Canada economy

After Russia, Canada is the second-largest country in the world. Its area is 10 million square kilometers. According to the United Nations' index of human development¹, Canada ranks number one for standard of life.

The economy of Canada once² was based on agriculture and on developing the country's natural resources. Today, however, services sector (such as finance, real estate, insurance, health care, education and tourism) and manufacturing industry are the main branches of the economy. More workers are employed in services sector than in any other section of the Canadian economy. The most valuable manufactured goods include automobiles and other transportation equipment, electrical and electronic products, processed foods, chemicals and metal products. Canada's large forests support wood and paper industries.

Agriculture accounts for only a small percentage of Canada's national income and employment. However, the country is one of the leading food producers in the world. Canada is known especially for its grains and oilseeds³. Wheat is the main export crop. Cows and pigs are the most important livestock. Dairy⁴ farms are located around all the large cities. Fish are caught both in Canada's rivers, lakes and in the ocean.

Canada is also one of the world's leading mineral producers. Minerals and mineral products⁵ are among the country's main exports. Petroleum and natural gas account for more than half of mineral production in Canada. Other valuable minerals include gold, copper, zinc, nickel and iron ore.

Notes: ¹index of human development – индекс человеческого развития

²once – раньше, когда-то

³oilseed – семя масличной культуры

⁴dairy – молочный

⁵mineral products – полезные ископаемые

Advertising chewing gum

One of the things, which most visitors to the U.S. notice at once is the custom¹ of Americans to chew gum. It was estimated that more than $140 million worth of chewing gum is sold in the US every year. This means that, on the average, each person spends a dollar a year for chewing gum, and chews during the year more than a hundred sticks².

Chewing gum became popular mainly because of the work of one man, William Wrigley. In 1911, he founded the Wrigley Company in Chicago to manufacture chewing gum and headed it for many years. By 1925, he had factories in Canada and Australia as well as the United States.

W. Wrigley liked to do things in a large way³. In his first year, he borrowed money and spent more than a million dollars on advertising campaign. In every street-bar in the US for years and years, there was a large advertisement telling all about Wrigley's chewing gum. Several times, Wrigley sent, free of charge, pieces of gum to every person in the telephone book of every American city and town. Finally, he began to advertise that it was good for the health to chew gum, that it calmed the nerves and that it helped to keep the teeth clean.

He used to send gum to every child in the US on its second birthday. He employed⁴ pretty young girls who in loud, striped, orange-colored dresses used to go from city to city in groups of four or five, stand on street corners, and gave free samples of chewing gum to every person who passed by. Each girl gave free in this way about 5 000 sticks of Wrigley's gum each day.

This continuous advertising campaign was a great success. It resulted in increased patronage⁵ and greater sales.

Notes: ¹custom – привычка

²stick of chewing gum — пластинка жевательной резинки

³to do things in a large way – делать всё с размахом

⁴toemploy– нанимать на работу

⁵patronage – клиентура; постоянные покупатели