Questions:

1. The UK is an island state, isn't it? Where is it situated?

2. What countries is the UK made of? What are their capitals?

3. What channel separates the British Isles from the European continent?

4. The surface of the British Isles varies very much, doesn't it?

5. What is the north of Scotland called? What is the south of Scotland called?

6. What's the highest mountain in Scotland?

7. Are there a lot of long and deep rivers in Great Britain?

8. Why is the climate of the British Isles mild?

9. Is the UK a large country?

10. What's the UK's population?

The usa

The United States of America stretches from the Atlantic Ocean across North America and far into the Pacific. Because of such a huge size of the country the climate dif­fers from one part of the country to another. The coldest climate is in the northern part, where there is heavy snow in win­ter and the temperature may go down to 40 degrees below zero. The south has a subtropical climate, with temperature as high as 49 degrees in summer.

The continental part of the USA consists of the highland regions and two lowland regions. The highland regions are the Appalachian mountains in the east and the Cordillera in the west. Between the Cordillera and the Appalachian mountains are the central lowlands which are called the prairie, and eas­tern lowlands called the Mississippi valley.

There are many mountains especially in the west and south­west. The Rocky Mountains extend all the way from New Me­xico to Alaska.

Many rivers cross the country. The most important are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Colorado, and the Sacramento. The main lakes in the USA are the Great Lakes in the north.

The nation's natural advantages and resources are proba­bly greater than those of any other area of equal size.

The land is as varied as it is huge. There are plains and mountains, grasslands and forests, sandy soil, clay and rich, dark loams. The mineral resources vary from precious gold and rare uranium to common lead and zinc. Coal, oil, iron, copper and other minerals are abundant. They form basis of modern industry.

The history of the USA dates back only to the 15th centu­ry. In the 15th century there was no USA at all. The present territory of the USA was divided among some countries. In the 15th — 16th centuries some territory of the USA belonged to Great Britain (northern and western lands); southern parts (California, Florida, New Mexico, Texas) belonged to Spain, then — to Mexico; the central part, the territory was called Louisiana — to France; Alaska was possessed by Russia; some territories remained to be under Indians control.

In 18th century there were only thirteen Britain's Ameri­can colonies and they broke with Great Britain in 1776 and later were recognized as the new nation of the the United States of America, following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the ori­ginal 13 as the nation expanded their frontiers across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions.

There were three most dramatic experiences in the nation's history: the Civil War (1861-1865), the Great Depression of the 1930s and Vietnam War of the 1960s — 70s. After its victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the USA remains the world's most pow­erful state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low un­employment and inflation, and great advances in technology.

Nowadays USA is world's third-largest country by size (af­ter Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India). The total territory of the USA is 9,630,000 sq km. It is about half the size of Russia or lightly larger than China or Brazil. The USA has borders with Canada, Mexico and Rus­sian Federation. The lowest point is Death Valley — 86 m and the highest one is Mount McKinley 6,194 m.

By July 2002, the population of the USA was about 280,565,000. The largest US river is the Mississippi River.

It is a multicultural and multinational country. As to reli­gion there are 56% of Protestants, 28% of Catholics and 2% of Jews. Ethnic groups include white 77%, black 13%, Asian 4.5%.

It is a federal republic with strong democratic traditions. The capital of the US is Washington, DC. The country includes 50 states and 1 district plus dependent areas as: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, etc.

Independence Day is celebrated on 4 July (from Great Bri­tain). Constitution Day is 17 September, which was approved in 1787.

The chief of state is President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. Cheney (since 20 January 2001); note — the president is both the chief of state and head of government.

There are three political parties in the USA. They are Demo­cratic Party, Green Party and Republican Party. Do you know that among American people, the Democratic Party is associ­ated with mother (mom) and Republican Party is associated with dad (father)? It is a very interesting fact. The currency of the USA is US dollar.