Урок №34-35. Различные ландшафты и страны.

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. They lie to the north-west of Europe. The British Isles are separated from the continent by the narrow strait of water which is called the English Channel.

The United Kingdom consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England, the central part, occupies the most of the island of Great Britain. To the north lies Scotland and to the west the third part of the country, Wales, is situated. The fourth part is called Northern Ireland and is located on the second island. Each part has its capital. The capital of England is London, Wales has Cardiff, Scotland has Edinburgh and the main city of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

Great Britain is a country of forests and plains. There are no high mountains in this country. Scotland is the most mountainous region with the highest peak, Ben Nevis. The rivers of Great Britain are not long. The longest rivers are the Thames and the Severn. The capital of the United Kingdom, London, stands on the banks of the Thames. As the country is surrounded by many seas there are some great ports at the seaside: London, Glasgow, Plymouth and others. Wales is a country of lakes.

Seas and oceans influence the British climate which is not too cold in winter but never hot in summer. Great Britain is a beautiful country with old traditions and good people.

The United States consists of 50 states, two of which arc separated from the continental United States. Alaska (1.5 million km)，which faces Russia across the 80 kilometers - wide Bering Strait, is separated from mainland American by Canada while Hawaii (17000skm) lies about 3200 kilometers away to the west and in the Pacific Ocean. Besides the 50 states，

 the United States also includes a number of overseas territories. The main ones are Guam, Puerto Rico，and the Virgin Islands. America’s position on the globe and its relative position in relation to other countries both provide advantage for the country in its development. Main land America, lying within the northern temperate zone, grows large variety of agricultural products. The coastline with many harbors and inlets not only facilitates foreign trade and the fishing industry, but also bring much of the country within the influence of the oceanic air mass. America has no land neighbor which is strong enough to pose a threat to its security. This relieves the United States of the burden to maintain a large frontier army along its border. The two world wars played havoc with many nations. But they never spread into mainland America. As a matter of £act, Canada has been America's most important trading partner and the trade between America and Mexico is also climbing. The three nations have reached an agreement on establishing the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). There are some technical problems remaining to be solved. But the door is open for wider cooperation based on mutual benefit.

So as the geographical features are concerned, the largе territory of the continental United States can be divided into three basic areas：the Atlantic Seacoast west to the Appalachian Mountains；the great Mississippi Rivet Basin between the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains; the Rockies west to the Pacific Ocean.

Д/З: составить топик на тему «Ландшафт Великобритании и США». Подготовить мини-проекты на тему «Великобритания», «США», представив следующую информацию: географическое положение, символика, главы государств, известные места (города, достопримечательности).