10. Cultural peculiarities of New England states

Connecticut – lock, machine to make pins, sewing machine, M. Twain and H. Beecher-Stow houses, Yale University in New Haven, American Shakespeare Theatre.

Massachusetts – the first library, newspaper, public school, college. Harvard University, M. Institute of Technology in Cambridge. Boston – the oldest major city in the U.S.

New Hampshire – White Mountains, covered bridges, Stonehenge in North Salem, Cornish art colony.

Vermont – layers of marble. R. Kipling home in Battleboro.

Main – Longfellow house in Portland.

Rhode Island – spirit of independence.

1. How can you characterize New England states?

2. What can you say about the New England pronunciation?

3. What are the sources of the names of the states?

4. Is there anything similar in the New England states?

5. Why are these states so grouped?

Maple Sugar Festival

St. Albany, Vermont

To the connoisseur, Vermont’s tradition of making maple syrup compares to that of France in making wine. Both call for a mix of science and instinct, knowledge of nature’s timing that cannot be taught but only learned after many seasons in the fields.

When the daytime temperatures reach forty degrees while the nights are still in the twenties, it is generally regarded as the optimum time for opening the taps in the maple trees. The sap is then flowing at its best. The metal device, called a spile, siphons off the sap into buckets. It usually takes forty gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup.

The quality of the syrup depends on what happens in the sugar-house during the boiling process. Most consumers pre­fer a lighter amber-colored syrup, which is called a shallow boil, and that is the most difficult to time properly. Too light, and the taste is very thin. Too dark, and a touch of caramel creeps in. It takes a master’s touch, and most of Vermont’s sugar-makers undergo specialized training, sharp­ening their palates with taste while they are blindfolded. The state leads the nation in maple syrup production.

11. Cultural peculiarities of Mid-Atlantic states

Delaware – the first state to sign the Constitution.

Maryland – first passenger railway, telegraph message. Baltimore – a great port city. Washington D.C. Assateague ponies.

New Jersey – T. Edison’s inventions: electric light, the motion picture camera, phonograph. Princeton University.

New York – natural wonder - Niagara Falls. Five boroughs of New York: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Richmond, UN Headquarters.

Pennsylvania – first fire department, hospital, zoo. Philadelphia University, Orchestra, chocolate Hershey. F.L. Wright’s House in Ohiopile - Fallingwater.

1. Give general description of the Mid-Atlantic states.

2. Is there anything special about the pronunciation of these states?

3. Can you comment on the names of the states?

4. Describe the biggest cities of Mid-Atlantic states.

Lotus Blossom festival

Lilypons, Maryland

She was a greatest gate attraction of her time in Opera. French-born Lily Pons made her debut with New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1931. Her name guaranteed a sellout. A small woman, barely five feet tall, she brought glamour and chic to opera at a time when it was dominated by large men and women. She even enjoyed a brief movie career in the 1930s, although her French accent made most of her dialogue incomprehensible. But the audience did not come to her to talk. They wanted to hear her voice.

At the height of her fame, the owner of 100-acre tract dedicated to raising pond lilies and ornamental fish decided to incorporate as a town. He called the place Lilypons. The soprano was honored and made frequent visits to the town named for her, being named mayor of the place in 1941. Miss Pons died in 1976, but Lilypons is still a going concern. This festival comes at the peak of the blooming season.