FESTIVAL WORKSHEETS
Presidents’ Day
Intermediate
–How do people in your country honour their Presidents or other famous figures?
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–Complete this text with the phrases below. You can use each phrase once only.
Carved into the southeast face of a mountain in South Dakota are the faces of four presidents — George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. A memorial to American history, they remind
everyone that even the impossible is possible.
This project was started in 1923 by Doane Robinson, a historian, who wanted to attract more people to South
Dakota with colossal carvings of western heroes. She gained enough supporters in the US Congress, [1] ____.
Trying to get a sculptor to do the work, Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, who agreed to come out to the Black
Hills in 1924 [2] ____. Although the first site was not suitable, Borglum did not abandon the project. When he saw
Mount Rushmore he pointed to it and said, "America will march along that skyline." Borglum liked the mountain because it
faced southeast [3] ____. It was the highest peak in the immediate vicinity, and the granite was very resistant, eroding
one inch every 10,000 years. Borglum selected Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln as the subjects of
the sculpture.
Once a location was set, the work could begin. Borglum created a plaster model [4] ____. On October 4, 1927 the
first actual work of carving began. Dynamite was used to remove rock from the mountain until there was only a thin,
three to six inch layer of granite left. This final layer of granite was removed by a process called "honeycombing". Then
the surface was worked smooth with a bumper, too.
Work began on Mount Rushmore with George Washington. His head was first carved in an egg shape, [5] ____.
Thomas Jefferson was started on Washington's right. However, after about two years of working on Jefferson, the granite
was found to be badly cracked and Jefferson had to be blasted off the mountain. He was started again [6] ____.
With fanfare Washington's face was dedicated on July 4, 1934. Borglum was a genius at creating interest and
excitement in his carving. Local women from Rapid City made a 39 by 70 foot flag [7] ____. Thomas Jefferson was
dedicated in 1936, with President Franklin Roosevelt attending the ceremony. Abraham Lincoln was dedicated on
September 17, 1937, the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. In 1939, Theodore Roosevelt’s figure was
dedicated. The same year modern plumbing and night lighting was installed at the memorial. As the flag was removed on
July 2nd from Roosevelt's face, the newly installed lights slowly illuminated it, while fireworks and rockets lit up the sky.
The work on the mountain continued for two more years. In March 1941, Borglum suddenly died [8] ____. After
seven months funding ran out and the carving of Mount Rushmore was shut down. The presidential faces were complete
as they stood.
Yet during these tumultuous years of the nation’s life the imposing granite face of Mount Rushmore had been
unimaginably transformed into the likeness of four of the nation's greatest presidents. What had seemed almost
impossible had been made a reality.
(adapted from http://www.nps.gov/moru/park_history/carving_hist/carving_history.htm)
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and his features were added later
and his son, Lincoln, took over the project
from which measurements were taken using the pointing system
on the left side of Washington
to check if the carving was possible
to cover Washington’s face before it was revealed to the public
which meant it would receive good light throughout most of the day
which passed legislation authorizing the mountain carving in Black Hills National Forest
–Complete the table. Can you give similar
examples?
verb/noun
-suffix
noun
president
historian
supporter
–Read
paragraphs 1–4 again. Underline
the words which are very similar to some
Polish words. Do they have the same meaning?
What about their pronunciation?
Example:
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president = prezydent
[similar meaning & pronunciation]
sculptor
Designed by Bartosz Michałowski for Pearson Longman
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