Практический курс английского языка - Камянова Т.
ISBN 5-85550-177-9
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If a National flag of any country has a little Union Jack in the corner of it, then this country is a member of the Commonwealth Nations which include: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tuvalu, and three Canadian Provinces.
The National Anthem of the United Kingdom is the song «God Save The King». It was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745, which came to be performed as the National anthem from the beginning of the XIX century. The words and tune are anonymous, and may date back to the XVII century. In September 1745 Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated the army of King George Il near Edinburgh, and to commemorate that patriotic victory the leader of the band at the Royal Theatre in London arranged «God Save The'King» for performance after a play. It was a great success, and then it was repeated every night. This practice soon spread to other theatres, and the custom of greeting the Monarch with the song was thus established. The words used are those sung in 1745, substituting «Queen» for «King» where appropriate. On official occasions, only the first verse is usually sung.
God save the Queen - UK National Anthem
God save our gracious Queen! Long live our noble Queen! God save the Queen! Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us, God save the Queen.
Notes
1. a constitutional monarchy - конституционная монархия
2. a state - государство
3. a hereditary principle - принцип наследственности
4. to be founded - быть основанным
5. to reign (over); a reign - править, царствовать; правление, царствование
6. to represent, a representative - представлять, представитель
7. Commonwealth - Содружество (политико-экономическое объединение)
8. a saint - святой
9. an anthem - гимн
10. to commemorate - праздновать, отмечать
11. a custom - обычай
12. to establish - основывать, учреждать, создавать
13. an official occasion - официальное событие, торжество
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THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THE USA)
C GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION. POPULATION. STATE SYSTEM. NATIONAL SYMBOLS.
The United States of America (the USA) are situated in North America. The total area of the USA is 9363, 2 million square kilometers which makes it the world's fourth largest state. The USA consist of 50 states, the District of Columbia and 6 territories and dependencies which are Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal Zone, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Pacific Trust Territory. The country has three geographic areas. The largest area consists of 48 states and the District of Columbia. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and borders on Canada in the north and Mexico in the south. The next area is the state of Alaska, which borders on Canada in the east and is washed by the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean along the coast. The third area is the state of Hawaii, an island group in the mid-Pacific Ocean.
About half the territory of the USA is mountainous with the Appalachian Highland in the eastern part of the country and the Cordilleran Highland in the west. Between the Appalachian and CordHleran there are vast valleys known by the general name of the Great Valley. Another large valley is the Mississippy Lowland. The most important river in the USA is the Mississippy river, which together with its principal tributary, the Missouri, is 6420 kilometers long. The USA are also rich of lakes. The largest of them are the Great Lakes in the north-east of the country.
The USA have several climatic regions: from the continental climate in New England to subtropical in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. The weather ranges from the warm, wet conditions of the Appalachian Highland to the desert conditions of some of the western states. Average summer and winter temperatures are different in every climatic region.
The population of the USA is 281, 4 million people (2000). Non-white persons comprise 12% of the total. The number of original Indians is 850 thousand people. 75% of the population lives in the cities. The most populated cities are New York (8 million people) and Los Angeles (3,7 million).
The USA is a federal presidential democratic republic. The Head of State is the president of the country. The main religion is Christianity. The main language is English. The capital is Washington. The Natonal flag of the United States is red, white, and blue. The 50 stars represent the 50 states. The 13 red and white stripes represent the first 13 colonies. On June 14, Americans celebrate the adoption of the first national flag, also known as the «Stars and Stripes». The first American flag was approved by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. In 1818, after 5 more states joined the Union, the Congress fixed the number of stripes at 13.
The National Anthem of the USA was written durjng the war of 1812. In 1814 Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer wrote a poem titled «Defence of Fort McHenry» which could be sung to the tune of one popular song of that time. On September 20,1814. the poem was published in the Baltimore newspaper. The song was caught on and everyone was singing it. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson ordered that «The Star-Spangled Banner» (as it had come to be known by then) would be played at all state occasions. In 1931 the Congress of the USA declared it the National Anthem.
