Vocabulary

cliff — отвесная скала, крутой обрыв

erupt — извергаться

faithful —- верный, заслуживающий доверия

geyser — гейзер

giant — гигантский

horse power — лошадиная сила

made up of — составленный из

Niagara Falls — Ниагарский водопад

Old Faithful — Старый Верняк

petrified — окаменелый

roar — гл. реветь; сущ. рев

were turned to stone — окаменели

wonder — чудо, нечто удивительное

Yellowstone National Park — Иеллоустонский национальный парк-заповедник в скалистых горах

Written Exercises to the Text

1. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following sentences.

1. Аризона известна своими природными чудесами. 2. Гранд (Великий) каньон является крупнейшей геологической лабораторией мира. 3. Яркий солнечный свет, в сочетании с химическими веществами почвы, усиливает цвет. 4. Эти деревья умерли миллионы лет назад. 5. По мере проникновения воды в мельчайшие участки дерева происходило отложение минеральных веществ, и постепенно происходило полное замещение древесины неорганическими веществами. 6. Действительно, рев падающей воды можно услышать на расстоянии 25 километров. 7. Ниагара обладает великой мощью.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for:

1) Великий каньон; 2) представляет собой великолепное зрелище; 3) со временем; 4) он извергается приблизительно каждый час; 5) один раз в час ...; 6) выбрасывает воду в воздух; 7) с ужасным шумом; 8) Ниагарский водопад ... постоянно изменяется; 9) дает электроэнергию; 10) для местного потребления (использования).

Unit II

National symbols

Text 1

The american flag

The United States' flag is called the “Stars and Stripes”. It has thirteen stripes, seven red and six white, and fifty five-pointed white stars on a blue field in the upper left-hand corner. One star is for each state of the United States now (from 1959), and the stripes are for the first thirteen states of the union.

The United States began as a nation of 13 states. These were the colonies, which in 1776 declared themselves free and independent of Great Britain and fought the eight-year War of Independence. On the 14th of June in 1777 the Americans adopted their own flag. The first American flag had 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars (a star and a stripe for each one of the former 13 colonies).

The new country began to grow and more states joined it. But there was no place on the flag for more stripes. So it was decided that the flag must always have 13 stripes. Every time a new state joined the Union, a new star was added to the national flag.

Americans enjoy their flag. They use the stars and stripes as a popular design anywhere and everywhere, including clothes, shoes, hats. As a reflection of patriotic feelings of the American people, the Stars and Stripes stand by the President's desk. It hangs in many offices, in every classroom. During national holidays the Stars and Stripes are everywhere, on the streets, on houses, and in the big parades.

P.S. The flag is also called the “Star-Spangled Banner”, the name of the national anthem of the United States. The first documentary reference to the appearance of “Stars and Stripes” is dated by March 10, 1774. Actually stripes had been used earlier in colonial flags. There is a story that the first flag was a patchwork quilt made by a patriotic lady called Betsy Ross. Today the original Star-Spangled Banner is kept in Nat'1 Museum of American History.