Hawaii: the Pacific Paradise

Hawaii is the only American state that is made up entirely of islands. It has 132 tropical islands, but people only live on seven of them. The islands were formed by hot lava flowing from undersea volcanoes. You can still watch this process on the largest island, which, like the state, is called Hawaii. People usually just call it the Big Island. On the Big Island, red-hot lava has been flowing from the Kilauea volcano since the early 1980s.

The people who originally lived in Hawaii were Polynesians. Polynesian people first sailed to Hawaii about two thousand years ago. A king ruled the islands when the 18-century British explorer James Cook arrived. At first, Hawaiians treated Captain Cook like a god. But in the end, he was killed on the Big Island in 1779.

Hawaii is the newest of all American states. It became the fiftieth US state in August, 1959.

Hawaiian people don’t have a word for «weather» because the weather is the same all the year round: it’s always warm. In the mountains they have «vog». It’s like fog, but it’s from the gas in the Hawaiian volcanoes.

Hawaii is the home of surfing. There are 283 beaches and fantastic high waves. When Hawaiian people say «Surf’s up!» and it means that the waves are just right for surfing.

Kauai, also known as the “Garden Isle” is probably the most beautiful island in Hawaii. More than 60 Hollywood movies have been filmed there. By law, no building in Kauai can be higher than a palm tree.

The capital of Hawaii is Honolulu. This beautiful city is the birthplace of the 44^th US President Barack Obama.

Most of the pineapples in the world are from Hawaii. The state produces about 320 000 tons of this tasty fruit each year. Hawaii is also the only American state that grows coffee.

The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w).

When Hawaiian people meet, they say «Aloha». The Hawaiian word Aloha means «hello», «goodbye», «love» and «welcome».

Forty species of shark swim in the water near the Hawaiian Islands. You can eat some of the sharks.

TEXT 12. Read and translate. Practice in making silly laws (three will be enough).

The Silliest American Laws

• In Idaho, fishing from the back of a camel is illegal.

• In Baltimore it’s also illegal to take lions to the theatre.

• In Providence, Rod Island it’s illegal to sell a toothbrush and paste to one and the same person on Sundays.

• In Arizona, donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.

• In Texas it is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel.

• In Alabama it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a car.

• In Minnesota it’s illegal to sleep naked.

• In Alaska, you may hunt a bear safely but it is illegal to wake bears and take a photo of them.

• In Oklahoma you can be fined, arrested or jailed for making ugly faces at a dog and biting some other’s hamburger.

• In Illinois men wearing moustache are forbidden to kiss women.

• In Indiana it’s forbidden to take a bath between October and March.

• In Baldwin Park, California, nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool.

• In Alaska it’s illegal to give alcoholic drinks to a deer.

• In Illinois it’s forbidden to give lighted cigarettes to cats, dogs and other home animals.

• In Carmel, N.Y., a man can’t go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.

• In St. Louis, it’s illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer from a bucket.

• In Hartford, Connecticut, you aren’t allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands.

• In Oxford, Ohio, it’s illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man’s picture.

• In Carrizozo, N.M., it’s forbidden for a female to appear unshaven in public (including legs and face).

• In Michigan, a woman isn’t allowed to cut her own hair without her husband’s permission.

• In Kentucky, «No female shall appear in a bathing suit on any highway within this state unless she is escorted by at least two officers or unless she is armed with a club».

TEXT 13. Read and translate the text. Be ready to discuss.