THE CAPITOL AND OTHER CITIES
Washington D.C. has the 10th largest population in the country. It was especial planned and built as the capital and the centre of the government. In the city, along the Potomac River, there are the most important buildings in the USA – White House – the residence of the American President, the Capitol – the seat of the Congress, the Pentagon – the centre of military forces. There are no factories and industry in Washington and no building can be higher than the Capitol that is why we can’t see any skyscrapers there. There is a large airport and Georgetown University. Some famous monuments stand there: the Washington Monument, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial.
New York is one of the largest cities not only in the USA but in the world. It has population which has more than 14 millions people. The city has five parts: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. It is important seaport and harbor, and the largest business, industrial and cultural centre of USA. NY is nicknamed the Big Apple. Its first name was New Amsterdam. The modern town was built on a grid plan of streets and avenues. The streets go from west to east and the avenues from north to south. The streets and avenues are indicated by numbers.NY is famous for its Manhattan skyline- a large number of skyscrapers on a small area. The tallest of them are Trade Centre Buildings having 110 stories. On of the most famous skyscrapers is called Empire State Building. It has 102 stories and a TV tower at the top. Next famous skyscrapers are Rockefeller Center, Chrysler Building and Pan American Building.
Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the USA. Chicago is called the metropolis of Middle West. It is nicknamed the “windy city” because of the breezes that blow in from lake.California is a beautiful country on the western coast of the US. The most enjoyable places are Disneyland, Universal Studios in Hollywood and the Sea World in San Diego.Las Vegas lies in Nevada. It is visited by more than 12 million visitors every year. They want to get rich quickly in its casinos. They also go to see many famous singers, comediants, dancers and musicians in its hotels and nightclubs.
BEAUTY SPOTS
Statue of Liberty stands on the Liberty Island in the New York’s harbor. It greets all the poeple coming to NY. It is symbol of democracy, freedom and justice for all people. It is a statue of a woman. She holds a burning torch in her right hand and a law book in her left one. It was present from France.Mount Rushmore is the state of South Dakota in the mountains called the Black Hills. It is dedicated to 4 presidents– G. Washington, T. Jefferson, A. Lincoln and T. Roosevelt. Their faces are carved into a high granite cliff. These faces are the largest sculpture in the world. The Grand Canyon is deep gorge which was carved by the river into the rock. At some places, it is over a mile deep its walls are very colourful. It is a beautiful sight.
The Central park is the largest park in the world. New Yorkers come here to relax. They can do sports here, they can have picnics on the grass, play games, they can walk their dogs of have a meal or a drink in of many restaurants. But at night it is a dangerous place where many homeless people and criminals are. People can be easily robbed or even killed.Yellowstone Park is the best known national park in the States. It is the oldest park in the world with many beautiful waterfalls and geysers and many animals which are protected. = grizzly bear, black bear, eagle, bison, elk…
The Brooklyn Bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn and is the best-known of NY´s bridges.The Rockefeller Center is a complex of skyscrapers. There are many banks, expensive restaurants, luxurious shops and parks. You can meet many famous people there – actors and actresses, writers, artists. The apartments are very expensive.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
Easter is not a national holiday and most of Americans spend Easter Sunday with the family. The Easter version of Santa Claus is the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny - usually a person dressed up in a large, colorful rabbit suit - brings gifts of brightly colored eggs, candy and chocolate eggs and rabbits to children. Many parents tell their children that the Easter Bunny lays Easter eggs and than he hides them in the grass, in bushes and trees. So kids race across the lawn bumping into each other and often fighting over who got to the egg first.
