Transport in Britain

You can reach England either by plane, by train, by car or by ship. The fastest way is by plane. London has three international airports: Heathrow, the largest, connected to the city by underground; Gatwick, south of London, with a frequent train service; Luton, the smallest, used for charter flights.

If you go to England by train or by car you have to cross the Channel. There is a frequent service of steamers and ferryboats which connect the continent to the south-east of England.

People in Britain drive on the left and generally overtake on the right. The speed limit is 30 miles per hour (50 km/h) in towns and cities and 70 m.p.h. (110 km/h) on motorways.

When you are in London you can choose from four different means of transport: bus, train, underground or taxi. The typical bus in London is a red double-decker. The first London bus started running between Paddington and the City in 1829. It carried 40 passengers and cost a shilling for six kms.

The next to arrive were the trains; now there are twelve railway stations in London. High-speed freight trains serve the major industrial centres.

The world’s first underground line was opened between Baker St. and the City in 1863. Now there are ten underground lines and 273 underground stations in use. The London underground is also called the Tube, because of the circular shape of its deep tunnels.

3. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту:

1. What is the fastest way of traveling?

2. How many airports are there in London?

3. What kind of service helps to cross the Channel?

4. What are some «rules» of driving in Britain?

5. What does typical bus in London look like?

6. Where was the first underground opened?

7. Why is London underground called the Tube?

IV

1. Прочитайте текст и составьте его план.

2. Выпишите новые слова из текста (не более 15). Найдите в словаре их произношение и перевод.

3. Переведите текст и проверьте правильность составленного вами плана.

The United States of America

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world after Russia, Canada and China. It was formed in 1776.

The country consists of three parts: the continental part – in the center of the North American continent, the Hawaii and Alaska.

Its total area is over 9 million sq. km. The US borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea border with Russia.

The USA is washed by 3 oceans – the Arctic, the Pacific and the Atlantic. There are many rivers in this country. The longest of them are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Columbia and some others. The US also has many lakes, with the Great Lakes included.

The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera, the Appalachians and the Sierra Nevada. The highest pick, Mount McKinley, is in Alaska. Due to the large territory, the climate conditions are rather different.

The USA is rich in various mineral resources: oil, gas, coal, and different metals. It is one of the most highly developed industrial powers in the world. The US main industrial branches comprise aircraft, rocket, automobile, radio-engineering, textile, electronics, chemical and others. The country agriculture is highly mechanized.

Americans are made up from nearly all nations and races of the world. Due to immigrants the USA population is now over 300 million. The majority of the country population lives in cities and towns.

The official language of the state is English. The main national symbols of the country are its national flag «Stars and Stripes», having 50 white stars on the dark blue field and 13 white and red stripes, and the Bald Eagle.

Officially the country comprises 50 states and one District Columbia. Each state has its own capital. The capital of the USA is Washington. It is situated in the Federal District of Columbia.

There are many large cities in the country: New York (the country’s largest city called «A Big Apple»), Chicago, San-Francisco Los-Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit and some others.

The USA is a federal state headed by the President. According to the US Constitution, the powers of the Government are divided into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial.

The legislative power belongs to the Congress consisting of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states and the House of Representatives – the population. The executive power belongs to the President and his Administration – the Vice President and the Cabinet of Ministers. The judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court and the system of the Federal courts.

There are several political parties in the USA. The largest and most influential of them are the Republican Party, symbolized by a donkey, and the Democratic Party, symbolized by an elephant.

Nowadays the USA is one of the leading powers in the world due to its great economic, political and military influence in the world.

4.* Переведите на английский язык.

1) занимать центральную часть североамериканского кон­тинента; 2) иметь морскую границу с Россией; 3) большая англоязычная страна; 4) омываться тремя океанами; 5) грани­чить с несколькими государствами; 6) богатые природные ре­сурсы; 7) высокоразвитая промышленная держава; 8) раз­личные климатические условия; 9) состоять из различных рас и наций; 10) официальный язык страны; 11) состоять из 50 штатов и одного округа; 12) звездно-полосатый флаг; 13) количество первоначальных штатов; 14) исполнительная, законодательная и судебная ветви; 15) президент, вице-пре­зидент, кабинет министров; 16) конгресс, сенат, палата пред­ставителей; 17) влиятельные / крупнейшие политические партии.

5. Переведите на английский язык. Ниже приведен перевод географических мест и названий, встречающихся в тексте:

Washington, Potomac River, District of Columbia, American Congress,White House, Capitol, House of Representatives, Senate Chamber, Lincoln Memorial, National Academy of Science, Library of Congress