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Text 2D

HAWAII

Hawaii is the only state in the United States that does not lie on the mainland of North America. It is made up of islands near the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. Honolulu? the capital and largest city? is about 2400 miles southwest of the U. S. mainland. Hawaii, the youngest state, joined the Union on August 21, 1959.

Hawaii is world famous for its beauty and pleasant climate. It has deep-blue seas, brilliantly colored flowers, graceful palm trees, and magnificent waterfalls. Cool Pacific winds keep Hawaii pleasantly wild all year round.

The state has many nationality and ethnic groups. In addition to the people of Polynesian descent and whites and blacks from the mainland, Hawaii's population includes many citizens of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian ancestry. All these people have contributed customs to a colorful life.

The people of Hawaii are proud that their state is a community of people with many different backgrounds. Many people are mixtures of several nationalities and ethnic groups.

Almost all the people of Hawaii speak English. But they frequently use some musical words of the Hawaiian language in their speech. The Hawaiian alphabet has only twelve letters.

Hawaii's mild climate and beautiful scenery make the state one of the favorite year-round playgrounds of the world. Several milhon vacationers visit in the islands each year. They find excellent hotels there.

Temperatures of air and water seldom differ more then a few degrees in Hawaii. Swimmers ride the long rolling waves on surfboards. Other catch fish in the deep waters between the islands.

Hawaii's many celebrations and festivals attract tourists from many countries. The islands offer festivals, fests, folk and street dancing and parades.

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Text 2E

Alaska

No one knows exactly how long human beings have lived in America. But most scientists believe that the first Americans walked 15.000 yeas ago. In the 1700’s when whites first arrived in the Alaskan region, three groups of people – Eskimos, Alcuts, and Indians – were living there.

The Russian were the first Europeans to become interested in the Alaskan region. In 1648 a group of Russian led by S. Dezhnev sailed through the straight separation Asia and North America. In 1725 Bering’s expedition traveled more than 6.000 miles across Russia and Asia. Then they built a ship and sailed through the straight navigated earlier by Dezhnev.

In 1741 Bering & A. Chirikov, a Russian explorer, led the sound expedition to the region. They sighted mountaing in southeastern Alaska and landed on what is now Kayak Island. Russian traders and hunters then developed fur trade on the island and later on the mainland. In 1784–G. Shelikof, a trader, established the first white settlement in Alaska, then called Russian Anoriau, on Kodiak Island.

The Russians tried to develop several industries, including coal mining, shipbuilding, and whale hunting. But by the 1850’s the fur trade had declined and the company’s other enterprises had begun to fail. After the Crimean War weakened Russia, the country became eager to sell Alaska. In 1867 the Treaty of Cession of Russian America to the United States was signed.

In 1880, Joseph Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold deposits in southeastern Alaska. In 1896 prospectors found rich gold deposits in the Klondike district of Canada’s Yukon region, just across the border from Alaska. The discovery led to the gold rush of 1897. The gold discoveries attracted thousands of people and aroused nationwide interest in Alaska.

Only in 1959 the proclamation declaring Alaska the 49^th state was signed by the President.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16