The United States of America has 50 states. It is about as big as all of Europe. Forty-eight of its states are bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, Canada, Mexico, and the Gulf of Mexico. Northward on the Pacific Ocean is the state of Alaska, while 2500 miles westward in the Pacific Ocean lie the islands of the state of Hawaii. Together the 50 states of the country contain ever three and a half million square miles of land.
People work in different jobs. They live in cities, in towns and on farms. They work in the mountains, in the fields, in factories and offices, and on the roads. Many people live near the sea and earn their living from it.
The United States is a great industrial nation. It leads the world in manufacturing, automobiles, machinery, chemicals, steel, and textiles. USA's chief manufacturing regions are in the northeastern and central parts of the United States. Some of the big industrial cities are New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburg.
Farming is an important occupation. Farm products are raised almost everywhere in the U.S. Where the land is dry, water is brought in to irrigate it. Irrigation, watering the land, helps to make things grow. In southern California, for example, we have oranges and grapes growing where there once was a desert.
In the southern states they grow cotton and tobacco. Florida, a southern state, grows oranges. In the northwestern states we grow apples. The state of Washington is well known for its apples. Idaho is well known for its potatoes. Maine, a north-eastern state, is also known for its potatoes. The richest farming region is in the central part of the U.S. This farming area is in the "Great Central Plains". The Mississippi River, longer than any other river in Europe, flows through the central part of our country. This rich farm land grows enough corn and wheat to feed all America as well as many other countries. They owe their high standard of living chiefly to their farms and factories.
The southwestern part of the United States is a cattle-raising region. Most of their meat comes from this area. On many large western ranches and farms horses and sheep are also raised. All through the United States many people earn their living by raising hogs and poultry. Thousands of dairy farms are in the eastern and north-central regions. They depend upon these farms for their dairy products: milk, butter and cheese.
Mining is another important industry. There are large deposits of coal, iron ore, copper, and other metals beneath their soil; Many Americans work in the iron ore, copper, lead, and coal mines. Oil is a resource that comes from the ground. Texas and Oklahoma are famous for their oil wells. Oil refineries prepare the crude oil for use in their homes, factories, and automobiles.
Many workers earn their living in stores, markets, restaurants, laundries, barber shops, repair shops, and beauty parlors. These are known as service trades.
Some people work in offices. Others are in professions such as teaching, nursing, medicine, law, and engineering. Some people work in radio, television, and movies.
There are many opportunities for everyone to work and earn a living.
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Проверка понимания слов
Укажите верное значение слова:
Words Meanings
1. industrial center a) things people make or grow
2. irrigate b) jobs that make other people more
comfortable
3. products c) o bring water to dry land to make things
grow
4. ore d) place that is important because of its
factories
5. refineries e) part of a country
6. region f) place where crude oil is made into gasoline
7. occupation g) mineral taken from the ground and made
into metal
8. service trades h) places where things are made
9. factories i) job
контрольная вариант 1
I. Переведите предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на оборот " there + tobe ":
1. There is no light in this corridor as there are no windows in it.
2. How many seconds are there in a minute?
3. There are two widely used systems of measuring: the Metric System and the English System.
4. There was an old building at the back of the school.
5. There were three main points in his speech.
II. Напишите следующие предложения во множественном числе и переведите их на русский язык:
1. This engine is very powerful.
2. Do not read that book!
3. Draw this geometrical figure, please!
4. The scientist used this metal in his experiments
5. I know that man well.
III. Глаголы, данные в скобках, поставьте в соответствующем лице, числе и времени. Предложения переведите:
1. Men and women (have) equal rights.
2. These instruments (be) very useful for me yesterday.
3. The air (be) a mixture of gases.
4. He (have) three lectures last week.
5. All the angles of a square (be) right.
6. A surface (have) two dimensions: length and breadth.
IV. Вместо пропусков вставьте нужное местоимение: some, any, по. Предложения переведите на русский язык:
1.... child knows it.
2. I went to the post-office and bought... envelopes.
3.... element is more useful for man's life than oxygen.
4. Do you use... instruments for your measurements?
5.Come... time you like.
V. Выберите правильную форму местоимения из данных в скобках. Предложения переведите на русский язык:
1. Let (she, her) illustrate my explanation with an example.
2. It takes (me, my) half an hour to get to the institute.
3. Mathematics is very difficult for (our, us).
4. There were no simple or foolish questions for (his, him).
5. Do you know (their, them) address?
VI. Напишите данное предложение в Present, Past, Future Indefinite Tense в утвердительной, вопросительной и отрицательней формах. Переведите предложения на русский язык:
The students define the pressure of the gas in some tubes.
VII. Переведите следующие группы слов, обращая внимание на употребление существительных в роли определения:
The machine building industry, climate changes, mercury thermometers, a factory Committee member, heat measuring.
VIII. Поставьте прилагательные, данные в скобках, в сравнительную или превосходную степень. Предложения переведите на русский язык:
1. Aluminum is the (light) of the metals.
2. The element in the air which is the (important) to us is oxygen.
3. The (much) the scientists studied the problem, the (good) they understood its importance for industry.
4. Meter is (long) than centimeter.