Ex. 11. Read and translate the text.
Columbus Day (the second Monday in October)
The identity of the first Europeans to visit the shores of America is uncertain. The Irish may have reached what is now Canada in the ninth or tenth century. But it was only with the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492 that effective European exploration and colonization of the New World began.
Little is known about the commander of the momentous 1492 expedition. Columbus was born in Genoa in 1451. He arrived in Portugal in 1476 after narrowly escaping death during a naval battle. The young seaman made a number of voyages under the Portuguese flag and visited England, the African Gold Coast, the Madeira Islands, and the Azores.
On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his 90-member crew sailed from Spain aboard the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. They carried with them a letter from Ferdinand and Isabella (the king and queen of Spain) addressed to the Grand Khan of China. The expedition maintained its westward course and on October 12, they landed the Bahamas, but they thought they had reached the East Indies. Columbus made three more voyages to the New World but he believed he had discovered a new route to the Orient. The landing of Columbus was not only a great feat but an event that was to change the history of the world.
Celebrations of Columbus Day in the United States are countless. Most localities sponsor special programs to mark the day, and every school holds exercises on that day. Parades, patriotic ceremonies, and addresses are popular ways of honoring Columbus.
Mark the sentences as true, false or not given.
1. Momentous means very important.
2. Columbus was born in Spain.
3. Sailing to America was his first sea voyage.
4. He came from a noble family.
5. Ferdinand and Isabella were his parents.
6. Columbus wanted to get to China.
7. Columbus gave the name to the Bahama Islands.
8. Not many people celebrate Columbus Day now.
9. Columbus Day is celebrated on the second of October
10. There are fancy dress parties on that day at schools.
11. The discovery of America changed the world history.
Ex. 12. Read and translate the text.
The Loch Ness Monster
It all started over a thousand years ago and has grown into one of the world’s most famous and long lasting legends. There have been plenty of films, photographs and eye-witness accounts offered as evidence. But definite proof remains as hard to find as the creature itself.
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The first report of “Nessie” comes from the 6th сentury, when a water beast is said to have appeared “with strong shaking” before St Columba. Apparently he drove away the creature by lifting up a cross.
Modern reports of seeing a creature began in the 1930s. In April 1933, Aldie Mackay saw a violent disturbance in the water and a hump “like that of a whale” while he was driving along the north side of the loch. The name “Nessie” was created by a newspaper journalist who reported this sighting.
In 1934, Kenneth Wilson, a surgeon, took a famous photograph of what appeared to be a snake like neck and head. For years this was thought to be strong evidence of creature like a dinosaur living in the lake. However, many years later, letters were found that showed the picture was a fake. The head was a model attached to a toy submarine.
The latest hi-tech sonar equipment was used to search for the Loch Ness monster in 1992. With military style technology and a group of experts, a research team began a full search of the loch, which is almost 30 km long and one of the deepest in Europe. They produced an excellent map of the bottom of the lake, but nothing that looked like Nessie.
However there are still reports of people seeing something in the loch. In June 1999, Nora and Mike Jones from Texas, America, were watching Loch Ness over the internet on a webcam. “We saw a head and a neck appear travelling fast, with a v-shaped wake behind it. We watched till she swam off screen,” Nora said. “Then we watched a wake go all the way out to the middle of the loch. A large white hump surfaced like a whale. I saw it with my own two eyes and it is real.”
Professional monster watchers say this is similar to other reports in the longer days of June. They say the length of daylight may confuse the monster and so it comes to the surface in the evening when it can still be seen. Whether it is giant fish, bubbles of gas, waves made by passing boats, or prehistoric dinosaurs that cause the stories, one thing is for sure: the tourist trade in Scotland has sold many postcards and toys because of it.
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