New york

New York City (officially named the City of New York) often referred to as the “Big Apple”, is the largest city in the U.S. It is the world’s most important centre for global finance and communications. The city is also home to hundreds of world – class museums, galleries, and performance venue, making it the cultural and entertainment capital of the Western Hemisphere.

The story of New York began at the southernmost tip of Manhattan Island in the area below Chambers Street that is now known as Lower Manhattan. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian merchant in the service of the king of France, became the first foreign explorer of sight the island which was then inhabited by Indians.

In 1624 the first permanent European community was established by Dutch settlers. In 1626, the Dutch purchased the island from the Man – a – hat – a Indians from whom the present name Manhattan is derived.

The English captured Nieuw Amsterdam, as the Dutch called it, in 1664; and renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York, King’s Charles II’s brother. The city remained a colony of Great Britain for over 100 years until the Revolutionary War and Treaty of Paris put an end to British rule in 1783. Two years later, New York became the capital of the independent US of America.

In 1863, New York had become a large city, but had not yet began its major growth spurt, when it suffered the Draft Riot , which the Guinness Book of World Records list it as the bloodiest riot in history, costing approximately 1,200 lives and causing $ 1,5m of damage, the equivalent of billions today. The riot initially started as a protest against President Abraham Lincoln‘s Enrollment Act of Conscription to draft men to fight in the ongoing Civil War. Some 50,000 people, particularly poor Irish immigrants, rioted, smashing store window and attacking people, mainly African Americans, on the street.

After the Riots and the end of the Civil War, the rate of immigrations from Europe grew steeply, and New York became the first stop for millions seeking a new and better life in the US.

Now New York City is part of the New York Metropolitan area, which, with over 22 million people, is one of the largest urban conglomeration in the world. The city comprises 5 boroughs: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, each of which could be a major city in its own night. It is a multination city, called “modern Babylon”, the people of almost all nationalities and races speak 75 different languages.

Manhattan is the business centre of the city, and the most superlatively urban. It is the most densely populated, and the home of most of the city’s skyscrapers.

Here are the shops and art galleries of Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue , the theaters of Broadway , the longest street in the city (29 km long), elegant hotels and restaurant, world-famous museums and the green space of the Island – Central park (is considered New York ‘s greatest piece of architecture).

The Bronx is known as the birthplace of hip hop culture, as well as being the home of the New York Yankees. It’s the only part of the city on the mainland.

Brooklyn is the most popular borough, with a strong native identity.

The largest black community in New York is now in the borough of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Bridge , built over a 14 – year period, the mile-long bridge was dubbed “the Eighth Wonder of the World” and hailed as the largest, costliest (15 man dollars) suspension bridge ever built (when it was opened the automobile had not been invented yet).

All districts of New York are linked together by numerous bridges.

Queens is the most diverse county in the U.S., with more immigrants than anywhere else. Geographically it is the largest of the boroughs.

Staten Island (or Richmond) is somewhat isolated and the most suburban part of the city. But since the opening of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in 1964 it has been growing more a part of city life.

The first skyscraper was put up in 1888. It had only 13 stories, but the next had twenty two, the Empire State building 102 . It was opened on May 1, 1931, only 14 months after construction began. It is the second tallest in the USA.

The World Trade Center had 110 (Its crash in 2002, September 11,will forever remain the symbol of tragedy for that country and for the world).

The September 11 attacks in 2001 were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks. According to the U.S. government, 19 members of the al – Quaeda, a militant Islamic group, hijacked four commercial aircraft. They crashed one into each of the 2 tallest bowers of the world Trade Center after which both towers collapsed.

The 3^rd aircraft crashed into the U.S. Department of Defense headquarters, the Pentagon , in Arlington Count, Virginia, just outside the capital, Washington D.C. The majority of the 4^th plain was found in Pennsylvania. The attack were the most lethal ever carried, out in the USA. The death toll of nearly 3000 exceeded the toll of approximately 2,400 dead after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The Freedom Tower, to be built on the site of the Twin Towers, is intended to be the world’s highest skyscraper after its scheduled completion in 2001.

Other skyscraper: Rockefeller Center, New Yank’s Chrysler Building, United Nations Organizations building (39-stor).

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY is standing at the entrance of New York harbor on Bedloe Island, greets everybody who comes to New York by sea.

New York city is the home for Columbia University. The famous Wall Street is known for its banks, trust, companies, numerous big offices governing financial life of the nation and the world. The New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange are both in the Wall Street area. There is also the Federal reserve bank of New York. Being in its earliest days the northern-most barrier, separating the town from the wilderness and its “hostile Indians” or from other settlers up the coast in New England it was a fortified stockade rather than a wall, but the name Wall street means just that.

Parks of Manhattan are the colorful neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, So Ho, Chinatown and Little Italy. Harlem, the community in the north of Manhattan, was originally inhabited by Dutch, then, by the early 1900’s it was populated mainly by Germans and German-Jewish families, but as the Negroes moved in, the whites moved out, today it is inhabited mainly by Afro-Americans, but now it has also seen an influx of Hispanic Americans and some whites. A few years ago Harlem was a synonym of crime, robbery, theft, demoralizing slums. Now community observers say that as a result of some city programs and public assistance, Harlem is undergoing more profound changes than at any time in recent memory perhaps since the 1920’s.

New York is popularly called the “Big Apple”, a custom dating from of least the 1930’s when jazz musicians took the name of a Harlem nightclub and extended it to the whole neighborhood and then to the city in general. In the mid 1970’s the New York Convention Visitors Bureau used the phrase in an ad campaign be boost tourism.

LECTURE 5

LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT. THE NATIONAL HOLIDAYS OF THE USA.

The Americans are crazy about relaxation, they indulge in all sorts of activities which provide both good exercise and mental relaxation at the same time. The Americans are very ingenious at spending their time in amusement. They pursue hobbies, take part in sports activities, watch movies and television, listen to music, and read books and magazines. These and other activities contribute to the richness and diversity of American life. American culture offers opportunities for various leisure activities.

American holidays are numerous, they are strikingly different in origin but generally are celebrated in the same manner.

The most interesting national holidays of the USA are Washington’s Birthday (February 22), Memorial Day (May 30), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day ( First Monday in September), Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November), Christmas’ Day (December 25), New Year’s Day (January 1). Some of them are religious, some are connected with American history. The early colonists brought with them from England, Holland, France, Germany and many other countries the holiday customs of their homelands. These old – world traditions, transplanted to new world soil gradually assumed a character more or less unique to the various regions of the USA.

WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY is a great day for shoppers in addition to commemorating the birth of the US’s first President. The department stores of Washington, D.C., started a national tradition of sales marked by unusual bargains. In some states it is observed on the third Monday of February.

MEMORIAL DAY is a day honoring the dead of America’s wars. Schools, offices, and banks close for the day. On May 30 Cemeteries are decorated, flags are put up on the graves of army, navy and airmen, solemn services are held. It is often marked by parades that are very colorful in small towns and baseball competitions. This day is observed in some states on the last Monday in May.

The fourth of July is the US Independence Day. The biggest national holiday of the US is celebrated as the birthday of the country. Parades, tours through historical monuments, outdoor shows, boat races take place everywhere. The nation celebrates its founding with spectacular firework displays and speeches praising Americanism, democracy, free enterprise, etc.

LABOR DAY comes on the first Monday of September. It means to common Americans “the end of summer”, “back to school”, “vacation over”, “fall clothes”, “prepare to winter”. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. People go to the beach or mountains on picnics to enjoy the fine weather at the end of summer holiday season.

THANKSGIVING DAY was first celebrated in 1621 by English settlers. Their first winter in America was very hard, over half of the settlers died. They had planted corn, the Indians showed them how to plant maize and they got a rich harvest in autumn The colonists decided to make a holiday dinner, their leader proclaimed “a day of Thanksgiving unto the Lord” for the rich harvest. A national Thanksgiving came only after the foundation of the USA. It is the fourth Thursday in November.

CHRISTMAS is usually a one – day official holiday. It is celebrated on December 25 as the birth of Christ. It is preceded and followed by festive parties and marked by special church services. Christmas is a family holiday. Little children hang up their stockings on Christmas Eve. They believe that when they are asleep, Santa Clause comes to visit them. Usually the whole family Has a big dinner which is distinguished by a plum – pudding dessert.

NEW YEAR”S DAY is a time for merriment. Most Americans spend the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year celebrating with friends. One popular New Year’s Eve drink is eggnog – a thick, yellow mixture of eggs, milk or cream and sugar. Champaign is often served for the midnight toast on New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Day has traditionally been the occasion for starting new programs and giving up bad habits. People talk about “ turning over a new leaf”.