Реферат: Английский язык (11 класс)

Southerners threatenedthat if the North didn't cease

its fight against slavery, the Southern states

would leave the Union. They wanted to form an independent «confederacy»*.In 1860 Lincoln was elected President of the USA. In 1861 seven

states left the Union and elected their own President, Jefferson Davis.The Confederacy was formed.

Lincoln was strongly against slavery and even more strongly againstthe break-up of the Union. In 1862 the American Civil War betweenthe North and the South began.At first the war went badly for the North. The Southerners headedby General Robert Lee and Colonel Jackson won some brilliantvictories. But Lincoln did not lose courage. On April, 9 General Lee

surrendered. The Civil War was over. Lincoln tried to convince formerenemies that they should live in peace.

On April, 14 the President and his wife visited a theatre in Washington.During the performance Lincoln was shot by an actor who supportedConfederacy. Abraham Lincoln died next morning.People admire Lincoln for political moderation. They admire him

because he tried to preserve the nation. He is a symbol of Americandemocracy.

London

London is the capital of the United Kingdom, its economic, politicaland cultural centre. It is one of the world's most important ports andone of the largest cities in the world. London with its suburbs has a

population of about 11 million people.London has been a capital for nearly a thousand years. Many of its

ancient buildings still stand. The most famous of them are the Tower ofLondon, where the crown jewels are kept, Westminster Abbey and St.Paul's Cathedral. Most visitors also want to see the Houses of Parliament,

Buckingham Palace (the Queen's home with its Changing of the Guards)and the many magnificent museums.Once London was a small Roman town on the north bank of theThames. Slowly it grew into one of the world's major cities.Exchange and the Bank of England are here, too. The East End is thedistrict where mostly working people live. The old port area is now called«Docklands». Thereare now new office buildings in Docklands, and

Different areas of London seem like different cities. The West End is

a rich man* world of shops, offices and theatres. The City of London is

the district where most offices and banks are concentrated; the Royal

thousands of new flats and houses.By the day the whole of London is busy. At night, offices are quiet

and empty, but the West End stays alive, because this is where Londonerscome to enjoy themselves. There are two opera houses here, severalconcert halls and many theatres, as well as cinemas. In nearby Soho the

pubs, restaurants and night clubs are busy half the night.

Like a*l big cities, London has streets and concrete buildings, butIt also has many big parks, full of trees, flowers and grass. In the middleofHyde Park or Kensmgtoa Gardens you will&inkthat you are in the

country, miles away.Many people live outside (be centre of London in the subulbs, andthey travel to work in shops and offices by train, bus or undergrouad

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia, its administrative, economic,political and educational centre. It is one of Russia's major cities withthe population of about 9 million people. Its total area is about 900thousand square kilometres.The city was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgonlky and was firstmentioned in the chronicles in 1147. At that time it was a small frontiersettlement. By the 15th century Moscow bad grown into a wealthy

city.In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, Moscow became thecapital of the state of Muscovy. In the 18th century Peter the Greattransferred the capital to St. Petersburg, but Moscow remained the heart

of Russia. That is why it became the main target of Napoleon's attackin 1812. During the war of 1812 three quarters of the city were destroyedby fire, but by the middle of the 19th century Moscow was completely

rebuilt.The present-day Moscow is the seat of the government of the RussianFederation. President of Russia lives and works here; government offices

are located here, too.Moscow is a major industrial city. Its leading industries are engineering,chemical and light industries.Moscow is known for its many historical buildings, musems and artgalleries, as well as for the famous Bolshoi, Maly and Art theatres. There

are more than 80 museums in Moscow, among them the unique PushkinMuseum of Fine Arts and the State Tretyakov Gallery, the Andtey Rublyov-Museum of Early Russian Art and many others.Moscow Is a city of science and learning. There are over 80 higher

educational institutions in the city, including a number of universities

Peter the Great

Peter 1, or Peter the Great was one of the most outstanding rulersand reformers in Russian lustory. He was Tsar of Russia and becameEmperor in 1721. First he ruled together with his brother, Ivan, and his

sister, Sofya. In 1696 he became a sole ruler.He was a healthy, lively and clever child. He loved miEtary games