Task 2. Make a short annotation to the text.

Traditional American Food

What is "American" food?

The answer is that it is part Italian, part British, part German, part Mexican, part Chinese… When people from other countries came to live in the US, they brought different cooking traditions. Some of them opened restaurants. Today Americans enjoy food from all over the world.

Over the years some foreign dishes changed a little. Doughnuts were originally from Holland. In 1847 a young American boy told his mother that her doughnuts were never cooked in the middle. He cut out the centre and his mother cooked them — and they were very tasty!

Maybe the US is most famous for "fast foods". The first fast food restaurants served hamburgers, but now they serve other kinds of food too. Inside there is often a "salad bar", where you can help yourself to as much salad as you want.

Americans eat a lot, and when they go to a restaurant, they don’t expect to be hungry afterwards. Most restaurants will put a lot of food on your plate — sometimes it can be too much. But if you can’t finish it all, don’t worry: they will give you a "doggy bag" and you can take it home.

Most Americans now have a light breakfast instead of the traditional eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice and coffee. But on weekends there is more time, and a large late breakfast or early lunch is often eaten with family or friends.

McDonald and Coca-Cola

In 1937 the McDonald brothers, Dick and Mark, opened little restaurant in California. They served hot dogs and milk shakes. In 1945 they have 20 waiters. All the teenagers in town ate hamburgers there. When the 1948 year came they got paper boxes and bags for the hamburgers. They put the price down from 30 to 15 cents. There were no more waiters — it was self-service. So it was cheaper and faster.

In 1960s the McDonald's company opened hundreds of McDonald's restaurants all over the States. In 1971 they opened restaurants in Japan, Germany and Australia.

Now the McDonald's company opens a new restaurant every 8 hours. There are more than 14,000 restaurants in over 70 countries.

The Coca-Cola story began in Atlanta in 1886. John Pemberton invented a new drink. Two of the ingredients were the South American coca leaf and the African cola nut, Pemberton couldn't think of a good name for the drink. Finally, Dr. Pemberton's partner Frank Robinson suggested the name Coca-Cola. Thirty years later the famous Coca-Cola bottle design first appeared.

For many years only Coca-Cola was made. They only introduced new drinks — Fanta, Sprite in the 1960s. The recipe of Coca-Cola is a secret. Today they sell Coca-Cola in 195 countries. Hundreds of millions of people from Boston to Beijing drink it every day. It has the most famous trademark in the world.

 

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Task 1. Read and translate the text. Make the vocabulary of unknown words.

Task 2. Make a short annotation to the text.

Popular Sports in USA

Football

American football is the most popular spectator sport in the United States. It is a combat game where highly trained athletes skillfully and brutally execute strategic plans. Attending a football game often begins with a "tailgate party" in the parking lot of the stadium followed by several hours of rowdy, emotionally charged excitement. Most fans watch football while gathered in a local bar or at a friend's home in front of a big-screen TV.

The National Football League (NFL) consists of 32 professional teams located in major cities across the USA. Each team plays 16 games between early September and the end of December. The two best teams meet at the Superbowl near the end of January. Games are on Sunday afternoons with a few nationally televised games on Monday nights. It is difficult to get tickets for any NFL games as they are generally "sold out" before the season begins. You can sometimes obtain tickets through travel agents and ticket brokers at premium prices. You can almost always buy tickets, for a high price, from illegal "ticket scalpers" in front of the stadium just before a game.

At hundreds of universities across the USA, they play college football games on Saturday afternoons. Games at the "football schools" with outstanding teams often attract over 100,000 fans. It is difficult to obtain tickets to games at the best football schools but easy to get tickets at the less popular college games.

Baseball

Baseball is the second most popular sport in the USA and it has a completely different atmosphere than football. It is a game of intense concentration and the near perfect execution of playing skill. Attending a baseball game might start with a tailgate party that resembles a family picnic followed by several hours of relaxed socializing with friends while watching the game.

There are 30 Major League baseball teams divided into the National League and the American League. Each team plays about 160 games on weekday evenings or weekend afternoons between early spring and late fall. The best team from each league meet in late fall for the World Series games to determine the National Champion. Only the most popular games are sold out, so you can normally buy tickets to most Major League games.

Several hundred minor league baseball teams play in smaller cities across the USA and Canada. Each team is affiliated with one of the Major League teams and used as a training ground for future Major League players. Tickets are almost always available for minor league games

Basketball

Basketball combines the fast-paced excitement of football with the concentration and athletic prowess of baseball. Basketball game can be intensely exciting but are usually less rowdy than football games.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) contains 29 teams from major Canadian and US cities. They play about 100 games on evenings and a few afternoons between October and May. The championship games are in June. NBA games in many cities are sold out well in advance, so it may be difficult to obtain tickets. There are ten Women's National Basketball Association teams (WNBA) in the US. Their games are not as popular as the NBA games but are just as exciting, and you can easily obtain tickets.

Hundreds of universities across the USA play college basketball. At the "basketball schools" with excellent teams ticket might be hard to find.

Hockey

Hockey is not as popular as football, baseball or basketball, but it has a loyal following of fans in certain cities of the USA and Canada. The game has the fast paced excitement of football and basketball with plenty of violent body contact. Hockey games have a reputation for attracting loud, beer-drinking, rowdy fans.

The National Hockey League (NHL) has 30 teams in major cities across the USA and Canada. Each team plays about 80 games between October and April. Playoff elimination games are held after the season and the two top teams play in the "Stanley Cup" championship. Tickets are available for hockey games in most cities as only the most popular games are sold out.

Stock car racing (NASCAR)

Stock car racing was once popular primarily with the rural population in the small towns of Southeastern USA. Today, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is one of the fastest growing spectator sports across the USA. About 35 major NASCAR races are held each year plus about 60 minor or specialty races. Tickets are usually available at most NASCAR racetracks as they have large seating capacities. The racing season begins in February in the southern states and extends through the end of August. Annual championships are awarded based on points accumulated throughout the season.

Minor league stock car racing is still held at numerous smaller tracks across the country where local racecars and drivers compete for regional championships. Drag racing meets are held at numerous "drag strips" across the US. Truck pulls, tractor pulls, big wheel exhibitions and demolition derbies are held at various racetracks and stadiums around the USA.

 

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