Прочитайте и переведите текст “DiscoverWashington,D.C.”
Washington, D.C. is not only the capital of the United States but also the most interestingly designed city in America. The place for the capital was chosen by George Washington, the first US president. Washington wanted the capital city to be grand and impressive and, most of all, well planed. So he invited Pierre Charles L`Enfant, a young French architect, engineer and artist, to design a plan of the new city.
The area George Washington had chosen for the capital was swampy but that didn`t discourage L`Enfant. Creating the capital from a swamp was no easy task. Building went very slowly. Though Washington was first settled in 1790 and in 1800 it became the federal capital, people didn`t want to move to it. President George Washington who died in 1799 didn`t live to see the city in its full glory.
L`Enfant designed Washington, D.C. as a circle. In the centre of the circle were the Capitol building and the White House which were situated on natural hills to draw attention to them. The streets of Washington, D.C. were named with letters of the alphabet (like “A”Street and “J”Street) to the north and south of the Mall and with numbers (like 1st Street and 5th Street) to the east and west. The main avenues were named after states. (The White House, for example, is located on Pennsylvania Avenue).
The tallest monument in the US capital is the Washington Monument. For five yearsit was the tallest man_made structure in the world, until the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris in 1889. The Washington Monument is still the world`s tallest stone structure.
It is 170 metres high and is made of granite covered with white marble. This memorial is located in the centre of the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol building.
If you are ever in Washington on the 4th of July, go and sit on the Capitol lawn. You will be able to listen to the National Symphony Orchestra and watch the fireworks behind the Washihgton Monument. It`s an experience you`ll never forget.
The Capitol is the building where the US Congress meets. The Senate meets in the North side and the House of Representatives in the south side. The building was burnt by the British Army in 1814 and built again in 1863. This impressive building is 87.6 metres high and is seen from any part of Washington. It is also a museum of American art and history.
Today, the most visited place in Washington is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It is one of the newest memorials in the city. The monument consists of the Memorial Wall and two sculptures. The Wall was designed by a 20-year-old student of Yale University, Maya Lin. Her design is simple, honest and powerful: a V-shaped black sunken wall with over 58,000 names of all American men and women who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.
Vocabulary to the text:
Grand- величественный
Pierre Charles L`Enfant- Пьер Шарль Ланфан
Swampy- болотистый
Mish-mash- смесь, мешанина
National Mall- паркМолл
Vietnam Veterans Memorial- памятник ветеранам войны во Вьетнаме
YaleUniversity- Йельский университет
V-shaped- в форме буквы V
Sunken- утопающий, уходящий вниз
Задания к тексту:
1. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:
1) Who chose the place for the new capital of the United States?
2) Who designed a plan for the city?
3) Why didn`t people want to move to the new capital?
4) What places of interest are mentioned in the text? What is the most visited place in Washington?
5) Whom is the Vietnam Memorial devoted to?
2. Выберите правильный вариант перевода к данным предложениям:
1) The area George Washington had chosen for the capital was swampy but that didn`t discourage L`Enfant.
a)Местность,которуюДжордж Вашингтон выбрал для столицы, была болотистой, но это не обескуражило Ланфана.
b) Местность, которую Джордж Вашингтон купил для столицы, была болотистой, но это не обескуражило Ланфана.
2) President George Washington who died in 1799 didn`t live to see the city in its full glory.
a) Президент Джордж Вашингтон, который умер в 1799 году, смог увидеть город в его расцвете.
b) Президент Джордж Вашингтон, который умер в 1799 году, не дожил, чтобы увидеть город в его расцвете.
3. Поставьте следующие предложения в отрицательную форму:
1) Washington wanted the capital city to be grand and impressive and, most of all, well planned.
2) As a result, the design that we see today is something of a mish-mash.
3) Building went very slowly.
4) The streets of Washington, D.C. were named with letters of the alphabet.
5) You`ll be able to listen to the National Symphony Orchestra and watch the fireworks behind the Washington Monument.
4. Используя информацию из текста, подготовьте компьютерную презентацию к теме «Вашингтон-столица США» на английском языке (8-10 слайдов).
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