the Internet,
expanded at a phenomenal rate. Hundreds, then thousands of colleges,
research companies and government agencies began to connect their
computers to this worldwide Net. Some companies unwilling to pay the high
costs of the Internet access ( or unable to meet strict government regulations
for access) learned how to link their own systems to Internet, even if “only”
for e-mail and conferences. Some of these systems began offering access to
the public. Now anybody with a computer and modem, persistence and a
small amount of money could tap into the world.
Определите, является ли утверждение:
Students can reach library resources through the Internet.
a) в тексте нет информации
b) истинным
c) ложным
24.Определите, является ли утверждение:
E-mailing gave people the opportunity to send letters at the speed of a phone
call.
a) в тексте нет информации
b) истинным
c) ложным
25.Определите, является ли утверждение:
Some college students began experimenting with linking computers in the
1960s.
a) в тексте нет информации
b) истинным
c) ложным
26.Определите, является ли утверждение:
A packet switching technology was designed to create a computer-using
community.
a) в тексте нет информации
b) истинным
c) ложным
27.Укажите, какой из абзацев текста (1,2,3,4) содержит следующую
информацию:
Highway systems created, worldwide Net could be expanded at a
phenomenal rate.
a) 1
b) 3
c) 4
d) 2
28.Укажите, какой из абзацев текста (1,2,3,4) содержит следующую
информацию:
Some systems of public access to Internet are not too expensive for their users.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
d) 3
29.Ответьте на вопрос:
What is the main advantage of the packet system?
a) The main advantage of this system is in the fact that it serves as a means of surviving nuclear attacks.
b) The main advantage of this system is in the fact that it helped to create many – track data route
c) The main advantage of this system is in the fact that it supports the development of new projects
d) The main advantage of this system is in the fact that it doesn’t allow numerous users to share a communication line
30.Определите основную идею текста:
a) The development of the Internet in the 20th c
b) “Talking” around the country
c) E-mail service provided by the Internet now a days
d) Online conferences as science-oriented discussions
31.Расположите части делового письма в правильном порядке
Food machines
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Tramp
Sales Manager
6 Pine Estate, Bedford Road, Bristol, UB 28 12 BP
Telephone 9036174369 Fax 903636924
Thank you for your letter. I am afraid that we have a problem with your
order. Unfortunately, the manufacturers of the part you wish to order have
advised us that they can’t supply it until November. Would you prefer us
to supply a substitute, or would you rather wait until the original parts are
again available?
James Sawyer, Sales Manager, Electro Ltd Perry Road Estate, Oxbridge
UN 54 42 KF
Dear Mr. Sawyer
6 August 2005
32.Ответьте на вопросы, пользуясь информацией на конверте
[pic]
1. What is the ZIP Code in the return address?
2. What is the ZIP Code in the Mailing address?
3. Who is the addressee?
4. What town does the letter come from?
5. What is addressee’s company name?
6. What is the street name in the mailing address?
6
1
4
2
5
3
33.Определите правильную последовательность разделов резюме
Skills
Education
References
Activities
Personal Details
Professional experience
34. Выберите слова или сочетания слов для заполнения пропусков так, чтобы они отражали особенности оформления служебной записки
1) ________ : Secretarial Supervisor
2) ________ : Claire Mc. Elroy
3) ________ : Demonstration of new office equipment
The 4) ______ of Smart Equipment will visit us on 28 April to demonstrate their new computer and fax – machine which you are sure to be interested in. Please arrange the time to meet him so that all your staff could be present
5) ________
To
C.M.
Subject
Sales Manager
From
CONTENTS
English-speaking countries
The United States of America_______________________________________2
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland_______________93
Canada________________________________________________________140
Speech habits___________________________________________________167
Business correspondence__________________________________________198
The example of tests______________________________________________212
-----------------------
[pic]
New Jersey Power Company
5695 South 23 Road
(1) Ridgefield, (2) NJ 08887
(3) Mr. Frederick Wolf
Director of Marketing
(4) Smith Printing Company 590
(5) Sixth Avenue Milwaukee,
(6) WI 53216
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