The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty stands on an island in New York Harbor. It weighs 225 tons and is 301 feet tall. It was designed by the French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. In 1886 the French gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a present to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. Now it is a symbol of freedom for new immigrants coming to the USA.

1. What does the Statue of Liberty look like?

2. Who gave the statue to Americans and why?

3. What is the name of the island on which the statue stands?

The American Eagle

The American eagle is the official emblem (symbol) of the United States. It appears on the Presidential flag and on some coins. The American Bald Eagle gained recognition as the national bird when the Great Seal of the United States was adopted on June 20, 1782.

Did you know? Benjamin Franklin disapproved of the eagle as the American national bird when he stated: “The bald eagle … is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. <…>The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of America.” President John F. Kennedy the opposite view: “The Founding Fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America.”

1. Where can you see the American Eagle?

2. When did it become the national bird?

3. Why are bald eagles called true native Americans?

4. What animal is the national symbol of our country?

The Donkey and the Elephant

The donkey and the elephant first appeared in political cartoons. They are symbols for the Democratic and the Republican Parties. The person who is most responsible for making the donkey a symbol of the Democrats and the elephant a symbol of the Republicans was a cartoonist for “Harper’s Weekly” magazine, Thomas Nast.

1. What do the donkey and the elephant symbolize? Who made them popular?

2. Find out what presidents were first associated with the donkey and the elephant and why?

3. Find a political cartoon with the donkey and the elephant and describe it.

Uncle Sam

Uncle Sam has the initials U.S. He originally appeared in political cartoons and is an unofficial symbol of the U.S. government.

1. You are going to listen to the story about Uncle Sam.

a ) Vocabulary. Complete the sentences with words from the box.

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1. If letters or pictures represented something, they ___________________ it.

2. A ______________________ is a name that stands for a real name.

3. A _________________ is a picture with printed information that is put on a wall.

4. A _________________ person is a good person who does what he or she promises.

5. If you agreed to employ someone, you _________________ this person.

6. Hair on a man’s face is called his __________________.

7. To examine or check something is to __________________ it.

8. If you __________________ something, you agree to make it possible for a person to have it.

b) Comprehension. Listen to the story twice and answer the questions below.

1. What does Uncle Sam look like?

2. Why do people call the U.S. government Uncle Sam?

3. Has Uncle Sam always looked the way he does now?

4. What is the most famous picture of Uncle Sam? When did it appear?

2. Match the sentence parts.

1. The Liberty Bell is the symbol of 2. The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of 3. The American eagle is the symbol of 4. The donkey and the elephant are the symbols of 5. Uncle Sam is the symbol of

a) the United States on the Presidential flag and some coins. b) the U.S. government. c) the Declaration of Independence. d) the two major political parties. e) freedom for immigrants to the United States.

3. Write T for true and F for false. Correct the false statements.

1. George Washington wrote the Declaration of Independence.

2. The document declared the separation and freedom of the thirteen colonies from Great Britain.

3. Sixty-five delegates signed the Declaration.

4. The Liberty Bell rang out in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.

5. The people of England gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a symbol of friendship.

6. The Statue of Liberty was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

7. The donkey is the official emblem of the United States.

8. The donkey, the elephant, and Uncle Sam originally appeared in political cartoons.

4. What do you remember about each of the American symbols you learnt about in this unit? Make a short speech about one of the symbols.

5. What do you think are Russian symbols? What do you know about them?

UNIT 2. American HOLIDAYS

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16