Америка
творческая работа учащихся по английскому языку (9 класс) на тему

     МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОЕ  БЮДЖЕТНОЕ    ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ    УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ  БАРВИХИНСКАЯ  СРЕДНЯЯ  ОБЩЕОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНАЯ ШКОЛA

                    КОНКУРСНАЯ   РАБОТА

                    «Страноведение»

                   «ПОЧЕМУ  МЕНЯ  ПРИВЛЕКАЮТ                     СОЕДИНЁННЫЕ   ШТАТЫ  АМЕРИКИ   ДЛЯ  ПУТЕШЕСТВИЙ»

             “WHY   WOULD   I   TRAVEL   TO   THE   USA”

                                                                                                   Выполнил:

                                                                             Тюряков Илья Николаевич, 9 «А» класс

                                                                             Московская область,Одинцовский район,

                                                                             д. Подушкино, д.35

                                                                                                 руководитель:

                                                                                                   учитель иностранного языка

                                                                                                   МБОУ Барвихинской  средней

                                                                                                  общеобразовательной школы

                                                                                    Одинцовского муниципального района

                                                                                          Бунтина Надежда Константиновна

                                                                                                                                     Барвиха

                                                                                                                                          2013

                                              P  L  A  N

INTRODUCTION

1.  Why   would  I  visit   the   USA?

    THE   USA

1. Let’s  Introduce:  the  USA

2. How  Columbus  has  found   America?

3. The Born of the USA

4. The symbols of  the USA

5. The capital of  the USA Washington

6. The capital of  the world   New York

7. The  Golden  State  California

8. The  festivals  and  holidays  of  America

CONCLUSION

  1. Answer  the  questions (test)

WHY   WOUID  I  TRAVEL  TO  THE  USA?

    THE   USA.  It faraway  country, on  the  other  side  of  the  world.  It has contrasts  and  great  opportunities.  There  are  a  number  of  time  zones  and  two  oceans,  the  Pacific  and  the  Atlantic, between  us.  And what attracts me to it? Why would  I  travel  to  the  USA?                                                                             The  US  is  state  with  rich  cultural  heritage  and  fascinating  history.   It  has  passed  a  long  way  of  formation  and  has  seamed  respect   from  other  countries.  America  gave  the  world  a  lot  of  great  people,  such  as  Abraham  Lincoln,  James  Fennimore  Cooper,  Ernest  Hemingway and  Martin  Luther  King.  This list is endless.  We  should  not  forget  about  Christopher  Columbus,  because  he  had  discovered this  unknown  continent.                                            A lot of cultures, mentalities and nations came to America.  This has formed the current face of the country.  Today, the  US  is  a  important  country,  “the  first  economy  of  the  world.   Many  people  want  to  go       to  the  USA  to  get  an  education,  make  a career,  or  just  see  this  truly  amazing  place.                     There  are  so  many  beautiful  cities  in  America:  big  cities  such  as New  York,  Los  Angeles,  Miami  as  well  as  little provincial  towns.   I  want  to  pick  out  New  York  City  among  big  cities.  I  associate New  York  with  lots  of  yellow  taxis  on  Times  Square,  crowds  of people,  who  hurry  somewhere  and  of  course  with  skyscrapers  and  the  Statue  of  Liberty.  Recently,  I  wanted  to  “taste «The  Big Apple”.  No  matter  how  stupidly  it  sounds,  this ambition  appeared, when  I  was  playing  video  game  “Grand  theft  Auto  IV”.             That  would  be  so  nice  to  wake  up  in  the  morning  and  go  for  a walk  on  Manhattan,  visit  the  famous  Wall  Street,  see  Columbia University,  stroll  along  Broadway,  stare  at  the  colorful  advertising signs  in  Times  Square.  Then,  we  can  go  to  Central  Park  for  a walk,  watching  running  people  in  tracksuits, mummies   with  kids, people  walking  the ir dogs  or to sit on green grass. After this we can drink  coffee  and  then  go  to  Liberty  Island  where  a  statue  with the  same  name  is  situated,  which  has  become  a  national  symbol  of America.                                                                                                            New  York  is  the  capital  of  American  fashion.  Fashion  Weeks  are held  there.  New  York  City  is  not  only  a  big  beautiful  city,  but  it is  one  of  the  world  economic  centers.  Also  there  is  the headquarters    of  UN.                    California  will  certainly  leave  nobody  indifferent.  San Francisco with  Cable  Cars  and  Golden Bridge,  Silicon Valley  and  high technologies,  San Diego  and  its  Zoo - hat’s  California.                                                                                      There  are  most  picturesque  beaches  of  the  West  coast.  I  would be  glad  to be  on  of  beaches.  Lying  on  golden  send  sand  and the  sun  gently  caressing  your  skin, ocean  softly  roaring,  boys  and  girls  in  swimsuits  playing  beach  volleyball  and  the  rescuers attentively  watching   over  what  is  happening.  California  is  an excellent   place  for  surfing.  I  would  take  a  lesson  from  local surfing  instructors.                                                                                     There  is  also  Hollywood  in  the  Golden  State,  it  is  the  well-known  suburbs  

of  Los  Angeles.  Hollywood  had  discovered  the  worldfamous  stars  likе Merlin  Monro,  Kirk  Douglas,  Harrison Ford  and   Meryl  Streep.  It  is  noteworthy,  that   the  governor  of California,  Arnold  Schwarzenegger,  is  actor  too.  By  the  way,   I  want  to  visit  the  Hollywood…

                                         LET’S   INTRODUCE

    The  United   States  of  America  is  one  of   the  world’s  largest

countries.  It’s   the  world’s  fourth  largest  country.  Only  Russia, Canada  and  China  have  bigger  territories  than  the  US.  There  are  fifty  states in  the  country.   Forty – eight   states  are  in  the  same  part  of  North America.  The  other  two  are  Alaska  in  the  north,  and  Hawaii  situated  on  eight   islands  in  the Pacific.

   The  United  States  stretches  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the Atlantic  Ocean,  which  wash  the  country  in  the  west  and  in the east.  Long  mountain  chains  run down  the   Pacific coast. In  this part of  the  country is  Death Valley, the  lowest  place  in  North  and South  Americas. Here  is  the  Grand  Canyon  which  the  Colorado River  made  millions  of  years ago.  In  some  places  it  is  about   6 km  deep. Father   east  lie the  tall  peaks  of  the  Rocky Mountains  that  run  from  Canada  to  Mexico.

   Beyond  them  stretch  the  Great  Plains  where  the  mighty Mississippi  River   flows.  Another   mountain  chain,  the Appalachians,  runs  down  the  eastern  part  of  the  United  States. The  USA  borders  on  Canada  in  the north,  where  the  five  Great Lakes  are  situated,  and  Mexico  in  the   South.

   The  United  States  is  a  young  country.  It  is  only  a  few  hundred  years  old.  Millions  of  people  from  other  countries  and continents – Europe, Asia,  Africa,  Australia  and  South  America – find  their  new  home  in  the  United  States.

   The  people  of  the  United   States  are  of  many  different nationalities.These  different  people  brought  to  the  new  home  their  traditions, holidays  and  festivals.  From  Germany  they  brought  Christmas  trees. From  Ireland  they  brought   St. Patrick’s Day  celebrations. From  Scotland  they  brought  Halloween.  Americans  celebrate  the  festivals  of  the  Old  World.  But  there  are  new   American  festivals  and  traditions  too.

   Americans  like  new  ideas. They  build  the  first  skyscrapers  and  they  put  the  first  man  on  the  Moon.  They  like  to  be  modern. They  enjoy  big  modern  cities,  new  houses  and  new  cars.  At  the same  time  Americans  love  old  things. They  like  to  visit   historic houses  and   museums. They  remember  their  country’s   history  and  the  days  of  the  “Wild  West’’.  Most  of  them  are  proud  of  their  country  and  love  it.

  The  United  States  of  America  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  and

advanced  countries  in  the  world. It  has  the  third  largest  population  in  the  world. It’s  real  melting  pot. English  is  the  officiallanguage  in  the USA. But  the  English  language  spoken  is  known  as  American  English.

                   S Y M B O L S   O F   T H E    U S A

   There  are  some  symbols  of  the  USA. First, the  Flag.  The  American  flag  is  often  called  “The  Stars  and  Stripes”. There  are  three  colours  on  the  flag  of  the  United  States – red, white, blue.  As  there  are  fifty  states  in  the  United  States,  there  are  fifty  stars  on  the  American  flag: one  star  for  each  state.

   The  American  flag  has  thirteen  stripes. The  stripes  are  red  and  white. The  flag  has  seven  red  stripes  and  six  white  stripes. There  is  one  stripe  for  each  of  the  first  thirteen  colonies  of  the United  States.

   People  must  know  many  things  about  the  flag,  for  example:  you  should  display  it  only  during  the  day  and  you  should  fold  it  in  special  way. In  some  schools  there  is  a  flag  in  each  classroom,  and  children  stand  in  front  of  the  flag  every  day. You  can  see  the American  flag  in  shops  and  offices,  in  the  street  and  squares,  in  small  towns  and  in  big  cities. You  can  see  pictures  of  the  American  flag  in newspapers  and magazines. Americans  are  proud  of  their  flag  and  display  it  in  many  places.

   One  of  the  most  famous  symbols  of  the  USA  is  the  Statue  of  Liberty. France  gave  the  statue  to  America   in  1884  as  a  symbol  of  friendship. The  Statue  is  in  New  York  on  Liberty  Island. It  is  one  of  the  first  things  people  see  when  they  arrive  in  New  York  by  sea.

   The  eagle  became  the  official  national  symbol  of  the  country  in 1782.  It  has  an  olive  branch  -  a  symbol  of  peace,  and  arrows  -   symbol  of  strenght.  You   can  see  the  eagle  on  the  back  of  a  dollar.

   The  United  States  of  America  has  an  official  song  too.  It  is  called  “  The  Star -  Spangled  Banner”.

    Every  state  in  the  USA  has  its  own  flag, its  own  symbol  and           its  own  song  too. The   USA   called   the  “nation  of  immigrants”.  The   country   was   settled   and   developed   by   generations  of  immigrants  and  their  children. Many   different   cultural   traditions, ethnic  sympathies, racial  groups  and  religious  affiliations  make  up  the  people  of  the  USA.

   H O W    C H R I S T O P H E R    C O L U M B U S      H A D  

   D I S C O V E R E D    A M E R I C A

    The  United  States of  America,  the  USA,  is  a  large  country  stretching  across  the  middle  of  North  America.  Christopher  Columbus made some  more  voyages  to  the  New  World. He  discovered  some more  islands  in  Central  America. Spain  was  very  much  interested       in  this  land,  in  this  land, in  this  territory  and  had some  Spanish settlements  in  South  and  Central  America  and  in  the  South  of North   America  too. In  1492  Columbus  saild  the Pacific  Ocean   and  discovered  some  islands  in  Central America.

   The  second  great  voyage  of  Christopher  Columbus  began  in  September  in  1493. He  had  seventeen  ships  with  him. On  this  voyage  he  reached  Cuba,  but  didn’t  know  it  was  an  island. Columbus   made  four  trips  in  all  to  the  New  World  but  he  never  landed  on  the  mainland  of  North  America.

          THE   BORN   OF   THE  USA

    England  became  interested  in  the  New  World  too. The  first  English  settlements  appeared  in  America  at  the  beginning  of  the  17th  century.

   On  the 6th of  September   in 1620   a group  of  people  left  England  for America, for  the  New  World.  They  sailed  from  the  English  city  of  Plymouth,  on  board  the ship  the  “Mayflower”.  They  wanted  to  start  a  new  life  and  to have  no  problems  with  the  church.

   After  three  months  voyage  these  people  landed  in  the Northeast  of  America.  There  were  74 men  and  28  women  on  the “Mayflower”. They  set up  a  colony  and  called  that  part  of  the country  “New  England”.

   They  had  decided   to  make  homes  for  themselves  in  the  new  land  across  the  ocean.  They hoped they would have a better life there.  After  a  stormy  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  their  small  ship, “Mayflower”,  reached  the  shores  of  the  new  land.  Those  early  settlers  built  their  first  colonies  and  began  to  explore  the new  country  which  they  called  New  England. 

   Аs  the  first  setltments  named  colonies  as  the  first   people  called

 “colonists”.  Soon  more  and  more  European  settlers  came  and  more  colonies  were  formed.

   The   American  colonies  grew  bigger  and  bigger,  they  prospered, but   they  were  for  a  long  time  ruled  by  England,  and  all  the  new country  belonged  to  England. These   people  are  called  Pilgrim  Fathers.  Millions  of  Europeans  from  different  countries  of  Europe  came  later  into  this  area. They   assimilated  and  became  Americans.

    So  the  USA  began  as  the  nation  of  13th  states, because  European  settlers  occupied  13  colonies  along  the  Atlantic  Coast.

   These 13  British colonies  decided  that  they  could  no  longer  live  under  the  British  crown.  They  stated  the war  for  independence, which  resulted  in  adoption  the  Declaration  of  Independence. It  was  adopted  in  1776  on  the  4th  of  July  in  Philadelphia.

    In  1776  the  thirteen  young  American  colonies  united  and  began  a  war  against   England  for  Freedom  and  independence,  which  was  called  the  War  of  independence.  They  won  the  victory  and  a  new  nation  was  born  which  became  the  United  States  of  America  July  4,  1776,  is  still  celebrated  as  “the birthday” of  the  American  nation,  and  is  called Independence  Day.

                                           WASHINGTON

  The  capital  of  the  USA  is Washington, D. C. It  is  situated  on  the Potomac  River,  on  the  piece  of  land  called   the  District  of  Columbia,  which  is  why  people  call  the  US  capital  Washington, D.C.  The  capital  was  named  after  the  George  Washington,  the  first President  of the USA.                                                                                                          Washington  is  like  no  other  city  in  the  country. Its  only  industry is  Government. It  is  not   the  biggest  city  in  the  United    States,  but  the  most  important. The  buildings  are  not  very  tall,  the  streets  and  avenues  are straight,  green  and  beautiful.  The  longest  and  the  biggest  avenues  are  named  after  American  states.You  have  done  the centre  of  the  city. You  have  been  to  the  White  House  and  seen  the  Capitol. The  Capitol  is  really  great. This  is  where  the  United  States  Congress  meets  and  makes  laws. The  Capitol  is  point  from  which  the  streets  are  numbered  and  lettered.                                                       There  are  avenues  that  fan  out  through  the  city  and  are  named  after  the  original  13  states. The  streets  that  go  north  and  south  are  numbered. The  longest  and  biggest  streets  are  named  after  American  states.                                                                                                        The  Capitol  dominates  the  city.  It  stands  on  the  Capitol  Hill. It  is  the  highest   point  of  the city. There  are  no  skyscrapes  in  Washington  because  no  other  buildings  must  be  taller  than  the  Capitol.                                                             The  Capitol  consists  of  a  central  building  which  is  crowned  by  the  dome  and  which  is  connected  at  each  end  by the  galleries  wich  two  large  wings  on  both  sides.  In  one  of  them  is  the  Senate,  in  the  other  is  the  House of  Representatives.  The  buildings  of  the  White  House  is  very  beautiful  with  tall Columns  and  the  flag  on  the  roof.                                                              The  White House  is  the  official  residence  of  the  American  President. It  is  situated  in  Pensylvanian  Avenue. It  isa  a  two-storied  building. The  Green  Room  and  the  Blue  Room  are  the  rooms  where  ambassadors  and  ministers  of  foreign  countries  are  received. The  Oval  Office  is  the  President’s  office. Pensylvanian  Avenue  connects  the  Capitol  and  the  White  House. It  is  the  route  of  the  President’s  Inauguration  procession  every  four  year.                                                            On  the  hill  behind  the  White  House  is  the  Washington  Monument  which  looks  like  a  very  big  pencil, that  is  why  the  Monument  has  the  nickname “pencil”. It  is  the  tallest  structure  about  152  metres  high. It  is  a  white  marble  shaft  with  alluminium  tip.  There  is  a special  lift  to  the  top  of  the  Monument  from  where  tourists  and  citizens  of  America  can  enjoy  a  view  of  the  city.                                                                                                                  The  Jefferson  Memorial  is  devoted  to  the  memory  of  the  third  President  of  the  USA. He  was  the  author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.                                                                                                            The  Lincoln  Memorial  was  constructed  in  the  memory  of  the  sixteenth  President  of  the  USA.  He   was  the  author  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  according  to  which  freedom  was  given  to  American  Negro  slaves.

 The  Memorial  is a  big  temple  in  Greek  style  with  thirty-six  marble  columns  which  represent  the  number  of  states  in  the  USA  at  the  time  of  his  death. There  is  the  Arlington  National  Cemetery  on  the  Potomac  River, where  President  Kennedy  was  buried.                                                                                                            In   Washington, D. C.  there   is no industry.  Washington, D.  C.   is   political, administrative, cultural   and   educational   centre   of the country. There   are   several   universities   in   the   capital.  The Congress   library is located here.  There   are   museums   and galleries   here. The   National  Gallery  of  Art,  a  large  museum  of  painting,  sculpture  and  other  art  is  situated  in  the  capital. It is supported   by the US government. Washington, D. C.  is  the  centre  of  political  life  of  the  country.

                                             New York

New York, one of the largest cities in the world, was founded three hundred years ago at the mouth of the Hudson River. The centre of New York is Manhattan Island. The first European settlers came to Manhattan Island from Holland in 1605. In 1613 the Dutch built only four small houses on Manhattan to be a fur trading station. In 1623 the Dutch started a town there. It was named New Amsterdam in honour of the capital of their country in Europe. In 1626 Manhattan Island was bought the Indians for a handful of business and commercial life of the country Many sky-scrapers house banks and offices American businessmen. Broadway begins here; the Stock Exchange is located here. Very few people live in Manhattan, although the majority works here. Numerous bridges link Manhattan Island with the opposite shores.                                                                                In 1789 in New York on the steps of Federal Hall George Washington took the oath of office when he became the first president of America. From 1785 to 1790 New York, was the capital of the United States. New York is inhabited by almost all nationalist. It is even called “Modern Babylon”. At the beginning of the 20-th 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 branches of industry are those, producing paper products, glass, chemicals, machinery. The city has its own traffic system. The sea encircles many of the city areas and  ships  goes over or under New York.                                  New York is the largest city in the world and biggest seaport. It is the money center of the U.S. New York is situated in north-east of the U.S.A. in the state N.Y.(Empire State)                                                                                                    In companion with such ancient historical cities as Rome, London and Paris, New York is quite young. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. A Dutchman Peter Minuit bought Manhattan Island from Indians for 24$ and barrel of rum. The Americans say: “this was the best business deal ever made in New York. In 1613 the Dutch had built only four small houses in Manhattan.

New Amsterdam was the first name of the city. After the English had taken over the city in 1626, it was renamed New York, after the Duke of York who was commander of the army.                                                                                     During the War of Independence, New York was an important political center and for five years the capital of U.S.A. The population of New York numbers of 10 millions people, together with the population of its suburbs it comes to 16 million people (1910). It is a multi-national city, the people that live in it, speak seventy-five different languages.                                                                                       Manhattan is the name of an island which forms the heart of New York. The island is 13 miles long, 2 miles long and lies at the Hudson River. The population of Manhattan is about 2 million people. Here is the heart of business and culture, the city of sky-scrapes, of Broadway, of Wall Street, which is the center of American money business. Wall Street had this name, because big wall across street and protect colonist from Indians. Later wall was broken, but name remind.                 Although New York is not the capital of the United States, it is the biggest and most important city of the country. New York is situated on the Atlantic coast, in the North-East of the country, in the state of New York at the mouth of the deep Hudson River. It is the financial and media capital of the world, the centre of the American cultural life and the national leader in fashion and entertainment.        The “Big Apple” is nickname of the city. New York, with the population of 16 million people, is the second largest city and the biggest sea port in the world. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. It consists of 5 large boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. There are a lot of places of interest in New York.                                                                                                              The most famous of them is The Statue of Liberty, given to the USA by France in 1886. Its torch towers about 200 feet above the harbor and can be seen at night for many miles. It is the largest statue in the world. The Empire State Building used to be the first, but now it is only the third tallest the world. It is a 102- storeyed building with an observatory on he 86 floor. Broadway is the longest street in the world. It is 12 miles long. It is the centre of entertainments.                                 The Metropolitan Museum is by now probably the richest museum in the world in painting and other objects of Art, due to what had been bought from Europeans after World War Two. Besides, we can see the works of American painters there. The Central Park is the largest park in the world. The Fifth Avenue has the best houses, hotels and fashionable shops. Times Square is known as New York’s theatre land the Metropolitan Museum of Art and many other museum are situated there. The Rockefeller Centre belongs to the Rockefeller family. It is 15 skyscrapers housing several large corporations. It is also known as “Radio City”. There is a theatre , too. The United Nations Headquarters was built in 1952. The building and the grounds contain sculptures and other works of art, donated by member nations. Among them is the gift of the Soviet Union .So I like New York very mach and I can recommend everyone to visit it.

                                            CALIFORNIA

     California,  a  US  state  on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  is  also  called  the Golden  State. It  became  part   of  the  United  States  in  1845.  Its history  has  included  the  Gold  Rush  of 1849  and   the    San Francisco  earthquake of 1906.         When  gold  was  discovered, California’s  population  grew rapidly.  Wheat   soon  became  the  chief  crop. Rice  and  arley     became   important   too. Today  four-fifths  of   California’s  crop lands  are  still  used  for  grazing  and  for  grains.  Among   the other   important   сrops  are  cotton,  vegetables,  fruit,  and dairy  products.  California  is  now  the  country’s  second  most important  cotton-producing  state.  Only  Texas  grows  more cotton.  And  California’s  farmers  grow  half  or  the  country’s fruit  and   vegetables.                                                    California  has  the  largest  population  of  all  the  states  and  its largest   city  is  Los  Angeles. It   is  known  for  Hollywood,  Beverly Hills,  Disneyland,  and  the  Silicon  Valley  and  for  its  agricultural and  wine  products.  In  1909  the  first  film  studio  opened  in  Los  Angeles. Today,  the Los  Angeles  suburb,  Hollywood  has  become  film  and  television centre. The  world’s  major  film  companies  have  studios  there  and many  famous  films  start  live  in  its  fashionable  and  expensive Beverly  Hills  district.                                                Disneyland  is  the  original  amusement   park  by  Walt  Disney  opend   in  1995.  Disneyland    is   in  California   near  Los   Angeles. It  is  a place  for  children  of  all  ages. It  is  also  a  place  for  their  parents  to  return  to  the  world  of  childhood   because   that   is  what   happens   when  they  spend  a  day  at  Disneyland   At  Disneyland  you   can  have  a  voyage  on  a  boat,  you  can  take  a  train,  you  can  travel  to  the  stars,  take  a  trip  to  the  mountaimeet  all  the  Disney  characters…or  just  sit  in  the  sun  and  eat  ice – cream.                      The name of the Silicon Valley is  given to an area in the Santa Clara Valley of California where there are many computer and electronic companies. It is near the cities of San Francisco and San Jose. Silicon is an important chemical element used in computers and electronic equipment.                                                          Another large city of California is San Francisco, which is a financial and communications centre for trade with Asia. The  capital  of  California  is  Sacramento. The  motto  of  the  state  is “I  have  found  it! “(Eureka!).  It’s  interesting  to  know  that  Ronald  Reagan, a  US  film  actor,  was a   governor  of  California  in  1966-74  and  later  he  became  the 40th US  President.  Another  famous  film  star,  Arnold  Schwarzenegger  was  the  Governor  of  California.

         HOLIDAYS   IN  THE  UNITED   STATES  OF  AMERICA

    There  are  several  federal  holidays  in  the United  States  of America  though   there  are  holidays  in  each  state.

 The  most  American  holiday  is  Thanksgiven  Day .It  is  celebrated  on  the  4-th Thursday  in  November. When  the  inglish  pilgrims  first  came  to the  New  World  they  had  a  very  hard  winter,  and  it  was questionable  whether  most   of  them  would  survive. But  when  in the  fall  the  fields  produced  a  yield  beyond  expectations, it  was  a real  holiday  for  them.  When  Abraham  Lincoln  became  President he  issued  a  Proclamation  in  1863  declaring  Thanksgiven  a federal  holiday.                                                                                                       Today  it  is  a  family  holiday  celebrated  with  big  dinners  and happy  family  reunions.  Schools  and  offices  are  closed, students who  have  been  away  from  home  and  many  other  Americans travel  long  distances  to  spend  a  holiday  at  home. The   traditional food  is  Thanksgiven   turkey  and  pumpkin  pie.                 Another   biggest   American  holiday  is Christmas. It  is  a  religious  holiday. People  attend  special  church  servies  to  celebrate  the  birth  of  Jesus. Christmas  is  celebrated  on  the  25th  of  December. It  is  the  most  festive  time  in  the  year  in  the  United  States  of America. Studens  have  one-two  week  vacations  beginning  before Christmas  and  ending  after  the  New  Year. The  spirit  of  Christmas  arrives  about  a  month  before  the  holiday  itself.  Street  light  and  shop  windows  are  decorated  with  traditional  Christmas colour  of  red  and  green.  Families  decorated   their  homes  inside and  out. Families  gather  around  the  Christmas  tree,  open  their gifts  and  sit  down  to  enjoy  a  traditional  Christmas  dinner: roast turkey, ham, vegetables  and  nuts. For  dessert  there  is  usually  a fruit  cake,  pudding  or  mince   pie. Christmas cannot  be  imagined without   the  traditional  Santa  Claus, Christmas  carols  and Christmas  cards.                                                                                                                      The  Independence  Day  is  celebrated  on  the  4th  of  July. It  recalls  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  on  the 4 th of  July  1776.  The  Declaration  was  adopted  in  Philadelphia. The Independence  Day  is  the  birth  of  the  American  nation. The Declaration  of  Independence  was  written  by  Thomas  Jefferson who  later  became  the  third  President  of  the  United  States  of America.                                                                                                                   Halloween  was  first  celebrated  many  centuries  ago.  Ireland  and Scotland  by  Celtic  priests  called   Druids . They  observed  the  end of  autumn  and  the  beginning  of  winter. The  Druids  thought  that Halloween  was  the  night  when  the  witches  came  out.  As  they were  afraid  of  the  witches  they  put  on  different  clothes  and painted  their  faces  to  deceive  the  evil  spirits.  They  also  placed food  and   small  gifts  near  the  doors  of  their  houses  for  the witches. This  was,  as  they  say  now,  the  beginning  of  the expression   “trick  or  treat”  (meaning  “give  me  something  or  I  shall  play  a  trick  on  you”).                             It  is  considered  that  Halloween  was  brought  to  America  by  the immigrants  from  Ireland  and  Scotland.  In  the  19th  century  they celebrated   Halloween   according  to  their  own  traditions  (a lantern made  of  pumpkin  with  holes  in  the  form   of  eves,  a  nose  and  a mouth  was  part  of  the  festival).

  As  time  went  by,  grown-up people  lost  interest   in  Halloween,  and  it  was  celebrated  mostly by  children. Dressed  very  strangely,  children  held  festivals.  During their  carnival   and   after  it,  groups  of  children  visited  houses  and asked  for  candies. “Trick  or  treat!  Trick  or  treat!”  was  heard everywhere. In  recent  years,  grown-up  people  have  begun  taking part  in  Halloween. In  New  York,  for  example,  young  and  old  take part  in  parades  together. On  the  31st  of  October,  long  before  the time  when  the  carnaval   procession   begins  to  move,  a  great number  of  people  get  together  in  one  of  the  streets. They  are hundreds  of  large  “pumpkins”  in  their  hands. After  the  parade  the festival  lasts  almost  till  early  morning. This  is  how  Americans celebrate  Halloween.            New  Year’s  Eve  is  a  time  of  merriment  in  America.  At midnight,  bells  ring,  horns  blow,  and  friends  kiss  each  other. Everyone  stays  up  late  to  celebrate  the  coming  of  another  new year.  At  home  or  in  restaurants,  most   Americans  spend   the  last hours  of  the  old  year  and  the  first  hours  of  the  New  Year drinking  and  dinning  with  friends.   One   of  the  greatest  of  New  Years  Eve   celebrations  takes place  in  New  York  City  at  Time  Square. Thousands  of  New Yorkers  gather  there,  and  millions  of  Americans  join  them watching  TV.  After  the  New  Year  officially   arrives   most  party-goers  enjoy    a  good  supper.  New  Years  Eve  celebrations  often  continue  until two  or  three  o’clock  in  the  morning.  Many  people  travel   from one  party  to  another  to  celebrate  with  several  different  groups  of friends.                                    Following  a  long  New  Year’s  Eve,  Americans  spend  a  quiet New  Year’s  Day. In  most  homes,  everyone  sleeps  late,   then enjoys  a  late  breakfast  and  TV  with  the  family . Many  Americans  make  New  Year’s  resolutions,  promising  to improve  their  behavior.  Typical  New  Year’s   resolutions  are  to spend   less  money,  give  up  smoking  or  go  on  a  diete.

                  CONCLUSION

 There  are  many  interesting  places, cities, countries, monuments  in  the  USA. There  are  many  another  traditions in  the  USA. I could  tell  about   the  system  of  education  in  the  USA,  but  it  will  be  another  time.

I think  there  are  much  reasons  for  going  to  the  USA:

• You  would  practice  your  English;
• You  would  visit   new  places;
• You  would  learn  a  new  culture;
• You  would  watch  attractions;
• You  would  meet  new  people;
•  You  would  make  new  friends.

                        Answer   the   questions:

1. The   Statue   of  Liberty  is  situated

- in   Washington

-in   New York

-in   Los Angeles

                                       2. The  city  that  never  sleeps

                                          -Washington

                                          -New York

                                          -Los Angeles

3. Disneyland  and  Hollywood  are  situated  in

-Washington

-New York

-Los Angeles

Список  используемой  литературы:

1. О.В.Афанасьева, И.В.Михеева. «Английский язык»  учебник английского языка для 8 класса, издательство «Дрофа»2010г.
2. И.Н.Верещагина, О.В.Афанасьева »Английский язык» учебник  для  4 класса школ с углублённым изучением английского языка. Издательство  Москва «Просвещение»2001г.
3. А.В.Новиков «Устные  темы  по  английскому  языку  для  школьников» Москва 2001 г.
4. Устные темы для подготовки к экзамену по английскому языку. Москва 2001 г.                                                                                  5.А.П.Миньяр - Белоручева, О.Д.Ивашова «Английский язык»       «Устные темы для подготовки к экзамену в 11 классе.   Москва, 2009 г.   6. А.П.Старков, Р.Р.Диксон, Б.С.Островский «Английский  язык»  учебник  для 10 класса средней школы.С-Петербург,1996 г.