Vocabulary

amateur — любительский

bat — бита

dweller — житель

helmet — шлем

horse-racing — скачки

push — толкать

recreation — развлечение, отдых; восстановление сил

similar to — подобный, похожий на

skin-diving — подводное плавание

touch — трогать руками

wrestling — борьба

Unit V American Holidays Text 1

People in every culture celebrate holidays. Although the word “holiday” literally means “holy day”, most American holidays are not religious, but commemorative in nature and origin. Because the nation is blessed with rich ethnic heritage it is possible to race some of the American holidays to diverse cultural sources and traditions, but all holidays have taken on a distinctively American flavor. In the USA, the word "holiday" is synonymous with “celebration!”.

In the strict sense, there are no national holidays in the United ^;States. Each of the 50 states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In practice, however, most states observe the federal (“legal”) public holidays, even though the President and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal government employees. Ten holidays per year are proclaimed by the federal goverment. They are as follows:

New Year's Day (January 1)

Martin Luther King Day (traditional — January 15)

(official — third Monday in January) Presidents' Day (third Monday in February) Memorial Day {traditional — May 30) /(official — last Monday in May)

Independence Day (July 4)

Labor Day (first Monday in September)

Columbus Day (traditional — October 12) (official —second Monday in October) Veterans' Day (traditional — November 11) (official -*second Monday in November)

Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November)

Christmas (December 25).

Martin luther king day

(THIRD MONDAY IN JANUARY)

Martin Luther King was a black clergyman who is ranked among the greatest of black Americans because of his crusade during the 1950s and 1960s to win full civil rights for his people. Preaching nonviolence, much in the same way as had Mohandes K. (Mahatma) Gandhi of India, Martin Luther King spoke out and campaigned tirelessly to rid the United States of traditions and laws that forces on black Americans the status of second-class citizens. Among these laws were those in some states which required black people to take back seats in buses or which obstructed voting by blacks.

In 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated while he was leading a workers' strike in Memphis, Tennessee. White people and black people who had worked so hard for peace and civil rights were shocked and angry. The world grieved the loss of this man of peace.

Martin Luther King's death did not slow the Civil Rights Movement. Black and white people continued to fight for freedom and equality.

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