The Statue of Liberty

One of the most famous statues in the world stands on an island in New York Harbor. This statue is, of course, the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a woman who holds a torch up high. She symbolizes a welcome to a land of freedom. Visitors can go inside the statue. The statue is so large that as many as twelve people can stand inside the torch. Many more people can stand in other parts of the statue. The statue weighs 225 tons and is 301 feet tall.

The Statue of Liberty was put up in 1886. It was a gift to the United States from the people of France. Over the years France and the United States had a special relationship. In 1776 France helped the American colonies gain independence from England. The French wanted to do something special for the U.S. centennial, its 100th birthday.

Laboulaye was a well-known Frenchman who admired the U.S. One night at a dinner in his house, Laboulaye talked about the idea of a gift. Among guests was the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Bartholdi thought of a statue of liberty. He offered to design the statue.

Many people contributed in some way. The French people gave money for the statue. Americans designed and built the pedestal for the statue to stand on. The American people raised money to pay for the pedestal. The French engineer Alexander Eiffel, who was famous for his Eiffel Tower in Paris, figured out how to make the heavy statue stand.

Exercise 1. Complete the sentences.

1. The people of France wanted to give the United States a special ____.

a. gift b. torch c. woman

2. France and the United States had a special _______.

a. independence b. relationship c. feeling

3. France helped the American colonies _____ independence.

a. build b. gain c. protect

4. A famous Frenchman, Laboulaye, _____ the United States.

a. admired b. visited c. designed

5. Frederic Bartholdi _____ to design the statue.

a. contributed b. offered с. Ordered

6. The Statue of Liberty stands on a _____.

a. building b. harbor c. pedestal

Exercise 2. Finish the sentences.

1. The Statue of Liberty is a famous statue in ________.

a. France b. the United States

2. The Statue of Liberty was a gift ______

a. from the people of France to the United States

b. from Laboulaye and Eiffel to the United States

3. The Statue of Liberty symbolizes _______.

a. a woman with a torch b. a land of freedom

Exercise 3. Find the information that is not mentioned in the text.

1. Twelve people can stand inside the torch of the Statue of Liberty.

2. The United States helped France gain its independence in 1776.

3. Alexander Eiffel was among the guests at Laboulaye's house.

4. Frederic Auguste Barthofdi was a French engineer.

5. Alexander Eiffel figured out how to make the statue stand.

6. Americans designed the pedestal for the statue.