9. Read the text and do the tasks after it:
STARS AND STRIPES
The Stars and Stripes. Old Glory. This is what the Americans call their national flag. There are 50 white five pointed stars on the flag, representing 50 states of the USA. It consists of thirteen horizontal stripes alternately red and white. The number of the stripes symbolizes 13 colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and established the United States.
Flags or banners in national colours are used on festive occasions and solemn occasions, when discovering the unknown; in wars they provide soldiers with strength and faith, in peace they become a motivation for sports competitions. American people, maybe because they come from different nations and nationalities of the world, worship their flag.
The Stars and Stripes is waving over the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and over its counterparts in all the capitals of the USA, in some places the flag is hoisted with solemnity when the sun rises and lowered with the sunset. People use the flag to decorate their houses on all kinds of holidays including Halloween. The flag is officially presented at football games even if two American teams play. There are American flags outside shopping centers and supermarkets, over gas stations, in all national parks. They are a proud symbol in American banks. Of course even more important is Old Glory abroad, there it should symbolize success of the last Great Power.

1. Ask general question to the 1-st underlined sentence (Задайте общий вопрос к первому подчеркнутому предложению)
2. Ask special question to the 2-nd underlined sentence (Задайте специальный вопрос ко второму подчеркнутому предложению)
3. Find in the text the sentence with the verb in Present Continuous Tense (Найдите в тексте предложение, в котором употреблен глагол в Present Continuous Tense).
4. Write out all the nouns in the Plural (Выпишите все существительные во мн.ч.)
5. Translate the text into Russian in writing.