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Exercise 4. Give the main idea of the text you have listened to.
Exercise 5. Read the poem and discuss its content.
| America the Beautiful O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood (follow next table) | From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for Pilgrim feet Whose stern impassion’d stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wildness. America! America! God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law… |
What is the main idea of the poem? America the Beautiful was written by the professor, poet, and writer Katharine Lee Bates. Bates wrote the song in 1893 while on a trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado. When she got to the top of Pike’s Peak, she said, “All the wonders of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse”. The beautiful view inspired her to write the song that is considered to be the country’s unofficial national anthem. The song is very long, read the following first two stanzas of it and answer the question. Can you tell why it is so well-loved by Americans?
Exercise 6. Match the following pictures to the down described holidays. Comment on the choices.
| 1.January 1 | New Year's Day |
| 2.Third Monday in January | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| 3.First January 20 following a Presidential election | Inauguration Day |
| 4.Third Monday in February | Washington's Birthday |
| 5.Last Monday in May | Memorial Day |
| 6.July 4 | Independence Day |
| 7.First Monday in September | Labor Day |
| 8.Second Monday in October | Columbus Day |
| 9.November 11 | Veterans Day |
| 10.Fourth Thursday in November | Thanksgiving Day |
| 11.December 25 | Christmas |
Exercise 7. Read the 1st passage of the text National Holidays in America and translate the second one.[Part III, pp. 198]