How to become a US president

To become a US president one must be 35 or (1)____________, be a US citizen born in the USA and have lived in the USA at (2)____________ 14 years.

A president must be elected every four years and can serve only two (3)__________.

The US president is not chosen by a direct vote of the people. He is elect­ed by the 538 electors that (4)___________ up the Electoral College.

The Electoral College refers to the total number of ‘electoral votes’ from all the states. (5)___________, there are 538 electoral votes and a candidate must win at least 270 of them to win the presidency.

The election is always held (6)_________ the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The number of electoral votes each state gets (7)__________ on the size of its population.

On Inauguration Day, which is (8)_________ held on January 20, Americans finally call the winner ‘Mr President’. There is usually a parade and the new president usually makes a (9)_____________ about his plans for the US.

There are two main political parties in the USA. The Democrats are more liberal and have more support (10)____________ the working classes, the Republicans are more conservative and have more support (10)_________ the upper classes.

 

	a) old	b) older	c) elder	d) eldest
	a) last	b) lest	c) least	d) less
	a) periods	b) dates	c) times	d) terms
	a) make	b) form	c) take	d) put
	a) To sum up	b) Together	c) Altogether	d) All
	a) in	b) on	c) at	d) by
	a) connects	b) influences	c) depends	d) explains
	a) seldom	b) rarely	c) always	d) never
	a) interview	b) say	c) talk	d) speech
	a) among	b) between	c) into	d) by

WASHINGTON, D. С.

 

Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any separate state but to all the states. The district is named in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America.

Washington is like no other city of the USA. It`s the world`s largest one-industry city. And that in­dustry is government. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington. The population of the city is over 3.4 million. Most of the permanent population consist of government employees.

The city was named so in memory of George Washington, the first president of the USA. George Washington was born in 1732. He distinguished himself as a soldier in campaigns against the French and the Indians. He strongly opposed the policy of the British government and when the war with Britain began he was chosen Commander-in-Chief of the American army. After the war he entered politics and was elected President in 1789.

There are 50 states in the United States, but the city of Wash­ington is not in any of them. A special district was created for the American capital — the District of Columbia (D. C). Washington D.C. has nothing characteristically American in it, as its conception is purely French. The city was laid out according to a uniform plan made by a French officer in the Engineer Pierre L’Enfant. Founded in 1790, it became the fed­eral capital in 1800. In 1814 it was burnt by the British. Washington has another nickname — the American Paris.

Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol — a big white dome standing in a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation`s af­fairs. It's easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It is the younger rival of the London Library of the British Museum. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.

The official residence of the president of the USA is the White House. All American presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time), have lived in the White House. It was constructed between 1792 and 1829. The White House has 132 rooms, among them the Oval Office where the Pres­ident works. The White House is open for tours.

One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washing­ton without a monument or a memorial. Not far from the Capitol is the Washington Monument, which looks like a very big pencil. It rises 160 metres and is hollow inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds from where they can enjoy a wonderful view of the whole city.

The Jefferson Memorial was built in honour of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Decla­ration of Independence and the third president of the USA. The memorial is surrounded by cherry-trees. There is Jefferson`s statue inside the memorial, and his writing`s are inscribed on the walls.

The Lincoln Memorial reminds everybody of Abraham Lin­coln, the sixteenth president of the USA, who wrote the Eman­cipation Proclamation which freed the blacks in the South from slavery. There is a huge statue of Abraham Lincoln inside the Memorial.

On the other bank of the Potomac lies the Arlington National Cemetery where President Kennedy was buried. American soldiers and officers, who died in World Wars I and II are buried there too.

At the National Air and Space Museum visitors can see the his­tory of flight from the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers to the Apollo spaceship.

The National Gallery of Art, a large museum of painting, sculp­ture and other arts is also situated in the capital. It is supported by the US government.

There is one more well-known building in Washington — Pentagon, the residence of the US Military department. It is situated in the suburbs to the south of the Potomac.

There are 5 universities in Washington. Two of them – Georgetown University and George Washington University – are the pride of the capital.

There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city`s many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 40 metres tall.

In Washington buses and trams run along numbered streets — First Street, Second Street, Third Street... The streets running east and west from the centre are lettered — A Street, В Street and so on. Most of them are called after states — Pennsylvania Avenue, Connecticut Avenue.

Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital.

 

Questions:

1. Where is Washington situated?

2. To which state does the city of Washington belong?

3. In whose honour is the district of Columbia named?

4. It`s the world`s largest one-industry city, isn`t it? What kind of industry is it?

5. Who was the first President of the USA?

6. Is Washington a typical American city?

7. What is another Washington`s name?

8. What important government buildings are situated in Washington?

9. Where does the US president live and work?

10. Who selected the place for the capital of the USA?

11. What monuments to presidents are there in the city?

12. When was Washington first settled?

13. Who designed the capital of the USA?

14. Who was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery?

15. What places of interest in Washington do you know?

16. How many universities are there in Washington? Which of them are the pride of the capital?

17. Why aren`t there any skyscrapers in Washington?

18. How are streets in Washington named?

Vocabulary (transcribe the words, learn them by heart):

cherry-trees — вишневые деревья

Commander-in-Chief — главноко­мандующий

Declaration of Independence — Де­кларация Независимости

District of Columbia — округ Колум­бия

Emancipation — Освобождение

employee — служащий

government — правительство, уп­равление

hollow — полый, пустой

huge — огромный, колоссальный

impressive — впечатляющий

nation`s affairs — национальные проблемы, дела нации

numbered — пронумерованный

official residence — официальная резиденция

on the other bank — на другом берегу

personal papers — личные бумаги

pillar — колонна, столб

separate — отдельный

skyscraper — небоскреб

space-ship — космический корабль

the Capitol — Капитолий (резиденция Конгресса США)

to be elected — быть избранным

to be named in honour — быть названным в честь

to be named in memory of — быть названным в честь

to contain — содержать

to distinguish — отличиться

to enjoy a wonderful view of — любоваться прекрас­ным видом

to get lost — потеряться

to lay out — планировать

to settle — поселять, заселять

to support — поддерживать, coдержать

 

Exercises

I. Compose your own sentences with the following words:

emancipation, hollow, impressive, nation`s affairs, official residence, skyscraper, to be elected, to be named in honour, to be named in memory of, to distinguish, to enjoy a wonderful view of, to get lost, to lay out, to settle, to support.

 

II.Writing

Complete with prepositions: in, on, of, by

Presidential Facts

1. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to appear ____TV ____ 1939 and to have an air transport: a C-44 plane named “the Sacred Cow”.

2. Harry S. Truman was the fist president to speak from the White House _____ TV ____1947.

3. The state where the greatest number _____ presidents were born: Virgin­ia—8.

4. Dwight D. Eisenhower was first president _____ all 50 states.

5. Benjamin Harrison was first president to use electricity ____ the White House, _____ 1891, but he and his wife were afraid to touch the switches for fear _____ getting shock

6. Presidents who died _____ July 4: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (both 1826) and James Monroe (1831).

7. Presidents who died _____ office: Eight presidents have died _____ office, _____ these 4 were assassinated: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley, John F Kennedy. The other 4 were W. H. Harrison, Zachary Taylor, W.G. Harding, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

8. _____ 1968, A. Johnson was the first president impeached _____ the House, but he was not convinced ____ the Senate.

9. _____ 1974, impeachment articles against Richard Nixon, _____ connection with Watergate Scandal, were voted; he resigned before the full House could vote on impeaching him.

10. _____ 1998, Bill Clinton was impeached; he was tried _____ the Senate _____ 1999 and acquitted.

III.Writing

Complete the text with the words in the appropriate form: govern, plan, propose, practice, construct, build, change, differ

The White House

The White House stood as a symbol of presidency, the USA government and the American people for 200 years.

In 1790 George Washington signed an Act of Con­gress: federal (1)___________ would reside in a district ‘not exceeding 10 mile square on the river Potomac’ and together with a city (2) ______________ Pierre L’Enfant chose a place for a President`s house which is now 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

There was a contest to choose the best project for the house. There were nine (3)______________.

James Hoban, an Irish-born architect won a gold medal for (4)____________ and handsome design. (5)___________ began in Octo­ber 1792. George Washington never lived in it, the (6)___________ was completed in 1800 and John Adams (the second Ameri­can president) with his wife moved in.

The White House is a private home so each president made (7)_____________, decorated some parts, but it is also open to public free of charge since the time of Jefferson and ex­cept war time.

The White House had (8)___________ names: it was President`s Palace, President`s house, Executive mansion. Theo­dore Roosevelt gave the White House its current name in 1901.

 

SHOPPING

 

Shopping has common elements wherever it takes place. A buyer looks for a seller who is offering something the buyer wants or needs at a price the buyer can afford to pay. Sellers often advertise their wares in newspapers, on the radio or TV, on posters etc. Sellers use a variety of tactics to induce buyers to purchase from them at a price which leaves some profit.

Shopping is a part of our daily life. And we have to deal with it whether we like it or not. There are people who hate going shopping. So they make a list of what they need and run through stores buying the needed things. Sometimes they even don't care about the price. And there are people who go from store to store looking for goods of better quality and lower price. Those don`t worry about the time they spend shopping.

There are many kinds of shops in every town or city, but most of them have a food supermarket, a department store, men`s and women`s clothing stores, grocery, a bakery and a butchery.

I like to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient. A department store, for example, true to its name, is composed of many departments: ready-made clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc. You can buy everything you like there.

There are also escalators in big stores which take customers to different floors. The things for sale are on the counters so that they can be easily seen. In the women`s clothing department you can find dresses, costumes, blouses, skirts, coats, beautiful underwear and many other things. In the men's clothing department you can choose suits, trousers, overcoats, ties, etc. In the knitwear department one can buy sweaters, cardigans, short-sleeved and long-sleeved pullovers, woolen jackets. In the perfumery they sell face cream and powder, lipstick, lotions and shampoos.

In a food supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, macaroni, flour, cereals, tea. At the butcher`s there is a wide choice of meat and poultry. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, biscuits. Another shop we frequently go to is the greengrocery which is stocked by cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, green peas and what not. Everything is sold here ready-weighed and packed. If you call round at a dairy you can buy milk, cream, cheese, butter and many other products.

The methods of shopping may vary. It may be a self-service shop where the customer goes from counter to counter selecting and putting into a basket what he wishes to buy. Then he takes the basket to the check-out counter, where the prices of the purchases are added up. If it is not a self-service shop, and most small shops are not, the shop-assistant helps the customer in finding what he wants. You pay money to the cashier and he gives you back the change.

There is also a very good service called Postal Market. It really helps you to save your time and get goods of high quality. You just have to look through a catalogue, choose the things you like, order them and wait a little to get them.

As for our family we go shopping every day. The other day my mother took me on a usual shopping round. We went to the grocer`s and greengrocer`s as we had run out of sugar and onions.

At the greengrocer`s there was a long queue. But we had nothing to do but stand in the queue if we wanted to get to the counter and have some onions. The shop-girl weighed us half a kilo of onions, we thanked her and went out. Then we made our way to the grocer's where we bought a kilo of sugar and some sausage. We were about to go home as my mother suddenly remembered we had hardly any bread in the house. We dropped in at the baker`s and bought a loaf of brown bread, some rolls and buns. On our way home the mother decided to call at a commercial shop. She was looking for a present to my father — as it was his birthday soon.

As soon as we entered the shop, we found ourselves in a fantastic motley city of silk skirts and shirts, woolen pull­overs, frocks and leather boots and shoes. The smiling girl met us at the counter. My mother said she wanted to buy a size 50 shirt of a dark-blue colour. The girl suggested looking at a dark-blue cotton shirt with short sleeves. The shirt was the latest fashion and we were sure the father would like it-We paid the money at the cash-desk. The cashier gave us a receipt and with it we came up to the shop-assistant. She passed us a wrapped parcel with the shirt, thanked us and added they were always glad to see us at their shop and happy and a bit excited we went out of the shop.

Questions:

1. What is shopping?

2. How do sellers advertise their wares?

3. What do the sellers do to increase their profit?

4. What kinds of shops are there in every town?

5. Where do you like to do your shopping?

6. What departments is a department store composed of?

7. Where are the things for sale?

8. What can we buy in the knitwear department?

9. What can we buy in a food supermarket?

10. What methods of shopping are there?

11. Is there any service which helps to save time during shopping?

12. What kind of a service is it?

13. Do you go shopping every day?

14. Where did you go?

15. What did you buy at the greengrocer`s?

16. Was the queue long there?

17. Where did you buy a kilo of sugar and some sausage?

18. What did your mother decide to do?

19. What did you see at the commercial shop?

20. What did you buy there?

21. What did the cashier give you?

22. Why were you happy and a bit excited as you went out of the shop?

 

Vocabulary (transcribe the words, learn them by heart):

a shop assistant — продавец

buyer — покупатель

cash-desk — касса

cashier — кассир

catalogue — каталог

commercial shop — коммерческий магазин

common — общий

counter — прилавок

customer — покупатель

escalator — эскалатор

fabrics — ткани

fantastic — фантастический

frock — платье

greengrocer`s — овощной магазин

grocer`s — бакалея

leather — кожа, кожаный

loaf — буханка

Postal Market — товары — почтой

price — цена

purchase — покупка

queue — очередь

ready-weighed and packed — в расфасованном и упако­ванном виде

receipt — товарный чек

roll, bun — булка

seller — продавец

sleeve — рукав

store — магазин, отдел

supermarket — супермаркет

sure — уверенный

to be composed of... — состоять (из чего-то)

to be the latest fashion — быть в моде

to cost (cost, cost) — стоить

to decide — решать

to do shopping — делать покупки

to drop in at smth., to call at smth. — заходить

to enter — входить

to go shopping – ходить по магазинам

to look for smth — искать

to run out of smth. — истощить свой запас

to weigh — взвешивать

under one roof — под одной крышей

various — разнообразный

Exercises

I. Compose your own sentences with the following words:

purchase, under one roof, to be composed of..., ready-weighed and packed, fabrics, customer, to go shopping (to do shopping), to run out of smth., queue, counter, a shop assistant, to drop in at smth. (to call at smth.), commercial shop, to look for smth., leather, to be the latest fashion, cash-desk, cashier, receipt.

 

II. Speaking

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