Английский язык. Методические указания. Иванова С.Г. - 4 стр.

      1 Unit 1 The United States of America (The USA)

      1.1 Read and translate the text.

                             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.


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