8. Make a list of key words to every part of the following plan using text 2c. Complete the table. Speak about London’s sights using this table.

	Plan	Names	Key words
1	Short excursion
2	Palaces and castles	The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St. James's Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace
3	Cathedrals and churches	St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey	Masterpiece, crowned by, the dome, whispers, the crypt, vaulted roof
4	Squares and monuments
5	Museums
6	Theatres	The National Theatre, The Globe, The Royal Court Theatre
7	Sport facilities

TOPIC 3. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Warm-up

1. How many states are there in the USA?

2. When and how was the USA formed?

3. What people inhabit the USA?

4. What famous people of the USA do you know?

1. Read Text 3a and translate it. Text 3a. Country and people

T he United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, and China. It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Atlantic seaboard, across the central plains, over the Rocky Mountains to the densely populated West Coast and then to the island state of Hawaii. The USA also includes Alaska in the north of the continent. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometres. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The capital of the country is Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia). It was named in honour of the first President whose name was George Washington (1732−1799).

The official language of the United States is English. The national currency is the US dollar.

The population of the country as estimated in July, 2010, is about 295 million. The capital of the country is Washington with the population of about 560 thousand of people. The USA is called ‘the nation of immigrants’. The country was settled, built, and developed by generations of immigrants, and their children. Many different cultural traditions, ethnic sympathies, racial groups, and religious affiliations make up the people of the USA. The official language of the country is English though in the south, in the states bordering on Mexico, Spanish is widely used.

In the USA constitution there is no provision for national holidays. Each state has the right to decide which holiday to observe. Many states have holidays of their own, but there are also major holidays observed in nearly all the USA.

The main holiday in the USA is Independence Day, celebrated on the 4th of July. On that day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It is a patriotic holiday, celebrated with the firing of guns, and fireworks, parades, and open-air meetings.

Another traditionally American holiday is Thanksgiving Day which falls on the fourth Thursday of November. It has been celebrated since the 17th century, when the English colonists decided to celebrate the end of their first year in America and to give thanks to God. It is a family holiday with a large traditional dinner including turkey and pumpkin pie.

There are other holidays in the USA, including ones popular all round the whole world, like Christmas, New Year, and Easter. 34 of the 50 states observe Columbus Day on the 12th of October. It commemorates the discovery of America. Labour Day on the first Monday of September marks the end of the summer and of the vacations. Veterans' Day on the 11th of November is dedicated to the end of the First World War. There is also Memorial Day or Decoration Day observed on the 30th of May when Americans honour the servicemen who gave their lives in all the past wars and hold memorial services.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. Traditionally the continental USA territory is also separated into several geographical regions which are united by common type of culture and economy. The East, along the Atlantic coast, is US oldest developed territory, the one that has most cultural traditions and most city population. The South, the states that lost the Civil War, has their own culture and style of life, and even a very specific accent. Midwest is the land of small towns and huge fields. Southwest used to belong to Mexico and is influenced by Spanish and Indian heritage. The most well-known of the Western states is California, the most modern and advanced in its culture and style of life.

Somewhat unusually, but being the capital, Washington is far from being its biggest city. It was built after the country reached its independence, to become a capital. There are many other important cities in the USA, for example, New York, one of the largest cities in the world, a great seaport and financial centre, Chicago near the Great Lakes, one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA, and the second largest after New York. Boston is one of the first cities which were built on the Atlantic coast of America. Now it is a big cultural centre with three universities. Los Angeles in California is a centre of modern industries and show business.

But great cities are not really typical for USA. When people there think about a typical American place, they are usually imagining a small town where most of the people know each other. Such towns are described in many American books and films, and there are still a lot of them.