Методические указания к видеокурсу ''Вашингтон'' по развитию и совершенствованию речевых навыков на английском языке для студентов бакалавриата естественных факультетов университета

Министерство образования Российской Федерации Ростовский государственный университет ——————————————————————————————— Кафедра английского языка естественных факультетов

Методические указания к видеокурсу «Вашингтон» по развитию и совершенствованию речевых навыков на английском языке по теме “Вашингтон” для студентов бакалавриата естественных факультетов университета

Ростов-на-Дону 2001

Составители: преп. Деревянкина Н.П., преп. Доморовская О.Г. Рецензент: ст.преп. Мыльникова С.Б.

Методическая записка Данные методические указания, разработанные по видеокурсу «Вашингтон», имеют своей целью расширение и углубление страноведческих знаний студентов по теме “Вашингтон» и дальнейшее развитие и совершенствование навыков говорения и аудирования на английском языке в пределах данной темы. Методические указания также способствуют накоплению тематического вокабуляра. Методические указания состоят из 5 частей, включающих разнообразные лексические задания и текстовую основу (скрипт) к видеокассете. Разработанные задания побуждают студентов к обмену мнениями, комментированию и высказыванию личного отношения к полученной информации, т.е. способствует развитию и совершенствованию навыков общения на английском языке.

Part one

The Capitol A. General comprehension Watch the scene and answer the questions: 1. What is the symbol of the city of Washington? 2. Who worked on decoration of the Capitol’s interior? 3. What President chose a French architector to plan and design the Capitol and the park? 4. Was the dome finished at the time of President Lincoln’s inauguration? 5. Where was President Lincoln wounded?

B. Vocabulary a dome a rotunda a refugee a fresco to portray to bear to expand a wing a marble to jot a mortal wound a bullet to martyr an interior Ex. 1 Match the word and the translation: 1. a dome a) расширять, развивать 2. a rotunda b) пуля 3. a refugee c) фреска 4. a fresco d) купол 5. to portray e) носить, вынашивать 6. to bear f) интерьер 7. to expand g) мрамор 8. a wing h) ротонда (круглая постройка) 9. a marble i) кратко записывать 10. to jot j) беженец, эмигрант 11. a mortal wound k) крыло 12. a bullet l) страдать, мучить

13. to martyr 14. an interior

m) отображать, изображать n) смертельное ранение

C. Detailed comprehension Watch the scene again and choose the correct answer: 1. A political refugee from Italy named K.Brumidi worked on a decoration of the Capitol’s interior over… • over a 25 year period • over a 12 year period • over a 45 year period 2. The painting was completed in … . • 1865 • 1835 • 1920 3. Sir George Covern who invaded Maryland, was British … . • admiral • general • lord 4. In a restored Senate Chamber today’s visitor’s can see … of its interior design. • something • anything • nothing 5. President Lincoln was mortally wounded in … . • the Theatre • the Congress • the White House D. Put the words in the right order: 1. is, heart, the, Washington, of, world, the, free, center 2. a, this, broad, with, it, stately, of, fountains, place, is, stone, parks, avenues, buildings 3. in, be, spirit, country, the, of, history, seen, clearly, its, the, most, can 4. as, American, the, symbol, of, Capitol, the, is, city, well, nation, the E. -

Using expressions below tell your fellow students about Washington: the capital of the USA the heart, the center of the free world a reflection of the entire country, its history, achievements, hopes the place of broad avenues, stately stone buildings with parks, fountains the spirit of the country the symbol of American nation

F. Expand on a statement: 1. The splendid dome of the United States Capitol is the symbol of the city and American nation as well. 2. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theatre. Part two Great Presidential Monuments and the White House A. General comprehension Watch the scene and number the places below in the order you see them: • The White House • The Oval Office • The Jefferson Memorial • The Cabinet Room • The Lincoln Memorial • The Сretty Room • The East Room • The Blade House • The Yellow Oval Room • The Washington Monument • The Vietnam Memorial B.

Vocabulary to dedicate a tribute a dignitary a squabble to resume to enhance to embody

Ex. 1 Match the word and the translation: 1. to dedicate a) возобновить, продолжить 2. a tribute b) торжественно открывать 3. a dignitary c) дар, дань, подношение 4. a squabble d) воплощать, олицетворять 5. to resume e) ссора 6. to enhance f) увеличивать, усилить 7. to embody g) сановник; С. Detailed comprehension Watch the scene again and answer the questions:

What is the tallest structure in the District of Columbia? • How long does it take to get to the top of the Monument? • Who was the principle author of the Declaration of Independence? • Who was the first President to occupy the White House? • What room has come to symbolize the American Presidency? D. Put the words in the right order: 1. the, President, John, House, the, occupy, White, first, to, Adams, was. 2. Author, of, the, Independence, Thomas, age, was, of, 33, Jefferson, at, principle, the, of, Declaration. 3. Presidency, the, Office, symbolizes, Oval, American, the. 4. Dances, entertainment, and, large, the, Room, generally, is, East, for, used, receptions. E. a) b) c) d) -

Using expressions below tell your fellow students about: the Lincoln Memorial marched to their places addressed the crowd The Washington Monument interrupted construction in 1854 work was resumed in 1884 the capital city can be seen spread out below The Jefferson Memorial buildings are administrated by the national park services Jefferson was a man of wide intellectual interests skilled architect architectural style he favored fundamental truths of American democracy The White House to occupy the White House to look exactly as it had before open to the public at no charge

F. Expand on a statement: 1. The White House symbolizes the American democracy. 2. There are three Great Presidential Monuments in Washington. Part three

The Smithsonian Institution A. General comprehension

Watch the scene and answer true or false: 1. James Smithson visited America in the 18th century. 2. Two gigantic pandas were a gift from the people of Japan. 3. “Uncle Beezly” is a dinosaur made of wood. 4. The Washington Zoo is a part of the Smithsonian. 5. The Castle of the Smithsonian Institution is the hub of the world’s largest Complex of Museums. 6. The National Gallery of Arts houses one of the world’s great collections of paintings, sculpture and graphic arts. B. Vocabulary to stroll a blossom, to blossom a scent a turret to beget, begot, begotten ingenuous baffling eternal fragile perennially indomitable a fibre a nugget to eclipse to sink, sank, sunk an anthem cute Ex. 1 Match the word and the translation: 1. to stroll a) хрупкий, недолговечный 2. a blossom, to blossom b) прогуливаться 3. a scent c) тонуть, топить 4. a turret d) препятствующий 5. to beget, begot, begotten e) упорный, неукротимый 6. ingenuous f) запах 7. baffling g) умный, смышленый 8. eternal h) затмевать 9. fragile i) вечный 10.perennially j) башня 11.indomitable k) простой, бесхитростный 12.a fibre i) самородок 13.a nugget m) лыко, древесное волокно

14.to eclipse 15.to sink, sank, sunk 16.an anthem 17.cute

n) порождать, производить o) гимн p) цветение, цвести q) вечно, постоянно

Ex. 2 Fill in the suitable word into the gap: fragile fibre eclipse anthem cute ingenuous

turreted

1. The … Castle of the Smithsonian Institution is the hub of the world’s largest Complex of Museums. 2. These … machines performed useful functions. 3. “Uncle Beezly”, a full size tristereotyped dinosaur is made of … glass. 4. Not even the gold nugget … it. 5. This is the original “Star Spangled Banne” the flag, that inspired the writing of our national … . 6. The female’s Chinese name translates to “ … little girl”. 7. The famous Wright Brother’s Higher of 1903 is the … craft. C. Detailed Comprehension Watch the scene again and answer the questions: 1. When was the Smithsonian Institution founded? 2. When was the first nonstop Solo flight across the Atlantic made? 3. In what does the National Museum of American History specialize? 4. Where is the statue of George Washington exhibited? 5. What are the Zoo’s star attractions? D. Put the words in the right order: 1. part, the, Zoo, the, is, a, Smithsonian, Washington, of, also. 2. cultures, and, sciences, human, the, of, Museum, National, specializes, history, the, in, Natural. 3. in, popular, Air, Museum, is, Space, National, the, and, the, most, the, world, museum. 4. James, in, never, life, America, visited, Smithson. 5. a, Japan, gift, to, the, trees, cherry, around, the, to, America, Tidal, were, Basin, from. E. Using expressions below tell your fellow students about the Smithsonian Institution: - exhibits are changed from time to time - displayed here are the vehicles - the first American to walk in space

- dinosaur made of fibre glass - two animals that are very special F. Expand on a statement: 1. The turreted Castle of the Smithsonian Institution is the hub of the world’s longest Complex of Museums. 2. The National Air and Space Museum is the most popular museum in the world. Part IV

National Cathedral, the Library of Congress, the US Supreme Court, Arlington Memorial. A. General Comprehension Watch the scene and choose the right answer: 1. President Theodore Roosevelt lied the cornerstone of… . • National Cathedral • the National Archive • the National Museum of American History 2. The original manuscripts of … form the foundation of American democracy. • 10 documents • 3 documents • 13 documents 3. Among the printed treasures on display is the perfect Gothenburg Bible, dating from … . • 1415 • 1550 • 1450 4. The venerable brick buildings of Alexandria still reflect much of the city’s appearance in the … . • 18 th century • 19 th century • 13 th century B. Vocabulary a faith to derive to loan astonishing a treasure a retrieval

glistening a row a cemetery a grave an assassination Ex. 1 Match the word and the translation: 1. a faith a) сокровище 2. to derive b) убийство 3. to loan c) вера, доверие 4. astonishing d) сверкающий, блестящий 5. a treasure e) происходить 6. a retrieval f) ряд 7. glistening g) ссужать, давать взаймы 8. a row h) удивительной, изумительный 9. a cemetery i) возвращение, восстановление 10.a grave j) кладбище 11.an assassination k) могила C. Detailed comprehension Watch the scene again and answer the questions: 1. What does the National Archive contain? 2. What are the 3 documents of American democracy? 3. What offices are in Massachusets Avenue? 4. For whom is the Arlington cemetery? 5. When was Washington a prosperous colonial port? Ex. 1 Choose the phrases on the right which complete the phrases on the left: 1. National Cathedral, a church for all countless governments records faiths… available for research 2. The national Archive contains… among the most ornate structures in the capital 3. The Thomas Jefferson Building of will be one of the largest gothic the Library of Congress is… cathedrals in the world when completed 4. This glistening white marble at the present permanent grave building is… 5. The same eternal flame burns… the home of the US Supreme Court D. Put the words in the right order:

1. for, National, countless, the, available, Archive, contains, records, research, government. 2. American, the, documents, of, foundation, 3, manuscripts, original, form, democracy. 3. Congress, the, facilities, 18, the, Library, is, of, world’s, one, of, with, research, books, over, maps, manuscripts. 4. for, Arlington, is, members, and, families, reserved, the, forces, some, their, of, government, the, officials, armed. E. -

Using expressions below tell your fellow students about the National Archive: to contain records available for research The Magna Carta To form, the original manuscripts, the foundation of American democracy

F. Expand on a statement: 1. The Library of Congress is a center for high-tech storage and retrieval of information. 2. Arlington is an American well-known national cemetery. Part five

“ Mount Vernon”, the Space Flight Center A. General Comprehension Watch the scene and answer the questions: 1. Where did Washington pass his happiest hours? 2. How did Washington operate “Mount Vernon”? 3. Where is George town located? 4. What does the Space Flight Center perform? 5. When is America’s birthday? B. Vocabulary a delight a craftsman a harpsichord a parlor to claim to absorb a freight to relate a synch stirring to vanish

Ex. 1 Match the word and the translation: 1. a delight a) поглощать 2. a craftsman b) исчезать, пропадать 3. a harpsichord c) гостиная 4. a parlor d) синхронизация 5. to claim e) удовольствие, наслаждение 6. to absorb f) фрахт, груз 7. a freight g) ремесленник, мастер 8. to relate h) волнующий 9. a synch i) клавесин 10.stirring j) требовать 11.to vanish k) связывать Ex. 2 Fill in the suitable word into the gap: vanish synch stirring harpsichord parlor craftsman 1. Many household necessities were made by local … . 2. Mount Vernon’s … is considered one of the finest of colonial Virginia interiors. 3. The … in the little parlor was played by Nelly Custis. 4. The trip gives passengers an opportunity to experience an important type of transportation that is now … . 5. Sometimes life in Washington goes out of … . 6. On the 4th of July, the capitol is the most exiting and the most emotionally … city on the Earth. C. Detailed Comprehension 1. Where is “ Mount Vernon” located? 2. Is the kitchen in the mansion? 3. What did Washington send home during the war? 4. What is a surprise for the visitors in mount Vernon? 5. Where did Washington die? 6. Now was Robert H.Goddand called? C. Put the words in the right order: 1. the, one, “Mount Vernon”, historic, of, great, the, of, and, America’s, is, treasures, 9, Washington, cultural. 2. estate, his, hours, this, is, place, he, the, passed, where, happiest. 3. as, operated, a, “Mount Vernon”, working, plantation Washington.

4. even, “Mount Vernon”, letters, the, Washington, instructions, during, sent, for, improving, war, with, enlarging, beautifying, and. 5. can, objects, life, that, stroll, house, see, the, of, were, visitors, who, some, the, everyday, through, part, of, Washington’s. 6. in, beloved, 1799, Washington, in, home, died, his. 7. a, the, gives, to, type, transportation, pleasant, passengers, opportunity, historically, trip, unique, experience, a, important, of. 8. in, center, essential, the, space, shuttle, the, performs, work, both, the, space, and, station, programs. D. -

Using the expressions below tell about the Goddand Space Flight Center: to be named for modern rocketry to perform essential work space shuttle space station program

E. Expand on a statement: 1. “Mount Vernon” is Washington’s beloved home. 2. Washington operated “Mount Vernon” as a working plantation. TAPESCRIPT

WASHINGTON D.C. Part one The Capitol Washington D.C., capital city of the United States of America, heart and center of the free world. In many ways the city is a reflection of the entire country, its history, its achievements and its hopes. To the visitor this is a place of broad avenues and stately stone buildings with parks and fountains and statuary. Behind the city’s serene marble facade, is the enormous power of the nation. Not only its physical power, but its strength of spirit as well. And the spirit of the country can be seen most clearly in its history. In the story of how it came to be, what it is. The splendid dome of the United States Capitol is the symbol of the city of Washington and to many people all over the world the symbol of the American nation as well. In the vast rotunda are huge paintings of significant scenes in our country’s history. Over a 25-year period a political refugee from Italy named Konstantino Brumidi worked on a decoration of the Capitol’s interior. His fresco on the eye of the dome symbolizes the character of George Washington and portrays both American statesmen and figures from classical mythology. The painting was completed in 1865. Some years later Brumidi

returned to the rotunda and began additional paintings, but he suffered a near fatal fall and the work was continued by another artist. President George Washington’s administration ended before the federal Government moved to Philadelphia to the new capital city, that bore his name. However he chose its location and was active in approving its original plan. A site of the Potomac River near Georgetown was selected in spite of the ideal beauty presented in some contemporary paintings. The area was essentially a wilderness. Washington chose Pier Longfor, a French volunteer in the American revolution, as a chief designer. His plan called for expansive green parks to set off magnificent public structures, with a Capitol building as center-piece grade of city streets was to be intersected at angles by treelined boulevards. During the war of 1812 British admiral sir George Covern invaded Maryland, moved on Washington and burned the Capitol and other government buildings. The Capitol was rebuilt. In a restored Senate Chamber today’s visitors can see something of its interior design. The House of Representatives then met in this elegant Chamber, which now serves as National Statuary Hall. But as the country continued to expand, Congress, grew larger as well and these rooms soon became inadequate. Construction was begun in the 1850s on a present great wings of the Capitol, which provided much larger Chambers for both the House and the Senate. At the time of President Lincoln’s inauguration and the outbreak of the civil war the dome was still unfinished. Federal Troops crossed the Potomac at Washington to meet confederate forces in Virginia. Townspeople drove out from the Capitol to view the spectacle battle at Mannasis near the stream named Bull Run. Construction continued on the Capitol Dome. “If the people see the Capitol going on,” - said Lincoln, - it is a sign that we intend the union shall go on.” The Dome is cast-iron painted to look like marble. At last when the heroic statue of Freedom was brought onto place on the top, the dome was complete. 5 days after the Civil War ended at Appomatox Court House, President and Mrs. Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theatre. During the performance, a young woman in the audience jotted a quick note to her father: “ The President is in yonder upper right-hand private box, so handsomely decked with silken flags, festooned with over a picture of George Washington.” A few minutes later John Wilks Booth, a deranged actor, fired a bullet into Lincoln’s head. A mortally wounded President was carried to the Peterson House across the street. Doctors were able to do little. He died in this room the next morning. Americans built a marble tribute to their martyred President.

Part two Great Presidential Monuments and the White House The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated in 1922. Civil War veterans, elderly now, marched to their places in the audience. Vice President Coolige and Chief Justice Taft were among the dignitaries who participated. President Harding

addressed the crowd from the memorial steps. The Washington Monument, a symbol of gleaming tribute to our first President is the tallest structure in the District of Columbia. The slight color change part way up the shaft marks the height reached before the political squabble interrupted construction in 1854. 26 years later work was resumed and the capstone was put in place in 1884. The Monument is 1555 and one-half feet tall. An elevator carries passengers up in a little over a minute. From the top the entire capital city can be seen spread out below. The Jefferson Memorial is the third and the newest of the three Great Presidential Monuments in Washington. These buildings and many other sights in the capital as well are administrated by the national park services. The service’s mission is to enhance public enjoyment of the areas today and to protect them for future generations. Thomas Jefferson was a man of wide intellectual interests. He was a skilled architect among many others talents and this magnificent memorial is built in architectural style he favored. At the age of 33 he was the principle author of the Declaration of Independence and his stirring words expressed fundamental truths of American democracy. His majestic phrases also embody the lifelong credo of the man himself. No more impressive monument exists in our nation’s capital than the Vietnam Memorial. On its long, V-shaped walls of polished black marble are listed the names of the missing and the dead in that faroff conflict. John Adams was the first President to occupy the White House that was in 1800. And the building was called the President’s house, or the President’s mansion. Along with other government buildings the White House too was burned during the war of 1812. It was left a shattered shell scorched and scared by the fire. The mansion was rebuilt within its original walls to look exactly as it had before. In this historic photograph of a White House party in the 1840s, the broad figure second from the right is Dolly Madison, whose husband was President when the capital city was burned. The White House is the world’s only residence of the chief of State that’s regularly open to the public at no charge. The East room is generally used for large receptions, dances, ceremonies and entertainment. The Yellow Oval room is a formal drawing room for the President’s family. What is now called the Lincoln bedroom was used for cabinet meetings and was an office during Lincoln’s administration. The room is furnished with elaborately carved Victorian antiques, some of which were selected by Mrs. Lincoln. Both the Cabinet and the Security Council meet in today’s Cabinet Room, located in the West Wing. The Cretty Room serves as a private meeting room upstairs. The Oval Office, in the eyes of the world, has come to symbolize the American Presidency. The extraordinary ornate of Executive office Buildings is located next to the White House. Blade House, official guesthouse for visiting dignitaries, is across the street.

Part three The Smithsonian Institution The cherry trees around the Tidal Basin were a gift from Japan to America. To stroll under these masses of blossoms and smell their scent in the spring breeze is one of the most rewarding of all Washington experiences. The turreted Castle of the Smithsonian Institution is the hub of the world’s largest Complex of Museums. The Institution was founded in 1846 through a request from English scientist James Smithson. In life he never visited this country, but his remains now rest here in a crypt in the castle. In the Arts and Industry’s building the exhibits include technological marbles of the 19th century. Here in another Smithsonian museums exhibits are changed from time to time. These ingenuous machines no matter how baffling they may seem today, all performed useful functions. The Smithsonian Horsure museum specializes in modern Art. It includes an outdoor gallery known as the sculpture garden. The National Air and Space Museum is the most popular museum in the world. Displayed here are the vehicles that helped fulfill man’s eternal dream of flight, through air and to the stars. The famous Wright Brothers’ Higher of 1903 is the fragile craft that launched the era of powered flight. Early planes were built largely of wood and fabric and time was hard on them. Most presentation and restoration work is done at the other facilities, but conservatives perform then valuable services on the Wright flyer here in the museum. Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of Saint Lewis is perennially popular, perhaps because it represents the indomitable courage of a man who in 1927 made the first nonstop Solo flight across the Atlantic. This is the first pure all wing airplane to be produced in the United States. The X-15 was the first plane to fly 6 times the speed of sound. The Gemini IV exhibit shows Edward H.White as the first American to walk in space. One of America’s supreme achievements landing the first man on the Moon, is dramatized in the duplication of the Appolo II Lunan Module Eagle version of a “ Wiking Mars Lander.” This spacecraft proves that no challenge is too great no dream is possible for so ingenious of the human mind. The National Gallery of Arts houses one of the world’s great collections of paintings, sculpture and graphic arts from the Middle Ages to the present. The beautiful view of classical building contains majestic interior spaces oriented about a central rotunda. The National Museum of Natural History specializes in the natural sciences and human cultures. This is everybody’s favourite animal “ Uncle Beezly,” a full size tristereotyped dinosaur made of fibre glass. The enormous elephant in the museum’s rotunda is P.T.Barnum’s famous jumbo one of the most beloved animals of all time. Highlight of the mineral exhibits without question is the incredible Hope diamond. Not even the gold nugget eclipses it. You can look over the dinosaur’s skeletons and imagine the enormous power of these gigantic creatures. The

animal habitats present authentic wild life scenes with extraordinary realism. The museum’s varied exhibits are among the richest in their fields, telling an incomparable story of the world around us. In the National Museum of American History our country’s cultural and technological development is stressed. Some exhibits are rather startling, the statue of George Washington for example, and Archie Bunker’s Chair suggest the Smithsonian’s humorous nickname “the nation’s attic”, but everything here helps to tell the story of the US. Here too are priceless relieves from the American revolution including general Washington’s field tent and an unarmed boat that was sunk in the Battle of Lake Champlaigne. Among a multitude of other fascinating exhibits is a collection of the best known American cars. This is the original “Star Spangled Banne“ the flag, that inspired the writing of our national anthem. Not all visitors realize it but the Washington Zoo is also a part of the Smithsonian. Besides the many friends here that we know from other zoos, there are two animals that are very special. The Zoo’s star attractions are the gigantic pandas, a gift from the people’s Republic of China. The male’s Chinese name translates to “bright star” and the female’s to “cute little girl”.

Part four National Cathedral, the Library of Congress, the US Supreme Court, Arlington Memorial National Cathedral, a church for all faiths will be one of the largest gothic cathedrals in the world when completed. It’s been under construction ever since 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt lied the cornerstone. The National Archive contains countless government records available for research. The Magna Carta, the great charter of English liberties, from which many American ideals are derived, has been here on loan from Great Britain. Here too are the original manuscripts of the 3 documents that together form the foundation of American democracy. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress is among the most ornate structures in the capital. The richness of architectural decoration inside and out is astonishing. Among the printed treasures on display is the perfect Gothenburg Bible, dating from 1450. The library is also a center for high-tech storage and retrieval of information, using computers and laser video discs. But above all the Library of Congress is one of the world’s foremost research facilities with over 18 mln. books, manuscripts, maps, scripts, newspapers, photographs, recordings, microfilms, and musical scores. This glistening white marble building one of the most spectacular neoclassical structures in the capital is the Home of the US Supreme Court. Along Embassy row in Massachusets Avenue are the diplomatic offices of over 130 foreign governments. Arlington is our country’s most well known national

cemetery. It’s reserved for the members of the armed forces, some government officials and their families. This is the temporary grave site of President John F. Kennedy filmed a few month after his assassination as tens of thousands of mourns still remember it. The same eternal flame burns at the present permanent grave. Arlington Memorial amphitheater honors country’s armed forces and is used for memorial services. Under this tomb lies an unknown American soldier killed in World War I. When his body was brought home from France in 1921 all of Washington paid him honor. In 1958 the remains of two more unknown Americans, one killed in World War II the other in the Korean conflict were taken to Arlington and placed with their comrade. An unknown from the Vietnam conflict now rests here also. The venerable brick buildings of Alexandria still reflect much of the city’s appearance in the 18th century. Then it was a prosperous colonial port.

Part five “Mount Vernon”, the Space Flight Center About 15 miles below Washington along the Potomac is one of America’s great historic and cultural treasures ”Mount Vernon” home of G.Washington. This estate was the great delight of Washington’s life, the place where he passed his happiest hours. Not only the mansion itself, but a number of outbuildings are furnished as they were when the general and his wife Martha lived here. Washington operated “ Mount Vernon” as a working plantation. Most of the family’s food was raised here and many household necessities were made by local craftsmen. The kitchen is not in the mansion but in a separate building. Even during the long years when the business of war and government occupied him elsewhere Washington sent home dozens of letters with instructions for enlarging, improving and beautifying “Mount Vernon”. Visitors who stroll through the house can see some of the everyday objects that were part of Washington’s life. The harpsichord in the little parlor was played by Martha Washington’s granddaughter Nelly Custis. It often comes as a surprise to discover that many furnishings in this 18th century home are as well designed and functional as comparable items in our own homes today. ” Mount Vernon’s” parlor is considered one of the finest of surviving colonial Virginia interiors. After a productive life during which his service to his fellow Americans kept him away from this beloved home for long period Washington died in this bed in 1799. He was buried here at “Mount Vernon” as he wished to be in a simple brick tomb. Washington – first leader of this country and both war and peace, can claim the secure place in the hearts of all Americans. Georgetown long ago absorbed in the expansion of the capital city is located in the northwestern section of Washington. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canals were part of great system of Canals that moved freight westward for an expanding

nation. Large base trips operated by the national park service are available on a partially restored stretch of the Channel in Georgetown. The pleasant leisurely trip gives passengers a unique opportunity to experience a historically important type of transportation that is now old but vanished. A bit further north in Green Bolt Maryland is the Goddand Space Flight Center. This major research is named for Robert H.Goddand an American Professor of Physics, often called the father of modern rocketry. Displayed in the visitor’s center here also relate to another of the facilities “man operations”, monitoring unmanned spacecraft. The center performs essential work in both the space shuttle and the space station program. In Washington D.C. as in any city of the world there are times when life seems to go just a little out of synch. But when things go right as they do during the celebrations for America’s birthday, the 4th of July the nations capital is the most exiting and the most emotionally stirring city on Earth.