Unit VI. The united states of america. Part 1. The usa.

WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS:

to occupy ['ɔkjəpaɪ]  to stretch [streʧ]  Alaska [əˈlaskə] Hawaii [hə'waɪiː] total ['təutəl] area ['ɛərɪə]  to border ['bɔːdə] to be situated ['sɪtjueɪtɪd]  population [ˌpɔpjə'leɪʃn] prolonged immigration [ˌɪmɪ'greɪʃ(ə)n] Appalachian [ˌapəˈleɪtʃən] Mountains the Missouri [mɪ'zuərɪ] the Rio Grande [ˌriːəʊ ˈgrandi] Superior [suːˈpɪərɪə] Erie ['ɪərɪ] rapid ['ræpɪd]  typhoon [taɪ'fuːn] to represent [ˌreprɪ'zent] independent [ˌɪndɪ'pendənt]

занимать тянуться Аляска Гавайи общая площадь граничить находиться население длительный процесс иммиграции Аппалачи Миссури Рио-Гранде оз. Верхнее оз. Эрей порог тайфун представлять независимый

The usa.

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the central part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the North and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The total area of the country is over nine million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-border with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal area where the capital of the country, Washington D. C., is situated. The population of the country is about 250 million. As a result of prolonged immigration in the USA there are 25 mln British Americans, 23 mln African Americans, 25 mln German Americans, more Irish Americans then the whole population of Ireland, many people from the Middle East and the Far East. The native population is only about 1 mln Indians of different tribes. The official language is English.

There are 3 highland regions in the USA: the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada in the west and the Appalachian Mountains in the east. The highest pick is Mount McKinley, which is located in Alaska. There are also two lowland regions – the great plain of the USA called the prairie between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians and the Mississippi Valley.

America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA. They are – the Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The Great Lakes are connected by short rivers and canals cut by rapids. The greatest of the rapids is the Niagara Falls. The Saint Lawrence River joins the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

The flag of the USA is called “Stars and Stripes”. The 50 stars – white on a blue field represent the 50 states and the 13 stripes represent 13 original English colonies, which in 1776 became free and independent of England.

Exercise 1. Translate into Russian: the fourth largest country in the world; free and independent; climate along the Pacific coast; on the border with Canada; a subtropical climate; highland regions; the whole population of Ireland; different tribes; the capital of the country; a sea-border with Russia; to stretch from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean; the total area of the country; to occupy the central part.

Exercise 2. Find the equivalents of these expressions in the text:длительный процесс иммиграции; представлять 50 штатов; граничить с Канадой на севере; высокогорные районы; население страны; общая площадь страны; самые большие реки; климат страны; быть независимым от кого-либо.

Exercise 3. Match up adjectives on the left with the nouns on the right to form meaningful phrases.

1. large a) kilometres

2. similar b) patterns

3. dry c) valley

4. natural d) Isles

5. federal e) territory

6. square f) river

7. swift g) language

8. administrative h) machine

9. official i) government

10. British j) channel

Exercise 4. Answer the questions:

1. What are the Great Lakes of America?

2. What is the name of American flag? Explain it.

3. When did America become an independent country?

4. What is the greatest rapid in the USA?

5. What countries have a larger area than the USA?

6. What countries does America border on?

7. What do you know about the climate of the country?

8. What is the highest pick in the USA?

9. What highland and lowland regions of America do you know?

10. What is the official language in the USA?

Exercise 5. Write all the possible questions to which the following sentence is the answer: The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest in the USA.