9 Текст для чтения. 9-11 классы

WASHINGTON, DC

Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It's situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city in the USA. It's the world's largest one-industry city. And that industry is government. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US Con- gress, and the Supreme Court are all in Washington.

Washington was named after the first US President George Washington. It was first settled in 1790 and since 1800 it has been the federal capital. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol – a big white dome standing on a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the United States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.

The White House is the official residence of the US President. He works in the Oval Office.

There are some important museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of President’s

wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue di- amond in the world, etc.

There are 5 universities in Washington.

There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city's monuments from view, the most famous of which are the Lincoln Me- morial and the Washington Monument. No building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall.

Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital.

Names:

the Capitol [ðə `kæpit(ə)l] – Капитолий (здание конгресса США) the Congress [ðə 'koŋgrəs] – Конгресс

the District of Columbia [ðə `distrikt əv kə'la:mbiə] – округ Колумбия

the Library [`laibrəri] of Congress – библиотека конгресса

the Lincoln Memorial [ðə 'link(ə)ln mi`mo:rial] – памятник Линкольну

the Oval [`uəvəl] Office – Овальный кабинет (рабочий кабинет президента США)

the Supreme Court [ðə sjup`ri:m `ko:t] – Верховный суд

the Washington Monument [ðə `wo∫iŋtən `monjumənt] – обелиск в честь Джорджа Вашингтона

the White House [ðə `wait `haus] – Белый дом (резиденция президента США)

Washington ['wo∫iŋtən] – г. Вашингтон

Vocabulary:

affair [ə'feə] – дело

circle ['sə:kl] – круг

Declaration of Independence [,deklə`rei∫n əv ,indi`pendəns] – Декларация независимости (была принята 4 июля 1776 года вторым континентальным конгрессом в период войны за независимость Северной Америки (1775 – 1783) и провозглашала отделение колоний от метрополии и образование самостоятельного государства – США)

diamond ['daiəmənd] – алмаз, бриллиант

dome [dəum] – купол

huge [hju:d3] – огромный, колоссальный

impressive [im'presiv] – впечатляющий, выразительный

manuscript ['mænjuskript] – рукопись

original [a'rid3in(ə)l] – зд.: оригинал, подлинник

painting [`peintiŋ] – зд.: картина

personal papers [`pə:snl `peipəz] – личные документы

pillar [`pilə] – столб, колонна sculpture [`scΛlpt∫ə] – скульптура skyscraper ['skai,skreipə] – небоскрёб tourist [`to:rist] – турист

to settle – поселять(ся), заселять, to be settled – быть заселённым

NEW YORK

New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States. Its population together with the population of its suburbs amounts to 16 million people. The total area of New York is 365 square miles or 900 square kilometers.

New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson River. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. There are five districts in the city: Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Richmond. Manhattan is the central and the oldest part of the city. It is the district of business and finance. The famous New York stock exchange dominates business life of many countries.

The mouth of the Hudson River makes an excellent harbour for numerous passengers and cargo ships from all over the world. A traveller who visits New York for the first time wonders at the modern architecture. The Statue of Liber- ty, which is on Liberty Island, was a present from France in 1876 on the occa- sion of the 100th anniversary of American independence. This statue and a few 18th and 19th century churches, hospitals, newspaper offices are the only examples of "old" architecture in New York. Wherever your eyes travel, everywhere you can see sky-scrapers.

New York, one of the USA leading manufacturing cities, is the residence of great firms and banks. The most important branches of industry there are those producing vehicles, glass, chemicals and all kinds of machinery.

The city has very busy traffic. Its streets and highways are full of cars and buses.

Speaking about New York one can't help mentioning the outstanding role that the city plays in the cultural life of the country. New York has many mu- seums and art galleries which had collected many great works of art. Many of them are on a constant display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of Art. Most of the theatres and cinemas are in or near Broadway, the longest street and the biggest shopping district in New York.

Names:

Bronx [broŋks] – Бронкс

Manhattan [mæn`hætən] – Манхэттен Brooklyn [`bruklin] – Бруклин Richmond [`rit∫mənd] – Ричмонд

The Statue of Liberty [ðə `steit∫ə əv `libəti] – статуя Свободы

Liberty Island [`libəti `ailənd] – остров Либерти

the Metropolitan [,metrə`politən] Museum of Art – музей "Метрополи- тен", крупнейший в западном полушарии музей изобразительных искусств

the Whitney [`witni] Museum of Art – музей искусства "Уитни", худо- жественный музей современного искусства в г. Нью-Йорке, основанный в 1930 скульптором Г. Уитни

Vocabulary:

anniversary [,æni`və:səri] – годовщина

architecture [`a:kitekt∫ə] – архитектура

chemical [`kemikəl] – химикат, химический препарат

district [`district] – район

Dutch settlers [`dΛt∫ ,setlz] – датские поселенцы

Glass [glas] – стекло

harbour [`ha:bə] – пристань

highway [`haiwei] – автострада

Hudson River [`hads(ə)n ,rivə] – река Гудзон independence [,indi`pendəns] – независимость leading [`li:diŋ] – ведущий

manufacturing [,mænju`fæct∫əriŋ] – обрабатывающая промышленность, производство

machinery [mə∫ `i:nəri] – машинное оборудование, механизмы

mouth [mauθ] – зд.: устье

numerous [`nju:mərəs] – многочисленный, множественный

(one) can’t help mentioning [`men∫əniŋ] – нельзя не отметить / не упомянуть

on the occasion [ə`kei3n] of – по случаю

passenger [`pæsind3ə] – пассажир

residence [`rezidəns] – пребывание, местонахождение

seaport [`si:po:t] – портовый город

sky-scraper [`skaiskreipə] – небоскрёб

Statue of Liberty [,steit∫ə əv `libəti] – статуя Свободы stock exchange [`stok iks,t∫eind3] – фондовая биржа suburbs [`sΛbəbz] – пригороды

to amount [ə`maunt] to smth. – равняться чему-л., составлять какую-л. сумму

to be on a constant display [ disp`lei] – постоянно экспонироваться

to dominate [`domineit] – доминировать, превосходить в чём-л. to be founded [`faundid] – быть основанным

to amount [maunt] to – составлять, равняться чему-л. to wonder [`wΛndə] at smth. – любоваться чем-л. traffic – движение, транспорт

traveller [`trævələ] – путешественник

vehicle [`vi:ikl] – зд.: транспортное средство

wherever [weər`evə] – где бы ни, куда бы ни

work of art [,wə:k əv `a:t] – произведение искусства

Language practice

Imagine that your relative is going to the USA for permanent resi- dence. You and your friend have been to the USA for several times and now want to help the relative to get all the information he needs about the

country. Discuss with your partner what is necessary to tell the relative about the USA, and what information is unnecessary to him. Make up a dialogue.