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Geographical Position

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The United States of America.

Capital: WASHINGTON

 

 

 

 

13 alternating red and white stripes represent 13 original states. 50 stars represent 50 present states. Adopted in 1912.

Form of Government

Democratic federal republic

Head of State and Government President Four-year term

Capital: Washington

Area: 9,666,861 sq.km

Highest point: Mount McKinley (6,194 m)

Average temperature: January-6C/43F, July-21C/70F

Population: 264,000,000

Largest cities: New York-18 mln., Los Angeles- 12 mln.

Religion: 56% Protestantism, 25% Roman Catholicism

Major exports: transport equipment, electrical machinery, food

Currency: United States dollar

Employment Breakdown

56% Trade and Services

23% Manufacturing and Industry

12% Business and Finance

6% Public Administration and Defence

3% Agriculture, Forestry

Major trading partners: Canada, Japan, Mexico, China, UK

Political divisions: 50 states and 1 federal district of Columbia

National holiday: Independence Day – 4 July.

250 million Americans


Native Americans: 2 mln.
English ancestors: 32 mln.
Slave descendants: 30 mln.
German ancestors: 58 mln.
Irish ancestors: 39 mln.
Hispanics: 25 mln.
Asian Americans: 7.5 mln
Others: Others: 56.5 mln.

 

The great explorer
  Christopher Columbus was born in Italy and grew up near the sea. As a boy, he loved to go to the port and listen to the sailors' stories. In 1476, when he was 24 years old, Columbus sailed on a ship bound for England. His ship sank near the coast of Portugal, but he managed to get to the shore. Columbus remained in Portugal and learned Latin, geography and shipbuilding there. He became a mapmaker and then a sea captain. Like many other Europeans, Columbus began to think that the earth was round. He decided to try to find a quick route to the East by sailing west. The King of Portugal thought that the plan was too dangerous and refused to pay for the voyage. So, in 1485, Columbus went to Spain for help. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain liked Columbus's plan and agreed to give him money for sailors, ships and supplies. On August 3, 1492, three ships left Spain and sailed to the west. The three small ships sailed for weeks with no sight of land. The sailors became nervous. They asked Columbus to turn back. "Sail on," was the reply. As time passed, the sailors grew angry. They threatened to rebel, but finally agreed to sail on for three more days. Columbus promised that if they did not see land, they would turn back. On the morning of the third day they saw birds flying in the sky. Then a sailor saw land. On October 12, 1492, Columbus stepped ashore, holding the Spanish flag. Columbus thought that he had reached a group of islands near the coasts of China and India. That's why he called the people he saw Indians. Columbus made three more voyages to the New World. But he never knew that he had discovered a new world. He was sure that he had approached China and India from the east.

Geographical Position



 

The United States territory consists of three separate parts, different in size, natural features, level of development and population:

1) the main part, the United States proper, with an area of 7,800,000 square kilometers. It borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Gulf of Mexico in the south-east;

2) Alaska, which occupies the north-western part of the continent of North America, including a lot of islands;

3) Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

     
Natural Resources  
  The United States of America is rich in coal, iron and oil. There are coal-mines in the Cordillera Mountains, in the Kansas City region and in the east near Birmingham and Pittsburgh. Iron is mined near the Great Lakes and in the Pittsburgh, Birmingham and Philadelphia areas. In California and Texas there are rich oil-fields. There are also deposits of silver and gold.
Economy  
  The United States is a country of highly developed economy. Heavy industry includes such branches as mining, metallurgical engineering and chemical industries. Detroit is a large motor-car industry centre. Shipbuilding is developed along the Atlantic coast and in San Francisco on the Pacific coast. Textile industry is also well-developed, especially in the South near large cotton plantations. Agriculture is very wide-spread, above all in the prairie regions, where wheat and other grain crops are grown. Cotton is grown in the Mississippi Valley, tobacco in Maryland and Virginia. California is famous for its fruit plantations, and the West -- for its cattle-farming. Poultry-farming is wide-spread in the countryside near all big cities.
Climate  
  The United States of America occupying a large territory, it is natural that a great diversity of climatic conditions can be observed in different parts of the country. Besides, being crossed by mountain ranges from north to south, the country is unprotected from blasts of cold air from the north and warm air from the south. This is the cause of great fluctuations of temperature. The northern part of the Pacific coast enjoys a moderate climate of temperate zones with a cool and a rather warm winter without a permanent snow cover and an abundant rainfall on the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains (3000-6000 mm a year). The southern part of the Pacific coast (California) has a Mediterranean climate: a hot, cloudless and dry summer and a cool and rainy winter with the mean temperatures of 20-25 °C in summer and 5-10 °C in winter. The rainfall is rather small (400-600 mm a year). The climate on the Atlantic coast is continental-marine with cool summers and rather warm winters with a permanent snow cover in mountainous regions. Further to the south the climate gets warmer, with warmer winters and hotter summers, gradually passing into the monsoon subtropical climate in the extreme south and Florida. The temperatures here are comparable to those on the Pacific coast of California, but the rainfall is heavier and occurs mostly in summer. The plains of the Appalachian Mountains enjoy a continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters with a permanent snow cover. The plateaus of the Cordilleras have an extreme continental climate with very cold winters and very hot summers. The highest temperature is observed in the Death Valley (sometimes up to 56 °C).
Composition of the Country  
  The territory of the United States is historically divided into eight regions: 1) New England; 2) the Mid-Atlantic region; 3) the South; 4) the Midwest; 5) the Southwest; 6) the Rocky Mountain region; 7) the Pacific Northwest and Alaska; 8) California and Hawaii.
Political System  
  The United States is an indirect democracy - that is, the people rule through the representatives they elect. In the beginning, only white men with property could vote. Over time, the vote has been given to more and more people. Today any citizen who is at least 18 years old can vote. The capital of the country is the City of Washington, situated in the Columbia District - a territory not included in any of the states.
Fill in the blanks. Use the Passive Voice. A SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES The American democratic government (1) (establish) ... in March 1789 in the Constitution of the United States. In this system, rights and powers (2) (divide)….. between the individual states and the central - or federal - government. The federal government has three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The power of each branch (3) (balance)… carefully… bythe powers of each of the others. The Constitution (4) (change) ... twenty-six times since 1789. The President (5) (elect)… for four years. The Constitution  
The United States Constitution, written in 1787, established the country's political system and is the basis for its laws.  
Three Branches of Government  
  Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. The legislative branch is represented by Congress, which consists of two parts - the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress's main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 representatives (the number from each state depends on the size of the state's population). The executive branch is headed by the President, who is also head of the country. The executive branch administers the laws (sees to it that the laws are carried out, actually rules the country). In addition to the President and the Vice-President, the executive branch consists of departments and agencies. The President appoints the department heads, or advisers, who together make up the President's Cabinet. The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution. The judicial branch is represented by several levels of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most important body. It has nine members, who are appointed for life.   American Holidays New Year’s Day January, 1 St. Valentine’s Day February, 14 Mother’s Day 2nd Sunday, May Memorial Day last Sunday, May Father’s Day 3rd Sunday, June Independence Day July, 4 Columbus Day 2nd Monday, October Halloween October, 31 Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday, November Christmas December, 25  
                               
                           
                               
                             
                               
                           
                             
                             
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               
                               

 

Across

1.On this day children help their mothers at home and give or send cards and presents.

2. On this day people make or buy cards and send them people they love.

3. There is a lot of dancing and eating all night. People blow horns and whistles at

midnight.

Down

4. They say ghosts and witches come out on this day. Children make lanterns out of pumpkins.

5. On this day children give or send their fathers and grandfathers cards or presents

6. On this day children decorate tree with toys and little colored lights. People say that at night Santa Claus brings presents .

7. On this day children eat chocolate eggs.

             

What were these people?

1. John Kennedy a) the ruthless gangster
2. Abraham Lincoln b) the man of letter and adventure
3. Charlie Chaplin c) the man who feed the slaves
4. AlCapone d) the president whose murder shocked the world
5. Marilyne Monroe e) the man who makes you laugh
6. Ernest Hermingway f) the sex symbol
7. Martin Luther King g) the man who was proud to be black
8. David Rockerfeller h) the man who made money from nothing

 


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2043


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