_ПРАВКА_лексика разг.речи_. _ПРАВКА_лексика разг. Министерство образования и науки

• Название: Министерство образования и науки
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UNIT 2. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Learn the following words and word combinations
Vocabulary List

to declare провозглашать, объявлять	industry промышленность, отрасль промышленности
independence независимость	legislative законодательный
value (to value) ценность (ценить)	executive исполнительный
privacy частная жизнь	judicial судебный
equality равенство	skyscraper небоскреб
destiny судьба	to borrow брать взаймы, одалживать
unique уникальный	headquarters штаб-квартира, главное управление
to admire восхищаться	nickname прозвище
achievement достижение	contradiction противоречие
success успех	apartment квартира
competition соревнование, конкуренция, соперничество	exciting захватывающий, волнующий
enterprise предприимчивость, предприятие, инициатива	amazing изумительный, поразительный
to discover открывать, обнаруживать	to tax облагать налогом
to arrive прибывать, приезжать	harbour гавань, порт
explorer исследователь	to distribute распределять, распространять
to appear появляться	to celebrate праздновать, отмечать
to state утверждать	to be thankful быть благодарным
to adopt принимать	glacier ледник
to sign подписывать	illegal незаконный
total area общая площадь	primaries/caucuses предварительные выборы/совещание членов партии для выдвижения кандидата в президенты

TEXT 1. Learn the info. Speak on the most fantastic facts in your opinion.
Fantastic Facts about America

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  The United States of America is called by several different names: the USA, the United States, the US, the States and America. Americans also use informal names like the US of A and Stateside, especially when they are out of the country. The official name, the United States of America, first appeared in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, when the country was called «the thirteen united States of America».
  
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  Many people think that America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Scientists, however, believe that he was about 500 years too late. They think that Leif Ericson, the Viking explorer, landed in North America first. It happened in 999.
  
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  The first settlers in America were from Spain. Other Europeans followed soon – from England, Ireland and Germany and then from Italy, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Greece and other countries. People from Africa were first brought to America as slaves. Today, the biggest number of immigrants to the USA come from Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico.
  
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  When Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492, he thought that he had reached India. That is why he called the Native Americans «Indians». He continued to believe that it was India for the rest of his life.
  
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  America was named after an Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who sailed to South America between 1499 and 1502. Vespucci believed that the land he had discovered was a new continent, not part of Asia as Columbus had thought.
  
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  The United States’ flag is called “the Stars and Stripes”. It has thirteen red and white stripes and fifty white stars on a blue square. One star is for each state of the United States now, and the stripes are for the first thirteen states of the union. The Stars and Stripes stand by the president’s desk. The flag hangs in every classroom in America, and every day school-children salute it before the school day begins.
  
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  Hawaii is the newest of all American states. It became the 50^th state in 1959. Hawaii is also the only US state made up of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Barack Obama, the 44^th president of the US, was born in Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii.
  
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  Alaska is the largest and coldest of all American states. It was bought from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7.2 million ($113 million in today's dollars).
  
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  The USA has some of the biggest cities in the world, and more than three quarters of its people live in cities or towns. This means that there are also some very empty places, which have not changed much since the first Europeans arrived. Some of them are kept as national parks, where people are not allowed to build houses or factories.
  
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  Most tornadoes – the strongest of all storms - happen in the USA. They can destroy everything – trees, cars and even buildings.
  
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  Rhode Island is the smallest US state. It was the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule on the 4^thof May, 1776. It is famous for Brown University, one of the best American universities. Emma Watson, the actress who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potterfilm series is a student there.
  
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  Death Valley is the hottest place in the USA. In fact, it's one of the hottest places in the world, and many pio­neers died trying to cross it.
  
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  Washington, the capital of the United States, was named after George Washington, the first American president. The city has wide streets, parks and beautiful buildings. The most famous building is the White House, the home of the president. Another important building is the Capitol. This is where Congress meets to make the laws of the country.
  
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  New York is the biggest city in the USA. This is America's cultural capital. No matter what you're interested in, you'll find it in New York - whether it's art, theatre, music or museums. It's also a great place for shopping and restaurants.
  
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  Skyscrapers were invented in America. They were first built in Chicago after the great fire of 1871. Today, the Willis Tower (called Sears Tower until recently) in Chicago is the tallest building in the USA.
  
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  The Library of Congress in Washington is the largest library in the world. The library doesn't just collect books, they also have a large collection of films, maps and sheet music. All in all, it has 147 million items in its collection. You can find books in 470 languages there!
  
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  The first state to have its own police force was Texas. This police force was called the Texas Rangers. They were organized in 1835. The name “cop” is an American slang word for a police officer. No one knows the exact origin of «cop». Perhaps this word came from the letters C.O.P.: «Constable on Patrol». Or perhaps «cop» is the short form of copper. The star-shaped badges policemen wore were made of copper.
  
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  The supermarket first appeared in America. The idea of a self-service shop belongs to an American businessman named Clarence Sounders. His first self-service shop opened in Memphis in 1916. Today, most supermarkets in the States are open 24 hours.
  
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  The Statue of Liberty in New York has become a symbol of freedom. It was the first American sight seen by many people who went to the USfor a better life. It was given to the US people by France in 1884. The statue is 46 metres tall (93 m with the pedestal). Its waist is 10.6 m wide, its right arm is 12.8 m long, its nose is 1.48 m long.
  

TEXT 2. Read and translate the text.
Funny facts about American Presidents

Eight American presidents never went to college: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson and Grover Cleveland.

George Washington was the only president who didn't live in Washington during his presidency.

He was also the only president who had to borrow money to go to his own inauguration.

The first president to live in the White House was John Adams. His wife never liked her new house and often complained about the cold.

Before Theodore Roosevelt came to office, the White House wasn't even called the White House! People called the building the President's Palace or the President's House. Roosevelt officially named it the White House in 1901.

Thomas Jefferson was an architect as well as a great leader. He designed his own house.

Andrew Johnson, the 17^th president, was a tailor before he came to office. He was the only president who made his own clothes as well as his cabinet's!

James Garfield, the 20^th president, could write Latin with one hand and Greek with another!

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32^nd president, served the longest in the history of the United States: 12 years, 1 month, 8 days.

Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34^th president, was the only president to serve in both World Wars. He was a wonderful cook and was famous for his vegetable soup, steaks and pancakes.

President John F. Kennedy, the 35^th president, was the fastest speaker – 327 words per minute. He was the youngest man elected president – at 43 years. Unfortunately, he was also the youngest to die. In 1963 he was murdered.

Richard Nixon, the 37^th president, was the only president to resign.

Gerald Ford, the 38^th president, was once a male model.

Ronald Reagan, the 40^th president, was the oldest president ever elected: he was 73. He was a Hollywood actor before becoming president. He made more than 50 movies, mostly westerns or action films.

Bill Clinton, the 42^d president, played saxophone in a jazz trio when he was a high school student. The three musicians wore dark glasses on stage and they called themselves «Three Blind Mice».

Barack Obama, the 44^th president, doesn't like ice cream! As a teenager he worked at an ice cream shop!

TEXT 3. Read and translate the text. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of being a president.
The Long Road to the White House: How to Become a US President

American politicians say that the way they elect presidents is one of the most open and democratic processes in the world. But to outsiders it seems rather baffling. In some countries, the election race takes just a few weeks, but in the United States, it usually takes more than a year. «The road to the White House is a long road», said George W. Bush.

The Rules: According to the US Constitution, a president must be elected every four years. To become a US president, you must be 35 or older, be a US citizen born in the USA, have lived in the USA at least 14 years.

You can only serve two terms. This means you can only be president twice. This became law in 1951. Before that, the law was different. In fact, Franklin D. Roosevelt became president in 1933 and was still president when he died in 1945.

The US president is not actually chosen by a direct vote of people. He is elected by the 538 electors that make up what is called the Electoral College. The Electoral College isn’t the kind of college with students and professors. It means the total number of «electoral votes» from all the states. Altogether, there are 538 electoral votes and a candidate must win at least 270 of them (more than half) to win the presidency.

Step 1. Get yourself nominated: The first step on the long road to the White House is primaries and caucuses. Voters all over the country go to the polls to help each political party decide on a single candidate. In most countries, the party picks the candidate. But in the US, voters have to choose from the list of candidates made by the party. The US has two main political parties: the Democrats and the Republicans.

Step 2. The Convention: The party delegates gather together to unite behind one presidential candidate. The Republicans usually meet in Philadelphia and the Democrats meet in Los Angeles. They also create their party platforms.

Step 3. The Campaign: TV, radio, and print advertisements are everywhere! The candidates travel up and down the country, giving speeches and appearing on TV. These guys want you to know why they should live in the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Step 4. Great Debates: The candidates face each other in national debates. They have to answer difficult questions – about taxes, education, foreign policy…

Step 5. The Election Day: On November 7, people in every state vote their choice for president. Whichever candidate wins your state’s popular vote usually gets all of your state’s electoral votes.

Step 6. Moving-In Day: On Inauguration Day, which is always held on January 20, Americans finally call the winner «Mr. President». And that looks pretty cool on a business card! There is usually a parade and the new president usually makes a speech about his plans for the US.

TEXT 4. Read and translate. Name three things you associate with America.
American Symbols

The Declaration of Independence

This famous document declared the freedom of the original 13 colonies from British rule. A large part of it was written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration stated that the colonies were now «free and independent states» and offi­cially named them the United States of America.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Congress on the fourth of July, 1776. This day is now celebrated in the USA as Independence Day.

The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell is a symbol of freedom. It was made in London and taken to Philadelphia in 1752 where it cracked when it was first used. It was repaired, and when the Declaration of Independence was signed, it rang out the day. It cracked again in 1835 and 1846. In 1976 it was placed in a special case of glass and steel behind Independence Hall (the building in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed).

Stars and Stripes

The flag of the US has 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies and 50 stars for the 50 states. American citizens and immigrants some­times recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag: «I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the Unites States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all».

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was a present to the peo­ple of the United States from the people of France. It was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartoldie and brought to America in 1884. The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in the middle of New York harbour. It has become a symbol of hope and freedom and was the first American sight seen by many people who went to the US for a better life. The Statue is 46 metres high and weighs 204 tons.

The American Eagle

The American eagle is the national symbol of the United States. It is also called the «bald eagle» and it appears on the Great Seal of the United States and on some coins.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam has the initials US and is an unof­ficial symbol of the US government. He first appeared in the 1960s on posters asking peo­ple to join the army, pointing his finger and saying «Uncle Sam needs you!» His top hat and clothes are always decorated with the stars and stripes of the American flag.

The Donkey and the Elephant

The Donkey and the Elephant first appeared in political cartoons as symbols of the two main political parties in the US the Democrats and the Republicans. There are not clear differences between the two parties. The Republicans tend to be more conserva­tive and to have more support among the upper classes. The Democrats tend to be more liberal and to have more support among the working classes and the poor.

TEXT 5. Read and translate the text. Be ready to discuss.
The Values Americans Live By

Most Americans see themselves as open, frank and friendly. If you ask them a question, they will answer it. They have nothing to hide. They cannot under­stand why people from other countries should have any difficulty understand­ing them. Unless, of course, there are language problems. But most foreigners do have trouble understanding Americans – even if they have a good com­mand of English. So what are Americans like? What values do they live by?