This is the USA. Колотыгина Т.Л - 15 стр.

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17
The Economy
The Free Enterprise System
The United States economy is based on the free enterprise system:
Private businesses compete against one another with relatively little interfer-
ence from the government. Since the depression of the 1930s, when the
economy essentially collapsed, laws have been made giving the government a
more active role in economic and other matters.
Changes Over Time
Until the second half of the last century, the United States was a mainly
agricultural nation. The Civil War (1861-1865) helped stimulate industry. In the
years that followed, industrialization transformed the country, although many
areas, especially the South, remained mainly agricultural and rural.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. economy grew rapidly. Many compa-
nies moved to the South and Southwest, and these areas experienced change
and growth. Then, in the mid-1970s, economic growth began to slow down.
Just as there had been a shift from agriculture to industry, there is now a
shift from industry to services. (Services are provided by hospitals, banks, law
firms, hotels and restaurants, and so on.) In recent years, most new jobs
have been service jobs.
The Situation Today, The United States is a large country and is rich
in natural resources. It is a leading producer of fuel – of oil, natural gas,
and coal. It is also a leading producer of many other minerals, including}
copper, gold, aluminum, iron, and lead. The United States grows wheat,
corn, and other crops and raises many cows, pigs, and chickens.
However, the United States is also a major consumer of resources. This
means, for example, that the United States must import much of the fuel it
uses.
Not surprisingly, international trade is important to the United States.
Major exports include machinery and high-technology equipment, chemicals,
cars, aircraft, and grains. Major imports include machinery and telecommunica-
tions equipment, oil, cars, metals, and chemicals.
Today, the United States faces some major economic challenges. One
important challenge is increasing its productivity, or the efficiency of the labor
force, in order to increase the rate of economic growth. Another challenge, as
the country shifts from manufacturing to services, is to train people to fill new
kinds of jobs.

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