Washington DC - the capital of the USA

2. Washington DC is the US
capital. The city was named
after the first US President
George Washington.
The letters DC stand for the
District of Columbia (округ
Колумбия).
Washington has been the
federal capital since 1800.
Washington is the seat of
the US government.
More than half a million
people live in Washington.
Most of the people work for
the government.

3. Washington is well-planned. The streets that go from
east to west are named after letters of the alphabet.
The streets that go north and south are numbered.

6. The longest and the biggest streets are named after
American states.

7. The city is very green and peaceful.

8. There are a lot of beautiful places where you can
relax and enjoy yourself.

9. The Washington Monument was built to honour the first president.

10. You can hardly find a park or a square without a monument or
a memorial. The best-known are the Lincoln Memorial,

11. and the Jefferson Memorial.

12. The White House is the official residence of the US President.

13. The building has 132 rooms.

14. The best-known ones are the Red Room,

15. the Blue Room,

16. the Green Room,

17. and the Oval Office.

18. The President works in the Oval Office.

19. In the very centre of the city rises the Capitol - the home of
the US government. The building has 430 rooms.
535 members of the Congress work here.

20. Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, which is
the largest library in the world.

21. There are more than 90 million books in it.

22. There are a lot of museums in Washington. The best-known
museums are the National Museum of Natural History

23. and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

24. There are 5 universities in Washington. The leading university
is the Georgetown University.

25. Washington is a busy city. The streets are practically never
empty. Wherever you go you'll see big and small shops in
which you can buy whatever you like. You can also buy
many things just in the streets.

26. Review
• Since what time has Washington been the capital of the United States?
• How many people live in Washington DC?
• Where do most of the people work?
• What are the streets that go from east to west named?
• What are the longest and the biggest streets named after?
• What are the best known monuments in Washington DC?
• Where does the US President live and work?
• Where do the members of the Congress work?
• What is the Library of Congress famous for?
• What are the best-known museums in Washington?
• How many universities are there in Washington?
• What is the leading university?

27. • A Eugene Lysak compilation
© 2011