The US Constitution includes some general provisions on the franchise. It sets forth certain requirements for candidates running for a post of a president, vice-president, senator or member of the House of Representatives. Requirements usually concern age, residence and citizenship. The candidates who meet all these requirements are considered eligible for office.

George Washington (1732—1799) won a lasting place in American History as the "Father of our Country". For nearly twenty years he guided his country much as a father cares for a growing child. Washington lived an exciting life in exciting times. As a boy, he explored the wilderness. When he grew older, he helped the British fight the French and Indians. Many times he was nearly killed. As a general he suffered hardships with his troops in the cold winters.

Washington, the capital of the United States of America, is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. The district is a piece of land ten miles square and it does not belong to any separate state but to all the states. The district is named in honour of Columbus, the discoverer of America. The capital owes much to the first President of the USA — George Washington. It was G. Washington, who chose the place for the District and laid in 1790 the corner-stone of the Capitol, where Congress sits.

New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States. New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson river. In comparison with such ancient historical cities as, say, Rome, London, Moscow or Paris, New York is quite young. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers.

New York is one of the largest cities in the world and the biggest seaport. It's the financial capital of the country. It's the business centre of the United States. The city is situated in New York State, at the mouth of the Hudson river. It's population is over eight million. In early times the New York area was populated by Indians. It is here in Wall Street many business offices, banks and world famous New York stock exchange are situated.

San Francisco is a special place, very different from most American cities. It lies on a small finger of land with the Pacific Ocean on one side and a huge harbour on the other. San Francisco's population is only about 700 000 but it is the biggest business center in the west of the USA. It is also America's most international city with newspapers in thirty different languages. The city is known as "the Paris of the West".

The American flag is often called "The Stars and Stripes", it is also called "Old Glory". It represents the growth of the nation. It has 13 horizontal stripes,? red and 6 white which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background: one star for each state.

Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. He was born in Italy. His father and both grandfathers were cloth makers. Columbus was a seaman and made many sea voyages. Most people in Columbus's days thought that the earth was flat and they did not believe that beyond the Atlantic Ocean lay India.

American homes are some of the biggest and best in the world. Many have a garage for one or two cars, a big modern kitchen, a living room, and a playroom for the children. Upstairs there are two bathrooms and three or foor bedrooms. Young Johnny sleeps in one room. His sister, Sally, has another. Their parents sleep in the third bedroom. There is another room for visitors. Some families have two homes. They have one house or apartment in the city or suburbs. They live and work there. But they have another home near the sea or in the mountains. They go to their second home on weekends and for vacations. Seventy percent of Americans buy the house they live in. They are lucky. But thirty percent cannot buy a house or an apartment. Some of them rent their home from a landlord. Some landlords are good, but some are not. Windows break, or roofs get old, and the landlord does not always help.

Why do so many new ideas come from California? It must be something in the air. New lifestyles, new kinds of medicine, new religions, new house styles — so many new things come from California. Let's talk about bungalows, for example. A bungalow is a simple house of one storey with a yard around it. Bungalows first became popular in southern California around 1900. Thousands of them were built very quickly. The style travelled all over the U. S., and for a long time all bungalows were called "California bungalows".