Washington, d.C.

The United States is a federal union which is made up of fifty states and one independent district -the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is the territory of the national capital of the USA, Washington, with its own laws and regulations. Washington, D.C. is situated on both banks of the Potomac River, between the two states, Maryland and Virginia.

This place was chosen by the first American President George Washington. The plot of land of a hundred square miles was bought from private owners by the state. In 1790 George Washington laid the corner-stone of the Capitol where the Congress sits. The place was called the District of Columbia in honors of Columbus, the discoverer of America. The capital got the name of Washington after the name of its founder. Washington has been the federal capital since 1800.

Washington is sometimes called the heart of America. It is the place where the federal government works and where each President of the United States lives. Washington is smaller in size than the largest cities of the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Detroit or Los Angeles. The population of Washington is about 11 million people. The buildings in Washington are not very tall because no building must be teller than the Capitol, but in political sense Washington is the center of the country and the most important city of the United States. Answer the questions:

Answer the questions:

1. How many parts is the USA made up of?

2. What is the District of Columbia?

3. How was Washington, D.C. founded?

4. What is Washington famous for?

5. In what sense is Washington the most important city in the USA?

New York

New York is one of the largest cities in the world. It was founded three hundred years ago at the mouth of the Hudson River.

The centre of New York is Manhattan Island. In 1626 it was bought from the Indians for a handful of trinkets that cost twenty-four dollars. Today Manhattan is the centre of business and finance. Numerous skyscrapers house banks and offices of American business. Broadway begins here; the Stock Exchange is located here, too. Very few people live in Manhattan, though the majority works here. Numerous bridges link Manhattan with the opposite shores.

New York is inhabited by people of almost all nationalities and races. It is called «modern Babylon». At the turn of the twentieth century a lot of people came to the USA from different countries of the world. They entered the USA through New York, the Gateway of America.

New York is one of the leading manufacturing cities in the world. The most important industries are those producing paper products, vehicles, glass, chemicals, machinery. New York has a heavy traffic. The sea encircles many of the city areas and the ships go over or under New York traffic routes.

Answer the questions

1. When was New York founded?

2. What is the centre of the city?

3. Why is New York called «modern Babylon»?

4. What are the most important industries in New York?

Russia

Russia is one of the largest countries in the world. The vast territory of Russia lies in the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia.

Russia is washed by twelve seas and three oceans. The oceans are: the Arctic, the Atlantic, the Pacific. The seas are: the White Sea, the Barents Sea, the Okhotsk Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and others.

Russia borders on many countries, such as Mongolia and China in the south-east, Finland and Norway in the north-west, and so on.

The land of Russia varies very much from forests to deserts, from high mountains to deep valleys. The main mountain chains are the Urals, the Caucasus and the Altai. There are a lot of great rivers and deep lakes on its territory. The longest rivers are the Volga in Europe and the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena in Asia. The largest lakes are Ladoga and Baikal. Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and its water is the purest on earth.

The Russian Federation is rich in natural and mineral resources. It has deposits of oil, gas, coal, iron, gold and many others.

The current population of Russia is more than 150 million people. The European part of the country is densely peopled, and most population lives in cities and towns and their outskirts.

The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow, with the population »f about 10 million people.

Russia is a presidential republic. It is one of the leading powers in the world.

Answer the questions:

1. Where does the vast territory of Russia lie?

2. What oceans and seas is Russia washed by?

3. What countries does Russia border on?

4. What are the main mountain chains, rivers and lakes in Russia?

5. What mineral resources are there in Russia?

6. What is the population of Russia?

7. What is the form of government in Russia?

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its administrative, economic, political and educational centre. It is one of Russia's major cities with the population of about 9 million people. Its total area is about 900 thousand square kilometers.

The city was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky and was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1147. At that time it was a small frontier settlement. By the 15th century Moscow had grown into a wealthy city.

In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, Moscow became the capital of the state of Muscovy. In the 18th century Peter the Great transferred the capital to St. Petersburg, but Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attack in 1812. During the war of 1812 three quarters of the city were destroyed by fire, but by the middle of the 19th century Moscow was completely rebuilt.

The present-day Moscow is the seat of the government of the Russian Federation. President of Russia lives and works here; government offices are located here, too.

Moscow is a major industrial city. Its leading industries are engineering, chemical and light industries.

Moscow is known for its many historical buildings, museums and art galleries, as well as for the famous Bolshoi, Maly and Art theatres. There are more than 80 museums in Moscow, among them the unique Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Andrey Rublyov Museum of Early Russian Art and many others

Answer the questions

1. What is the role of Moscow in Russia? 2. When was Moscow founded? 3. When did it become the capital? 4. What part does the present-day Moscow play in the life of Russia?