I. Translate into English:

1. Россия занимает около 1/7 всей земной поверхности.

2. Едва ли найдется еще одна страна в мире с таким разнообразием ландшафта и растительности.

3. Обширная территория страны охватывает различные климатические зоны от арктической на севере до субтропической на юге.

4. Законодательная власть осуществляется Думой.

II. Answer the questions:

1. Where is the Russian Federation situated?

2. What is the total area of the country?

3. What countries does Russia border on?

4. What mountain chain separates Europe from Asia?

5. How many rivers are there in Russia?

6. Which is the longest river in Europe?

7. What do you know about the Baikal?

8. What mineral resources is the Russian Federation rich in?

9. What is the climate like in Russia?

III. Use your knowledge and complete the fact file.

Fact file

Official name of the country:

Type of the state:

Area:

Administrative divisions:

Executive branch:

Legislative branch:

Judicial branch:

Political parties:

Elections:

Flag:

Population:

Largest city:

Capital:

Longest river:

Highest point:

Climate:

Currency:

The United States of America

Fact file

Official name of the country: The United States of America (US or USA)

Type of the state: federal republic

Area: 9,372,614 sq km

Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district

Executive branch: President, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives)

Judicial branch: Federal District Courts, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court

Political parties: Republican (its symbol is an elephant) and Democratic (its symbol is a donkey), other minor groups and parties

Elections: presidential elections are held every four years (the first Tuesday in November of each leap year), all members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years, one third of the Senate is reelected every two years.

Flag: Stars and Stripes (stars are for the fifty states, stripes are for the thirteen colonies which declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776)

Population: 278,058,881

Largest city: New York

Capital: Washington, DC

Largest state: Alaska (1,530, 700 sq km)

Smallest state: Rhode Island (3,100 sq km)

Longest river: the Mississippi (3.950 km)

Highest point: Mount McKinley, Alaska (6,198 m)

Climate: varies from tropical to arctic

Currency: dollar 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000 notes; coins: nickel = 5c, dimes = 10c, quarter = 25c

The United States of America are situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast – by the Atlantic Ocean.

The total area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers. The population of the USA is about 250 million people.

The USA is a very large country, so it has several climatic regions. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate.

The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The longest rivers in the USA are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Rio Grande. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada.

The United States is rich in natural and mineral resources. It produces copper, oil, iron ore and coal. It is highly-developed industrial and agricultural country.

There are many big cities in the USA, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and others. The national capital is Washington, D.C. Its population is about 3,4 million. It was built in the late eighteenth century as the centre of government. It was named after George Washington.