Unit VII. The United states of America

Task 1. Read and translate the text:

The United States of America is the 4th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the central part of the North American continent.

The United States of America is a federal republic, consisting of 50 states including the states of Alaska and Hawaii. Outlying areas include Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.

The northern boundary is partly formed by the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River; the southern boundary is partly formed by the Rio Grande. United States also has a sea-border with Russia.

The total area of the United States (including the District of Columbia) is 9,809,155 square kilometers, of which 1,700,139 square kilometers are in Alaska and 28,313 square kilometers are in Hawaii. Inland waters cover 507,788 square kilometers of the total area.

The country is washed by 3 oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The country has many lakes, with the Great Lakes included. There are also many rivers on the US territory. The longest of them are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Columbia, the Rio Grande and some others. On the US territory there are mountains and lowlands. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak, Mount McKinley, is located in Alaska.

The climate conditions are rather different. The country is rich in natural and mineral resources: oil, gas, iron ore, coal and various metals.

The USA is a highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main industrial branches are aircraft, rocket, automobile, electronics, radio-engineering and others.

Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations. The country population is over 250 million people. The national symbol of the USA is its national flag «Stars and Stripes», having 50 white stars and 13 white and red stripes on its field, symbolising the number of the original and present day states.

Officially the country comprises 50 states and one District of Columbia. The states differ in size, population and economic development. Each state has its own capital. The capital of the USA is Washington. It is situated in the District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac river and is named after the 1st US President George Washington. There are many large cities in the country: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Cleveland and some others.

The United States of America is a federal state, headed by the President. According to the US Constitution the powers of the Government are divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial.

The legislative power belongs to the Congress consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states while the House of Representatives - the population. The executive power belongs to the President and his Administration (Vice-President and Cabinet of Ministers). The judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court and the system of Federal, state and district courts.

There are several political parties in the USA, the largest of them are the Republican (symbolised by an elephant) and the Democratic (symbolised by a donkey) (from Коваленко 2002).

Task 2. Translate the words into Russian:

1) federal republic; 2) boundary; 3) inland waters; 4) to wash; 5) lowland; 6) mineral resources; 7) branch of industry; 8) executive; 9) district court; 10) outlying areas.

Task 3. In the text find English equivalents to the following Russian words and word combinations:

1) символизировать; 2) верховный суд; 3) законодательная власть; 4) правительство; 5) население; 6) сельскохозяйственная страна; 7) автомобилестроение; 8) нефть; 9) уголь; 10) внутренние водоемы.

Task 4. Choose the right variant of reading the numerals:

1) the 4^th largest country

a) fourth

b) four

c) fourteenth

2) 50 states

a) five

b) fifth

c) fifty

d) fiftyth

3) 9,809,155 sq. km

a) nine million eight hundred and nine thousand one hundred and fifty five

b) nine point eight hundred and nine point one hundred and fifty five

c) nine million eight hundred nine thousand one hundred fifty five

4) 28,313 sq. km

a) twenty eight million three hundred and fourteen

b) twenty eight three hundred thirteen

c) twenty eight thousand three hundred and thirteen

5) 250,000,000 people

a) two hundred and fifty millions

b) two hundred and fifty million

c) two and fifty million

Task 5. Say whether the statements are true or false. Correct the false statements:

1 The USA is the 3d largest country in the world.

2 United States don’t have a sea-border with Russia.

3 The country is washed by 3 oceans: the Arctic, the Indian and the Pacific.

4 The highest peak is Mount McKinley in Alaska.

5 The US population is over 259 million.

6 There are two largest political parties in the USA: Conservative and Liberal.

7 The executive power belongs to the President and his Administration.

Task 6. Put the right verbs to the blanks in the sentences. The verbs are given after the task:

1 The northern boundary … by the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

2 The Democratic party … by an elephant.

3 The legislative power … to the Congress.

4 Inland waters … 507,788 square km of the total area.

5 The highest mountains … the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

6 The country … 50 states.

7 The USA … by the President.

(is headed, are, belongs, is formed, cover, comprises, is not symbolized).

Task 7. Continue the sentences:

1 The total area of the USA is…

2 The longest rivers are…

3 The highest mountains are…

4 The national symbol of the USA is… It has…

5 The first US President is…

6 The largest cities are…

Task 8. In the chains all of the words are connected logically except one word. Find these extra words:

a) Senate, Congress, House of Lords, House of Representatives.

b) Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Shetland Islands.

c) Foot, square kilometer, inch, millimeter.

d) President, Supreme Court, Vice-President.

e) Ox, elephant, donkey, eagle.

f) To comprise, to include, to belong, to contain.

Task 9. Ask all possible questions to the sentence:

The USA is a federal republic, consisting of 50 states including the states of Alaska and Hawaii.

Task 10. Ask your group-mates whether the following statements are true of false. Analyse the results and sum everything up:

1 Thanksgiving day is an original US holiday when Americans celebrate their independence.

2 The major religion in the USA is Buddhism.

3 Ernest Hemingway is a famous American writer who was born in Oak Park, Illinois.

4 White House in Washington, D.C. is the President’s official residence.

5 The British Queen has Her representative in the USA, who is called a governor-general.

6 Jack London, an American novelist and short-story writer, is famous all over the world for his Alaskan stories.

7 The present day US president is George Bush, Jr.

8 In the USA nobody will say you lack manners if you point with the fore-finger (указательный палец).

9 In the USA there is no written constitution.

10 Benjamin Franklin is one of the most outstanding 18^th century American politicians, who participated in the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

11 The coldest state in the USA is Texas.

12 There is no national draft to the army in the USA since 1975.

13 The Statue of Liberty was presented to the USA by the French government.

14 There are no emigrants from other countries in the USA now.

15 Americans are known all over the world for their individualism.

16 Hamburgers are considered to be the most famous American dish all over the world.

17 US first capital was Philadelphia.

18 Slavery was abolished in the USA after the war between the South and the North.

19 First immigrants in the USA used to adapt for new realities in the Ellis island for a month or so.

Use these phrases to sum up the results:

1) My statement is …

2) I have asked … people.

3) … people agreed with the statement (said “Yes”).

4) … people disagreed (said “No”).

5) The majority said …

6) The minority said …

7) I think that the statement is true/false.

8) I agree with the majority.

Task 11. Read and translate the text:

New England

Summon the mind’s map and begin a quick regional survey at the extreme corner of Maine’s high Atlantic shores; this land is rough, cold, magnificent, relentless, and underpopulated. The long coast is rocks and lobsters, huge tides, fishing boats, and clapboard houses that age quickly under wind and weather. Inland, the little towns remain crabbed, comfortable without affluence, rough and old-fashioned. Enormous forests, crossing westward into New Hampshire and on to Vermont, are the home of loggers and of paper mills that shed their effluence as the wind blows and the waters run.

Down the coast New Hampshire’s brief, dense shore includes Portsmouth, where blocks of old houses, if you shut your eyes to electric wiring, retain vistas of the 18th century; it resembles a coastal town in the southwest of England, with clapboard instead of brick or stone.

New England, never a single thing, has risen and fallen and changed and remained the same for 370 years. No one could have built on the site of our house until after 1763, when the English, aided by colonial troops, defeated the French and removed from the Indians their source of muskets and powder. Not far south of us, in Salisbury, there was a prosperous, fortified community in mid-century, but a farmer on its outskirts was liable to be scalped. New England's economy was coastal, as the great sailing ships tracked across the waters to the mother country, to France, to Holland, and to all Europe. There was, of course, the trade in slaves, molasses, and rum - New England's contribution to chattel slavery in America, the 19th-century's holocaust. It was not our only trade: New England's several ports thrived, boiling with the goods of all nations, sailors on leave, and merchants trafficking. Most manufactured goods came from England; we shipped to Europe pig iron, dried fish, tobacco, and white pine, 150 feet tall, for the masts of the British Navy. To the West Indies we carried poultry, beef, and lamb - alive in the absence of refrigeration.

Even today, the culture of the north country derives from people who moved inland from coastal cities to wilderness late in the 18th century. The veterans and families who headed for the lonely north were self-selected to work harder than their brothers and sisters, with less comfort - in return for independence. The liberty boys wanted each man his own nation, little city-states in the hills, small valleys subdividing narrow units separated from each other by granite.

Separateness from others was not a price to pay but a gift to win. Settlers built rudimentary houses while they cleared ancient trees and moved rocks, making stone walls. Because each family settlement required maybe 40 acres for survival, they could not be crowded. They would never acquire money or save it, but they would contrive their own comfort: The natural world provided wood for warmth and ice for chilling; add a great garden, with a root cellar for storing apples, potatoes, squash, cabbage, carrots, turnips; add one cow; add deer and turkey shot in the wild, sheep for shearing, maybe flax grown to make linen, bees and sugar bush for sweetness. In this society, men and women worked equally hard, men in woods and fields, women inside, ceaselessly baking bread, washing, spinning, sewing, making butter, candles, and soap. Notions of self-sufficiency became a brief reality - which still creates New England character, in the endurance of its superannuated dream.

The settlers brought values with them north from the coastal cities: They brought the Bible, most of them, and always the New England Primer - for education was linked to religion. Protestants required themselves to read the Bible. Or, in the absence of religion, education turned almost holy. Out of 17th and 18th century preoccupations came the education industry that remains at New England's center: colleges, not to mention academies. Rural New England's three major industries are yard sales, skiing, and prep schools.

After the first years of isolation, the settlers cooperated to build schools and churches. Outside school, education continued in winter parlors as fathers read aloud while mothers sewed in the evening. This society without many books remained ferociously verbal, with recitation its primary form of entertainment.

Already in the 19th century, subsistence farming was a difficult life. The land was thin, and it was difficult to be provident by saving against the lean years. The Poverty Year of 1816 brought frost 12 months out of 12, and snow even in June, a gift to preachers - and now we know that the agency of God's displeasure was a volcanic eruption in Indonesia one year earlier.

Beginning about this time, many children of Yankee farmers left off working the dour land. Mountain villages were abandoned, not just for emigration west to better farmland, but south to the mills for a regular wage and a work week shortened to 72 hours. The United States had turned to manufacturing when the politics of war made embargoes, when privateers or the British Navy shut off international trade. Cities that had been ports also became centers of casting, forging, leatherworking, weaving, and assembling. New Hampshire and Massachusetts made shoes and cloth - cotton, wool, and linen - while the South supplied raw materials, and New England became the South's England.

Many of New England's small, diverse farms survived into the 20th century - powered by pairs of oxen, by matched teams of workhorses, and by a sprightly mare to pull a buggy. If a farm prospered, the farmer acquired land rather than money (from Hall 1995).

Task 12. Read the text “Washington, DC – the capital of the USA” and put proper words into the blanks:

Washington, DC, the city on the … (East, Eastern, Eastward) coast, was founded in 1791. It was named … (on, in, after) American President George Washington. In 1800 Washington, DC became the … (capitol, capital, capitalist) of the USA. Today the population of Washington, DC is over 3,4 million. Washington, DC is the seat of the … (UK, US, RF) Government. All organs of power are situated in the capital city.

Washington’s government buildings … (include, consist, comprises) the White House and the Capitol. The White House, the official home of the US President, was constructed … (at, in, from) 1792-1829. The Capitol is the building where the US Congress … (meet, meeting, meets).

In Washington, DC there is no industry. Washington, DC is a political, administrative, cultural and … (educational, education, educator) centre of the country. There are several universities in … (a, the, an) capital. The Congress library is located here. There … (are, is, am) museums and galleries in Washington, DC. The National Gallery of Art, a large museum of painting, sculpture and other art … (situates, is situated, situate) in the capital. It is supported … (from, by, on) the US government. The National museum of the USA is also situated in Washington, DC.

Washington, DC is the centre of political life (from Миньяр-Белоручева 1999).

Task 13. In the crossword puzzle find the words connected to the USA. The words could be written from the left to the right and backwards, across and down, diagonally, upwards and downwards:

g	p	y	r	e	l	l	a	g	i	s
w	o	z	d	y	t	u	v	e	n	i
a	x	v	c	e	a	s	n	o	h	n
s	f	g	e	u	e	a	t	r	o	d
p	o	w	e	r	s	g	w	g	u	u
t	h	e	c	o	n	g	r	e	s	s
y	a	l	l	i	z	m	o	h	e	t
t	q	w	h	i	t	e	e	o	k	r
i	t	s	a	o	c	r	k	n	m	y
c	a	p	i	t	a	l	a	m	t	q
w	n	o	i	t	a	l	u	p	o	p

Task 14. Correct the mistakes in the words:

1) citi; 2) Precident; 3) populashion; 4) milion; 5) govenment; 6) to konstrukt; 7) adminestrative center; 8) lybrary; 9) national gallery; 10) a political live.

Task 15. Read the text “White House” and say whether the following statements are true or false, correct false statements:

The oldest public building in Washington has been home to every first family since the time of John Adams.

George Washington chose the site and approved the design of the executive mansion. The corner stone was laid in 1792, eight years later John and Abigail Adams had the dubious privilege of being the first to take up residence. They found the place scarcely habitable: not a single room in the President’s Palace was finished. When winter came, it was as cold indoors as out, because there was no one to cut and cart firewood and some of the windows were still unglazed.

The situation improved when Thomas Jefferson moved in and carried on the work of finishing the mansion. He hired Benjamin Latrobe to add to the original design by James Hoban, and also involved himself with furnishing the place. By 1813, a visitor was able to pronounce the public rooms “magnificent”.

But the elegance was short-lived, for when the British set fire to Washington on August 24, 1814, the First Lady was forced to flee with only a carriage load of cabinet papers, the government’s silver, and the large picture of General Washington, removed from its frame for easier transport.

A downpour doused the fire just in time to save the exterior sandstone walls from collapse. Hoban supervised the restoration, and by September 1817 the White House was habitable again. Refurnishing was guided by the James Monroes, whose taste for the French and American empire styles survives in some of the antique pieces still on view. But Congress’s appropriations were insufficient to finish the job.

Any structural changes throughout the years have been largely a matter of modernization: running water in 1833, gaslights in 1848, central heat in 1853; an elevator in 1881, electrical wiring in 1891. Only two presidents have undertaken great alterations.

In 1902, during Theodore Roosevelt’s first term, many of the state rooms were enlarged, several ground-floor and attic rooms finished, and Victorian embellishments removed.

The Truman presidency was also marked by a major structural overhaul, begun when walls and floors in some parts of the house were found to be on the verge of collapse. While the Trumans lived across the street at Blair House, the White House was braced, shored, and rebuilt once again. Today it consists of 132 rooms with 32 bathrooms and 5 elevators.

Every occupant has replaced or added to the mansion’s furnishings as needed and as often-stringent budgets have allowed. Visited each year by one and a half million people, the White House is for many the most rewarding of historic American houses (from America’s Historic Places 1995).

Statements:

1) White House is the president’s official residence since the time of George Bush.

2) Abraham Lincoln was the first president to choose the site for the future executive mansion.

3) The building of the White House was started in 1792.

4) The Adams were the first to live in White House.

5) When J. Adams moved in, the House was splendid.

6) Thomas Jefferson finished the mansion.

7) Original design was made by Benjamin Latrobe but later James Hoban improved it.

8) Thomas Jefferson never dealt with the furnishing of the White House.

9) Spanish army fired Washington, DC in 1814.

10) James Monroes, American designer, was working in the style of French and American Empire.

11) Congress financed the building of White House generously.

12) There were several large repairs at White House.

13) There are no elevators at White House.

14) Gaslights were made at White House in 1849.

15) Two American presidents did great alterations in the White House.

16) At Truman presidency the House was on the verge of collapse.

17) Today White House comprises 133 rooms.

18) Americans do not like the White House as being too pompous.

Task 16. Read and translate the text “New York”:

New York, one of the largest cities in the world, was founded three hundred years ago in the mouth of the Hudson river. New York is difficult to describe. You can say anything you like about it and always be right; if you listen to different people talking about it they can each describe a different town. For some, it is a centre for art, music and theatre; for others, a city of finance and politics.

The centre of New York is Manhattan Island. In 1626 it was bought from the Indians for a handful of trinkets that cost twenty-four dollars. Today Manhattan is the centre of business and commercial life of the country. Many sky-scrapers house banks and offices of American businessmen. Broadway begins here, the Stock Exchange is located here. Very few people live in Manhattan, although the majority work here. Numerous bridges link Manhattan Island with the opposite shores.

New York is inhabited by people of almost all nationalities. It is even called “Modern Babylon”. At the beginning of the 20^th century a lot of people came to the USA from different countries of the world. They entered the USA through New York “the Gateway to America”. The population of New York now is eight million people – sixteen million if you include the suburbs, and another four million come to the city to work here but live elsewhere. The subway uses 7,000 cars to transport five million people each day.

New York is one of the leading manufacturing cities in the world. The most important branches of industry are those, producing paper products, vehicles, glass, chemicals, machinery. The city traffic is very busy. The sea encircles the city areas and ships go over or under New York traffic.

New York is not just one city, but many cities which crowd together in one place. There are the business cities which die each day at five o’clock, and neon pleasure cities whose bars and cinemas are full with noisy crowds. New York is all these and more (from Миньяр-Белоручева 1999, Пароятникова, Полевая 2001).

Task 17. Translate the words and word combinations into Russian, use the text “New York”:

1) mouth; 2) to describe; 3) handful; 4) commercial life; 5) to house; 6) Stock Exchange; 7) to link; 8) almost all; 9) gateway; 10) subway; 11) machinery.

Task 18. Translate the words and word combinations into English, use the text “New York”:

1) театр; 2) финансы; 3) безделушки; 4) небоскреб; 5) мало; 6) многочисленные; 7) противоположные берега; 8) через, посредством; 9) где-то еще; 10) промышленный город.

Task 19. In the text “New York” find the synonyms to the following words:

1) to be situated; 2) coast; 3) nearly all; 4) many; 5) to come into; 6) underground railway; 7) main; 8) cars; 9) transport; 10) to connect.

Task 20. In the text “New York” find the antonyms to the following words:

1) to be wrong; 2) to speak; 3) the same; 4) suburbs; 5) to sell; 6) over, above; 7) several.

Task 21. Answer the questions:

1. Where is New York situated?

2. How did Manhattan Island become American?

3. What places of interest are there in New York?

4. Why is New York called “Modern Babylon”?

5. What is the population of New York?

6. What are the branches of industry developed in New York?

7. Can you describe New York as one single city?

Task 22. Say whether the statements are true or false. Correct the false statements:

1. Different people describe New York in one and the same manner.

2. Manhattan was presented to the US government by the friendly Indians.

3. A lot of banks and offices of American businessmen are located in one-storied buildings.

4. Broadway is the centre of theatre life.

5. People of different nationalities live in New York.

6. The most important industry in New York is producing steel.

Task 23. Put the proper words in the blanks:

1. New York is difficult to … (describe, subscribe, tell).

2. … (for some, some, at some) people describe New York as the centre of artistic life, … (other, others, for others) as the centre of financial and political life.

3. Many sky-scrapers … (are, consist, have) banks and offices of businessmen.

4. … (very few, a lot of, few) people work in Manhattan but … (majority, few, a lot of) live there.

5. Manhattan … (is described, was located, is connected) with the opposite shores.

6. A lot of people … (were brought, go, came) to America through New York.

7. Each day … (a million, millions, five thousand) people use subway as a way of transportation.

8. Manhattan … (is circled, encircled, is encircled) by the sea.

Task 24. Think over the anagrammes. Change the place of letters to receive the words connected to the text “New York”:

1) estlarg; 2) druhedn; 3) lundhaf; 4) rlasdol; 5) sssinebenum; 6) tnhamnata; 7) jytirmao; 8) eoptisop; 9) tffederin; 10) sccalhmei.

Task 25. Make up sentences from the words:

1. New York… world, leading, the, manufacturing, one, of, is, the, cities, in.

2. Manhattan… York, of, is, in, the, Island, situated, New, centre.

3. People… nationalities, of, in, York, live, all, New, almost.

4. Many… Manhattan, with, bridges, Island, the, connect, mainland.

5. The nickname… Big, is, York, of, New, Apple.

6. The most… elsewhere, of, in, Manhattan, live, part, but, people, work.

7. New York… Gateway, the USA, because, of, is, immigrants, of, a lot, called, entered, the, through, it, America.

Task 26. Correct the mistakes in the words:

1) skyscraper; 2) nationalityes; 3) diferent; 4) gataway; 5) mashinery; 6) traffik; 7) Brodway; 8) to produse; 9) ofices.

Task 27. In the text “New York” find sentences with pronoun “many”. Explain the rules of its usage in English. Look through the theory and check yourself:

Местоимения many/few употребляются с исчисляемыми существительными во множественном числе: Many beautiful houses are situated on this street. She has got few relatives. Местоимения much/little используются с неисчисляемыми существительными: Is there much sugar in the sugar basin? I have little spare time.

Синонимы данных выражений a lot of, plenty of употребляются как с исчисляемыми, так и с неисчисляемыми существительными: There are a lot of apples this summer. There is a lot of snow this winter.

Слово “a little” (немного) используется с неисчисляемыми существительными, а “a few” (несколько) – с исчисляемыми. При этом “little/few” имеют негативную окраску, а “a little/a few” – позитивную.

Task 28. Choose between many/much and few/little in the sentences:

1) There was so … rain last week that the level of water in the river rose up to a two meter mark.

2) She knows very … about the accident. She can’t be a witness.

3) He has got very … true friends.

4) Don’t hurry. We have … time.

5) … milk is left. We should go and buy some.

6) He is a good-mixer and he has got … acquaintances.

7) … people make a crowd.

8) He was so … astonished that he couldn’t say a word.

Task 29. Translate into English:

1) В чайнике много воды? – Есть немного.

2) Вы пригласили много гостей?

3) У неё не много платьев, зато много брюк.

4) В выходные на катке много народа.

5) В комнате мало света, откройте занавески.

6) Она знает много иностранных языков.

7) Об этой книге много говорят.

8) Об этом фильме очень мало говорят, но его действительно стоит посмотреть.

9) Дайте мне немного воды.

10) Я просмотрел много источников, прежде чем написать доклад по этому вопросу.

Task 30. Read the text “Statue of Liberty” and choose proper answers to the questions:

Sentinel of freedom, “the great lady” of New York harbor has raised her torch of welcome for more than a century.

This beloved statue was born of friendship between the United States and France. Designed and executed by the French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, she was held together by an iron framework engineered by no less a genius than Gustave Eiffel. In June 1885, 10 years after the project was begun, Miss Liberty left France, disassembled. Meanwhile, Americans were to prepare a suitable site. Public interest was slight at first, but publisher Joseph Pulitzer put his newspapers behind the effort and thousands of citizens contributed generously.

A massive pedestal and base, 154 feet high, was erected and the statue – 151 feet tall, made of sheet copper, weighing 450,000 pounds – was slowly reassembled in New York harbor. On a rainy October 28, 1886, thousands of people watched as Bartholdi himself pulled the cord dropping the French tricolor from Liberty’s face. The sight was greeted by the booming of cannons, the waving of flags, and the blasts of more than 300 ship horns.

Since that gala day, the statue has hosted more than 50 million visitors. Nearly all tour the American Museum of Immigration in the base of the monument; the determined climb the 22 stories to the crown. Nearby Ellis Island, the nation’s principal immigration port from 1892 to 1954, has been undergoing restoration, but part is open to the public. It is dedicated to the millions who braved the unknown America what it is (from America’s Historic Places 1995).

Questions:

1) What is the nickname of the Statue of Liberty?

a) the great lady

b) Miss America

c) iron lady

2) How long does Statue of Liberty stand at the New York harbor?

a) three centuries

b) fifty years

c) more than one hundred years

3) What country presented Statue of Liberty to America?

a) Russia

b) France

c) Great Britain

4) Who was the designer of Statue of Liberty?

a) Gustave Eiffel

b) Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi

c) George Washington

5) How long did the work on its execution last?

a) decade

b) fifty years

c) century

6) When did Statue of Liberty leave France?

a) 1812

b) 1917

c) 1885

7) In what form did Statue of Liberty travel through the Atlantic Ocean?

a) totally assembled

b) completed

c) disassembled

8) Who promoted Statue of Liberty in America?

a) Joseph Pulitzer

b) Harry Potter

c) Abraham Lincoln

9) What is the height of Statue of Liberty?

a) 154 feet

b) 151 feet

c) 151 meters

10) What was the metal used for Statue of Liberty?

a) silver

b) gold

c) copper

11) Where was the Statue reassembled?

a) Paris

b) Los Angeles

c) New York

12) What was the weather like at the opening day?

a) sunny

b) rainy

c) windy

13) Who opened the Statue of Liberty?

a) Bartholdi

b) Eiffel

c) Pulitzer

14) What is located at the base of the monument?

a) American Museum of Immigration

b) Souvenir shop

c) Chinese restaurant

15) Can a visitor climb to the crown?

a) Yes, a visitor can climb 22 stories to the crown

b) No, a visitor can climb only to the first floor

c) Yes, there is an elevator coming to the crown

UNIT VIII. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Task 1. Read and translate the text:

The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about 1/6 of the Earth surface. The country is situated in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square km.

Our land is washed by 12 seas, most of which are the seas of three oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the south and in the west the country borders on fourteen countries. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a great variety of flora and fauna can be found as in our land. Our country has numerous forests, plains and steppes, taiga and tundra, highlands and deserts. The highest mountains in our land are the Altai, the Urals and the Caucasus. There are over two thousand rivers in the Russian Federation. The longest of them are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Amur. Our land is also rich in various lakes with the deepest lake in the world, the Baikal, included.

On the Russian territory there are 11 time zones. The climate conditions are rather different: from arctic and moderate to continental and subtropical. Our country is one of the richest in natural resources countries in the world: oil, natural gas, coal, different ores, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other minerals.

The Russian Federation is a multinational state. It comprises many national districts, several autonomous republics and regions. The population of the country is over 140 million people.

Moscow is the capital of our Homeland. It is the largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial center of the country and one of the most beautiful cities on the globe. Russian is the official language of the state. The national symbol of the Russian Federation is a white-blue-red banner.

The Russian Federation is a constitutional republic headed by the President, the country government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The President controls only the executive branch - the government, but not the Supreme Court and Federal Assembly.

The legislative power belongs to the Federal Assembly comprising two chambers: the Council of Federation (upper Chamber) and the State Duma (lower Chamber). Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. The executive power belongs to the government (the Cabinet of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister. The judicial power belongs to the system of Courts comprising the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and federal courts.

Our country has a multiparty system. The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is that of international cooperation, peace and friendship with all nations irrespective of their political and social systems (from Коваленко 2002).

Task 2. Translate the following words and word combinations into Russian:

1) surface; 2) total area; 3) the Pacific ocean; 4) to border; 5) numerous; 6) desert; 7) to be rich in; 8) moderate climate; 9) coal; 10) multinational; 11) globe; 12) to be headed.

Task 3. In the text find English equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

1) омываться; 2) Северный Ледовитый океан; 3) едва ли; 4) равнина; 5) часовые пояса; 6) нефть; 7) автономный округ; 8) население; 9) научный центр; 10) судебная власть; 11) верховный суд; 12) многопартийная система.

Task 4. In the text find synonyms to the following words:

1) mountains; 2) to include; 3) flag; 4) to be placed; 5) plants; 6) animals; 7) many; 8) different.

Task 5. In the text find antonyms to the words:

1) the smallest; 2) the lowest; 3) the shortest; 4) the most shallow; 5) the poorest; 6) non-ferrous metals; 7) the ugliest; 8) the least influential; 9) land border.

Task 6. Give your own definitions to the words in the English language:

1) federation; 2) a sea-border; 3) flora; 4) fauna; 5) a time zone; 6) subtropical climate; 7) natural resources; 8) multinational state; 9) autonomous republic; 10) constitutional republic; 11) legislative power; 12) executive power; 13) constitutional court; 14) multiparty system; 15) foreign policy.

Task 7. Correct mistakes in the words:

1) the Eath; 2) the Pasific; 3) forteen; 4) numeros; 5) tyme zone; 6) sabtropical; 7) multynational; 8) konstitushional; 9) exekutive power; 10) frendship.

Task 8. Say whether the statements are true or false. Correct false statements:

1. The RF is the second largest country in the world.

2. Russia is washed by four oceans.

3. Russia doesn’t have a sea-border with the USA.

4. The flora and fauna of RF are very diverse.

5. The deepest lake in the world is situated in Russia.

6. We have 12 time zones.

7. The climate of our country is moderate.

8. The population of Russia is 140 million people.

9. Tambov is the largest industrial and cultural city in Russia.

10. We have two national languages: Russian and English.

11. The President controls the executive and legislative branches of power.

12. The members of State Duma are elected at federal elections and members of Council of Federation are appointed.

13. The judicial power belongs to the police.

14. Our country was a one party system.

15. The foreign policy of RF is aimed on cooperation, peace and friendship.

Task 9. Put proper words in to the blanks:

1. The Russian Federation … (occupy, occupies, occupied) 1/6 of the Earth surface.

2. Russia is situated in Eastern Europe, Northern and … (Southern, Western, Eastern, Central) Asia.

3. Russia … (has, had, have had, has had) borders with fourteen countries.

4. Russia has a … (sea-border, land-border, air-border) with the USA.

5. There are 11 time … (areas, zones, belts) in the RF.

6. Our country … (includes, consists, comprises) eighty-nine regions.

7. St. Petersburg is considered to be the second … (capital, centre, largest city) of our country.

8. Our national flag is a … (blue-red-white, red-white-blue, white-blue-red) banner.

9. The Russian Federation is a … (monarchy, presidential republic, constitutional republic, parliamentary republic).

10. The legislative power belongs to … (the State Duma, the Council of Federation, the Federal Assembly).

Task 10. Connect the words and their definitions:

1. population	a. the average weather conditions at a particular place over a period of years
2. river	b. a large area of land without trees, especially in Russia and parts of Asia and Southeast Europe
3. surface	c. a town which is the centre of government of a country or other political unit
4. stepp	d. a cold treeless plain in the far north of Europe, Asia and North America, which is frozen hard in winter
5. tundra	e. the number of people living in a particular area or country
6. climate	f. the outer part of an object, especially when considered with regard to its roughness or smoothness
7. continental climate	g. a particular system of words, used by a people or nation
8. capital	h. a wide natural stream of water flowing between banks into a lake, another wider stream or the sea.
9. official language	i. mild climate

Task 11. Answer the questions:

1. What is the total area of Russia?

2. How many seas is Russian territory washed by?

3. Could you name geographical zones of our country?

4. What are the highest mountains?

5. What is the deepest lake in the world?

6. What climate zones are there in our country?

7. Could you name Russian natural resources?

8. Is Moscow a scientific centre of our country?

9. What other big cities are there in Russia? Which of them are situated in Central Russia, in Siberia, in the Far East?

10. What does the government consist of?

11. What does the Federal Assembly consist of?

12. What political parties are there in Russian political life?

13. How could you describe Russian foreign policy?

Task 12. Put prepositions in the blanks where necessary:

1. Russian foreign policy is aimed … international cooperation … all nations.

2. The judicial power belongs … the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and federal courts.

3. Each Chamber … the Federal Assembly is headed … the speaker.

4. Moscow is the capital … Russia and the most beautiful city … the globe.

5. Russia comprises … many national districts.

6. Climate conditions vary … arctic … moderate and subtropical.

7. Russia is rich … mineral resources.

8. The longest rivers … our land are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisey and some others.

9. Russia is washed … 12 seas.

Task 13. Think over the crossword puzzle. Words are written across. In one of the vertical lines you can read another word connected with Russia:

1. A kind of metal. 2. A model of the Earth. 3. The head of our state. 4. A place where a person was born and lives. 5. An administrative part of the country. 6. Flat land. 7. An ocean situated in the North. 8. The largest river in the Siberia. 9. A part of the continent where Western Russia is situated. 10. A member of government.

Task 14. Read and translate the text “Moscow – the capital of our country”:

Moscow is the capital of Russia. It was first mentioned in the records dated back to the year 1147. At that time it was a small frontier post. The history of Moscow is connected with the history of Russia. In 1237 Moscow fell under the yoke of Tatars. And it was Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy who led the Russian troops to a decisive victory over the invaders in the battle of Kulikovo field in 1380.

By the 15^th century Moscow turned into a wealthy city. It was under Ivan III that Moscow became the capital of the state Muscovy. At that time the Kremlin was built and the largest Kremlin Cathedrals were erected.

During the Time of Troubles Moscow was occupied by the Polish invaders but they were routed by the popular levy headed by Minin and Pozharsky.

In 1812 the Napoleonic army entered Moscow. The city was set ablaze. The army had to retreat. That was a poor substitute for the military triumph in Russia, so much desired by Napoleon.

Nowadays Moscow is the largest city of Russia. It is a political, administrative, economic, educational and cultural centre of the country.

There are many places of interest in Moscow. The city is famous for its historical monuments, museums, art galleries and theatres. The Historical Museum, the Pushkin Museum of fine arts, the Tretyakov State Picture Gallery are world famous. Moscow is proud of the Bolshoi, Mali and Art theatres. Moscow is an industrial city with highly developed engineering, electric, light and chemical industries.

Moscow is a scientific centre too. The Russian Academy of Sciences, the oldest university, many schools of higher learning, colleges and scientific institutions are located here.

Moscow is the country’s largest sports centre. It often becomes a scene of international sports festivals (from Миньяр-Белоручева 1999).

Task 15. Translate the words into Russian, use the text “Moscow”:

1) to mention; 2) frontier post; 3) troops; 4) wealthy city; 5) the Time of Trouble; 6) to be routed; 7) to retreat; 8) scientific institution.

Task 16. In the text “Moscow” find English equivalents to the Russian words:

1) записи; 2) монголо-татарское иго; 3) окончательная победа; 4) возводить; 5) ополчение; 6) поджечь; 7) гордиться.

Task 17. Answer the questions:

1. How can you describe Moscow of 1147?

2. When did Moscow fall under the yoke of Tatars?

3. How long were the Tatars masters of Russia?

4. Under whose rule did Moscow become the capital of Muscovy?

5. What invaders were routed by levy headed by Minin and Pozharsky?

6. What are the places of interest situated in Moscow?

Task 18. Say whether the statements are true or false, correct false statements:

1. Prince Yury Dolgorukiy won the decisive battle over Tatars in 1380.

2. The Kremlin and the largest Kremlin Cathedrals were erected during the reign of Ivan the Great.

3. During the Napoleonic war Moscow was set aflame.

4. Today Moscow is the largest industrial city of Russia.

5. Hermitage is situated in Moscow.

6. The Russian Academy of Sciences is the oldest in Europe.

7. Moscow is connected with many sport events in our country.

Task 19. Put proper words into the blanks:

1. The history of Moscow … (is linked, connected, connects) with the history of Russia.

2. Prince Dmitry Donskoy … (loose, lost, win, won) the battle of Kulikovo field in 1380.

3. The levy against the Polish invaders was led by … (Dmitry Donskoy, Minin and Pozharsky, Alexander Nevsky).

4. Main branches of industry in Moscow are … (heavy industry, machinery, engineering, light industry).

5. Moscow is the country’s … (large, the largest, largest, small) sports centre.

Task 20. Put these events in the proper chronological order:

1) Napoleon was in Moscow; 2) Moscow University was founded; 3) Moscow fell under the Tatars; 4) the Great Kremlin Palace was completed; 5) first mentions of Moscow; 6) Ivan III’s reign; 7) victory over fashism parade on the Red Square; 8) St. Basil’s Cathedral was built; 9) building of Lenin Mausoleum; 10) the Russians won the victory over the Tatars.

Task 21. Read the abstracts. Connect them with the right titles. Two of the titles are extra (from Игнатова 1992):

1. The Moscow Metro

2. The State Tretyakov Gallery

3. The Kremlin

4. St. Basil’s Cathedral

5. The Bolshoi

a) It is now both a piece of living history and an ensemble of masterpieces of Russian architecture. The first thing that meets the eye is the red-brick walls of the Kremlin, reinforced by 20 towers, five of which are also gates. The total length of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin equals 2.25 kilometres with a thickness varying between 3.5 and 6.5 metres. The Kremlin’s towers are unique in appearance. Built in 1485, the Tainitsky Tower is the oldest. The highest of them is the Trinity Tower which is 80 metres tall. Its building designed by Kazakov dates back to 1782. It was rebuilt in postwar years.

b) The gallery’s works of Russian fine arts range from unique mosaics and icons of the 11^th century to works of contemporary artists. The gallery is named after great Russian connoisseur Pavel Tretyakov who left his collection as a gift to the nation. It has become one of the most popular places of interest in Moscow since then.

c) It marked its 70^th anniversary in 2005. It is not possible to imagine today’s Moscow without its metro. The underground expresses seem to bring the outskirts of the city nearer to the centre, and make the work of the surface transport easier. No other form of city transport can compete with the Moscow Metro.

Task 22. Choose proper words to fit the blanks:

Moscow is the capital of … (Russia, Russian, Russians), its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded eight centuries … (late, ago, later) by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow’s … (historical, historian, history). Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13^th century Moscow … (was, were, has) the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the Tatar yoke. In the 16^th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow … (become, became, becoming) the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the … (hot, heat, heart) of Russia. That is why it was the main target of … (Napoleon’s, Napoleon’, Napoleons’s) attack. Three-quarters of the city were destroyed … (after, by, before) fire during Napoleon’s occupation, but by the mid-19^th century Moscow had been completely … (restore, restored, to restore). After the October … (revolutionary, revolution, revolutioner) Moscow became the capital again.

Now Moscow is one of the … (large, largest, larger) cities in Europe. Its total area is about nine … (hundred, hundreds, hundred’s) square kilometres – ancient Moscow occupied the territory of the present-day Kremlin. The population of the city is over 9 million.

Task 23. Read the text and choose proper answers to the questions:

Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historic associations than any other place in Moscow. The Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral (Vasily Blazheny) are masterpieces of ancient Russian architecture. The main Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the country. On the territory of the Kremlin you can see old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the Tzar-Cannon and the Tzar-Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world. St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in the mid-16^th century in memory of the victory over Kazan. There’s a legend that Ivan the Terrible blinded the architects Barma and Postnik, because he didn’t want them to create another masterpiece.

There are a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow. Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope that in a few years the city will be even more beautiful.

There are more than 100 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of fine arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the All-Russia Museum of Folk Arts, the Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Alexei Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, Mikhail Glinka Museum of Musical Culture and many others.

Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are also very popular.

Moscow is the city of students. There are over 100 higher education institutions in it.

Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament (the Duma) and the centre of political life of the country (from Цветкова, Клепальченко, Мыльцева 2006).

Questions:

1) What is the heart of Moscow?

a) Bolshoi Theatre

b) Red Square

c) St. Petersburg

2) What is the main Kremlin Tower?

a) Bell Tower of Ivan the Great

b) Kutaphya Tower

c) Spasskaya Tower

3) What is the Tzar-Bell?

a) the biggest bell in the world

b) the biggest cannon in the world

c) the biggest bell in Moscow

4) In commemoration of what event was St. Basil’s Cathedral built?

a) victory over Kazan

b) a century of Romanovs’ rule in Russia

c) victory at Kulikovo field

5) When was St. Basil’s Cathedral built?

a) beginning of the 16^th century

b) end of the sixteenth century

c) middle of the sixteenth century

6) Who were the architects of St. Basil’s Cathedral?

a) Minin and Pozharsky

b) Postnik and Barma

c) Ivan Motorin

7) What is the best known theatre in Moscow?

a) Malyi Theatre

b) Bolshoi Theatre

c) Grand Opera

8) How many higher education institutions are there in Moscow?

a) less than 100 thousand

b) over 10 thousand

c) over one hundred

Task 24. In the text find sentences with articles. Explain the rules of their usage in the English language:

Исчисляемые существительные в английском языке употребляются с артиклями: определенным или неопределенным. Неопределенный артикль a (an) происходит от числительного one (один), определенный – от указательного местоимения that (тот). Артикль употребляется перед каждым нарицательным существительным. Артикль не употребляется, если перед существительным стоит:

1) указательное или притяжательное местоимение (This is my bag. This film is interesting).

2) другое существительное в притяжательном падеже (It is my brother's pen).

3) количественное числительное (This is flat 17. This is 17^th flat).

4) отрицание no (I have no ruler).

Упоминая предмет впервые, необходимо использовать перед ним неопределенный артикль. Упоминая этот же предмет вторично, перед ним используется определенный артикль.

Неопределенный артикль употребляется перед единичным, отдельным предметом, который не выделяется из класса ему подобных. Значение неопределенного артикля передается словами «какой-то, один из, один». неопределенный артикль имеет две формы – a, an. Форма “a” употребляется перед существительными, начинающимися с согласной (a pen, a knife). Форма “an” употребляется перед словами, начинающимися с гласной (an apple, an egg). Неопределенный артикль используется только перед исчисляемыми существительными, стоящими в единственном числе.

Определенный артикль выделяет предмет или предметы из класса ему подобных. Определенный артикль употребляется как с исчисляемыми, так и с неисчисляемыми существительными в единственном или во множественном числе.

Определенный артикль употребляется:

1) когда из контекста известно, о каком предмете идет речь (Shut the window, please),

2) когда речь идет о единственном в своем роде предмете или явлении (The executive brunch is headed by the President),

3) если перед существительным стоит ограничивающее определение, чаще всего с предлогом (I don’t know the name of this pupil),

4) если перед существительным стоит прилагательное в превосходной степени (This is the most interesting film).

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Учебное издание

С.В. Банникова

Английский язык