TO THE STARS AND STRIPES

Old Glory, that proud symbol of America, is the product of a rather haphazard series of events.

George Washington presented it to the Colonial Army on New Year's Day 1776. No one knows who the designer was. On June 14, 1777, after independence, the Continental Congress decreed retention of the stripes but replacement of Britain's flag with a "new constellation" of stars symbolizing the united Colonies. The designer of the 1777 flag is also unknown. The only authority for the story that Betsy Ross made it was Betsy's grandson, who first told it in 1870.

The new flag was flown mainly by ships, for identification; it was seldom used on land. But whether on land or sea, its stars — arranged in various ways — were as likely to be blue on white as white on blue and to have eight points as five. Often blue stripes were mingled with the red and white, and in some flags the stripes were vertical. Only the three colours were constant. In 1782 Congress proclaimed that the red stood for hardiness and courage, the white for purity and innocence, and the blue for justice, vigilance, and perseverance.

By 1795 two more stars and stripes had been added, representing the 14th and 15th States. In 1818 Congress returned the number of stripes to 13, for the original Colonies, but it set no pattern for the stars. From then on a new star was added for each new state — on the Fourth of July following the State's accession. The last such Independence Day celebration was in 1960, after Hawaii had become the 50th State.

One popular motif was a single large star outlined by small stars, but the row arrangement became more common and in 1912 was made official.

Write an annotation translation of the text

II Grammar

1. I read books ___ the evenings.

in

on

at

2. We _____ dance all night.

do can

not can

can

3. Where were you born? I ________ in Madrid.

were born

was borne

was born

4. This film is _________ than "Titanic"

more interesting

interesting

most interesting

5. They ______ five years ago.

have meeted

met

did met

6.It was nice _____ you.

to meet

on meeting

to meeting

7. I cut myself when I ______.

shaved

was shaving

is shaving

8. You _____ show your identity card before you come in.

must

might

should

9. I want ______ at home tonight.

stayed

to stay

staying

10. This time next month I _______ lectures at a university.

will be attending

will attend

attend

III Essay Writing

Books in my life

Signature of the examiner______________

EXAM CARD IX

I Reading

THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House, the official residence of the President, stands in tree-shaded grounds (18 acres) on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue. The main building has 6 floors, with the East Terrace leading to the East Wing, a 3-story building used for offices and as an entrance for official events. The West Terrace contains offices and leads to the Executive Office.

The White House was designed by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect. President Washington chose the site which was included in the plan of the Federal City prepared by Major Pierre L'Enfant.

The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion, as it was originally known, was laid on October 13, 1792, 300 years after the landing of Columbus. President Washington was not present and never lived in the house. It was John Adams, the second President (1797-1801), who arrived in the new Capital City to take up his residence in the White House. The President's home was the earliest of all government buildings in the District of Columbia.

On August 24, 1814, during Madison's administration (1809— 1817), the British troops entered Washington and set fire to the White House. By December 1817, James Hoban had completed rebuilding the Executive Mansion, and President Monroe (1817— 1825) moved in.

In 1947 President Truman (1945-1953) had a second-floor porch built into the south portico. In 1948 he asked Congress to authorize complete rebuilding because the White House was unsafe.

Reconstruction cost $5,761,000. The interior was completely removed. New underpinning 24 feet deep was placed under the outside walls and steel frame was built to support the interior. All original trim and metal work were preserved.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1009