6.3. Holidays

There are no national holidays in the U.S. Each of the 50 states has jurisdiction over its holidays. In practice, most states observe the federal public holidays. Ten holidays a year are proclaimed by the federal governments:

New Years Day (January, 1);

Martin Luther King Day (3^rd Monday in January);

George Washington’s Birthday (3^rd Monday in February);

Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – for past wars;

Independence Day (July, 4);

Labor Day (1^st Monday in September);

Columbus Day (2^nd Monday in October);

Veteran’s Day (November, 11);

Thanksgiving Day (Last Thursday in November);

Christmas (December, 25).

There are holidays which are neither legal nor official:

Valentine’s Day (February, 14);

St. Patrick’s Day (March, 17);

Mother’s Day (2^nd Sunday in May);

Father’s Day (3^rd Sunday in June);

Halloween (October, 31).

Answer the questions:

1. What is the difference between the national holidays and the federal public holidays?

2. What American holidays were exported to Ukraine?

3. Tell about one of the American holidays.

6.4. Places of Sightseeing

The Pentagon is a building in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington D.C. It has the offices of the U.S. Department of Defense, which includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guards.

The Pentagon has five rings (which are inside each other) with five sides, with five stories tall. It is the largest office building in the world: 17 miles of halls, not to get lost in it, the walls on each floor are a different color (brown, green, red, grey, and blue); there are also many maps in the hall.

The Pentagon is like a city: 30,000 people work there. It has its own nurses, dentists, doctors, banks, stores, post office, a fire department, a police department, a centre of communications (hundreds of feet under the ground), own radio and TV stations.

New York is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest sea port; the financial capital of the country; the business center of the U.S. It is in the New York state, at the mouth of the Hudson River. Population – 8 mln. Here, in Wall Street there are many business offices, banks, and NYSE (stock exchange).

There are two world-famous streets in New York – Broadway (the center of the theaters and night life) and Fifth Avenue (great shopping, hotel and Club Avenue; the Metropolitan Museum).

The Statue of Liberty is the Symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York port.

Beverly Hills – the place where you can find the homes of the movie stars. Beverly Hills is not Los Angeles; it is a small city next to Los Angeles. In Beverly Hills all kinds of celebrities live: movie stars, television stars or other people in the news. Tourists may buy special maps for the houses of the stars. These homes are very beautiful with swimming pools, tennis courts, a lot of trees and high walls.

Only about 35,000 people live there and more than 200,000 people come to Beverly Hills every day to work or to shop. Rodeo Drive is a very special and elegant street with the most expensive shops where people can buy unusual clothing, jewelry or furniture of the new styles and fashions.

Answer the questions:

1. What offices of the U.S. Department of Defense does the Pentagon include?

2. Describe the Pentagon building.

3. How many people work in the Pentagon?

4. Give the main characteristics of the largest city in America.

5. Where is Beverly Hills situated, and what is it famous for?

6. Tell about other famous places in America which you know or visit.