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California
1. More kinds of minerals are mined in California than in any other state.
2. Many movies and TV shows come from California.
3. California grows more food than any other state.
4. Death Valley is the lowest place in the United States.
5. One of the world’s largest zoos is in California.
6. The world’s largest oceanarium is in California.
7. The state song is “I Love You, California”.
8. California is the leader in electic energy.
9. The San Francisco – Oakland and Golden Gate Bridges are among the world’s engineering marvels.
10. California has a great many institutions of higher education.
Alaska
1. In 1867 Alaska was bought by the United States for 7,200,000 dollars.
2. After fishing, Alaska’s chief industry is lumber and the production of wood pulp.
3. The growing season is short, but the sun shines 20 hours a day in summer. Things grow fast and big. A cabbage can weigh about 30 kilos.
4. Alaska is the biggest state but it has the fewest people. Its population is around 450,000.
5. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska.
6. The Yukon is the biggest river.
7. Within Alaska, there are only about 5,000 miles of roads and about 600 miles of railroad track, but nearly every Alaskan town has its own field for planes to land.
Texas
1. The greatest of the ports and the largest of Texas cities is Houston.
2. The city of Austin has the biggest state capitol building in the US.
3. The word «Texas» comes from the Indian word meaning «friends».
4. The nickname of Texas is Lone Star State.
5. Texas has 126 institutions of higher education: 40 colleges and universities, 5 professional schools, 3 teachers colleges, 46 junior colleges. The University of Texas is in Austin.
6. Texas is a leader in oil, natural gas, cotton, cattle, sheep, wool, onions, and turkeys.
7. More land is farmed in Texas than in any other state.
8. The largest state fair in the United States is held annually in Dallas for 16 days early in October.
9. The largest rose-growing center in the world is near Tyler.
10. Texas is the only state that was an independent republic before annexation.
Rhode Island
1. Rhode Island has more people to the square mile than any state except New Jersey.
2. The nicknames of Rhode Island are Little Rhody and Uncle Sam's Handkerchief.
3. The largest cities are Province, Warwick, Pawtucket, Cransto and East Province.
4. Rhode Island is not an island at all, it is made up of 36 islands and a mainland.
5. The leading industry is jewelry and silverware.
6. Rhode island produces granite, limestone and graphite.
7. Rhode Island is one of the six New England states.
8. The origin of the name comes from the Greek island of Rhodes.
VII. The Nicknames of the States.
1) Guess what states have got the following nicknames:
* The Great Land * The Beef State
* The Green Mountain State * The Mormon State
* The Peninsular State * The Salt Lake State
* The Last Frontier * The Spanish State
2) Explain why the following states have got such nicknames:
* Little Rhody (Rhode Island) * The Flower State (Florida)
* The Arsenal of the Nation * The Holland of America
(Connecticut) (Louisiana)
VIII. Jigsaw Activity.
Stage 1. Split up into five groups and study one American region. Together, fill in the table for your region only.
| Region | States included | Main cities | Geographical phenomena | Industry | Other realias |
Stage 2. Form new groups, so that there is a representative of one region in each group. Share the information about the regions and fill in the tables in your copy-books.
Stage 3. In the original groups, discuss which five places you would like to go in the USA. Why?
IX. Project.
Work in groups. Prepare a presentation of one American state. Speak about its geographical position, history, symbols, industry, the largest cities, etc. Look for some fascinating facts connected with the state.
INTERESTING FACTS
California State Laws
- Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.
- Women may not drive in a house coat.
- No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.
In Hollywood
- It is illegal for a man to beat his wife with a strap wider than 2 inches without her consent.
- You cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time.
- You may not hunt moths under a streetlight.
- It is illegal to cry at the witness stand.
- It is a crime for dogs to mate within 500 yards of a church. Breaking this law is punishable by a fine of $500 and / or six months in prison.
In San Francisco
- It is prohibited for elephants to stroll down Market Street unless they are on a leash.
- It is illegal to wipe one’s car with used underwear.
- Persons classified as “ugly” may not walk down any street.
- It is illegal to pile horse manure more than six feet high on a street corner.
TOPIC 5: CITY CENTERS
THE NATION’S CAPITAL
Washington, the capital of the United States, is in the District of Columbia (D.C.). This special district, named after Christopher Columbus, is not in any state, because it is the home of the federal government.
The city is divided into four sections: northeast (NE), northwest (NW), southeast (SE), and southwest (SW). In the center of the city there is the Capitol, where Congress meets. The President lives and works nearby in the White House. International organizations such as the Organization of American States and the World Bank are also based in Washington.
In and around Washington, D.C., there are many memorials to honor important people in American history like George Washington (Washington Monument), Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Memorial), and Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial), and soldiers who have died in wars (Arlington National Cemetery). There are also many famous museums, including the National Air Museum and Space Museum, and the largest museum in the world – the Smithsonian Institution. It has 13 museums and galleries, as well as the National Zoo.
More than 18 million tourists from all over the world come to visit these places every year.
THE BIG APPLE
An ex-mayor of New York, Ed Koch, called New York City “The Big Apple” in a speech, and the name stuck. NYC is a financial and business center of the United States of America. It is the third largest city in the world and the largest American city. The Big Apple, as New York is often called, consists of five boroughs: Manhattan , the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. About 8 million people live there. New York is also called “the city that never sleeps”. During the day, the population grows to over 20 million, as workers commute to the city.
The city has been the gateway to the United States for many immigrants. Earlier, immigrants often stayed on Ellis Island before they could enter the USA. The Statue of Liberty was one of the first things they saw on arrival. Today, different nationalities live in Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Lower East Side, which was originally settled by Eastern European Jews.
When an American speaks of New York, he means Manhattan. Manhattan is an island. It is surrounded by the East River and the Hudson River. These two rivers are crossed by 50 bridges. The most famous of them are Brooklyn Bridge and George Washington Bridge. Manhattan is the heart of NYC. The streets of New York are crowded with cars and people all day long. One of the many skyscrapers is situated on the East River. It belongs to the United Nations Organization. Broadway is the best-known of New York streets. It is also the longest street in the world. In its center there is Times Square. If you look at it at night, you will understand why the Americans call it the Great White Way. The financial district of NYC is Wall Street. It is the home of the New York Stock Exchange.
The most visited New York sites include Central Park, which contain lakes, a castle and the Central Park Zoo; the Empire State Building – the tallest skyscraper in New York City – which has 102 floors, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is one of the largest museums in the world with nearly 2 million works of art spanning more than 5,000 years.
The CITY of ANGELS
Los Angeles is America’s second largest city. Its name comes from the Spanish for the “City of Angels”, because the land was originally claimed for Spain by missionaries in 1781. It became an American city in 1850 when California became part of the United States after the Mexican-American War.
Approximately 3.5 million people live in Los Angeles. It is a popular place because of its pleasant semi-tropical climate and beautiful Pacific coast. Almost everyone drives to work on the miles of freeways that connect the different areas of this sprawling city. There are about 4 million private cars in L.A., often backed up in long traffic jams. The level of air pollution is one of the highest in the country.
Suburbs like Hollywood, the centre of the movie industry, and Beverly Hills, where famous actors and celebrities live, have also made Los Angeles a tourist attraction.
The WINDY CITY
The third largest city in the United States, Chicago, is on the shore of Lake Michigan. Two rivers, the Chicago and the Calumet, run through the city, and canals link them with the Mississippi River, which flows down to the Gulf of Mexico. Ships can also sail from Chicago through the Great Lakes and along the Saint Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean. Chicago is called the Windy City because of the strong winds that blow through it.
The city is famous for its dramatic skyline crowded with skyscrapers. The tallest skyscraper in the world, the Sears Tower, is here. It is 1,453 feet high.
Chicago is an industrial center. The city has always had attracted a diverse population of Americans and new immigrants in search of jobs. Its steel mills are the most productive in the world. Cattle from all over America are transported to Chicago to be turned into hamburgers and steaks. Chicago is also a railroad and trucking hub. Its airport, O’Hare International, is the busiest in the world.
Here is the verse from the poem “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg:
Hog Butcher for the World
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders.
TASKS
Дата: 2019-03-05, просмотров: 208.