James Smithson’s Gift - раздел Образование, Учебное пособие по курсу «Анализ текста» Read The Text And Answer The Questions:
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Read the text and answer the questions:
1 Do you think Mr. Smithson found a good way to dispose of his money?
2 What do you call people who donate money for institutions promoting arts and scholarships? Name several more.
In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that, should the nephew die without heirs (as he would in 1835), the estate should go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.” The motives behind Smithson’s bequest remain mysterious. He never traveled to the United States and seems to have had no correspondence with anyone there. Some have suggested that his bequest was motivated in part by revenge against the rigidities of British society, which had denied Smithson, who was illegitimate, the right to use his father’s name. Others have suggested it reflected his interest in the Enlightenment ideals of democracy and universal education.
Smithson died in 1829, and six years later, President Andrew Jackson announced the bequest to Congress. On July 1, 1836, Congress accepted the legacy bequeathed to the nation and pledges the faith of the United States to the charitable trust. In September 1838, Smithson’s legacy, which amounted to more than 100,000 gold sovereigns, was delivered to the mint at Philadelphia. Recoined in U.S. currency, the gift amounted to more than $500,000. After eight years of sometimes heated debate, an Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk on Aug.10, 1846, established the Smithsonian Institution as a trust to be administered by a Board of Regents and a Society of the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian Institution is now the world’s largest museum complex, composed of a group of national museums and research centers housing the United States’ national collections in natural history, American history, air and space, the fine arts and the decorative arts, and several other fields ranging from postal history to cultural history. The Institution includes 17 museums, four research centers, the National Zoo, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (a research library system), the Smithsonian magazine, the Smithsonian Institution Press, a Travelling Exhibition Service, an Office of Education, and a number of other offices and activities.
Some Facts about the Smithsonian Institution:
− 17 museums
− 140 affiliate museums
− 9 research centers
− 24 mln visitors (2004)
− 143.5 mln objects, artworks and specimen
− 2.1 mln members
Find in the text the English equivalents to the following Russian words:
Государственное образовательное учреждение... высшего профессионального образования... Ивановский государственный энергетический...
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James Smithson’s Gift
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Contents
Part 1: Effective Reading
Part 2: George Washington Carver: The Plant Doctor
Part 3: Emily Dick
Effective Reading
‘Why am I reading?’ is the first question an effective reader asks himself or herself, because how you read depends on your purpose. You may read to locate specific information, to
Skimming
Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read a newspaper, you’re probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you’re skimming the t
Scanning
Scanning is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what yo
Previewing
Previewing a text means gathering as much information about the text as you can before you actually read it. You can ask yourself the following questions:
Critical Reading
The purpose of critical reading is to accept or reject a writer's opinion. It involves gaining a deeper understanding of the material. Successful critical readers r
Guessing word meaning
There are various strategies that you can learn which will help you to deduce what a word likely means. Yes, you could just look them up in a dictionary; but, studies show that you
Making Inferences
Inferences are evidence-based guesses. They are the conclusions a reader draws about the unsaid based on what is actually said. Inferences drawn while reading are m
Vocabulary Practice
I. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations and translate them into Russian.
1) to snatch (up)
2) kidnap(p)er
Legacy of George Washington Carver
Scientist Extraordinaire, Man of Faith, Educator and Humanitarian
As a botany and agriculture teacher to the children of ex-s
Vocabulary Practice
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− to outvie
− to abandon
− to be content
− (to write)
Mine-by the Right of the White Election!
Mine-by the Right of the White Election! Mine-by the Royal Seal! Mine-by the Sign in the Scarlet prison- Bars-cannot conceal! Mine-here-in Vision-and in Veto! Mine-by the Grave'
An American Renaissance.
I. Read the text and answer the questions:
1. What ideological border existed between the western and eastern parts of the country?
2. What were some young people disappointed by?
Quiz for Automobile Experts
1. When was the first automobile with internal combustion engine made?
a) in 1862
b) in 1872
c) in 1882
2. What was its engine po
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Choose a synonym from the text to the underlined words and word combinations.
1. The only further step required is to get rid of the idea of produ
Mass Production
For all that, Britain emerged from the Second World War as the second biggest car producer and the biggest exporter in the world. Let’s see how management squandered that position.
What we
Ernest Hemingway: Tragic Genius.
Quiz for Literature Experts
1. What is ‘epigram’?
a) an ending, or an extra part after the end of a book or play
b) a short, funny, sharp
Vocabulary Practice
I. Find a synonym from the text to the underlined words and word combinations:
1) from time to time
2) to stress, to underline
3) freedom
4) sympathy
The Roaring Twenties.
The following are paragraphs of one text. Read them carefully and place them in the correct order. Explain your choice.
A In 1928 the American people electe
The Left Bank
References to the Left Bank have never lost their power to evoke the most piquant images of Paris. The Left Bank's geographic and cerebral hub is the Latin Quarter, which takes its name from the un
The Lost Generation
Though several stories conjecture on how the Lost Generation came to be called thus, the most plausible seems to be this: One summer in Belley, while Gertrude Stein's Ford auto was in need of some
Gertrude Stein - brief biography
Gertrude Stein (b. Feb. 3, 1874, Allegheny, Pa., U.S.--d. July 27, 1946, Paris) was an avant-garde American writer, eccentric, and self-styled genius, whose Paris home was a salon for the leading a
Vocabulary Practice
I. Fill in the right prepositions where necessary:
1. The strange behavior of the newcomer set him ... from the rest of the company.
2. Though his parents opposed
Crash and Depression
Read the first text and make its summary.
In the heart of New York City lies a narrow street enclosed by the walls of high office buildings. Its name is Wall Street.
The Bonus Army
In the spring of 1932 thousands of unemployed ex-servicemen poured into Washington, the nation’s capital. They wanted the government to give them some bonus payments that it
Architecture Periods Quiz
There are many architects, but few true architect geniuses. Genius is, afterall, quite exceptional. What is an architectural genius? A genius is someone who has an extraordinary knack for architect
Vocabulary Practice
I. Translate into English:
− строительный подрядчик
− чувство пространства
− оказывать огромное влияние на что-либо
−
Music Theory Quiz
Are you good at music theory? Not sure? Let’s see.
1. What does the letter “C” stand for in musical notation?
a) doh
b) me
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− unassuming
− unchallenged leader
− unaffected style
The Roots of Jazz
A number of regional styles contributed to the early development of jazz. Arguably the single most important was that of the New Orleans, Louisiana area, which was the first to be c
Vocabulary Practice
I. Translate the word combinations and sentences into Russian:
− wise sages from different world cultures
− to have a mean streak
− to s
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− to capture
− to collaborate with
− to curtail
Sean Callahan
Margaret Bourke-White's persistence, combined with the prescience of Life picture editor Wilson Hicks, led her to a global scoop and another professional reincarnation: war photographer. W
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