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Washington, D.C.

Officially founded on July 16, 1790, Washington, D.C. is unique among American cities because it was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation’s capital. The city was named after the first president George Washington. It is located on the north bank of the Potomac River. Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population of 900,000 people.

Washington is aone-industry city. That industry is government. It does not produce anything except very much scrap paper.Every day 25 railway cars leave Washington loaded with scrap paper. The city’s main output is taking laws and government decisions. Besides, Washington is the residence of the President and the Congress of the United States.

The White House is the place where the president of the USA lives and works. This house was first occupied in 1800 by John Adams, who was the first president to live in that house. The White House has 132 rooms. AllAmerican pre­sidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time) lived in the White House. It is a two-storeyed building which was built in 1799.

Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States.

One reason Washington looks different from other cities is that no building in the city may be more than 40 metres tall. There are no skyscrapers, because they would hide the city’s many monuments from view. One can easily find a park, a square or an open area there.

The Capitol is the centre of the city. It was built according to the plans of William Thornton, who was an amateur architect. It is situated on Capitol Hill. Not far from the Capitolthere is Washington Monument,which looks like avery big pencil. It rises 160 metres and is hollow inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds from where they can enjoy a beautiful viewof the whole city.

Jefferson Memorialwas built in memory of the third President of the USA, Thomas Jefferson, who was also the author of the Declaration of Independence. The memorial is surrounded by cherry-trees.

Lincoln Memorialis devoted to the memory of the 16^th President of the USA, the author of Emancipation Proclamation, which gave freedom to Negro slaves in America. Lincoln Memorial is designed like a Greek temple. The dominant figure is the realistic figure of Abraham Lincoln seated in the centre of the open temple.

On the other bank of the Potomac lies the Arlington National Cemeterywhere President Kennedy was buried. American soldiers and officers, who died in World War I and World War II are buried there too.

Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre. There are five universities, a lot of research institutes, the National Academy of Sci­encesand the Library of Congress.

1. When was Washington, D.C. officially founded?

2. What is the population of the capital of the USA?

3. Where is it located?

4. Is it a well-developed industrial city?

5. What is the residence of the USA’s President?

6. What president was the White House first occupied by?

7. There are a lot of skyscrapers in Washington, aren’t there?

8. Is the Capitol or the Pentagon the heart of the city?

9. What places of historic interest are there in Washington?

10. Why is Washington considered to be a large scientific and cultural centre?

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