Washington

Washington, the capital of the United States, was founded in 1791 in the district of Columbia. It was Washington who chose the place for the District.

Washington is not the largest city in the United States; it is not as large as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. It has a population of 900, 000 people.

Washington is like no other city of the USA. New York is the center of finance, of shipping; New Orleans deals with cotton. But Washington’s only industry is government. It does not produce anything except very much scrap paper. Every day twenty-five railway cars leave Washington loaded with scrap paper. There is a law in Washington against building structures higher than the Capitol, therefore it presents a different appearance from New York with the sky-scrapers.

Washington has many historical places. The Capitol, where the Congress meets is very high and beautiful, with white marble columns. It is the very center of the city. Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress. It holds five million books.

Today Washington is the city which attracts a lot of tourists by its fashionable hotels, restaurants and sightseeing attractions as the house of the first president George Washington, the Lincoln Memorial, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the White House and others.

The White House, the residence of the president, is the oldest public structure in the capital and one of the most beautiful. All American presidents except George Washington had lived in the White House.

Notes

Marble - мраморные

scrap paper - бумажная макулатура

the Capitol - здание Конгресса

Вариант № 4

1. Переведите предложения (Страдательный залог):

1. A mystery is something that can’t be explained.

2. I want to be left alone.

3. A new supermarket is going to be built next year.

4. The room will be cleaned later.

5. The vegetables had been cooked for two long.

2. Переведите предложения с модальными глаголами:

1. The letter must be posted today.

2. You have to pay debt.

3. You oughtn’t to have said so.

4. You should take care of your health.

5. You can do it.

3. Определите время:

1. I was very tired when I arrived home. I’d been working hard all day.

2. Our game of tennis was interrupted. We’d been playing for about half an hour when it started to rain very heavily.

3. Tom gave up smoking two years ago. He’d been smoking for 30 years.

4. At last the bus came. I’d been waiting for 20 minutes.

5. He was out of breath. He had been running.

4. Определите время (Present Simple, Past Simple):

1. The Congress opened with the President’s address, didn’t it?

2. Did you present only one paper at the conference?

3. How do you measure it?

4. This substance catalyses the reaction.

5. Dr. Smith studies crystals I suppose.

6. He shook hands with the chairman.

5. Откройте скобки. Используйте Past Continuous, Past Perfect или Past Perfect Continuous:

1. When I reached the house, John (to live) already and (to drive) towards London.

2. We (not to walk) for half an hour when it began raining and we were sorry that we (not to take) our umbrellas along.

3. They had to sell the house, where they (to live) so long and no wonder that while packing Mrs. Nelson (to cry) silently.

4. Nell never (to be) in such a rich house before, and she (to look) around with surprise.

5. They pretended to be strangers but from the manner they (to talk) with each other in I concluded that they (to meet) before.

6. Составьте предложения со словами из скобок:

1. I was very tired when I arrived home.

(I / work/ hared all day)….I had been working hard all day………

2. The two boys came into the house. They had a football and they were both very tired.

(they / play/ football)………………….

3. There was nobody in the room but there was a smell of cigarettes.

(somebody / smoke / in the room)……………

4. Ann woke up in the middle of the night. She was frightened and didn’t know where she was.(she/dream)……………

5. When I got home, Mike was sitting in front of TV. He had just turned it off.

(he/ watch/ TV)……………….

7. Закончите предложения:

1. We played tennis yesterday. Half an hour after we began playing, it started to rain.

We …had been playing for half an hour …..when it started to rain.

2. I had arranged to meet Tom in a restaurant. I arrived and waited for him. After 20 minutes I suddenly realized that I was in the wrong restaurant. I……………..for 20 minutes when I ………….

3. Sarah got a job in a factory. Five years later the factory closed down. At the time the factory …………….., Sarah …………..there for five years.

4. I went to a concert last week. The orchestra began playing. After about ten minutes a man in the audience suddenly began shouting. The orchestra …………………..when ………………….

8. Прочитайте и переведите текст: