The United States of America (The USA)
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The United States of America
The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). The USA lies in the central part of North America. The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometres. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean. Its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It has a sea-boarder with Russia.
The climate of the country varies greatly from arctic in Alaska through continental in the central part to subtropical in the south.
The USA is a federal republic. It consists of fifty states and the District of Columbia. The capital of the country is Washington D. C. The population of the USA is about 250 million people. Each state has its own government. The seat of the federal government is Washington D. C. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches. They are the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The executive is headed by the President and his Administration. The legislative is exercised by the US Congress. The judicial is headed by the US Supreme Court.
The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are two main political parties in the USA, the Republican and the Democratic.
The flag of the USA is called "Stars and Stripes." There are three colours on the flag of the USA.
They are red, white and blue. As there are fifty states in the USA, there are fifty stars on the American flag: one star for each state. The American flag has thirteen stripes. The stripes are red and white. The flag has seven red stripes and six white stripes. There is one stripe for each of the first thirteen colonies which in 1776 became independent of England.
The eagle became the official national symbol of the country in 1782. It holds an olive branch (a symbol of peace) and arrows (symbols of strength) in its paws.
The USA has an official song. It is called The Star Spangled Banner.
The USA is one of the greatest industrial and leading agricultural nations in the world. The USA produces around 25% of the world's industrial products, agricultural goods and services.
The USA is rich in coal, iron and oil. Many rivers cross the country. The most important are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado, the Sacramento. The main lakes are the Great Lakes in the north.
The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington and others. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.
The USA is one of the most powerful and highly developed countries in the world. It is the leader of the western world.
.2. Pronounce the following words and geographic names:
the United States of America (the USA) - СоединенныеШтатыАмерики
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China - Китай
the Pacific Ocean - Тихийокеан
the Atlantic Ocean - Атлантическийокеан
the Gulf of Mexico - Мексиканскийзалив
Washington D. C. - г. Вашингтон
the US Congress - КонгрессСоединенныхШтатовАмерики
the US Supreme Court - ВерховныйСуд
the Senate - Сенат
the House of Representatives - Палатапредставителей
the Republican party - Республиканскаяпартия
the Democratic party - Демократическаяпартия
the Star Spangled Banner - официальныйгимнСША
the Mississippi - Миссисипи
the Missouri - Миссури
the Colorado - Колорадо
the Sacramento - Сакраменто
New York - Нью-Йорк
Los Angeles - Лос-Анджелес
Chicago - Чикаго
Philadelphia - Филадельфия
Detroit - Детройт
San Francisco - СанФранциско
the Rocky Mountains - Скалистыегоры
the Cordillera - Кордильеры
the Sierra Nevada - СьерраНевада
total - весь, целый
to wash - омывать
coast - морской берег
to border on — граничитьс
government - правительство
to divide - разделять
branch - отрасль, ветвь
executive - исполнительный
legislative - законодательный
judicial - судебный
to head - возглавлять
to exercise - осуществлять
to consist of состоятьиз
stripe - полоса
independent - независимый
eagle - орел
symbol — символ
olive - оливковый
arrow - стрела
strength - сила
powerful - сильный, могучий
to develop - развивать(ся)
leader - лидер
to vary - изменять(ся)
to produce - выпускать
agricultural - сельскохозяйственный
goods - товар
service - обслуживание, сервис
coal - каменный уголь
iron - железо
oil - масло, нефть
tocross - пересекать
3. Answer the questions upon the text:
1) What countries are larger than the USA?
2) Where does the USA lie?
3) What is the total area of the USA?
4) What oceans wash the western and eastern coasts of the USA?
5) What countries border on the USA?
6) How does the climate of the USA vary?
7) How many states are there in the USA?
8) What is the capital of the USA?
9) What is the population of the USA?
10) Where is the seat of the federal government?
11) How many branches are the powers of the government divided into? What are they?
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12) Who is the executive of the USA headed by?
13) The legislative is exercised by the US Congress, isn't it? What does the Congress consist of?
14) Who is the judicial headed by?
15) What are the main parties in the USA?
16) What is the flag of the USA called?
17) How many colours are there on the flag of the USA? What are they?
18) Why are there fifty stars on the flag of the USA?
19) How many stripes are there on the flag of the USA? Why? What colour are they?
20) What is the official national symbol of the USA? What do the arrows mean? What does the olive branch mean?
21) What is the official song of the USA called?
22) Why is the USA one of the most developed countries in the world? What does the USA produce?
23) What is the USA rich in?
24) What are the main rivers and lakes of the USA?
25) What are the largest cities in the USA? What are the highest mountains in the USA?
