Mt. Rushmore National Memorial

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is a huge mountain sculpture of four US Presidents, located near Keystone, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Presidents depicted are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four Presidents were chosen to represent the founding, growth and preservation of the United States. The work was designed by the sculptor John Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1871- March 6,1941). The Construction of Mt. Rushmore: The monument was sculpted by Borglum and about 400 stone workers. Construction began on August 10, 1927 (President Coolidge attended the dedication that day). Funding was provided by private donations and the Federal Government.

The sculpting was done by first blasting away tons of rock with dynamite. Workers then sat in hanging "swing seats," and used jackhammers, drills, hammers, and other tools to do the finishing work. Bad weather and a lack of funding slowed work; although it took 14 years to finish the project, work was done for only about 6 of those years.

After Borglum's death, soon before the sculpture was done, the completion of the giant sculpture was overseen by his son, Lincoln Borglum. The monument was completed in 1941 (after Borglum's death).

MT. RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, LOCATED NEAR KEYSTONE, IN THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, the White House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The White House has been the official residence of all the presidents of the United States with the exception of George Washington. Washington served from 1789 to 1797. By the time the White House was completed in 1800, John Adams was President. The house was rebuilt and restored after it was burned by the British in August 1814.

The White House has six floors—two basements, two public floors, and two floors for the First Family. Visitors who tour the White House are able to see the most beautiful and historic rooms in the house including the East Room, the Green Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room. These rooms are used by the President and First Lady to entertain guests and to receive leaders of other countries. The Oval Office is where the President does the business of the country—signing bills and Executive Orders and meeting with staff, visitors, and guests.

Symbol of U.S. Government:

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam, a figure symbolizing the United States, is portrayed as a tall, white-haired man with a goatee. He is often dressed in red, white, and blue, and wears a top hat. The exact origins of Uncle Sam as a symbol for the United States are unknown. But the most widely accepted theory is that Uncle Sam was named after Samuel Wilson.

During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson was a businessman from Troy, NY that supplied the U.S. Army with beef in barrels. The barrels were labeled "U.S." When asked what the initials stood for, one of Wilson's workers said it stood for Uncle Sam Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the Federal Government and association stuck. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution that recognized Samuel Wilson as the Uncle Sam as a symbol of U.S. Uncle Sam is often depicted as a serious elderly man with white hair and a goatee, with a strong resemblance to President Abraham Lincoln, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States—for example, a top hat with red and blue stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white trousers.

Uncle Sam's traditional appearance is an invention of artists and political cartoonists. One of these political cartoonists was named Thomas Nast. Nast produced many of the earliest cartoons of Uncle Sam. The most famous picture of Uncle Sam appeared on an Army recruiting poster. The poster was designed in World War I, and was used again in World War II. The caption reads "I Want You for U.S. Army." James Montgomery Flagg drew this picture, and served as the model too!

 

Origin of the Name

Common folklore holds origins trace back to soldiers stationed in upstate New York, who would receive barrels of meat stamped with the initials U.S. The soldiers jokingly referred to it as the initials of the troops' meat supplier, Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York. The 87th United States Congress adopted the following resolution on September 15, 1961: "Resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives that the Congress salutes Uncle Sam Wilson of Troy, New York, as the progenitor of America's National symbol of Uncle Sam." A monument marks his birthplace in Arlington, Massachusetts, and a monument marks his burial in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York. Another sign marks "The boyhood home of Uncle Sam" outside his second home in Mason, NH. The first use of the term in literature is seen in an 1816 allegorical book, The Adventures of Uncle Sam in Search After His Lost Honor by Frederick Augustus Fidfaddy, Esq., also in reference to the aforementioned Samuel Wilson.

Another theory suggests that Uncle Sam was a creation by Irish immigrants to the U.S. who used the Gaelic acronym, SAM, or Stait Aontaithe Mheiricea, which is the translation for United States of America, as a nickname for their new host country. However, the precise origin of the term may never be proven.

Earlier representative figures of the United States included such beings as "Brother Jonathan," used by Punch magazine. These were overtaken by Uncle Sam somewhere around the time of the Civil War. The female personification "Columbia" has seldom been seen since the 1920s.

 

EXERCISES:

 

I TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING WORD EXPRESSIONS INTO RUSSIAN:

To shut off one’s connection ;to state the design of ; a 5 pointed star; to alternate red and white with a union of 15 stars; to succeed from the union; to march under a flag; to update the official Flag Code; to get the release of; to be inspired with joy; put down feelings in a poem;

to be holding captive; land mismanagement; to write the first draft in seclusion; huge spikes, like sun rays; to symbolize the overthrow of tyranny; to represent the founding, growth and preservation of the United States; to provide by private donations; to tour the White House;

to stick association; an Army recruiting poster.

II MATCH THE WORD EXPRESSIONS IN PART A WITH THEIR SYNONYMS IN PART B :

A                                                        B

1 to hoist a flag                                         A to honor a notable data

2 to pass an official resolution                  B to renew flag policy

3 to be arranged haphazard                      C to stand for reservation

and development

4 to deny the request                                D to reject demand

5.to update flag code                               E to adopt a state

convention

6 to come up with a national emblem       F to undergo reconstruct                                                        tion

7 to reach a compromise                           G to raise a banner

8 to represent growth

and preservation                                      H to achieve

conciliation

9 to escape the chains of tyranny             I to break with

shackles of oppression

10 to commemorate a historic event        J to be arranged in

a nonsystematic manner

11 to be rebuilt and restored                K to propose a state sym                                                         bol

 

III WHICH IS THE ODD WORD OUT:

 

1 target, aim, goal, objective, end, intention, board .

 2 impressive, striking, touchy, remarkable , notable, extraordinary , exciting.

3 to inspire, to enthuse, to stimulate, to emphasize, to encourage, to motivate.

4 precise, exact , accurate, extraordinary, specific, clear-cut, defined.

5 donatation , aid, contribution ,gift, help, assistance, grant.

6 to revise , to renew, to amend ,to modify, to adjust, to alter, to change, to correct, to improve.

7 to stand for, to signify, to denote, to mean, to indicate, to imply, to exemplify, to connote.

8 to overthrow, to put an end to, to cause the downfall, to result in, to bring down, to oust , to depose.

IV MAKE UP YOUR OWN SENTENSES USING POPULAR EXPRESSIONS:

 to make an easy target of smb , to make smb an easy target , a target for popular ridicule;

rights imply obligations ; present a gift to ; to heap lavish gifts on; an extravagant gift ;

 outright gift ;wedding gift ; to overthrow the dictator; to bring about smb 's downfall ; to attain an objective; gain an objective; win an objective ; make a contribution ; send in a contribution ; charitable contribution ;voluntary contribution.

 

V LOOK THROUGH THE TEXT AGAIN AND SAY WHO:

1. Was the "New Flag" Committee chairman?

2 Presented an actual bill for the design of the flag to Congress and asked for payment for designing this flag.

3 Wrote the "Star Spangled Banner."

4 Wanted to remove the stars of the states that had succeeded from the union.

5. Met in Washington, DC to draw up a set of rules on how to handle the flag after the Civil War On June 14, 1923 .

6 Inspired with joy after the victory of American force put down his feelings in a poem,titled “Defense of Fort McHenry”

7 In 1916 ordered that "The Star-Spangled Banner would be played at all state occasions.

8 Was appointed to write the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

9 Of American Presidents didn’t live in the White House.

10 Served a model for Uncle Sam, a figure symbolizing the United States and portrayed as a tall, white-haired man with a goatee.

 VI QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

1 When was it decided to replace “The Union Jack” for the New Flag?

2 What was the name of the first American Flag?

3 How was the problem of the number of stars and stripes on the flag solved?

4 What inspired Francis Scott Key to write the “ Star Spangled Banner”?

5What were the disagreements between South and North of the USA on the eve and during the Civil War?

6 When was the official Flag Code drawn up?

7 Tell the story of the idea put into the poem by Francis Scott Key titled “Defense of Fort McHenry”?

8 What were the ideas proposed for the national emblem of the United States?

Why was it Bald Eagle but not Golden Eagle chosen for the national emblem?

9 When was the final design of the Great Seal approved?

10 Describe the front and the back sides of the Great Seal.

11 What is written on the bottom of the Seal?

12 When and how was the Declaration of Independence created?

13 What is the Liberty Bell made of?

14 Why hasn’t been the bell hung since the 1846?

15 What country and why presented the Statue of Liberty to the US?

16 What is the proper name of the Statue of Liberty and what does it imply?

17What is the Statue of Liberty personified by?

18What is the most popular tourist attractions in the country?

19 What rooms of the White House are open for the public?

20What figure symbolizes the United States?

21 What is the most accepted theory of Uncle Sam’s origin?

22 How is Uncle Sam often depicted?

 

VII MATCH THE GIVEN BELOW DESCRIPTIONS WITH THE appropriate SYMBOLS OF THE USA:

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