Тема 16. Економічно цікаві англомовні райони та виробництва.

План вивчення теми

1. Аляска: минула нерозумність Сиварда.

2. Алабама.

3. Гавайї.

4. Ньюкасл.

Навчальні цілі

Засвоїти лексичні одиниці та оволодіти комунікативними компетенціями, які забезпечують адекватну мовленнєву поведінку в ситуаціях, пов’язаних з розумінням і наданням інформації відносно економічно цікавих англомовних районів та виробництв.

Завдання та методичні рекомендації до вивчення теми

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TEXT 1

ALASKA – ONCE SEWARD’S FOLLY

Alaska became the 49^th state in 1959. It increased the nation’s size by nearly 20 percent. Vast stretches of unexplored land and untapped resources were purchase from Russia in 1867. Then the transaction was called Seward’s Folly by the name of North America’s Secretary of State. More than half of the state’s inhabitants live in the Greater Anchorage area. Commercial and ecological uses of land have been highly disputed. The Alaska Highway gas-pipeline project, Native Alaskans’ land claims, noncommercial whaling by native peoples, and related matters were well known there. The immense area of Alaska has a great variety of physical characteristics. Nearly one-third of the state lies within the Arctic Circle and has perennially frozen ground. It is called permafrost and treeless tundra. The extreme western end of Alaska lies in the .Bering Strait only 4 km from Russian-owned islands; both countries have shown a tacit tolerance of unintentional airspace violations, which are common in bad weather.

English, Russian, Spanish, and French place-names reflect early European exploration. Equally prominent are dozens of names from the Aleut. Long before Bering’s voyages the Indians lived in the coastal area; the Aleuts on the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula; and the Eskimos on the Bering shore and the Arctic Ocean coast.

All groups have been involved in the debates over public land grants. The first wave of immigration from the South occurred before World War I because of the gold rush. Alaska’s initial concentration was on its mineral, fish, and timber resources. The discovery of oil fields and the emergence of Alaska as an international air crossroads added the influx of the 1940s and ’50s. The construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline augmented even more the population in the 1960s and ’70s. By 1980 only about 20 percent of the white population of the state was born in Alaska. Of the current population about one-seventh are Eskimos, Aleuts, and Indians. The remaining citizenry includes military personnel and their families and a melting pot of mixed American, Russian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, and other nationalities.

The Alaskan economy is conditioned strongly by high costs of labour and transportation and complicated environmental and land-use constraints. These still discourage outside investment. Because of the state’s natural resources, it has moved from the federal military to a commercial self-supporting economic status.

Only a small sector of Alaska’s economy is agricultural. But more than 1.2 million hectares of land that be prepared and used for growing crops. But much clearing has yet to be done. Most acreage is near Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula, though there is some near Fairbanks, and stock ranching is practiced on Kodiak and Unimak islands. As a result, all farm products are sold locally and most foods must be imported, tremendously increasing the cost of living. Closure of the Homestead Act curtailed development of new land. In spite of a short growing season, the long hours of summer sunlight are adapted to the production of oats, barley, potatoes, hay, and cool-climate vegetables. Livestock and greenhouse crops are also successful.

Fishing, forestry, and furs are Alaska’s most constant source of revenue. Fishing is successful. Fish are found mostly in waters off the southern coasts, salmon being of especial importance. The centre of the world’s salmon-packing industry is at Ketchikan, on Kodiak Island, and at Bristol Bay ports in the southern Bering Sea. Fleets also bring in quantities of herring, cod, Pollack, and halibut, as well as Dungeness, king, and Tanner crabs. Most of Alaska’s timber resources are in the national forests, in the panhandle and on the southern coast, respectively. Timber is produced mainly for export to Asia, with the pulp of Ketchikan and Sitka exported to Japan. Príbilof sealskins represent more than half of the state’s annual fur production. Other furs, largely from controlled farms, are processed as well. The production of reindeer hides from a herd on Nunivak Island is managed by the Alaska Native Association. Alaska’s immense hydropower reserve is virtually untapped.

Petroleum was first extracted and refined between 1917 and 1933, but the development of the Kenai oil field in 1961 made the petroleum and natural gas industry Alaska’s most important mineral production. Alaska ranks second only to Texas in oil production. Many minerals have been mined in Alaska, about 95 percent of which yield gold, copper, zinc, and silver. Prospecting continues, with modern scientific technology and aerial exploration. The areas of maximum mineral potential lie in the panhandle at locations unlimited by environmental regulation. Alaska’s gold production declined drastically after World War II, but the mining of gold especially and of zinc, silver, and lead began to rebound in the 1980s. Copper mining as a major industry ended with the closing of the Kennecott Mine in 1938, although there are new prospects elsewhere. Coal has remained an important industry. Another important activity is the extraction of sand, gravel, and clay to serve the construction industry.

Alaska has had an upsurge of tourism. Travelers arrive mainly by air or sea and can now cover large areas by airplane and road. The influx is partly the result of the 500-passenger, 100-car ferries that operate as the Alaska Marine Highway.

High costs of transportation continue to sap Alaska’s economic development, the links are mostly by air. Two dozen airlines serve Alaska. Some 800 airfields, seaplane bases, and emergency strips are in use, and few villages are without service at least by bush pilots {досвідчений пілот над малонаселеною територією}. Most of the state’s roads are surfaced. The public, however, is restricted to the southern half of thе highway and may use it only in the summer. The government-owned Alaska Railroad runs for about 800 km, linking Seward, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. Ocean shipping connects Seattle, Vancouver. Ocean vessels also run during the ice-free midsummer months to Nome and Barrow and to the oil regions of the Arctic coast. A natural gas pipeline connects some areas. In the mid-1950s the Alaska Communication Cable was installed between Seattle and Alaska. Radio telephones connect all interior communities.

The state constitution was adopted in 1956. The governor and lieutenant governor are the only executive officers and are elected for four-year terms. The 40-member House of Representatives and 20-member Senate are elected for terms of two and four years, respectively. Public financing is implemented through various personal income, property, sales, and business taxes, including petroleum-based severance taxes and mining rents and royalties. As a part of the Act of Admission, Congress granted Alaska certain revenues from the sale of furs and of federal lands.

Despite a number of helpful programs, many of Alaska’s natives suffer from unemployment, low income, and poverty. The native peoples were educated first by missionary groups. Funds are provided for vocational training and the development of job opportunities and for welfare, social work, and medical and health needs. The natives are assisted in organizing their villages under federal and state laws.

Education is compulsory through the eighth grade or until age 16 and is administered by a state board and a commissioner of education. There are several federal schools on military bases. The University of Alaska, founded as a land-grant institution in 1917, operates campuses in several cities. There are several community colleges; including those at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage, Alaska Bible College, and Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka are private institutions.

Health and welfare are taken care of in the state. The elderly, dependent children, and the blind are aided by the state, and a special fund benefits sick and disabled fishermen. The state also operates a psychiatric hospital, a tuberculosis treatment centre, a youth camp, and a prison. Medical and health clinics and hospitals are available to the general public. U.S. Public Health Service nurses and doctors continually visit the remote villages. The large number of airfields and the extensive use of bush pilots make it possible for most persons, even in the remote villages, to reach medical facilities when there is serious need.

Alaska’s cultural life is active. Eminent Alaskan artists have included both whites and Eskimos. Native ivory and wood carvings are well known, and the nearly lost art of totem carving has been revived. Wildlife refuges and ranges abound throughout Alaska. The Alaskan national parks are notably spectacular.

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Словникова довідка 7

Exploration – the act of travelling through a place in order to find out about it or to find something such as oil or gold in it: oil exploration facilities in the North Sea.

Permafrost – a layer of soil that is always frozen in countries where it is very cold.

Extraction – the process of removing or obtaining something from something else: the extraction of salt from seawater.

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TEXT 2

ALABAMA

Alabama has the region that is called the Black Belt. It is physical region so named for its rich soil; the soils once cradled a rural cotton-producing way of life in the state. To the south, there are piney woods, coastal plains and moss-draped oak woods and beaches.

The Black Belt is a fertile plain 40–50 km wide and stretching approximately 480 km across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark soils, it was a battleground for many forces throughout the history of the USA. Though maize was also grown, cotton was the most important crop until the destructive effects from the harmful insect encouraged agricultural diversification in the 20th century. Beef cattle and soybeans are also popular. Though strictly the name of a physical region, the term Black Belt has been borrowed by social scientists to denote those areas of the South where the black rural population once predominated.

Industrial development in Alabama is historically rooted in the iron and steel industry of Birmingham. For it, they have deposits of iron ore, coal, and limestone. The state’s fame is white marble, now distributed primarily in crushed form for use in various applications, including paper pigment. Petroleum in commercial quantities dates from World War II; Natural gas production is also significant in coastal areas. The bulk of Alabama’s electric power is generated by thermal plants, mainly coal-fired. Nuclear-generating and hydroelectricity plants support the state, too.

Because of World War II defense industries, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center developed at Huntsville. It was notable for producing rockets of the 1960s and early ’70s and being a major contributor to the state’s economy. That high-value industry has added to Huntsville’s overall prosperity and have helped establish the city as an important néxus of technology. Currently in Alabama, a number of non-US companies multiplied greatly.

Birmingham is a financial and commercial centre, especially the home of major state banks, regional utilities, national insurance companies, and international construction concerns. Alabama has generally low taxes on property and comparatively high taxes on consumption and spends a significant percentage of its total revenue on education, health and hospitals, welfare, and highways. Various programs in those areas, as well as in agriculture, conservation, urban development, and public works, are also supported by federal funds.

Together, the six major rivers of Alabama provide about 2,100 km of navigable waterways. Mobile has developed into one of the country’s top seaports. Although in Alabama, railroad transportation, as elsewhere in the United States, has suffered a relative decline, bus, truck, and airline traffic have increased in the state.

Distinctive festivals are celebrated in various places. Mobile in February has its major event. In springtime Azalea Trail garden tours are held. The annual America’s Junior Miss pageant is popular. The town of Opp hosts a yearly Rattlesnake Rodeo that draws large participation. Most Alabama towns and cities sponsor historical pilgrimages in April to celebrate architectural survivals. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery offers professional productions of classic and modern plays.

The state maintains many parks and several large public lakes. Waterskiing, boating, and stock-car racing rank among the most popular recreational activities among Alabamians. College gridiron football, elicits avid devotion from the state’s residents.

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Словникова довідка 8

Distinctive – having a special quality, character, or appearance that is different and easy to recognize: a rock band with distinctive sound.

Predominate – to have the most importance or influence, or to be easily noticed.

To be rooted in something – to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it: The country’s economic troubles are rooted in a string of global crisis.

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TEXT 3

HAWAII

Hawaii is constituent state of the USA from 1959. The area is a group of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. The capital is Honolulu, located on the island of Oahu. The place was characterized by Mark Twain as “the loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean.”

Hawaii is economically vigorous in agriculture and manufacturing. Often called the Crossroads of the Pacific, the state serves as a transportation hub of the Pacific basin. Finally, Hawaii is a cultural centre and tourist mecca with the population of little more than one million.

There are few surfaces that collect water. The artesian water supply is tapped for use in irrigation and also for human consumption. The islands contain variety of soils that are the product of lava flows and are agriculturally productive when irrigated.

The rock’s most characteristic feature is the cliffs that rise abruptly reach up to 750 meters 3 km from the sea. The highest points in the range are two peaks 960 metres and 946 metres. The climate is mildly tropical and considered by many people to be the world’s ideal. Although the weather is often humid by US mainland standards, temperatures are conditioned by the northeast trade winds, which prevail most of the year and make living on the islands delightfully comfortable.

Most Hawaiians recognize only two seasons: summer and winter. Summer lasts from May through October, with high temperatures and reliable trade winds. The rainy season, winter, lasts from November to April, with cooler temperatures and frequent rainstorms.

About one-third of the more than 1,000 animal species that the US government has declared threatened or endangered are located in Hawaii. More than 400,00 hectares of land in the state have been set aside in an attempt to protect native ecosystems.

Hawaii ranks relatively low among US states in terms of personal income, farm products sold, value of manufacturing shipments, retail sales, and bank deposits. Largely because of its insularity and dependence on imports, Hawaii has a high cost of living. Transportation costs are included in the prices of nearly all consumer goods. As Hawaii’s population rose, housing became increasingly difficult to acquire, and it is disproportionately expensive when compared with housing costs in many mainland states. Building materials, most of which are imported, are expensive. Historically, residential land has been limited and highly priced.

Agriculture is a major component of the local economy. There is a tremendous variety of food and ornamental plant life from many parts of the world. Food plants grown commercially or in backyards for home consumption include sugarcane, pineapple, papaya, banana, mango, guava, litchi, coconut, avocado, breadfruit, lime, passion fruit, taro, and tamarind. Sugarcane and pineapple production have decreased because of lower labour costs in other countries. Nearly all varieties of common garden vegetables are raised on the islands, and flowers abound year-round. Recently, there has been a slow but steady growth of coffee, macadamia nuts, and ginger root. Most these islands have ranches with Hawaiian cowboys. Livestock raising, together with some lumbering and commercial fishing, are other important sources of income. Nearly half of the commercial fish catch is tuna, especially yellow fin.

Hawaii has no important mineral deposits; its only natural resources are its climate, water supply, soil, vegetation, and surrounding ocean, as well as the rock, gravel, sand, and earth quarried for use in construction and landscaping. Electric power is supplied by a small number of power companies operating oil-powered steam and diesel generators. Several military installations and some private institutions generate their own power. On Maui, the wind farm was opened in 2006. Hawaii still relies on imported oil for most of its energy, but the state has set out to increase its use of renewable energy sources.

Heavy-manufacturing plants, using raw materials for the most part imported from the US mainland, include oil refineries that produce a variety of petroleum products and a concrete-pipe plant. Heavy manufacturing is confined mainly to the island of Oahu. Most lumber is imported from the mainland. A number of garment manufacturers, largely situated in Honolulu, produce printed fabrics and apparel marketed locally, nationally, and abroad. A wide variety of Hawaii-grown foodstuffs are processed in the state. These include Asian and Hawaiian food specialties as well as tropical fruit juices, jams and jellies, candies, coffee, macadamia nuts, and various alcoholic beverages. Exports include sugar, garments, flowers, and canned fish. Major imports are fuel, vehicles, food, and clothing.

Tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry. The majority of visitors come from the US mainland, Canada, Australia, and Asia. Cruise ships make regular stops in Honolulu, and inter-island luxury cruises are available. About half of the hotel units are on Oahu. Visitors have access to a wide range of recreational and cultural facilities, including golf courses, tennis courts, parks, surfing sites, beaches, restaurants, theatres, musical attractions, and sporting events.

Hawaii has two national parks. Hawaii Volcanoes were designated a World Heritage site in 1987; they are on the islands of Hawaii and Maui. The second park is the much-visited USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. There are also many state and county parks, including the Waimea Canyon State Park on Kauai. All beaches in the state are open to the public.

The original culture remains evident in the islands. Today, Hawaiian culture reflects a mixture of Eastern and Western influences. Native Hawaiian culture underwent a renaissance beginning in the 1970s, most notably with the resurgence of the voyaging canoe, the art of tattooing, and its music and language. Most Hawaiian inhabitants know at least some Hawaiian words and observe cultural practices including the giving of a garland of flowers. Interest in the arts is high, and many distinguished artists, photographers, and performers have been residents of Hawaii.

In terms of sports, Hawaii is probably most associated with surfing, which has roots in ancient Polynesia but emerged as a modern sport in Hawaii in the early 20th century. The islands have long been a surfers’ mecca. In November and December, the North Shore is the site of major surfing competitions.

The Honolulu marathon, first run in 1973, is one of the world’s largest. Cycling and swimming are also popular recreations. Skiing is common at Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea during winter months.

Some groups have pressed for Hawaii to become its own nation, while others have advocated for federal recognition of Native Hawaiians equivalent to that of Native Americans. In 1993 US Pres. Bill Clinton apologized for America’s role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy.

Despite the draw of Hawaii for tourists, foreigners, and researchers, Native Hawaiians continue to demand land rights, more autonomy in their internal affairs, and the right to self-governance.

The last Hawaiian monarch to govern the islands in the period of 1891- 93 was Queen Liliu-oka-lani / Lydia (1838 -1917). She opposed giving commercial concessions to the US. In 1893, she was declared deposed by the community which favoured US annexation. An uprising in her name was suppressed and the rebels jailed. To win pardons for her supporters, she formally abdicated in 1895. A talented musician, Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani or Lydia composed songs famous in her land.

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Словникова довідка 9

Vigorous – using a lot of energy and strength or determination: Vigorous efforts are being made to find a solution to the problem.

Mainland – the main area of land that forms a country, as compared to islands near it that are also part of that country: flights between a Greek island and the mainland.

Prevail – if a belief, custom, situation etc prevails, it exists among a group of people at a certain time: the economic conditions which prevail in England and Wales.

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TEXT 4

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

Newcastle is both the name of the city and metropolitan borough, that is metropolitan county of The Tyne and the Wear. this place is historic county of Northumberland, northeastern England. It lies on the River Tyne 13 km from the North Sea. The settlement dates from the Roman period. The district derives from a Norman castle built in 1080 by the son of William the Conqueror. Soon the town became important fortress settlement guarding the route from Scotland.

After that the castle was replaced by a massive stone keep. It is still standing. It guarded the bridge across the Tyne. The protection afforded by the fortress attracted religious and commercial people, and the town rapidly expanded. The inhabitants gained municipal freedom and privileges. The town became a thriving commercial centre. The wool trade was especially important.

In the following centuries Newcastle’s growth continued steadily because of the mined coal, destined for the growing London. It became more important than wool as the town’s principal export. By 1800 Newcastle had become an important industrial and financial centre with the first banking houses in 1755. Ironworking and glassmaking industries expanded there.

The River Tyne became a major focus for shipbuilding, and Newcastle’s shipyards were long among the largest ship-repairing centres in the world, declining by the late 20th century. But marine and heavy engineering industries remain important to Newcastle and service Britain’s offshore oil and gas fields. By the late 20th century, however, coal mining had ceased in Newcastle. The present economy rests mainly on the city’s function as a major service and financial centre.

Newcastle is an important education centre. The University of Newcastle upon Tyne was founded in 1937 as King’s College. Further education is also provided by the Municipal College of Technology, Rutherford College of Technology, and a college of education and some more very old and famous places. Important Roman and other archaeological finds are housed by the Museum of Antiquities. The industrial history of the region is displayed in the Museum of Science and Technology. Collections of several natural history societies are preserved in the Hancock Museum. Both the Laing Art Gallery and Museum and the Hatton Gallery have permanent collections of paintings. Its population is about 300,000 in 2004.

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Словникова довідка 10

Cease – to stop doing something or to stop happening: He ceased to be a member of the association.

Inhabitant – one of the people who live in a particular place: a city of six million inhabitants.

Metropolitan – relating or belonging to a very large city: a metropolitan area of South Australia.