The Flag of the United States

1. The flag of the United States is one of the oldest national standards in the world. Read the text about the history of the American flag.

	This is the national flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Flag, which is popularly known as the Union Jack. It is called the Union Flag because it symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is comprised of the individual flags (the heraldic crosses of St. George, St. Andrew and St. Patrick) of the three countries – England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Before the American Revolution, it was the flag of the thirteen American colonies.
	This was the Grand (or Great) Union Flag, the first (unofficial) national flag of the United States. The British flag was in the corner; the read and white stripes were symbols for the thirteen American colonies. The flag was raised in 1776 to celebrate the official status of the newly formed Continental Army by General George Washington. The flag was used during the Revolutionary War.
	Some people say that Elizabeth (Betsy) Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first American flag. Legend says that George Washington himself asked her to sew the first flag. However, many historians say there are no records which confirm this story. In the corner of the Betsy Ross flag there were thirteen white stars arranged in a circle in a field of blue. The flag also had seven red stripes and six white stripes.
	During the War of 1812 the flag had fifteen stars and fifteen stripes for the fifteen states. After a battle Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer and amateur poet, wrote a song about the American flag. The “Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem of the United States.
	The United States grew and between 1795 (when the number of states became fifteen) and 1959 (when the number of states became fifty) more stars were added but the number of stripes always remained thirteen. Now the flag has thirteen stripes for the thirteen original colonies and fifty stars for the fifty states.

2. Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements.

1. _______ The Union Jack is made up of the individual flags of England, Scotland and Wales.

2. _______ Before the American Revolution, the British flag was the flag of the thirteen American colonies.

3. _______ The Grand (Great) Union flag was the flag of England during the Revolutionary War.

4. _______ Some people say Abraham Lincoln made the first American flag.

5. _______ The “Star-Spangled Banner” is a song about the Statue of Liberty.

6. _______ The flag of the United States now has thirteen stars for the American colonies and fifty stripes for fifty states.

3. Complete the gaps with the words from the box.

The British flag was the flag of the thirteen American 1) ________________ before the American 2) _______________________. During the Revolutionary War, the red and 3) ___________ stripes were symbols of these colonies on the Great 4) _____________

flag. The first American flag had thirteen 5) ______________ in a field of 6) ___________. In the War of 1812, the Flag had fifteen stars and 7) ______________.

Now the “Star-Spangled Banner” is the national 8) _______________ of the United States.

4. You are going to listen to the story about the American flag.

a) Vocabulary. Complete the sentences below with the words from the box.

1. A country’s national song is its _______________.

2. _______________ are thick lines.

3. Something that was a symbol for another thing _____________ it.

4. ______________ is a different name for freedom.

5. There is _____________ when a legal system is fair and reasonable to the people.

6. When people are brave in times of danger, they have _______________.

7. If somebody used a needle and a thread to make some clothes, they ______________ the clothes.

8. A rule that people in a particular country or area must obey is a _____________.

b) Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1. How is the national flag of the USA called?

2. What is the name of the national anthem of the USA?

3. When did the colonies declare their independence from the USA?

4. What do the colors of the American flag symbolize?

5. When did Congress establish an official design of the flag?

6. What law was made in 1818?

c) Discussion. Discuss the answers to the questions with your classmates.

1. What does the flag of your country look like? Has it always looked like this? What do you know about its history?

2. Describe the flag of another country that you know.

3. What do people use flags for?

4. If you could design a flag for your university, what would it look like? Why?

5. Find answers to the following questions. Then, present results of your research in class.

1. Can you show the flags of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (the heraldic crosses of St. George, St. Andrew and St. Patrick, respectively) on the British flag?

2. The United Kingdom is made up of four countries – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Why is Wales not represented on the Union Flag?

3. How else is the Grand Union Flag called and why?

4. When did the American Revolution begin and end?

5. Who did the Americans fight against in the War of 1812?

6. What two states were admitted to the USA in 1959?

7. When the American flag is displayed with other flags, where is it placed?

8. What does it mean if the flag is flying upside down?

6. What do you remember about the evolution of the American flag? Describe the flags of different periods and talk about their historical background.

7. Read the text.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 2232