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Тема : Свята в США.

Час, виділений на вивчення теми: 6г

Мета: розвиток умінь з читання і перекладу за сучасними технологіями, подальше удосконалення навичок самостійного навчання і засвоєння інформативного аспекту у повному обсязі, підтримка граматичних навичок, розвиток мовної здогадки та поглиблення мотивації під час вивчення наданої дисципліни.

Методичні рекомендації до виконання самостійної роботи:

1. Не забувайте про подальше виписування мовленнєвих структур чи єдностей, які допомагатимуть говорінню чи у розвиткові інших видів іншомовної діяльності.

2. Виконання деяких вправ потребує детального перекладу тексту. Саме в такий спосіб може бути забезпечено виконання завдань № 1,2.

3. Як ефективніше засвоювати необхідну інформацію за новітніми технологіями – цьому навчає вправа № 3.

4. Вправу №4 побудовано на проектних технологіях і спрямовано на розвиток уміння підготовленого чи у разі потреби непідготовленого писемного мовлення у студентів.

Vocabulary. Comprehension

1. Read the text with full comprehension.

2. Make up an extensive plan to the all text parts which will guarantee proper retelling.

3. Read the text over using the following interactive reading strategy: put some marks on the margins:

S — information you know;

--information that contradicts your knowledges ;

+ — new information;

? — information you are interested

II. Ideas’ study

4. Project Work. Write an article for a school or college wall newspaper:

“Well known and not so well known holidays in the USA”.

National holidays

The United States does not have national holidays in the sense of days on which all employees in the U.S. receive mandatory a day free from work and all business is halted by law. The U.S. federal government only recognizes national holidays that pertain to its own employees; it is at the discretion of each state or local jurisdiction to determine official holiday schedules. There are eleven federal holidays in the United States, ten annual and one quadrennial holiday (Inauguration Day)

The annual federal holidays are widely observed by state and local governments; however, they may alter the dates of observance or add or subtract holidays according to local custom. Pursuant to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 (taking effect in 1971), official holidays are observed on a Monday, except for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.^[3] There are also U.S. state holidays particular to individual U.S. states, such as Good Friday observed by 12 states.

Malls, shopping centers and most retail stores close only on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, but remain open on all other holidays (early closing on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and sometimes on other major holidays Virtually all companies observe and close on the "major" holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). Some also add the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), some businesses also add religious holiday of Easter and/or Good Friday, and sometimes one or more of the other federal/state holidays.

Federal holidays

Federal holidays are designated by Congress in Title V of the United States Code (5 U.S.C. § 6103). Federal holiday is a day off for federal employees, which also means that banks and postal offices are closed. Most private companies and certain other businesses observe federal holidays as well, or the big holidays. If a holiday falls on a Saturday it is celebrated the preceding Friday; if a holiday falls on a Sunday it is celebrated the following Monday. Most, but not all, states and most private businesses also observe a Sunday holiday on the following Monday.

There is no generally accepted policy, however, on whether to observe a Saturday holiday on the preceding Friday or the following Monday. Most states and private businesses may observe on the preceding Friday, some may observe it on the following Monday, and some may not observe the holiday at all in those years. In particular, banks that close on Saturdays do not observe a holiday when it falls on Saturday.

American holidays are strikingly different in origin and show surprising similarities in the manner of their celebration. No matter what the holiday's origin is, they all seem to be the same thing. A holiday has simply become, for most Americans, a day off from work, though some (for example, Thanksgiving and Christmas) retain some individuality.