UNIT II. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

1. Read Text A and answer the questions:

1) What kind of state is the USA? 2) What is the difference between Washington and Washington, D.C.? 3) When did the first Europeans come? 4) How did the USA become independent? 5) How can you characterize the USA from the economic point of view?

Text A. USA: GENERAL ACQUAINTANCE

The United States of America is a federal republic comprising fifty states, the District of Columbia, and six territories and dependencies. The national capital is the Washington, D.C., which was created to be the seat of government of the USA. The flag of the USA, the Stars and Stripes, has fifty stars on a blue background. Each of these stars represents one of the fifty states. But the City of Washington is not in any of these states. It occupies the District of Columbia, abbreviated into D.C., and the name of the capital always goes with this abbreviation not to be mixed up with another Washington, which is a state on the Pacific Coast.

Paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to what is now the United States mainland around 12,000 years ago. European colonization began around 1600 and came mostly from England. The United States emerged from 13 British colonies located along the Atlantic seaboard. Disputes between Great Britain and the American colonies led to the American Revolution. On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies unanimously issued the Declaration of Independence, which established the United States of America. The American Revolutionary War, which ended with the recognition of independence of the United States from the Kingdom of Great Britain, was the first successful war of independence against a European colonial empire.

The United States is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the country's population now to be 316,517,000.

The United States is a developed country and has the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2013 GDP of $16.2 trillion. The economy is fueled by an abundance of natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity; and while its economy is considered post-industrial it continues to be one of the world's largest manufacturers.

Complete the sentences, then use them for retelling Text A.

1) Being a federal republic, the USA comprises…

2) The national capital is…

3) There are fifty stars on the flag of the USA, each of them represents …

4) The territory of what is now the USA was populated by Paleo-Indians…ago.

5) The first colonizers came around… from…

6) The USA emerged from … located along the Atlantic seaboard.

7) … led to the American Revolution.

8) On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies issued …, which established the United States of America.

9) The USA is very ethnically …

10) The economy of the USA is fueled by…

Study the verbs from the text above and give Russian equivalents.

1) comprise, 2) create, 3) represent, 4) occupy, 5) emerge, 6) lead, 7) issue, 8) estimate, 9) fuel, 10) consider, 11) continue.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 2092