Clauses of Comparison

Придаточные сравнения вводятся союзами than (чем), as …as (так, как будто), as if (как будто), as though (как если бы).

Cр.: He knows so much about the USA as if he were an American.

EXERCISES

I. Translate the sentences into Russian, analyzing the complex sentences.

1. The Europeans sailed to the New World because they hoped to find economic opportunities and religious and political freedoms there. 2. The first English colony Jamestown appeared where today the state of Virginia is situated. 3. The weather was so cold that winter that more and more men from the “Mayflower” fell ill and died. 4. Although Indians did not know newcomers they came to their ships and brought food for them. 5. The Indians behaved so as if the white men were their closest friends. 6. The American settlers began the war in order that the British Government did not consider North America its own colony. 7. The colonists who had to pay taxes on sugar, wine, tea and other goods were very angry about it. 8. Several Yankees who were dressed as Indians went on board the British ships, took the boxes of tea and dropped them into water. 9. The incident when the Americans spoiled the British tea was named the Boston Tea Party. 10. In the 18^th century there were thirteen English colonies in North America which were under British rule. 11. The War of Independence which lasted from 1775 to 1783 was a war between Britain and its colonies in North America. 12. When the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783 the USA became independent. 13. Only when General Grant became commander-in-chief of the Northern Army they began to win the war. 14. If you want to know the United States you must read more about its history.

II. Restore the conjunctions and translate the following sentences into Russian.

1. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson and some other people had written was adopted on the 4^th of July. 2. The 4^th of July Americans think of as the birthday of their nation is a national holiday in the USA – the Day of Independence. 3. Benjamin Franklin the historian spoke about was one of the authors of the American Declaration of Independence. 4. Negroes white men brought to America worked as slaves on tobacco and cotton plantations. 5. President Abraham Lincoln all the Americans honor greatly abolished the slavery in 1863. 6. In 1787 55 American leaders the people entrusted opened a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia which lasted four months and resulted in the Constitution of the USA. 7. The American Constitution the people regard as a basic law guarantees their liberties and rights.

III. Combine the simple sentences into complex ones.

1. You want to go from San Francisco to New York by train. You must ride more than three thousand miles (if). 2. In California the climate is usually mild all year. You begin your trip (where). 3. The train goes east. You cross the Salt Lake desert (as). 4. The train leaves the green fruitful plains of California. The train goes up to the Sierra Nevada mountains covered with snow (as soon as). 5. The train crosses Nebraska. You enter the rich farming region of America (when). 6. The usual town in any part of the United States has its “main street” with the same types of shops and market selling the same products. Many American towns have the same look (so that). 7. Niagara Falls is visited by a great number of people from America and abroad. Niagara Falls is the best known natural wonder in the USA (which). 8. Niagara is an Indian word. Niagara means “roaring waters” (that). 9. There were some people. They wanted to become famous by swimming across the most dangerous part of the Niagara-river (who). 10. Niagara calls up the past. Niagara is as strong today as ten thousand years ago (which).

IV. Refer the following statements to the future, pay special attention to the verb forms, translate the sentences into Russian.

1. If you (know) English properly you (be able) to speak with millions of people all over the world. 2. When you (make) a tour of the USA you (have) to see Washington, the capital of the country. 3. When you (look) at the map of the USA you (see) plains, valleys, hills and mountains in it. 4. If you (go) to New Plymouth you (see) the rock dedicated to the first English settlers who (land) near it more than three hundred years ago. 5. If anyone (start) a business in the USA he (be faced) many regulations, restrictions and laws. 6. You (not understand) Americans before you (get accustomed) to the peculiarities of their pronunciation. 7. If you (want) to enjoy a view of Washington a special elevator inside the Washington Monument (bring) you to the top.

V. Translate the sentences into English.

1. Территория США, которая расположена в Северной Америке, простирается от Тихого Океана до Атлантического. 2. США имеют морскую границу с Россией, так как владеют Аляской. 3. Кроме 50 штатов имеется округ Колумбия, где расположена столица США – Вашингтон. 4. Большинство населения США – иммигранты и потомки иммигрантов, чьи предки заселяли Америку с 16го века. 5. Погода, ландшафт и образ жизни различны в разных частях Америки, потому что страна занимает почти половину континента. 6. Если вы посмотрите на карту США, то увидите снежные горы, плодородные долины, пустоши, а также зоны тропической жары и арктического холода. 7. Достойна упоминания погода на севере страны, где разница между зимними и летними температурами составляет 36 градусов и даже больше. 8. Хотя в Америке много гор, только Скалистые горы богаты золотом, медью, серебром и другими минералами. 9. В США много тысяч рек, из которых главными являются Миссисипи, Миссури, Колорадо, Колумбия и Рио-Гранде. 10. Великие озера образуют группу, которая поражает воображение как одно из прекраснейших феноменов природы. 11. Если сложить размеры всех Великих озер, то окажется, что их общая площадь равна площади Великобритании. 12. Хотя Вашингтон – столица США, Нью-Йорк, Лос-Анджелес, Чикаго и Сан-Франциско намного больше. 13. Хотя Соединенные штаты имеют всего 5% мирового населения, они производят 25% мировой промышленности и сельскохозяйственной продукции. 14. Мы должны знать, что США – четвертая по величине страна после России, Канады и Китая. 15. Основной закон США – конституция, которая была принята в 1789 году.

VI. Speak on the topic “The USA” using the facts from exercises.

VII. Read the text and answer the questions about its contents.

WASHINGTON

The capital of the USA is called Washington, D.C. The letters are always added because this helps to avoid confusion with the state of Washington. D.C. stands for the District of Columbia, a special federal district which doesn’t belong to any of the fifty states.

Are you eager to know how Washington was founded? When the thirteen colonies became states in the 18^th century there was much discussion about the capital. The first president of the US, George Washington, whose name was given to the capital, took an active part in selecting the area for it. It was decided that the city should be built on the North bank of the Potomac River. Now the Washington Monument is situated here, on the hill in Potomac Park.

The center of the city is the Capitol Building where the Congress, the Parliament of the USA, has its seat. The Capitol stands on Capitol Hill that makes the highest point in the city. It is a very beautiful building with white marble columns. There is a law in Washington that prohibits building structures taller than the Capitol. That is why there are no skyscrapers in Washington.

Not far from the Capitol there is the Library of Congress which holds thirteen millions books.

Today Washington is a city which attracts a lot of tourists by its museums, galleries and monuments which are free (of charge). The sightseeing attractions are “Mount Vernon” – the house of the first President George Washington, the Lincoln Memorial dedicated to the great Emancipator, the 16^th President of the USA, the National Gallery of Art, the Jefferson Memorial, the Tomb of Unknown Soldier, the Union Railway Station, which is the city’s pride.

The White House is the residence of the President where every president except Washington has lived. The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion as it was originally known dates from October 13, 1792. Since the administration of Theodore Roosevelt the term “White House” has become official. Broad Pennsylvania Avenue runs from the Capitol to the White House. It is remarkable that all diagonal avenues are named after the states of the Union.

So is Washington a symbol of the country’s unity, history and democratic traditions.

VIII. Answer the questions about the text.

1.What do they call the capital of the USA?

2. Why do the letters “D.C.” always stand after the word Washington when the capital of the USA is meant?

3. How was Washington founded?

4. Where was the city of Washington built?

5. What building makes the center of the city?

6. Why does the law prohibit to build skyscrapers in Washington?

7. Why does Washington attract many tourists?

8. What museums and monuments are worth seeing in Washington?

9. Is the “White House” really white”?

10. What human values does Washington personify?

TOPICAL VOCABULARY

ancestor, border, confusion, convention, cornerstone, descendant, desert, goods, incident, Independence, liberty, opportunity, peculiarity, pride, pronunciation, restriction, rock, tax, tomb, treaty, valley, value; to abolish, to add, to adopt, to attract, to behave, to date, to dedicate, to entrust, to flee, to personify, to prohibit, to regard, to ride, to settle, to sign, to spoil; broad; abroad, except; to be eager, to be free of charge, to be rich in smth, to be worth mentioning, to be worth seeing, to get accustomed, to strike one’s imagination, to win the war; a way of living, under British rule

UNIT 15

GRAMMAR: THE INFINITIVE SUBJECT OF COMMUNICATION: MUSICAL EDUCATION IN THE USA

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02