2. Подчеркните предложения, в которых дается эта информация.

Text 4. SIGHTSEEING OF WASHINGTON

The Capitol is the seat of the Government of the United States of America. The cornerstone of the Capitol was laid by George Washington on September 18, 1793.

The Capitol is in the very centre of Washington. It is located on Capitol Hill, the highest point in the city. The Capitol is the highest building in Washington. There is a law m Washington not to build houses higher than the Capitol.

The Capitol is the seat of Congress. The Congress first met in the north wing, the Senate Chamber, which was first completed on November, 21 1800. The south wing for the House of Representatives was not under roof until 1807. In August 1814 the unfinished Capitol building was partially destroyed by fire set by invading British troops. Finally, in 1827, the old Capitol was completed.

Thirty years later the building was decorated with marble. The tower-styled iron done, capped by Thomas Crawford's bronze "Statue of Freedom" was fin­ished in 1863. The 36 columns which surround the lower part of the dome repre­sent the states of America at the time the building was designed.

The completed building measures 751 feet in length and 350 feet wide. The dome is 287 feet in height and is 135 feet 5 inches in diameter at its base. The Capitol building contains 540 rooms. It is easy to get lost in the huge building, full of paintings and statues.

The White House is a pleasant, white-painted, neoclassical- style house in which the President of the United States lives and works. It is set close to Penn­sylvania Avenue, easy to see over the railings, and cut off from passers-by only by lawns and trees. The President’s House was first occupied in 1800.

President George Washington decided that the President of the United States must have an official residence. It was he who selected the site and laid the corner­stone in October, 1793. The building was based on a design by James Hoban.

Washington died in 1799, before the house was completed, so the first President to live in the new official residence was John Adams.

In 1814, during the war with England, the White House was burnt down.

After the war the charred remains of the building were whitewashed, so as not to spoil the view. Since that time the residence of the American presidents has been always painted white.

The White House has 132 rooms, 54 of which are reserved only for the pri­vate use of the First Family on the second and third floors. The visitors who line up in East Executive Avenue get to see just five, plus the entrance hall and corri­dors.

1. Подберите ответы к следующим вопросам:

1. What is the seat of the Government?

1. Where is the Capitol?

2. When were different parts of the Capitol completed?

3. What are the decorations of the Capitol?

4. What are the Capitol dimensions?

5. What is the White House?

6. Who selected the place for the residence and who was the 1^st President to live there?

7. Why is White House painted white?

8. Where does the First Family live?

Text 5. ABOUT SOME AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Some of the American holidays are associated 1 __________________ . There are also some holidays that have come to modern 2 ________________. Most of these holidays are not legal holidays. Schools, offices and banks may close or may stay open. Some of the holidays are very popular, especially 3 _______and young people. There are many customs and traditions associated 4______________.

JANUARY 1 - NEW YEAR'S DAY. On this day all banks, schools and offices are closed. New Year's Day celebrates the start of a new year. Americans be­gin to celebrate the holiday on New Year's Eve, the night of December 31. It is a merry holiday. People wish each other "Happy New Year".

THE 3d MONDAY OF FEBRUARY - PRESIDENTS DAY. Americans honour two of their greatest presidents, George Washington (born on February 22) and Abraham Lincoln (born on February 12).

THE 2nd SUNDAY OF MAY - MOTHER'S DAY. It is not a national holiday. It is a day when Americans honour their mothers. They send their mothers a card or a gift, present flowers, prepare dinner for them. It is the custom to wear a red or pink flower if one's mother is living. It is the custom to wear a white flower if one's mother is dead.

THE 3d SUNDAY OF JUNE -FATHER'S DAY. It is not a national holi­day. On that day Americans honour their fathers. Many people send their fathers a card or a gift and prepare a pleasant surprise.

JULY 4 - INDEPENDENCE DAY. It is the biggest national holiday in the USA. It is the birthday of the American nation. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, when the American colonies were fighting for independence against England.

OCTOBER 31 - HALLOWEEN. It is not a legal or a national holiday. Schools, offices and banks do not close. Halloween is the day or evening before Alhallow's or All Saints' Day. Many Halloween stories and games are hundreds of years old. Halloween customs date back to a time when people believed in devils and witches and ghosts. They thought that these evil spirits could do all kinds of damage to property. Some people tried to scare witches away by painting magic signs on their barns. Others tried to scare them away by nailing a piece of iron, such as a horseshoe, over the door.

It is a holiday for children and young people. In the evening of October 31 they dress up in different old clothes and wear masks. They cut horrible faces in empty pumpkins (тыквa) and put a lighted candle inside. The children go from house to house and knock on the doors, calling "trick or treat". This means that if you give them a "treat"- sweets, cakes, fruits or anything else they like - they go away without "trick". If you don't, they play a trick on you. The most common tricks are making a lot of noise or soaping the windows of houses and cars. They draw pictures on the windows with soap.

THE 4th THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER - THANKSGIVING DAY. It is a legal holiday in the US. This is a family holiday: many people go to church in the morning and at home they have a big dinner 5 __________. People gather to give thanks for all the good things 6 ________________.

Thanksgiving is a harvest festival. The celebration was held in 1621 7_____________ in New England. 8 ___________ the passengers from the May­flower landed in America and started settling there. Only half of the people sur­vived 9____________. In spring the Indians gave the settlers some seeds of In­dian corn and the first harvest was very good.

Later, Thanksgiving Days following harvest were celebrated in all the colo­nies 10___________, but not on the same day. In October 1863 President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving. In 1951, the United States Con­gress named fourth Thursday 11 ___________ a Thanksgiving Day.