Discovery of America
Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. He was born in Italy. His father and both grandfathers were cloth makers. Columbus was a seaman and made many sea voyages.
Most people in Columbus’s days thought that the earth was flat and they did not believe that beyond the Atlantic Ocean lay India. In 1492 the King and the Queen of Spain gave him money to go to India. He decided to sail west as he was sure that our planet was round. There were 3 caravels: the Santa Maria, the Nina and the Pinta. After sailing 4000 miles he reached some land. The crew saw something like a white cliff and cried out: «Tierra! Tierra!». Columbus thought that it must be India but it was not. It was a new land — a new continent. It was America. Columbus named the land they had reached San Salvador («Holy Saviour»). People began to speak about the land as «The new World».
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US Government
After its 200th birthday the United States of America still holds the leading position in the western world. A country that has inspired many names — «Land of Opportunity», «Meeting Pot», «God’s Country» is still referred to as land of superlatives — «the richest», «the greatest», «the most».
In size the United States is not the biggest. What makes the USA the leader of the western world is its economic, political and military dominance over other countries.
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US Congress
The Congress of the United States is composed of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states and the House represents the population according to its distribution among the states. Each state is guaranted at least one representative in the House. The remainder are apportioned among the states according to their population. The Senate of US is composed of one hundred members — two being elected from each state. Senators are chosen for six years, one-third retiring or seeking is re-elected every two years. Two senators from the same state never finish their terms at the same time, one of them is called «Senior Senator» and the other — «Junior Senator».
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American Symbols
The American flag is often called «The Stars and Stripes», it is also called «Old Glory». It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state. The national anthem of the United States is «The Star Spangled Banner». The words written during the Anglo- American war of 1812—1814 and set to the music of an old song. Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.
The eagle became the national emblem of the country in 1782. It has an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (a symbol of strength). You can see the eagle on the back of a dollar bill.
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The United States of America (General information)
After 350 years of development the United States of America still holds the leading position in the western world. The USA is the most powerful and highly developed country of the world. The United States of America lies in the central part of North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean. Its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The USA consists of three separate parts. They are the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska and the rest major part of the USA. There are fifty states and district of Columbia. The states differ very much in size, population and economical development. The population of the United States is about 250 million people.
What makes the USA the leader of the western world is its economical, political and military dominance over other countries.
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How do I learn English
Nowadays it’s very necessary to know a foreign language. Knowledge of foreign language helps us to develop friendship and understanding among people.
The total number of languages in the world is from 2500 to 5000. English is spoken all over the world and very popular. There is a proverb: «Knowledge is Power» I agree with it.
I study English, because I want to read English books of great writers in origin. I want to communicate with people from different countries, I want to understand their culture and traditions. I like to travel. Speaking English I can travel anywhere, because more than 1 billion people speak English. I have a pen-friend abroad. She lives in Sweden. I have much fun writing letters to my Swedish friend.
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English Language of Communication
«Do you speak English?» — with this phrase begins the conversation between two people, that speak different languages and want to find a common language.
It’s very good when you hear: «Yes, I do», and start talking. People of different countries and nations have to get along well with the progress in world trade and technology as well as with each other.
So it is very useful to learn foreign languages. Knowledge of foreign languages helps us to develop friendship and understanding among people.
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