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Ñ Communication

GEORGAPHY

The United States of America is the fourth country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean The total area of the country is about 9,4 million square kilometres. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south.

 

STATES OF THE USA

The United States of America is a federal republic. The USA is made of 50 states and the District of Columbia. The latter is a part of Washington and it is a federal area governed by Congress. The American flag is known as " The Stars and Stripes". The 13 stripes represent the original number of states in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on the 4th of July, 1776. It proclaimed the birth of a new independent state- the United States of America.

 

SCENERY

The USA is a country of great contrasts and similarities. We can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, Cordillera and the sierra Nevada. America's largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA.

 

CLIMATE

The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic.

 

THE PEOPLE

The population is 250 million, of which 81% are white, 12% African American, 2% Orientals (mainly Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino), 15 Native American and 4% of other races.

The US is one of the few countries in the world that has no 'official' national language. Major languages are American English and Spanish.

 

GOVERNMENT

The US is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government, the seat of the central government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 brunches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the congress, and the juridical. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic.

ECONOMY

The United States of America is a highly developed industrialized country. Shipbuilding, electronics, automobile industry, aircraft industry, space research are highly developed in the States. Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska is the richest farming region of America and it is known as the Corn Belt. The land is fertile and well watered. Farmers grow mostly corn and wheat there. Much livestock is also raised there.

 

AMERICAN CITIES

Over 75 % of the American population live in cities. There are many large and interesting cities in the USA.

One of them is Washington D.C. Washington D.C. , the capital of the united States of America, is situated on the Potomac River. Washington doesn't belong to a state. The city is named in honour of the first President George Washington.



Today New York is the largest city in the USA and one of the largest cities in the world with the population of 9 million people. It is a financial and advertising business centre.

Chicago with the population of more than three million is the second largest city in the USA. It deals in wheat and other grains, cattle meat processing and manufacturing.

Other big cities are Husten, an oil refining and NASA space research centre, New Orleans, a cotton industry, Los Angeles with Hollywood and many others

 

PLACE NAMES

Atlantic Ocean
Chicago
Great Lakes
District Columbia
Alaska
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Mexico
Mississippi
Missouri
Pacific Ocean
Rockies

 

QUESTIONS

1. What is the role of the USA in the world?

2. What is the structure of the country?

3. Does the USA have the variety of scenery and climate?

4. Where is the country situated on?

5. What cities of that country do you know?

6. Can you tell anything about industry and agriculture of the USA?

7. Have you ever been to America?

 

 

ñ Communication

If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas:

learning to write and to speak before an audience.

Nothing in life is more important than the ability

to communicate effectively.

Gerald R.Ford, 38th President of the United States.

 

Ø Lead in

Discuss the following questions:

 

§ Why should business and professional students strive to improve their communication skills, and why is it difficult or impossible to do so without help?

§ Recall a time when you experienced a problem as a result of poor communication. What were the causes of and possible remedies for the problem?

§ How are listening skills important to employees, supervisors, and executives? Who should have the best listening skills?

§ What arguments could you give for or against the idea that body language is a science with principles that can be interpreted accurately by specialists?

§ Since English is becoming the world’s language and since the United States is a dominant military and trading force, why should Americans bother to learn about other cultures?

§ Are communication skills acquired by nature or by nurture (âîñïèòàíèå; îáðàçîâàíèå, îáó÷åíèå, òðåíèðîâêà)? Explain.

 

a) Read the texts and check your answers.

 


Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1495


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