Military Parades

In Four Countries

 
 
 
 

Vocabulary

parade	departure	impressed
Soviet	might (2)	independence
extent	military	Bastille Day
annual	victory	commemorate
armor	revamp	armored vehicle
special	oversee	participate
troop	border (2)	overhead (2)
salute	show off	celebration
gulf	isolated	traditionally
golf	mark (2)	front and center
flyover	display	Air Force One
hope	preside	like no other

 
 
 
 

Video: Military Parade. Four Countries

 
 
 
 

Transcript

President Trump’s Fourth of July military parade is a departure from past Independence celebrations.

The idea for the revamped celebration came after he was impressed by France’s Bastille Day parade.

Donald Trump, US President: “It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen. And to a large extent, because of what I’ve witnessed, we may do something like that on July fourth in Washington, in Pennsylvania Avenue.”

But that annual parade isn’t even the world’s biggest.

 

In Moscow, the Victory Day Parade is held every May 9, to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of armored vehicles, planes and helicopters participate in the event.

It’s all overseen by Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

 

President Xi Jinping has presided over similar parades in China, with hundreds of fighter jets and helicopters flying overhead as thousands of troops march below.

 

Across the border, isolated leader Kim Jong Un uses his parades to show off North Korea’s increasing military might.

 

The US has not held a national military parade since 1991, when it celebrated the end of the First Gulf War. Traditionally, such events marked the victorious end of a war.

The US military will be front and center of Trump’s Salute to America Fourth of July celebration, with plans to include tanks on display, and a flyover by fighter jets, and one of the jets he uses as Air Force One.

The total cost for the event is still unknown.

Donald Trump, US President: “We’re going to have a great Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. It will be like no other. It will be special.

And I hope a lot of people will come. It’s going to be about this country. And it’s a salute to America.

 

Questions

1. American Fourth of July celebration have traditionally included a military parade. True or false?

2. What does US President Donald Trump want? What are this plans?

3. Did he get this idea from Russian military parades? Was he inspired by Russian military parades?

4. The Russian military parade commemorates the October Revolution by the Bolsheviks that led to the founding of Soviet Union. Is this right or wrong? Does their parade consist only of marching soldiers?

5. Does the president of China participated in parades? Do they put on an air show?

6. Since North Korea is a poor country, they cannot afford a grand military display. Is this correct or incorrect?

7. The United States always puts on a grand military display ever year. Yes or no.

8. Is Donald Trump very patriotic?

 

A. Why does Donald Trump want a grand military parade? Does this say anything about his personality or character?

B. Our country puts on military parades every year. Yes or no?

C. Why do France, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran put on huge military parades?

D. Why don’t the United States and Germany have (big) military parades?

E. What should your country or other countries do?

F. What might happen in the future?