Look at these pictures. Do you know anything about these people? Tell your classmates some facts about them.
Read the dialogue. Find out some new information.
Hello, Kate. Where are you going?
Hello, Mike. I am going to the library. I am working at the project about America. I’d like to take some books there. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about America.
Well, nowadays everybody knows what the word “America” means. First of all it’s the name of the country – the United States of America. And then America is the name of the two continents – North America and South America. These two continents form the part of the world called America.
I see. I have certainly read that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
You are right. The king and queen of Spain gave him money to go to India. He decided to go west and after sailing 4000 miles (6400 kilometers) he reached some land .
And it was a new land – a new continent America – Central America in fact. People began to call this land “ the New World”.
By the way, I have recently found an interesting information about the first American colonists in the Internet.
Really? I know that in 1620 the first colonists from Great Britain came to America and started a new life there.
Yes, when English colonists came to the New World on board the “Mayflower” the Native Americans met them and were very friendly and helped them a lot.
By the way Native Americans came from Asia. Over 2000 years ago they travelled across the land between Siberia and Alaska.
In those days Native Americans lived in small earth houses and grew their own food. Some Indians ate only grass, nuts and fruit they could find, they were vegetarians.
And I know that other people were fishermen and lived in wooden houses. Most Native Americans were peaceful. They wanted to live in peace. They believed in different gods and thought that gods could bring success in hunting, farming and fishing. They often had special ceremonies with dancing and music.
Have you heard about a famous Indians’ tradition of smoking a peace pipe? When they smoked this pipe together with people they didn’t know, it meant friendship and peace.
Many years ago Native American tribes lived in all parts of the USA, hunted and fished where they chose. Now most of them have to live in poor lands to the west of the Mississippi River. Many of them live in “reservations”.
Thanks a lot for information, Mike. I am sure my project will be interesting.
Read the dialogue again and say : true, false or I don’t know.
1.The word America means the name of the country and the name of the two continents.
2. Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent America.
3. Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent in 1492.
4. Nobody remembers Columbus’s voyage.
5. The “New World” was the name of the new land.
6. The first colonists came to America in 1620.
7. The ship which came to the New World was called “Spring Flower”.
8. 50% of all Native Indians were fishermen.
9. The famous Indians’ tradition was smoking a peace pipe.
10. At present Native Americans live in the best lands of the country.