Методические рекомендации к проведению практических занятий c целью усвоения лексического материала

Часть 1

Методические рекомендации

к проведению практических занятий c целью усвоения лексического материала.

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Практические занятия строятся на основе учебника Е.А. Баженовой.

« Английский язык для физкультурных специальностей», Москва, издательский центр «Академия»,2007 г.

Практическое занятие №1

«О себе».

Вводный фонетический курс.

Задачи:

1 Познакомить с особенностями английского произношения;

2 Характеристика звуков.

3 Произношение английских звуков.

4 Словесное ударение.

5 Знакомство и активизация в речи лексики по теме: « Название видов спорта», « Место тренировки», « Звания спортсменов», «Глаголы движения», «О себе».

Самостоятельное изучение: - правила чтения гласных букв.

Words and expressions.

Task 1. Read the words and divide it into groups:

1 – games which play with ball: football, volley, basketball, handball, water polo, table-tennis, golf.

2 different kinds of wrestling: oriental martial arts, boxing, kick-boxing, wrestling,

3- winter sports: hockey, skiing, alpine, ski-jumping, tobogganing, skating, figure-skating, curling.

4- games on the water- rowing, canoeing, yachting, swimming, diving, water polo.

5- sport in the mountain- alpine events, mountaineering, rock climbing,

Task 2. Group the following words by yourself.

 Gymnastics, rhythmic, aerobics, shaping, track and field, night orienteering, cycling, fencing, jogging, weightlifting, bodybuilding, horse-racing, horse-riding, lawn tannic, billiard, golf, darts.

For you to know:

play football- игровые виды спортa;

go wrestling – неигровые виды спорта;

practice- ( hockey, cycling).

 Task3 Make up your  own sentences:

In the gym,

In the swimming pool,

At the stadium, at the sport ground,

Hold,

sport facilities,

training session,

Ex. 2 page 17.

Study the words  Ex. 3 page 19. «Звания спортсменов».

Use them in your sentences. ( Ex 4-10, page 20.)

Read the text “About myself”. Ex.17-22  page 22-23..

 Home task:

1 Составить рассказ о себе на основе упр. 17, стр. 22

2 Выучить слова – виды спорта, звания спортсменов.

3 Изучить глаголы движения  стр. 21, упр. 11.

4 Повторить правила чтения гласных букв.

Практическое занятие №2

«Спорт в Великобритании»

Задачи:

- Активизация лексики по теме «Спорт в Великобритании».

- Развития навыка чтения и говорения по теме «Спорт в Великобритании».

- Расширение кругозора ( Национальные виды спорта Великобритании);

- Формирование и развитие навыка просмотрового чтения и с полным пониманием;

- Подготовка к проектной работе.

Task1. Read and translate

Sports in Great Britain 

Sport is very important part of life in Great Britain. Thousands of people devote their leisure time to outdoor and indoor games: athletic, mountain climbing, boxing and other sports. Outdoor games played in GB are team games such as football, cricket, and hockey, and games in which individuals or couples try their skill, for example golf. The number of spectators shows that the most popular of the team game is football and cricket, and the most popular individual game is lawn-tennis.

Football. Although Englishmen played a kind of football from the middle age or even earlier as an organized game it dates back from just over a century ago. One type of football, in which the players carried the oval ball in their hands, appeared in 1859 at Rugby School. That is why the name took the name of Rugby. The rules of the game are different from football(soccer). Football matches get big crowds. The Cup Final is one of the most important football matches of the year in England; it is always played at the Wimble stadium, near London.

 Cricket. Cricket is England’s national summer game. Nobody knows exactly how old the game is, but some forms of cricket was being played in England in the 13th century. The rules of the game have changed over the years. The oldest series of international matches is between England and Australia, and the team that wins takes home a famous trophy called The Ashes. And even today for cricket lovers in England and Australia. Winning The Ashes is like winning The World Cup for football! In England cricket is played in schools and universities, and almost all towns have their cricket team which play regularly at least one match a weak during the season – from May to September. There are thousands of cricket grounds all over England.

 Lawn-tennis. The number of people who play lawn-tennis is great. The tennis championships held at Wimbledon for two weeks at the end of June and at the beginning of July are the main event of the lawn-tennis season in Britain and, in fact in the world. These championships in which men and women of many nationalities complete, gather large crowds.

Swimming. Many children in Britain learn to swim at school, or during the holidays at the seaside, and swimming pool as a summer pastime is enjoyed by millions of people. There are also indoor swimming pools which makes swimming possible all the year round. Swimming championships and competitions are widely reported in press and on TV. Attempts to swim the English channel have been made by swimmers of many nationalities every summer. Some of the attempts are successful.

Task2. Заполните таблицу.

Task 3. Прочитайте текст и составьте план краткого пересказа рассказа. (Используйте информацию из таблицы).

SPORTS IN GREAT BRITAIN

T

The British are known to be great sports-lovers, so when they are neither playing, nor watching games, they like to talk about them. Many of the games we play now have come from Britain.

One of the most British games is cricket. It is often played in schools, colleges, universities and by club teams all over the country. Summer isn't summer without cricket. To many Englishmen cricket is both a game and a standard of behavior. When they consider anything unfair, they sometimes say: "That isn't cricket."

But as almost everywhere else in the world, the game which attracts the greatest attention is Association football, or soccer. Every Saturday from late August till the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their favorite sides in football grounds. True fans will travel from one end of the country to the other to see their team play. There are plenty of professional and amateur soccer clubs all over Britain. International» football matches and the Cup Finals take place at Wembley.

Rugby football is also very popular, but it is played mainly by amateurs.

Next to football, the chief spectator sport in British life is horse-racing. A lot of people are interested in the races and risk money on the horse which they think will win. The Derby is perhaps the most famous single sporting event in the whole world.

Britain is also famous for motor-car racing, dog-racing, boat-racing, and even races for donkeys. The famous boat-race between the teams of Oxford and Cambridge attracts large crowds of people.

A great number of people play and watch tennis. Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon are known all over the world. The innumerable tennis courts of Britain are occupied by people between the ages of 16 and 60 who show every degree of skill from practically helpless to the extremely able.

The British also like to play golf, baseball, hockey, grass-hockey. Various forms of athletics, such as running, jumping, swimming, boxing are also popular. You can sometimes hear that there are no winter sports in England. Of course the English weather is not always cold enough to ski, skate, or toboggan, but winter is a good season for hunting and fishing.

Indeed, sport in one form or another is an essential part of daily life in Britain.

Task 4.

1Подробно изучите информацию о национальных видах спорта Великобритании.

2Найдите в тексте информацию о тех видах спорта, которые отличают Великобританию от других стран.

3 Составьте вопросы к содержанию текста.

National Sports.

Many kinds of sport originated from England. The English have a proverb, 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy'. They do not think that play is more important than work; they think that Jack will do his work better if he plays as well, so he is encouraged to do both. Association football, or soccer is one of the most popular games in the British Isles played from late August until the beginning of May. In summer the English national sport is cricket. When the English say: 'that's not cricket' it means 'that's not fair', 'to play the game' means 'to be fair'.

Golf is Scotland's chief contribution to British sport. It is worth noting here an interesting feature of sporting life in Britain, namely, its frequently close connection with the social class of the players or spectators except where a game may be said to be a 'national' sport. This is the case with cricket in England which is played and watched by all classes. This is true of golf, which is everywhere in the British Isles a middle-class activity.

Rugby2 Union, the amateur variety of Rugby football, is the Welsh national sport played by all sections of society whereas, elsewhere, it too is a game for the middle classes. Association football is a working-class sport as are boxing3, wrestling4, snooker5, darts8 and dog-racing. As far as fishing is concerned it is, apart from being the most popular British sport from the angle of the number of active participants, a sport where what is caught determines the class of a fisherman. If it is a salmon or trout it is upper-class, but if it is the sort of fish found in canals, ponds or the sea, then the angler7 is almost sure to be working-class.

Walking and swimming are the two most popular sporting activites, being almost equally undertaken by men and women.

Snooker (billiards), pool and darts are the next most popular sports among men. Aerobics (keep-fit exercises) and yoga, squash8 and cycling are among the sports where participation has been increasing in recent years.

There are several places in Britain associated with a particular kind of sport. One of them is Wimbledon—a suburb to the south of London where the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships are held in July (since 1877). The finals of the tournament are played on the Centre Court. The other one is Wembley0—a stadium in north London where international football matches, the Cup Finals10 and other events have taken place since 1923. It can hold over 100,000 spectators. The third one is Derby, the most famous flat race in the English racing calendar, which has been run at Epsom11 near London since 1780.

References

1. soccer ['soka] — футбол, син. association football
2. Rugby ['глдЫ] — регби (тж. Rugby football)
3. boxing ['boksir)] — бокс
4. wrestling ['reslin] — борьба
5. snooker ['snu:k9] — снукер (игра на бильярде)
6. darts [dcuts] — игра «метание стрелок»
7. angler ['гепд1э] — рыболов-удилыцик
8. squash [skwoj] — скуош (род упрощенного тенниса; играют на закрытом корте ракетками и мягким резиновым шариком)
9. Wembley ['wembli] — знаменитый футбольный стадион Уэмбли в Лондоне
10. the Cup  Final  —  финальная игра на розыгрыш  Кубка по футболу
11. Epsom ['epsQm] — Эпсом (город в графстве Суррей, где находится ипподром «Эпсом-Дауне»)

Тask 5. Подготовка к проектной работе.

Association Football (Soccer]

Football has been called the most popular game in the world, and it certainly has a great many fans in Britain. But do you know the English terminology?

Association football (or soccer) is the game that is played in nearly all countries. A team is composed of a goalkeeper1, two backs2, three half-backs3 and five forwards4. There is another game called rugby football, so called because it originated at Rugby, a well-known English public school. In this game the players may carry the ball. There is also an American kind of football, different from the other two. The captain of the team is usually the oldest or best player.

Association football, or soccer, remains one of the most popular games played in the British Isles. Every Saturday from late August until the beginning of May, large crowds of people support their sides in football grounds5 up and down the country6, while an almost equally large number of people play the game in club teams of every imaginable variety and level of skill. Over the last 20 years though, the attendance at football matches has fallen away7 sharply. This is because of changing lifestyles and football hooligans. As violence at and near the football grounds increased, there was an ever-increasing tendency for people to stay away, leaving the grounds to football fans.

After serious disturbances involving English supporters at the European Cup Finals in Brussels in 1985 which led to the deaths of 38 spectators, English clubs were withdrawn from European competitions for the 1985—1986 season by the Football Association. Today, many people are only interested in football because of the pools8 and the chance of winning a lot of money. The Cup Final at Wembley remains, though, an event of national importance. Here is a drawing of a football field, or 'pitch', as it is usually called.

The football pitch should be between 100 and 130 metres long and between 50 and 100 metres wide. It is divided into two halves by the halfway line9. The sides of the field are called the touch-lines and the ends are called the goal-lines. In the middle of the field there is a centre circle and there is a goal at each end. Each goal is 8 metres wide and between 2х/г and 3 metres high. In front of each goal is the goal area and the penalty area10. There is a penalty spot inside the penalty area and a penalty arc outside it. A game of football usually lasts for one and a half hours. At half-time11, the teams change ends12. The referee13 controls the game. The aim of each team is obviously to score14 as many goals as possible. If both teams score the same number of goals, or if neither team scores any goals at all, the result is a draw15.

The final of the football competition takes place every May at the famous Wembley stadium in London. Some of the best known clubs in England are Manchester United, Liverpool and the Arsenal. In Scotland either Rangers, Celtic or Aberdeen usually win the cup or the championship.

References

1-   goalkeeper ['дэи1,1и:рэ] — вратарь, голкипер

2.   back — защитник

3. half-back ['hccfbsek] — полузащитник
4. forward ['foiwad] — нападающий игрок
5. football ground (or pitch) — футбольное поле
6. up and down the country — по всей стране
7. to fall away — уменьшаться, спадать, ослабевать
8. pool — пул (заключение пари перед спортивными соревнованиями, установление ставок)
9. halfway line — средняя линия
10.  penalty ['penalti] area — штрафная площадка
    11- half-time ['harf'taim] — перерыв между таймами

12to change ends — поменяться половинами поля, площадками

13referee [,ref3'ri:] — судья

14to score [sko:] — забивать голы; a score — счет

15draw — «ничья»

References

1football pools — футбольный тотализатор (проводится еженедельно рядом специальных фирм; участникам предлагается угадать результаты нескольких матчей; размер выигрыша зависит от количества правильных предсказаний)

2gamble ['gaembl] — азартная игра

The English have never been against a gamble2 though most of them know where to draw the line3 and wisely refrain from betting4 too often. Since the war the most popular form of gambling is no doubt that of staking5 a small sum on the football pools. (The word 'pool' is connected with the picture of streams of money pouring into a common fund, or 'pool' from which the winners are paid after the firm has taken its expense and profit). Those who do so receive every week from one of the pools firms a printed form; on this are listed the week's matches. Against each match, or against a number of them, the optimist puts down a 1, a 2 or an x to show that he thinks the result of the match will be a home win6, an away win7 or a draw. The form is then posted to the pools firm, with a postal order or cheque for the sum staked (or, as the firms say, 'invested'). At the end of the week the results of the matches are announced on television and published in the newspapers and the 'investor' can take out his copy of his coupon and check his forecast8.

Do you know how to play cricket?

 If you don't live in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the West Indies you won't learn it at school. English people love cricket. Summer isn't summer without it. Even if you do not understand the rules, it is attractive to watch the players, dressed in white playing on the beautiful green cricket fields. Every Sunday morning from May to the end of September many Englishmen get up very early, and take a lot of sandwiches with them. It is necessary because the games are very long. Games between two village teams last for only one afternoon. Games between counties last for three days, with 6 hours play on each day. When England plays with one or other cricketing countries such as Australia and New Zealand it is called a test match and lasts for five days. Cricket is played in schools, colleges and universities and in most towns and villages by teams which play weekly games. Test matches with other cricketing countries are held annually.

Cricket is also played by;.women and girls. The governing body is Women'sc Cricket Association, founded in 1926. Women's cricket clubs have regular weekend games. Test matches and other international matches take place. The women's World Cup is held every four years.

Cricket is played by two teams of 11 each. One team must bat1 and the other team must field. When the first team finished batting2, the second team must begin.

The batsman3 must all the time guard his 'wicket'4, three rather ridiculous pieces of wood which are pushed into the ground. The game is very slow.

In many ways this is the most English of all sports. It is a game for a hot June day with a slight breeze and the feeling that there is no hurry in the world.

References

1. bat — бита (в крикете), бить битой
2. batting — подача
3. batsman — игрок с битой, отбивающий мяч
4. wicket ['wikit] — ворота в крикете

Wimbledon.

People all over the world know Wimbledon1 as the centre of lawn tennis2. But most people do not know that it was famous for another game before tennis was invented. Wimbledon is now a part of Greater London. In 1874 it was a country village, but it had a railway station and it was the home of the All-England Croquet Club. The Club had been there since 1864. A lot of people played croquet in England at that time and enjoyed it, but the national championships did not attract many spectators. So the Club had very little money, and the members were looking for ways of getting some. 'This new game of lawn tennis seems to have plenty of action, and people like watching it', they thought. 'Shall we allow people to play lawn tennis on some of our beautiful croquet lawns?'

In 1875 they changed the name of the Club to the 'All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club', and that is the name that you will still find in the telephone book. Two years later, in 1877, Wimbledon held the first world lawn tennis championship (men's singles)3. The winner was S. W. Gore, a Londoner. There were 22 players, and 200 spectators, each paid one shilling. Those who watched were dressed in the very latest fashion—the men in hard top hats and long coats, and the ladies in dresses that reached to the ground! The Club gained <£ 10. It was saved.

Wimbledon grew. There was some surprise and doubt, of course, when the Club allowed women to play in the first women's singles championship in 1884. But the ladies played well—even in long skirts that hid their legs and feet.

The Wimbledon championships begin on the Monday nearest to June 22, at a time when England often has its finest weather. It is not only because of the tennis that people like to go there. When the  Weather  is  good,  it  is  a  very  pleasant  place  to  spend  an afternoon. The grass is fresh and green, the players wear beautiful white clothes,  the spectators are dressed in the latest fashion, there may be members of the royal family among them, and there are cool drinks in the open-air cafes next to the tennis courts. Millions of people watch the championships on television.

References

1. Wimbledon ['wimblden] — Уимблдон {предместье Лондона, в котором находится Всеанглийский теннисный и крокетный клуб)
2. lawn [lo:n] tennis — теннис (в отличие от настольного тенниса  — table tennis)
3. single — партия (в теннисе, гольфе), в которой участвуют только два противника

Table tennis.

Eighty years ago, Mr. E. Goode of Putney, South London, went to the chemist's to buy some aspirins. In the shop, he almost forgot about his tablets as he stood looking at the pimpled rubber mat1 on the counter. It had given him a fantastic new idea.

He paid for his aspirins and the rubber mat. Then he rushed home, cut the rubber mat to the right shape and size and stuck it to his plain wooden table tennis bat2. The thin layer of rubber helped him put a very fast spin3 on the ball. When he became the English champion, everyone started copying him, putting rubber layers on their bats, and soon Mr. Goode's clever idea completely changed the style and speed of table tennis.

Table tennis was first invented in England in about 1880. At first the game had several strange names: Gossima, Whiff Whaff and Ping Pong. It wasn't until 1926 that the International Table Tennis Association was formed with international championships and rules. One of the rules was that the rubber linings of the bat (Mr. Goode's invention) couldn't be more than two millimetres thick on each side

Although the game was invented in England British players don't have much chance in international championships.

It's the Chinese with their fantastic speed and power who win almost every title. They often use a pen holder grip4, not the 'shake-hands' technique popular in Europe and the States. Their style is athletic and they often play standing several meters away from the table. Table tennis looks more like gymnastics when the Chinese start playing, with the ball flying over the net at speeds of over 150 kilometers per hour.

But don't forget that it's thanks to an Englishman that table tennis is the fast and skilful game it is today. It's the pimpled rubber lining that allows players to get a good spin on the ball. Mr. Goode's headache eighty years ago was a turning point in the history of the game!

References

1- steeplechase ['stLpltfeis] crosscountry running —скачки, бег с препятствиями

2.   open country — естественные условия

1. pimpled rubber mat — пупырчатый резиновый коврик
2. tennis bat — теннисная ракетка
3. to put a fast spin — придать быстрое вращение
4. pen holder grip — зажим ракетки в руке наподобие ручки

Steeplechase.

The steeplechase1, often known as cross-country running, is very popular in most European countries. The first known organized cross-country race in 1837 was the Crick Run at Rugby School. Originally, cross-country running took place over open country2 where the hazards were the natural ones to be found in the country. These included hedges, ditches, streams and the like. Schools and some clubs still run over open country. Sometimes, however, the competitors run off the course as, on one occasion, happened to all the runners in a race. Because of this, the organization of these races has to be very strict. Nowadays, cross-country races (or steeplechases) are often run in an enclosed area where the hazards are artificial. This makes organization easier.

Racing.

There are all kinds of racing in England—horse-racing, motor-car racing, boat-racing, dog-racing, and even races for donkeys. On sport days at school boys and girls run races, and even train for them. There is usually a mile race for older boys, and the one who wins it is certainly a good runner.

Usually those who run a race go as fast as possible, but there are some races in which everybody has to go very carefully in order to avoid falling.

There is the 'three-legged' race, for example, in which a pair of runners have the right leg of one tied to the left leg of the other. If they try to go too fast they are certain to fall. And there is the egg-and-spoon race, in which each runner must carry an egg in a spoon without letting it drop. If the egg does fall, it must be picked up with the spoon, not the fingers.

Naturally animals don't race unless they are made to run in some way, though it often seems as if little lambs are running races with each other in the fields in spring.

Horses are ridden, of course. Dogs won't race unless they have something to chase, and so they are given a hare to go after, either a real one or an imitation one.

The most famous boat-race in England is between Oxford and Cambridge. It is rowed over a course on the River Thames, and thousands of people go to watch it. The eight rowers in each boat have a great struggle, and at the end there is usually only a short distance between the winners and the losers.

The University boat-race started in 1820 and has been rowed on the Thames almost every spring since 1836. At the Henley Regatta in Oxford shire, founded in 1839, crews from all over the world compete each July in various kinds of race over a straight course of 1 mile 550 yards (about 2.1 km).

farthest. For a perfect throw the caber must land in the 12-o'clock position after being thrown in a vertical semicircle. The caber is a very heavy and long log.

The Highland Games

1. the Highland Games — состязания шотландских горцев
2. tossing the caber ['keiba] — метание шеста
3. putting the weight — поднятие веса
4. throwing the hammer — метание молота
5. piping ['paipin] — игра на волынке

22177808. bagpipes ['baegpaips] — волынка; bagpipe competitions — состязание в игре на волынке
22177809. the Sword [so:d] Dance — танец с саблями
22177810. the Reel [ri:l] —  рил (шотландский народный хороводный танец)

Scottish Highland Games1, at which sports (including tossing the caber2, putting the weight3 and throwing the hammer4), dancing and piping5 competitions take place, attract large numbers of spectators from all over the world.

These meetings are held every year in different places in the Scottish Highlands. They include the clans led by their pipers, dressed in their kilts, tartan plaids, and plumed bonnets, who march round the arena.

The features common to Highland Games are bagpipes6 and Highland dancing competitions and the performance of heavy athletic events—some of which, such as tossing the caber, are Highland in origin. All competitors wear Highland dress, as do most of the judges. The games take place in a large roped-off arena. Several events take place at the same time: pipers and dancers perform on a platform; athletes toss the caber, put the weight, throw the hammer, and wrestle. There is also a competition for the best-dressed Highlander.

Highland dancing is performed to bagpipe music, by men and women, such as the Sword Dance7 and the Reel8.

No one knows exactly when the men of the Highlands first gathered to wrestle, toss cabers, throw hammers, put weights, dance and play music. The Games reflected the tough life of the early Scots. Musclepower was their means of livelihood—handling timber, lifting rocks to build houses, hunting. From such activities have developed the contests of tossing the caber, putting the weight and throwing the hammer. Tossing the caber originated among woodmen who wanted to cast their logs into the deepest part of a river.

Tossing  the   caber  is   not  a  question   of  who   can   throw   it

Conker Contest and British Marbles Championship

Every year, usually on the Wednesday nearest to 20th October, about a hundred competitors gather to take part in the annual conker competition in a chosen place. The conkers are collected by children from an avenue of chestnut trees2. The conkers are carefully examined and numbered on their flat sides, then bored and threaded on nylon cord. Each competitor is allowed an agreed number of 'strikes', and a referee is present to see fair play. There are prizes for winners and runners-up. The contest usually starts at about 7 p.m.

It is said that in Elizabethan times two suitors for a village beauty settled the matter by means of a marbles contest3. What is now the Marble Championship is believed to be a survival of that contest. The game of marbles dates back to Roman times. Teams of six compete on a circular, sanded rink. Forty-nine marbles are placed in the centre of the rink, and the players try to knock out4 as many as possible with their marble. The marble is rested on the index finger and flicked5 with the thumb. The two highest individual scores battle for the championship with only thirteen marbles on the rink. Similar contests are now held in some other English-speaking countires.

References

1. conker contest ['kogka'kontast] — соревнование-игра конскими каштанами (одним конским каштаном, привязанным к концу веревочки, бьют по другим)
2. chestnut ['tfesnat] tree — каштановое дерево
3. marbles ['maiblz] contest — детская игра в стеклянные шарики
4. knock out — выбивать
5. flick — слегка подтолкнуть

Home task: Подготовьте проект « Национальные виды спорта Великобритании».

Практическое занятие №3

«Баскетбол»

Задачи:

- Активизация лексики по теме «Баскетбол».

- Развития навыка чтения и говорения по теме «Баскетбол».

- Воспитание бережного отношения к традициям и культуре страны изучаемого языка.

- Расширение кругозора. ( Межпредметные связи по спец. курсу специальности ФК).

Task 1. Изучите текст.  Выпишите ключевые слова и переведите.

In ancient Mexico Aztecs played a game with a rubber ball. The players of the opposing teams tried to propel the ball through a stone ring fixed high above the ground. The players were not allowed to take the ball in their hands. They played with their arms and elbows. That game looked very much like modern basketball which appeared in 1891 in the USA and now is played all around the world.

 Its inventor, James Naismith,2 taught physical training in a college. His students liked to play ball. Naismith put two baskets at opposite ends of the court, and the players were to throw the ball into these goals. At first when the goal was scored, a ladder was used to take the ball out of the basket. Later baskets were made bottomless so that the ball would drop right through them. To prevent the ball fly out of the court backboards were placed
behind the baskets. At first basketball was only played by American college
students. The new game became very popular. First competitions were held in 1895 in the USA.

In Russia young people also played that American game.
In 1909 the first international match was held in Russia between American guests and Russian amateurs who were the winners .In 1936 basketball was included in the programme of the Olympic Games. For a long time American sportsmen remained the only Olympic champions. But in 1972 in Munich the Soviet team for the first time became the Olympic champions after they had won the final game versus the USA with only one point more! In the Soviet Union basketball is played everywhere: at schools, universities and sports clubs. There are many rules that govern the game, and people say that it is easier to learn to play basketball than to under stand it. 

A basketball team consists of five players. The game begins with a jump-ball in the centre of the court. The referee tosses the ball up between two players of opposing teams who try to pass the falling ball to their team-mates. When a team gets the ball, its players may pass it to each other or advance it by dribbling. Dribbling is bouncing the ball on the floor up and down with one hand. But when a player catches it with two hands or holds it in one hand he must either pass it or shoot at the goal. While passing or dribbling the players find suitable position usually close to the goal. They aim the ball straight into the basket or bounce it on the backboard and through the ring. The players must not touch their opponents with hands, push or hug them. If they do, they get a personal foul. After five fouls a player must leave the court. Violation of the rules may also be punished by two free throws from the 4.6 m distance to the goal. The game consists of two 20 minutes' periods. The team that scores more points wins the game. Basketball is played on a flat court 14 m wide and 26 m. long. The distance between the ring and the floor is305 cm. The ball is round, usually orange in colour, and weighs about 600 gm. Basketball players wear sleeveless vests and shorts and special basketball shoes with rubber soles.

Task 2 . Answer the Questions:

1. Where can the origins of basketball be traced?
2. Who Invented basketball?
3. What were the goals in the beginning of basketball?

22177632. When was the first basketball match played in our country?
22177633. When did basketball become an Olympic sport?
22177634. What is the object of the game in basketball?
22177635. How can the ball be advanced in basketball?
22177636. What is dribbling?
22177637. How many violations of the rules make a player leave
          the court?

10. What are the measurements of a basketball court?
11. What are basketball players clothed in?

Task3. Сгруппируйте слова :

Составьте собственные предложение с выделенными словами.

Практическое занятие №4

«Лондон- столица- Великобритании».

Практическое занятие №5

«Я гражданин России»

Exercise 1

Study the vocabulary on page 100.

Give  the definitions to the following expressions using the vocabulary.

1 a person who has full rights as a member of a country, either by birth or by being granted such rights,

2 Have possessions of something,

3 any of the sides of an object,

4 complete, entire,

5 very many,

6 all the plants of a particular area or period of time,

7 all the animals of an area,

8 a regular pattern of weather conditions of a particular region,

9 particular state of existence,

10 average in amount,

11 relating to iron,

12 country considered as an organized  political community controlled by one government, 13 consist of or be composed of,

14 large strip of cloth showing an emblem or slogan which is carried during political or religion possessions,  

15 law- making,

16 having power to carry out decisions, laws, decrees,

17 by a court of law,

18 having the status, wealth that enables one to persuade others to do something,

19 dealing with or involving other countries,

20 not taking account of or considering something,

21 having or showing self- respect, dignity or independence.  

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

I am a citizen of the Russian Federation or Russia. The Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about 1/7 (one seventh) of the Earth surface. The country is situated in Eastern Europe, Northern and Central Asia. Its total area is over 17 million square km.

Our land is washed by 12 seas, most of which are the seas of three oceans: the Arctic, the Atlantic and the Pacific. In the south and in the west the country borders on fourteen countrees. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There is hardly a country in the world where such a great variety of flora and fauna can be found as in our land. Our country has numerous forests, plains and steppes, taiga and tundra, highlands and deserts. The highest mountains in our land are the Altai, the Urals and the Caucasus. There are over two thousands rivers in the Russian Federation. The longest of them are the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Lena and the Amur. Our land is also rich in various lakes with the deepest lake in the world, the Baikal, included.

On the Russian territory there are 11 time zones. The climate conditions are rather different: from arctic and moderate to continental and subtropical. Our country is

one of the richest in natural resources countries in the world: oil, natural gas, coal, different ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and other minerals.

The Russian Federation is a multinational state. It comprises many national districts, several autonomous republics and regions. The population of the country is over 140 million people.

Moscow is the capital of our Homeland. It is the largest political scientific, cultural and industrial center of the country and one of the most beautiful cities. Russian is the official language of the state. The national symbols of the Russian Federation are a double headed eagle and a white-blue-red banner.

The Russian Federation is a constitutional republic headed by the President, the country government consists of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. The President controls only the executive branch - the government, but not the Supreme Court and Federal Assembly.

The legislative power belongs to the Federal Assembly comprising two chambers: the Council of Federation (upper Chamber) and the State Duma (lower Chamber). Each chamber is headed by the Speaker. The executive power belongs to the government (the Cabinet of Ministers) headed by the Prime Minister. The judicial power belongs to the system of Courts comprising the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and federal courts.

Our country has a multiparty system. The foreign policy of the Russian Federation is that of international cooperation, peace and friendship with all nations irrespective of their political and social systems.

I am proud of being a citizen of Russia.

Exercise 2

Answer the questions p.100-101.

Exercise 3

Translate the sentences from Russian into English, page 101.

Home task:

1 Find the information about flora and fauna of Russia.

2 Study the  Russian institutions of power and make the sheme-table.

3 Summarize the information about Russia.

T

THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

he Russian Federation is the largest country in the world. It occupies about one-seventh of the earth's surface. It covers the eastern part of Europe and the northern part of Asia. Its total area is about 17 million square kilometres. The country is washed by 12 seas of 3 oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. In the south Russia borders on China, Mongolia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. In the west it borders on Norway, Finland, the Baltic States, Belorussia, the Ukraine. It also has a sea-border with the USA.

There's hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery and vegetation can be found. We have steppes in the south, plains and forests in the midland, tundra and taiga in the north, highlands and deserts in the east.

There are two great plains in Russia: the Great Russian Plain and the West Siberian Lowland. There are several mountain chains on the territory of the country: the Urals, the Caucasus, the Altai and others. The largest mountain chain, the Urals, separates Europe from Asia.

There are over two million rivers in Russia. Europe's biggest river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea. The main Siberian rivers — the Ob, the Yenisei and the Lena — flow from the south to the north. The Amur in the Far East flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Russia is rich in beautiful lakes. The world's deepest lake (1,600 metres) is Lake Baikal. It's much smaller than the Baltic Sea, but there's much more water in it than in the Baltic Sea. The water in the lake is so clear that if you look down you can count the stones on the bottom.

Russia has one-sixth of the world's forests. They are concentrated in the European north of the country, in Siberia and in the Far East.

On the vast territory of the country there are various types of climate, from arctic in the north to subtropical in the south. In the middle of the country the climate is temperate and continental.

Russia is very rich in oil, coal, iron ore, natural gas, copper, nickel and other mineral resources.

Russia is a parliamentary republic. The Head of State is the President. The legislative powers are exercised by the Duma.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. It's its largest political, scientific, cultural and industrial centre. It's one of the oldest Russian cities.

At present, the political and economic situation in the country is rather complicated. The industrial production is decreasing. The prices are constantly rising, the rate of inflation is rather high. People are losing their jobs because many factories and plants are going bankrupt. But in spite of the problems Russia is facing at present, there are a lot of opportunities for this country to become one of the leading countries in the world. I'm sure that we, the younger generation, can do very much to make Russia as strong and powerful as it used to be.

Questions

1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?
2. What is the total area of the country?
3. What countries does Russia border on?
4. What mountain chain separates Europe from Asia?
5. How many rivers are there in Russia?
6. Which is the longest river in Europe?
7. What do you know about Lake Baikal?
8. Do you know what strait separates Russia from America?
9. What mineral resources is the Russian Federation rich in?

10. What is the climate like in Russia?
11. What can you say about the present economic situation in Russia?
12. What great Russians do you know?

Практическое занятие № 6

“ Moscow-The capital of our country”.

13. Exercise 1
14. Read the text  on page 102-103.
16. Exercise 2
17. Study the vocabulary on page 104.Find the explanation of the words from the vocabulary.
19.        1 town or city that is the centre of government of a country,
20. 2 male member of a royal family who is not the king,
21. 3 ground near the river,
22. 4 main church of a district under a care of a bishop.
23. 5 task done with great skill, especially an artist’s greatest work.
24. 6 any large splendid house.
25. 7 castle or large fort.
26. 8  ( title of the) emperor of Russia ( before 1917)
27. 9 rounded roof with a circular base.
28. 10 a large number of people gathered together in the open.
29. 11 used in or involved n science.
30. 12 type of hard limestone used, when cut and polish, for building and sculpture.
31. 13 very large in area, size and degree.
32. 14 restore  to good condition.
33. 15 action of observing.
34. 16 movable articles ( tables, chairs, beds) put into the house to make is suitable to live.
35. 17  method used in industry to make something.
36. 18 still bar fixed on the ground for trains or trams.
38. Exercise 3.
40. 1 Read some more information about Moscow.
41. 2  Find in the dictionary the meaning of the underlined words.
42. 3 Make up  special questions, pay attention to the tenses of the predicates.
44.                        Red Square is the place of parades, meetings, and demonstrations. Here one can see the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed , erected by architect Postnic and Barma to commemorate Russian”s conquest of the Kazan Kingdom in 1552.It is a masterpieces of Russian architecture. The monument of Minin and Pozharsky was designed by Ivan Martos in 1818 in memory of Russian victory over Polish invade I 1612. The History Museum in Red Square is one of the major scientific and educational institutions where we can follow the life of Russian people since ancient time.
45.                       The Alexander Garden is situated near the Kremlin wall. In 1967 the Memorial architectural ensemble was set up over the Tomb of the Unknown Solder. There are always a lot of flowers at the foot of the monument, especially on Victory Day.  
46.  .
47. Exercise 4.
48. Answer the questions:
49. 1 When was the Moscow founded?
50. 2 Who founded Moscow?
51. 3 Where is Moscow located?
52. 4 What is the population of Moscow?
53. 5 Is Moscow a port city?
54. 6What is known about Moscow  Metro?
55. 7 Why the Kremlin  is the most important place of interest for tourist?
56. 8 What cathedrals are situated inside the Kremlin?
57. 9 What is Palace of Congresses used for at present time?
58. 10 What is the heart for of Moscow?
59.       11 What are the most beautiful masterpieces of Russian architecture in the city?
60. 12 Where can you spend your free time in Moscow?
61. 13  What are the most favorite theatre in Moscow? ( Have you ever been in Moscow’ theatres?)
63. Exercise 5.
64. Fill in the gaps with the suitable words given below .
66. Leads, galleries, outstanding, cultural, world ,has, musical, proud, including,  Maly,  named,  secondary, remarkable, museums.
68.                  Moscow is a scientific and ………….. centre where there are lots of institutes, universities, libraries,…………… , technical schools, colleges and ………… schools. The city…..
69. A varied cultural life . It has a lot of cinemas , clubs, concert halls, more than 40 drama and ……….. theatres, ………….. the Bolshoi Theatre with its famous……….. ballet and opera,, the Art Theatre, The …… Theatre and others.
70.                 Muscovite are ……….. of their museums: the Treatyakov Gallery , the Museum of Fine Arts named after A. S. Pushkin , the Kuskovo museum, literary museums and art ……...
71. At the Tretyakov Gallery you can see a lot of ……….. paintings by the outstanding  Russian artists: Repin, Kramskoy, Ivanov, Serov, Perov, Levitan, Shishkin, Polenov,
74. Home task.
75. 1Watch the video film. Create the excursion around the Kremlin “ The History of Moscow”.
76. 2 Create the excursion “ The Sights of Moscow”.
77. 3 Make reports “ The Red Square”, “ St Basil’s Cathedral”, “The Tsar’s Bell”, “The Cathedral of the Assumption”, “The A.S. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts”, “ The State Historical Museum”, “ Tretyakov Gallery”.

  Moscow 

  Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, commercial and cultural centre. It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow’s history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful. In the 13th century Moscow was the centre of the struggle of Russian lands for the liberation from the tartar yoke. In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital to St Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon’s attack. The most territory of the city was destroyed by the great fire, but by the mid-19th century Moscow had been completely restored. And after the Revolution Moscow became the capital again. Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Its total area is about 9 hundred square kilometers. The population of the city is over 8 million. Moscow is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The heart of Moscow is Red Square. It has more historical association than any other place in Moscow. There are a lot of beautiful places, old mansions, cathedrals, churches and monuments in Moscow. Now Moscow is being reconstructed and we all hope that in few years the city will become even more beautiful. There are more than 80 museums in Moscow. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of the Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery. Other unique museums in Moscow include the All-Russia museum of Folk Arts, the Andrey Rublev Museum of early Russian Art and many others. Moscow is famous for its theatres. The best-known of them in The Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are very popular. Moscow is a city of students. There are over 80 higher educational institutions in it, including several universities. Moscow is the seat of the Russian Parliament and the centre of political life of the country.

  History of the olimpic games 

  The olimpic games called on the name of the competitions that was in greece near the city olimpya. The olimpic games are an international assembly of sports competions. The primitive grecians valued every 4 years sports competions in greece. Women can't to be part of the Olimpic Games. The first Olimpic Games was in the year 776 before the counting. In the begining the games were 1 day. The time of the olimpic games became to some days. In the Olimpic Games there are many different competitions: running, wrestling and more. The winers won in big honor and they got prizes and he was a hero to his country. There were places that built there statues to preserve theire names. There was games in 1200 years. After that there was no games in 1500 years. In our days people decided to continue the sports competitions and called them Olimpic Games. In the first try to renew them was made in the middle of the 19th century by the greek onglius zapas, in the year 1859 by his enterprise and money people tried to renew the games but this attemp has been failed. In the year 1870 there was another attemp with funds that zapas bequeathed for that but this attemp faild too. With the enterprise of franch count fier de- kubreten assembled in the year 1894 in paris congress international of the sports busness from 13 countries and there decided on the renew of the olimpic games every 4 years. The first games were in atuna. There is a slogan to the olimpic games:faster, higher and stronger. In the year 1920 decided on the olimpic games's sign:5 circles intedrated in colors:red, green, yellow, black and blue. The olimpic games opens with a spaicel ceremony and in it people are holding the flags of all the countries that are taking part in the competition. The selected sportsman is lightning the flame.

ST PETERSBURG

S

t Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great as the "Window on the West". Thousands of workmen were brought from all parts of Russia to build a new city on the swampy land at the mouth of the Neva River. Peter the Great was in a hurry. The work was fast and hard, and workmen dropped dead by the hundreds. But the work went on.

In 1917 St Petersburg, a city of great beauty, with palaces, cathedrals, churches, government buildings became the capital. Under later rulers the new capital of the Russian Empire grew rapidly in wealth and beauty. Architects were brought from western Europe to lay out the city in harmonious squares. Buildings were constructed of grey and rose-colored  granite. The Hermitage Palace and the Winter Palace, the homes of the tsars, were equal to any in Europe.

When the First World War began in 1914, the German-sounding name, St Petersburg, was changed to Petrograd. After the October Revolution the city was renamed after Lenin.

During the Great Patriotic War the city suffered a great deal. The German armies laid siege to it in 1941, and for the next year and a half it was cut off from the rest of the country. No food could be brought in, and people died of starvation. Daily shelling and air raids destroyed parts of the city. Thousands of people were killed. Rebuilding took years.

Now St Petersburg is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre. The population of the city is over 5 million.

St Petersburg is indeed a wonderful city: at every turn there's something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, St Isaac's Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, the Admiralty building attract thousands of tourists from every comer of the world.

Petersburg's many museums house some of the world's most famous art collections. The Hermitage, for example, contains the richest collection of pictures in the world.

The city is called the Northern Venice because there are 65 rivers, arms and canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It's also famous for its beautiful white nights.

2 семестр

Практическое занятие №1

The History of the Olympic Games.

Цель:

1 Изучение лексики по теме « История олимпийских игр», активизация лексики по теме.

2 Развитие навыка просмотрового и изучающего чтения.

3Подготовка монологического высказывания.

4 Активизация умения составлять специальные вопросы.

Основная литература:T Klementieva  “ Happy English-3’ , Обнинск ,2001.

Интеренет.

1 Study the vocabulary,find the transcriptions of the following words:

brief [ bri:f]- краткий

the Olympic Games [ e’limpik ‘geimz] – олимпийские игры

according to [ eko:ding ]- cогласно

2 Read the short stories about the history of Olympic Games.

Home task:

History

According to historical records, the first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all such “pagan cults” be banned.

Mythology

The oldest myth which concerns the beginning of the Olympic Games is that of Idaios Daktylos Herakles. According to other myths, Zeus, the father of humanity, fought and defeated Cronus in a struggle for the throne of the gods. Finally, the well-known demigod Herakles is mentioned he staged games in Olympia in honor of Zeus, because the latter had helped him conquer Elis when he went to war against Augeas.

Olympic truce

The idea of a truce symbolizes the spirit of the Ancient Olympic Games. Warring Greek cities assembled in ancient Olympia, where they realized they had more in common with their adversaries than they had thought.

The athlete.

Through the 12 centuries of the Olympic Games, many wonderful athletes competed in the stadium and the hippodrome of ancient Olympia's sacred area, moving the crowds with their great achievements. Although mortal, their Olympic victories immortalized them. Of the best athletes who left their mark on the sacred valley of Olympia, some surpassed all limits and became legends by winning in successive Olympic Games and remaining at the forefront of their sport for more than a decade. It is worth mentioning some of their extraordinary achievements, which, even by today's standards, would be the envy of athletes such as Nurmi, Zatopek or Lewis.

OLYMPIC GAMES

T

he Olympic Games have a very long history. They began in 777 ВС in Greece and took place every four years for nearly twelve centuries at Olimpia. They included many different kinds of sports: running, boxing, wrestling, etc. All the cities in Greece sent their best athletes to Olimpia to compete in the Games. For the period of the Games all the wars stopped. So the Olympic Games became the symbol of peace and friendship.

In 394 AD the Games were abolished and were not renewed until many centuries later.

In 1894, a Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, addressed all the sports governing bodies and pointed out the significance of sports and its educational value.

Two years later the first modern Olympic Games took place. Of course, the competitions were held in Greece to symbolize the continuation of the centuries-old tradition.

In 1896 the International Olympic Committee was set up. It is the central policy-making body of the Olympic movement. It is formed by the representatives of all countries which take part in the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee decides upon the programme of the games, the number of the participants and the city-host for the Games. Over one hundred and fifty countries are represented in the International Olympic Committee now. Besides, each country has its National Olympic Committee.

Summer and Winter Games are held separately. There are always several cities wishing to host the Games. The most suitable is selected by the International Committee. After that the city of the Games starts preparations for the competitions, constructs new sports facilities, stadiums, hotels, press centres. Thousands of athletes, journalists and guests come to the Games, and it takes great efforts to arrange everything. There is always an interesting cultural programme of concerts, exhibitions, festivals, etc., for each Games.

Russia joined the Olympic movement in 1952. Since then it has won a lot of gold, silver, and bronze medals. In 1980 Moscow hosted the Twenty-Second Olympic Games.

The latest Olympic Games were held in Sydney. Russian sportsmen got medals for their records in many sports events.

GREAT BRITAIN

T

he United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech "Great Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

Shakespeare called Britain a "precious stone set in the silver sea" because of its natural beauty. It has a varied countryside where you can find mountains, plains, valleys and sandy beaches. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain, but it is only 1343 metres high.

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 58 million. About 80% of the population live in cities.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

There are three mam political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

LONDON

 London  is  the  capital  of Great  Britain, its political, economic and commercial centre. It's one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million. London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world. Traditionally it's divided into several parts: the City,  other and seem to belong to different towns and epochs.

. . The heart of London is the City, its financial and business centre. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there, including the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange and the Old Bailey. Few people live here, but over a million people come to the City to work. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of British churches. It was built in the 17th century by Sir Christopher Wren. The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison. Now it's a museum.

Westminster is the historic, the governmental part of London. Westminster Abbey has more historic associations than any other building in Britain. Nearly all English kings and queens have been crowned here. Many outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers, poets and painters are buried here: Newton, Darwin, Chaucer, Dickens, Tennyson, Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, or the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Parliament. The Clock Tower of the Houses of Parliament is famous for its big hour bell, known as "Big Ben". Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the Queen.

The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It's the symbol of wealth and luxury. The best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs, and theatres are situated there. There. are splendid houses and lovely gardens belonging to wealthy people. Trafalgar Square is the geographical centre of London. It was named in memory of Admiral Nelson's victory in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The tall Nelson's Column stands in the middle of the square.

On the north side of Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, Not far-away of the British Museum –is the biggest museum in London. It contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc, and is famous for its library. The East End was once the poorest district of London — with lots of factories and docks, narrow streets and unimpressive buildings. Today, the district is changing very fast. There are huge offices and new blocks of flats in the East End.

THE USA

T

he United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated. The population of the country is more than 270 million.If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska.

America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA.The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It's the world's leading producer of copper and oil and the world's second producer of iron ore and coal. Among the most important manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper.Though mainly European and African in origin, Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and native Americans.

The largest cities are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Washington and others.The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the Congress, and the judicial. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic, though there's hardly any difference between their political lines.

The USA

1 The USA is the most powerful and highly developed country of the world.

2 The capital of the USA is Washington D.C.

3 Washington was named in honor of the first president whose name was George Washington.

4 It is situated in the central park of the North American continent.

5 Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean, and its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Guf of Mexico.

6 The USA is separated from Canada in the north by the Great Lakes, from Mexico in the south by a line following The Rio Grade River and continuing across the highlands to the Pacific Ocean.

7 The total area of the USA is over 9 million square kilometers.

8 The principal rivers of the USA are the Mississippi which is the longest river and the Hudson River.

9 The population of the United States of America is about 250 million people, who are called Americans.

10 In America there are representatives of almost all racial and national groups.

11 There are about 25 million people in the country and over half a million are Indians.  

12 The United States is a federal republic.

13 The Government is divided into three branches: legislative (the US Congress), executive (the President and his Administration) and judicial (the US Supreme Court).

14 There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic and the Republican.

15 The biggest cities of the USA are New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and others.

16 The flag of the USA is called «Stars and Stripes».

17 The 50 stars-white on a blue field represent the 50 states, stripes represent 13 original English colonies, which in 1776 became intenders of England.

18 The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782.

19 The statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy.

20 It stands on Liberty Island in New York.

21As for American economy we should say that Its highly developed.

22 Its agriculture is highly mechanized/

23 Iron is mined near the Great Lakes.

24 The USA is rich in oil in California, Texas and some other regions.

25 The USA has a highly developed motor car industry.

26 Cars are the symbol of American way of life.

27 There are many holidays in the USA.

28 The most famous are: Independence day (4th of July), Halloween (31st of October), Thanks given day in November, Victory day.

29 I would like to go to America and to know this country.

WASHINGTON, DC

W

ashington is the capital of the United States of America. It's situated in the District of Columbia and is like no other city in the USA. It's the world's largest one-industry city. And that industry is government. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington.

Washington was named after the first US President George Washington. He selected the place for the capital and Pierre L'Enfant, a French engineer, designed the city. Washington was first settled in 1790 and since 1800 it has been the federal capital. Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very centre of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol — a big white dome standing on a circle of pillars. The 535 members of the Congress meet here to discuss the nation's affairs. It's easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.

The White House is the official residence of the US President. He works in the Oval Office.One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

There are some important museums in Washington where you can see all kinds of things: famous paintings and sculptures, the dresses of President’s wives, the original of the Declaration of Independence, the largest blue diamond in the world, etc. There are 5 universities in Washington. There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city's many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall. Thousands of tourists visit Washington every day. People from all parts of the United States come to see their capital.