The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is an international icon (סמל חשוב) and a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. It is located on "Liberty Island", which is in the New-York harbor (נמל). It welcomes visitors, immigrants and regular citizens returning from a trip abroad (בחו"ל), to the USA. For many people around the world, the Statue of Liberty also symbolizes their hopes and dreams to someday live in America.

The Statue of Liberty was given to America, by the people of France in 1886, celebrating America's 100th Independence Day. The gift was their way of showing respect, admiration (הערצה) and appreciation (הערכה) towards the people of America, their values (ערכים) and their fight for freedom and democracy.

The statue is of a woman wearing a robe (גלימה) and holding a torch (אבוקה, לפיד) in her right hand and a tablet (לוח, טבלית) in her left hand. The torch represents democracy, which is the light that leads people through the darkness of tyranny (רודנות), discrimination (הפליה) and inequality, towards the hope of freedom and equality. The tablet of law has the date of American Independence, July 4, 1776, written on it in Roman numerals (July IV, MDCCLXXVI).

The statue stands 46 meters tall and 10 meters wide.  To get an idea just how big it is, consider this: the right arm of "Lady Liberty" is 13 meters long and her nose is 1.5 meters long! That's truly a huge statue and that's the reason that it was transported from France to the USA, in 350 separate pieces!

If you are ever in New-York, you shouldn't miss visiting the Statue of Liberty. Entrance is free of charge, but you'll have to pay about 10 dollars for the ferry (מעבורת) ride from the mainland (יבשת) to Liberty Island. You can actually walk up stairs inside the statue and get to the crown (כתר) on the top of "Miss Liberty's" head. From
the crown, you'll have a magnificent view of the New-York harbor.

Unfortunately, every pleasure has its price. In order to walk up to the top of the statue, you'll have to wait in line for a few hours. This is because many people want to get in and the statue can hold only 30 people at a time. So make sure you bring something to read while you wait… 

Complete the sentences with the following words:

1.    The queen of England wears a ____________ when she participates in formal ceremonies.
2.    There is a beautiful view of the New-York ______________ from the Statue of Liberty.
3.    A cross (צלב) is a religious ______________ .
4.    We plan to travel _____________ this year.
5.    I have to take the _____________ from the island to the ________________ .
6.    I _________________ all your help, but I'm really fine.

Complete the sentences with the following words:

1.    Democracy is the opposite of ________________ .
2.    Jews and Christians have similar _______________ .
3.    "Lady Liberty" holds a ____________ in her right hand and a ____________ in her left hand.
4.    In our company there is no _________________ . Anybody can work here.
5.    Usually, a judge wears a black _____________ in court.
6.    I have a lot of ________________ towards people who fight for democracy.

Answer the following questions:

1.    How tall is the Statue of Liberty?
2.    How wide is it?
3.    When was it given to America?
4.    Who gave the Statue of Liberty to America?
5.    When did America celebrate her first independence day?
6.    How many people can enter the Statue of Liberty at one time?
7.    How much does it cost to visit the Statue of Liberty?