Wykład 7-10-2013

The United States of America – the U.S.A

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Mexico, Canada. <-- borders

Part of the border between Mexico and the U.S.A is created by Rio Grande river. In the Northern part ( bel. Canada and the U.S.A) there are no stores and petrol station withitn the border

Population crossed 2005 ( over 300.000.000)

Capital City – Washington D.C <-- D -District C- Of Columbia

Washington was established on the piece of land that was cut out from the state of Virginia(state). By doing this particular piece of land has becamoe independent.

5 biggest cities :

• New York

• Los Angeles

• Philadelphia

• Chicago

• San Franciso

LANGUAGE

The English language is only a tradition. It is used because the settlers were British. It isn't official.

Predominately English with a sizable Spanish speaking minority:

Hispanies – people who come from Mexico o' Cuba and enter the U.S.A illegaly they don't want to assimilate and don't speak English. However, some of them billingual

POLITICAL SYSTEM

• representative democracy ( posłowie i senatory – counterpart)

• chief of the state – president

AMERICA'S NATIONAL SYMBOLS

• The flag – to make Americans recognisable ( worldwide ) America is a young country.
  Each of the symbols is connected with stories and legends concerning the creation.

7 red and 6 white stripes on flag ( all together 13 horizontal stripes )

Why 13? there were 13 original colonists who created the country.

50 white stars in the blue square – they represent 50 states

there might be 51 stars

red – courage blue - loyality

white – liberty

George Washington - 1^st president of the U.S.A – he prepared the design of American flag;

Betsy Rose – she made the first flag; była szwaczką; she is a national hero; she suggested 5-pointed stars instead of original 6-pointer) ; Philadelphia; her house – museum now

The flag of the U.S.A – popilar name - "The Stars And the Stripes" or "The Glory"

• The Great Seal of the U.S.A. <- the next symbol of the U.S.A

• The bold eagle (native to the American continent) – because of the head;white head

  The eagle is holding an dive branch ( left talon) and a pack of arrows ( a symbol of war – night talon). In the mouth there is a white ribbon with inscription 'E PLURIBUS UNUM'

• E PLURIBUS UNUM – out of many one.
  Created as 1 country.
  It has to be put in all official documents that are signed by the president ( an authorisation)

• Uncle Sam – the initials of the United States

1812-14 – America fought with Britain; American people and British people wanted to be apart of Canada. Hesupplied American army with food during this (1812-14) war

WIEDZA O USA ĆWICZENIA 7-10-2013

Political/social/economical

3 news

PRESS NEWS

1. The USA Today

2. The New York Times

3. The Washington Post

4. Chicago Tribune

Spotlight on the USA Randee Folk; OUP Oxford University Press

Study : Unit 1
17-31 pages; + make notes

The names of the Great Lakes:

• Lake Ontario

• Lake Erie

• Lake Superior

• Lake Huron

• Lake Michigan

All of the lakes are divided between Canada and the USA except of Michigan which belongs to the U.S.A.

UNIT 1 : NEW ENGLAND : the part of the U.S.A

NEW ENGLAND is highly industrial but it allso has many fields, woods and small towns.
New England includes 6 states :

• Maine

• New Hampshire

• Vermont

• Massachusetts

• Rhode Island

• Connecticut

YANKEE – people who live in New England;

New England was settled in the 1600s by Puritans from England
Puritans – a religious group who objected to the rituals of the Church of the England; they wanted to 'purify' the region making it striker and simplier;

The land was harsh : thin and poor soil; large stones had to be cleared away before the land could be farmed; the stones were used for walls;

YANKEES :

• honest but shrewd

• realistic

• practical rather than romantic

• untalkative

• thrifty

• principled

• independent

Calvin Coolidge - 13^th President of the USA was a yankee ; when he was a president, Americans called him 'Silend Cal'

Frederick Tudor – Bostorian; example of the business shrewdness of the Yankees.

In 18^th century – the American Revolution began in New England, New Englanders led the movement to end slavery in America

NEW ENGLAND WRITERS

1. Nathaniel Hawthorne ( wrote his novel in 1800s) The House of the Seven Gobles
   
   CONCORD MASSACHUSETTS – home to many American writers of the 1800s

2. Henry David Thoreau 'Walden'
   
   THE SEA played a major role in the region's economy ( fishing and trade )
   TRADE --> triangular trade
   COD – the main fish export ( from graveyards to Massachusetts Legislature)
   WHALING – important activity
   
   The mid-1800s – the era f yankee clipper ships 1850s – the discovery of underground sources of oil
   
   Late 1800s – the sea no longer played such an important role in New England's economy. The money earned from the sea was used to build factories
   
   1775-1781 – the American Revolution
   1770 – Boston Massacre
   
   CAMBRIDGE – America's most famous student town ; across the Charles Ribver called birthplace of Americal intellectual life. It has the nationn's oldest university – Harvard University – founded in 1636; it's also home to MIT – Massachusetts Institite of Technology;
   
   1/4 of the people in Cambridge are students;
   
   BOSTON BRAHMINS – an elite; wealthy, well-educated and exclusive; Protestants and belonged to Yankee families; often lived in Beacon Hill – an elegant port of Boston; they married among themselves; have their sons Bragmin names ( Cabot Lowell, Lowell cabot); their sons wento to Harvard; they were' proper' – did things in established ways; didn't like to socialize with other Yankees; looke­d down on the Irish catholic immigrants who poured into Boston in the mid-1800s
   
   SUGARING TIME in Vermont(one of the states of New England), each spring, sap(sok roślinny) begins to run in the sugar maple trees ; the trees are tapped and buchetsare put unter the taps. The maple sap is bailed until it becomes a thick rich liquid known as maple syrup. It takes four trees to get enough sap for a single galllon of syrup.

WYKŁAD 2 14-10-2013

Symbols of the U.S.A.:

1. The Statue of Liberty : colosal monument; figure of a women with a crown; located at the ent ….of New York port

Right hand : Torch- symbol of liberty
Left hand : tablet

Symbolizes :

• immigration to the U.S.A.

• The U.S.A

• liberty

• The New World

ELLIS ISLAND – immigration centre, nowadays museum, next to....

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the U.S.A

F.A.Bartholdi – Statue of Liberty sculptor

2.National Anthem 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

Words written by Francis Scotti key during the war of 1814 Fort McHenry

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY – American soldier, unhappy because he was captured by British; lawyer by professsion; he was detained in one of British Ships.

Bombardment lasted 24 hours

American geography; An outline of

• divided into 50 states; Alaska nad Hawaii – no

• 4,500 kms from east to west

• 2,575 kms from north to south

• the U.S.A. Is they largest country in the world behind Russia, Canada and China

Time zones :

• eastern time – New York ( prawo )

• central time – Chicago ( prawo blizej srodka)

• mountain time – Denver ( lewo blizej srodka)

• pacific time – Los Angeles ( lewo)
  
  One hour difference berween time zones;

Climate:

Similiar to the climate of Europe – umiarkowany

Hawaii – tropic climate

Alaska – below arctic climate

• almost every kind of climate can be found there

• the country lies mostly in the temperate zpme ( 4 distinct seasons)

Land of varied land forms and forests, deserts, mountaint, fertile plains, high flat lands

The Atlantic shore – the Appalachian Mountains – old mountains it's very rocky

American build a lot of canals

Great Plains – stopped by Rocky Mountains, fertile lands, no trees, crops : CORN