The united states of america

The United States of America is the fourth largest country after Russia, Canada and China. It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska and Hawaii. The total area of the country is about 9.5 million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada and Mexico. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia.

The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC). The population of the country is about 250 million.

If we look at the map o the USA, we can see mountains and lowlands. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and the deepest in the USA.

The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It is the world’s leading producer of copper and oil, iron and coal. The largest cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and others.

The seat of the federal government is Washington, DC. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to the US Constitution the powers of the Government are divided into 3 branches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the Congress, and the judicial, law courts.

There are two main political parties n the USA the Republican and the Democratic. The President of the USA is George Bush.

Proper names:

1. United States of America	[ju: ´naitid ´steits əvə ´merikə]	Соединённые Штаты Америки
2. Canada	[´kænədə]	Канада
3. Alaska	[ə´læskə]	Аляска (штат США)
4. Hawaii	[hə´waii]	Гавайи (штат США)
5. Mexico	[´meksikou]	Мексика
6. Columbia	[kə´lΛmbiə]	Колумбия
7. Cordillera	[,ko:di´lje(ə)rə]	Кордильеры (горная система)
8. Sierra Nevada	[si´erə ni´vædə]	Сьерра-Невада (горная система)
9. Mississippi	[,misi´sipi]	Миссисипи (река)
10. Missouri	[mi´zuəri]	Миссури (река)
11. New York	[´nju: ´jo:k]	Нью-Йорк
12.Los Angeles	[los ´ændვləs]	Лос-Анджелес
13. Chicago	[∫i´ka:gəu]	Чикаго
14. Detroit	[də´troit]	Детройт
15. Washington	[´wo∫iŋtən]	Вашингтон
16. George Bush	[´dვo:dვ ´bu∫]	Джордж Буш

Shopping

Shopping centres and supermarkets have become very popular all over the world. They have various departments under one roof. The shopping centres are very convenient for customers and save them a lot of time. They are well-stocked with a lot of goods. The goods are ready packed and displayed on the shelves. Here you can buy almost everything from caviar to furniture.

Besides there are small specialist shops that deal only in certain goods. At the grocer’s you can buy flour, biscuits, jams, sugar, spice, tinned and frozen foods. The greengrocer’s deals in fruit and vegetables. If you go to the fruiterer’s, you can buy there apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, lemons and so on. The florist’s sells flowers and plants. We go to the fishmongers for fish, and to the poulterer’s if we want to buy poultry – chickens, ducks, geese or turkey. At a milkshop (dairy) we buy dairy products: milk, butter, cheese, cream and eggs. When we run out of bread we go to the baker’s. The confectioner’s always has a good choice of sweets – chocolates, toffees and many other tempting things.

Those who need paper, rubbers, rulers, notebooks, clips and glue can get them at the stationer’s. The bookseller’s sells books and magazines. The jeweller’s sells jewellery. The furniture shop deals in furniture. A chemist’s sells many things besides medicines – perfume, toilet articles: soap, toothpaste, sponges and tooth-brushes.

As for me I don’t often go shopping. I prefer to do it on Saturday. I try to buy all necessary things for the whole week as I am very busy on week days.