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THE USA creation and further development.How It All Started. The Discovery of America. America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Christopher was born in Italy. His father and both grandfathers were cloth makers. Columbus was a seaman and made many sea voyages, and one of them was destined to be of crucial importance to the humanity. Most people in Columbus's days thought that the earth was flat and they did not believe that beyond the Atlantic Ocean lay India. In 1492 the King and the Queen of Spain gave him money to go to India. He decided to sail west as he was sure that our planet was round. There were 3 caravels: the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. After sailing 4000 miles he reached some land. The crew saw something like a white cliff and cried out: "Tierra! Tierra!" Columbus thought 'that it must be India but it was not. It was a new land a new continent. It was America. Columbus named the land they had reached San Salvador ("Holy Saviour"). People began to speak about the land as "The New World". Columbus was mistaken in thinking he had reached India. Columbus, who was as confused as anybody who has been at sea for a long time, called the first people he saw "Indians". Accompanied by his followers, Columbus made several other voyages in search of India. Try as he might, however, he kept discovering America and finally returned to Spain to die.
Brief History of the USA. The history of the USA dates back only to the 15th century. In the 15th century there was no USA at all. The present territory of the USA was divided among some countries. In the 15th-16th centuries some territory of the USA belonged to Great Britain (northern and western lands); southern parts (California, Florida, New Mexico, Texas) belonged to Spain, then to Mexico; the central part, the territory was called Louisiana to France; Alaska was possessed by Russia; some territories remained to be under Indians control. In 18th century there were only 13 Britain's American colonies and they broke with Great Britain in 1776 and later were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America, following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded their frontiers across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. There were three most dramatic experiences in the nation's history: the Civil War (1861-1865), the Great Depression of the 1930s and Vietnam War of the 1960s-70s. Nowadays USA is world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India). It is about half the size of Russia or slightly larger than China or Brazil. Cities. "Why was Washington made the capital of the United States? After the War of Independence the United States needed a capital city. Different cities in different parts of the country wanted to be the nation's capital. In the end it was decided to build a new city. In 1791 George Washington, the first president, chose the place where the city now stands. The land round the city was called the District of Colombia, after Christopher Columbus; and the city on it was named Washington, in honor of the country's first president. The architect of the new city planned straight streets with trees on both sides, beautiful buildings, and monuments to honor great men. The buildings for the Congress of the United States and some other buildings were erected on a hill. These buildings were called the Capitol. Then the hill was renamed Capitol Hill. In 1800 President John Adams, the second president, and other members of the government moved to the new city of Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) So nowadays Washington, D. C. is the federal district containing the city of Washington only. It is the centres of all three branches of the US federal government, as well as the headquarters of most federal agencies. Washington also serves as the headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and other national and international institutions. All of this has made Washington D.C. the frequent focal point of massive political demonstrations and protests. Washington D.C. is also the site of numerous national landmarks, museums, and sports events, and is a popular destination for tourists.
New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, and the most densely populated city in North America. Located in the state of New York, New York City has a population of 8.2 million people within an area of 830 square km. It is at the heart of the New York Metropolitan Area, which is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world. The city comprises five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. The city is at the centre of international finance, politics, manufacturing, entertainment, and culture, and is one of the world's major global cities (along with London, Tokyo and Paris). It has a unique collection of museums, galleries, international corporations, and stock exchanges. The city is also home to the United Nations and all of the international missions associated with it. New York City attracts large numbers of immigrants from over 180 countries, as well as many people from all over the United States, who come to the city for its culture, energy, cosmopolitanism, and by their own hope of making it big. New York City is home to more than 500 companies. If the city were a nation, it would have the 17th highest gross domestic product in the world, more than that of Switzerland and nearly equalling that of Russia. New York is a city of great museums with the Metropolitan Museum of Arts collection of historic art, the Museum of Modern Art and Guggenheim Museum's 20th century collection, and the American Museum of Natural History and its Hayden Planetarium focusing on the sciences.
Vocabulary: persecution - преследование to possess иметь, владеть PART 1. Text-based tasks. 1) Text-based questions. 1. What was the image of the world of the people in the 15th century? 2. Who sponsored the trip of Columbus to the new land? 3. What does San Salvador mean? 4. Why did Columbus call the people he saw Indians? 5. Who did America belong to before it gained independence? 6. When did the colonies decided to be independent from Britain? 7. How many original colonies were there in America? 8. What makes America an advanced country? 9. Is America bigger than China? 10. Why was Washington made the capital of the United States? 11. Who was George Washington? 12. What is the Capitol? 13. Is Washington D.C. a state? 14. What is the population of NY?
2) What do these figures refer to? 1. 1783 2. 1930 3. 3 4. 4000 5. 5 6. 1861 7. 1791 8. 8,2 9. 1492 10. 180 11. 830 12. 1960 13. 13 14. 1776 15. 15 16. 16 17. 17 18. 18 19. 1865 20. 20 21. 1991 22. 1800 23. 500 24. 37 3) Explain these words in English. 1. To discover - 2. Voyage - 3. Crucial - 4. Humanity - 5. To sail - 6. Crew - 7. Cliff - 8. To recognize - 9. Overseas - 10. Steady - 11. Follower - 12. Inflation - 13. Headquarters - 14. Cosmopolitanism - 15. Immigrant - 4) Make a crosswords based on the words from the text. 5) Word-building. Create new words based on the one given in the table.
6) Underline all the irregular verbs in the text and give the three forms of them. 7) Translate this text from Russian into English. Соединенные Штаты Америки. На сегодняшний день, США самая мощная и высокоразвитая страна в мире. Она расположена в центральной части Северной Америки. Ее западное побережье омывается Тихим океаном, а восточное Атлантическим океаном и Мексиканским заливом. США отделяется от Канады на севере 49-й параллелью и Большими озерами, от Мексики на юге линией, проходящей вдоль реки Рио Гранде и через нагорные районы к Тихому океану. Общая площадь США около 9 млн. квадратных километров. Континентальная часть США состоит из возвышенностей и двух низменностей. Возвышенности это Аппалачи на востоке и Кордильеры, расположенные на западе. Между Кордильерами и Аппалачами находится Центральная низменность, которая называется прериями, и восточная низменность, называемая долиной Миссисипи. Главные реки США Миссисипи, самая длинная река в мире (7 330 км), и Гудзон. Климат в США сильно отличается в разных частях страны. Самый холодный климат в северной части, где температура может опускаться до 40 градусов ниже нуля. На юге климат субтропический, летом температура повышается до 49 градусов. Население Соединенных Штатов Америки составляет около 250 млн. человек. Большинство людей живет в городах, а население в сельской местности уменьшается. В течение многих десятилетий США являются страной, куда приезжают люди, которые ищут убежище от преследований за политические и религиозные убеждения. Поэтому в Америке имеются представители практически всех рас и национальных групп. В стране живет около 25 млн. негров и чуть больше полумиллиона индейцев. Столица США Вашингтон. Он расположен в округе Колумбия. Вашингтон красивый административный город, практически без промышленности. В США высокоразвитая автомобильная промышленность. Не будет преувеличением сказать, что автомобили стали символом американского образа жизни. Машины, производимые такими компаниями, как "Форд" и "Дженерал Моторс", известны во всем мире. Автомобильная промышленность сосредоточена в Детройте и вокруг него. Кораблестроение развито вдоль побережья Атлантики и в Сан-Франциско. На северо-востоке и юге страны сосредоточена текстильная промышленность. В США высокоразвитая система железных дорог. Здесь также находится одна из лучших в мире сеть автомобильных дорог. Их называют автострадами. США федеральное государство, состоящее из 50 штатов и округа Колумбия. В политической жизни страны всегда занимали ведущее место две основные партии: демократическая и республиканская. Во время выборов они всегда оспаривают президентство и большинство мест в конгрессе. Конгресс высший законодательный орган страны. Он состоит из двух палат палаты представителей и сената. 8) Humor. Read, understand, and enjoy the humor =) Robert went to his lawyer and said, 'I would like to make a will but I don't know exactly how to go about it. 'The lawyer smiled at Robert and replied, 'Not a problem, leave it all to me.' Two lawyers arrive at the pub and ordered a couple of drinks. They then take sandwiches from their briefcases and began to eat.
PART 2. Discussion. 1) The why-questions. Provocative thinking. 1. Why was it difficult for Columbus to distinguish between the New World and India? 2. Why did the colonies want to gain independence? 3. Why is America so advanced in terms of economy and the level of life? 4. Why is NY so attractive? 2) Research questions. Choose the issue that interests you most and search for more information. Prepare a report and deliver it to your classmates. 1. Amerigo Vespucci and his role in the discovery of America. 2. Colonies in America. 3. Reasons for breaking up with the UK. 4. Great depression. 5. Involvement in WW I. 6. Involvement in WW II. 7. Alaska and Russia. 8. Immigration to America. 9. Indians, Native Americans. 10. African-American population and their rights. 3) Outstanding Events from the History of America. Here are some hints on names, dates, and events that shaped America. Your task is to expand on them and prepare a report disclosing the event and its significance in the history of the USA. 1) Amerigo Vespucci 2) Mayflower 3) New England 4) Declaration of Independence 5) The Union and the Confederation 6) Cold War 7) Mount Rushmore 8) Silicon Valley 9) Apple 10) Neil Armstrong 11) September, 11 12) African-American President
4) Two great American cities were mentioned in the text. Here are some more American cities. Explain what these cities are notable for. 1) Philadelphia 2) Boston 3) Dallas 4) Los Angeles 5) Las Vegas 6) Salt Lake City 7) Miami 8) San Francisco 9) Atlanta 10) Baltimore 11) Denver 12) Detroit 13) San Diego 14) Huston 15) Chicago 16) Memphis 17) Austin
5) Find out the toponyms (place names) that are taken to the USA from other countries. 6) Choose any two well-known personalities from the USA and arrange a dialog between them. 7) Write a review on any American film. 8) Write a composition named: To Live in the USA Will I Agree? FOLLOW-UPS. Supplementary reading. Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1564
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