From the history of new york

The first European explorer who saw Manhattan Island was Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian merchant who was in the service of the French king, Francis I. The date was April, 1524. Today a bridge which carries his name, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, is one of the city's most impressive sights. It is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Other Europeans followed Verrazano, most notably Henry Hudson, an Englishman employed by the Dutch East India Company. The mighty Hudson River is named after the navigator who set foot on these shores in 1609.

Even in the days when America was known as the New World, it was a country with a reputation for its spirit of enterprise and the ability of its people to make a good deal. In 1626 the Dutch Trade Company bought Manhattan Island from the local Indians for twenty four dollars. It was probably the most spectacular business deal of all times. (Today, $24 would not buy one square foot of office space in New York).

Here the Dutch founded their colony and gave it the name New Amsterdam.

Forty years later the English fleet under the Duke of York entered the harbour, captured the city without firing a shot and renamed it New York.

During the War of Independence it was the scene of heavy fighting. The English held it until the end of the war in 1783 when it became the first capital of the new republic — the United States of America. On April 30, 1789 George Washington, the first President of the US, stood on a balcony there and swore a solemn oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

The city grew very quickly. Today's New York is the greatest contrast possible to the island settled by the Dutch in 1624. In 1811 a "city plan" was adopted under which straight lines cut through the woods and fields of Manhattan, flattening its hills, burying under the surface its countless little rivers. In a sense, New York is now one of the least historic cities of the world. Practically nothing has remained of Dutch New Amsterdam.

AUSTRALIA

If you go to Australia it will seem to you rather an upside-down world. The seasons are the other way round. Summer is from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August, and spring from September to November.

New Year is at midsummer, midwinter is in June. Hot winds blow from the north; cold winds blow from the south. The farther north you go, the hotter it gets.

You will be dazzled with magnificent landscapes and unusual plants. It will seem strange to you that trees lose their bark, not their leaves, and a lot of flowers have no smell. Even stranger than plants are the animals. Many of them are found nowhere else in the world. There live kangaroos, koalas, echidnas, platypi and a lot of rare birds.

Australia is the world's largest island and its smallest continent. People often call Australia the "land down-under" because it lies entirely south of the equator.

Australia is the oldest of all continents. Its mountains are the worn and ancient stumps that were once higher than the Himalayas; its desert sands rose from the waves of the sea millions of years ago and still contain fossils of the marine creatures that formerly swam over them, Its animals are ancient and unique. Its wandering aboriginal tribes still live like the men of the Stone Age.

Australia is the driest continent on earth. The four great deserts of central Australia cover 2,000,000 square kilometres. There are few rivers there. Australian lakes which look impressive on the map, are usually little more than clay and salt pans.

Australia is the flattest of all continents. Unlike any other continent, it lacks mountains of truly alpine structure and elevation. Its most significant mountain chain is the Great Dividing Range running down most of the east coast. Because of its overall flatness and regular coastline, Australia is often called a "sprawling pancake".

An island continent, Australia was cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years. As a result, it was the last continent to be discovered and settled by Europeans.

Australia is the only continent that is also a country. As a country, it has the sixth largest area in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the United States and Brazil.

Australia is the least populated of the continents. Only 0,3% of the world's population live there. However, Australia is the most urbanized country in the world.

Two out of three of its citizens live in the eight largest cities.

The capital of Australia is Canberra.

(from Speak Out, abridged)

CANADA

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It covers the northern part of North America and its total area is 9,975,000 square kilometres. Canada's only neighbour is the USA. The border between the two countries is the longest unguarded border in the world.

Canada's motto, "From Sea to Sea," is particularly appropriate because the country is bounded by three oceans — the Pacific, the Arctic and the Atlantic. Its vast area includes some of the world's largest lakes and countless smaller ones. One-third of all fresh water on Earth is in Canada.

Canada's name comes from an Indian word kanata, which means "village". The first French settlers used the Indian name for the colony, but the official name was "New France". When the area came under the British rule in 1897, the new country was called the Dominion of Canada, or simply Canada. Canada is a union of ten provinces and two territories.

Compared with other large countries, Canada has a small population, only about 27,300,000. The country, however, is one of the world's most prosperous. Canadians developed its rich natural resources and, in the process, have achieved a high standard of living.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and Queen Elizabeth II is its official head of state. Although the Queen holds this high position, she doesn't rule. She serves as a symbol of British tradition. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General, whom she appoints on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister. The Governor's duties are limited to symbolic, mostly ceremonial acts.

The real power belongs to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Canadian Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Commons and the Senate.

There are two official languages in the country: English and French. All Canadian children have to learn both French and English at school, but Francophones and Anglophones do not enjoy learning each other's language.

"We have two races, two languages, two systems of religious belief, two sets of laws ... two systems of everything," said one Canadian journalist.

There was a time when Quebec Province (its population is 90% French) decided to separate from Canada and form a new country. Fortunately, the movement has waned. The capital of Canada is Ottawa.

SOME FACTS ABOUT MOSCOW

The oldest church in Moscow is the Kremlin Uspensky Cathedral, built in 1475-1479.

The highest monument is the 107-metre-tall obelisk called "To the Conquerors of Space" (1967) located in Prospect Mira.

The first theatre open to the public was established in Red Square, near the Nikolaevskaya Tower of the Kremlin, in 1702-03, by order of Tsar Peter I. Today, there are about 200 theatres in Moscow, the oldest of which is the Moscow University Student Theatre.

The first museum in Moscow was established in 1791. It was the Moscow University Exhibition of Natural History, later renamed as the Zoological Museum.

The oldest parks in Moscow are Alexandrovsky Park, Neskutchny Park, and Hermitage Park, built in the 18m and 19Ш centuries.

The largest of Moscow's 500 libraries is the Russian State Library (the former Lenin Library), with a depository of over 40 million pieces in 247 languages.

The Moscow Zoo, founded in 1864, is the largest zoo in Russia. It contains more than 3,000 specimen of 550 species.

The first sports stadium appeared in the vicinity of Petrovka Street in the second half of the 19tn century. Its playing surface has survived and exists today, but cannot be seen from the street because it is hidden from view by tall buildings.

The oldest clock in Moscow is the Kremlin Chimes.

The largest clock in all Russia is on the main building of Moscow University. The clock face has a diameter of 9 metres. The minute hand is 4.2 metres long and weighs 50 kilograms. The hour hand is 50 centimetres shorter and 11 kilograms lighter.

The total length of Moscow streets is 4,350 kilometres. To cover that distance on foot at an average speed of 5 km per hour, a pedestrian would have to walk nonstop for 36 days.

LITERATURE AND ARTS