Vocabulary

claim — притязание

core — середина, сердцевина

feather — перо

gutta-percha — гуттаперча

leather — кожа

semi-fluid — полужидкий, вязкий

stuff — набивать

wind (wound) — наматыватв(ся), обматывать(ся)

Racing Many kinds of racing are very popular in Britain — motor-car racing, dog-racing, boat racing, horse racing and others. The main spectator sport is horse racing. The first known organized horse race took place in 1837.

One of the famous horse race meetings is the Grand National, which takes place at Aintree, near Liverpool, in March or April. It is England's main steeplechase, or race over fences. Another important horse race meeting is the Derby. It takes place at Epsom, south of London, in May or June. It is England's leading flat race (not over fences).

Boat race is the second sporting event in Britain after the F.A. Cup, which attracts a great amount of people. This is one event that is amateur in the truest sense, with no cups, medals or other material prizes, the only reward is the satisfaction and pride of having had apart in it.

The most popular boat-race in England is between the oarsmen of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. It was first held in the 1820s. To be a member of a boat race crew is the greatest honour that can be gained by an undergraduate of either of the Universities. The crews of the boats, chosen from the members of the college Boat Clubs, train together for twelve weeks before the race. There are eight oarsmen and a cox (coxwain) in each boat. On boat race Saturday the banks along the Thames and the bridges are crowded with people who come out to watch the race.

Henley Regatta takes place at Henley on the Thames (between London and Oxford). It is an international summer event. Cowes [kauz] Week is another regatta — yachting regatta. Cowes is a small town on the Isle of Wight [wait], and a world famous yachting centre.

coxwain — старшина шлюпки, рулевой

crew — команда, экипаж

oarsman — гребец

regatta — регата

steeplechase — скачки с препятствиями

Written Exercises to the Texts

1. Translate the sentences with the words of the Vocabulary into Russian.

2. Find in the texts the English equivalents for:

1) многие спортивные игры распространились (пришли) из Англии; 2) славится рыбной ловлей; 3) командная игра; 4) собрались в лондонском пабе, чтобы создать футбольную ассоциацию; 5) родились крупнейшие клубы Англии; 6) мяч в форме яйца; 7) стал популярным во всем мире; 8) изначально мячи делали из кожи и набивали перьями; 9) который привлекает огромное количество людей; 10) единственной наградой является чувство удовлетворения и гордости за участие; 11) быть членом экипажа шлюпки — величайшая честь.

Oral Exercises to the Texts

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of sports do the British like especially?

2. Which sport games originated from England?

3. How was the Football Association formed?

4. How long may a cricket match last?

5. What is the emblem of cricket?

6. What kind of sport game is rugby?

7. What have you known about the history of tennis?

8. Who invented golf?

9. How have the balls for golf been changing?

10. Which is the main spectator sport?

11. How much is boat race popular?

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

UNIT I

THE LAND AND THE POPULATION

Text 1

CEOCRAFICAL POSITION OF THE USA

1

The United States of America is situated in the central part of the North America continent. It has an area of over 9 million square kilometres. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast by the Atlantic Ocean. On the north it is bordered by Canada, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico.

The capital of the country is Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia). It was named in honour of the first President whose name was George Washington.

2

The great surface divisions of the United States are largely determined by the various mountain ranges that cross the country from north to south.

Although the northern New England coast is rocky, along the rest of the eastern seaboard the Atlantic Coastal Plain rises gradually from the shoreline. West of the Atlantic Coastal Plain is the Piedmont Plateau, bordered by the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachians are old mountains with rounded contours, and forested as a rule to the top.

Between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains lies the great plain of the United States. The Mississippi River runs through the centre of this plain. The eastern sides of the great plain are bordered on the north by the Great Lakes, which are thought to contain about half the world's total supply of fresh water. Under the United States jurisdiction are Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario. The five Great Lakes, between the USA and Canada, are joined together by short rivers and canals, and the Saint Lawrence River joins them to the Atlantic Ocean. So the lakes are now accessible to ocean-going vessels from the Atlantic via the St Lawrence Seaway.

In the continental United States, the series of western ranges, most of them paralleling the Pacific coast, are the Sierra Nevada, the Coast Ranges, the Cascade Range, and the Tehachapi Pass and San Bernardino Mountains.

Between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada Cascade mountain barrier to the west, lies the Great Basin, a group of vast plateaus containing most of the desert areas of the country, in the south with deep canyons.

The lowland near the west coast is the Great Valley; California, lying between the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range.-

The greatest rivers of the USA are the Missis^sippi which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the Colorado and the Columbia, which flow into the Pacific Ocean, the Saint Lawrence River and * Hudson River, which flow into the Atlantic Ocean.