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Top 10 US Cities and Regions: Washington, D.C.

15 English
Vocabulary
Cultural Insight
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Top US 10 Cities and Regions - Washington, D.C.
Washington, District of Columbia (commonly referred to as simply "D.C." or "the District")
is the capital of the United States of America. D.C. is bordered by Virginia and Maryland,
and was founded in 1790. It was named Washington in honor of George Washington and
Columbia in honor of Christopher Columbus. D.C. encompasses 68.3 square miles, of which
6.9 square miles are water.

Based on the 2010 census, D.C. has a population of 601,657 residents.

D.C. is known for having some of the worst traffic congestion in the United States. Many
people take advantage of the city's rapid transit system, the Metrorail (referred to as the
Metro), which is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
(WMATA). The Metrorail is the nation's second busiest rapid transit system, topped only in
ridership by the New York City subway.

The federal government accounts for a good percentage of the jobs in D.C. Other businesses
include law firms, independent contractors (defense and civilian), lobbying firms, trade
unions, and nonprofit organizations, which are in D.C. to be located close to federal
government offices. D.C. is also home to 172 offices of foreign embassies.

Tourism is a major industry for D.C. as well, with people coming to see the White House,
presidential monuments, the Pentagon, the War Memorial, congressional buildings, the
2 Supreme Court, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Shrine of Immaculate
Conception, and the National Zoo. This city is also famous for its music, culture, and
museums, which include the Smithsonian Institute, National Gallery of Art, Air & Space
Museum, Ford's Theatre, Lincoln Museum, and The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing
Arts, among others.

D.C. is also home to eleven colleges and universities, which host over twenty thousand
international students. These universities include American University, Catholic University
of America, George Washington University, Georgetown University, and Howard
University, among others.

Vocabulary

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English Definition Class

to take advantage of to use something so that it is verb
beneficial
congestion excessive crowding noun
transit the movement or conveyance of noun
goods or people
to account for to be the determining factor in phrase
lobbying firm a company which represents the noun
interests of private clients to
politicians and government
regulators
embassy an ambassador and his staff who noun
are located in a foreign country
for diplomatic purposes, or the
building housing them
monument a building or sculpture built as a noun
memorial to someone or
something
to host to entertain and look after other verb
people socially
Supreme Court the highest federal court in the noun
United States which rules over all
other courts
in honor of showing respect, affection or phrase
3 admiration for

Vocabulary Sample Sentences

Take advantage of the service and use what they offer.
He took advantage of his free time and took a long nap.
Big cities such as London and New York suffer from both traffic and population congestion.
The package my mother sent me is still in transit.
The heavy rain and high winds accounted for the train's long delay.
In the United States, former members of Congress often join lobbying firms.
I had to go to the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo in order to get a tourist visa.
There is a monument for victims of the First World War in London.
The city hosted the games.
We play badminton every time we host a barbeque.
Roe v. Wade was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1973 on the

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issue of abortion.
Now I'd like to propose a toast in honor of the bride and groom.

Cultural Insight
Some little known facts about Washington, D.C. include:
Fifteen percent of D.C. residents speak a language other than English.
The tallest building is D.C. is the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception which stands
329 feet.
More wine is consumed per person in D.C. than any other U.S. State.

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