Speaking

DIALOGUE 1

Washington, d.C.

A.: What’s the meaning of D.C. after the name of the U.S. capital?

B.: Oh, it stands for District of Columbia.

A.: Is it the name of a state?

B.: No, the District of Columbia does not belong to any of the fifty states of the USA. It is a tract of land about 70 square miles (181 sq. km) on the east bank of the Potomac River. The city was founded in 1790 on a site chosen by George Washington, the first President of the US. Maryland and Virginia granted land on each side of the river.

A.: What is the population of the city?

B.: About one million.

A.: Is it like other large cities in the US?

B.: No, quite different. The city was built according to a preliminary plan. There is a law that forbids to build structures more than 90 feet (27.4 metres) high in the city.

A.: You mean, there are no skyscrapers in Washington?

B.: That’s right. The White House, the official name of the President’s executive mansion, is only four stories high.

A.: Where is it located?

B.: It’s located on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, facing Lafayette Square.

A.: They say it is the oldest public building in Washington.

B.: Yes, that’s true. The first President who lived in the White House was Adams. It was back in 1800.

A.: Why is it called “the White House”?

B.: You see, during the war of 1812 – 1814 the British burned most of the public buildings in Washington, including the White House and the Capitol. In 1814 the brown stone walls of the President’s home were painted white and it has been the “White House” ever since.

A.: That’s interesting. You seem to know a lot about the White House. Do you know anything about the East Room, the Blue Room? I mean, what are they used for?

B.: Well, I’ve read somewhere that the White House has 132 rooms. Large receptions and news conferences are held in the East Room. The elliptical Blue Room is for different social, diplomatic and official receptions. The Red and Green Rooms are used for private and quasi-official gatherings.

17. Memorize and reproduce Dialogue 1.

18. Make up dialogues of your own using Dialogue 1 as a model.

Situation: You meet your friend and talk about:

a) the historical background of Washington, D.C.;

b) the places of interest of Washington, D.C.;

c) the White House.

DIALOGUE 2

The streets of Washington

The day after Nick arrived in Washington, Nick took a long walk through the city together with his friend Pete. Nick asked Pete several questions about the Washington street plan.

Nick: What does “N. W.” mean?

Pete: It means Northwest. The city’s divided into four parts: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast.

Nick: So this hotel is in Northwest. Is that right?

Pete: That’s right. Almost all of the hotels are in Northwest.

Nick: And the streets? Some have numbers, but others have letters.

Pete: Well, the northsouth streets have numbers. The eastwest streets have letters.

Nick: And what about the avenues?

Pete: They are named for the different states: New York, Pennsylvania, and so on.

Nick: But they don’t run from north to south or east to west.

Pete: No, they don’t. They run through the squares made by the streets.

Nick: I see. They run diagonally.