Restaurants

There are two main types of restaurants in the USA: fast-food and full-service restaurants. You’ll find restaurants for every situation. If you are in a hurry you may just have some “junk food” at a grocery store or a candy counter, or you can get a bite to eat at one of the many fast-food chains like Mcdonald’s, Burger King or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Some of these places have tables but many don’t. People eat in their cars or take their food home, to their offices or to parks.

Many restaurants don’t serve alcoholic beverages. This is often because they want people to feel comfortable bringing their children.

Ex. 10. Practise the dialogues.

1.	- Would you like some more soup? - No, thank you. It’s delicious but I’ve had enough. - Would you like some dessert? -Well, maybe. I’ll have just a small piece of pie.
2.	- Are you ready to order? - Yes, I’ll have the fresh fruit cocktail. - And what would you like after that? - I’d like the roast chicken, please.
3.	- There is not much on the menu here. Rice pudding sounds good, though. - Yes, it does, but I think I’m just going to have a sandwich today. Maybe even half of one. - Are you ready to order? - Yes, I think so. - Do you want that on separate checks? - Oh, no, one’ll be fine. It’s on me today.

Texts for extra reading

A. The Biggest and the Oldest Living Things

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived—bigger than an elephant, bigger than the biggest dinosaur. But even the blue whale is not the largest living thing on earth. Trees are. And the largest of all trees are the redwoods and giant sequoias that grow in California.

Most of the Californian redwoods are more than 30 feet (90 metres) high – about as tall as 30-storey building.

If trees had birthday parties, there is one tree in the United States that would need more than 4000 candles on its birthday cake.

Trees live much longer than people or animals do. A big oak tree, with a trunk so thick that you can’t get your arms around it, may be hundreds of years old. The big redwood trees in California are thousands of years old.

The oldest known tree in the United States lives in a forest in California. It is a pine tree that is more than 4600 years old. It is one of the oldest living things in the world.

Notes:

whale кит

redwoods калифорнийские мамонтовые деревья

trunk ствол

B. American Symbols

The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state.

The national anthem of the United States is "The Star Spangled Banner". The words written during the Anglo- American war of 1812 – 1814 and set to the music of an old song. Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.

The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (a symbol of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill.

The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy. It stands on Liberty Island in New York. It is one of the first things people see when they arrive in New York by sea. This National Monument was a present from France to the USA. France gave the statue to America in 1884 as a symbol of friendship. Liberty carries the torch of freedom – in her right hand. In her left hand she is holding a tablet with the inscription "July 4, 1776» – American Independence Day.

Notes:

to represent представлять

background фон

anthem гимн

eagle орел

olive branch оливковая веточка

to arrive прибывать

torch факел

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What do people often call American flag?

2. What are the colours of the American flag?

3. How many stripes has the flag got?

4. What is the national emblem?

5. Where is the statue of Liberty placed?

6. What country was the gift to the USA from?

Ex. 2. Find the additional information and make report about the symbols of the USA (see Fact File).

3. George Washington (1732 – 1799)

On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath as the first President of the United States.

George Washington was born in a very rich family in what is now the State of Virginia.

During the French and Indian wars (1755) Washington was colonel and commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces and defended the colony’s frontier. During the War of Independence (1775-1783) George Washington was elected to command the American forces to oppose the British troops. He led the army in many battles in which he suffered defeats and won victories. It was a long and cruel war ended with the victory of the American forces.

In 1797 he retired to Mount Vernon. He devoted much time to farming. On December 12, 1799, Washington spent several hours inspecting his farms on horseback, in snow and freezing rain. He sat down to dine that evening without changing his wet clothes. The next morning, he awoke with a bad cold, fever, and a throat infection that turned into acute laryngitis and pneumonia. Washington died on the evening of December 14, 1799, at his home aged 67.

Today, Washington's face and image are often used as national symbols of the United States. Many things have been named in honor of Washington.

Because of his significant role in the revolution and in the formation of the United States, he is often revered by Americans as the "Father of the Nation".

Notes:

oath клятва

colonel полковник

to suffer defeats терпеть поражения

Ex. 1. Find in the text the English equivalents for:

защищал границу колонии; противостоять Британским войскам; долгая и жестокая война; ушёл в отставку; провёл несколько часов, проверяя свои фермы; проснулся с простудой; названы в честь Вашингтона; из-за существенной роли в революции и формировании Соединённых Штатов.

D. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

This powerful advocate of liberty was born in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia, inheriting from his father some 5,000 acres of land and from his mother-- a high social standing.

Jefferson studied literature and languages. He also studied to be a lawyer, and later he wrote many of the Virginia laws. One of the laws was a law to allow every child to go to school free. Schools in America were only for children whose parents were rich.

His most outstanding achievement was as chief author of the Declaration of Independence (a statement of human rights and liberties). It was read to the happy people on the 4^th of July, 1776.

Jefferson also drew up the constitution for his state, Virginia, and served as its governor. He was sent to France as the foreign minister of the USA, and then was President Washington’s Secretary of State. A few years later he became the third president of the country, serving in this position for two terms.

Jefferson did another important thing for the American people. He worked out a plan for a university where the students and teachers could live and work together in a village built for them. It was one of the first schools to teach science. Today it is the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson was also a self-taught architect. He introduced the simple classical design of the Virginia State Capitol building. He also designed his own home. He remained the most influential architect of his time.

Jefferson did many useful things during his lifetime. He always thought about helping ordinary people. He was a practical and theoretical scientist.

Notes:

to inherit (у)наследовать

a lawyer юрист, адвокат

achievement достижение

to draw up составлять (о документе)

to remain оставаться

Ex. 1. Find in the text the English equivalents for:

закон, позволяющий каждому ребёнку учиться в школе бесплатно; его самое выдающееся достижение; служил в качестве губернатора; государственный секретарь президента Вашингтона; разработал проект для университета; утверждение человеческих прав и свобод; сделал много полезного; как помочь простым людям.

E. American writers of the past.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) well known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is noted for his novels «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» (1884), which has been called "the Great American Novel", and «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» (1876). Twain was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. Upon his death he was considered the "greatest American humorist of his age".

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American author of novels and short stories. He is widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the 1920s. He finished four novels: «This Side of Paradise», «The Beautiful and Damned», «Tender Is the Night» and his most famous, the celebrated classic, «The Great Gatsby». A fifth, unfinished novel, «The Love of the Last Tycoon» was published posthumously.

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American writer and journalist. His distinctive writing style influenced 20th-century fiction. His career peaked in 1954 when he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Many of his works are classics of American literature. Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. After leaving high school he worked for a few months as a reporter, before leaving for the Italian front to become an ambulance driver during World War I, which became the basis for his novel «A Farewell to Arms». His first novel «The Sun Also Rises», was written in 1924.

Shortly after the publication of The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 Hemingway went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in a plane crash that left him in pain or ill-health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959 he moved from Cuba to Idaho, where he committed suicide in the summer of 1961.

Margaret Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel «Gone with the Wind» (1936), which is about the Civil war. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than 30 million copies. An American film adaptation, released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood, and received a record-breaking ten Academy Awards.

Ex. 1. Make report on your favorite American writer and his/her book.