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WASHINGTON,
D.C.
Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia) is the capital of the
USA. It was named after George Washington, the first president
of the country. This is a political centre of the US. The city
stands on the Potomac River. The central part of D.C. is called
the Mall. This is a green avenue where museums and art galleries
are situated. The Capitol and the White House (the residence of
the president) are situated there, too. The members of Congress
meet in the Capitol to discuss new laws.
The Capitol Building is one of the greatest buildings in
Washington. It is easy to recognize because of its large white
dome, which is the fourth largest dome in the world. There is a
law that no building in D.C. can be taller than the Capitol, so
it can be seen from any part of the city. This tradition is
still kept.
The Library of Congress was established by an act of Congress in
1800. In 1814 the library was burned by the British and Thomas
Jefferson gave his collection of books to the Library. It
included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy,
science, literature, etc.
The White House is the oldest public building in the District of
Columbia, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the most famous
address in the United States. Here every President, except
George Washington, has lived. In the past 200 years, the White
House has become the symbol of American Presidency all over the
world. Tourists can visit many rooms in the House except for
those that the President and his family occupy.
Washington is also famous for its numerous monuments, museums
and art galleries. The Smithsonian Institution, the world's
largest museum complex, consists of sixteen museums and the
National Zoological Park. The National Museum of American
History was opened in 1964, and named as the National Museum of
History and Technology. In 1980, the name was changed to the
Museum of American History. This museum has collections and
objects of transportation, communications, agriculture,
medicine, science, and
technology. The National Air and Space Museum which opened in
1976, has a great collection of flying machines and spacecraft.
The Zoo is located in Rock Creek Park. This place occupies a
hillside. Altogether the Zoological Park has about 2,800
animals.
The Washington Monument is a tall obelisk. It was built in 1878
in memory of George Washington, the first President of the USA.
A lift takes visitors to the 500-foot level in 70 seconds. From
the observation floor people enjoy the view of the city.
The Lincoln Memorial was built in 1922. It looks like a Greek
temple with the statue of Lincoln inside. The 36 columns around
the memorial represent the states in the Union at the time of
Lincoln's death. The names of 48 states at the time when the
memorial was completed in 1922 are written on the walls.
Thomas Jefferson's memorial is very beautiful, especially in
early spring when the Japanese cherry trees, surrounding it, are
in bloom. The trees were given as a gift from Tokyo in 1912.
Most of the people who live in Washington work for government.
Others live in the outskirts of the city, in the so-called
villages. The Metro system of the city is very well-organized.
It is very clean as it's prohibited to eat or drink anything in
cars and on platforms.
The city is planned very well. Streets that run from south to
north are numbered. The streets that go from east to west are
lettered. Large streets are called avenues and have the names of
big states. For example, Pennsylvania Avenue. So it's hard to
get lost in Washington.
It is a very interesting city and I will visit it one day.
Vocabulary:
avenue ['aevrnju:] проспект
be in bloom [blu:m] цвести
be kept [kept] зд. сохраняться
car [ka:] зд. вагон метро
cherry tree ['tjentri:] вишня
dome [daum] купол
established [is'taeblift] основанный
Greek temple ['gri:ktempl] греческий храм
law [1э:] закон
lettered [letad] обозначенный буквами
member of ['membarav член Конгресса
Congress ktmgras]
museum [mju(:)'zi3m музейный комплекс
complex kttmpleks]
numbered ['nAmbad] пронумерованный
numerous ['nju:m(3)r3s] бесчисленный
observation floor [ttbza'veif^n'im] смотровая площадка
occupy ['ttkjupai] занимать
outskirts ['autsk3:ts] окраины
prohibit [pra'hibit] запрещать
recognize ['rekagnarz] узнавать
sign [sain] знак
spacecraft ['speiskra:ft] космический корабль
subway ['sAbwei] (AmE) метро
volume [Vttfjum] том (книги)
well-organized ['wel'oiganaizd] хорошо организованный
Questions:
1. What is Washington, D.C.?
2. What famous buildings are there in the city? What are they
famous for?
3. Are there any museums and galleries in D.C.?
4. What monuments to great American presidents are there in
Washington?
5. Who mostly live in the city? Where do other people live?
6. What can you say about the city plan?
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