2 .Physical features of the us, climate, lakes and rivers, minerals

The physical features of the US are also greatly diverse. The majestic Rocky M-ns stretch all the way from Mexico to the Arctic. They divide the country into 2 parts – the east and the west. The East is occupied by the Appalachian M-ns, the Atlantic Plain, the vast Central Plain and the Plateau of Prairies of the Great Plain. The west is under the influence of the powerful Cordillera mountain system and the Rockies are part of this system.

The mount-n ranges afford no protection against the cold northerly winds. The Appalach m-ns run along the Atlantic coast of the US. Nearly all the western part of the US is occupied by the Cordillera Moun-n system. The Cor Moun-s extend from Mexico to Canada and Alaska

Climate The US has practically all the climate zones. The main landmass of the US is in the temperate zone. The clim conditions are determined by the great mounn-s and the wind. The western parts are favored by the prevailing winds. The Cascade M-ns and the Sieraa Nevada M-ns catch the largest amount of the rain from the Pacific ocean. That’s why there is too little rain for almost the whole western half of US. There is a 50-centimetre rainfall line in the US.

Rivers and lakes The rivers of the US belong to the Atlantic and the Pacific basins. Mississipi river – 2/3 of the US water, one of the world’s longest water way. Missouri river is the principal western branch of the Mississippi. Other import tributaries of the Mississipi are Ohio river, the Arkansas river, Red river. The 2 greatest rivers of the Pacific are the Colorado and the Columbia. Thousand of lakes. The Great lakes make up the largest group of the lakes in the US. The total area is 245 th sq km.+ Lakes - Michigan, Superior, Huron, Ontario. Great lakes are connected with the Atlantic ocean. For ex, in the Grant Salt lake there is 6 th ml tons of salt.

Minerals. 1^st place in the wofld: coal, natural gas, molibden, lead; 2-nd:copper, zink. The US is rich in oil, iron. The total recouces of coal – 1,5 trillion tons, of oil – 5 th ml tons. Coal – Appalachian, zink – West of Mississipi, uranium – New Mexico.

3. Native Americans

Today the people once called American Indians, prefer to be called Native Americans. This name reminds us that they were the first people to live in America. We remember from our story about Thanksgiving day that the Red Indians or Native Americans did so much to help the Pilgrim Fathers and other white settlers to get used to life on the new continent.

The 1^st and most famous Indian friend of the white settlers was a young princess named Pocahontas. According to the story she threw her arms around captain John Smith to prevent her father from killing him. Pocahontas visited the English colony and brought food and other gifts to the colonists who needed much help. Once she was kidnapped by the settlers who used her as a hostage to guarantee the good behavior of the Indian tribe, to which she belonged. She married one of the white colonist. She died of smallpox.

Indians gave settlers food, taught them planting (corn, potatoes, tomato banana, pineapple: cacao, tobacco: drugs-cocaine),hunting and fishing, introduce them cloths, methods of transportation. Aslo-the influence of Indian culture: mount-s, lakes, rivers, cities have Indian names(Chicago, Ohio, Montana)

But the whites did not respect Indian culture. They did not care about Indian rights. As the result of this the Native Americans and white settlers became bitter enemies. The colonization of North America became a history of bloodshed and cruelty towards the Indians.

The US government began setting aside special territories (called reservations)for the Indians. They were pushed into these lands which was the worst lands. There reser-s were mostly in the Southwest and the Northwest of the US. 19^th- they were kept in the reser-s and forbidden to leave them without permission. Today-270 reser-s for the Native Indians. By 1890, as the result of white cruelty, poverty and poor living conditions the Indian population in the US had decreased to about 240^th

The Indians began to protest against such treatment receiving more and more support from the American public. As the result, American treatment of I-ns began to improve. Today, there are about 2.5 mln Native Am-ns living in the US. The majority live in or near the federal reservation, but they are free to leave. Most of them-Southwest(Arizona, California). On the reserve-s traditional Indian customs, languages have survived. But nevertheless they are unhappy. To improve the quality of life for Indians, the US government established the Bureau of Indian Affairs – better life of Indians…(free schools, hospitals). But in comparison with most other Americans, the Indians on the reservations live a poor life.

4 Examine the beginning of the colonization of North America by the first settlers from Europe. What considerations influenced many people to move to America? Who were the Pilgrim Fathers? Why are they held so high by the Americans? The May flower Compact.

The USA was opened to European colonization by the first voyage of C.Colum. in 1492. The first Europ. to arrive in North Am. were the Vikings travelling west from Greenland where they had founded a settlement in 985. After Columbus there were many expeditions organized by the Spanish, English, French & Dutch.

The English were the dominant ethnic group among early settlers of what became the USA, and English became the prevalent Amer. language. Settlers came not only from Gr.Br., but also from Spain, Portug., France, Holland, Germ. and Sweden.

Betw.1840 and 1860, the USA received its first great wave of immigrants. In Europe as a whole, famine, poor harvests, rising populations and political unrest caused an estimated 5 mln people to leave their homelands each year. The failure of the Germ. Confederation’s Revolut. of 1848-49 led many of its people to emigrate. Today 22% of Americans have german ancestry.

First the immigrants had to pass the inspection. If they had tubercul. or head lice, they had to go back. If they were under16 and were without parents-they were sent back. If they were ex-convicts-they were sent back. One more reason-if they hadn’t 25$ with them.+inspectors changed immigr.’s names.

An important event in the colonization of North Am. took place in 1620 when a group of colonists known as the Pilgrim Fathers came to North Am. on the famous ship the Mayflower and settled at Plymouth. They were separatists in England, or members of the Puritan movement wishing to purify the Church of England by making religious services simpler and discipline stricter. That is why they were called Puritans(lat.”purus”-to make pure). They hoped to build “a city upon a hill” – an ideal society and were very intolerant to those who disagreed.

The Pilgrim leaders knew that in order to organize their lives in the new land they had to establish rules of behavior. So 41 men aboard the Mayflower signed a special document known as the Mayfl. Comp. to abide by “just and equal laws” drafted by leaders of their own choosing, which was the 1^st agreement for self-government in America. They also chose their first governor. That winter more than half of them died of cold and disease, but neighboring Indians provided information that would sustain them: how to grow crops. The next summer they raised good crops, and in the fall a ship brought new settlers. Their resolution never faltered and the colony continued to expand. Then in rapid succession other English colonies emerged.